Vermont has nearly 1,900 cemeteries - some large and well manicured - others, small, tucked-away family plots.  They’re the final resting places for luminaries like Ethan Allen, Robert Frost and Calvin Coolidge.  But Vermont also has cemeteries for paupers and criminals - and officials in Rutland say they’re part of history too.

Tom Giffin is Rutland City’s cemetery commissioner and president of the Vermont Old Cemetery Association.

Giffin lifts the metal latch of a gate and enters an odd little plot of land tucked behind Rutland’s prison near Otter Creak.

Congressman Peter Welch is urging members of Congress to remember the lessons of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before sending military supplies to opposition forces in Syria.

Earlier this month, Welch was part of a Congressional oversight mission that traveled to a number of countries in the Middle East.

He says seeing almost half a million refugees at a camp along the Turkish – Syrian border was a sobering experience that highlighted the limits of what the United States can do in this conflict.

The recent report from the Pentagon that estimates nearly 26,000 people were sexually assaulted in the US military last year has been causing a lot of anger.

President Obama has demanded action. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has initiated a staffing review. And all of this comes at a time when the military is beginning the process of integrating women into combat roles. Though not all sexual assaults occur against women.

Wed 5/22/13 Noon & 7 pm  The number patients seeking treatment for heroin and prescription opiates in Vermont has risen significantly over the last few years. And the spin-off effects, like burglary, have also been in evidence in the state.

Tue 5/21/13 Noon & 7 pm When writer Sue Halpern faced the loneliness and boredom of an empty nest, she decided to face it in an unusual way. She and her dog Pranksy began visiting a local nursing home as a therapy dog team. Along the way Halpern learned some interesting things about herself, and the virtues we all try to live by. 

Reduce, reuse, recycle. The Town of Jay has put that motto to work in re-purposing its former town garage. The Jay Planning Commission and Zoning Board recently issued a change of use permit to house the Troy/Jay Recycle Center in the fourth bay of the Cross Road building that formerly served as the town garage.

A bill allowing terminally ill patients to get medication to end their lives became law on Monday with Gov. Peter Shumlin’s signature.

Although the law takes effect immediately, it may be some time before it’s used. Doctors and hospitals say they’re looking carefully at whether and how to participate.

The signing ceremony in the governor’s Statehouse office was both a celebration and a quiet remembrance for those who worked on the issue but didn’t live long enough to see it through.

Inmates at the Windsor prison are helping to save bats by building daytime roosting boxes.

The 50 bat houses were given away at this year's Herrick's Cove Wildlife Festival to attendees who regularly observe bats near their home.

Corrections staff member Paul Brosseau says the project educated the inmates about the problems Vermont's bat populations are facing. An additional 150 more houses are being built.

The materials for the program were donated by the Windsor Coon Hunters Association.

Police say a woman who wanted to get back at her neighbors for allegedly turning her in to state welfare officials has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly setting fire to their trailer while they were in it.

Thirty-five-year-old Leola Bell, and a friend, 40-year-old Tina Cole pleaded not guilty on Friday to attempted murder and arson charges. They were being held on $100,000 bail.

Police say no one was hurt in the fire last Tuesday but the trailer had substantial damage. It was occupied by four adults and two small children at the time.

A couple charged with killing a St. Johnsbury teacher last year plans to ask for new lawyers.

Allen and Patricia Prue are due in court Tuesday for separate hearings.

The Prues are charged in the death of 33-year-old Melissa Jenkins in March 2012. They are accused of luring Jenkins from her Danville home, beating and strangling her and dumping her body in the Connecticut River.

The Prues, who have pleaded not guilty, will be tried separately.

Both have asked for new lawyers.