As other states move to
restrict collective bargaining rights, Vermont is considering extending them to early childhood
educators. But child care providers themselves are divided over whether they
want the right to unionize. We’ll talk to Cathi Ste. Marie, a registered home
childcare provider in North Troy, and Katie Gonyaw, the director of Ascension
Childcare Inc. in South Burlington, about whether unionizing would enhance the
quality of child care in Vermont.
Also on the program, Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hanna explains judicial retention. Judges
need approval from legislators for each 6-year term they serve. When a legislative panel recently voted not
to recommend Superior Court Judge Mark Keller for another term it raised
questions about how Vermont’s judicial retention process works, and how politics
affects the tenure of judges. Most states elect or appoint judges for life.
And
we get a glimpse into how this winter’s record-breaking snowfall is impacting Vermont’s Barred Owls.
The nocturnal hunters are getting creative with their hunting – and
showing up in unexpected places.
Photos courtesy, Meghan Oliver at VINS.