Vermont Edition

The two big issues for the upcoming veto session in June will be the future of a bill legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and the fight over Gov. Phil Scott's plan to implement a statewide teachers' health care contract.

The governor had his say on the Legislature's marijuana bill when he vetoed it Wednesday. Now we'll get the thoughts of Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Scott announced his decision on the fate of a marijuana legalization bill that had made its way to his desk. That decision was to veto the bill – but the governor also said there's potential to revisit marijuana legalization if certain changes are made by the Legislature, which is planning to hold a veto session in June.

Maps have come a long way. We've gone from "here be dragons" on parchment scrolls to an age of satellites, plane-mounted lasers, and democratization - everyone can now be his or her own cartographer. We're diving deep into the latest on what maps are, what they might become, and what we can learn from them.

Tossing and turning all night, or drowsiness caused by staying up to play World of Warcraft too long into the night, might seem like mild irritants. But the consequences of lack of sleep can be much more dire.

Invasive plant and animal species exist all around us, but some are more damaging than others. A revamped tool from UVM Extension leverages citizen science to better track where invasive species are now, and which ones are approaching our region.

A bill likely to become law would allow additional TIF districts in the state of Vermont. TIF stands for "tax increment financing" and proponents point to the districts as a way to revitalize downtowns around the state. Critics say they divert money that would otherwise go to the Education Fund.

The state's nearly $6 billion budget faces a veto and a lot of uncertainty after that – all because a $26 million question over teachers' health insurance wasn't solved. On Vermont Edition , we talk with the teachers union and the Vermont School Boards Association about what this debate means to the health plans of teachers and to the bottom lines of school districts.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is warning people to mitigate the possibility of having a bad encounter with a bear. The department is already gearing up for what they expect to be record human-bear interactions this year.

Late Thursday night, the Legislature adjourned for the year after passing a state budget that Gov. Phil Scott has said he will veto. Our panel of top political reporters looks at the two weeks of deadlock over the budget, and what happens next.

This weekend a seminar is being held in Stowe that critics say will spread misinformation about the risks of vaccines. It's topic in which science and emotion collide for parents and communities.

A news conference was held Wednesday at noon in Montpelier by House Speaker Mitzi Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe to discuss the status of negotiations around Vermont teachers' health care and subsequently the Vermont state budget.

"The alternatives are to dig, die or get out — and we certainly don't want to die." That assessment in 1954 by a Midwestern governor encapsulates the massive but deeply problematic redundancy planning civilian and military leaders undertook to prepare for a Soviet nuclear attack. This shadowy legacy of the Cold War is explored in the new book Raven Rock by Vermont-based journalist Garrett Graff.

South Burlington voters have rejected two school budgets amidst the ongoing debate over the changing of the high school's "rebel" nickname. They'll vote on a third in June.

A late proposal by Governor Phil Scott on teachers' health care plans sent the Legislative session into overtime. We hear from Governor Scott about the plan and the timing of introducing the idea so late in the session.