Episode 12

News roundup with John Walters: Staying optimistic (really)

April 3, 2026: John Walters from The Vermont Political Observer is back and filling us in on what he's seeing on Vermont's political landscape. In today's conversation: Democrat candidates' frustrations with the VDP, campaign finance filings, ICE in South Burlington, the role of agitators, and why we're still optimistic.

Read John's work here: https://thevpo.org

Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

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About the Podcast

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The Montpelier Happy Hour
A show about how things in the State House shake out for the rest of us

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About your hosts

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Olga Peters

Producer and host Olga is a journalist by day and a screenwriter by night. On the Montpelier Happy Hour she combines a newshound's doggedness with a fiction writer's sense of "what if...".
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Emilie Kornheiser

Regular contributor Emilie Kornheiser represents Windham District 2-1 in the Vermont House of Representatives (that’s Brattleboro.) She always appreciates an opportunity to unpack the stories that drive us and hopes her gravestone will read “she asked good questions.” You can find more about her and her work in the legislature at emiliekornheiser.org.