Every winter, the Vermont Farm Show is a chance for farmers to check out new equipment and trade information about issues affecting them. One of the big topics this year: the impact of farms on the water quality of Lake Champlain.

The EPA and the Shumlin administration agree that water runoff from farms causes 40 percent of the phosphorous pollution that's degrading the water quality in Lake Champlain. The disagreement comes over what to do about it.

With a winter storm bearing down on New England, some homeless people may seek emergency refuge. During the day, they need to ask for housing help in person at a Vermont Human Services office. After business hours, they can call VT 2-1-1. On evenings and weekends, those 2-1-1 calls are re-routed to Maine.

But at least one call center employee in that state thinks this system is not ideal.

Audio for this story will be posted at approximately 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

When Gov. Peter Shumlin made water pollution and cleaning Lake Champlain a major focus of his inaugural address earlier this month, officials in charge of preventing that pollution got a boost.

Audio from this story will be posted at approximately 11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27.

That's because one of the biggest obstacles to cleaner water in the past has been poor funding and what critics have called a lack of political will in Montpelier.

Volunteer emergency service organizations can sometimes seem like private clubs, where you need to possess special skills and know the coded language in order to belong. That perception of exclusivity, no matter how false, can make it hard for fire departments and rescue squads to recruit volunteers, solicit donations and generally communicate with the community at large.

A powerful coastal storm is forecasted to bring heavy snow and high wind to Vermont, beginning in the southern part of the state on Monday afternoon and moving northward through Tuesday.