Vermont's political leaders visited Burlington High School Monday, highlighting a new initiative between Burlington and Winooski. The state's two most diverse school districts are working together to remodel and rethink their education systems, and they're getting a little help from civic leaders.

Gov. Peter Shumlin said on Wednesday the state shouldn't collect $6 million that the auditor's office says several towns owe to the state education fund.

Gov. Peter Shumlin was in Florida most of the day Wednesday to hear how F-35 fighter jets compare to F-16s. Shumlin says he doesn't think the new jet is appreciably louder than the one it would replace at the Vermont Air National Guard.

Governor Peter Shumlin said he was surprised that he didn't think an F-35 fighter jet was much louder than an F-16. Shumlin and the mayors of Burlington and Winooski were in Florida on Wednesday for a demonstration of the two jets.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says he'll travel to Florida next week, where he'll hear first-hand the sound of fighter jets that could soon be based at the Vermont Air Guard in South Burlington, fulfilling a campaign promise that he made to progressive supporters who oppose the F-35 program.

The Shumlin Administration says it's working to answer questions about the Air Force's plan to base F-35 fighter jets at Burlington International Airport.

Vermont's Congressional delegation has long called for the Pentagon to cut its budget. But Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch all support basing F-35s in Burlington because, they say, it might sustain hundreds of jobs. And despite growing local opposition, the delegation says it's committed to the program.

Burlington and a site in Utah are the two leading contenders to be home to the new F-35 fighter jet program. As the Air Force decides where to put this program, local opinion in Vermont is divided.

City officials say noise is the defining issue for Winooski, and they will oppose any activity that causes a harmful increase in noise.

Citing environmental concerns, cities in Chittenden County are already deciding whether they want to support the Air Force's proposed plan to bring F-35 jets to Burlington International Airport. Their decisions could change the Pentagon's preferred location for the new jets.

Officials in Chittenden County are weighing the economic benefits of the Air National Guard's proposed plan to bring F-35 fighter jets to Burlington International Airport, while raising concerns about noise levels and government transparency.

A two-year study conducted by the Uncommon Alliance shows that blacks are two times more likely to be pulled over than whites in Burlington and South Burlington, and ten times more likely in Winooski.

A new study by four Vermont police departments says black male drivers are almost twice as likely as white drivers to be stopped by police in Burlington and South Burlington.