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Next steps in punishing sex offenders

Sen. Dick Sears recaps the public testimony his committee has taken on how to punish and treat sex offenders, and gives us a preview of draft recommendations for the Legislature. Also, VPR’s Neal Charnoff goes backstage with a production of "Well" by playwright Lisa Kron.
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Citizen Legislature

This session, the General Assembly has 1220 bils before it– more than double the number fifty years ago. And a lawmaker can expect to earn $614.30 per week during the session. We look at the time and financial demands on our citizen legislature. Then, we hear from reporter Candace Page about a mysterious fungus infecting bats. And local comedian Martha Tormey makes us laugh.

Interview: Dick Saudek on NSA phone record lawsuit

Here’s an update on a story about privacy and whether thousands of people around the country including Vermonters had their private phone records handed over to the National Security Agency as part of the Bush administration’s warrant-less surveillance program. Vermont and other states have sued to find out if private phone records were divulged by telecommunications companies like At&T and Verizon.