As the petition deadline approaches rumors are starting to come true. Try to pay attention over the sound of champagne corks popping (on both sides of the aisle) over the announcement that Peter Galbraith won't be running for reelection.

First, Martha Heath has made it official. Throughout the legislative session the State House was filled with speculation that Heath, the long-time chair of House Appropriations, would not be returning. Yesterday she announced it was the end, quoted by VPR as saying,“You know there are a whole lot of reasons, but when you add them up they come down to the fact that my head and my heart are telling me that it’s time.”

More of a surprise was the announcement of Kathy Hoyt. Just appointed by Governor Shumlin to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Margaret Cheney in September, Hoyt told the Valley News that her resignation is due to health problems.   “I turned 72 last week, and that just said that if this is happening, and no one in the medical community can tell me why I passed out and hit my head and woke up two hours later, it’s very unsettling. So I decided that the timing’s not right,” she said.

 Potential Democratic candidates to replace her include Tim Briglin, who is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Vermont Democratic Party, and Jill Michaels, who has served in various capacities in the State Democratic Committee.

 Of coures everyone's waiting for the biggie–what's Shap going to do?–but that will have to wait for another day.