The Vermont State Hospital

AP/T. Talbot

For the second time in a year, the federal government has denied certification to the Vermont State Hospital.  We look into the continuing issues of patient care and building upkeep at the state-run mental health facility.  The continued failure to meet federal guidelines is costing the state close to$10 million a year in lost federal revenue. We check in on the state's reaction, and on plans for alternatives to the Waterbury hospital.  Our guests include Vermont's Mental Health Commissioner, Michael Hartman, and Republican State Representative and longtime mental health advocate, Anne Donahue. (Listen)

Also, catalytic converters were introduced in the 1970s to reduce smog from car exhaust.  But now two Dartmouth College researchers say that advancement may have had an unintended consequence:  a rise in Osmium, a rare element.  Professor Mukul Sharma, and his student Cynthia Chen, have been studying the presence of Osmium in the Connecticut River Valley. (Listen)

Over the past month, they've been opening all around the state - creemee stands, food wagons and other seasonal eateries.  And, in Burlington's Battery Park, the school bus has returned. It's Beansie's Bus; a spring and summer fixture in Burlington since 1944. (Listen)