Another annual Town Meeting Day is upon us, but despite efforts to boost participation by holding meetings in the evening or on Saturday, attendance continues to decline.

Ten years ago Susan Clark and Frank Bryan wrote a book that took the pulse of town meeting and argued for its importance. 

Audio for this story will be posted at approximately 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3.

The book, called All Those in Favor, reported town meeting attendance had fallen over the previous decades. Now, an updated edition says the decline continues.   

This week marks the 47th year that Washington County Sen. Bill Doyle has distributed his annual Town Meeting Day survey. This year's survey includes questions about taxes, the environment and the legalization of marijuana.

Audio from this story will be posted at approximately 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3.

In the winter of 1969, Doyle, a history professor at Johnson State College, was serving his first term in the Vermont Senate.

A new study from the University of Vermont found that Vermont doctors are failing to follow best practices about half the time when prescribing antipsychotic medicine to children.

The use of antipsychotics has become increasingly common in recent years, said the study’s lead author Dr. David Rettew.

“But there’s actually very little data that speaks to whether this is an appropriate increase or whether this reflects an overuse of this class of medications,” he said.

Vermont has lost a valued community leader. David Dill, former secretary of transportation and Lyndon selectman, died Thursday evening at his home following an illness. He was 68.

Dill moved to Lyndonville in 1990 after a long career in the Air Force, including a stint in the Department of Defense working on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) issues. Associates say he brought the same passion he had shown on the national level to his state and local public service in Vermont.

Town Meeting Day this year is without any major statewide ballot items, but municipal and school budgets are up for voter approval around Vermont.

Follow the votes on town and school budgets from around Vermont, and share results from your own town by tweeting with the hashtag #TMDVT or by emailing share@vpr.net.