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…

Outside of Vermont, governments have bet big on encouraging modular construction to accelerate homebuilding. But there are some risks and barriers.Carly Berlin

Recent moves by the Trump administration are significantly disrupting organizations that help refugees resettle in Vermont. Plus, 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…

From work stoppages to canceled flights, here's how President Donald Trump's recent actions are impacting Vermont's refugee agencies and the communities they serve.Mary Williams Engisch, Adiah Gholston

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 feder…

The inpatient psychiatry unit at Central Vermont Medical Center recently stopped admitting new patients. At the end of January, it will close altogether in an effort to save the hospital system money.Lexi Krupp

Speaking with people worried about the looming closure of Central Vermont Medical Center’s psychiatric unit. Plus, Gov. Phil Scott delivers his annual budget address today, why some Vermont lawmakers want consumers to have stronger data privacy protection, Sen. Peter Welch says he’ll work with the Trump administration to reform FEMA but will fight …

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 h…

Pandemic-era federal funding allowed Vermont to double its budget for free weatherization for low income households, and, for the first time, help people with leaky roofs or dirt floor basements. Now, a key share of that money is about to dry up.Abagael Giles

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.Vermont Public

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 in…

A retail store in Middlebury, FLŌRA Cannabis, filed the lawsuit. It could have a large impact on the state's retail cannabis industry.Bob Kinzel, Nathaniel Wilson, Jenn Jarecki

Hundreds of Afghan refugees have settled in Vermont in recent years. Now, one of those families wants to make the state feel more like home by buying a house. And they’re taking advantage of a new partnership intended to make that dream more achievable.Adiah Gholston

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…

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 wit…

Lake Morey Resort, which has been maintaining the lake's skating loop, lost their insurance coverage. But at the eleventh hour, the town of Fairlee stepped in, agreeing to maintain the ice and provide insurance coverage for the activities there.Howard Weiss-Tisman

Obama-era rules, which Trump kept in place during his first administration, currently prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making arrests at so-called “sensitive locations,” including schools, churches and hospitals. But Trump reportedly wants to rescind that policy.Lola Duffort

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 cust…

In Vermont, many dairy farmers don’t seem immediately concerned about losing their workforce. But farmworker organizers say they’re worried about increased immigration enforcement worsening poor conditions on farms.Elodie Reed

Vermont Public’s Pete Hirschfeld will explain why Republicans — and some Democrats — are seeking to roll back Vermont's climate mandates during the recently convened legislative session.Vermont Public

Vermonters bet just over $140 million in 2024, the first year of legal sports gambling in the state. During that time, the state has worked to grow its resources for people with gambling problems.Bob Kinzel, Jenn Jarecki, Nathaniel Wilson

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…

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 …

Death is one of the few sure things in life, but few of us talk through how we want our final days to go, or who we want to help us through them. Formalizing those things in an advance directive may be easier and more important than you think.Nina Keck

U.S. Sen. Peter Welch says the U.S. has a role in helping rebuild Gaza, and he hopes the ceasefire clears the way for long-term work on a two-state solution in the Middle East.Mitch Wertlieb, Adiah Gholston, Kevin Trevellyan

Rutland’s historic public library and City Hall both need lots of repairs. City officials are seeking public input on what could be a much less costly option: creating a joint downtown civic center.Nina Keck

Vermont is rolling out its first-ever standalone incentives to help people upgrade their electrical systems to accommodate new, more efficient appliances — with the goal of cutting carbon emissions.Abagael Giles

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 inp…

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 Nati…

Increasingly common public campus closings face political and community hostility.Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report, Liam Elder-Connors

Garden design author Gordon Hayward has been writing a series of profile pieces for the Brattleboro Reformer. He thinks knowing more about our neighbors is one way to address the global challenges we all face.Howard Weiss-Tisman

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 holiday…

It happens to all of us, but isn't a topic that's easy to broach: death. Then New Hampshire entrepreneur Laura Cleminson founded a social club to do just that.Mary Williams Engisch, Adiah Gholston

Lena Ashooh is Vermont's 43rd Rhodes Scholar, and the state's first since 2006. After earning Harvard University's first ever animal studies degree, she'll head to the University of Oxford to study legal philosophy.Jenn Jarecki, Nathaniel Wilson

We speak to 2025 Rhodes Scholar and Shelburne native Lena Ashooh, who’s interested in animal ethics and legal philosophy. Plus, Gov. Scott reiterates the need to make Vermont more affordable during his inaugural address, Republican John Rodgers is Vermont’s new lieutenant governor, a national cyberattack may have compromised local school district d…

In his fifth inaugural speech this week, Republican Gov. Phil Scott pledged to fix a “broken and failing” education system – and the rising costs associated with it. Democrats in the Legislature seem receptive to the broad strokes of Scott’s preliminary proposals, despite butting heads in prior sessions. Vermont Public’s Lola Duffort will break dow…

A gas pipeline that once generated a lot of buzz in Addison County has largely faded from the headlines. But a few years ago, investigators identified several issues with the line’s construction. And now, reenergized by a recent Supreme Court ruling, some neighbors are still fighting.Sabine Poux

The Vermont Supreme Court has re-opened public comment on a natural gas pipeline in Addison County, following years of fighting by neighbors. Plus, Vermont lawmakers elect a House speaker for the new legislative session, Senate leadership says the chamber will focus on property tax relief and reforming the education system this year, a former Addis…

We prime you for the start of this year’s legislative session, after Vermont Republicans picked up more seats than in any other state during the November election. Plus, an early report shows an above-average number of Vermonters have ALS, Vermont Democrats are looking for new leadership, Killington Ski Resort is beefing up security amid passholder…

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Petroleum Institute have sued Vermont over a landmark climate law that seeks damages for climate change from big oil companies, and is modeled after the federal Superfund program.Abagael Giles

A county in Kentucky gets robbed by computer criminals who used software to trick county computers into transferring funds into money mole bank accounts. Those moles were people who thought they were working for a legitimate business, but later found out that they’d been scammed.Make sure you check out any company that offers to hire [...]…

A short episode this week, running through some of the tech news from last week. There was a major outage around Washington and Rutland counties due to a fiber line that was blasted by a shotgun. Fairpoint may go into bankruptcy, but not to worry there are alternative ISPs in Vermont and Fairpoint won’t [...]…

Send ideas for the poll question to feedback@technewsvt.com.For people interested in the Commodore 64. I’d recommend the wikipedia entry as a great starting place to find out all about one of the first truly mass market personal computers.Enhanced podcast:Jack Skoda

The first few days with the iPhone 3.0 software has been fairly good. I lost my contacts and calendars when I tried to turn on Push, but I restored them from backup. I still don’t fully understand the relationship between the Mac applications, .mac (or as it’s know now-a-days MobileMe *ick*) and the iPhone.I mentioned [...]…

I didn’t change the episode tag at the front of the podcast, I know it says episode 4 then after the music I start into episode 5…. Sorry for the confusion, this is really episode five.Don’t forget to check out www.vtsda.org. The Vermont Software Developers Alliance is hosting a lunch and learn on the 17th.Enhanced [...]…

After a long break the podcasts are back. I received an email from Verizon about some comments that were posted on the Concord Monitor’s web site. I cover some of the hightlights from E3 and talk about the troubles with Conficker seen in certain hospitals. Short show this week, working on getting back into a [...]…

I talk about how the iPhone handled being used as a GPS on my road trip. Some more Fairpoint information about the transition from Verizon. Good luck to the Green Team, team 885 at the Granite State Regional. Check out http://www.baesystemsfirst.org/regional/ or http://www.thebluealliance.net/ For a taste of what the Lego League is all about, check…

In addition to talking about the past weeks blog posts, I cover my Fairpoint service call. I’m part of the 28,000 people that WCAX is talking about in this news story http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=9793260 For the security corner we talk about how to prevent having your credit card compromised and I introduced the FIRST organization, check …

Episode one is a quick introduction to the podcast, the podcaster, and a survey of the iPhone mania that swept Vermont this month. The purpose of technewsvt.com is to talk about tech in Vermont. The best place to get Vermont iPhone news is at radmacdaddy’s blog http://iphonevt.wordpress.com/In the security corner I talked about Downadup and you [..…