The Douglas Administration argues that the approach taken by Democratic lawmakers will lead the state into massive deficits in 2011 and 2012.

Governor Jim Douglas says he won't have to call lawmakers back to the Statehouse for a special session if Democratic leaders agree to some additional budget cuts in the coming weeks.

Senate President Peter Shumlin says if the outline for a compromise isn't reached by the weekend, lawmakers will forge ahead with a budget plan that Governor Jim Douglas will likely veto.

Democratic leaders say the budget proposed by Governor Jim Douglas could increase the burden on local taxpayers. They're also concerned that the cuts fall hardest on human services programs.

And we wrap up our week-long tour of the statehouse with a close-up look at the legislators' desks. State Curator David Schutz takes us inside the House and Senate chambers to share some of the lore of this hard-working furniture.

Curator David Schutz takes us to the Statehouse basement to a room that is rarely used these days. But for legislators in the late 1800's it was a place that provided a necessary "relief."

Many House and Senate Democratic leaders support House Speaker Shap Smith's bonding initiative, but it does face some important obstacles at the Statehouse.

Report on the opening morning of the new legislative session from VPR's Bob Kinzel. Legislative leaders Patti Komline and Mike Obuchowski discuss how both sides of the aisle will work together amid budget cuts and economic concern. And the story behind a prominent bust of Abraham Lincoln that stands in the Statehouse.

Incoming New Hampshire state representative Steven Lindsey of Keene has filed a bill to bring a cat to the House of Representatives.

David Janawicz, who modernized the Capitol Police during his 13 years heading security at the Statehouse, has died after battling lung cancer. He was 62.

Legislative leaders say they're glad the budget proposal protects human services programs that help people who are struggling in the slow economy.

The Douglas admininstration and legislative leaders are hoping that the framework for a consensus can be reached in the next week or two.

Key Vermont lawmakers and Douglas administration officials today are set to announce a series of steps designed to avert a crisis due to the high cost of heating fuel for next winter.

The process to cut next year's budget by $25 million is back on track at the Statehouse after a major flare up on Thursday.

A political firestorm over the state budget erupted today at the Statehouse. Democratic leaders and Republican Governor Jim Douglas are locked in a struggle that threatens to derail a bipartisan effort to resolve big budget issues.

The impact of Vermont's revenue shortfall became very real this afternoon. That's when a list of nearly $40 million in budget cuts was presented to key lawmakers and the Douglas Administration. The group needs to select $25 million in reductions from the list in the next few days.

It's a lean budget year in Vermont. The economy has slowed, so there's less money coming into state government. Demand for services - like road repairs and health care - is high. And so are the political tensions at the Statehouse.

Outgoing Public Safety Commissioner Kerry Sleeper says the impact of drug use is the biggest challenge facing Vermont's law enforcement community; The Vermont Institute of Natural Science dedicates its Quechee campus in honor of Senator Jim Jeffords and his late wife, Liz; Peace activists adorn the Statehouse with symbolic flags representing those killed in Iraq; and commentator Paul Richardson remembers the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Last fall we joined a group of tourists at the Statehouse and went along on a tour led by Jim Murray, one of the volunteer guides. With visitors arriving by the busload for early glimpses of fall foliage, it seems appropriate to take that tour once again.

Vermont's fourteen hospitals are before a state review board today, asking for revenue increases that average 10%; a statehouse cook off kicks off Eat Local challenges around Vermont; a convoy hauling a monster electrical transformer continues creeping down Interstate 89 this afternoon; dozens of elected officials from cities across the country lobbied Congress this week for an end to the war in Iraq. police in Claremont, NH are accusing a former credit union teller of stealing $72 thousand.