Funding the Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is funded primarily by the license fees paid for hunting and fishing. But those activities are declining, a situation that calls into question how the department is funded. We talk with former Fish and Wildlife commissioner Steve Wright and Ed Gallo of the Vermont Hunters Anglers and Trappers Association. Also, how snarls of traffic are affecting the Upper Valley, and essayist Tim Johnson commiserates with fellow flu sufferers.

Vermont Edition interview: New Hampshire’s “tax pledge”

It’s called "The Pledge" – and it’s long been the third rail of New Hampshire politics.  For years, New Hampshire gubernatorial candidates have had to take the pledge by promising to oppose a broad based income or sales tax in the granite state. But this year at town meeting in New Hampshire, dozens of communities considered a resolution that would put them on record against the pledge.

Court Records Online

Proponents of a bill at the Statehouse say that some records, particularly those related to family court proceedings, could be abused if they were available online, as opposed to paper records. We look at the public’s right to know and the individual’s right to privacy in the era of digital court records. Also, New Hampshire’s anti-tax stance might be eroding, and we hear about newly discovered letters from the Cornish, New Hampshire, painter Maxfield Parrish.

VPR Evening Newscast, November 22, 2007

Steve Zind on getting in the wood in Randolph. VT Food Bank has 50% leass food than a year ago at a time when demand is on the rise. VT home sales rose 0.8% in 2006, bucking the national trend. Search for missing 12-year-old boy in Rupert proves fruitless. Readsboro, VT electric dept for sale with both GMP and CVPS placing bids.

Vermont car sales better than the national trend

Slumping sales that have hit the automobile industry nationally this summer haven’t been as big a problem in Vermont. The Vermont Automobile Dealers Association says things have picked up in the last couple of months following a sluggish start to 2007.