The Frequency: Daily Vermont News

Delving into the local custom of waving to drivers you pass on rural Vermont roads. Plus, why Gov. Scott says he’s leaning towards running for another term, UVM says it will publicly release its endowment investments in response to pro-Palestinian demonstrators, the potential benefit for Vermont cannabis growers if the federal government changes its classification, the state distributes and thousands of gun safety locks acquired last year, and Vermont has a new poet laureate.

How small, independent transit services are helping fill in travel gaps for Vermonters in hard to reach areas. Plus, the Vermont Senate rejects Gov. Scott’s pick for education secretary, a communications union district is having financial issues building out broadband infrastructure, a bill to discourage speeding in highway construction zones gets strong House backing, and a St. Johnsbury teenager prepares to compete in a national poetry competition.

An excerpt from the Vermont Public podcast Homegoings, featuring a unique idea of elder care. Plus, University of Vermont and Middlebury College students camping out on campus in support of Palestinians say they’re in it for the long haul, former Gov. Howard Dean teases another run for the state’s top leadership post, current Gov. Phil Scott signs into law a policy expanding access to breast cancer screening, and a Bennington state representative pleads not guilty to a drunken driving charge.

Vermont has more than 80 cold cases, which present unique challenges for police. Plus, the Vermont Senate supports a cap for the emergency motel housing program, lawmakers advance a ban on pesticide-coated agricultural seeds, the city of Burlington faces a larger-than-expected budget deficit, U.S. Rep Becca Balint tours a redevelopment project in Bennington, and state lawmakers are collecting public testimony on a proposed constitutional amendment.

One small New Hampshire town is training a workforce to install high-efficiency heat pumps and other climate-friendly home upgrades – which can also save homeowners money. Plus, Education Secretary Zoie Saunders gets a thumbs up from the Senate Education Committee, Gov. Phil Scott endorses an annual fee for electric vehicle owners, a new University of Vermont study links supporting climate initiatives with experiencing extreme weather, and the Agency of Transportation is installing barriers to prevent tractor trailers from getting stuck on the Notch.

How recent storms and updated federal flood maps are leading some coastal Maine residents to consider flood insurance. Plus, the Vermont Senate approves a proposed equal protection constitutional amendment, the man accused of setting fire to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Burlington office pleads not guilty, the Vermont House passes new regulations for so-called ghost guns, and Norwich University appoints a new president.

Renters have a lot to gain from things that reduce emissions in their space – so why is it so hard to do this work in rental properties? Plus, the Vermont Senate approves a new fee for EV owners, a case of measles has been discovered in Vermont, Sen. Jane Kitchel has been appointed to a powerful committee, and health care organizations are encouraging more people to volunteer for hospice care.

Homeowners are taking more precautions to protect their property from flooding in the face of climate change – but it’s resulting in some counterintuitive choices. Plus, one of the Vermont Legislature’s longest-serving lawmakers won’t seek reelection, President Biden approves a disaster declaration tied to January storm, Efficiency Vermont has a new tool to help Vermonters figure out weatherization and EV incentives, and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies is studying how tick pesticides impact other insects.

Constructing apartment buildings with mass timber, which is touted as an environmentally friendly alternative to steel and concrete. Plus, local reaction to new EPA rules on so-called forever chemicals, Addison County’s top prosecutor gets her law license reinstated, new state unemployment numbers are in, and rabies is on the rise in Caledonia County.

Property tax burdens are forecast to spike amid rising school budgets. What state lawmakers are — and aren’t — doing to draw down tax burdens. And how Gov. Phil Scott is responding.

The hard choices education officials will need to make as numerous school budgets continue to get voted down. Plus, Vermont’s new education secretary indicates she wants to explore school consolidation, why Gov. Scott isn’t satisfied with a new bill updating Act 250, a federal grand jury indicts a man for setting fire to the door of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office, volunteers are asked to help clean up the Burlington waterfront ahead of Earth Day, and the tentative sale of an independent Vermont book publisher to a huge international counterpart.

Efforts by an organic farmer and men serving time in a Maine prison to grow fresh produce for the incarcerated population there. Plus, Vermont House lawmakers move a bill that will only slightly reduce property taxes this year, a lawsuit is filed over a school district’s handling of its budget vote on Town Meeting Day, controlled springtime burns get underway in the Green Mountain National Forest, doctors at UVM are studying new ways to treat rectal cancer, and two Vermonters win coveted Guggenheim fellowships.

Good news on the health of birds in the northern woods of Maine. Plus, Vermont ski resorts rebound from a tough winter with help from the eclipse and late season snowstorms, what this year’s early ice out at Joe’s Pond signifies for algae blooms this summer, Vergennes is chosen as the site for a new juvenile treatment center, a mentoring program in Randolph helps high school students with their transition to college, and a program to help BIPOC Vermonters become homeowners is expanding.

Pondering the future of Goddard College’s campus after the school announced it’s closing down after 86 years in operation. Plus, volunteers helping with long-term flood recovery relief say they need help, an annual book festival in Woodstock is canceled just two months before it was set to begin, a Fair Haven school district budget fails on a second vote, Vermont welcomes its unofficial start to spring as a cinder block falls through the ice at Joe’s Pond in Danville, and amphibians begin their seasonal breeding migrations.

An initiative to make health and safety information more accessible to Vermont’s immigrant and refugee communities has proven its worth – but funding is running out. Plus, lawmakers pump the brakes on a major education overhaul plan, advocates to improve migrant farmworker housing call on the state to provide more funding, Chittenden County officials issue a warning about a jury duty phone scam, and exploring ways to make a New England shellfish more sustainable as ocean temperatures continue to rise.

The Vermont House wants to set up another decade of major spending on the housing crisis — and tax increases to go with it. Meanwhile, the Senate and Gov. Phil Scott would rather focus on regulatory changes making housing easier to build.

How Franklin County’s newly appointed top prosecutor hopes to bring stability to a position that’s gone through a recent rough patch. Plus, the state treasurer reiterates support for a superfund bill to make big oil companies pay a share of damages related to climate change, the Vermont Bond Bank creates a flood resiliency fund, the EPA sets federal limits on so-called forever chemicals that go beyond state requirements, Rep. Becca Balint urges the Biden administration to withhold weapons shipments to Israel, and Goddard College will shut down after 86 years of operation.

A young singer-songwriter from Norwich discusses his musical upbringing and how one of his songs emerged after a tragic event. Plus, a bill to reduce administrative burdens for health care providers advances in Montpelier, concerns rise about a strain of avian flu affecting cows around the country, Quebec forestry officials look to hire more firefighters before the fire season begins, and Vermont businesses get a boost from eclipse tourism.

Lawmakers reflect on the resignation of Grand Isle Sen. Dick Mazza, which signals a potentially generational change in the Senate. Plus, backers of a bill to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products look for votes to override a gubernatorial veto, lawmakers abandon impeachment of the Franklin County sheriff, rescue crews breathe a sigh of relief after eclipse day, and a warning for trail hikers as mud season ramps up.

Vermonters and the throngs of visitors who traveled to see the event recount how it felt to witness Monday’s total eclipse of the sun. Plus, Vermont’s longest serving member of the state Senate announces his retirement, I share a few thoughts on my own eclipse watching experience, and we’ll have an update on traffic as the visiting post-eclipse crowds head out of the state.