VPR News Podcast

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.

Mahdawi's friends in the Upper Valley say he's an extrovert who connected with people at Dirt Cowboy Cafe in Hanover and Dan & Whit's in Norwich, at bonfires at his cabin, at seders and church services, and on hikes.

Ryan Palmer is the sheriff of Windsor County. In this episode of What class are you?, reporter Erica Heilman drives around the county with Sheriff Palmer and they talk about the challenges of being middle class in an increasingly expensive part of the state.

Ryan Palmer is the sheriff of Windsor County. In this episode of What class are you?, reporter Erica Heilman drives around the county with Sheriff Palmer and they talk about the challenges of being middle class in an increasingly expensive part of the state.

Tom Burdick grew up on a ranch in a town of about 1,500 people in northeastern Utah. After high school, Tom worked to put himself through college and then medical school, and now he works as an interventional radiologist at Dartmouth Health. In this installment of our occasional series, What class are you?, Tom talks about the challenges of breaking into higher education, and raising children in a different class from the one he grew up in.

Kathy Quimby Johnson grew up in East Peacham before attending college out of state. In the latest installment of "What class are you?," Kathy talks with Erica Heilman about growing up blue collar and straddling two Vermont cultures.

Joe Wills is a filmmaker and software engineer from Richford, Vermont, currently living in Burlington. He put himself through the University of Vermont, working three part-time jobs, and still graduated with more debt than any of his friends. In the latest installment of our series "What class are you?," Joe talks with producer Erica Heilman about the challenges of higher education when you come from little money.

Urinetown, the Tony Award-winning musical, will be on stage this weekend at Rutland's Paramount Theater. The dark comedy is set in a dystopian future where water is so scarce, corrupt companies control where people relieve themselves — and charge for it. Those who don't follow the rules are sent to Urinetown, until rebels fight back.

At Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield, students spend a month constructing a tiny house on wheels. While tiny houses are not the sole solution to the complex housing crisis, they can offer more housing choice and flexibility.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington is set to build a new 12-bed psychiatric unit for adolescents. This comes as state health officials say they're seeing an increase of youth with symptoms of mental illness that require inpatient care.

Out of 475 submissions, Burr and Burton Academy junior Justason Lahue's essay won the 2025 State of the Union Essay Contest for Vermont students. The annual contest, run by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders office, is now in its 15th year.

Vermont has the most birders per capita in the U.S., according to data from a popular birding app. The Birds of Vermont Museum recently hosted birders for the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Nearly nine of out 10 Americans subscribe to video streaming services like Netflix, YouTube or Hulu. Two companies are creating similar on-demand programming for people living with dementia and their caregivers.