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:
Black and Hispanic drivers searched at twice rate of white drivers, but gap closing
New data shows that Vermont State Police searched black and Hispanic drivers more than twice as often as white motorists during 2018 traffic stops. In the last four years, the disparity between searching white and minority drivers has fallen, but law enforcement and advocates both agree more work has to be done to close the gap.
Vermont now has nation’s broadest single-use plastics ban
Gov. Phil Scott took action on two key environmental bills this week. Scott signed into law the nation’s broadest restrictions on single-use plastic, banning plastic bags and stirrers starting next year. On the same day, Scott vetoed a bill that would allow Vermonters to sue polluters for medical monitoring costs.
Vermont’s No. 2 ranking for Lyme disease prompts concerns
Vermont’s No. 2 ranking for Lyme disease has people concerned about the risk of contracting tick-borne illnesses. Researchers say 2019 could be one of the worst years on record for tick population, while many patients describe having difficulty getting Vermont doctors to diagnose and treat Lyme disease.
