Longtime political columnist Peter Freyne died early Wednesday. Freyne was a fixture in Vermont politics for two decades with his "must-read" column that both attracted and annoyed the politicians he wrote about.

Legislature opens, officials elected; House Speaker Shap Smith sets an ambitious agenda; Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss to announce re-election campaign; Columnist Peter Freyne has died.

Columnist, blogger and thorn in the side of many politicians, Peter Freyne, the Seven Days contributor announced last week he was taking a sudden retirement from covering Vermont politics. Bob Kinzel talks with Freyne about his career and the changes he's observed in the press corps. And we listen back to some of the voices in the news this week.

Bob Kinzel hosts a discussion of where to store nuclear waste long term, how to pay for decommissioning the power plant, and especially what kind of independent safety review needs to be conducted there. Also in the program, we talk with Peter Freyne, the Seven Days columnist who just announced his sudden retirement, and we listen back to some of the voices in the news this week.