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…

Burlington-based HOPE Works is Vermont's oldest and largest sexual violence crisis center. Executive Director Natania Carter reflects on 50 years of service.Jenn Jarecki, Nathaniel Wilson

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-ca…

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 encourag…

Renters — who often foot the bill for utilities — have a lot to gain from things that save money and reduce emissions like weatherization, switching to electric appliances and other upgrades. So why is it so hard to do this work in rental properties?Abagael Giles

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 ne…

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 Coun…

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.Vermont Public

JAG Productions, a Black theater company based in the Upper Valley, shares work that reflects and deconstructs racial, gender, sexuality and class hierarchies. After months of fundraising and planning, the company a new artist showcase called JAG Underground.Mary Williams Engisch, Adiah Gholston

Every year, lawmakers must pass a bill that sets the property tax rates necessary to pay for school budgets. For this week’s edition of the Capitol Recap, we explore how lawmakers in the House want to use this legislation to respond to double-digit property tax hikes.Lola Duffort, Mary Williams Engisch

Roughly one in three school budgets failed in Vermont on Town Meeting Day this year. School districts across the state are now entering second and third voting rounds to get budgets approved by voters.Lola Duffort, Jenn Jarecki

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 San…

Two young citizens of Odanak First Nation described what they call Indigenous identity theft, particularly in Vermont, at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Abenaki Councils of Odanak and W8linak bought a billboard in Times Square to highlight the topic.Elodie Reed

The Made Here film Seeds of Change: Breaking Free from the Prison Food Machine follows an organic farmer in Maine who set out to transform the prison food system with an organic gardening program.Mary Williams Engisch

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 g…

Amid the bleak reports about a precipitous loss in numbers and types of birds around North America and the rest of the world is a glimmer of hope in Maine's North Woods.Susan Sharon

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…

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 secon…

The Vermont Language Justice Project’s funding is an open question. But according to testimonials from people working in Vermont’s health, refugee resettlement and equity organizations, the project’s services are vital — and there would be a void without them.Elodie Reed

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 officia…

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.Vermont Public

The House wants to set up another decade of major spending on the housing crisis — and taxes to go with it. The Senate and the governor would rather focus on regulatory changes.Carly Berlin

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 federa…

Bram Kranichfeld, a veteran prosecutor and ordained priest, took over as Franklin County state’s attorney after his predecessor resigned amid an impeachment inquiry. Kranichfeld was permanently appointed about three weeks ago, and will serve until January 2027.Liam Elder-Connors

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 firefi…

The 23-year-old folk artist grew up in Norwich and you can hear the Upper Valley's influence in his music. His debut EP "More Than One Way Home" was released in March.Ari Morris

Robin Allen LaPlante moved to Vermont in 2018. She shares some of what she's learned during her first seven years — featuring mud roads, trips to the trash transfer station and being a "flatlander."Erica Heilman

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 …

"I was in perfect … synchronization with the sun and the moon. And it feels so good, right?" Julio Desmont said. "I’m so happy. The eclipse is something else."Elodie Reed

The Vermont Senate has lost one of its most respected and influential members, and his departure signals a potentially generational change in the chamber.Peter Hirschfeld

The parking lot of the Green Mountain Mall in St. Johnsbury was opened up to eclipse watchers, including some RVs that were parked there overnight.Howard Weiss-Tisman

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 cro…

Thousands of visitors came to northern Vermont to see the eclipse under mostly clear skies, many having changed their plans at the last minute.Mark Davis, Vermont Public Staff

Around 3:25 this afternoon northwestern Vermont will be plunged into darkness for about three minutes as the moon completely covers the sun. State officials estimate that 160,000 people could come to Vermont to view this once-in-a-generation celestial event.Liam Elder-Connors

Vermonters and state officials prepare for today’s total eclipse of the sun, and we visit Alburgh where they’re holding a totality festival. Plus, a suspect is arrested in connection with a fire at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Burlington office, a bill banning the use of so-called forever chemicals in many products is sent to House lawmakers in Montpelier,…

Vermont towns in the path of totality have a unique and, for some, daunting opportunity to capitalize on the thousands of visitors who will be visiting to see the April 8 eclipse. The small border community of Alburgh is taking a chance and throwing a big party.Sabine Poux

Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic state lawmakers agree that public safety should be a priority this session. But there's little agreement in Montpelier on how to move the needle.Vermont Public

Checking in with the Islamic Society of Vermont just before the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Plus, Vermont moves a step closer to creating a fund that would force big oil companies to pay a share of damages related to human-caused climate change, the state moves to curb online betting tied to performances by individual college athletes, two Ve…

Revealing the finalists for this year’s Vermont Book Awards. Plus, Copley Hospital gets approval for a rare mid-year service price increase, Gov. Scott vetoes a bill to ban flavored tobacco and vaping products, strategies for getting kids to wear safety glasses during the eclipse, and the state Senate moves a bill to screen students earlier for lea…

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 [..…