VPR News Podcast

Beech leaf disease was found in 43 towns last year, and scientists are searching beyond those borders to see if the disease is spreading farther.

Researchers on Lake Champlain are doubling down on years of research to try to figure out how tiny pieces of toxic plastic are getting into the lake, which serves some 200,000 people with drinking water.

The Vermont Cannabis Equity Coalition warns that a sizable number of small growers may go out of business — or return to the illicit market to sell their products.

The bill, which Gov. Phil Scott is expected to sign, would fundamentally change how the state pays for and governs its K-12 schools.

Vermont Green capped off Women's Week on Saturday with a 2-1 win over AS Blainville in front of another sold-out crowd.

Vermont became the first state in the county to legally recognize same-sex partnerships 25 years ago. Former Rep. Bill Lippert, the only openly gay member of the Vermont House, gave an impassioned speech urging his colleagues to pass the measure. Lippert's remarks are widely seen as a turning point in the debate.

Last month, South Burlington decided to table all-resident voting at this time, citing the current political climate.

Survey data showed that less than half of local high schoolers feel they matter to people. Here's part of the response.

Do you know how to do a wheelie in a wheelchair? Mo does.

The yearslong push to put guardrails on when — and how — companies can commodify key aspects of a person's identity has taken on new urgency in Montpelier. But the tension between strict consumer protections and their potential impact on local businesses continues to thwart compromise over an issue that states are reckoning with nationwide.

The Brattleboro Area Farmers' Market is the only market in the state that owns its land. But others are raising money to secure their sites.

Vermont hospitals currently have the highest markups for drug prices in the country. Under the new law, drug prices at Vermont hospitals would be the lowest in the country.

The Trump administration want to cut the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Advocates in the Northeast warn the results would be dangerous to residents, if not deadly.

Players in the White River Valley have been coming together over soccer for decades. But of course, it's about more than just soccer.

Lawmakers put $150,000 in the budget for community radio stations. The money will help the stations purchase public safety equipment so they are better equipped to assist in disaster response.

Chocolate is one of Vermont's top food exports. But cacao doesn't grow here — and climate change has been disrupting the global supply chain.

Thirty-seven hours before graduation, Erica Heilman talks with nine high school seniors about their hopes and dreams for the future...and prom. They also talk about prom.

Most people who go to college in Vermont leave the state after graduation. That's more than any other state.

Maybe you need an orange plow truck. Or a Mount Philo State Park leaf blower. Or a park ranger's rowboat that might not float. Everything's a treasure for someone.

For the first time in decades, scientists are not going to stock Lake Champlain with hatchery lake trout. That's because wild fish are finally spawning and sustaining their populations again.

The banquet, called Wlipogwat, offered a taste of animals and plants harvested on Abenaki territory. It's part of ongoing efforts by Odanak and Wôlinak First Nations to protect their knowledge, culture and homelands.

Former Agency of Human Services Secretary Mike Smith was recently asked to lead a review of cost effectiveness of many programs at the University of Vermont Health Network. He told Vermont Public that the network's administrative costs was one area he planned to look into.

Nearly 40 Vermont musicians submitted their videos to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Vermont Public chatted with a few about the original songs they chose and their video ideas. (And we asked them to sit at our colleague's tiny — and meticulously decorated — desk and pose for photos).

Statewide, Vermont has already invested $37.5 million into PCB testing and remediation, and just a little over $3 million is left. More than half of all schools that fall under the state's mandate haven't even been tested yet.

Nearly 40 Vermont musicians submitted their videos to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Vermont Public chatted with a few about the original songs they chose and their video ideas.

Nearly 40 Vermont musicians submitted their videos to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Vermont Public chatted with a few about the original songs they chose and their video ideas. (And we asked them to sit at our colleague's tiny — and meticulously decorated — desk and pose for photos.)

Vermont is heading for a shortage of primary care doctors, especially in rural areas, and the problem starts where doctors do their training. A new residency program aims to change that.

Nearly 40 Vermont musicians submitted their videos to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Vermont Public chatted with a few about the original songs they chose and their video ideas. (And we asked them to sit at our colleague's tiny — and meticulously decorated — desk and pose for photos.)

Nearly 40 Vermont musicians submitted their videos to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Vermont Public chatted with a few about the original songs they chose and their video ideas. (And we asked them to sit at colleague Eric Ford's tiny — and meticulously decorated — desk and pose for photos.)

Game developer and Burlington resident Steven Margolin worked as the lead designer on Ivy Road's Wanderstop, the independent studio's first video game.

Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts said farmers across the state are concerned about federal immigration enforcement after border agents arrested eight migrant farmworkers last month in northwestern Vermont.

The Rev. Brian Cummings, S.S.E., a Saint Michael's College campus minister, was in Rome on his final day of sabbatical when he learned of Pope Francis' passing. He shares details on his time in Rome and his reflections on Francis' legacy.

A federal judge last week ordered Moshen Mahdawi to be released from prison while his immigration case is pending. In his first interview with Vermont media since his release, Mahdawi spoke about his time in prison, what it's been like since his release and his plans for the future.

The state employees union and administration officials agree that there's a staffing crisis in Vermont's prisons. They're not on the same page when it comes to how to solve it.

As Vermont focuses on the importance of supporting the outdoor economy, there is a call to figure out how to ensure the public retains access to trails on private land.

Most of Lt. Gov. John Rodgers' job is presiding over the Vermont Senate. But that's not all Rodgers has been up to. Last month he was the only Republican to speak at a protest on the Statehouse lawn against the Trump administration, and he's testified to lawmakers in favor of cannabis reform laws.

After decades of navigating various mental and physical health struggles, three Vermonters sought out an autism diagnosis for themselves in their late 40s and 50s.

Simply taxing second homes at a higher rate is not so simple, in part because Vermont currently has no system for categorizing vacation homes. But lawmakers are trying to change that — with the House's sweeping education reform bill.

Green Mountain Adaptive Sports and the Northeast Disabled Athletic Association fundraised to purchase the TetraSki, which is one of only 25 in the world.

A spring birding expedition with Bryan Pfeiffer in central Vermont, where we talk about birds and somehow also manage to talk about death.

As New England warms, snowshoe hares are increasingly finding themselves the wrong color for camouflaging with their environment. New England scientists are looking at some promising ways to help.

Isaac McDonald is from Newport, and this year he's a freshman at Columbia University in New York City on a full scholarship. In the latest episode of "What Class Are You," Erica Heilman caught up with Isaac on his first trip home from college, and they talked about class dynamics at Columbia, and what it feels like to be on a full scholarship there.