Minimum wage bill
The House Friday afternoon gave its approval to legislation increasing the state minimum wage by 50 cents an hour. But the House removed a provision from the bill that would have linked future increases to the cost of living index. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Genetically altered seeds
Agriculture officials were surprised to discover that almost half the seeds sold to Vermont farm supply dealers are genetically modified. The technology is controversial, and there’s legislation in the Statehouse that requires the labeling of gene-altered seeds. The bill has cleared the Senate, but it faces opposition from the Douglas administration. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Emergency farm bill
Legislation establishing an emergency financing plan for some of the Vermont’s dairy farms has been signed into law by Governor Jim Douglas. Both the House and the Senate gave their final approval to the legislation Friday afternoon. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
State’s internal report on FAHC
Regulators should have responded sooner to allegations that Vermont’s largest hospital misrepresented the true cost of a major expansion project. That’s one of the key conclusions in an internal report prepared for Governor Jim Douglas. (VPR)
Student death at Norwich
Norwich University officials say the student who died after falling out his dorm window early this morning, had been drinking. Nineteen-year-old Brendan MacDonald was from Norwell, Massachusetts. (AP)