Vermont Edition

The New England Sacred Harp Convention is coming up in Burlington on Oct. 4th and 5th. Hundreds of singers will come together to celebrate one of the country's oldest Christian music traditions. But Sacred Harp goes beyond Christianity — all are welcome to sing. And this year, sacred harp aficionados are celebrating a brand new edition of their songbook.Anya Skibbe and Anna Mays share the history and culture of Sacred Harp, and why it still feels relevant and resonant today. They also demonstrate four songs from the new songbook, alongside Colleen Hayes, Sarah Galper Maika, Jim, Linda, and Dan Coppick, Nicandra Galper, and Sage Chase-Dempsey.Broadcast live on Tuesday, October 2, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Americans pay more for health care–as a nation and individually–than citizens of any other nation on earth, even as access to health insurance continues to dwindle. And as a state, Vermont's per-person health care spending and health insurance costs are among the highest in the country.We delve into one of the reasons there's so much sticker shock–the behind-the-scenes influence of lobbyists on health care legislation as we speak with UVM professor Alex Garlick about his new book Pre-Existing Conditions: How Lobbying Makes Health Care More Expensive.Then, former Vermont Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Amestoy has written a new legal thriller based on a murder trial in the Green Mountain State from the 1920's. We hear about Winters' Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder That Brought America's Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont. 

Ever drive past a park n ride full of cars and wonder, what happens there? What are all those people using that giant parking lot for? The team at Brave Little State recently spent 12 hours at the Richmond park and ride, all to answer a listener's question.The whole Brave Little State team — Josh Crane, Sabina Poux and Burgess Brown — shared some insights from their reporting.

Vermont developers try to keep building houses, amid new tariffs and rising costs

Betty Smith is known as Vermont Public's founding mother. She's been with the station since its very first day, and this year, she celebrates her 50th anniversary in public radio. She'll tell us stories from the early days of VPR, when they weren't sure the station would survive, and her thoughts on public media's future. Then: a new film about the melting ice of Greenland features a University of Vermont professor. 

Lawmakers respond to controversial Israel trip

It's the fourth installment of our annual fall series, School Stories. Every Tuesday this month, we've focused on issues related to Vermont schools. For this edition, we discuss pre-kindergarten.In 2014, Vermont's governor Peter Shumlin signed a universal pre-K bill into law. Thereafter, 3 and 4-year-olds could get free pre-K for 10 hours a week through their public school system, or through subsidy on tuition to a private or home-based childcare centers. We're about a decade into the implementation of this law, and there have been some big wins. But the pre-K world in Vermont is far from some stable, done deal. Our guests this hour are helping to shape the vision for pre-k education in Vermont. We're joined by Vermont Secretary of Education, Zoie Saunders, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, Janet McLaughlin, executive director of the nonprofit Building Bright Futures, Morgan Crossman, and Executive Director of Turtle Island Children's Center in Montpelier, Jocelyn York.Broadcast live on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Some Vermont towns are adopting a new strategy to help people in crisis. It's called situation tables.We'll learn about this initiative that's underway from Bennington to Burlington. Police and social services groups come together for weekly meetings to help specific community members with housing, addiction and other stressors. We'll hear from a Vermont Public reporter, and a retired police chief-turned-situation table trainer.Then: some communities offer a program that pays repeat offenders not to do drugs. It's funded with settlement money from opioid manufacturers. We'll hear from a UVM psychiatrist who helped develop this controversial approach.

Over the next year, some of Vermont's hospitals are going to see less money coming in than they wanted. Their budgets for the year are now set, and they know exactly how much they can charge insurance companies for patient care. Green Mountain Care Board chair Owen Foster joins us for the hour. The Board is in charge of approving budgets for Vermont's 14 hospitals. He explains this year's decisions, including some major cuts to UVM Medical Center's rate requests. That's the state's largest hospital.The Green Mountain Care Board also approves insurance premiums in Vermont. All these choices the board makes affect how much you will have to pay for health care. It's a complicated knot we'll untangle together.Broadcast live on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

There are two new record holders for fastest supported and unsupported Long Trial hikes. One athlete, Tara "Candy Mama" Dower, is a professional ultramarathoner from Colorado. The other, Tori "Chewy" Constantine, is a nurse from Waterbury. They'll tell us about the mental and physical preparation it takes to hike the spine of the Green Mountains at top speed.Plus: Investigators have identified the last remaining victim in the Bear Brook murder case. New Hampshire Public Radio's Jason Moon hosted a blockbuster podcast about the case. He's just released an update about this final twist in the story.

It's the fourth installment of our annual fall series, School Stories. Every Tuesday this month, we've been focusing on issues related to Vermont schools. On this episode we focus on AI in the classroom.Tech companies are investing billions of dollars in data centers to power artificial intelligence, and some of the biggest users of AI are students. Are they using generative AI to cheat, or to enhance their learning?First we focus on higher ed when we speak with Hector Vila, an associate professor in Writing & Rhetoric at Middlebury. He teaches a first-year seminar at Middlebury College called “AI, Writing and Creativity" and is one of the organizers of the upcoming Clifford Symposium about AI.Then, we hear from educators in the Essex Westford School District who are monitoring and regulating the use of AI in their district. Peter Drescher is the director of technology and innovation, and Renee Langevin is the digital learning leader. She's also the co-host of ExplAIned, a podcast about AI and education.Broadcast live on Tuesday, September 15, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Vermont state employees react to Gov. Scott's return-to-office order

Vermont has a special history with horses. The Morgan horse is our state animal and some of the most famous endurance horses come from this state. There are also therapeutic benefits to horseback riding that can help people build their confidence too. To learn about what it takes to raise healthy horses, a panel of experts with personal equine connections will share their insights. Mary Fay leads the Whispering Pines 4-H Club and helps coordinate the Vermont 4-H Program. She lives in Westford and has been a 4-H leader for 55 years. We also spoke with Ripton resident Molly Witters, an equine veterinarian with Vermont Large Animal Clinic and Hospital in Milton, and Margaret Bojanowski, farm manager and riding director at the Eddy Farm School in Middlebury.

Town by Town: Elmore

Vermont schools are required to provide comprehensive sex education. Classes cover everything from STIs to consent. Jenna Emerson, a certified sex educator and stand-up comedian, and Celia Bird, a family nurse practitioner and comprehensive sex educator, share how they create age-appropriate lesson plans, and embrace the awkward humor of the human body. At a national level, the Trump administration cut sex ed funds for California after the state refused to remove references to gender identity from its curriculum. If the same thing happens in Vermont, the state could lose more that $650,000 dollars in federal funds. We'll learn more from Carter Sherman, reproductive health and justice reporter with the Guardian US who's been following this story. She's also the author of The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation's Fight Over Its Future.

Can you get the latest COVID vaccine? The answer might depend on how old you are, what state you live in or whether you have a prescription. Under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is undergoing a period of upheaval marked by firings and resignations. Kennedy also fired the members of the CDC's immunization panel, and the new panel hasn't met in weeks.Weighing in on Vermont Edition is: Dr. Anne Schuchat, a former deputy director at the CDC; Julie Arel, the interim head of Vermont's Department of Health; and Dr. Timothy Lahey, an infectious disease physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Plus, Vermont Public senior political reporter Bob Kinzel talks about the CDC and RFK, Jr. with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt).Broadcast live on Monday, September 8, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

The Vermont alt weekly Seven Days is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Every week, they publish a print paper, and every day they share local news and stories online. We'll hear from the paper's co-founder and deputy publisher about their favorite memories from the past 30 years, and what it'll take to keep the paper going for 30 more.Plus, a check-in with Vermont Public's two newest music hosts, Tad Cautious and DJ Llu. They'll tell us stories from their radio roots, explain how they come up with playlists, and share some favorite new songs. If you're sick of listening to the same five albums over and over, they have some great ideas for you on how to diversify your musical tastes. 

Will Vermont's drought leave leaf peepers high and dry?

When we talk about schools, we usually focus on what happens inside the classroom, but what happens in the cafeteria also plays an important role in learning.In the second installment of our fall series School Stories, we're talking school meals. Food services coordinators Susan Grabowski of the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union and Kathy Alexander of the Mount Abe and Addison Northwest school districts discuss menus, how federal funding cuts could affect school meals and the pros and cons of following the USDA's rules.We'll also hear from a school district in southern Vermont, where a team of Afghan refugees cook up food in the cafeteria, including halal meals for Muslim and vegetarian students.Broadcast live on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Vermonters are very particular about our ice cream. It makes sense — we live in the land of milk and maple syrup. Chances are that if you stop a person in the street, they'll be able to quickly rattle off their favorite creemee spot and classic order.On Vermont Edition's annual creemee show, we talk with the purveyors of some of your favorite frozen treats in the region. This year we hear from Hannah Connor, the café and kitchen manager at Red Hen Baking Company in Middlesex, Jess Yates, owner of Yates Family Orchard in Monkton (creators the Dreamee), and Amanda Ellis Thurber of Lilac Ridge Farm in West Brattleboro.Plus: Asa Waterworth eats an eye-popping number of creemees every year — upwards of 50, she estimates. She takes photos of her cones and offers up recommendations on her instagram account, @creemeechronicles. Asa and Mikaela got a cone together and talked about what makes a perfect creemee down at Ice Cream Evan's at the Burlington Waterfront.

Varsity bass fishing hooks Vermont high school students

School Stories: Redistricting and consolidation

For four decades, a statue dedicated to an Abenaki Chief stood in Burlington's Battery Park. The wooden statue was recently removed due to decay and rot. Deciding how to honor a complex part of history is never easy. We'll talk with a Norwich professor about Northeastern Indigenous history, the director general of Odanak First Nation in Quebec, and a state representative for Burlington.City leaders in Burlington continue to debate how to address illegal activity in public spaces like drug use and sleeping outside. Ahead of a key city council meeting tonight, Seven Days reporter Courtney Lamdin updates us on a proposal to increase police presence in Burlington's City Hall Park.

Vermont Edition At Home: Gesine Bullock-Prado

Winooski author Maggie Hersokvits loves the hardy little plants that grow through the cracks of our cities. Her new book is an urban field guide to the plants, trees and herbs you might find in a North American city, like pokeweed, ground ivy, yellow rocket and hackberry.Plus, we'll listen back to our conversation from June with the state's Historic Preservation Officer about the state's newest historic markers.

Let's get physical with records, film photography, and more

In Vermont author Amy Klinger's new novel, unlikely connections abound between softball players, migrant farm workers, an experimental art sculptor--and a Scarecrow Jesus.Klinger joins guest host Mitch Wertlieb to talk about about her book Ducks on the Pond. At turns darkly comic and dramatically poignant, it's a story of people from wildly different backgrounds and circumstances trying to find a sense of community and belonging in a fictional Vermont town...one that will feel very real to folks that have been here for generations, or are just arriving now.Then: For more than a decade now, the Middlebury New Filmmakers festival has provided a haven for cinephiles in Vermont to gather together and get a first look at a wide range of new movies. Documentaries, dramas, comedies, experimental films — there's pretty much something for everyone who loves movies to watch and talk about. But this year, the festival will also be hosting speakers who specialize in other forms in which narrative and story play an important role, such as poet Bianca stone and New York Times journalist David Sanger. They're going to apply their knowledge from their respective fields and how they relate to movie making. The Middlebury New Filmmaker's Festival starts this Wednesday and runs through Sunday. Joining us is local filmmaker and the festival's artistic director, Jay Craven, and executive director Caitlin Boyle. Broadcast live on Monday, August 18, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

The neon street sign. The Phish memorabilia. The gravy fries. The iconic stage. For those who loved Nectar's restaurant, bar and music venue in Burlington, these were the hallmarks of a good time for nearly 50 years.We'll relive Nectar's storied history with Seven Days music editor Chris Farnsworth and what the closure of one Burlington music club signals about the local music scene in our region. Lee Anderson, owner of the music venue Radio Bean, explains how important it is to have a network of venues for up-and-coming musicians.

Every summer, the Vermont Edition team heads to a local fair for a special live broadcast, and this year we chose the Vermont State Fair in Rutland. Our team set up shop right by the milking parlor at the fairgrounds as the food was getting fried, the kids were gearing up for the 4H competitions, and the rides were getting ready to provide the ambiance of summer fun. We spoke with the fair's president, Robert Congdon, Jr., who told us about the past and present of this storied Rutland tradition. We also heard from Marsha Johnson who is the superintendent of the Bucket of Junk Sculpture Contest, the writing contest, and runs the fair museum. UVM Extension 4H Coordinator for Rutland & Bennington Counties, Moonshine "Mooney" Shorey, talked to us about the 4H contests and brought along some young competitors. We got an on-air magic trick from magician Blaine Goad, a close encounter with a large snake courtesy of Alex Knapp, owner of Captain Aquatics Fins and Scales, and lastly, talked with Willie Tyler of Willie's BBQ. Broadcast live on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

The use of artificial intelligence for therapy is growing, including for minors. AI makes therapy more accessible. But clinicians want to make sure kids get medically sound advice and stay safe.We weigh the pros and cons of this mental health approach with Dr. Steven Schlozman, the chief of child psychiatry at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, as well as an associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at UVM's Larner College of Medicine, and Shannon Newell, who works with the Greater Rutland County Supervisory Union and is president of the Vermont Association of School Psychologists.Plus: Dartmouth researchers recently conducted the first-ever clinical trial of an AI therapy chatbot. Nicholas Jacobson is the study's senior author. He's an associate professor of biomedical data science, psychiatry, and computer science at Dartmouth. He also directs the AIM HIGH Lab at Dartmouth, which stands for AI and Mental Health: Innovation in Technology Guided Healthcare.Broadcast live on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Today on Vermont Edition, we'll talk with climate writer and activist Bill McKibben of Ripton. In his new book, he makes the case for solar power as the cheapest energy source on the planet. And he says it's time to stop thinking of solar as “alternative energy” and bring it into the mainstream.Then, programs to support Vermont veterans have lost staff due to cuts in federal funding this summer. We'll talk with the head of the Vermont National Guard's family programs, and an organizer with a storytelling group for local vets.

How today's college students navigate romance in a digital age

Town by town: The 251 Club

In Vermont, annual precipitation has increased six inches since the 1960s. That, plus the state's steep terrain, make Vermont a laboratory for the study of intense rainfall and flooding.Today on Vermont Edition, The New Yorker magazine staff writer John Seabrook explores how Vermont manages its rivers in his latest article. He sees scientists, land use planners and policymakers breaking away from tradition, and making choices that other states could mimic. We'll also hear from Kevin Geiger, a land-use planner with the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, in Woodstock.Plus, Jordan Barry of Seven Days shares the latest food news from around our region. 

Canada and the U.S. are in an intense period of negotiations over a trade deal. Many Canadians are boycotting the States this summer over President Trump's policies and 51st state rhetoric. We talk with Shawn Appell, host of our sister show on the CBC, Radio Noon in Québec, about what he's hearing from his listenership regarding their feelings on travelling to Quebec in the age of Trump. Then, during the pandemic lockdown musician and songwriter Katy Hellman began to dig into her Irish heritage, particularly the folklore of the pre-Christian era. She used her newfound passion as inspiration for her newest musical venture Emerald Ground Water. Their new album is called "The World Below."Lastly, a new musical comedy video series explores the natural world and our connection to it. It's called “Biraland,” and it's a 20-part video series created by Bira Vanara. He's a multimedia artist and musician in Middlebury. "Biraland" features a host of wacky characters, catchy original music and wild effects, all conceived of and performed by its creator. Biraland was funded in part by Vermont Public's Made Here Fund, which supports a diverse group of video and filmmakers across the state.

Money runs out to pay federal defense lawyers, and Champlain College hones in on cybersecurity

Today on the show, we explore the sibling dynamic, and how some families have multiple high achieving kids. Susan Dominus is a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. Her new book, “The Family Dynamic,” looks at classic sibling examples, like the Bronte sisters, and modern ones. We'll talk with two New Hampshire sisters featured in the new book – Olympic triathlete Sarah True and renowned novelist Lauren Groff. Plus, two Vermont brothers who come from a VERY large family.

Tourism-heavy towns often have a lot of AirBnBs per capita. Some towns, like Londonderry, are putting stricter rules in place on short-term rentals.Their goal, in large part, is to maintain housing for full-time residents — Vermont has a housing shortage, after all. But some short-term rental owners think the new rules are too strict and end up hurting the local economy.Vermont Public reporter Howard-Weiss Tisman shares an update on current debates over short-term rentals in southern Vermont towns. We also hear from Julie Marks, the founder and executive director of the Vermont Short Term Rental Alliance, the chair of Londonderry's housing commission Patty Eisenhauer, and Nate Lantieri of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency.Broadcast live on Monday, July 28, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

For 29 years, Robert Resnik celebrated folk and world music as the host of the Vermont Public music show All the Traditions. He passed away earlier this week. Through his show, he elevated local musicians and introduced listeners to new sounds and styles. He was also a musician himself and played more than two dozen instruments. We'll share memories with friends, fellow musicians, and our listeners.Then: A new addiction treatment clinic has opened in Bennington.We'll talk with Vermont's deputy health commissioner about how this clinic fits into the state's hub and spoke system.

Vermont state symbols and how they came to be

Love 'em or hate 'em, jam bands have infiltrated our culture and forever changed the music industry. There's the Grateful Dead and Phish, but also Widespread Panic, The String Cheese Incident, and The Dave Matthews Band.Author Mike Ayers joins Mikaela to talk about his new oral history which chronicles the rise of the jam band genre in the 1990s, and the culture that surrounded them. It's called "Sharing in the Groove: The Untold Story of the 90s Jam Band Explosion and the Scene that Followed." We talk about some of the biggest jam bands to come out of this region, and remember some of the most iconic local concerts. Mike Ayers is a veteran music journalist, and he's been to more than 20 Grateful Dead shows and 130 Phish shows.Broadcast live on Tuesday July 22, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Last year, Vermont became just the second state in the nation to ban a type of pesticides called neonicotinoids. Now, that ban is going into effect. Many farmers use these treated seeds to keep pests away, but pollutes water and hurts fragile pollinator populations, like honey bees. The Vermont state government is in charge of enforcing this ban. It also has a role in determining exemptions. Who still gets to use neonics, and under what conditions? We'll hear how the state is making those choices, using information from local farms. We'll also learn about other neonics restrictions in Quebec and New York.