Hi there.
Did you miss us? Welcome back to Final Reading, VTDigger’s inside guide to the Vermont Statehouse.
Every day the Legislature is in session, we’ll be bringing you an evening update on which bills are moving, who’s negotiating what and maybe even what’s for lunch the next day in the Statehouse cafeteria — that is, if they ever let us back into the building. This year we’re incorporating feedback readers like you gave us last year to (hopefully!) make the newsletter more useful and easier to navigate. And we’ll be adding a calendar of what we’re watching, with streaming links, to help you navigate the action remotely.
If you think we’re missing anything, please let us know. And if you want us to publish a note from you in our new mailbag section, send it our way. You’ll find our contact information below.
We’re also a new team. So if you see us scribbling away in the halls of the Statehouse — or on a Zoom screen — say hi. Tell us what you’re working on, or if you have any fresh-squeezed hot gossip … ?
— Riley Robinson, Sarah Mearhoff & Lola Duffort
THE NEW CREW
Here’s a bit more about this year’s Final Reading writers:
Riley Robinson | General assignment and multimedia reporter
As Digger’s resident TikTok-obsessed Zoomer, my goal is to see how many meme-y, internet jokes my editors will allow in this newsletter over the next few months. Kidding. Sort of. I joined the newsroom in June after graduating from Northeastern University, and I recently became a first-time snow tire buyer. You’ll probably see me lurking in health care and human services-related committee meetings, but I’ll be doing a bit of everything this session.
Contact: rrobinson@vtdigger.org
Sarah Mearhoff | Political reporter
Just another flatlander, I grew up in Pennsylvania and bopped around the country for work for several years before landing in Vermont to begin with Digger in October. I most recently covered politics in Minnesota for two years, and before that lurked in the halls of the South Dakota, Mississippi and Pennsylvania state capitols, as well as Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Is there some kind of reward for living in the two smallest state capitals in the country? When I’m not working, you can usually find me outside, preferably with my very patient friends who listen to me talk politics off the clock.
Contact: smearhoff@vtdigger.org
Lola Duffort | Political reporter
Denizens of the Statehouse may recognize me from my time haunting the education committees as Digger’s K-12 and higher ed reporter. I’m now on politics full time, which mostly means I’ll be trying to figure out how Vermont spends the other ¾ of its money. I grew up in Florida, but I have New England roots, and — I swear this is true — my middle name is Snowman.
Contact: lduffort@vtdigger.org
THE REST OF THE TEAM
Here’s who else will be covering the Statehouse this session for VTDigger:
Emma Cotton — Energy, environment and climate reporter — ecotton@vtdigger.org
Peter D’Auria — Education reporter — pdauria@vtdigger.org
Liora Engel-Smith — Health care reporter — lengel-smith@vtdigger.org
Alan Keays — Criminal justice reporter — akeays@vtdigger.org
Glenn Russell — Photographer — grussell@vtdigger.org
Fred Thys — Business reporter — fthys@vtdigger.org
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