Lola Duffort

also woops -- attempted to delete a prior post that went up too quickly, but it did not stick, as this website no longer really functions. Apologies for the confusion! (I should reiterate that you should still subscribe to Final Reading, which I'm sure will only get funnier.)

Hi! Some *personal news* — Friday was my last day at Digger, and I’m headed to Vermont Public next, to cover kids, schools, & families. Will miss my frmr colleagues so so much, but I thought it would be cool to learn audio reporting just in time for the podcasting bubble to burst

@SamanthaKolber @montpbridge @vtdigger vtdigger.org/2022/11/28/und…

Ugh. A water pipe has burst in front of my daughter’s school and it’s cancelled today. Montpelier is in serious need of infrastructure! This is the second water main eruption in two weeks! @montpbridge, @vtdigger Is there a bigger story here?

@todddeluca @vtdigger $26M pays for 150 households year-round but the program would expand in the winter to accommodate more.

$26 million is more than 1/3 of the $72 million requested to continue housing 1800 households. Yet that $26 million will only house 150 households, less than a tenth of the households. How can that be? #vtpoli @loladuffort @vtdigger twitter.com/todddeluca/sta…

The latest figures in the pandemic motel program, according to this VTDigger article: $26 million is enough to house only 150 households or 550 children year-round. That works out to $14,444/month/household or $3939/child/month. For a motel room. Expensive? #vtpoli

Scoop: Vermont is devising a plan to stockpile a 2-year supply of mifepristone as the abortion pill’s FDA approval is debated in federal court: vtdigger.org/2023/04/21/ver…

@mjbeckel @vtdigger ty for weighing in!

A lobbying firm's PAC & one of its lobbyists is hosting a "meet and greet" today for a new member of Congress. I talked w/ @loladuffort @vtdigger about how hosting such events is a way for lobbyists to curry favor, access, and influence vtdigger.org/2023/03/08/lob…

@GeoffBattista 😬

Two-factor identification, folks.

A group of @VTStatePolice troopers allegedly used racist, misogynistic and violent language in online games. But when a state senator lodged a complaint, Vermont's top public safety official initially declined to investigate. Scoop by @sarah_mearhoff: vtdigger.org/2023/02/09/aft…

@CounselorAdrian There was not. I was, however, listening to committee testimony about how the data we do have about in-migration to the state suggest it’s higher-income folks that are new. Haven’t actually seen those numbers first hand tho

@loladuffort thanks for this. Was there any data on the length of time that folks experiencing homelessness have been residing in VT? Like 0-6 Months, 6 months - 1 year, etc.? vtdigger.org/2023/02/07/ver…

@CounselorAdrian Retired state employees currently get public / traditional Medicare, plus supplemental private insurance bargained by the union. The admin's proposal would roll all of that into one private plan. Hope that clarifies!

@CounselorAdrian No - private MA plans require you give up traditional public Medicare and to receive your Medicare benefits thru them. They usually also usually include supplemental stuff, not covered by Medicare, which traditional Medicare enrollees usually get thru private insurers

@loladuffort is “Medicaid Advantage” just a supplement to the Medicaid that most Americans get at 65? What I’m trying to figure out is whether the current retirees get both the full BC/BS & “regular Medicaid” or something different. vtdigger.org/2022/09/23/sta…

@nealgoswami @jmittell Sincerely curious: why do you think this would be a minor reform? Healthcare, caregiving expenses — that all seems pretty significant.

@jmittell Partially, unfortunately, is an understatement. A low- or middle-income person, with an hourly job, not a contractor or “consultant” which seems to be prevalent among electeds, can’t reasonably serve. It’s a problem, has been for a longtime, and there’s no solution in sight.

Anyone who follows #vtpoli knows this is true. If you’re not a wealthy senior, or a young person with a trust fund or other uncommon sources of income, you can’t serve long-term. Until this is addressed, #VT can’t expect real representation

👀👀

I feel like I’m missing the first days of school b/c I’ve been out of the building getting surgery on a broken wrist 🙃 but luckily Final Reading is here to keep me — and you! — in the loop. Anyway subscribe to Final Reading and also buy some yaktraxs

In a 1986 interview, Leahy said he thought upon entering the Senate, “This seniority system is a terrible thing. It must be changed.” “Now that I’ve studied it for 12 years, it looks like a great system,” he said, smiling at the time. vtdigger.org/2022/12/30/onc…

SBF hired multiple former federal regulators who helped connect him with top officials at the CFTC, the agency he desired to regulate crypto, emails show. Now the extensive relationships he cultivated risk embarrassment for all involved. latimes.com/politics/story…

Every night between the hours of 8 p.m. to 9 a.m., the nation's 988 suicide prevention hotline routes all calls with a Vermont area code to a single phone in the Northeast Kingdom. I recently spent the night there. Here's what I saw: sevendaysvt.com/vermont/a-call…

🟩 break the streak, not the strike ❌

Today we were ready to work for as long as it took to reach a fair deal, but management walked away from the table with five hours to go. It’s official: @NYTimesGuild members are walking out for 24 hours on Thursday. We know what we’re worth.

@WCAX_Christina this is lol and sexist and whatever but more importantly factually incorrect as your hair is divine

Honestly surprised it took four years on TV to get “constructive” criticism like this… funny how people think weaving kindness into a blatantly rude message makes the comment acceptable… P.S. taking suggestions for a “hair arrangement which would enhance my appearance” 💇🏼‍♀️