Episode 1

Vermont's Legislature returns to Montpelier. Education is Gov. Scott's top priority.

January 9, 2026: Welcome to a new year and the second half of the Legislature's biennium! This week, lawmakers returned to the State House. Gov. Phil Scott focused the majority of his State of the State Address on education reform and Act 73.

Journalist John Walters joins the conversation this week to reflect on the opening of the session. He shares his thoughts on campaign announcements by Molly Gray for Lieutenant Governor and Tim Ashe for State Auditor. 

Read Gov. Scott's State of the State Address: https://governor.vermont.gov/press-release/governor-phil-scott-delivers-2026-state-state-address

Check out the State Auditor's reports and audits in progress: https://auditor.vermont.gov/

Read John's work at The Vermont Political Observer: https://thevpo.org/

Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://www.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.