Lawmakers are still trying to figure out if increasing Medicaid rates will help curb the cost of private health insurance. But doctors say there’s another important reason to boost payments for providing government-funded care. They’re worried that failure to address the Medicaid issue could create a physician shortage, and put independent practices out of business.

Town Meeting day this year did not bring a taxpayer revolt over school budgets, yet officials say the relative quiet on the budget front does not reduce the need to make fundamental changes to school governance and to the property tax system.  

Hartford was one of the few towns in Vermont that turned thumbs down on both its school and municipal budgets Tuesday night. But voters will get another chance to weigh in at the end of the month.

There are few things in life that are guaranteed to make you smile. Puppies and butterflies are a couple. And then there are laughing babies!

But where do infants develop that ability to laugh or to identify what is funny? And how do they learn to make grown ups laugh?

Voters in the city of Burlington chose their mayor yesterday, and Democrat Miro Weinberger won a second term to be mayor of Vermont's largest city by a margin of more than 3,500 votes.

Christopher Louras won a fifth two-year term as Mayor of Rutland on Tuesday, defeating his main rival David Allaire by more than 500 votes. Kam Johnston, who also ran for city assessor and the board of aldermen, won 99 votes.