How a housing developer in the Upper Valley has been able to get apartment housing projects started in a small town when it's notoriously difficult to do so. Plus, supplemental food benefits that help more than sixty thousand Vermonters are at risk if the federal government shutdown continues into next month, Vermont joins a multistate lawsuit fighting the Trump administration’s cancellation of a program aimed at helping low-income people access solar power, state health officials say COVID vaccines for young kids should soon be available, and funding has been approved for a program to help low-income Vermont households connect to a high-speed fiber network.

How advancements in emergency alert technology are helping more seniors live independently at home. Plus, an Orleans County Republican state senator makes his first public comments since calls for his resignation after it was revealed he was part of a group chat that included racist and anti-semitic comments, some environmental groups say Gov. Scott overstepped his authority when he issued an order to help speed up housing development, a state program encouraging Vermonters to save for retirement now offers its services in 18 different languages, the Vermont Treasury hires a top staffer from Congresswoman Becca Balint's team, and we consider the hot start the Montreal Canadiens have made to open the NHL season in our weekly sports report.

We speak with a farmer in Hardwick whose water spring ran dry and is anticipating a difficult winter due to the state’s ongoing drought conditions. Plus, an Orleans County Republican state senator faces pressure to resign after taking part in a group chat marked by racist and anti-semtic sentiment, Vermont Congresswoman Becca Balint says the federal government shutdown is likely to continue unless Republicans agree to extend set-to-expire health care subsidies, some state services are starting to be impacted by the shutdown, the Vermont International Film Festival includes a locally made documentary about a family dealing with early onset Alzheimer's, and a water use ban has been extended for an upstate New York town amid ongoing drought conditions.

We visit a beloved gift shop at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center that’s just marked its 60th year. Plus, drought conditions persist despite a rain storm earlier this week, book banning remains rare in Vermont’s public schools while increasing in other states, Quebec officials ramp up enforcement of the province’s French language laws, and prolific Vermont author and former UVM professor David Huddle has died.

How a grassroots organization in New England is encouraging parents to get a traditional landline telephone for young children instead of a cell phone. Plus, the school board in Danville reluctantly agrees to hold a special election on whether to close the town high school, a new policy prioritizing daycare for employees of Mount Snow in Dover has some parents who don’t work at the resort scrambling for alternatives, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will speak at UVM later this month, and Rutland's mayor celebrates the passage of a new multimillion dollar infrastructure bond.

A Vermont Public analysis sheds some light on how equitable the state’s school voucher program is. Plus, the federal government shutdown is affecting a key way Medicare recipients access their healthcare providers, local union leaders prepare for a first-of-its-kind conference this month, Brattleboro police warn families to look out for deceptive bags that could contain fentanyl, a singer from the region is on this year’s season of The Voice, and a concert this weekend honors the works of a 12th century prolific composer and mystic.