Champlain Flyer
The House and Senate still strongly disagree about the future of the Champlain Flyer, a commuter train project in Chittenden County. The disagreement is a central issue in the negotiations over next year’s transportation bill. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Septic Systems Debate
The Legislature is trying to break an impasse over regulation of home septic systems. State environmental officials say the legislation will result in cleaner systems that don’t pollute groundwater. But some environmentalists worry that the law could open hundreds of thousands of acres to new development. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Police Powers
The Senate has given its approval to a compromise plan to expand the power of police in a limited number of cases. Currently, law enforcement officers who don’t have a warrant can’t arrest a person charged with a misdemeanor if the officer didn’t witness the crime. (VPR)
Lyndonville Water Manager
The manager of the Lyndonville water system, which was feared to be contaminated after a break-in at a reservoir, is being suspended from his job. Scott Townsend will begin his two-week suspension on Saturday. Village trustees say the suspension stems from discrepancies about when Townsend checked the reservoir. (AP)
Con Man Hits Several Store
Police in Keene, New Hampshire, and southern Vermont are looking for a man who is using an old con man’s trick to steal hundreds of dollars from stores. Police say the man appears to be a befuddled, grandfatherly-type. (AP)
Fish Virus
The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is warning anglers not to eat northern pike from Lake Champlain that show symptoms of a viral disease. Officials say ice fisherman first noticed pike and muskellenge with strange lesions on their bodies. (AP)
Childhood Vaccines in Short Supply
Vermont Senator Peter Shumlin wants Congress to investigate why there’s a shortage of vaccines, especially for diseases affecting young children. Shumlin, who is running for lieutenant governor, says that some vaccines apparently in short supply are available to private medical practices for a higher price. (AP)
Downtown Revitalization Bill
Governor Howard Dean was in Brattleboro today to sign a bill that will help revitalize Vermont’s downtowns, town and village centers. The bill is an expansion of the downtown bill that was passed 1998. (AP)