Public Post reports on a debate in Hinesburg over what to do with the old police station; signs of spring in towns around the Green Mountain State; and seasonal micro-parks in the works for downtown Montpelier.
 

Broadcast on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 9:35 a.m.

Here's a sampling of the week's Public Post Twitter updates from Elmore, Franklin, Newfane, Weathersfield and more:

The Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations is investigating the death of a second child in Vermont within the past few months, raising ire among some lawmakers about the lack of information shared with them by state officials.

Sen. Dick Sears, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chairman of the special Senate Review Panel on Child Protection, learned Wednesday through the media of the death of a 14-month-old boy in Winooski on or around April 4.

Leaders of Vermont's Progressive Party say they'll likely focus on House and Senate races this year instead of putting forward a gubernatorial candidate. 

In the 2010 and 2012 elections, Progressive Party officials established three goals for Democratic candidate Peter Shumlin.

They wanted him to support a single payer health care system, work to close down the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, and support economic development policies to help working Vermonters.

Bob Kinzel talks with contributor Hamilton Davis about the "Plan B" alternative to Governor Shumlin's single payer health care reform.

Spring is finally here! Or... well...almost. But it is definitely time to start planning garden beds, preparing the soil, and dreaming of the gardening season ahead.

We'll talk with gardening expert Charlie Nardozzi about the lingering effects of the cold winter, the right time for pruning, new varieties of perennial flowers, and any questions you might have.

Join the conversation: post comments and questions below or write to vermontedition@vpr.net

Vermont’s unemployment rate decreased for the sixth straight month in March, down to 3.4 percent, according to statistics from the Department of Labor.

When the 2014 legislative session started, leaders in the Progressive Party were expressing concern with some of the policies of Governor Shumlin. How do they feel about the Governor now as the session winds down?

We’ll talk with the House Progressive Caucus leader, Burlington Representative Chris Pearson, and with Enosburg Representative Cindy Weed and Senator David Zuckerman about the progressive legislative priorities for the end of the session.

This week, cat fanciers shared their homemade cat videos. Lawmakers in the House voted on a bill to boost the wages of construction workers on state-funded projects. Senators argued over how to curb distracted driving. And a bill to mandate the labeling of foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms sailed through the Senate, but the Attorney General fears a lawsuit

These were some of the voices in the news this week.

Although it may have been evident in your neck of the woods for some time, this week the Green Mountain Club officially announced the start of mud season and urged hikers to stay off muddy trails "unless they still have extensive snow or ice cover," and until the trails dry out.

According to the club's press release, "high elevation soils take until Memorial Day to dry out, especially on north slopes and evergreen shaded trails."

Voters in Brattleboro overturned the town’s 2015 municipal budget in a town-wide ballot Thursday. The $16 million spending plan was approved at Brattleboro’s representative town meeting on March 22. But later, more than the required 50 town meeting representatives signed a petition to revisit the budget in a town-wide referendum. The budget failed by a wide margin, 771 to 478.