State officials say a newly disclosed security breach involving Vermont Health Connect has not jeopardized the personal data of consumers. But a critic of the new health insurance website isn’t convinced the incident was so benign. And this latest episode promises to spark yet another political dustup over the massive reform initiative.

State officials don’t know who broke into the system, or what they wanted. But from an Internet address that was later traced to Romania, the attacker in December made his way undetected into a server located in Phoenix, Ariz.

Governor Peter Shumlin is vowing to provide property tax relief to homeowners this year.

It was expected the statewide property tax rate for education was going up by 7 cents. But the governor says he’ll take steps to make a significant cut in this increase. 

On Town Meeting Day, school budgets were defeated in 35 communities, in part, because of the project increase in the statewide property tax rate.

When asked to choose a metaphor to describe the salary negotiation process, women pick "going to the dentist." Most men choose "winning a ballgame." In Vermont, women still make on average 87% of what their male colleagues do. Perhaps that’s partly because they’re not asking for more?

We’ll talk to Cheryl Hanna, Vermont Law School Professor, and Cary Brown, Executive Director of The Vermont Commission on Women, about pay equity and what women can do to be better negotiators.

Rutland County is reeling from the death of Dezirae Sheldon, a two-year old in Poultney. Her step-father Dennis Duby faces murder charges, and some community members are outraged that the child wasn’t removed from the family’s custody sooner. 

Conservation easements are legal agreements designed to protect land from development forever. But a bill under consideration in the Statehouse would allow those restrictions to be amended, or lifted entirely.

The bill has sparked a fierce debate among land conservation advocates. Opponents argue the legislation could lead to circumstances in which land that was supposed to be protected "in perpetuity” no longer would be.

We often hear from Senator Bernie Sanders regarding legislative issues in Washington that affect Vermont, but many political observers and Vermonters were also intrigued recently when the Independent Senator commented in The Nation that he was “prepared to run for President” in 2016. 

The Chittenden County Transportation Authority says it has reached a deal with the union that represents almost 70 bus drivers, averting a strike.

The authority says 19 hours of negotiations ended Sunday morning, producing a contract proposal that the union will bring to a vote. Details of the proposal were not released.

The transit authority says passengers on its buses won't experience any service disruptions.

Public Post reports on the work Vermont town face in the wake of Town Meetings and the results of some Town Meeting Day votes. We also look ahead to events celebrating maple sugaring season.
 

Here's a sampling of the week's Public Post Twitter updates from Proctor, Wolcott, Shelburne, Burke and more:

Contract negotiations are scheduled for this weekend between the Chittenden County Transportation Authority management and the driver’s union. The drivers plan to strike on Monday if the two sides don’t reach agreement.

At an auditorium in Burlington City Hall Thursday night, over 150 supporters of CCTA drivers gathered to support Teamsters Local 597, the drivers union.

Unfair hours and working conditions were key issues that could lead to a stop work action. Last month, the union voted 53-4 to reject CCTA's most recent contract offer.