VTDigger Minute is a weekly news digest from Vermont PBS. Tune in every Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Thursday at 6:30 a.m. to hear about the week’s top stories.
This week on the Minute:
House advances bill to increase smoking age to 21
The Vermont House has given preliminary approval to a bill that would raise the state’s legal smoking age from 18 to 21. If it passes, Vermont would join at least twelve other states that have made the shift. Only 14 members voted against the bill, with some saying they hoped to preserve personal responsibility among young people.
Ag Agency releases proposed rules for hemp growers
State agriculture officials have proposed rules for hemp growers and processors in Vermont, including those who cultivate cannabis in order to produce CBD. The document lays out a permitting framework and proposes a grading system for Vermont hemp products that’s similar to the grading system for Vermont maple syrup.
Vermont’s ‘all over the map’ effort to switch schools to proficiency-based learning
High schools around the state are transitioning to proficiency-based learning models, where students are graded on specific learning targets rather than just seat time and numerical scores on assignments. The state is mandating that schools make the switch by 2020, but a special VTDigger report shows that the changes look different from district to district, with some saying the system’s rollout is “all over the map.”