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What a weekend for headlines! You can read them all on vermontdailychronicle.com and burlingtondailynews.net, but here are a few:

In Their Own Words: Dame, Ingalls vie for GOP state chair

VDC brought our voice recorder to the Barre GOP breakfast and posed questions to both candidates for state chair. Listen in!

Vermont State Police foot patrols resumed in downtown Burlington

Mike Donoghue reports that Shifting on-duty troopers to Burlington would reduce the amount of state police coverage provided in some nearby counties.

Trump says he’ll pay SNAP benefits 

“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” Trump said. “Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”

Just this morning VDC reported:

SNAP recipients to receive 50% of benefits, beginning Nov. 7

The state-funded benefit is equal to 50% of a household’s November 1st 3 Square benefit and will be loaded onto EBT cards or directly deposited into bank accounts on or before November 7.

Other big headlines this AM – 

Three out of four Vermonters not vaxxed against Covid-19

State data show that 25% of Vermonters have received the vaccine in 2024-25 season, compared to 26% in 2022-23. The highest percentage (33%) is in Chittenden County, the lowest in rural Essex County (11%). 

On Media Monday in the second half hour, we’ll be talking about state media coverage of the DEI lawsuit lost by the new leadership at UVM – 

From Boise to Burlington: UVM’s new leadership team and the controversies that followed them

A federal lawsuit, a First Amendment violation, and sworn allegations of evading public records laws defined the tenure of UVM’s new president and her top aides at Boise State.

This is a big election week for Vermont – November Tuesday Tech Center, in Burlington a police oversight commission and more carbon control. But there’s another election happening Saturday November 8 – Vermont republicans will choose the next state party chairman. VDC went to a Barre town GOP breakfast Saturday morning and heard incumbent Paul Dame and challenger Russ Ingalls talk about their visions for leadership, public safety and Chittenden prosecutor Sarah George, and other issues that will face the new state chair. We have some audio clips from that breakfast.