Newscast: Monday, March 4, 2013, 5:50 p.m.

When students in South Burlington arrive at school Monday, new surveillance cameras will be filming the entry ways. It's part of the South Burlington School District's response to the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. School administrators across Vermont are struggling to balance increased security while maintaining a warm atmosphere.

City officials in Vermont's largest city have passed a ban on assault weapons, despite state statute that prohibits such ordinances.

In March, voters in Burlington will vote on a resolution that would oppose the shipment of tar-sands oil across northeastern sections of the state. Now, environmental activists want voters to put the issue on Town Meeting Day ballots in other towns.

The right to bear arms is the law of the land. But after an unprecedented series of shooting rampages last year, some state and local governments are now considering bans on assault weapons on their streets.

Nearly a year after many Vermont towns supported resolutions calling for the reversal of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision that gave corporations the same rights as people, a new grassroots effort plans to expand the idea by giving the Earth "rights."

On Thursday, Vermont Gas Systems filed a petition for a state permit to begin construction of its underground pipeline project, which has already collided with opposition from local residents who don't like the route.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has rejected buyouts for 33 Vermont properties damaged by Tropical Storm Irene and spring flooding last year.

The state is appealing a ruling by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that denied full funding for a culvert in Townshend destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene.

Planners looking to boost downtowns around the state have been focusing on home grown stores that specialize in fresh produce and local products. In Barre, a group hopes a new co-operative grocery store will revive the city's central business district.

The state has given Barre authority to establish a special tax district that's designed to help the city pay for public works that will attract economic development.

In Pittsford Wednesday night, town officials voted against prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries. The vote comes as many towns continue to grapple with the contentious issue.

As leaders at the Statehouse prepare to debate whether to decriminalize marijuana for recreational use, city and town officials across Vermont are grappling with how to handle the prospect of medical dispensaries coming to their community.

Eighty-one property owners in the state who were especially hard hit by Irene remain in a sort of financial limbo. They were the first accepted into FEMA's hazard mitigation buyout program - but they are all still waiting for the money. It's a delay that's pushed many to the breaking point, including Brandon residents Linda Bunn and Mary McManus.

As many prepare for the holidays, dozens of homeowners affected by Tropical Storm Irene are still waiting for the funds they need to get back on their feet. In Vermont, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved buyouts of 81 properties, but none of the owners has gotten any money yet.

Newscast: Wednesday, November 21, 2012, 5:50 p.m.

Vermont Gas Systems is inching forward with its plan to expand natural gas service to Addison County and points south, with the support of town officials.

Energizer expects a decrease in the demand for its batteries, so the company plans to shutter its St. Albans plant in September. The drop in demand may be a good sign for the environment, but it's been a shock for a community that has come to rely on those jobs.

Voters in Vermont's largest city will decide on Tuesday whether to support a $9 million fiscal stability bond. Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has proposed the ballot item to essentially refinance the city's debt, but the new mayor is seeing some new opposition from a conservative super PAC.

Storm-weary cities and towns across the state continued to prepare for Hurricane Sandy Monday afternoon, as they closely monitor the path of the massive storm.

A stream crossing in Townshend is the test culvert for building back town infrastructure in a more resilient fashion after the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it won't pay for larger culverts like the one in Townshend that the state says are needed to withstand future floods. FEMA says the state is applying inconsistent standards.

Days after North Bennington voters agreed to close their public school and establish an independent school in its place, a petition is circulating to recall the vote.

The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce has released results of its petition drive in support of basing the F-35 jet fighters at the Vermont Air Guard Base in South Burlington, asking South Burlington's City Council to reverse its vote in opposition.

More than a year after Tropical Storm Irene devastated the state, town and state officials from Bennington to Bethel are getting questions from residents concerned about Hurricane Sandy as it moves north from the Carribean.

The bid to close the North Bennington Graded School won by a much smaller margin than last March, when voters agreed to close the school by July of this year.