The Montpelier Happy Hour

August 22, 2025 (prerecorded 8/21): John Walters is back and sharing his concerns about Vermont's news (small and getting smaller) news environment. He discusses campaign finance filings and preparing for the 2026 gubernatorial race.  Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker:  http://rhtt.net

August 15, 2025 (First released April 5, 2019): Public policy creates systems that serve the public. But, we the public are very unpredictable. So what does that mean for our policy? Rep. Tristan Toleno opens the door on a concept called systems thinking and how it can inform our policy. Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

August 8, 2025: Randy Holhut, news editor with Vermont Independent Media, and John Walters, the journalist behind The Vermont Political Observer, join today's discussion. They share thoughts on Gov. Phil Scott's approach to working with the Trump Administration and US Rep. Becca Balint's efforts to build alliances across the aisle.  Being journalists, we must also discuss the state of Vermont...

August 1, 2025: State Sen. Nader Hashim discusses his work on the Senate Education and Judiciary Committees. He breaks down the details of new legislation for adoptions and standby guardianships (H.98), expanding the scope of hate-motivated crimes (H.118), and clarifying how state agencies work with the federal government for immigration enforcement (S.44).  H.98: https://legislature.vermont....

July 25, 2025: Zon, Emily, and Ian return to the show to discuss their first session in the State House. Is serving in Vermont's Citizen Legislature all they imagined?  Listen to Zon and Ian's Podcast THE ZIP:  https://www.brattleborotv.org/the-zip/ Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker:  http://rhtt.net

July 18, 2025 (First recorded on December 20, 2024): Three of Windham County's newly elected representatives join today's show. Emily Carris-Duncan, Zon Eastes, and Ian Goodnow discuss their expectations for January. Veteran Rep. Emilie Kornheiser shares her experience and thoughts for the upcoming biennium.  Follow the representatives' work at Vermont's legislative website: https://legislatu...

July 11, 2025: What's been happening in Vermont? Journalist John Walters and Olga discuss summer floods, mitigation plans, and election funding.  Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

July 4, 2025: Rep. Michelle Bos-Lun shares her thoughts on the session's big education bill, collaborating across the aisle on the Ag Committee, and how 2025 compares to previous years.  Read H.167: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.167 Read S.60: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.60 Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

July 27, 2025: Rep. Mollie Burke (Windham-8) looks back at the recent session and her 17 years on the House Committee on Transportation and Climate Caucus. This year was about "holding the line," said Burke, against several funding gaps and proposals designed to roll back climate policy. Burke also outlines her reasons for voting "no" on the education reform bill. Theme music by Red Heart the Tick...

** Warning. This conversation includes: online violence and rape ** June 20, 2025: Vermont State Senator Wendy Harrison shares her take on the Legislative Session. She updates listeners on bills that received less media attention, such as Act 63, or the "Kids Code," which aims to protect young people online.  Read Act 63 "Kids Code: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.69 FBI wa...

June 13, 2025: John Walters, the journalist behind The Vermont Political Observer, weighs in on Governor Phil Scott's veto of H.91. The bill was designed to replace the emergency hotel/motel program and strategically address homelessness. To date, Governor Scott has vetoed more than 50 pieces of legislation. John Walters also has thoughts on that.  And, for all your journalism nerds out there...

April 18, 2025: Vermont's education-related property taxes have jumped in recent years, increasing the sense of urgency to reduce costs. The Legislature is considering the education reform bill, H.454. The Scott Administration has its proposal to reform the state's public preK-12 system. Analysts at the Public Assets Institute say the proposals may have unintended consequences. Executive Director...

January 10, 2025: Three journalists sit down for a podcast...  No, this isn't the start of a joke. But this conversation on the 2025 Legislative session is a reminder that what happens in Montpelier is seriously fun. Investigative Journalist Leah McGrath Goodman and Political Journalist John Walters share their insights on the state of the State of Vermont.  Theme music by Red Heart the...

January 3, 2025: In the new year's first episode, Olga and Emilie geek out on tax policy. Emilie shares her thoughts on how taxes can help Vermonters' household budgets and outlines tax policies likely to hit the wall for the new legislative session. We also share what we think will be the dirty words in the State House this year. Oh, and there's a bunny sighting.  Learn more about Public Ass...

December 27, 2024: In our final episode of 2024, Amanda Kay Gustin, Director of Collections & Access at the Vermont Historical Society, shares her thoughts on Vermont's 74th governor. Davis is known for enacting the state's sales tax and land use law, Act 250. In this conversation, we use Davis' farewell address as a touchstone. Read Davis' 1973 farewell address here:  https://sos.vermont...

December 20, 2024: Three of Windham County's newly elected representatives join today's show. Emily Carris-Duncan, Zon Eastes, and Ian Goodnow discuss their expectations for January. Veteran Rep. Emilie Kornheiser shares her experience and thoughts for the upcoming biennium.  Follow the representatives' work at Vermont's legislative website: https://legislature.vermont.gov Them music by Red H...

December 13, 2024: Representative Emilie Kornheiser and Host Olga Peters reflect on their end-of-the-year exhaustion and how to regain their curiosity. We also share our thoughts on the responsibilities of living in a democracy.  Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

December 6, 2024: It's that time of year again! If you're a tax nerd, it's exciting. For taxpayers, maybe not so much. The state Department of Taxes has released its annual December 1 education tax rate letter. In this letter, the department forecasts expected education tax rates and any projected increases.  For FY26, the department projects a 5.9% increase in the average property tax bill....

(Rebroadcast 11/29/24) This episode is the first episode of Civic Yarn, a short-lived project by John Hagen and Olga Peters. The episode was filmed on July 28, 2021 at ORCA Media in Montpelier. Brattleboro's BCTV provided editing and music.  Episode description: Senate Pro Tem Sen. Becca Balint and Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski share funny and poignant stories about serving in the state...

November 22, 2024: A couple of weeks have passed since the November 5 elections, but our conversations aren't done. Journalist John Walters says he's old enough to be repeatedly disappointed by elections. Today, he joins the show to share his take on what the recent state-level elections mean for Vermont.  Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

(Rebroadcast 11/15/24) October 30, 2020 - For many, the pandemic and next week's presidential election are only the tip of the emotional iceberg that is 2020. On today's show, Olga and Emilie speak with therapist, activist, dancer, and mom, Emily Megas-Russell. To learn more about EMR's work visit With Great Heart: http://www.wgreatheart.com Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.ne...

November 8, 2024: Olga and Emilie share their thoughts on the presidential and state elections and what they might mean for the 2025 Legislative Session.  Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

November 1, 2024: As part of our ongoing conversation on health care, we discuss Reference Based Pricing. Today's guests, Marilyn Bartlett, CPA and senior fellow with the National Academy for State Health Policy, and Mark Hage from the VT-NEA share their insights on how RBP works and how the state can potentially use it to reduce costs. A 2023 presentation to the Green Mountain Care Board on RBP b...

October 25, 2024: Journalist John Walters weighs in on what seems new and different about the campaigns happening in Vermont this year. In a state that prides itself on make-nice politics, are we seeing more divisiveness in 2024?  John Walters' blog The Vermont Political Observer: https://thevpo.org Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

October 18, 2024: Lachlan Francis chairs the Windham County Democratic Committee. As the 2024 Presidential Election approaches, Lachlan shares his insights on some of the quirks in voting styles and party affiliation that Vermonters are known for. Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net