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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.

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.

Checking in on the state’s efforts to help people who develop gambling problems, after one year since online sports betting was legalized in Vermont. Plus, the Public Utility Commission recommends nixing the clean heat standard, some lawmakers in Montpelier want to exempt more Vermonters from paying state income taxes on Social Security, an outdoor clothing outlet in Essex will close a little more than a year after opening, the state director of the U.S.D.A. Farm Service Agency prepares to leave his post as a new presidential administration takes over in Washington, and we make predictions for this weekend’s NFL divisional playoff games in our weekly sports report.

The importance of creating an advance directive to help loved ones make decisions about your end-of-life care. Plus, remembering former Democratic Gov. Tom Salmon, Vermont’s senators react to the news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Gov. Scott says Vermont isn’t being tough enough on repeat offenders, a dead racoon infected with rabies is found in Quebec near the Vermont border, and Dartmouth researchers are looking into whether zooplankton can help remove climate-warming carbon from the atmosphere.

For the first time ever, the state is offering financial incentives for upgrading electrical systems to help reduce Vermont’s carbon footprint. Plus, there's an effort to get more Vermonters to run for their local school board, more than 3,500 scams were reported to the state Attorney General's office in 2024, Rutland city officials seek public input on a proposal to move the library and city hall to a more modern building, and a no-cellphone policy goes into effect at Twin Valley Middle High School.

Checking in on the recently merged Vermont State University, after its composite campuses had long faced money and enrollment woes. Plus, a winter shelter is opening in Burlington, a member of the Green Mountain Care Board is stepping down, Vermont’s new payroll tax has generated a big pot of money for child care, and the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs has a new vacancy.

After getting sick of all the negativity in the news, a Westminster man started writing feel-good profiles about the working people of southern Vermont for his local newspaper. Plus, the Burlington Housing Authority is suspending rental vouchers in anticipation of federal funding cuts, COVID-19 appears to be on the rise in Vermont after the holidays, a legislative committee is against allowing naturopathic physicians to prescribe end-of-life medication, and the Vermont Truth and Reconciliation Commission will take public testimony on identity-based discrimination tied to state policies.