Vermont Finances

Vermont's non-binding presidential primary has become the latest victim of the state's budget woes. Lawmakers in Montpelier grappling with ways to pare the budget for the coming year axed the primary, some arguing the election was little more than an unaffordable beauty contest. Vermont, one of only a few states that hold non-binding primaries, chooses its delegates to the national conventions through a system of town caucuses and state party conventions.

Vermont's non-binding presidential primary has become the latest victim of the state's budget woes. Lawmakers in Montpelier grappling with ways to pare the budget for the coming year axed the primary, some arguing the election was little more than an unaffordable beauty contest. Vermont, one of only a few states that hold non-binding primaries, chooses its delegates to the national conventions through a system of town caucuses and state party conventions.

Gov. Richard Snelling, who returned for a fifth term in January with hopes of getting Vermont's finances in order, was found dead Wednesday. Snelling was found by the side of his swimming pool at his home in Shelburne, a town on Lake Champlain about 30 miles west of Montpelier, the capital. He was 64. The Republican, who was in his swimsuit, appeared to have died Tuesday night while cleaning the pool, said William Sorrell, the Chittenden County prosecutor.