Neal Goswami

Vermont has a new first lady after Gov. Peter Shumlin married his longtime partner Katie Hunt Tuesday evening in a small, private ceremony at the East Montpelier home the couple shares.

The 59-year-old Shumlin announced his engagement to Hunt, 31, in September, several weeks after the proposal took place. At the time the governor said the two planned to get married within the next year.

Hunger Free Vermont is in dire need of donations as federal authorities investigate a long-term embezzlement that sapped its cash reserves, according to Executive Director Marissa Parisi.

The theft was discovered about a month ago by the group’s local bank branch after irregularities in a checking account were spotted, according to Parisi. The extent of the theft is still being determined, she said.

The administration of Gov. Peter Shumlin says it hopes to avoid asking lawmakers for additional funds for the 2016 fiscal year in the annual budget adjustment and will instead seek authority to shuffle spending within state government.

Commissioner of Finance Jim Reardon, who has crafted state budgets for Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin and former Republican Gov. James Douglas, is retiring after nearly 30 years of state service.

Reardon’s retirement was part of several staff changes the governor announced Tuesday.

Reardon has served as finance commissioner since February 2005. Before that he served as deputy finance commissioner and financial operations manager for the Agency of Human Services (AHS).

Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott will become the fourth candidate to jump into the gubernatorial race on Tuesday.

Scott, 57, told the Vermont Press Bureau Monday morning that he is planning a “soft announcement” that is “favorable” to a run for governor. The Vermont Press Bureau was the first to report Scott’s pending announcement on Twitter.

Scott himself used a new Twitter account on Monday to drop the news. "Watch for a special announcement from the Phil Scott for Vermont campaign," said the message from PhilScott4Vt. 

Officials said Friday the state will pay Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont $1.6 million to cover Vermont Health Connect premiums the insurer did not receive and claims it paid out incorrectly because of technology problems during 2014.

The director of the EB-5 Vermont Regional Center has resigned to take a job overseeing an EB-5 program at Mount Snow, raising concerns from Gov. Peter Shumlin about the relationship between the now-former state employee and the business operations he was supposed to oversee.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, fresh off a strong showing in a Wisconsin straw poll, will begin a weekend trip to the Hawkeye State Friday evening with a town meeting at Drake University.

Sanders, Vermont’s junior senator, is looking to carry on the momentum he has seen at recent campaign events in Iowa, New Hampshire and Minnesota. The self-described democratic socialist remains far behind Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady, New York senator and secretary of state in the Democratic primary, according to national polls.

Gov. Peter Shumlin privately signed new gun legislation Friday afternoon without any fanfare. His office announced the move in a statement.

The new law, which passed the Legislature as S.141, creates a new misdemeanor state-level crime for possession of firearms by people with certain criminal convictions. The law also requires the reporting of names to a federal database when people are found by a court to be in need of mental health treatment and are deemed to be danger to themselves or others.