Some new information has just been released from an ongoing study following nearly 6,000 Vermonters who graduated from high school in 2012. There's some good news for Vermont in terms of college attainment, and some bad news – or ways the state could focus its energy.

There's been a lot of hype over the years about the future of autonomous vehicles – though mostly in cities, like San Francisco. But Joe Segale, the Vermont Agency of Transportation's director of policy, planning and research, would like to see self-driving cars being tested on Vermont roads.

Even though it's now legal to possess, consume and grow small amounts of marijuana in Vermont, that doesn't mean we've seen the end of pot legislation. The Governor's Marijuana Advisory Commission has been evaluating what has happened in other states and listening to Vermonters' thoughts on the future of pot laws. We'll hear the results from the co-chairs of the commission.

About half of Vermont's native species of bumblebees have disappeared or are in serious decline — that's a principal finding of a new study out this month by the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and the University of Vermont.

Maybe it’s the haunting choral music that’s broadcast this time of year, or the fact I’ve returned to the cold of Vermont after an escape to South Florida, but the holiday blues have struck again. The proverbial magic of Christmas holds some dark shadows for me.