UPDATED: Johnson opens session with pitch to pull together on problems

House Speaker Mitzi Johnson addresses lawmakers Wednesday on the opening day of the legislative session. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger

House Speaker Mitzi Johnson opened the second half of the 74th biennium of the Vermont Legislature on Wednesday morning with a measured speech about the depth of the difficulties the state faces and how she aims to bring representatives together to help begin to solve what have been intractable problems, from income inequality to the opiate crisis to cl