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To increase the pace of home building, some housing experts say Vermont needs to turn to the assembly line. Plus, Gov. Scott wants to place new fees on electric vehicles in lieu of gas tax revenues, Vermont’s attorney general says she won’t back down on challenging Trump administration efforts she doesn’t believe pass legal muster, national testing results show declines in math and reading for Vermont fourth and eighth graders, a Middlebury philosophy professor discusses how to live a full life by mastering what she calls the ‘art of the interesting�, and we take stock of what sports fans are waiting for–from the pending Super Bowl to the start of the new baseball season–in our weekly sports report.

Recent moves by the Trump administration are significantly disrupting organizations that help refugees resettle in Vermont. Plus, the federal bureaucracy is delaying plans to permanently repair flood-damaged state buildings in Montpelier, Education Secretary Zoie Saunders addresses concerns about dropping a universal school meals program to help fund a new education plan, Lt. Gov. John Rodgers plans to take a lead role in reforming Vermont’s retail cannabis law, a Chittenden County bikeshare program will end this spring, and a Vermont gun rights group says it will oppose any legislation to impose a statewide ban on firearms inside town-owned municipal buildings.

We visit an East Putney resident who helps maintain a nearby cemetery, in an excerpt from a recent Brave Little State episode about “adopting� small, local graveyards. Plus, Gov. Scott lays out budget priorities he says are aimed at making the state more affordable, Vermont’s congressional delegation slams President Trump’s decision to freeze federal grant and loan funding, state officials are waiting to see if the freeze will impact disaster relief, advocates for LGBTQ+ people emphasized that an executive order discounting gender identity doesn’t apply to the state government, and Vermont saw a record amount of tourism dollars in 2023.

Home weatherization can take a huge chunk out of your energy bill, but federal funding to make that work more accessible to lower-income households is running dry. Plus, prosecutors file charges tied to the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent in Vermont, the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs could slow Vermont’s broadband buildout, feds have approved the use of Medicaid funds for housing programs for people experiencing homelessness, and one of Vermont’s James Beard semifinalists describes his approach to cooking.

Gov. Phil Scott unveiled a plan this week that would significantly shift how schools are funded and governed in Vermont, opening up a thicket of thorny issues for his administration and lawmakers to navigate.

A Middlebury retail cannabis shop is suing the state, saying its cannabis advertising regulations violate freedom of speech protections in the Vermont Constitution. Plus, the Scott administration wants the state to have much stronger oversight of schools, President Trump’s tax plans could make it more difficult for local towns and cities to fund infrastructure projects, Vermont is home to a number of health-focused startups, and Middlebury College has a new president.

The Kohbandi family moved to Vermont after fleeing Afghanistan in 2021, and now hopes to grow deeper roots here with help from a new partnership intended to ease the path to homeownership for refugees. Plus, economists say Vermont’s economy is in great shape, several Vermonters have been announced as James Beard Award semifinalists, state officials are looking to nix an inspection requirement for motor racetracks, and authorities have released the name of the Border Patrol agent who was fatally shot on Monday.

We visit the skating trail at Lake Morey, which town officials in Fairlee helped save by folding into its recreation department. Plus, Vermont joins a multistate lawsuit challenging President Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, U.S. Sen. Peter Welch says he’s appalled at Trump’s blanket pardon for people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection, Canadian officials say proposed tariffs on their goods will raise prices for Vermonters, legislation that could erase hundreds of millions of dollars worth of medical debt will be introduced this week, and authorities continue to investigate the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent in Coventry.

How Vermont schools are trying to protect students who may not have legal status as Donald Trump begins his second term as president, and how the new Trump administration’s promise to conduct a mass deportation campaign could impact Vermont’s dairy industry. Plus, Vermont’s Department for Children and Families allegedly tried to illegally take custody of a woman’s child, Vermont moves closer to qualifying doulas for Medicaid coverage, UVM gets $24 million in federal funding to invest in semiconductor research, and the head of Vermont’s largest insurer says the state’s health care premiums are failing to cover the cost of care.

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý’s Pete Hirschfeld will explain why Republicans â€� and some Democrats â€� are seeking to roll back Vermont's climate mandates during the recently convened legislative session.