VPR News Podcast

A dramatic jump in new apartments in Chittenden County and a dip in demand have contributed to the rising vacancy rate.

Wednesdays are Ladies' Day at Vermont Quick Lube, which means a flower and a free car wash.

Scientists with the Nature Conservancy and Forest Service have been raising American elms that are bred to be resistant to Dutch elm disease at two sites in Vermont. Now, they're injecting them with the fungus to see what happens.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott had previously insisted on a proposal that forces school districts to merge into larger governance units. But administration officials say it's become clear that Democratic lawmakers won't agree to mandatory consolidation.

Lawmakers learned that the conservation measures they enacted in Act 181 “were alienating rural landowners and were not the right tool for the job,” said Rep. Amy Sheldon, D-Middlebury.

Removing the Jackson Dam could cost $4 million to $9 million — or more, depending on what's found in the sediment. “I'm not sure anyone wants to pay for it,” said the general manager at Hardwick Electric.

Opponents argued that a land-use plan in the 1970s was “Satan's work, Communist propaganda, and a wishy-washy bureaucratic nightmare,” according to one news report from the time.

For years, Rep. Debbie Dolgin and her husband brought cases before an assistant judge who issued arrest warrants to collect unpaid debts from their tenants. As a major landlord-tenant bill is actively debated, Dolgin says she sees no conflict in her roles.

CTE students from St. Johnsbury Academy play instrumental roles in the buildout of the brand new Caledonia Food Co-op.

The House Committee on Ways and Means has spent the last three weeks crafting proposals that would raise income taxes on households that earn more than $586,000 a year. Though the legislation has no chance of becoming law this year, some Democrats hope the debate will resonate with voters heading into the midterm elections.

A growing number of support groups in Vermont are using music to foster joy and connections for people with memory loss and their caregivers.

Citing climate change as a factor, Burke Mountain and its partner ski academy plan to experiment with storing snow under massive tarps over the summer.

A growing number of Vermont's primary care providers are shrinking their practices and charging membership fees. Concierge practices offer providers a break from burnout — but leave many patients behind.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott says he won't let a state budget go into law unless the Legislature approves an education reform bill that includes mandatory school district consolidation. House lawmakers have refused to budge on forced mergers, and they've begun preparing for a government shutdown over the issue.

A conversation about collecting sap for maple syrup, and making a resourceful living, in Cabot.

These small panels can be plugged into a regular wall outlet, and when paired with a battery, they generate enough electricity to keep a refrigerator running through a power outage.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate were in lockstep on mandatory school district consolidation heading into the 2026 legislative session. House Speaker Jill Krowinski says it's since become clear that while voters are desperate for property tax relief, they're not willing to sacrifice control of their local schools to get it.

Memphremagog Community Theatre, whose members come from Canada and the United States, held a kick-off event recently at a venue that straddles the international border.

The House Committee on Ways and Means has agreed to vote on legislation this year that would increase state income taxes by 3% on household income over $500,000 a year, and by an additional 2% on income over $1 million.

Act 181 and its ecological conservation measures emerged from this week's Senate debates delayed but intact. Heated debates are likely to continue in the House.

Buying down property taxes with one-time money comes with the risk of creating a spike the following cycle. But Gov. Phil Scott has indicated he'll pressure Democrats to use even more one-time cash to lower next year's property taxes.

With a key legislative deadline looming, lawmakers raced to get key policy bills out of committees this week.

Aerial imagery from flooding in 2023 shows water covering part of the proposed building site. A neighbor says adding homes there could “do more harm than good.”

Last week the students of Calais Elementary held their first town meeting, during which they made a momentous decision about an end-of-year field trip.

It is unusual for pro tems who aren't seeking higher office to announce their retirement mid-session. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth said he wanted to give his colleagues time to choose his replacement.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Marc Mihaly, D-Calais, would allow faster evictions but also limit the size of security deposits and rent increases for tenants.

State regulators have struck a deal with environmental groups and the utility that owns the Green River Reservoir Dam that they say allows the facility to be relicensed.

Forced school district consolidation isn't the only obstacle to reform this year, because Vermont lawmakers will also have to poke the hornet's nest that is school choice.

For many married couples, when one partner is diagnosed with dementia, there's often no question that the other will become the caregiver. It's the hard part of the "for better or for worse" marriage vow.

In 2016, Liz Harris' teenage daughter, Mary, was killed in a car accident alongside four of her friends. Liz says that the ripple effect of her daughter's empathetic love has come out in all the people around her ever since.

In the latest installment of a four-part series on love, Dan and Laura Sudhoff reflect on their 58-year relationship.

A special docket aimed at reducing a backlog of low-level offenses in Chittenden County has cleared just over 700 cases. The governor is pushing to expand the initiative to other counties.

In the first of a four-part series on love, 7-year-old Winooski resident Theo describes what love means to him.

Dee Christie is an artist and former art teacher in Milton. She specializes in making colorful collages out of old books.

Listener audio recorded almost exactly a year ago has interesting resonance now. Here's episode 3 of What Now Sounds Like.

The state has begun funding pop-up shelters in four additional locations this year, a formidable effort that materializes and evaporates based on the weather.

Bill Barbot discusses what he's learned about class perceptions since moving to Vermont, and the value of living in a place where towns are not divided starkly by class in this latest episode of "What Class are You?"

Even though Kaye Phipps sometimes works multiple jobs, she often comes up short. In this episode, she talks about how having limited income can make her feel like a child, long into adulthood.

Three weeks into a legislative session that's supposed to produce one of the most consequential school-governance overhauls in state history, lawmakers are knee-deep in the “inherent contradictions” that make meaningful reform so elusive.

Jordan Hepburn talks about the challenges of starting a farm in Vermont without land or capital in the next installment of "What Class Are You?"