Bernie Buzz

With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games kicking off today, followed by paralympics on March 6, we reached out to some of our incredible Vermont summer Olympians and asked them to share some good luck wishes with their fellow Vermont Olympians competing in Italy. Thanks to rugby star Ilona Maher of Burlington, weightlifting champion Carissa Gump of Essex, mountain biker Lea Davison of Jericho, track athlete Andrew Wheating of Norwich and rowers Brooke Mooney of Peru and Billy Bender of Norwich for sending in their well-wishes.

This past weekend I hosted three town meetings in Sheldon, Bristol and Poultney. The turnouts were great and I want to thank all who attended and those who helped make the events possible. During these meetings we discussed some of the most important issues facing Vermont and the country — including the affordability crises in health care, education, housing and groceries.

If you are reading this and you are in high school, please know that I want to hear directly from you. Tell me about the challenges you and your fellow students are facing and how we can begin to address them together. Further, I want to know what questions you have for me that we can discuss during this virtual town hall. I will be reviewing your questions and selecting a group of you to ask your questions live on the call.

I hope you will join me on Friday, January 23, for a town meeting with Dr. Stephen Leffler, the new CEO of University of Vermont (UVM) Health. In his role, Dr. Leffler is responsible for leading the largest health care institution in the state, which includes UVM Medical Center, Porter Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center, and UVM Home Health and Hospice. The UVM Health Network also includes three hospitals in Upstate New York. Together, Dr. Leffler and I will discuss how we improve our broken health care system, expanding access and lowering costs. We look forward to taking your questions.

On Friday, I visited Mount Mansfield Union (MMU) High School in Jericho to talk with students and hear their thoughts on some of the very important issues facing our state and our country. The good news is that these young people are smart, engaged and thoughtful about the world. From artificial intelligence to tax policy, to education and health care, they are paying attention and thinking about how these issues impact their lives.

No doubt about it. The year 2025 has had its share of difficulties, and too many Vermonters are struggling economically or emotionally. Together, we have got to do all that we can to make 2026 a better year.