I think this is a first in the brief history of NYSV: Three separate entries from a single outlet. That would be The Commons in Brattleboro. The honor does come with a pair of asterisks, because only one of the three is actually a piece of journalism. But all three are worthy of note.

The local impact of the Big Brutalist Bill. The Commons did something that every other outlet in Vermont would be wise to do: Evaluate the local consequences of Trump’s mega-bill. In the Brattleboro area, three separate medical centers are at risk of closure due to Medicaid cuts in the bill. Reporter Joyce Martel quotes Brattleboro Memorial Hospital CEO Christopher J. Doughtery as calling the BBB “vicious” and saying it would “disproportionately affect rural community hospitals.” Given the fact that Vermont’s community hospitals were already in severe straits, there are plenty of stories just waiting to be told in every corner of our B.L.S.

The Commons expands. Vermont Independent Media, the nonprofit that operates The Commons, has acquired The Deerfield Valley News, a weekly that serves a bunch of small towns in south central Vermont. The combined entity hopes to achieve some economies of scale without visible changes in either publication. Here’s hoping it leads to better financial sustainability for both.

Poking Pieciak. The Commons’ opinion pages were graced by a letter from Nick Biddle, a retired professor and Brattleboro resident, urging Treasurer Mike Pieciak to run for governor — or else get out of the way. Biddle observes that Pieciak has clearly been planning a run for governor someday, and is “in the leading financial position to run.” Biddle urges Pieciak to “Run, Mike, run – and announce it loudly… Or step aside now, so that another strong candidate can ready a powerful campaign” to challenge Phil Scott, assuming he seeks a sixth term. Amen, brother.

Ego runs wild on Montpelier City Council. This is a body of government not particularly known for stability or perspective. Council has undergone a lot of change in recent years, and the current lineup decided to part ways with City Manager Bill Fraser, who had occupied the position for 30 years. Last week, Mayor Jack McCullough proposed naming a City Hall conference room in Fraser’s honor. No-brainer, right? Well, not so much. According to David Delcore of the Times Argus, Councilor Jim Sheridan opposed the idea and proposed giving Fraser a key to the city instead. Really now, did Fraser do something so heinous that he shouldn’t have his name on a plaque? Apparently so; a majority voted with Sheridan, and the conference room will go unnamed. Just a needless kick in the pants on Fraser’s way out the door.

Montpelier dealing with “stagnant” tax base. Phil Dodd of The Montpelier Bridge filed a great story about the capital city’s struggles to expand its tax base, which grew by a teeny-tiny 0.0007% this year. Dodd enumerates the challenges faced by the city, including a large number of properties owned by nonprofits, a lot of low-income housing units, many of which pay reduced tax rates, and a permitting process described as “onerous.” Opening the way for more housing development with less NIMBYism would help, but that would be hard.

Bill Schubart delivers damning indictment of UVMHN chief. Two weeks in a row for ol’ Bill’s Substack to get a mention in this space. This one begins with Trump and his lapdog Republicans, then quickly pivots to the University of Vermont Health Network, which Schubart describes as “a monopolistic aggregator of healthcare businesses that only adds to healthcare costs.” Schubart, who knows as much about Vermont health policy and administration as anyone, lays out a thorough indictment of UVMHN CEO Dr. Sunny Eappen for consolidating power in his own office, failing to address high costs, and possibly submitting false information to state regulators. Schubart wonders whether Eappen aims to sell UVMHN to private equity, and suggests that the Legislature enact a law to ban such a transaction. It’s quite a lot, and it makes me wonder why we haven’t heard more about this from our Incredibly Shrunken News Media. Well, besides the fact that it’s Incredibly Shrunken. And that reporting on health care policy is difficult and complicated, so newsrooms are likely to spend their time on easier stories elsewhere. But still, when health care costs are approaching crisis levels, shouldn’t we be paying more attention?

Elmore Store reopens after lengthy renovation. For those who haven’t driven through Elmore, its general store must enjoy the most beautiful setting of any local retailer. It took about five years to transition from its longtime owners to the stewardship of the Elmore Community Trust, which undertook a thorough renovation of the store’s rather cramped interior. Reporter Patrick Bilow of The News & Citizen writes that the store’s grand reopening brought “a revolving door of tourists and locals gathering supplies and slurping up creemees,” buying up Elmore Store merch and fresh produce. Can’t wait to visit the new place.

A slow drive on Vermont’s back roads. If you ever need a palate cleanser after all the serious stuff, pay a visit to Keith Bradley’s YouTube page. Bradley is a retired deputy sheriff who posts videos — usually about 20 minutes in length — of his drives through the Vermont countryside. There’s occasional narration whenever he passes by a location he knows. But mostly it’s just a video camera pointed out through the windshield, giving you a slow nonspecific tour of Vermont’s scenic beauty. His latest video features a trip down “the old swamp road,” which turns out to be passable despite his doubts, and the Belvidere Bogs, where he steps out of his vehicle for some still photography.