School districts won’t be forced to merge but they should discuss it …. the sweeping education reform bill was signed into law; a local high school football team couldn’t fill out its roster and won’t take the field this season; and some national park signs in New England should be back in place before the semiquincentennial.

Vermont’s state ethics commission gets a staffing boost; lawmakers close a gap in the state’s transportation fund; a Colchester resident is caring for a Vermont flower at risk of disappearing.

More tough news for employees in the Franklin County dairy industry; Gov. Phil Scott took action on more laws this week; and an Addison County musician determined to get back into the studio after hardships and loss.

The Legislature is out of session and Gov. Phil Scott made some moves on several key housing and healthcare bills; a Vermont bar owner talks World Cup and how New Hampshire’s bet on legalized gambling is paying off.

Graduating from the department store; a new app for loon lovers; and some arts and culture news from around the region.

Vermonters will still need to get their cars and trucks inspected each year but with some reprieve; A Texas-based company is eyeing the former nuclear power plant site for development; A Hardwick family is still searching for a home, years after floods destroyed theirs.

A settlement in an excessive force claim; tracking another dangerous tick-borne illness; a new free-standing surgery center opens in Hartford; and Senator Bernie Sanders’ attention has turned to … A.I.

Vermonters will soon be able to opt out of their data being sold online; where to grab free meals this summer in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties; and - a former middle school teacher wrote a song about a pretty impressive horse

Vermont sets standards for how schools should respond to immigration enforcement; research on how the flu actually infects us; new trails for mountain biking; and more flood recovery funding flowing into Vermont.

Widespread layoffs at the UVM Health Network; some recycling changes on the horizon for residents in a southern Vermont town; what do world-class winter Olympians do in the summer?; no fair in Franklin County this summer; and honest chats about life and death.

A juvenile facility is now proposed for South Burlington; World Cup soccer matches in the region are safe from credible threats thus far; some new trails to birdwatch in the state; and - 50 years after a bottle redemption law was passed, why is it harder to find places to bring your empties?

We break down some of the key takeaways from Vermont’s 2026 legislative session. Plus, the founders of Front Porch Forum consider employee ownership, Vermont state parks offer free admission this weekend and employees at an oil change service in Barre talk work-life and “Ladies’ Day.”