Governor Peter Shumlin has signed into law a mid-year budget adjustment bill that increases funding for Medicaid by more than $7 million, but achieves nearly that much in savings on the state employee health insurance plan. Vermont lawmakers are trying to decide whether to give a signal on school tax rates before Town Meeting Day or wait to see what local voters do with their school budgets. Grafton residents are considering the impact of high-elevation wind turbines in their town. Voters in Burlington will decide next week whether the city should purchase a hydroelectric dam that provides the equivalent of about 8 percent of its annual power consumption.
Melody is the Contributing Editor for But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids and the co-author of two But Why books with Jane Lindholm.
Neal was a reporter and VPR's All Things Considered host from 2001 to 2014. He joined VPR in 1996, hosting VPR's jazz programming, including live performances from the VPR studios and the Discover Jazz Festival. Prior to VPR, Neal was a programmer and host for WNCS in Montpelier and WDEV in Waterbury. He holds a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College.
