Gov. Phil Scott on Tuesday vetoed a pair of bills that would have granted local voting rights to noncitizen residents of Winooski and Montpelier, asserting that the topic needed "further consideration and debate."

Scott based his rejection on the argument that the two charter change proposals lacked clarity on who exactly would be able to vote and would lead to inconsistent election policies across the state. He urged the legislature to develop a statewide policy or "uniform template" for municipalities seeking to expand voting rights.

"I understand these charter changes are well-intentioned," Scott wrote in a letter to lawmakers Tuesday evening. "But I ask the Legislature to revisit the issue of non-citizen voting in a more comprehensive manner."

The decision will come as a blow to the two cities, where voters overwhelmingly supported the proposals. The vetoes will also likely fuel accusations of paternalism from those pushing for more municipal freedom.

Vermonters are closing in on the state’s goal of an 80 percent vaccination rate, raising expectations that Gov. Phil Scott will lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions this month.

The state is still gathering vaccination data from Sunday and Monday, but as of Tuesday morning, an estimated 78 percent of eligible Vermonters had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Another 11,346 people need to get vaccinated in order to reach that 80 percent. If 1,000 a day were vaccinated, the state would fully reopen June 11, Human Services Secretary Mike Smith said during the governor’s regular COVID-19 news briefing Tuesday.

Updated 1:45 p.m.

Night owls seeking a drink or some grub will soon have more options: Citing the state's vaccination progress, Gov. Phil Scott has lifted the 10 p.m. curfew for Vermont bars and restaurants, effective Saturday.

The move, which eliminates a monthslong curfew aimed at limiting transmission of the coronavirus, arrives ahead of the typically busy Memorial Day Weekend. Further, the number of Vermonters ages 18 to 29 getting vaccinated continues to climb; just over half that group has received at least one dose, representing a 20 percent jump during the last month.

"We felt there was no reason to keep the limit in place," Scott said at a press conference Friday.

Bars and restaurants must still obey all other COVID-19 mandates — at least for now. Those who aren’t vaccinated must still wear masks when not seated, for example, while establishments must provide six feet of space between tables and monitor capacity limits.

A family-owned baking company based in Canada says it expects to purchase the assets of the recently shuttered Koffee Kup Bakery, bringing hope for dozens who abruptly lost their jobs last month.

Mrs. Dunster's Bakery — a New Brunswick baked goods distributor — announced its intentions in a press release on Thursday, saying it was facilitating the purchase through the newly-formed North Atlantic Baking Company, which will be based out of Burlington.

"We have been advised that North Atlantic Baking Company is the preferred purchaser of the Koffee Kup assets and we are focused on moving quickly to conclude negotiations which will lead to restarting operations very soon," wrote Blair Hyslop, who co-owns and runs Mrs. Dunster's with his wife, Rosalyn, in the release. VTDigger.org first reported the news.

The likely new owners say they are now negotiating a lease with a court-appointed receiver and hope to have it completed within the next few days. They said they plan to resume operations at Koffee Kup's two Vermont bakeries while they try to sell off a third facility in Connecticut.

"The lease agreement will allow us to quickly get employees back to work and products back on the shelves while we work through the formal transferring of assets, the details of which have been largely agreed to," Hyslop wrote.

Rock Point School, a small independent day and boarding high school located on Burlington property owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, is reckoning with the racism of one of the church’s former leaders. Last week, students and faculty removed a large portrait of John Henry Hopkins, who in 1832 became the first Episcopal Bishop of Vermont, from the school's front hall because of his writings defending slavery.

Hopkins’ son built the school building in the late 1800s as a tribute to his father. It's on a large scenic parcel that includes Lake Champlain shoreline.

In 1861, the elder Hopkins penned A Scriptural, Ecclesiastical and Historical View of Slavery, a pamphlet in which he criticized abolitionists and argued that slavery was not a sin.