VPR News

Court Asked To Dismiss Elder Abuse Case

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The state of Vermont is arguing that groups suing over problems in its Adult Protective Services Division don’t have legal standing to do so, and that the suit should be dismissed.
Commentary Series
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McQuiston: Yankee Poker

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As editor of Vermont Business Magazine, commentator Tim McQuiston has been especially interested to hear what the Post-Vermont-Yankee Task Force is saying about the potential economic impact of closing the aging nuclear facility.
VPR Series and Specials
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Vermont Women In History

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Listen all this week as VPR celebrates Women’s History Month with a week-long examination of the long process of establishing legal rights for women in Vermont.
VPR News

Maple Syrup Production Down With Warm Weather

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A year after breaking Vermont’s decades-old record for maple syrup production, syrup makers are predicting a less-than-stellar output this year with unseasonably warm weather during the peak of the sugaring season.
VPR News

House Panel To Hear Vaccine Debate

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A committee of the Vermont House will hold a public hearing this week on a proposal to end the philosophical exemption under which parents have been able to avoid having their children get immunizations normally required to attend school.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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Life in a Dream

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Taylor Carlson, of Newbury, Vermont, is a junior at Oxbow High School. "Writing has always been a part of who I am," she says. "For this piece, I truly was just in the moment, writing what I felt."
Saturday Matinee
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Khovanshchina

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The celebrated Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina is featured in this Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina. Listen Saturday at 12:00p.m. Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera 
Commentary Series
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Schubart: The Messy Middle

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Commentator Bill Schubart writes about many aspects of life in Vermont – from potholes to politics.  And as the primary season rolls on, he’s troubled by the quality of the debate – so far he sees it as consisting of superficial answers to mostly the wrong questions.
VPR News

Shumlin Optimistic PSB Will Not Extend Yankee’s License

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Governor Peter Shumlin says it’s clear that the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power plant will be allowed to continue to operate after its license expires next week. But he’s optimistic that the Vermont Public Service Board will ultimately deny the plant a 20 year extension of its operating license.
VPR News
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Gas Prices Influenced By Local, Global Factors

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We’ve become accustomed to the fact that the price of gasoline is rarely the same from fill-up to fill-up. But what concerns many people these days is how high the price is. Vermont gas prices are influenced by a complex combination of local and global factors.
VPR News

Addison-Rutland Teachers Vote To Strike

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Teachers in the Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union have voted to go on strike over what they are calling a pay cut and what the school boards say is a pay freeze.
Vermont Edition
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Governor Peter Shumlin

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Governor Peter Shumlin discusses the future of the Waterbury office complex, his plan to build a 25-bed psychiatric hospital and to add beds at Rutland Regional Medical Center and Brattleboro Retreat.
Jazz with George Thomas

Charles Lloyd, Cecil Taylor, Bob Wilber

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We celebrate the birthdays of tenor saxophonist, composer & bandleader Charles Lloyd; pianist, composer & bandleader Cecil Taylor and alto sax player Bob Wilber. We hear the Charles Lloyd masterpiece, Forest Flower with solos from Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee and Jack DeJohnette.
Commentary Series
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Luskin: Flood Gates

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Commentator Deborah Lee Luskin is a novelist, essayist, and educator who believes in the benefits of foreign travel – which is exactly what saved Brattleboro’s New England Youth Theater from Tropical Storm Irene’s nasty flood waters.
VPR News

Problems With Yankee’s Condenser Resurface

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The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant has been forced to reduce power because a key component is causing problems. And the state says Yankee technicians made a mistake and left a metal plate inside the component as they were trying to troubleshoot the issue last week.
VPR News
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Stuck In The Mud: How Are The Roads In Your Town?

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Vermont’s nearly snowless winter has given mud season an early start. Some back roads resemble slalom courses made of mud. What’s it like in your area? Have you come across especially bad frost heaves and mud bogs? Send us a brief description and a picture.
VPR News
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Amphibians Migrating Earlier This Year

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In the spring, many species of frogs and salamanders make their way from higher ground down to the vernal pools where they mate. This year, with the mild winter carrying over to a mild spring, amphibians are on the move earlier than normal.
Commentary Series
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Kashmeri: Lady Thatcher

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In his work as an international business and national security specialist, commentator Sarwar Kashmeri has encountered quite a few memorable characters. He says a  film currently in theaters has reminded him of one who made a particularly strong impression.
VPR News

House Expected To Pass Telemedicine Bill

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The Vermont House is expected to pass and send to the Senate a bill that would require health insurance companies to cover telemedicine to the same degree that they do in-person medical consultations.
Commentary Series
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Henningsen: Political Chicken

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Maine Senator Olympia Snowe recently announced that she’s retiring because she’s fed up with political gridlock. Commentator Vic Henningsen is a teacher and historian who says that this news reminds him that American political discourse has always been pretty bad.
VPR News

FEMA, State To Buy Out 76 Flood-Prone Properties

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The federal government and the state of Vermont are moving to purchase homes that were heavily damaged by Tropical Storm Irene. 76 properties have been identified in the first round and state officials are planning on several more buyout programs in the future.
Commentary Series
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Weis: Thinking Ahead

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April 22nd is Earth Day, but environmental educator and commentator Russ Weis thinks that March is a perfectly good time to start planning ways to act on behalf of the planet.
VPR News
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Debate Begins On ‘Death With Dignity’ Bill

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The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would allow patients to get medication to end their lives. The so-called "death with dignity" bill has been controversial in the Statehouse, and its prospects for passage remain uncertain.
VPR News

Outlook Mixed On Vermont’s Economy

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The state’s unemployment rate dropped again giving Vermont one of the lowest rates in the country. But state revenues have fallen for the third month in a row, creating a $14 million hole in next year’s budget.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Little Russia?

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Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #2 is known as the "Little Russian" Symphony.  "Little Russia" is actually not Russia at all, it’s Ukraine.  We’ll hear the piece this afternoon.
VPR News

Vt.’s Unemployment Rate Drops To 5 Percent

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Vermont labor officials say the state’s unemployment rate fell slightly in January to 5 percent. The seasonally adjusted rate was a decrease of two-tenths of a percent from December and 3.3 percent below the national rate for January of 8.3 percent.
Vermont Edition
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GMOs And The Right To Know

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Genetically engineered products are prevalent in the food system, from fruits and vegetables, to processed foods. But critics of GMOs say consumers don’t have access to reliable information about the genetically modified organisms they are eating.
VPR News
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Proposed Dollar General Stirs Up Chester

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In Chester, plans to build a dollar store have stirred up some members of the community who say the project isn’t in keeping with the town’s character. Many turned out last night as the town’s Development Review Board met to review the plans.  
VPR News

Missing 5-Year-Old Boy Found With Dogs

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Police say a 5-year-old Underhill boy who decided to go for a walk with two family dogs was unharmed when the trio were found about four miles away from home, a couple of hours after they went missing.
VPR News

UVM Student Found Dead

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Campus police are investigating the death of University of Vermont a student but say there is no indication of foul play.
Jazz with George Thomas

Jesse Fuller, Sir Charles Thompson

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We celebrate the birthday of blues legend Jesse Fuller, a one man band, playing 12-string guitar, harmonica, kazoo & fotdella(a bass instrument of his own design). We also celebrate the birthday of bop pianist Sir Charles Thompson who worked with Charlie Parker.
VPR News
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Waterbury Group Gets Boost In Rebuilding Efforts

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The long road to recovery from Tropical Storm Irene continues in Waterbury, but it got a big boost on Monday. The Stiller Family Foundation announced it will make a $250,000 matching grant to help continue repairing severely damaged homes.
Commentary Series
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Slayton: Invisible Odysseys

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An exhibition of artworks created by some of the roughly 1,500 Mexicans working on Vermont dairy farms is now on display at the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury. Commentator Tom Slayton – long time journalist and observer of all things Vermont – visited the show and has the following observations.
VPR News

MacGovern Announces Run For US Senate

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A Vermont man who has run several times for the state Legislature says he’s planning to challenge independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders for his Senate seat.
VPR News

Norwich Students Learn Computer Protection

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At Norwich University in Northfield, students are being taught to fight the war of the future. The mock battles are on computers. Students are learning to protect communications networks from cyber-attacks.
VPR News

Two Killed In Swanton Truck Crash

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Vermont State Police say two men were killed when their pickup truck went out of control on a highway in Swanton, rolled over several times and ejected both men.
VPR News

Bill Would End Vaccination Exemptions

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A bill moving through the Vermont Legislature would end the ability of parents to block on philosophical grounds vaccinations their children must receive to enter school.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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Marble Eyes

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Caleb Hoh, a seventh grader at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, started writing to small prompts in class, but soon became serious about his work and dedicated to the Young Writers Project. "Through reading responses and contested prompts I feel that I have learned to use the situations and feelings of real life to make my writing come alive," he says. "I even performed one of my pieces at a talent show with some friends…I like to write fiction, from action to intense scenarios, and I get caught up in whatever piece I write."
All the Traditions
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So Many Shades of Green!

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A listening party to prepare for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and for the many other kinds of music represented by live shows in the VPR listening area this week!
Saturday Matinee
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Don Giovanni

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In Saturday’s Metropolitan Opera broadcast performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Bryn Terfel portrays Leporello. Listen Saturday at 12:00p.m. Photo: Marty Sohl/Met Opera
Jazz with George Thomas

Ornette & George Coleman

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We celebrate the birthdays of two sax giants Ornette Coleman & George Coleman,no relation. Ornette arrived in NYC in 1959 and changed jazz going forward with his bluesy alto sax and slippery, rhythmic tunes. George Coleman played tenor sax with Miles Davis & led his own bands.
Commentary Series
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Molnar: Silver Solace

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Given a free choice to move anywhere, most people would choose warm, sunny climates. Commentator and former New York Times reporter, Martha Molnar, is a public relations and freelance writer who moved to Vermont precisely for its cold, snowy winters – only to be disappointed.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: Talk of War

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This past week, the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington generated much new talk of war with Iran. Today, commentator and retired ABC News diplomatic correspondent Barrie Dunsmore tells us where prospects for such a war apparently now stand.
VPR News

Red Cross Response Rate Up In VT, NH

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Disaster services volunteers with the Vermont and New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross have responded to people in need at a rate 20 percent higher this year than last.
VPR News

Firm To Discuss Flooded State Offices

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An architectural firm will present three suggestions on what to do with the largely abandoned state office complex in Waterbury, which was inundated by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.
Jazz with George Thomas

International Women’s Day in Jazz

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Tonight we celebrate International Women’s Day with 2 hours of great jazz musicians, composers & bandleaders who happen to be women. From pioneers like Lil Hardin Armstrong, Mary Lou Williams, Mary Osborne and greats including Marian McPartland, Geri Allen, Anat Fort, Anat Cohen, Virginia Mayhew, Terri Lyne Carrington & more.
VPR News
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Skiing, Snowboarding Become Official State Sports

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Skiing and snowboarding are now the official state sports of Vermont, thanks to some schoolchildren in Swanton. Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill into law today that was proposed by a group of fifth and sixth graders.
VPR News
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Domino Extravaganza Wows Visitors

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Families and fans from half a dozen states converged in Brattleboro recently for the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center’s Fifth Annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza. The popularity of this once-obscure hobby has grown with the advent of on-line videos that allow topplers to share their achievements.
VPR News
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Cuts Affect Vermont Air National Guard

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Cuts to the Air Force are trickling down to the Vermont Air National Guard. The Vermont Air Guard will lose 57 full-time positions at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. At the same time, 52 full-time active duty Air Force personnel will be assigned to the Air Guard base in South Burlington.
VPR News

Whiting Votes To Give Back To Disaster Relief Fund

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Voters in the small town of Whiting have decided to make a donation to the state’s Disaster Relief Fund equal to whatever money the town gets from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for Tropical Storm Irene damages.
VPR News

Athens Votes To Disband Library, Citing Expenses

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Residents in the small Windham County town of Athens say they can no longer afford their public library. Athens says it’s hard to maintain the library in a difficult economy with few grants and other resources.
VPR News
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Concerns Linger Over Grants For Worst Performing Schools

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Two years ago, a group of ten schools were identified by state education officials as the worst in Vermont, based on their New England Common Assessment, or NECAP scores. It was a controversial process. But for the schools identified, there was a big pay off – $8.5 million from the federal government over 3 years to improve.
VPR News
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Dartmouth Charges Fraternity With Hazing

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The Dartmouth College newspaper published a letter a month ago detailing a student’s allegations of hazing at the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Now, 27 members of that fraternity have been charged with violating school policy. The controversy is renewing calls for the end of single sex fraternities on campus.  
Jazz with George Thomas

Full Moon

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Well, we started with a few selections inspired by the Full Moon, and ended up with two hours dedicated to powerful orb: "How High The Moon," "What A Little Moonlight Can Do," "Moon," "Moon And Sand," "Winter Moon,"  "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress," "Moonglow" and many more titles.
Commentary Series
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Parini: Bombing Iran

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Commentator Jay Parini is a poet, novelist, and Professor of English & Creative Writing at Middlebury College. As the world – especially Israel – begins to worry in earnest about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, he’s started thinking about the consequences of invading yet another country in the Middle East.
Commentary Series
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McCallum: The Singer Man

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Commentator Mary McCallum is an educator, librarian and freelance writer. When she recently took a sewing workshop in southern Vermont, it reminded her of the role that sewing took in her father’s life. And the example he set in how to learn and how to make do.
VPR News

Eden, Lowell Reject Superfund Designation

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Voters in Eden and Lowell have overwhelmingly rejected the idea of adding a closed asbestos mine to the national list of Superfund hazardous waste sites. A Superfund designation would have put the property in line for federal cleanup money.
Jazz with George Thomas

Post Primary Dance

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Tonight’s Post Primary Jazz Dance features a birthday celebration of guitarist Wes Montgomery and the passing of  tenor saxophonist Red Holloway. We also note the passing of Disney composer Robert Sherman who, with his brother Richard Sherman, composed tunes popular with jazz artists: "Chim Chim Cheree" & "Feed The Birds."
VPR News
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2012 Town Meeting Day Coverage

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Listen to VPR’s Town Meeting Day Coverage hosted by Bob Kinzel from March 6.  You can also see VPR’s Town Meeting Day Blog and  results on the VPR Results Map. Listen online.
Commentary Series
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Lange: Presidential Beer Buddies

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Presidential campaigns make great efforts to convince us that their candidates are common folk, just like us. Commentator Willem Lange is a retired remodeling contractor, writer and storyteller who thinks that Presidents – like neurosurgeons, for example – ought to be just a cut above that.
VPR News

Thousands Of Vermonters Weigh In On Local Issues

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Vermonters turned out by the thousands today to decide local issues – and to help Republicans determine their presidential nominee. No great statewide trends emerged from town meetings this year, except for the traditional pride in self-government that emerges on the first Tuesday of March every year.
Vermont Edition
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Who Is A Vermonter?

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Native Vermonters are famously proud of their roots here. But increasingly, the state is made up of people who were born somewhere else – today, 49 percent of Vermonters are transplants. We talk about Vermont identity, and how the fabric of the state has changed with the influx of people "from away."
Commentary Series
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Clark: Women As Moderators

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Commentator Susan Clark is town moderator of Middlesex, and she’s written extensively about the tradition of Town Meeting. Recently, she attended a training for moderators and couldn’t help but notice a change in the people Vermonters are electing to lead their town meetings.
VPR News

Tinmouth Considers Return To Floor Vote

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While it’s not unusual to hear about towns forgoing floor votes in favor of Australian ballots, it’s almost unheard of to hear about towns going the other way. But that’s exactly what voters in Tinmouth will decide Tuesday.
VPR News
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Irene Lingers At Rochester Town Meeting

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Rochester has held numerous town meetings in the last six months following devastating flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. At last night’s annual town meeting, residents didn’t have to look far for reminders of the storm.
VPR News
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2012 Town Meeting Day Coverage

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Listen to VPR’s Town Meeting Day Coverage hosted by Bob Kinzel from March 6.  You can also see VPR’s Town Meeting Day Blog and  results on the VPR Results Map. Listen online.
Jazz with George Thomas

Carol Sloane, Irving Kahal

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We celebrate the birthday of the Rhode Island-born vocalist Carol Sloane and the birthday of lyricist Irving Kahal, author of songs including: "I’ll Be Seeing You," "You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me," " When I Take My Sugar To Tea" and "I Can Dream Can’t I."
VPR News

Manchester Votes Down Smart Meters

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Manchester voters have gone on record against wireless electric meters. The utilities say the wireless smart meters should improve customer service. But some residents have raised health and privacy concerns.
VPR News

Doyle Issues 44th Annual Survey

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As many as 15,000 Vermonters are expected to fill out Senator Bill Doyle’s Town Meeting Day survey this year. It marks the 44th consecutive year that Doyle has solicited the opinions of voters on a variety of issues facing the state.
VPR News
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Closing Comments: Burlington Mayoral Candidates

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Vermont Edition invited the three Burlington mayoral candidates into our studio and gave them each two minutes to answer this question: "What do you want voters to remember about you, when they walk into the voting booth?"
VPR News
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Rutland Lifts Boil-water Order

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Rutland residents got good news Monday morning about their drinking water. A major water main burst on Saturday, forcing the city to require that all water be boiled.
VPR News

Mandatory Recycling Bill Heads To Senate

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It’s on to the Vermont Senate for legislation that would push the state toward the goal of recycling and composting solid waste, with as little as possible going to landfills.
VPR News

Legal Wrangling Over VY’s Future Continues

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The legal arguments over the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant continue, with parties to file this week on how the state Public Service Board should handle its review of a new state permit for the plant.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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My Town

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Kiera Loomis, who is in 5th Grade at Shrewsbury Mountain School, says she is motivated to write by the prompts provided by the Young Writers Project and she likes to be creative and share her experiences with others. Kiera loves animals, and dreams about being a veterinarian one day.
Saturday Matinee
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Aida

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The Metropolitan Opera presents the grandest of all grand operas, Verdi’s Aida. Listen Saturday at 1:00pm. Photo: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera 
A Passion For Opera
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Carmen

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We sample wonderful music from Bizet’s Carmen, possibly the most popular opera in the world, which premiered on this date in 1875 – and was not well received. Listen Saturday at 12:00pm.
Commentary Series
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Krupp: Local Food Initiatives

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Commentator Ron Krupp is a gardener and author who is often asked how Vermont can become more independent of the global industrial food system. He says two new initiatives in Hardwick and Waitsfield should help. 
Commentary Series
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Averyt: Virtual Winter

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Winter has made a late season comeback in much of Vermont; but author, poet and commentator Anne Averyt thinks that the winter of 2012 will still be remembered for being more brown than white.
VPR News

Common Cause Launches Campaign Money Database

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The good-government group Common Cause of Vermont has set up a database of campaign contributions made to candidates in the state during the 2010 election cycle, and it’s urging the state to do something similar.
VPR News

Board Sets Own Pace On VY Future

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The Vermont Public Service Board says it will set its own pace in deciding whether the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant gets a state permit to operate for another 20 years.
Jazz with George Thomas

Benny Powell, SFJazz

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We celebrate the birthday of trombonist Benny Powell, with his distinctive sound heard on recordings from Count Basie and His Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Abdullah Ibrahim and Randy Weston. We also hear the SFJazz Collective in advance of their Flynn show tomorrow.
VPR News

Leahy Applauds Defeat Of Blunt Amendment

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Both of Vermont’s senators voted against the controversial Blunt Amendment, which would have allowed health insurance plans and employers to refuse to pay for or provide coverage of "specific items or services" if their religious or moral beliefs conflicted.
Jazz with George Thomas

Richie Cole, SFJazz

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Tonight we celebrate the birthday of the powerful alto sax player Richie Cole, who worked with alto saxophonist Phil Woods and vocalist Eddie Jefferson. SFJazzis coming to the Flynn in Burlington on Friday withe their all-star cast in a tribute to Stevie Wonder.
Commentary Series
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Schubart: The Cost Of Corrections

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Commentator Bill Schubart writes about many aspects of life in Vermont – from potholes to politics.  Lately, he’s been listening to conservative arguments about our outsized government and its related costs, but wonders about one area of expense that seems beyond any reasonable chance of cost containment.
VPR News

Attorney General Rejects Democrats’ Complaint

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The attorney general’s office has rejected a complaint against an advocacy group that advertised about education funding. Democrats complained that the Campaign for Vermont should file as a political committee, because it spent more than $500 in an ad critical of Governor Peter Shumlin.
Commentary Series
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Bernard: Black History Month

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Commentator Emily Bernard is an associate professor of English and Ethnic Studies at UVM. She says that back when she was preparing the syllabus for her fall semester course "Race and the Literature of the American South," the irony of teaching The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn during black history month didn’t occur to her.
VPR News

Senate To Take Up Mental Health Reorganization

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A Vermont House committee is still working on legislation that would ban driving on flooded roadways and allow cities and towns to charge drivers when they do so and need to be rescued.
VPR News

Today Is Deadline To Register To Vote

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Vermonters hoping to vote in next week’s presidential primary must register to vote by the end of the day. Voters have until 5 p.m. today to register with local clerks to vote on March 6, Town Meeting Day.
Commentary Series
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Kittredge: The Prayer Rug

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Ash Wednesday , the beginning of Lent, was last week. It was also the day that minister and commentator Susan Cooke Kittredge had some things put in perspective for her – by a domestic accident that will sound familiar to many of us.
VPR News

Immunization Bill Moves Forward

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One of the most controversial bills of the 2012 session will soon be on the Senate floor for a vote. The legislation would make it more difficult for parents to have their children exempted from the state’s mandatory immunization law.
VPR News
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Student Stats Show Poverty Increasing

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The percentage of Vermont students receiving free or reduced priced lunches is increasing. And officials say that’s a sign that the number of children living in poverty has increased in recent years.
Commentary Series
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Luskin: Humanities Matter

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Author and commentator Deborah Luskin teaches writing and literature to non-traditional students throughout Vermont. And while she admires the quantitative measures that dominate the sciences, she was reminded recently of how important the humanities are – even though they defy measure.
VPR News

Use Of iPad In Statehouse Debate At Issue

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iPad computer tablets have begun popping up on lawmakers’ desks in the ornate, 19th-century Vermont House chamber, as have new questions about whether it’s OK to use them to get answers to questions during debate.
VPR News
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Bill Would Ban Driving On Flooded Roads

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A Vermont House committee today takes up legislation that would ban driving on flooded roadways and allow cities and towns to charge drivers when they do so and need to be rescued.
VPR News

Entergy Appeals Vermont Yankee Ruling

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The company that owns the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is appealing a federal court order allowing the plant to stay open past its originally scheduled shutdown date.
VPR News
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Ben & Jerry’s Apologizes For Linsanity Flavor

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A Ben & Jerry’s franchise located in Harvard Square in Cambridge has apologized for selling a limited-release ice cream flavor intended to honor Harvard graduate and New York Knicks overnight-sensation Jeremy Lin.
Commentary Series
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Greene: House Cozy

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Commentator and free-lance writer Stephanie Greene lives with her husband and sons on the family farm in Windham County, where she’s learned that keeping your house warm in Vermont during the winter is a major preoccupation, as well as a brisk cottage industry.
VPR News

Senate To Take Up Mental Health Bill

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The Vermont Senate is set this week for a final vote on a sweeping overhaul of the state’s mental health system, in the wake of the closing of the Vermont State Hospital due to flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.
VPR News

Evacuated Ski Lift Re-opens

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More than 120 skiers and riders were evacuated from a chairlift at a Vermont ski area over the weekend after a lift derailed.
VPR News

House Drops Canadian Perscription Drug Line

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The Vermont House has voted to scrap a seven-year-old program to help people buy cheap prescription drugs from Canada, after a member pointed out its website had gone dormant and its phone number redirects to a sex line.
VPR News

Deerfield Wind Project Faces Appeal

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Last month’s Forest Service approval for a wind turbine project in Searsburg and Readsboro is facing a challenge from an environmental group.
VPR News

Vt. Tries To Stamp Out Legal Bias

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Vermont’s top law enforcement officials and lawmakers are trying to ensure that the state’s African-Americans, Hispanic immigrants and other minorities don’t feel the sting of discrimination.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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On the hill

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Charles Myers, who is 13 and in 8th Grade at Edmunds Middle School, wrote this piece after his close friend, Bentley Davis Seifer, died at age 12 in a swimming accident on July 12, 2011. Charles says,  "Last summer, one of my best friends, Bentley, passed away swimming at the Bolton Potholes. This piece is about what I do sometimes to comfort myself… "Bentley and I did many fun things together. I mention some of these things in my piece, like how we made forts in the woods and played in the snow. Bentley was a very outdoorsy kind of guy. He liked to play outside just like me. When I wrote this piece, it really helped me get my feelings out. I have been having a very tough time since his passing, and my writing really helped me let a lot of my feelings out. I will never forget my friend Bentley, and through my writings I will keep his memory alive."
Saturday Matinee
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Ernani

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Angela Meade, Marcello Giordani, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Ferruccio Furlanetto are featured in Ernani, the finest of Verdi’s early operas, live from the Met. Listen Saturday at 1:00pm. Photo: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera 
Commentary Series
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Snyder: 3-D Innovation

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Commentator Barry Snyder is a film historian and founder of the Burlington Film Society.  And when the Academy Awards are handed out this weekend, he’s hoping that top honors for the Best Documentary Feature will go to a German film that’s innovative in its use of 3-D technology.
Vermont Edition
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Renewed Push For ‘Soda Tax’ Bill

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A new medical study indicates that sugar may be a lot more harmful to your health than previously believed. The study has given backers of a plan to tax sugar sweetened beverages at the Statehouse a new reason to push for their bill this year.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: The Price of Gas

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There have been some recent encouraging signs of improvement in the American economy. Yet, as commentator and veteran ABC News foreign correspondent Barrie Dunsmore tells us today , the continuing increase in gasoline prices could stymie further recovery.
VPR News
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Kingdom Towns To Vote On Superfund Declaration

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Two Northeast Kingdom towns will vote next month on whether to have an abandoned asbestos mine declared a Superfund hazardous waste site. The state argues that the Superfund listing could bring in federal money to clean up the site.
VPR News

Canadian Diplomat Touts Relations With Vermont

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Canada’s consul general to New England says his home country will continue extracting oil from tar sands in Alberta, and that it is beginning to do so in a more environmentally friendly way.
VPR News

House Advances Health Care Exchange Bill

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The Vermont House has given preliminary approval to a bill under which the state would take the next big step on a path to sweeping health insurance reform passed in broad outline last year.
Jazz with George Thomas

Jazz For Membership Drive

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We celebrate Jazz tonight with a mix of new & classic releases. Several Live From The Village Vanguard releases include Joe Henderson’s trio and The Paul Motian Trio with Joe Lovano & Bill Frisell. Drummer Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts and Wes Montgomery "Echoes Of Indiana Avenue" introduce new CDs. Make a pledge for jazz at VPR.net
Commentary Series

Nadworny: The Social Hack

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Commentator Rich Nadworny is an expert in new media and digital marketing. Recently, he took part in an event designed to jump-start design thinking and innovation – a  skill set that looks to play an important role in Vermont’s economic future.
VPR News
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House Advances Health Care Initiative; Final Vote Looming

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The House has advanced legislation that would change the way that many Vermonters receive health care coverage beginning in 2014. The heart of the bill is a consumer marketplace exchange where individuals and all small businesses would be required to purchase their health insurance.
VPR News

Irene Lingers As Select Boards Present Budgets

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Vermont towns have been grappling with the cost of clean-up and repairs from Tropical Storm Irene. They’re hoping most of the tab will be paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but it’s a slow process.
VPR News

House To Debate Major Health Care Initiative

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The House is set to begin its debate this morning on the major health care initiative of the session. Governor Peter Shumlin says he hopes passage of the legislation will encourage small businesses to drop coverage for their employees, because those employees will be eligible for several hundred million dollars in new federal subsidies.
VPR News

CCTA Hires New General Manager

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The Chittenden County Transportation Authority has hired a new General Manager. Bill Watterson will be joining CCTA on March 5th. 
VPR News

Leahy, Welch Travel To Haiti, Cuba, Colombia

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Senator Patrick Leahy and Congressman Peter Welch are traveling to Cuba, Haiti and Columbia to inspect recovery efforts after the 2010 earthquake and to meet with government officials.
Jazz with George Thomas

Rex Stewart, Buddy Tate

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Tonight we celebrate the birthdays of two jazz greats – trumpeter & cornet player Rex Stewart, who worked with Duke Ellington,  and Buddy Tate, tenor sax player with Count Basie, Buck Clayton and many others. If you value hearing Jazz on VPR Monday through Friday, please support it with your financial pledge now at VPR.net
Commentary Series
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Ali: Betrayal Of Trust

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Commentator and UVM Professor Saleem Ali has been thinking about why so many Pakistanis don’t trust the United States, despite well established efforts to provide financial aid. 
VPR News

New Wildlife Area Preserves Habitat, History

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A new wildlife management area in Grafton and Athens is not only conserving the habitat of an endangered plant, it’s also preserving the historic homestead of Daisy Turner, whose family history tells an important story of slavery.
VPR News
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New UVM President Will Face Tough Challenges

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A former provost and law school dean at the University of Minnesota has been appointed the 26th president of the University of Vermont. UVM’s Board of Trustees says it chose Thomas Sullivan because his background and experience are compatible with Vermont’s flagship institution.
VPR News
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Sullivan Appointed Next President Of UVM

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The University of Vermont has confirmed that Thomas Sullivan, a former University of Minnesota provost and law school dean will be the school’s next president.
VPR.net Extras

The Morning Edition Rap

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That’s right: Mitch Wertlieb, host of Morning Edition on VPR, delivers this wrap written by a VPR listener. Anything to make the phones ring during a membership drive.
Commentary Series
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Lange: Recognizing Fallacies

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All of us, unwittingly or on purpose, resort to fallacies from time to time. During this year’s chase for the presidency, commentator Willem Lange believes it’s especially important that we learn to separate them from the truth.
VPR News
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Concord Considers Closing High School

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For over twenty years, voters in the Northeast Kingdom town of Concord have been wrangling over whether or not to close their high school. The question will be on the ballot again this year, and feelings are still running high-on both sides.
VPR News

Student Paper Names Sullivan As Next UVM President

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This morning, the University of Vermont is expected to officially announce its next president. But an unofficial announcement spread on the social media website Twitter last night. VPR: UVM At A Crossroads
VPR News

VT Gets $2.4 Million To Help Storm Victims

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Governor Peter Shumlin says the state will receive a $2.4 million dollar grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for recovery services for survivors of Tropical Storm Irene.
VPR.net Extras

The Morning Edition Rap

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That’s right: Mitch Wertlieb, host of Morning Edition on VPR, delivers this wrap written by a VPR listener. Anything to make the phones ring during a membership drive.
Jazz with George Thomas

Mardi Gras-Pt 2, Nina Simone, Tadd Dameron

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We finish our  Mardi Gras-Pt 2 celebration with New Orleans songs from Charmaine Neville, Dr. John, Red Tyler, Sidney Bechet, Aurora Nealand, The Neville Brothers & The Wild Tchoupitoulas. We also celebrate the birthdays of pianist & vocalist Nina Simone and composer & pianist Tadd Dameron. Please go to VPR.net & support VPR.
Commentary Series
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McCallum: The Lonely Heart

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We live in an increasingly noisy, populated and social world. But recently commentator Mary McCallum has been thinking about how many Americans are afflicted with a kind of social pain that often frames their lives.
Jazz with George Thomas

Mardi Gras-Pt 1, Nancy Wilson, Jimmy Yancey

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Tonight we celebrate Mardi Gras-Pt 1with black brass marching bands like Dejan’s Original Brass Band, The Treme Brass Band and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Charmaine Neville, The Wild Tchoupitoulas, Li’l Queenie & The Percolators and others. We also celebrate the birthdays of vocalist Nancy Wilson & boogie pianist Jimmy Yancey.
VPR News

Company Could Add 150 Jobs In St. Albans

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The Vermont outpost of a multinational company that makes medical products is considering an expansion of its St. Albans facility, which could add 150 jobs to the local economy.
VPR News

VT Law School: Smart Grid Adoption Is Improving

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Vermont Law School is studying the roll-out of smart grid technology by Central Vermont Public Service and six other utilities around the country. The school says the adoption of the technology by the state’s largest electric utility is going well.
VPR News

Guildhall Considers Expanding Its School Board

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Voters in Guildhall are weighing a Town Meeting Day ballot item that would expand their School Board from three to five members. At issue is whether the size of the board makes a difference in education policy in the small Essex County town.
Commentary Series
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Gilbert: Willie’s Story

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Today is both President’s Day and the anniversary of an event that caused great sadness in the Lincoln White House.  Commentator and Vermont Humanities Council executive director Peter Gilbert has the story – not of a President, but a President’s child.
VPR News

House, Senate At Odds Over Size Of New State Hospital

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Two more Vermont Senate committees are slated to take up the question of how to replace the closed Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury, but it appears there may be a battle between the House and Senate over the size of a new facility to be built in Berlin.
The VPR Saturday Special
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State of the Re:Union: Miami

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Famous for its beaches and clubs, Miami is also the 3rd poorest city in the nation. Here, instead of working towards assimilation and blending with one another, ethnic communities exist as a patchwork, remaining like isolated microcosms of their homeland.
Saturday Matinee
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Il barbiere di Siviglia

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Rossini’s supremely popular opera The Barber of Seville is this week’s Metropolitan Opera broadcast. Listen Saturday at 1:00pm Photo: Cory Weaver/Metropolitan Opera 
A Passion For Opera
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Love and Fund-raising

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In the wake of Valentine’s Day, Peter Fox Smith and Betty Smith play love duets and raise money for Vermont Public Radio. Listen Saturday at 12:00pm.
Jazz with George Thomas

Buck Hill, Buddy DeFranco, Membership Drive

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Tonight we celebrate the birthdays of tenor saxophonist Buck Hill and clarinet player Buddy DeFranco, both fairly obscure, but quality, players and composers of jazz. Please take a moment and go to VPR.net and make a pledge of financial support, you decide the amount, to your Public Radio Station – VPR. And thanks.
Commentary Series
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McQuiston: The Gas Tax

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Vermont Business Magazine editor and commentator Tim McQuiston suggests that the best source of funding for the repair and maintenance of our roads and bridges may in fact be found at the neighborhood gas pump.
Vermont Edition
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Vaccines Stir Strong Opinions At Statehouse

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Supporters of a bill that aims to raise childhood vaccine rates are concerned that Vermont’s rate of unvaccinated kids is growing, causing a public health concern. But opponents of the bill say parents, not the state, should decide whether to vaccinate a child.
Commentary Series
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Hanna: Immunization Dilemma

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The Vermont Legislature is currently debating whether to repeal a law that has allowed parents to skip vaccinating their children. Commentator and Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hanna discusses how this debate is part of a much larger national conversation.
Jazz with George Thomas

Bert Kalmar, Pete Christlieb

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We celebrate the birthday of lyricist Bert Kalmar, who wrote "A Kiss To Build A Dream On," "Three Little Words" and many of the great songs in the Marx Brothers movies "Animal Crackers," "Duck Soup," and "Horsefeathers." It’s also tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb’s birthday and a great time to go to VPR.net and make pledge of support.
Commentary Series
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Luskin: On Immunization

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Vermont has the second-to-last rate in the nation for childhood immunizations. Commentator Deborah Luskin thinks that Vermont parents who opt out of vaccinating their children put their children, themselves, and other Vermonters at risk for preventable disease.
VPR News
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Health Care Debate Takes Partisan Turn At Statehouse

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The health care debate at the Statehouse is taking a partisan turn as the House gets ready to consider the Governor’s plan. Republican leaders say the bill is being rushed through the Legislature.  But the Democrats argue the Republicans are trying to "sabotage" health care reform in Vermont.
VPR News
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Essex High School Students Featured On MTV

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If you tune into MTV sometime this week, just might catch a glimpse of a group of kids from Essex High School.  The music network held a contest for a national campaign to get teenagers to have fun without alcohol and drugs and the school’s video was one of four in the country chosen.
Vermont Edition
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The Green Campus

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We check in with Vermont colleges on how important sustainable efforts are on and off campus, and learn about an Essex High School group that won an MTV contest.
Commentary Series
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Greene: Harris Hill

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Brattleboro’s Harris Hill Ski Jump takes place over the weekend of February 18, attracting athletes from all over the world. Recently, commentator Stephanie Greene chatted with a hill champion about what ski jumping was like forty years ago – and how it’s changed.
VPR News

Scientists Say Lake Pollution Reduction Will Take Decades

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Scientists say they’re seeing small signs of progress in cleaning up Lake Champlain. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it will likely take decades to meet pollution reduction targets. And there probably won’t be a big infusion of federal dollars to help Vermont achieve those goals.
VPR News

Chester Group Fights Dollar General

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In Chester, a group of residents is fighting a proposal to build a new retail chain store. The Zaremba Group, which owns property in Chester, has proposed building a 9,100 square-foot Dollar General store on the town’s Main Street.
VPR News

State Police Study Finds Traffic Race Disparity

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The head of the Vermont State Police says the results of a study found a small racial and ethnic bias in police stops. Colonel Tom L’Esperance says the information shows the police have to look more carefully at what they’re doing.
Jazz with George Thomas

Harold Arlen, Walter Donaldson & VPR Membership Drive

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Tonight we celebrate the birthdays of two of America’s greatest popular composers, Harold Arlen and Walter Donaldson. Arlen’s music for "Over The Rainbow," "Ill Wind," "Down With Love," "It’s Only A Paper Moon" and many more provide jazz improvisational vehicles just as your support provides the energy to power VPR. Please call 800-639-6391 or go to VPR.net and thanks.
Commentary Series
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Redmond: Treating Addiction

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Last week the Shumlin administration announced a plan to create five opiate treatment centers throughout the state. Writer, journalist and commentator Marybeth Redmond is hopeful that the long-term impact of an addictions treatment system for Vermont will be fewer offenders returning to prison.
VPR News

Responding To Critics, GMP Sweetens Deal

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Green Mountain Power has responded to critics who say it isn’t providing enough benefits to Central Vermont Public Service customers in the planned merger of the two companies. GMP says it will pay another $21 million toward customer energy efficiency.
VPR News
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Rockingham Struggles To Find Safe Lodging For Homeless

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Low-income advocates in Rockingham and its village of Bellows Falls are working overtime this winter to find safe lodging for people who are homeless. The town’s overnight warming shelter is closed for lack of a zoning permit, and its supporters have been scrambling for alternatives.
VPR News

Bottle Deposit Law Comes Up For Debate

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A question about whether Vermont should expand its bottle deposit law is coming up for discussion at the Statehouse. A tri-partisan coalition of senators says the answer is "yes".  But Governor Peter Shumlin disagrees.
Vermont Edition
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Vermont Evaluating How To Improve Science And Math Education

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The most recent NECAP results are in, and they indicate that a majority of Vermont high schoolers are not meeting standards in math and science. Just 36 percent of 11th graders were proficient in math, and just 30 percent were proficient in science. Students in elementary and middle school did significantly better on the math and science exams – the drop is concerning many educators.
Commentary Series
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Douglas: Education Appointment

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One of the issues currently being debated in Montpelier is whether or not the Commissioner of Ed should be appointed by the Governor – and be a member of the Governor’s cabinet.  As a former governor himself, commentator Jim Douglas offers his perspective.
VPR News

Lawmakers Look To Vermont Yankee For New Revenues

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Several Vermont energy programs are running out of money. So some lawmakers are looking to a familiar source for new revenues: The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Advocates have also proposed other tax increases to raise money for state weatherization programs
Jazz with George Thomas

Valentine’s Day Jazz

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Tonight we celebrate Valentine’s Day with jazz from Fats Waller & His Rhythm to blues from vocalist Sippie Wallace with pianist Little Brother Montgomery, early and late Billie Holiday, the muted trumpet of Miles Davis, the soft vocals & trumpet of Chet Baker and Sun Ra playing "I Could Have Danced All Night." Bring on the chocolate!
Commentary Series
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Coffin: Jeffords At Cedar Creek

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One hundred and fifty years ago, America was torn apart by Civil War before the union was finally restored in 1865. Since that time, preservation of the many historical sites associated with that struggle has been a challenge. Historian and commentator Howard Coffin  reflects on how one Vermonter in particular contributed to that effort.  
VPR News
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New Car Charging Station Opens In Montpelier

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Vermonters who drive electric vehicles now have another location where they can charge their cars. Green Mountain Power and the city of Montpelier have opened an electric vehicle charging station behind City Hall.
Commentary Series
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Labun Jordan: Cyber Love

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When social networks are something you have online, and side-by-side texting replaces conversation, it seems as if there’s little hope for personal communications in the modern age. But Commentator Helen Labun Jordan has a more optimistic perspective.
VPR News
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Smart Meter Critics Take Their Fight To Town Meeting

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Smart meter technology allows customers to save electricity, and gives utilities the ability to respond quickly to power outages. But the wireless meters have also raised health and privacy concerns, and now voters in several southern Vermont towns will get a chance to weigh in at next month’s town meetings.
Jazz with George Thomas

Wingy Manone, Wardell Gray, Jodie Christian

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We celebrate the birthday of the one-armed trumpeter Wingy Manone from New Orleans with his irreverent vocal style. We also celebrate the birthday of the bebop tenor sax player Wardell Gray, famous for his composition "Twisted," turned into a vocal by Annie Ross. We also note the passing of Chicago pianist Jodie Christian.
VPR News

Man Due In Court In Robert Frost Theft

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A 42-year-old Vermont man is due in court to answer charges he stole original papers and cards written by the poet Robert Frost and received more than $20,000 for them.  
All the Traditions
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Love et Amour

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Warming up for Valentine’s Day, and also for an exciting double bill of Quebecois stars Le Vent du Nord and Cajun stars the Pine Leaf Boys at the Flynn Center in Burlington next weekend!
The VPR Saturday Special
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State of the Re:Union: Oakland

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Refugees, entrepreneurs, visionaries – these are the historic roots of Oakland, California. The city has long been home for people building new lives and imagining even better ones but dreams deferred also haunt this place.
BirdNote
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BirdNote: Sanderlings

By |
Here and there along winter shorelines, little flocks of pale, silvery shorebirds probe at the water’s edge, keeping pace with each wave’s ebb and flow. These are Sanderlings.
Saturday Matinee
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Götterdämmerung

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Deborah Voigt is Brünnhilde in this Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, the final opera in the Ring cycle. Listen Saturday at 12:00pm. Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera
VPR News

VELCO Debate Moves To Ownership Study

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An effort to gain public ownership of the statewide transmission grid has stalled in the face of strong opposition from the governor and utility lobbyists. Lawmakers are now debating whether to study the idea.
VPR News
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VTrans Closes Damaged Covered Bridge In Townshend

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The Vermont Agency of Transportation says a recent inspection of the Scott Bridge in Townshend showed that it had extensive deterioration, and that it should be closed to all traffic, including pedestrians.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: Candidates and Climate Change

By |
Tuesday was a big night for former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum as he significantly won three states in the Republican presidential nomination sweepstakes. Today, commentator and retired ABC News diplomatic correspondent Barrie Dunsmore relates these victories to a important campaign issue.
Commentary Series
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Lange: Keeping Warm

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A lot of folks who huddle inside by the stove as much as possible during the winter wonder how all those others working outdoors can stand it. Commentator Willem Lange knows their secret.
VPR News
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“Vermont Strong” License Plates Now For Sale

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Governor Peter Shumlin has signed legislation allowing Vermonters to use "I am Vermont Strong" plates on the front of their cars and trucks. Organizers are hoping sales of the plates will raise more than $1 million for the people who suffered damages from Tropical Storm Irene.
Vermont Edition
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Already February, And Still Waiting For Winter

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While the temperatures and overall snowfall totals aren’t record breaking, many local businesses and snow sport enthusiasts are struggling this winter. The fluctuating temperatures and lack of snow are affecting everything from winter sports and local businesses to birds and plants.
VPR News

Pressure Mounts For Winter Retailers

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It’s not just ski resorts that are suffering from the lack of snow this season.  A lot of retailers rely on a good winter to stay afloat, and their season is coming to an end as the pressure mounts to clear winter gear and move in spring products.
VPR News

Welch Weighs In On Iran

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Congressman Peter Welch acknowledges that having the U.S. or Israel take military action to undermine Iran’s nuclear program is an option. But he says it has to be evaluated very carefully before it’s put into place.
VPR News

Krowinski Appointed To Burlington House Seat

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Governor Peter Shumlin has appointed Jill Krowinski to fill the Burlington House seat of Representative Rachel Weston, who stepped down at the beginning of the legislative session.
Jazz with George Thomas

New Jazz Releases

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Tonight we sample new jazz releases including  Paul McCartney’s "Kisses On The Bottom,"Esperanza Spalding’s "Radio Music Society," Clair Daly’s "Mary Joyce Project: Nothing To Lose" and drummer Matt Wilson’s "An Attitude For Gratitude"
Jazz with George Thomas
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Mulgrew Miller Interview

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Join Jazz Host George Thomas as he welcomes pianist Mulgrew Miller Wednesday February 8th at 9pm for a discussion of jazz music, historic and contemporary. Mulgrew Miller is in town for a concert at St Mike’s in Colchester the following night February 9 at 7:30pm.
Jazz with George Thomas

Mulgrew Miller

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We talk with pianist, composer and bandleader Mulgrew Millerahead of his performance at 7:30p Feb 9th at St. Mike’s in Colchester. We hear recordings featuring mulgrew Miller by Cassandra Wilson, Ron Carter and Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers.
VPR News

Shumlin Wants Level-Funded School Budgets

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Governor Peter Shumlin is urging local voters to reject school budgets that include any additional spending for next year. But the Vermont School Boards Association says the Governor’s comments don’t reflect the unique circumstances facing many school boards across the state.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

New recordings!

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Two brand new recordings featured today: violinist Ray Chen plays Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Swedish Radio Symphony, and Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk play Franck’s Violin Sonata. 
VPR News
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Court: CA Gay Marriage Ban Is Unconstitutional

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A federal appeals court on Tuesday declared California’s same-sex marriage ban to be unconstitutional, putting the bitterly contested, voter-approved law on track for likely consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.
VPR News

NECAP Results Show Drop In Math Achievement

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Last year’s results show that nearly 75 percent of Vermont students are proficient in reading, and nearly 50 percent or more are proficient in writing. But only 36 percent of 11th graders scored at the proficient level in math.
VPR News
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After 250 Years, Wilmington Church Shuts Down

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Members of the Wilmington Congregational Church met for the last time Sunday. After two and a half centuries in one location, the congregation decided, with great difficulty, to merge with a larger Congregational church in nearby West Dover.
VPR News

Settlement Reached In Trooper Lawsuit

By |
A lawyer representing the estate of an elderly woman who died of hypothermia in 2007 says the state of Vermont and Vermont state police will pay $190,000 to settle allegations that two state police troopers were liable for the woman’s death.
VPR News
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Obama To Visit Vermont

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The White House has confirmed that President Barack Obama will stop in Burlington at the end of March to attend campaign events.
Jazz with George Thomas

Bob Marley’s Birthday

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We celebrate the birthday of Bob Marley with versions of his songs from the Jamaican-born pianist Monty Alexander with Delfeayo Marsalis on trombone. We also hear from up-coming concerts including vocalist Kate Davis, pianist Mulgrew Miller and saxophonist Tia Fuller.
Commentary Series
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Luskin: Voting Season

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Commentator Deborah Luskin lives in the Town of Newfane, where full participation in local government means attending and voting in separate meetings for the high school, the elementary school and the town.
VPR News

Diocese Responds To Priest-Abuse Suit

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The Roman Catholic diocese of Vermont says it could be put out of business, and constitutional protections of religious freedom could be violated by a priest-abuse lawsuit.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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My George

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Quinn Bornstein, a sophomore at St. Johnsbury Academy, says she is inspired to write by "seemingly stray ideas" that pop into her head. These could be "an image of a character, or a single line that I could build a story around. Before I forget, I jot down the thought on a sticky note or the margin of my notebook, and then expand on the idea when I have time to write. For this particular story, the Young Writers Project weekly prompt was to use the line ‘close your eyes.’ This led me to write a story based on the Beatles song ‘All My Loving,’ which begins with that phrase.
All the Traditions
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Wahoo !

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Some western swing  and cowboy music to dance away the winter blues, a trip to French Canada, a preview of a rare local performance by legendary Scottish musician Archie Fisher, and much more!
My Place with Joel Najman

Popular Songs About “Houses” – Part Two

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This week Joel Najman’s My Place program presents a second and concluding week of vintage popular songs about "houses", of which many came as suggestions from listeners to an earlier "part one" program. Memorable recordings by Brook Benton, Aretha Franklin and Roy Orbison are among the sixteen songs that are featured.
The VPR Saturday Special
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State of the Re:Union: Utica

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A couple of decades ago, Utica, New York, was dying, even by its residents diagnosis: A popular bumper sticker in the ‘90s read "Last One Out of Utica, Please Turn Out the Lights." Something has changed in recent years, with a surprising influx of refugees to this part of snowy, cold upstate New York.
Saturday Matinee
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Anna Bolena

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Anna Netrebko sings the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House. Listen Saturday at 12:00pm. Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera
BirdNote
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BirdNote: Flocking And Foraging

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In winter, a foraging flock might include several species of birds: chickadees, kinglets, and even a Downy Woodpecker. Many bird species eat alone, so you might wonder why these birds have chosen to dine together.
Jazz with George Thomas

Claire Fischer, John Handy

By |
We note the passing of composer, arranger and pianist Claire Fischer. Herbie Hancock, quoted in a New York Times  obit, felt that Fischer "was a major influence on my harmonic concept." We also celebrate the birthday of saxophonist & bandleader John Handy.
VPR News

In Montpelier, Voters To Weigh Tax Changes

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On Town Meeting Day, voters in Montpelier will consider proposed tax changes designed to raise revenue. Montpelier’s City Council wants to implement a 1 percent local sales tax as well as a 1 percent local rooms, meals and alcohol tax.
VPR News
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Towns To Vote On Corporate Personhood

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Many cities and towns are putting the hot-button national issue of corporate personhood on their local agenda. By petition, residents across Vermont have requested that an article be placed on ballots asking voters whether they support overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
VPR News

VTC To Begin Aviation BS Degree

By |
The Vermont Technical College is going to begin offering a four-year bachelor of science program in aviation called Professional Pilot Technology.
Jazz with George Thomas

Burton Lane, Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt

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We celebrate the birthday of the songwriter Burton Lane who wrote the music to "Old Devil Moon," "If This Isn’t Love," "How Are Things In Glocca Morra," "I Hear Music." and "How About You?"  We also celebrate the birthdays of the saxophonists Stan Getz and Sonny Stitt.
VPR News

House Approves Redesign Of Mental Health System

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By a vote of 123 to 3, the House has given its approval to legislation that makes important changes to the state’s mental health system. The bill strengthens community based programs and it calls for a new 25 bed acute care facility to be built in central Vermont.
VPR News
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Police Peeved Over Pig Prank

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Vermont State Police say it’s no laughing matter that images of a pig showed up on decals on the side of about 30 of their cruisers, and they say inmates at the Department of Corrections are responsible.
VPR News
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Lawmakers Consider IDs For Farm Workers

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A Vermont Senate committee is considering a bill that would create a farm guest worker program for the estimated 1,500 to 2,000 immigrant workers on Vermont dairy farms.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Groundhog Day…?

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We’ll hear thet suite from Richard Strauss’s "The Woman Without a Shadow."  It’s the best I could do for Groundhog Day.  Also today, Schumann’s Piano Concerto, Ravel’s Bolero, and more.
VPR News
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House Approves Reapportionment Bill

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The Vermont House has given its strong tri-partisan support to a reapportionment bill that will define the geographic boundaries of House districts for the next decade. The vote on the measure was 138 to 4. PDF: Reapportionment Map
VPR News

Lawmakers, Advocates Push Autism Coverage

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Some Vermont lawmakers are joining advocates for people with autism to urge passage of a bill that would require private health insurance to provide coverage for people with autism.
VPR News

Employers Offer Range Of Views On Health Care

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Vermont employers are offering a range of views to lawmakers on the future of the state’s health care reform, but most of those testifying at a public hearing appeared to favor a go-slow approach.
VPR News

Small Utilities Push For A Seat On VELCO Board

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Small electric utilities in Vermont are worried that their concerns will be overwhelmed if the state’s two largest power companies merge and gain control over the transmission network. Their attention is focused on VELCO, the company that manages the statewide electric grid.
VPR News

More Assistance Available To Vermont Farmers

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There’s more grant money available for Vermont farmers hurt by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. Farmers who need help can apply for assistance from the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund.
Jazz with George Thomas

Post Election Jazz

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Tonight’s Jazz Show comes after NPR’s coverage of the Florida Republican Primary and the tone is quiet and reflective. John Scofield’s cover of Abbey Lincoln’s "Throw It Away," Paul Desmond’s classic CTI version of Jobim’s "Wave" and Mulgrew Miller’s piano.
Commentary Series
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Schubart: Religious Wars

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Commentator Bill Schubart looks at the news and the persistent role that orthodox religion seems to play in the continuing violence against minorities and sexual subjugation of women and children and struggles to "keep the faith."
VPR News

Entergy Wants Prompt OK To Operate For 20 More Years

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The head of the Entergy Corporation says the company will seek state permission to operate the Vermont Yankee plant for another 20 years. Entergy CEO Wayne Leonard says a recent ruling by a federal court means the state should issue a new permit without delay.
VPR News

School Districts In Vt. And NH Talk Merger

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Two school districts in Vermont and New Hampshire along the Canadian border are studying the creation of a cross-border school district in the two states that would save money and increase opportunities for students.
Jazz with George Thomas

Roy Eldridge, Ahmed Abdul-Malik

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Tonight we celebrate the birthday of one of the great jazz trumpeters, Roy Eldridge, listening to his early work with Fletcher Henderson’s Orchestra, with Teddy Wilson and Billie Holiday and with Gene Krupa & Anita O’Day. and with Coleman Hawkins & Charles Mingus. We also celebrate Ahmed Abdul-Malik’s birthday.
Commentary Series
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Gilbert: The Presidency

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Commentator and Vermont Humanities Council executive director Peter Gilbert loves movies about the American presidency, especially thrillers. Recently, he saw two that he’d never seen before.
VPR News
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Post Irene, Sheriff Laments Conditions For Mentally Ill

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A Windham county sheriff has written a letter to the state’s mental health commissioner saying that stopgap measures for treating the mentally ill in Vermont have severely burdened law enforcers and kept patients from getting adequate care.
Commentary Series
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Lange: Songbird Rescue

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The songbirds we usually think of as “ours” here in New England actually spend most of their lives in Central America. They’re disappearing in both places; but according to commentator Willem Lange, in Costa Rica researchers and some coffee growers are trying to save them.
VPR News

Bill Holds Towns Harmless For Tax Disclosures

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A bill headed for the desk of Governor Peter Shumlin would hold municipalities harmless for revealing property tax information that the state Supreme Court now says should have been kept private.
VPR News

Towns To Vote On Asbestos Mine Clean-Up

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Voters in two northern Vermont towns are going to decide whether to ask that an abandoned asbestos mine be declared a federal Superfund hazardous waste site so it can be cleaned up and eventually redeveloped as a biomass power plant.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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Waging War

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Noah Smith, a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School, says of his writing: "I do a lot of thinking about connections in life, and my poetry tends to be more about human nature, life and society. ‘Waging War’ was inspired by Robert Frost poetry, and has a little bit more of a nature setting in it. However, it doesn’t stray from my style because it connects war, human emotions and a storm."
My Place with Joel Najman

More Of Drummer Hal Blaine’s Greatest Hits

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Drummer Hal Blaine, as one of Los Angekles’ famous "Wrecking Crew" of studio musicians, played on an amazing 150 top-ten national hit records during the 1960’s and 1970’s. This week Joel Najman’s My Place program presents the second in a series of programs that feature an entire hour of hit recordings on which Hal Blaine played drums. Hits by Jay & The Americans, Simon & Garfunkel and Jan & Dean are among the selections featured.
The VPR Saturday Special
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State of the Re:Union: Birmingham

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Birmingham, Alabama. Just the words make you think about freedom riders, church bombings, civil rights marches and police dogs. This is a place that can’t escape its history—especially the painful parts.
A Passion For Opera
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Bastien und Bastienne

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We celebrate Mozart’s January 27 Birthday with music from his Singspiel Bastien und Bastienne, written when he was 12 years old. Listen Saturday at 12:00pm.
Saturday Matinee
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Tosca

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New Hampshire native Patricia Racette sings the title role in Tosca, live from the Metropolitan Opera. Listen Saturday at 1:00pm. Photo: Ken Howard Metropolitan Opera
Commentary Series
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Hunter: The Cut Glass Bowl

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According to commentator Edith Hunter, the short days and early darkness of mid-winter provide a perfect setting for the rediscovery and re-use of an old-fashioned type of tableware – that fairly sparkles with light.
VPR News

Killington Debates Whether To Expand Select Board

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It’s a perpetual debate for Vermonters: What is the best practice for managing their towns? In Killington, town officials are once again debating whether to expand the Select Board from three to five members.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: The Iron Lady

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The Iron Lady, the new film about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been nominated for an Academy Award for its star. And as commentator and veteran ABC News foreign correspondent Barrie Dunsmore tells us, the movie, like its subject, has stirred up strong reactions.
VPR News

Vermont Considers Fracking Moratorium

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Lawmakers may impose a time-out on a controversial practice used to extract natural gas from the ground. It’s called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The practice has been blamed for water pollution in other states. And a key House committee has voted out a bill that calls for a three-year moratorium on fracking in Vermont.
VPR News

Man Changes Plea In Fatal Burlington Crash

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A Hinesburg man charged with second-degree murder in a drunken driving crash that killed a woman in 2010 has changed his plea and is expected to serve 10 years in prison.
VPR News

Health Chief Says Smart Meters Are Safe

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Vermont’s top health officer is telling lawmakers not to be overly worried about a form of radiation emitted by the wireless smart meters some Vermont utilities want to install in customers’ homes and businesses.
Commentary Series
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Kane: Shipwrecked

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With a shipwrecked cruise ship capturing recent headlines, commentator and Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Co-Director Adam Kane, has been reminded of the heroism of an old Lake Champlain captain.
VPR News

New Irene Initiative Draws Concerns From House Speaker

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A group of Senate leaders has unveiled a plan designed to help Vermonters affected by Tropical Storm Irene. But House Speaker Shap Smith says the proposal is not well thought out and could actually hinder efforts to raise additional federal funds for Irene relief efforts.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

New on Naxos

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We’ll sample some new releases from our friends at Naxos Records, including keyboard music by Domenico Cimarosa and orhcestral music of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Commentary Series
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McCallum: The Small Silver Screen

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Attendance at traditional movie theaters is falling nationwide as more people choose to watch films at home using the latest technology. But commentator Mary McCallum sees a niche for movie lovers who still want the connection of being surrounded by an appreciative audience.
Jazz with George Thomas

Antonio Carlos Jobim, Benny Golson, Jazz Fairy Tale

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Tonight we celebrate the birthday of one of the legendary forces of Brazilian music, pianist & composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, heard here with Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, Joao Gilberto and others. We also celebrate the birthday of tenor saxophonist & composer Benny Golson and hear a jazz fairy tale from Steve Allen & Slim Gaillard.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz
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Vittorio Who?

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This afternoon, we’ll sample a new recording done by musicians from the Manchester Music Festival featuring the Piano Quintet by Italian-American composer Vittorio Giannini.  It’s a fascinating and seldom-heard piece.
VPR News

Health Care Debate Includes Many New Definitions

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When we say "gold" "bronze" and "silver," we think about Olympic medals. But this year, those words will have a new meaning. They’ll be part of the language of health care planning in the Vermont Legislature. In order to understand the debate, we’ll have to tune our ears to a lot of new definitions.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Faure’s Requiem

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We’ll listen to the Requiem of Gabriel Faure this afternoon.  It will be performed, along with Mozart’s Requiem, in Burlington and Rutland this weekend with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
VPR News
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Largest Vermont Farm Show Opens

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This year’s Vermont Farm Show is the biggest one so far. The annual event opened Tuesday at its new location at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction. Audio Postcard: Sounds From the Farm Show
VPR News
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CCV Opens New Rutland Facility

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Students are getting their first look at the classrooms, lounges and labs at the Community College of Vermont’s brand new, $8 million facility in Rutland. School officials say growing enrollment drove their need for a larger facility.
VPR News

Utility Board Makes FairPoint Pricing Easier

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A decision by the board that oversees the rates and quality of service of the state’s public utilities is going to make it easier for the state’s largest landline telephone and Internet company to be more responsive to its customers.
VPR News

Fewer Passengers Flying From Burlington

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The number of passengers boarding outgoing flights at Vermont’s main commercial airport was down slightly in 2011 from a year earlier, and down sharply from three years earlier.
VPR News
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The State Of The Union Address

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Listen to VPR for special live coverage of the State Of The Union Address from NPR News, beginning at 9pm. Follow NPR News Blog "The Two-Way" for live-blogging of the President’s address.
Jazz with George Thomas

Django Reinhardt, Gary Burton

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We celebrate the birthday of gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, who is one of the most well known jazz guitarists worlwide. It is also the birthday of vibraphonist & marimba player Gary Burton who has led a quartet always featuring the best up and coming guitarists and known for his duets with pianist Chick Corea.
VPR News

Dover, Wilmington Release Report On School Funding

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Vermont’s education funding system got high marks in a new legislative report for reaching its goal of providing equal educational opportunity for all Vermont students. But a new report, commissioned by two southern Vermont resort towns, claims the funding model leads to fewer opportunities for students in smaller schools.
VPR News

School District Considers Student Laptops

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School officials in Vermont’s largest city are considering providing portable computers or iPads to all 1,900 middle and high school students in the Burlington district.
VPR News

Lawmakers To Take Testimony On Mental Health

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Two committees of the Vermont Legislature will take testimony from the public at a hearing on the future of the state’s mental health system, now that the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury is closed.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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At the Bus Stop

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Sammy Storz, a freshman at St. Johnsbury Academy, has this to say about her poem: "The woman in this piece, however hard her life may be, is always smiling.  People like her really motivate me to write, people who are stubbornly optimistic. She didn’t know the narrator, yet she decided that the girl meant something to her. Living in rural Vermont, I find that I encounter many of these people; life is hard here, but you can’t keep them from smiling."
Commentary Series
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Hanna: Vermont Yankee Ruling

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Last week, Federal District Court Judge Gavin Murtha ruled that the Vermont Legislature could not shut down the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. Commentator and Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hanna reflects upon the ruling.
All the Traditions
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Tracing One Warm Line

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A sneak preview of the Northern Routes Traditional Music Festival in Brattleboro next weekend, music from Celtic Spain, a bit of sacred harp singing, and much more!
My Place with Joel Najman

Popular Songs About “Houses”

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This week Joel Najman’s My Place program presents an hour of vintage popular songs about "houses" with historical tidbits about the songs, their writers, and the artists who recorded them. Memorable recordings by Rosemary Clooney, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and others are among the selections featured.
VPR News
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The South Carolina Primary

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Listen to VPR for coverage of the South Carolina Primary from NPR News beginning at 8pm tonight. "My Place" with Joel Najman airs at 9pm this week only.
The VPR Saturday Special
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State of the Re:Union: Las Vegas

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These days, two versions of Las Vegas occupy the public imagination. One is of Sin City, the City of Lights, home to The Strip, to glitter and entertainment. The other is as a dramatic victim of the recent economic recession.
Saturday Matinee

The Enchanted Island

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The broadcast premiere of The Enchanted Island, a new opera with music by baroque composers, features soloists Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, and Plácido Domingo. Join us for the "Enchanted Island" Sunday at the VPR Opera Brunch.
A Passion For Opera

Overtures II

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We continue our exploration of operatic overtures and preludes – and it’s time for January’s Mystery Voice quiz.
BirdNote
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BirdNote: Great Horned Owls Nest

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Great Horned Owls nest in winter, because the owlets, which hatch after a month of incubation, must remain near their parents a long time compared to many other birds.
VPR News
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The South Carolina Primary

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Listen to VPR for coverage of the South Carolina Primary from NPR News beginning at 8pm tonight. "My Place" with Joel Najman airs at 9pm this week only.
Commentary Series
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McQuiston: Embezzlers

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Commentator Tim McQuiston sees a silver lining in the recent rash of embezzlement cases – because the perpetrators are being sent to jail. This should help to make someone think twice before sticking their hand in the till.
VPR News

Analysis: Vermont Yankee Ruling

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On Thursday, federal Judge Garvin Murtha issued a long awaited decision concerning the future of Vermont Yankee. VPR’s John Dillon explains the ruling and the next steps for both parties.
Vermont Edition
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Dean’s Eye View Of Presidential Campaign

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Eight years ago, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean’s soaring presidential campaign reached a precipice in the Iowa caucuses. Now a new presidential primary is underway and we talk with Dean about the best way to vet a presidential candidate.
Commentary Series
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Kreis: Corporate Personhood

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Many Vermonters have jumped on board the bandwagon recently for amending the U.S. Constitution to prohibit corporations from being treated as persons under the law. But commentator and Vermont Law School professor Don Kreis thinks the movement might be missing the point.
VPR News

Lawmakers Want Vermont To Create State Bank

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A group of lawmakers wants Vermont to become the second state in the country to create a state bank. They believe a state bank would strengthen the Vermont economy by making more capital available to small businesses.
VPR News

Teacher Pay Dispute Continues In Bennington

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Teachers in the Southwestern Vermont Supervisory Union ratified a new contract following a nine-day strike last year, but their union is filing a complaint with the Vermont Labor Relations Board saying teachers aren’t being paid their correct salaries to reflect retroactive changes.
Jazz with George Thomas

Overlooked Jazz Releases & Reissues of 2011

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Tonight I explore some of the overlooked jazz releases & reissues of 2011. Almost all got buried in the piles of CD’s that arrive daily at VPR, most are as strong as any that did get featured. From Michael Pedicin’s tenor sax feature "Ballads" to Pat Bianchi’s Hammond B3 organ excursion, we uncover hidden gems.
Commentary Series
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Ali: King And Ghandi

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This week, as we observe the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, commentator and UVM Professor Saleem Ali has been thinking about how nonviolent protest in the twentieth century was learned – across cultures.
VPR News

Vermonters Get Involved In Internet Privacy Debate

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The worldwide debate over how the U.S. government might crack down on Internet piracy and counterfeit goods has drawn an equally pointed discussion in Vermont. Part of the reason is that Senator Patrick Leahy has found himself at the center of the controversy.
VPR News
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Ethereal Layered Music Of Nuda Veritas

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When she was only 12 years old, Burlington singer-songwriter Rebecca Kopycinski decided she wanted to be a rock star. These days she doesn’t play with a band or even own an electric guitar, but her passionate vocals and Wall-of-Sound arrangements produce powerful music – in her recordings and onstage.
VPR News

Hinesburg To Vote On Plans For New Community Park

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Town officials in Hinesburg are hoping to build a new fire, police and community park. Voters will ultimately determine if the project will go through during a public bond vote on Town Meeting Day in March.
VPR News

AARP Launches Campaign For Ratepayer Refund

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A consumer organization representing older Vermonters is launching a media campaign that demands a refund for ratepayers if the state’s largest utility is sold. AARP-Vermont says its goal is to win back money it says consumers are owed for bailing out the utility a decade ago.  
VPR News

Northfield Reinstates Permit Fees

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After months of trying to make the permit process as painless as possible, Northfield’s Select Board has unanimously voted to reinstate its fees.
VPR News
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Vt. To Weigh Anti-Citizens United Resolution

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One of the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was on hand as Vermont lawmakers and advocates unveiled a resolution calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution overturning the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. VPR: Targeting Corporate Personhood Public Post: Burlington Ballot Measure
VPR News
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Groups File Signatures To Recall Wis. Gov. Walker

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Opponents of Wisconsin’s Republican Gov. Scott Walker submitted nearly twice as many signatures Tuesday as required to force a recall election, but still face the challenge of transforming public outrage over his moves against unions into actual votes to oust him from office.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

A Trip to Spain

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We’ll hear lots of Spanish-inspired music this afternoon, but not a single piece by an actual Spanish composer.  Lalo, Boccherini, Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Liszt, and Glinka…
Commentary Series
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Gilbert: Corporations’ Free Speech

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Two years ago this month, a bitterly divided Supreme Court overruled precedent and held that the government may not ban political spending by corporations, and that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 violated corporations’ right to free speech. Here’s commentator and Vermont Humanities Council executive director Peter Gilbert to explain.
VPR News
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State Says Mortgage Issues To Be Solved Case By Case

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The type of damage Vermont suffered in Tropical Storm Irene has unleashed a storm of legal problems with no easy solutions. For example: What do you do when your house and land have washed away, but you’re still paying a mortgage? For many, it’s a question that still hasn’t been fully answered.
Jazz with George Thomas

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Jazz

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Tonight I celebrate the memory & legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He spoke at the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival:   " Jazz speaks for life…When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument."
Commentary Series
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Schubart: On Job Creators

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Retired entrepreneur, business leader, and now commentator, Bill Schubart, takes offense at much of the language of certain national business interests – who claim to be speaking on his behalf.
VPR News
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Martin Luther King Service In Atlanta Gets Political

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Politics loomed over the ceremonies held Monday to mark the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday as black clergy, elected officials and others tied the civil rights icon’s legacy to the 2012 election, urging African-Americans to re-elect President Barack Obama.
VPR News

Changes To Vermont’s Tax Code Seem Unlikely In 2012

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A year ago, a Blue Ribbon Tax Commission proposed some significant changes to the Vermont tax code, and at the time, Legislative leaders expressed a fair amount of interest in the plan. But it’s unlikely that any of the recommendations will be adopted during the 2012 session.
VPR News

Skiers Descend On Stowe For Tour de Snow

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Cross-country skiers of all ages and abilities descended upon Stowe over the weekend. Sunday was the second annual Stowe Tour de Snow. It’s a family oriented cross-country ski event, with activity stations along five miles of Stowe’s Recreation Path.  
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

MLK Day and More

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We’ll hear some of today’s most prominent African-American musicians playing music of Mozart, Hummel, and Brahms this afternoon, and we’ll also hear some traditional spirituals sung by Cantus.
Commentary Series
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Mares: MLK Day

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On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, commentator Bill Mares is thinking about the anti-racism crusade of a former fellow legislator and teaching mentor.
VPR News

School District Seeks Revenues Rather Than Cuts

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Officials in Hartford have ended a long debate about whether to save money by consolidating its three elementary schools and have instead decided to go after new revenue by attracting tuition-paying students to the high school.
VPR News

Republicans Concerned About One-Party Rule

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Republicans in the Vermont Legislature say they’re growing concerned about a loss of the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches since Democrat Peter Shumlin’s election as governor.
VPR News

15-Year-Old Killed By Amtrak Train

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Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds said the Vermonter passenger train was traveling between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans in Vermont when it struck a "trespasser" on the tracks Sunday night in Vernon.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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Endings

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Jesse Brinkman, a freshman at Chelsea Public School, says the idea and emotions behind this poem came from a death in her family as she dealt with the stress of death and loss.
VPR News

In Vt., December Revenues Slip Below Target

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The state of Vermont’s general fund revenues came in more than 9 percent short of their target for December, a setback after four consecutive months of exceeding their targets.
A Passion For Opera
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Tosca

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Peter Fox Smith offers a consideration of Puccini’s Tosca, which received its premiere performance in Rome on January 14, 1900. Listen Saturday at 12:00pm.
Saturday Matinee
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Norma

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From the Metropolitan Opera Archives, we hear a performance of Bellini’s Norma that was originally broadcast on April 4, 1970. In the cast: Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Carlo Bergonzi, and Cesare Siepi. Listen Saturday at 1:00pm Photo: Louis Mélançon/Metropolitan Opera Archives 
Jazz with George Thomas

Joe Pass, Melba Liston

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Tonight we celebrate the birthday of guitar virtuoso Joe Pass, hearing his solo guitar, in duet with vocalist Ella Fitzgerald and with the Les McCann Quartet. We also sample some of the arrangements Melba Liston (it’s her birthday too) did with Randy Weston’s ensembles. 
VPR News
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Ski Areas Look To MLK Weekend For Boost

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After a disappointing Christmas holiday, Vermont’s ski resorts say this week’s snow couldn’t have come at a better time. That’s because Martin Luther King weekend has become such an important part of their season.
VPR News

Legislature To Consider ANR, VTrans Fees

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The 2012 fee bill was introduced to the House Ways and Means Committee today. Fees are reviewed every three years. This year’s bill includes the cost for some services provided by the Agency of Human Services.
VPR News

UVM Names Finalists For President

By |
The University of Vermont has announced five finalists in its search for a new president. The chairman of UVM’s Board of Trustees describes the finalists as "highly accomplished," and says all have had to handle very complex issues at their current schools.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Bell and Denk Play Ravel

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Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk have teamed up for a new recording of French violin sonatas.  We’ll hear Maurice Ravel’s sonata this afternoon.  Also, snowy music of Liszt for a snowy day, and an American quartet by Alan Hovhaness.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: Dangerous Obsession

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Even as America is engrossed in presidential politics, tensions are building with Iran. Yet as commentator and retired ABC News diplomatic correspondent Barrie Dunsmore notes, the dangerous escalation of the dispute with Iran is being eclipsed by coverage of the current presidential campaign.
VPR News
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Economists Question Job Growth Figure Cited By Governor

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There’s no question Vermont has weathered the economic downturn better than many other states. The unemployment rate is relatively low and state Labor Department figures show job growth. But a claim made by Governor Peter Shumlin about just how many new jobs are being added invites some scrutiny. 
VPR News

Bottled Water Truck Overturns On Icy Road

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Vermont police say slippery roads caused a truck carrying bottled water to roll over on U.S. Route 4 in Mendon, spilling its contents and causing the road to become even icier.
VPR News

Shumlin Wants Matching Funds For FEMA Buyouts

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Governor Peter Shumlin has outlined a budget for the next fiscal year that doesn’t include any increases in income or sales taxes, and allows for more revenue to go to higher education.
Jazz with George Thomas

Olu Dara, Jay McShann, Ingrid Jensen

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Tonight we celebrate the birthdays of coronet player Olu Dara, known for his avant-garde work, heard here on the soundtrack to Kansas City; the great Kansas City pianist & bandleader Jay McShann who gave a young Charlie Parker his first chance to record and the Canadian trumpeter Ingrid Jensen.
Commentary Series
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Kane: Bridge On Ice

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As winter stretches its icy fingers across Lake Champlain, Commentator and Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Co-Director Adam Kane, is reminded of a Revolutionary War hero – who fought with a shovel and saw, instead of a musket.
VPR News
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Shumlin: Hold Line On Taxes, Boost Higher Ed

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Gov. Peter Shumlin has outlined a budget for the next fiscal year that calls for no increases in income or sales taxes and relies on projections of increasing revenue due to an improving economy to spend more on higher education and in other areas.
Commentary Series
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Weis: The Ripple Effect

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As Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday approaches, environmental educator and commentator Russ Weis considers the ripples we can each set in motion today to make our world a better place tomorrow.
VPR News

Republicans Look For Irene Money

By |
Republicans in the Vermont House say they want to cut funding for a housing and land conservation program they’ve long targeted, and put the money into helping the victims of Tropical Storm Irene.
VPR News
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Governor Shumlin’s Budget Address

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VPR will carry the governor’s 2012 Budget Address beginning at 2 p.m. live on the Vermont Legislature House Stream with accompanying video courtesy of Vermont Public Television.
Commentary Series
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Sturman: True Work

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Main Street versus Wall Street, 99% versus 1%… The more commentator Skip Sturman hears protestors and politicians drawing distinctions between ‘us’ and ‘them’, the more he wonders if much of the Great Divide in our body politic today is about something much more fundamental than income disparity?
VPR News

Through Grants, Bill Would Invest In Working Landscape

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A bill introduced today by a group of lawmakers and the Vermont Working Landscape Partnership, aims to keep the state’s working landscape vital. The idea is to encourage operations such as turning milk into cheese, apples into cider or trees into furniture.
VPR News

State Seeks Public Role On VELCO Board

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The Shumlin Administration wants the public to have more of a role in managing Vermont’s statewide electric grid. The suggestion for more public oversight comes as regulators review the planned sale of Vermont’s largest electric company.
Commentary Series
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Slayton: Lessons from Lowell

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Commentator Tom Slayton has been thinking about how the controversy over Green Mountain Power’s plans to build a series of industrial-sized wind towers along the summit of the Lowell Mountains has sharply divided the Vermont environmental community.
VPR News
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Rutland Senior Living Facility Hit With $350,000 Tax Bill

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In Vermont, homes for the aged are exempt from the state’s nine percent rooms and meals tax. That’s why officials from the Gables, an independent senior living facility in Rutland, say they were shocked when the state Tax Department told them just before Christmas that they owed more than $350,000 in delinquent meals taxes.  
VPR News

Townshend Student Charged In Beating

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A Vermont high school student is facing aggravated assault charges stemming from an incident in a bathroom at the Leland and Gray High School in Townshend that seriously injured another student.
VPR News

Vermont Shows Private Tax Information

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The Vermont Department of Taxes says a computer glitch displayed personal information of  more than 1,300 people and 245 businesses that were part of a weekly property tax data package.
Jazz with George Thomas

Quiet Jazz

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Sometimes in winter it just feels right to focus on quiet jazz. Tonight’s show begins with Brian Wilson’s "In My Room" the title cut from Larry Goldings recent CD and includes a new Bill Evans tribute with Chick Corea on piano, Eddie Gomez on bass and drummer Paul Motian. Ahmad Jamal’s trio ends with a quiet Moonlight In Vermont.
VPR News
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VPR Coverage Of The NH Primary

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VPR will carry special coverage of the 2012 NH Primary courtesy of NHPR and NPR News beginning at 8pm tonight. Listen on-air, online, with the VPR iPhone, or at m.vpr.net.
Commentary Series
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Averyt: Year of Irene

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January is about beginnings and endings. In order to look forward, commentator Anne Averyt is looking back on 2011 and considering what we Vermonters learned about ourselves in the wake of a raging storm.
VPR News

Utilities Sue Entergy Over Cooling Tower Failures

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Vermont’s two largest electric utilities have sued Entergy-Vermont Yankee over cooling tower failures at the nuclear power plant more than four years ago. The utilities say Yankee failed to follow standard utility practice to inspect and maintain the tower.
VPR News

Shumlin’s Plan For Waterbury Stirs Controversy

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After flooding from Tropical Storm Irene closed most of the State Office Complex in Waterbury, 1,500 state workers were temporarily relocated elsewhere. Now, the future of those workers is developing into a controversial issue at the Statehouse.
VPR News

Smith: State Workers Should Return To Waterbury

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In the months since Tropical Storm Irene, people have been weighing in on the future of the flooded state office complex in Waterbury, and where state workers should be located. House Speaker Shap Smith says that he would like to see a substantial number of state employees stay in Waterbury.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Remembering Alexis Weissenberg

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Bulgarian-born pianist Alexis Weissenberg died on Sunday at the age of 82.  Today we’ll sample some of his recordings from the 1970s: Chopin’s 3rd Sonata, in a live concert recording, and a studio recording of Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philiharmonic.  
Vermont Edition
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Speaker Smith Discusses 2012 Legislative Agenda

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It’s the second week of the legislative session, and the House and Senate are already getting down to business. We talk to House Speaker Shap Smith about a variety of issues facing the legislature in the coming months, including the ongoing and widespread impact of Tropical Storm Irene, health care, the controversial "Death With Dignity" bill and education funding.
VPR News

VELCO Plays Down Concerns About Control Of Transmission Grid

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Control of the statewide transmission grid has emerged as a major issue as regulators review a proposed merger between the state’s two largest utilities. Critics say the merged company under Canadian ownership is more likely to use Vermont as a corridor to import electricity from Quebec. But the transmission company is playing down those concerns.
VPR News
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VPR Coverage Of The NH Primary

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VPR will carry special coverage of the 2012 NH Primary courtesy of NHPR and NPR News beginning at 8pm tonight. Listen on-air, online, with the VPR iPhone, or at m.vpr.net.
Jazz with George Thomas

Kenny Clarke, Bucky Pizzarelli

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We celebrate the birthdays of two jazz greats tonight, drummer Kenny Clarke and 7-string guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Along with Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian and others, Kenny Clarke played a major role in the development of BeBop at Minton’s Playhouse.
VPR News

Sanders To Sponsor Older Americans Act

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Senator Bernie Sanders is sponsoring the re-authorization of the Older Americans Act.  The legislation, which was originally enacted in 1965, supports programs that help senior citizens remain independent and in their homes and communities.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Piano Variations

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We’ll hear one set of piano variations in each hour this afternoon: Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes, Haydn’s "Un Piccolo Divertimento," Mendelssohn’s "Variations Serieuses," and Bizet’s "Variations Chromatiques."
VPR News
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Dairy Farmers Hope Milk Prices Remain High

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Vermont dairy farmers benefited from rising milk prices last year, but there was continued fallout from the record low prices of 2009. Farmers are hoping the coming year won’t see a return to the recent boom and bust cycle in milk prices.
VPR News

Hartford Police Investigate Apparent Murder-Suicide

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Hartford Deputy Chief Leonard Roberts said in a release that a family friend contacted police Friday night asking them to check on residents who hadn’t been heard from in several days. The phone wasn’t being answered and no one was responding to knocks on the door.
VPR News

Lawmakers To Hear About Budget Bill

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Money will be on the minds of Vermont lawmakers this week, with a House panel holding a public hearing on a mid-year budget adjustment bill and Gov. Peter Shumlin laying out his spending plan for the next fiscal year.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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We’re Meant To Be

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Kyle Coburn, a sophomore at Chelsea Public School, says he started writing poetry in middle school. "At first, I wrote with no seriousness, only writing about what I thought would make people chuckle," he says. But recently, inspired by his girlfriend, poetry has become a passion for him.  
All the Traditions
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The Night Time Is The Right Time !

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Please join us for the first show in our new evening time slot – we’ll be playing artists featured at a midwinter folk festival in Montpelier next weekend, western swing, worldwide accordions, and much more!
My Place with Joel Najman

The “Muscle Shoals Sound” – Part One

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The southern community of Muscle Shoals, Alabama for now over fifty years has been a wellspring of hit popular music far out of proportion to its tiny size. This week Joel Najman’s My Place program presents the first in a several part series on what has come to be known as "The Muscle Shoals Sound" with a collection of landmark "soul" style recordings made at Rick Hall’s legendary Fame studios in Muscle Shoals during the 1960’s. Memorable hits by James & Bobby Purify, Joe Tex, Aretha Franklin are among the many selections presented.
BirdNote
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BirdNote: Birdbaths In Winter

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Birds need water in all seasons, for drinking and for bathing. When the water is frozen, you can thaw it with hot water.
Saturday Matinee
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Hansel and Gretel

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Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is heard live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Photo: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera 
Jazz with George Thomas

Chano Pozo

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We hear from the legendary percussionist & conguero Chano Pozo, who died young at age 34 but recorded some classics with Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. We also hear some of my favorites, including, Charles Mingus’ "Moanin’" and Henry Threadgill & Air’s version of Scott Joplin’s "The Ragtime Dance."
VPR News

Hazard Mitigation Program Extends Deadline

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Local cities and towns now have more time to submit applications for federal hazard mitigation grants. The grants provide money for projects aimed at mitigating the risk for future flooding, such as home buyouts, road and bridge repair and culvert replacement.
VPR News

$8 Million Raised For Irene Recovery, More Will Be Distributed

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In his State of the State address Thursday, Governor Peter Shumlin proposed a special "Vermont Strong" license plate to help raise money for Tropical Storm Irene recovery.  Each plate will sell for $25. The money raised will add to the more than $8 million already donated to Irene relief. But much of that has not yet been distributed.
VPR News

House Approves Tax Reimbursements for Irene

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It’s on to the Vermont Senate for a bill that would have the state tax commissioner reimburse towns that have made tax abatements for property owners who suffered damage from Tropical Storm Irene.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Mentors

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Burlington Ensemble presents its "Mentors" program this weekend with the piano quintets of Schumann and Brahms.  We’ll hear the Schumann quintet today during the 4 pm hour, and we’ll hear a bit of Brahms, too.
VPR News

Legislative Leaders Aim For Minimal Change Under Reapportionment

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Every 10 years, the Vermont legislature has to match the state’s political boundaries with its changing population. The process is called reapportionment. And it can be full of political minefields as lawmakers slice and dice the electoral landscape. Legislative leaders say their first adage this year is to do no harm.
VPR News

Vermont Expects $370 Million In Diaster Aid

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The U.S. Department of Transportation is going to provide Vermont nearly $135 million to help the state repair roads and bridges damaged by Tropical Storm Irene and other flooding last year.
Jazz with George Thomas

Slim Gaillard, Frank Wess

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We celebrate the birthday of the very funny vocalist & guitarist Slim Gaillard, who once led a band that included Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. We also send birthday wishes to the 90 year old flute, alto sax and tenor sax player Frank Wess, who was part of the best Count Basie Orchestra of the 1950’s.
VPR News

School Financing Law Gets Good Grades

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A long awaited report on school financing in Vermont concludes that the current system has been effective in providing equal educational opportunities for students throughout the state. And both supporters and opponents of Act 68 found something to praise about the report.
VPR News
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Advocates Rally On Behalf Of Homeless

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Operators of homeless shelters say they’re dealing with more veterans and working families with children. They say state officials need to get a better handle on the problem of people who can’t afford to pay for a home.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz
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Wu Han, David Finckel, Philip Setzer

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Pianist Wu Han, cellist David Finckel, and violinist Philip Setzer perform Thursday evening at the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College.  We’ll sample recordings from them this afternoon, including Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata and one of Beethoven’s early quartets.
VPR News
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Couple Weighs Options After Deportation Order

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For Frances Herbert and Takako Ueda, Jan. 1 did not just mark the start of a new year. It was also the first day Ueda was officially defying a deportation order that required her to return to her native Japan by Dec. 31. The lesbian couple is now working with a team of lawyers to find a way for Ueda to remain in the U.S. legally.
VPR News
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Family Says Mallary Followed Convictions On Death With Dignity

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Former House Speaker Richard Mallary was well known as a politician who stuck to his convictions. Mallary was a strong supporter of "death with dignity" legislation. In the past year, he also suffered from incurable cancer. Mallary’s family says he followed his convictions on this issue when he took his own life last fall.
Commentary Series
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Hunter: A Modern Reader

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Commentator Edith Hunter’s first reaction to a book she recently read is that one should never put the word "Modern" in a title, since today’s "modern" is tomorrow’s "historic".
VPR News
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Lawmakers Return For Second Half Of Term

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The second year of the legislative session is expected to be dominated by efforts to help the state recover from Tropical Storm Irene, as well as issues dealing with the state budget, health care, energy and education.
VPR News

Senate Allows Shumlin Veto To Stand

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The Vermont Senate has voted not to override Governor Peter Shumlin’s veto of a bill requiring water testing of private wells. The bill would have required testing of new water sources for arsenic, lead and other toxic substances.
VPR News

Panel Approves Additional Heating Aid

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A panel of top Vermont state officials that tracks fiscal issues has approved Governor Shumlin’s request for $6.1 million in state money to make up for cuts in federal heating assistance.
Commentary Series
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Kittredge: Breaking Glass

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Caring for the environment and lowering one’s carbon footprint can often seem to be mainly concerned with the consumption of resources and the use of material objects – but commentator Susan Cooke Kittredge sees connections with our personal relationships as well.
VPR News

In Jamaica, Morrison Still Waiting For Resolution

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As Tropical Storm Irene becomes a memory for some Vermonters, for others the disaster is still unfolding. In October, VPR spoke with Brett Morrison. His house in Jamaica was one of four in town swept away in the flood, along with the land beneath them.
VPR News

GMP Announces Conservation Of 2,700 Acres

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The Vermont utility building a 21-turbine commercial wind farm on Lowell Mountain says it’s going to conserve 2,700 acres as a way to compensate for the land being developed as part of the project.
VPR News

Emergency Board To Vote On Extra Heating Aid

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A panel of top Vermont state officials who track fiscal issues is expected to approve Gov. Peter Shumlin’s request for $6.1 million in state money to make up for cuts in federal heating assistance.
Jazz with George Thomas

Best Jazz of The Year 2011

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Tonight we begin a review of the Best Jazz of The Year 2011. From the trumpeter Terell Stafford’s "This Side Of Strayhorn" to vocalist Rene Marie’s "Voice Of My Beautiful Country," to pianist Alan Pasqua’s tribute to Bill Evans and his overdubbed two pianos "Twin Bill" and the New Orleans soprano sax of Aurora Nealand.
Commentary Series
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Gilbert: Centenary

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Commentator and Vermont Humanities Council executive director Peter Gilbert tells us a true story of great suffering, disappointment, and pathos that’s one hundred years old this month.
VPR News
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Norwich Teen Sets Mountain Climbing Record

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At 17 years, 4 months and 13 days old, Kristen Kelliher became the youngest woman to summit the highest peak in each of the 48 states in the continental U.S. Now, she has her sights set on the last two: Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, and Alaska’s Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali, which at 20,320 feet is the highest peak in North America.
Vermont Edition
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100 Years Of Fenway Park

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Fenway Park hosted its first game on April 9, 1912. With this year marking the 100th anniversary of Boston’s historic, beloved ballpark, local baseball historian and writer Glenn Stout has a new book out: Fenway 1912: The Birth of a Ballpark, a Championship Season, and Fenway’s Remarkable First Year.
Commentary Series
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Lange: The Millerites of Calais

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As we contemplate the New Year, commentator Willem Lange thinks we might do well to remember the Millerites – and how their story suggests that there are no simple, heavenly solutions to complicated problems – that it’s ordinary people who keep on chugging along in their daily lives who are most likely to solve them.
Young Writers Project On VPR
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I Close My Eyes and Memories Take Me Home

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Henry Lang of Norwich, Vermont is in 7th grade at the Francis C. Richmond Middle School in Hanover, New Hampshire. Looking ahead, Henry would like to study English/journalism in college and minor in musical theater as he has been involved in both professional and community musical theater for several years. He says he is prompted to write by the hope that "someday I could be the mastermind behind an amazing book like classics I have read in the past."        
All the Traditions
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Farewells and New Beginnings

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A special show highlighting some of the best folk and world music releases of 2011, an appreciation of some of the amazingly talented musicians who passed away last year, and, as always,  an exciting look at local performances and new music to come!