Sheep used to dominate the Vermont landscape. But these days, it’s kind of rare to drive by a large flock. What happened to Vermont’s sheep? Today on Vermont Edition: It’s the latest in our March series Animal Hour and it’s all about sheep. We begin with local historian Mark Bushnell who tells us all about the sheep boom and bust of the 1800s. Even though there aren’t as many sheep here as there used to be, there’s still a lot of Vermonters out there shearing sheep for their wool, raising lambs ...
Mar 20, 2025•50 min
South Burlington children's book author and illustrator Jason Chin uses paint and pen to bring the world around us to life. Chin won one of the highest honors in his field in 2022, when he was awarded the Caldecott Medal for Watercress, written by Andrea Wang. This year, he and the writer Lynn Brunelle won the Robert F. Silbert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children for Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall.
Mar 19, 2025•48 min
This episode of Vermont Edition also included a conversation with VTDigger reporter Peter D'Auria about plans for a juvenile detention facility in Vergennes and some possible updates to Vermont's Raise the Age law.Your shoes are soggy. Your car wheels are spinning. You're not sure if you should dress for sun, rain, or even snow. Yes, it's mud season. Some Vermonters like Keegan Tierney, the Green Mountain Club's director of field programs, approach mud season with optimism and energy. Others, li...
Mar 18, 2025•50 min
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.
Mar 17, 2025•47 min
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.
Mar 13, 2025•50 min
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 fro...
Mar 12, 2025•50 min
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 Ad...
Mar 11, 2025•49 min
Dr. David Krag and his team are sifting through around 43,000 studies about opioids and addiction to create an easy-to-access research database.
Mar 11, 2025•33 min
The proposed center will provide medical supervision to people using illegal drugs.
Mar 10, 2025•48 min
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 Bo...
Mar 06, 2025•47 min
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.
Mar 05, 2025•47 min
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 th...
Mar 04, 2025•50 min
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 Roc...
Mar 03, 2025•47 min
A Vermont microbiologist, food safety official and dairy farmer explain how raw milk is tested and regulated.
Feb 27, 2025•34 min
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.
Feb 27, 2025•14 min
Black Vermonters have helped shape the state throughout history, arts and culture.
Feb 26, 2025•50 min
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...
Feb 25, 2025•30 min
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.
Feb 25, 2025•16 min
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.
Feb 24, 2025•50 min
Romantasy books are booming. Vermont authors and readers understand the appeal.
Feb 20, 2025•48 min
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,...
Feb 19, 2025•33 min
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.
Feb 19, 2025•15 min
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 appoin...
Feb 18, 2025•50 min
Forget the flowers and candy — let's shine a light on our friends!
Feb 13, 2025•46 min
It's been nearly a month since President Trump has taken office, and he's moved quickly in implementing some big changes in the Federal Government. On today's show, we hear from Vermont elected officials about their reaction to the Trump administration's early days, and what they're doing in response. First, we'll hear from Senator Bernie Sanders. Then, a conversation with Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark and Solicitor General Jonathan Rose, who have been a part of many efforts to stall so...
Feb 12, 2025•50 min
In 1988, Louvenia Dorsey Bright made history as the first woman of color elected to the Vermont legislature. Her son, Bill Bright, reflects on her accomplishments and what it was like to watch her break barriers. The Friends of the Vermont State House is raising funds to commission her portrait.Then, we hear from three black politicians in our region — State Sen. Joe Majors who represents Windsor, Winooski Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner, and former Burlington City Councilmember Zoraya Hightower. The...
Feb 11, 2025•46 min
