Vermont Edition

The U.S. Department of Education is cutting nearly half of its workforce. President Donald Trump wants to see the agency eliminated completely. What do these tidal shifts in education mean for individual states, like Vermont? Today's show answers that question.

Vermont's famous big cats are rumored to be roaming the woods and hills. Here's how to know if you really did spot one in the wild.

A wounded Union captain from Vermont and the resilient wife of a Confederate soldier cross paths — and fates — in Chris Bohjalian's new novel.Bohjalian is the New York Times bestselling author of 25 books, a playwright and a longtime Weybridge resident. His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies and an Emmy-winning TV series (The Flight Attendant on Max). His novel Midwives was an Oprah’s Book Club selection. He was a weekly columnist for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015.This show was recorded on Mar. 9 at a live event, when Bohjalian sat down with Mikaela Lefrak in front of a packed house at the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. The event was produced in partnership with the Middlebury Book Shop.Then, we get a preview of the Green Mountain Film Festival in Montpelier when Mikaela speaks with festival programmer Sam Kann.Broadcast live on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

The average marketplace premium in Vermont is more than 140% higher than the national average in 2025. For individuals who get their insurance through their employers, not the marketplace, their contributions are the highest in the whole country.In a recent Brave Little State episode, senior producer Josh Crane explores why Vermont's health care system is so expensive. He looks into the UVM Health Network and compares health care costs in different parts of our region. Then, Chief Health Care Advocate for Vermont Legal Aid Mike Fisher answers your questions about our health care system. Broadcast live on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

The proposed center will provide medical supervision to people using illegal drugs.

Town and state leaders are working to improve humans' relationship with beavers to support flood resiliency. Beavers' brains are small — about the size of a walnut — but you wouldn't know it from watching them work. "They get up and go to work every single day, never take a vacation," said Skip Lisle, a wildlife biologist in Grafton. Lisle invented the Beaver Deceiver, a flow device that sneaks water away from beavers and removes the need to trap or kill them.For naturalist Patti Smith of the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center in West Brattleboro, it's important for Vermonters to understand what happened when beavers were overhunted in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. "When all of the beavers disappeared from North America — disappeared being a euphemism for 'turned into stylish hats' — eventually those dams degraded and all of those wetlands drained," she said.

Sen. Welch discusses Trump's tax on Canadian goods. Vermont Commerce Secretary and a Montreal reporter discuss how the tariffs will play out on either side of the border.

Town Meeting Day is a method of direct civic engagement and and a longstanding community building tradition. It's a time when Vermont’s 247 municipalities each decide how they’ll spend their local budgets. We begin by hearing about some significant votes taking place around the state. Vermont Public's Nina Keck talks about the Rutland mayoral race, and reporter Lexi Krupp explains Lyndon's vote to keep Town Meeting an in-person affair, rather than switch to Australian ballot.Then, we dig into the history of town meetings in Vermont with Middlesex town moderator Susan Clark. She is the co-author of many books about democracy in Vermont, including All Those in Favor: Rediscovering the Secrets of Town Meeting and Community. She discusses the times when Vermont towns voted on national and international issues that extended far beyond the purview of local budgets. Then, we share a 1982 NPR story by Leslie Breeding about a town meeting in Strafford. Broadcast live on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

It’s time for Town Meeting Day, a Vermont tradition stretching back more than 200 years. Chief administrative officer for the City of Burlington Katharine Schad discusses significant bond measures. Missisquoi Valley School District vice chair Renick Darnell-Martin, a Highgate resident, talks through the school district's budget. In Plainfield, select board chair Karl Bissex talked about a plan to expand the town after last year's flooding caused major damage. Bellows Falls, Saxtons River and Rockingham voted this past weekend to create a single municipal fire and rescue department. Rockingham town manager Scott Pickup provides insight on that vote. Jackie Matts, chair of the Bennington charter review committee, explains the effort to allow 16- and 17-year-olds and non-U.S.citizens to vote on town issues.

Are you craving new restaurants to try or want the latest on Vermont's food scene? We've got you covered. Food and drink editor Melissa Pasanen of Seven Days shares culinary updates from around the region.

A Vermont microbiologist, food safety official and dairy farmer explain how raw milk is tested and regulated.

Black Vermonters have helped shape the state throughout history, arts and culture.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for a study on the effects of antidepressants and antipsychotics on children. He established the Make America Healthy Again commission to examine childhood chronic diseases, including mental health disorders. This comes as new U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues that antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are overprescribed to children.Dr. Steven Schlozman, chief of child psychiatry at the University of Vermont Medical Center, explains how these medications work, and how they are prescribed, and answered listener questions.Broadcast live on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Gov. Phil Scott wants to roll back some of Vermont’s key climate laws, arguing they are too costly to implement. Lawmakers are debating whether to stay the course on climate action. Vermont Public’s Peter Hirschfeld breaks down this debate over the Global Warming Solutions Act. He also looks at how legislators are preparing for Town Meeting Day and navigating uncertainty around federal funding. Catch up on everything happening at the Statehouse with Capitol Recap, released every Friday.

Among DOGE's federal funding cuts, tariffs, and proposed cuts to Medicaid, there is a lot of change happening in the federal budget. Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Senate minority leader Scott Beck, and a recently-fired USDA worker give us their thoughts.

Romantasy books are booming. Vermont authors and readers understand the appeal.

Across Vermont, Black entrepreneurs are running successful businesses that serve both Black Vermonters and the broader population. This is the third installment of our Black History Month series, where we explore different aspects of Black life in our region. They discuss the ups and downs of being entrepreneurs.Leroy Nedd, owner of Hair R Us in Burlington, specializes in wigs, weaves, extensions, and other hair products. Restaurateur Leslie McCrorey Wells co-owns Sotto Enoteca, Pizzeria Verita, and Trattoria Delia in Burlington, as well as Lovestock Farm in Grand Isle. She has served on numerous boards, including the University of Vermont’s Fleming Museum of Art, the Flynn Center, the Intervale, and a three-year appointment on Vermont’s Future of Agriculture Commission. BJ Robertson also joins the conversation. After playing basketball in high school and college in Vermont, as well as for the Vermont Frost Heaves, he founded Blueprint Basketball, a mentorship and training program for young athletes.

In January, a U.S. Border Patrol agent was shot and killed in Coventry during a routine traffic stop. Two others were shot, and two people died. In the weeks since, it has emerged that those involved were followers of a fringe ideology known as Zizianism, which has been linked to multiple killings across several states. VTDigger’s Peter D’Auria and his colleagues have been covering the shooting, its aftermath, and the broader connections that have emerged.

In the name of government efficiency and cutting foreign spending, the Trump administration is freezing funds and furloughing workers at many federal agencies. Billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs are at stake. Leaders of organizations in our region that receive federal funding join us to discuss the local impact.We’ll hear about the major changes to institutions like USAID when we speak with Eric Postel* of Bennington, a Senior Advisor at DAI, Inc., and a USAID political appointee during the Obama and Biden administrations, and Nazgul Abdrazakova, President and CEO of Resonance Global, based in Winooski. Their organizations both receive USAID funding. The Vermont Afghan Alliance receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support Afghan refugee resettlement. Executive director Molly Gray and Yassin Hashimi, who leads the organization's employment program, explain the uncertainty caused by the funding cuts. Then, we're joined by Jack Glaser, a local biomedical researcher whose organization, MBF Bioscience in Williston, receives federal grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). *Eric Postel spoke to Vermont Edition a personal capacity and not on behalf of DAI, Inc.Broadcast live on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Forget the flowers and candy — let's shine a light on our friends!