VPR News

Volunteer-Run Ski Area Has Good Year

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After a dismal season last year, a Brattleboro ski area run by volunteers has bounced back with thousands of visits and much-needed revenue to help with repairs.
VPR News

Judge Orders Man To Make Bear Film

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A Barnet man who pleaded no contest to hunting violations after he videotaped himself and others committing the infractions has been ordered to produce a movie about bears as part of his punishment.
VPR News

House Set To Pass Decriminalization Bill

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The Vermont House is expected to give final approval to a bill that would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana – and a key member of the Senate says that chamber is likely to follow suit.
VPR Café
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Selecting A CSA

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Is a CSA right for you?  Ric Cengeri and Candace Page share their experience and advice. 
Saturday Matinee
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Die Walkure

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The second opera in the Met production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Listen Saturday at 12 p.m.
Friday Night Jazz With Reuben Jackson

Swinging Sequel

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Tonight we continue our survey of Big Band Jazz (and jazz-related ensembles)in the first hour, then continue with new releases by Jason Marsalis, Mark Egan, Next Collective, Mimi Fox, and others. 
VPR News

House Committee Endorses Idling Ban

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Vermont is the last state in New England without a law that prohibits excessive car and truck idling. But legislation recommended by a House committee on Friday could soon mean fines for Vermont motorists who leave their cars running for more than five minutes.
VPR News
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House Votes 98-44 to Decriminalize Marijuana

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Supporters of decriminalizing – or even legalizing – the possession of small amounts of marijuana have cleared a major hurdle. The Vermont House voted 98-to-44 on Friday to make it a civil offense – instead of a crime – to possess one ounce or less of pot.
VPR News
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Congolese Man Teaches Dance And Music Of His Native Culture

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The Vermont Folklife Center’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program has been focused on helping Vermont’s immigrant communities preserve the traditions of their home countries. For one Congolese man, that’s meant teaching young people the dance and music of their native culture
VPR News

Regional Report: Bio-Methane Plant Proposed In Salisbury

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A natural gas pipeline in Addison County is attracting attention of property owners along the proposed route. And it’s not Vermont Gas’s proposal to extend its pipeline south to Middlebury. A Montpelier-based company wants to build a bio-methane gas production facility at a farm in Salisbury and then build a pipeline to send that gas to Middlebury College.
VPR News

Police Say Wallingford Robbery Was Staged

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Vermont State Police say a convenience store manager and her boyfriend staged an armed robbery last month to cover missing funds that she embezzled from the Wallingford Smart Shop.
VPR News

House To Debate Decriminalization

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The Vermont House is set to debate legislation that would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana and replace them with a civil violation like a traffic ticket and a $300 fine.
VPR News

Man Gets 6 Months For Publishing Fraud

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A man who pleaded no contest to taking more than $200,000 from aspiring authors to publish their books but didn’t has been sentenced to serve six months in jail.
VPR News
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Foreign Executives Visit Future Business Site in Newport

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In about a year, two new foreign companies expect to be operating in Newport at the site of a former skiwear manufacturer. AnC Bio, a Korean bio-tech firm, and Menck Windows, a German company, are the centerpiece of a $600 million economic development initiative promising to bring 10,000 jobs to the Northeast Kingdom.
VPR News

Leahy Implores Senate To Vote On Guns

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Senator Patrick Leahy says he’s pleased that the debate over gun control legislation will proceed in the U.S. Senate over the next few weeks. An effort to filibuster the legislation was defeated on Thursday.
Vermont Edition
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Hook, Line, And Sinker: It’s Fishing Season!

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We learn about the conditions, the health of our trout population and where to find the fish this season,  celebrate National Poetry Month and continue our series marking the anniversary of the Vermont Folklife Center’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.
Commentary Series
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Douglas: Republican Revival

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There’s been a lot of soul-searching by Republicans following the recent presidential election. Many ideas are being advanced on how the GOP can rebuild. Jim Douglas, a long-time Republican officeholder, has some thoughts on the subject.
VPR News

Governor’s Welfare Plan Includes Job Cuts

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Gov. Peter Shumlin made headlines in January when he proposed a five-year lifetime cap on welfare benefits. But lawmakers only recently found out that he also wants to eliminate 12 positions dedicated to helping welfare recipients find the jobs they need to get off the program.
VPR News

Lawmakers Get Decorum Training

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Vermont House members should be mindful of where they stand and walk during debates so they don’t cross between members who are speaking and the presiding officer.
Commentary Series
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Mnookin: Two Moms

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Parenthood is full of challenges and triumphs. Abigail Mnookin, who lives with her wife and their daughter in Brattleboro, has been reflecting on some of the advantages of being one of two moms.
VPR News
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Dozens Of Groups Seek Role In Pipeline Case

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A natural gas pipeline planned for Addison County has prompted dozens of individuals and organizations to seek a voice in the upcoming permit hearings. Vermont Gas Systems wants to extend a pipeline south from Chittenden County to Middlebury and then under Lake Champlain to a paper mill in Ticonderoga, NY.
Commentary Series
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Slayton: UVM’s Billings Library

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Perhaps the most distinguished piece of architecture on the campus of the University of Vermont is the Billings Library, which sits atop university hill in Burlington. Tom Slayton spent many hours there as a UVM undergraduate, and has these observations on the University’s plans for the building.
VPR News

US Attorney, Police Say Heroin Fight To Continue

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Some of the top federal law enforcement officials in Vermont say they are going to continue working with state and local police to fight trafficking of illegal narcotics that has led to levels of addiction in the city of Rutland that the local police chief called "mind boggling."
VPR News

New Bullying Law Takes Effect

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A new law that treats bullying the same as harassment has begun to take effect across the state. Schools must now investigate bullying more aggressively. At least two staff members have to be designated in every school to handle complaints of harassment or bullying.
Commentary Series
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Schubart: The New Narcissism

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Bill Schubart is intrigued by how political polarization is read in the spectrum of liberal and conservative views when both labels seem to be losing their meaning. He notes that the increasingly strident polarization may be between self-interest and the interest of the community.
VPR News

Financing Plan Divides Child Care Advocates

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Governor Peter Shumlin’s plan to finance a major expansion of child care programs is sharply dividing Vermont’s early childhood community. There’s nearly unanimous support for the proposal to increase funding for child care subsidies. But there’s disagreement over how to pay for the initiative.
VPR News
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State Releases Irene Recovery Report

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A new report says report it’s likely that by the second anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene in August, much of the recovery work will be finished and the focus will shift to preparing for the next disaster.
VPR News

Doctors Concerned About Rate-Setting Authority

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Two years ago, lawmakers endowed a five-person panel with the power to tell doctors how much they can charge patients for health care services. Now, some physicians with private practices say the rate-setting authority could put them out of business.
VPR News

Heart Association Honors Teenager For Advocacy

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A Williston teenager who pushed successfully last year for legislation requiring Vermont kids to have CPR training before graduating high school is being honored with a national award from the American Heart Association.
VPR News

Fish & Wildlife Moves License Office

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The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife office that handles hunting and fishing licenses finally has a new home, 18 months after Tropical Storm Irene forced it out of Waterbury.
VPR News

Brattleboro Retreat Opens New Wing

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Gov. Peter Shumlin will be traveling to Brattleboro for a ribbon-cutting today at a newly renovated section of the Brattleboro Retreat psychiatric hospital that will house state patients.
Commentary Series
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Northrop: Long Trail Reprise

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Today we remember Bob Northrop, who died last week at 92. Northrop was a retired teacher who spent years working on civic causes ranging from the Vermont Electric Co-operative to the Long Trail. He recorded this essay about the Long Trail in 2003 as part of a series about notable ideas from leading Vermonters.
A Passion For Opera
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Wagner’s Ring and Operatic Storms

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In anticipation of the Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Das Rheingold, we present Anna Russel’s famous analysis of Wagner’s Ring Cycle – plus a consideration of operatic storms. Listen Saturday at 12 p.m.
Saturday Matinee
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Das Rheingold

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The week’s Met Opera is the first of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold. Listen Saturday at 1 p.m. Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera 
Friday Night Jazz With Reuben Jackson

April Blossoms

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April means baseball, tax deadlines (sigh)-spring (please?)-and the first program of the new month. Tonight we’ll hear from Ben Webster, Gato Barbieri, The Art Ensemble Of Chicago and other aural blossoms.
VPR News
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Vt. Senate Advances Immigrant License Bill

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The Vermont Senate overwhelmingly advanced a bill on Friday that would give driver’s licenses to immigrants who are in the country illegally. The bill would create what are described as drivers’ authorization cards that would look different from a regular state license.
VPR News

Health Exchange Still Confusing

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A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that most Americans are uninformed about the federal health care changes that are coming, and about how health care exchanges are going to work. That situation appears to bear out in Vermont, too.
VPR News
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House Approves Ban On Wild Boar

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If lawmakers have their way, wild boar will not find a home in the Vermont woods. Wild boar and feral pigs are a nuisance species around the country. Vermont wildlife officials are concerned that the animals could escape from captive hunting facilities and take hold in the Green Mountains.
Commentary Series
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Kashmeri: Assault Weapons Ban

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Recently, commentator Sarwar Kashmeri proposed that the Federal Government think about funding a billion dollar, ten-year, gun-buyback program to soak up as many of the 300 million firearms in America as possible. Now, he’d like to take that concept one step further.
Vermont Edition
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Down By The Waterside

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Last week the House passed a bill which would require all new construction within 250 feet of a lake shoreline to get a permit. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of lake-shore development restrictions.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: North Korean Threat

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Tensions continue in Asia as North Korea responds angrily to new United Nations sanctions and the latest U.S./South Korean military exercises, with threats to attack South Korea – and America – with nuclear missiles. Barrie Dunsmore offers his analysis.
VPR News
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Changes Underway At Brattleboro Retreat

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Changes are underway at the Brattleboro Retreat. The psychiatric hospital will open a new Adult Intensive Unit next week. The facility is part of the state’s new plan to serve mental health patients following the closure of the Vermont State Hospital by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.
VPR News

Shumlin, Wife, Finalize Divorce

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Gov. Peter Shumlin and his now ex-wife, Deb, say their divorce has been finalized, after having been separated for several years.
VPR News

Study: States Can Learn From Vermont’s Health Care Reform

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One of the country’s top medical journals is touting Vermont’s health care reform effort as an example for the rest of the nation. A study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine says other states can learn some lessons from Vermont in rolling out health exchanges that are essential to the federal Affordable Care Act.
VPR News

Expert: Lyme Disease Just One Part Of Tick-Borne Epidemic

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Patients living with Lyme disease crowded the Statehouse on Wednesday to tell their stories about years of misdiagnosis and chronic pain. The patients and their advocates want legislation to protect doctors if they prescribe long-term antibiotic treatment contrary to current medical standards.
VPR News
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Shumlin Announces Release Of New Bird Atlas

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A book that’s a resource for understanding Vermont’s bird populations has just been published. "Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of Vermont," was produced with the help of 350 volunteers who donated thousands of hours compiling the information.
Vermont Edition
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Alzheimer’s in the Family

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If you knew you were going to get Alzheimer’s disease, how would you live your life differently? What would you want your family and loved ones to do when you no longer remembered them? We’ll talk with Nancy Bercaw, author of a new memoir about dealing with Alzheimer’s in the family.
VPR News

Gillmor Wants More Media Transparency

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From social media to blogging to the digital revolution, the world of media news is changing, and if consumers once were expected to passively consume the news they get, they’re now demanding more from the people who report the news of the day. Dan Gillmor welcomes this future. And it’s the goal of his new book and project, called Mediactive.
VPR News

Lawmakers Look To Soften Irene’s Financial Blow

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Job losses in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene were in many cases temporary, lasting only as long as it took businesses to repair damage from the flood. The financial impact of those layoffs has been more lasting, but lawmakers may have found a way to soften the blow.
VPR News

Lynx Sightings On The Rise

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The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says sightings of Canada lynx are on the rise in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
VPR News

Vt. Senate Committee Considers Scaling Back Gas Tax

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The Senate Transportation committee is set to make a key change in the gas tax bill that was adopted by the House several weeks ago. Lawmakers are eyeing the gas tax as a way to raise new revenue to allow the state to take full advantage of all federal matching money that’s available. 
VPR News
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Vt. Bills Target Distracted Driving

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Vermont lawmakers are continuing their efforts to crack down on distracted driving, with bills that would boost the penalties for texting while driving and ban all hand-held electronic devices when driving through road construction zones.
VPR News
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FEMA Maps Central To Buy-Out Denials

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More than 100 Vermont families lost their homes in Tropical Storm Irene. At least six had houses that were destroyed by the flood, but were deemed ineligible for a FEMA buy-back program because of where they appear on FEMA’s maps.
VPR News

Philanthropist, Businessman And Hiker Bob Northrop Dies At 92

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Bob Northrop devoted his life to support a variety of Vermont institutions.  He was best known for his efforts to protect the Long Trail. Northrup hiked the trail end to end many times over the years, most notably in 2001 at the age of 80. Northrup died this weekend at his home in Underhill.  He was 92.
VPR News
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Vermont Releases Insurance Rates Under Obamacare

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Vermont became the first state on Monday to publish the rates it would charge people who don’t currently have health insurance to get coverage – a key step toward establishing the health exchanges that are central to the federal health care law known as Obamacare. Health officials said Monday the rates are comparable to current commercial rates.
VPR News

Legislative Preview: April 1, 2013

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It will be a lot quieter in the Statehouse this week. Over the past couple of weeks, the House and Senate spent many hours on the floor pushing priorities through one chamber or the other. Now it’s back to committees again and some of the issues may sound pretty familiar. The Senate Appropriations Committee tackles the budget, for one. And legislators will also deal with unfinished business from Town Meeting Day
Commentary Series
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Henningsen: The Four Freedoms

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In 1941 Franklin Roosevelt defined four essential human freedoms that Americans would enter World War II to defend. By 1943, they’d been forgotten. Vic Henningsen explains how, seventy years ago, a Vermont artist and his neighbors made the Four Freedoms an enduring American memory.
VPR News

Truck Damages Dummerston Covered Bridge

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Vermont State Police are looking for the driver of a box truck that shattered a cross beam and tore the trim on a covered bridge in Dummerston, believed to be the longest covered bridge still in use in the state.
VPR News

Hundreds Protest Vermont Yankee

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Hundreds of people who rallied in protest of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant over the weekend, and they say it’s time for the 41-year-old reactor to shut down.
VPR News

Welch To Talk About Renewable Energy

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Congressman Peter Welch is planning to announce legislation he says will make it easier to pay for renewable energy projects in Vermont and around the country.
VPR News

Vt. To Post Health Care Rates

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Vermont is poised to become the first state in the country to tell people without health insurance how much they can pay for coverage through the federal Affordable Care Act when it begins offering benefits next year.
My Place with Joel Najman
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The British Invasion’s First Wave: 1964

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This week Joel Najman’s My Place program looks at the first wave of the so-called British Invasion of 1964 with a selection from sixteen British bands that enjoyed hits in the U.S., presented in the chronolgical order they first appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100 popularity charts.
Saturday Matinee
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Verdi’s La Traviata

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Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts a cast including soprano Diana Damrau as Violetta and Placido Domingo as Germont. Listen Saturday at 1 p.m. Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera 
VPR News
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State Releases Plan To Manage Lake Champlain Bay

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The state of Vermont is hoping to improve water quality in Lake Champlain’s Missisquoi Bay basin, which has been the site of toxic algae blooms, by reducing bacteria that flows into the bay and finding solutions to suspected discharges in the towns of Enosburg Falls, North Troy, Richford and Swanton.
Vermont Edition
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Play Ball, 2013!

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Our panel of baseball experts share their thoughts on the new season as Spring Training winds to a close and VPR’s Ross Sneyd provides analysis on the moves made at the State House.
VPR News

St. Johnsbury Wants To Keep State Office

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The St. Johnsbury select board wants to keep the Vermont State Police barracks in town, but a high ranking trooper says it’s likely the office will be moving in several years.
VPR News

Police To Focus On Traffic Safety

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Vermont State Police will be joining their counterparts from New York, the province of Quebec and the U.S. Border patrol to encourage safe driving during the Easter holiday weekend.
Commentary Series
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Fitzgerald: Dirt Farmer

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With mud season under way throughout Vermont, farmers are eagerly preparing for outdoor field plantings. Kara Fitzgerald, co-owner of Evening Song Farm in Cuttingsville, says managing erosion is a key part of running a commercial farm.
Commentary Series
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Stoddard: Rick Peyser

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Vermont is home to a remarkable number of people doing positive work in businesses and non-profits around the globe. Fran Stoddard has been taking note of some of these innovators as they bring the best of Vermont to international development – like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ Rick Peyser.
VPR News
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Fair Encourages Kids To Think About College

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First grade may seem a little early to start encouraging children to think about college, but in the Northeast Kingdom there are good reasons to underscore the importance of a post-secondary education. The region lags far behind the state in the percentage of people with college degrees – and it’s gearing up for an influx of jobs that will require an educated workforce.
VPR News

11 Students To Be Recognized

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Eleven Williamstown High School students are being recognized as ready to work after they completed a 15-week pilot program run by their school and the Community College of Vermont.
VPR News

Maple Syrup Season Going Strong

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Vermont maple officials say this should be a great week for syrup producers. After a slow start with cold weather earlier this month, the sap is flowing again in some areas.
Commentary Series
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Woolf: Bottle Ban

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Commentator and UVM economist Art Woolf has been considering a recent policy initiative on his campus and he’s wondering exactly what it was designed to accomplish.
VPR News
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Vt. House Advances Lake Shore Protection Bill

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The Vermont House has advanced a bill aimed at enhancing the protection of Vermont’s lakes from the damaging effects of some shoreline development. But environmental groups say the bill has been significantly watered down.
VPR News

AG Reaches Settlement Over Deceptive Mailings

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The Vermont Attorney General’s Office says it’s reached a settlement with a California man for mailing deceptive solicitations to Vermont homeowners offering them copies of their property deeds.
VPR News
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Vt. Senate Passes Modified Renewable Energy Bill

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The Senate has rejected legislation that would have given local towns more clout in the state review of energy projects that are proposed for their communities. Instead, lawmakers backed an effort that calls for a statewide study of the impact of the projects in the future.
VPR News
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Maintaining A Family Legacy In Catholic Social Work

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Dorothy Day was a Catholic activist who co-founded the Catholic Worker movement. She spent decades serving the poor and opposing war. One of her grandchildren now divides her time between Vermont and a "house of hospitality" that Day started in New York City.
Commentary Series
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Schubart: EB-5

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Commentator Bill Schubart has been watching Vermont’s deployment of the federal EB-5 program in Northern Vermont and, while he admires its projected economic impact, he wonders about its broader strategy in enriching America.
VPR News

Lawmakers Get Update On Brattleboro Retreat

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Vermont mental health officials are planning to give lawmakers an update on the possible federal sanctions filed against the Brattleboro Retreat, a private psychiatric hospital.
VPR News
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Vt. Officials Hope For More FEMA Culvert Help

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Vermont officials are hoping a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the cost of replacing a culvert in Townshend destroyed by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene means more towns will be eligible for similar funding.
VPR News
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House Budget Would Cap Welfare Benefits

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The Vermont House is preparing to debate the budget and a number of new tax proposals this week, and House leaders are already trying to line up votes for a $1.3 billion plan that includes a contentious bid to cap welfare benefits.
VPR News
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Hopes Dim For Passing Meaningful Climate Change Legislation

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For the first time this legislative session, the full Vermont Senate will debate renewable energy on Tuesday. In Montpelier, though, some lawmakers’ hopes of passing meaningful climate change legislation that might reduce greenhouse gas emissions have already collided with the state’s fiscal reality.
VPR News

Sullivan Says He’s Working To Make UVM Affordable

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Since being selected as the University of Vermont’s 26th president last February, Tom Sullivan has made affordability for in-state students a top priority. The challenge now for Sullivan is finding the money that will allow the school to reach that goal.
Commentary Series
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Luskin: Some Came By Ship

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Deborah Luskin is celebrating Passover this week. And she says the story of Exodus is one demonstration of how many different people have fled their homelands in search of religious and political freedom and economic opportunity in America.
VPR News

Movie Explores War On Drugs

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A movie with Vermont-ties about America’s War on Drugs will be shown this week with a question-and-answer period after. "The House I Live In" was directed, written and produced by Vermonter Eugene Jarecki.
VPR News

School To Honor Melissa Jenkins

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A year after a Vermont community was shaken by the murder of a popular school teacher, a ceremony will be held at St. Johnsbury Academy to honor her life and celebrate her message "to love those the most who need it the most."
All the Traditions
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Love and Spring

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What better way to celebrate the coming of spring than to dance from Louisiana all the way to Paris ? (stopping off once in awhile in the 1970s!!)
Commentary Series
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Martin: Guns in Schools

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And now we turn to our Sunday Essay.  Mike Martin was shocked to learn that some staff members in the Montpelier School District will be carrying guns to school. But this turns out to be Montpelier, Ohio. The principal of Vermont’s Montpelier High School told him they’ll be taking a different approach here, one that focuses on community and common sense.
A Passion For Opera
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Talvela, Price, Domingo

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Saturday’s broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera is an archive performance of Verdi’s La forza del destino with Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo, and Martti Talvela; and on A Passion for Opera we’ll hear recordings by these three superb singers. Plus the March Mystery Voice Quiz. Listen Saturday at 12 p.m.
Saturday Matinee
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La Forza del Destino

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Verdi’s drama in a 1977 performance from the Met Opera archives. Listen Saturday at 1 p.m. Photo:  Louis Mélançon/Metropolitan Opera Archives  
Friday Night Jazz With Reuben Jackson

Mellow (Late)March Music

By |
Tonight’s program features Vermont-based talents such as Maple Jam, Brian McCarthy, Michael Chorney, Paul Asbell,and equally memorable offerings by Stan Getz, Aaron Neville, Jack Kerouac, Oscar Petitford and others.  
VPR News

Analysis: Wind Debate, Nuclear Anniversary

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VPR’s John Dillon looks at two energy stories: the legislative debate over S.30, a bill that would give towns the ability to veto a wind energy project, and the ongoing regulatory oversight of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, which has now been operating without state permission for one year.
VPR News

Court Hearing For Couple In Teacher Killing

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The attorney for a man charged along with his wife in the killing of a popular St. Johnsbury teacher says it’s likely he’ll ask that the trial be moved out of Caledonia County.
VPR News

Senate To Take Up Tar Sands Bill

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The Vermont Senate will take up legislation that would toughen environmental review over an oil pipeline if its use undergoes significant changes.
VPR News

Legislature Wants More Oversight Of Adult Protection Divison

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A lawsuit filed against the state last year focused scrutiny on the department that investigates cases of elder abuse. But the governor says the Adult Protective Services program is well managed and doesn’t need increased oversight that the Legislature wants.
VPR News
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Plan For Whiskey Business In Shoreham Draws Scrutiny

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When an old dairy farm in Shoreham became the hub for a trendy new whiskey company several years ago, many were excited by the idea of new jobs and economic development. But two things may get in the company’s way: mold and the state’s definition of a farm.
VPR News

Back Country Skiers Form Rescue Group

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Ski resorts have been trying to increase awareness of the dangers of skiing out of bounds but have had little success. Meanwhile, a group of local back-country ski enthusiasts recently formed Killington Search and Rescue to help.
Vermont Edition
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Senate President John Campbell

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Senate President John Campbell discusses the key issues facing lawmakers, we hear about the political battle fought by Vermont congressman Matthew Lyon and learn about Killington Search and Rescue.
VPR News

Police Warn Of Craigslist Rental Scam

By |
Police say someone claims to be renting a home in Barnard and is willing to do all the paperwork through email and have the renter send them a deposit through Western Union before getting a key.
VPR News

Shumlin Says He’s Confident Vt. Yankee Will Close

By |
Thursday marks a year from the date when Governor Peter Shumlin hoped the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant would shut down. Instead, the reactor is still operating and the state is locked in a legal battle in federal court with Yankee’s owner, the Entergy Corporation.
VPR News

CEO Of VSAC Retiring After 42 Years

By |
Vermont Edition speaks with outgoing CEO of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, Don Vickers about the landscape of higher ed financing and the tension between the economic imperative of getting a degree, and the finding the money to pay for it:
Vermont Edition
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Herbal Medicine

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Dandelion for indigestion? Lemon Balm for stress? Mushrooms for hay fever? Plants have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. We’ll explore some of the benefits and drawbacks of herbal medicine with Guido Masé, author of the new book The Wild Medicine Solution.
VPR News

Renewable Energy Fight Delayed In Senate

By |
The Vermont Senate is delaying a debate about a measure that one side says aims to strengthen reviews of ridge-top wind power projects and the other says would bring development of renewable energy in the state to a halt.
VPR News

Renewable Energy Fight To Unfold In Senate

By |
The Vermont Senate is slated to debate a measure that one side says aims to strengthen reviews of ridge-top wind power projects and the other says would bring development of renewable energy in the state to a halt.
VPR News

Teen Skiers Found In Wilderness Area

By |
Two 16-year-old skiers have been found after skiing off their trail into a large wilderness area between the Bolton Valley Ski Resort and Waterbury Reservoir.
VPR News

Gas Tax In House; Public Records In Senate

By |
Vermont lawmakers have a busy week coming up, with the House expected to take action on boosting transportation funding by increasing the gasoline tax, and the Senate slated to take final action on making some police records public.
VPR News
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Building Project Costs Labeled ‘Eye-Popping’

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The space is described as gorgeous, but the cost "eye-popping." Vermont lawmakers are applying those terms to office space at the National Life building in Montpelier that has been renovated to house the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and other state agencies.
VPR News
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Burlington, Winooski Schools Partner for Education

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Vermont’s political leaders visited Burlington High School Monday, highlighting a new initiative between Burlington and Winooski. The state’s two most diverse school districts are working together to remodel and rethink their education systems, and they’re getting a little help from civic leaders.
VPR News

Exhibit Profiles Early Organic Farmers

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Agricultural writer and editor, Susan Harlow, talks with Vermont Edtion about a new exhibit at the Vermont History Museum that brings to life the stories of some small-scale farmers in the 60s and 70s who were among the first to pioneer organic farming methods.
VPR Series and Specials
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Vermont Women In History 2013

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March is Women’s History Month, and this year, VPR is collaborating with the Vermont Commission on Women to present a series of stories about women from our region who achieved success as journalists.
Commentary Series
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Kathryn Stearns: Frances Parkinson Keyes

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Kathryn Stearns, whose newspaper career began in Washington, finds a kindred spirit in Frances Parkinson Keyes, who left her home in the Upper Valley to write about the social scene in the nation’s capital at a pivotal time for women’s rights.
VPR News

Group To Answer Questions About Health Plan

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Officials with the office that is overseeing the arrival of a new health care exchange in Vermont are going to be traveling the state to tell Vermonters which options will be available to them.
VPR News

Union Says Senate Leader Should Keep Promise

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A union hoping to organize home child care providers in Vermont says the leader of the state Senate is going back on his word by not pushing for a vote of the full Senate on a bill that would allow the unionization effort.
VPR Café
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Creating Community

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This week, Sally Pollak talks with Ric Cengeri about the many ways that food is the catalyst for creating community.
A Passion For Opera
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Francesca da Rimini

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We hear excerpts from a 1969 recording of Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini with Magda Olivero in the title role. Listen Saturday at 12 p.m.
Saturday Matinee
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Francesca da Rimini

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The Met Opera presents Riccardo Zandonai’s passionate opera based on a story from Dante’s Inferno. Listen Saturday at 1pm.
Friday Night Jazz With Reuben Jackson

Music For Mid March

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Tonight’s program includes a (necessarily incomplete)survey of the world of jazz guitar, jazz-based reinventions of two classics by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and singular stylings of Aretha Franklin, Carmen McRae, Paul Mc Cartney and Al Jarreau.
Vermont Edition
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Bill Would Change Wind Project Review

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The debate over putting a moratorium on wind energy projects in Vermont and taken a turn. Now a bill in the Statehouse would instead give towns a greater say in whether wind projects could be built within the town’s borders.
VPR News
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GMP Begins Work On Rutland Innovation Center

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Officials from Green Mountain Power provided a first glimpse inside their new $2.5 million  energy innovation center in downtown Rutland Thursday. It’s an investment that city officials say is having a positive ripple effect on the entire downtown.
VPR News

Farmworkers, Advocates Press Panel For Licenses

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Vermont dairy farms employ an estimated 1,500 Mexican farmworkers. Many of those workers are in the U.S. illegally, saying they are isolated in rural areas and have to get rides from their employer or volunteers — sometimes paying for transportation to get to the grocery store or doctor.
Commentary Series
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Cummings: A Great Tradition

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From the European immigrants who brought Nordic skiing to this country to Vermont legends like John Caldwell and Bill Koch, today’s Vermont teens competing on the national and international level are part of a long tradition. Dede Cummings is a volunteer instructor
VPR News
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Mural At Dartmouth Named Historic Landmark

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Jose Clemente Orozco created a mural series called "The Epic of American Civilization" at Dartmouth College in the 1930s when he was an artist in residence there. The work has now been designated a national historic landmark by the National Park Service.
VPR News

ANR Shuts Down Moretown Landfill

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The Agency of Natural Resources announced Thursday that it’s shutting down the Moretown Landfill. The decision to deny the operator’s application for continued operation comes after hundreds of odor complaints were filed in the last year and a half. ANR says Moretown Landfill tried to control odor problems but was unsuccessful in reducing the number of complaints.
VPR News

Anti-Narcotics Bill Coming Together

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Spurred by stories of addiction from across the state, lawmakers this week are voting out of committees a wide-ranging bill aimed at minimizing the effects of opiate use on the health and safety of Vermonters.
Vermont Edition
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House Speaker Shap Smith

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The leader of the Vermont House of Representatives discusses some of the thorny budget questions facing lawmakers, and the taxes that might be raised to support the state’s spending plan.
Commentary Series
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Labun Jordan: Collective Culture

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Helen Labun Jordan recalls that when she was a kid, everyone had the same short list of radio stations to listen to, and watched the three TV networks, or PBS, in prime time. Now, there are limitless choices – and some people are wondering whether that’s the end of shared popular culture.
VPR News

Train Speeds Increasing, Thanks To Rail Upgrades

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Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you if it appears that trains in Vermont are moving faster this week. Thanks to upgrades on the New England Central Railroad line, increased speeds mean travel going from 59 to 79 miles per hour south of White River Junction, and a more modest increase from 55 to 59 mph to the north.
VPR News
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Strike The Pose, Melt The Heart

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Online dating and animal adoptions have at least one thing in common: a great photograph can lead to a life-long relationship. At the Humane Society of Chittenden County, a professional photographer has been volunteering her skills to help more animals strike a pose to attract a potential family.
Commentary Series
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Hanna: Off Label Marketing

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Recently, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals handed a big win to pharmaceutical companies to market their drugs for off-label uses. Cheryl Hanna says the case might have implications for Vermont’s ability to regulate corporations.
VPR News
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Demand For Specialty Food Prompts New Food Processing Centers

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The increasing number of Vermont specialty food producers – many of them farmers – is creating a demand for facilities where they can make their products. A new business in Chittenden County is the latest food processing center to come on line – and there are more in the planning stages.
VPR News

VSEA To Hold Parking Town Hall Discussion

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After getting complaints from workers about a shortage of parking, the union representing Vermont state employees is holding a meeting at the Statehouse to discuss the issue.
Commentary Series
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Schubart: Orthodoxy

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Commentator Bill Schubart is dismayed by the persistence of orthodoxy in our churches, legislatures, and schools. He believes that we invest these orthodoxies with powers they don’t really have.
VPR News
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Rochester Family Signs Agreement With FEMA

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It’s been more than 18 months since Tropical Storm Irene.  For most Vermonters, including many who experienced it firsthand, the storm is no longer a part of their lives and daily conversations. But for those who lost houses, Irene is still very present. 
VPR News

House Panel To Take Up Governor’s Plans

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The Human Services Committee of the Vermont House has an agenda full of hotly debated plans put forward by Gov. Peter Shumlin as lawmakers return from their Town Meeting break.
Commentary Series
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Martin: Policy Metaphors

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And now we turn to our Sunday Essay. With all the recent talk of the "fiscal cliff" and the "sequester", Mike Martin has been thinking about how language, and especially metaphors, shape the way we see things.
VPR Café
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Baked Beans At The VPR Cafe

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This week on the VPR Cafe, Ric Cengeri talks with free lance writer Melissa Pasanen about the New England Tradition of baked beans – and how we bake them.
My Place with Joel Najman
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Singing With Your Kids

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This week Joel Najman’s My Place program features an hour of popular music recordings in which a parent sings with their own child or children. Memorable recordings by the Staple Singers, the Mills Brothers and many others are presented
Saturday Matinee
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Don Carlo

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Verdi’s epic set during the Spanish Inquisition. Listen Saturday at 1 p.m. Photo:  Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera
VPR News
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Parents Of Sick Kids Find Refuges Near Hospitals

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As any parent knows, having a sick child is awful. And if the illness is serious or chronic, and the hospital is far from home, it’s also a logistical nightmare. So many families in the Upper Valley turn to David’s House in Lebanon, near Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
VPR News

Shumlin Welcomes Chafee To Joins Dems

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DGA Chairman Gov. Peter Shumlin, of Vermont, this week described Chafee as "a very thoughtful person" with strong ties to Democratic governors and President Barack Obama.
VPR News

Fewer Uninsured In Vt., Government Programs Up

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A new survey by the state of Vermont finds the number of residents without health insurance has dropped by nearly a third in the past seven years, mainly due to growth in government programs.
Commentary Series
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McQuiston: Koop’s Legacy

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When former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died last week at age 96 in Hanover,  Tim McQuiston was reminded of an interview he had with Koop 19 years ago. Koop was living in Vermont at the time and had just started working at Dartmouth.
VPR News

NRC Gives Yankee Good Grades For 2012

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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant did a good job last year in protecting public health and safety. The nuclear agency released its annual assessment report on Thursday.
VPR News
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Pollution, Property Rights At Issue In Lakeshore Bill

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A House committee will hold a hearing next week on a bill that calls for new protections for the shorelines of lakes and ponds, including buffer zones for new development to prevent polluting run-off. But some property owners are concerned that the bill would infringe on their property rights.
Art Hounds
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Art Hounds: Art Lives On

By |
Bellows Falls Opera House shows fan favorites, a look back at the work of Mark Awodey and Family Day at the Calvin Coolidge Musuem.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: Middle East Trip

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In two weeks time, President Barack Obama is scheduled to be in the Middle East and for the first time in his presidency, will be visiting Israel.  Barrie Dunsmore examines the importance of this presidential trip.
VPR News

ECFiber Turns To Grassroots Business Model

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Five years ago at Town Meeting, about two dozen towns from Montpelier to White River Junction voted to join ECFiber, a community based organization that promised to deliver high speed fiber optic broadband service to every household. Today ECFiber has been able to connect just a few hundred customers, and in the five years that have passed, its had to dramatically change its business model.
VPR News

Shumlin Expresses Doubts On GMO Bill

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Gov. Peter Shumlin is expressing doubt about whether Vermont should pass a bill requiring special labeling for food that is genetically modified or contains genetically modified ingredients.
VPR News

Mass. Air Guard To Fly Into Vt., NH

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Fighter jets from the Massachusetts Air National Guard are likely to be seen and heard in the skies over southern Vermont and New Hampshire during upcoming training exercises.
VPR News
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Town Meeting Day 2013

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VPR’s Town Meeting Day coverage continues. Send in your comments about your Town Meeting Day. And see more Town Meeting updates at the VPR News Blog.
VPR News

Cabot And Cavendish Town Meeting Update

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VPR Reporter John Dillon talks with Vermont Edition about Cabot rejecting a proposal to close the high school and send its 65 students to other schools in the region. And Will Hunter, moderator of the Cavendish town meeting, talks about which happened last night at the Cavendish Town Elementary School.
Vermont Edition
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Indoor Gardening

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When the grey clouds are looming and icicles hang down from the eaves, it’s nice to have a green plant on your windowsill. We’ll learn how to grow salad greens indoors, and how to keep your potted plants thriving.
Commentary Series
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Blinkhorn: Remembering Koop

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The death in Hanover last week of Everett Koop reminded Tom Blinkhorn of a series of interviews he had with the late Surgeon General of the United States, one of the nation’s leading pediatric surgeons.
VPR News
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Vermont Gas Alters Pipeline Route, Again

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Vermont Gas has changed the route of the proposed extension of its natural gas pipeline through Addison County. The company filed a petition last year for a state permit to build a 42-mile pipeline from Colchester to Middlebury.
VPR News

Fell Seeks New Trial

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A man on federal death row for his role in the 2000 abduction and killing of a Vermont woman is asking to have his conviction overturned in part because his lawyers say a juror improperly collected information about the case.
VPR News

Pastor Sentenced In Same-Sex Custody Case

By |
A Vermont federal court judge has sentenced a Mennonite pastor to 27 months in prison for helping a woman flee the country rather than share custody of her daughter with her former lesbian partner, but he remains free while he appeals.
VPR News

Sanders: “Cannot simply cut, cut and cut”

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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, says he’s working with the committee on a 10-year budget which would create jobs, lower the deficit and protect working families and the most vulnerable people in our society.
VPR News
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Town Meeting Day 2013

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VPR’s Town Meeting Day coverage continues. Send in your comments about your Town Meeting Day. And see more Town Meeting updates at the VPR News Blog.
Commentary Series
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McCallum: Taking A Stand

By |
Current medical reports predict that Baby Boomers will live longer than their parents but be less healthy, with sedentary work lives partly to blame. Mary McCallum passes along a simple suggestion.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Van Cliburn Winners

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We’ll honor the memory of Van Cliburn this afternoon with past winners of the piano competition that bears his name: Radu Lupu, Cristina Ortiz, Olga Kern, and Jon Nakamatsu.
VPR News
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In Rutland, Mayor Louras Faces Challenge From Allaire

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Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras faces stiff opposition from well-known challenger for the city’s top job. While the campaign has been relatively quiet, public safety and the city’s drug problem have emerged as a top issues in a race that will be decided on Town Meeting Day.
VPR News

Windham Towns Asked To Support Economic Development Effort

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Town meeting voters in six Windham County towns will be asked to support a regionwide effort to boost the economy. The region has seen declining wages, job opportunities and population. The situation is expected to worsen with the eventual closing of Vermont Yankee and the loss of many high-paying jobs.
VPR News

Dartmouth Tuition To Increase 3.8 Percent

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The cost of attending Dartmouth College will increase by 3.8 percent for the next academic year, bringing the total for tuition, room, board and mandatory fees to just over $60,000.
VPR News

Bill Would Open Hospital Board Meetings

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A leading advocate for single-payer health care in Vermont is pushing legislation that would require that hospital board meetings be subject to the state’s open meeting law.
VPR News

School Investigates Treatment Of Autistic Boy

By |
Two school employees will remain out of the classroom while the Bennington school district investigates comments captured on an audio recorder secretly placed the backpack of an autistic boy.
VPR Café
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Maple By Any Other Name?

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Maple Sugaring season is fast approaching. On this first episode of the VPR Cafe, Ric talks with Candy Page about what the new international maple grading system means for producers and consumers. She also brings us into Ginger Isham’s kitchen in Williston where maple is king.  
My Place with Joel Najman
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“Hello” Songs

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This week Joel Najman’s My Place program presents an hour of vintage popular songs that say "Hello". Memorable recordings by Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Eric Clapton and others are among the selections featured.
Saturday Matinee
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Parsifal

By |
Wagner’s opera in a new production by François Girard. Listen Saturday at noon. Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera  
VPR News
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Analysis: Health Care Legislation Lives On

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A week ago it appeared that a comprehensive health care bill being considered by the House Health Care committee was in big trouble. But in a dramatic turn of events, the house committee voted the bill out this week. VPR’s Peter Biello speaks with Bob Kinzel about the sudden change.
VPR News

Guarding Mobile Homes Against Floods Still Difficult

By |
In 2011, floods in the spring, and Tropical Storm Irene later that year destroyed more than 150 mobile homes and damaged hundreds of others. A meeting in Burlington Friday took stock of long term efforts to minimize future storm damage at mobile home parks.
VPR News
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Cavendish Considers Solzhenitsyn Exhibit

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Cavendish voters in will take up a town meeting article on whether the town should assume ownership of an historic stone church. If they approve, the building will house an exhibit honoring author and Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn who spent 18 years in Cavendish.
VPR News

NH, Maine, Vt Defend Same-Sex Marriage

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Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine have joined more than a dozen other states in defending same-sex marriage as the Supreme Court prepares to hear two cases on the issue.
VPR News

Panel Debates Lakeshore Protection Bill

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A proposed state law creating new protections for Vermont’s lakeshores is drawing support from environmentalists and criticism from some lakeside property owners and municipal officials.
VPR News

GMP To Pay Journalist’s Legal Expenses

By |
Green Mountain Power will reimburse a journalist for his legal expenses in defending himself against a trespass charge while covering a protest against construction of a wind power facility on Lowell Mountain.
VPR News

No Funding Deal Yet For State Office Complex

By |
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and state of Vermont had hoped to complete funding arrangements for the rebuilding of the Waterbury state office complex by the end of February but FEMA now says more time is needed.
Vermont Edition
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Town Meeting Day Round-Up

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Town Meeting Day is fast approaching and there are many issues large and small up for vote. We’ll preview some of the items on ballots across the state. What’s the biggest issue in your town?
VPR News

House Panel Passes Beverage Tax

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A Vermont House committee has reversed itself and approved a penny-an-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to pay for health care subsidies, but the idea appears still to have a bumpy road ahead.
Commentary Series
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Moats: Richard III

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A recent archeological discovery, combined with a modern, on-line dramatic series, have gotten David Moats thinking about human nature and the nature of leadership.
Commentary Series
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Redmond: Papal Impacts

By |
For Marybeth Redmond, the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has restimulated feelings of heartache, not for the Pontiff himself, but for a friend of hers who met the wrath of this church hierarchy.
Vermont Edition
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Education Taxes: Is The System Working?

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We discuss the challenges of the current education funding system and what changes could be made to fix it, hear about author Sarah Stewart (S.S.) Taylor’s new book, The Expeditioners and we learn about the new rules regulating bait fish.
VPR News

Shumlin Discusses His Dyslexia

By |
Gov. Peter Shumlin is calling for policies to help identify struggling readers to ensure more students can learn to read by the time they finish the third grade.
VPR News

Vt. To Get Part Of Coal Plant Settlement

By |
Eight East Coast states, the federal government and citizens groups from Indiana have reached an agreement with one of the country’s largest electricity producers to stop burning coal at two Midwest power plans.
VPR News

Panel Rejects Some Of VY Critic’s Evidence

By |
he Vermont Public Service Board says it will consider some, but not all, of a prominent nuclear critic’s testimony as it weighs whether to give the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant a new state permit.
Vermont Edition
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What To Do With Number Two

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Like the popular children’s book said: everyone poops. But what happens to it all afterwards? We’ll learn all about septic systems, wastewater treatment, and some innovative methods of dealing with that stuff everyone has, and nobody wants.
VPR News

PSB May Hear From Vt. Yankee Critic

By |
A long-time critic of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is to testify before the state Public Service Board, if plant owner Entergy Corp. doesn’t succeed in blocking that testimony.
VPR News

Bill Targets Link Between Suicide And Guns

By |
The post-Newtown debate over gun control in Vermont has centered largely around the specter of armed killers seeking to inflict maximum harm on their targets. But of the 130 deaths caused by firearms in this state over the last two years, all but six were the result of suicide.
VPR News

Towns Mull Tar Sands Oil, Assault Weapons Ban

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While Vermonters debate school budgets and whether to spend money on equipment on Town Meeting Day, some communities also will take up resolutions opposing the transport of tar sands oil through Vermont and recommending a ban on assault weapons.
My Place with Joel Najman
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Some Popular Hit Music Of 1959

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This week Joel Najman’s My Place program presents an hour of big and not-so-big popular music hit records from calendar year 1959. Memorable recordings by the Royal Teens, Clyde McPhatter, Brook Benton and others are among the selections featured
VPR News
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New Rutland Art Gallery A Colorful Contrast To Winter

By |
February can be a pretty drab month – color wise. But a new art exhibit at the Chaffee is all about color. while the stately Chaffee mansion is closed for weatherization and electrical renovations, art lovers can visit the Chaffe’s new downtown gallery on Merchants Row.
The VPR Saturday Special
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True Stories Told Live

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In this episode of The Moth Radio Hour, a severely stuttering child years later becomes the world’s premier jaguar expert, and more true stories told live.
Saturday Matinee
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Carmen

By |
Bizet’s Carmen is broadcast from the Met for the first time since the 2004-05 season. Listen Saturday at 1 p.m. Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera 
Friday Night Jazz With Reuben Jackson
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February Flowers

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Spend this final Friday in the month of love (or seemingly endless grey skies) with spirit- lifting recordings from Terri Lynne Carrington, Alice Coltrane, Mimi Fox, Patricia Barber, Marvin Gaye, Branford Marsalis, among other aural delights!
Vermont Garden Journal
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Vermont Garden Journal: Garden Designs

By |
Winter is a great time of year for garden planning. Whether it be a trip to Italy with me or a new garden bed, now is the time to get ready for the coming garden season. Charlie Nardozzi has been reading Toby Hemenway’s permaculture book, Gaia’s Garden, and has a few new design concepts he’s going to try.
Vermont Edition
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Vermont’s New Adjutant General

By |
Newly elected Adjutant General Steven Cray discusses issues affecting the National Guard, VPR’s Hamilton Davis analyzes Vermont’s efforts to establish a health care exchange and we listen back to the voices in the news.
VPR News

GMCB Sets Hospital Budget Targets

By |
The Green Mountain Care Board has established budget targets for Vermont’s 14 hospitals that will add as much as $85 million to the $2.1 billion that is budgeted for the current fiscal year. The actual amount of new money will depend on a series of board decisions on individual hospital budgets before the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. The minimum new money would be $64 million.
VPR News

Vt., NY And Quebec To Design Lake Study Plan

By |
The international organization that deals with issues in the Lake Champlain area is working to design a study to find ways to reduce future flooding in the lake and the Canadian river that drains it.
VPR News

House Gives Final Approval To Property Tax Increase

By |
If the Senate concurs, the statewide school property tax will go up 5 cents, to 94 cents per $100 of value for primary residences. Commercial and vacation properties will see their rate climb 6 cents, to $1.44.
Commentary Series
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Schubart: Compete or Collaborate

By |
Retired businessman Bill Schubart has volunteered since the age of 26 in the non-profit sector. In this commentary, he imagines the collaborative opportunities open to 26 Vermont’s colleges and universities in America’s shrinking student marketplace.
VPR News
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Give It Away Now

By |
A class of students at Middlebury College learned recently how difficult it can be to make wise philanthropic decisions when the class was asked to give away real money to worthy recipients.
VPR News

UVM Drops Canadian Studies Major

By |
Professor Dave Massell, director of the Canadian Studies program at the University of Vermont, talks with Vermont Edition about why he recommended changes for the program, making it available as a minor and not an academic major.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: World Islam

By |
The resignation of the pope has raised the attention of the mass media on the Roman Catholic Church – for the moment. But it has also prompted Barrie Dunsmore to reflect on just how much more of a factor than Catholicism Islam has become in shaping events of our world.
VPR News
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Head Start Programs Brace For Budget Cuts

By |
Unless Congress acts to prevent it, many federally funded programs will face severe budget cuts beginning March 1. That’s the date the budget-cutting plan called the "sequester" kicks in.  Among the targets likely to be hard hit in Vermont is Head Start, an early education program for low-income families.  
Classical Music With Kari Anderson

Sun Music

By |
We’ll hear A Song Before Sunrise by Frederick Delius, Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia, and the first Horn Concerto Richard Strauss in the 7:00 today.
VPR News

UVM Students Remember Fellow Student

By |
A University of Vermont student who was found dead in his off-campus apartment is being remembered as a friendly, funny, competitive and offbeat young man.
VPR News

Loan Program Targets Energy Efficiency, Renewables

By |
The Shumlin Administration and legislative leaders have proposed a new public-private loan program to boost energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The Clean Energy Loan Fund would consolidate existing state energy loan programs and increase private capital directed toward energy projects.
Vermont Edition
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Breaking The Tie

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Last week the Lieutenant Governor performed a part of his job description he very rarely gets to do: he cast the tie-breaking vote on the End of Life bill. We’ll talk to Phil Scott about that vote and his agenda for the start of his second term. We’ll also hear live music with Dwight & Nicole.
VPR News
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Child Care Advocates Say Training Is Paramount

By |
Governor Peter Shumlin has placed a priority on childcare accessibility and affordability, and wants the legislature to provide more funding for parents who need it. But how is Vermont training child care workers to reach high standards? And how are childcare centers evaluated?
VPR News

State Plane At Center Of Political Battle

By |
Until recently, most Vermonters probably weren’t aware that the state had its own plane. But news that Gov. Peter Shumlin used the single-engine Cessna in the run-up to last year’s election has lent the aircraft some celebrity.
VPR News

Wind Debate Might Come Before Recommendation

By |
Some Vermont legislators pushing for moratorium on wind power projects believe a pending recommendation from a commission created to review the sites won’t come in time to influence debate on the bill.
VPR News

Woman Dies At Stockbridge Cabin

By |
Vermont State Police say a 22-year-old Maryland woman has died after consuming large amounts of alcohol while at a cabin with friends.
VPR News

Legislature Poised To Elect New Guard Chief

By |
Three of the candidates to become the next leader of the Vermont National Guard have decades of military service. The fourth isn’t a guard member and is running to oppose the possibility the Air Force could send the F-35 fighter plane to Vermont.
Commentary Series
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Schneider: Education Governor

By |
Recently Governor Peter Shumlin broke with tradition and dedicated his second inaugural address to the single topic of education in Vermont. Richard Schneider was delighted to hear the governor focus on the importance and relevance of higher education. 
VPR News
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Committee Gets Testimony On Tar Sands Pipeline

By |
The CEO of a company that owns an oil pipeline across northern New England says the firm has no plans to ship Canadian tar sands oil on the line, but would welcome the opportunity to do so.
Vermont Edition
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Flexing Mayoral Muscles

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We look at why Vermont’s eight mayors are speaking out on state-wide issues and what they hope to accomplish, visit artist Eben Markowski’s life-size metal sculptures of wild animals and we read from our mailbag.
VPR News

Vt., Quebec To Work Together On Many Issues

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Governor Peter Shumlin says Quebec Premier Pauline Marois is committed to improving the rail connections between Montreal and New York, including the line through the Green Mountain State.
VPR News

Court Rules In Favor Of Retreat Program

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The Vermont Environmental Court has sided with the Brattleboro Retreat on a proposal to house patients participating in the psychiatric hospital’s Uniformed Service Program.
VPR News
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Oil Exec Says Line Could Be Used For Tar Sands

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The head of a regional oil pipeline company says he’s looking for new projects, including using the line to carry controversial tar sands oil across northern New England. The Legislature is reviewing the pipeline issue amid national protests against a project that would carry tar sands oil from western Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
VPR News

Farm, Forest Advocates Lobby For More Money

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Groups ranging from the Vermont Farm Bureau to the Vermont Natural Resources Council are pushing for a big boost in state funding for a program launched last year to promote Vermont’s agricultural and forestry sectors.
VPR News

Analysis: Troubling Portents In GMCB Process

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The Green Mountain Care Board is moving steadily toward establishment of a modestly credible budget inflation limit for the Vermont’s 14 hospitals for the coming fiscal year, a performance that would keep Gov. Peter Shumlin’s health reform initiative on track. But some troubling portents have showed up in the process so far.
VPR News

Crowd-Funding Platforms Hope To Target Investors

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Crowdfunding has taken off. Kickstarter is the best known crowdfunding site, but there are hundreds of online platforms like it. They enable entrepreneurs, artists and others to pitch an idea for a project and collect donations to finance it. But the day is coming when crowdfunding will be targeted to investors as well as donors.  
VPR News

College Student Jumps Off Bridge

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Colchester police say a St. Michael’s College student remains hospitalized after jumping off a bridge and falling 40 feet while running from security officers.
A Passion For Opera
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Mr. & Mrs.

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We’ll hear a program of operatic duets by singers who were married to each other – plus the February "Mystery Voice Quiz." Listen Saturday at 12 p.m.
The VPR Saturday Special
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True Stories Told Live

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The Moth features true stories told live without notes. This week on The Moth Radio Hour, a batboy for the New York Yankees goes on a wild goose chase for a left-handed bat-stretcher, an Irish-Catholic family obsessed with the Kennedys dedicates a summer to spying on their idols, a comedian experiences the ultimate heartbreak, and a drill sergeant faints at the sight of blood.
Saturday Matinee
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Rigoletto

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A brand-new production of Verdi’s classic is this week’s Met Opera broadcast. Listen Saturday at 1 p.m.
Commentary Series
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Slayton: Hopper in Vermont

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For at least a century, Vermont has been a quiet retreat for artists, both visual and otherwise. A recent book examined the visits that the great American artist Edward Hopper made to Vermont. Tom Slayton has this review.
Classical Music With Kari Anderson

Friday do-si-do

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Joe and I have switched shifts! On this second-to-last day of our drive we’ll hear Schumann’s Piano Concerto, Brahms Clarinet Quintet, and Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid Suite.
VPR News

More Funds Available For Irene Road Repairs

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The state of Vermont is planning to spend about $22.5 million to continue with road and bridge repairs caused by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene and other floods in 2011.
Art Hounds
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Art Hounds: Art

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Art Hounds share their love of fiber arts, photography, storytelling and more.
VPR News
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Advocates Decry Cuts To Vt. Reach Up Program

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Advocates and beneficiaries say Governor Peter Shumlin’s plan to cut a key welfare-to-work program by limiting the amount of time people get benefits will increase poverty and homelessness in Vermont.
VPR News

Vermont Country Store Names New President

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The Orton family, who owns the retail and mail-order catalog company, announced Wednesday that Chris Vickers, the chief merchandising and marketing officer, has been promoted to president and CEO.
VPR News

Bill Would Protect Same-Sex, Bi-National Couples

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More than a year after U.S. immigration authorities sought to split up a same-sex, bi-national couple living in Vermont, Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Susan Collins of Maine are pushing legislation to protect such couples.
VPR News
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Live Coverage Of President Obama’s State Of The Union Address

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VPR will carry live NPR coverage of President Obama’s State of the Union address. It’s the first address of his second term. The President is expected to expand on his proposals for new immigration and gun laws as well as budget and tax policy. Listen on-air, online, or mobile beginning at 9PM ET.
VPR News
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Senate Advances End Of Life Bill

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After passionate debate that stretched over six hours, the Vermont Senate took the first step toward passing a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with the help of a doctor’s prescription.
VPR News

End Of Life Debate Decided By Handful Of Senators

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The Vermont Senate voted Tuesday afternoon to advance legislation that allows terminally ill patients to end their lives with prescription drugs. A number of senators who were undecided on the issue made up their minds to support it over the weekend.
VPR News
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Lawmakers, Advocates Introduce Stun Gun Bill

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A group of Vermont lawmakers and the heads of disability and civil rights groups are pushing legislation that would create new rules governing police use of electronic stun guns.
Vermont Edition
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Buddhism in Vermont

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By some estimates, there are more Buddhists per capita in Vermont than in any other state. What does it mean to be a practicing Buddhist, and how does that practice affect the fabric of this state?
Commentary Series
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Gilbert: The Fire Next Time

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In January 1963, fifty years ago, the great American writer James Baldwin published a famous book entitled The Fire Next Time. According to Peter Gilbert, it was a profoundly influential statement about race relations in the midst of the Civil Rights movement.
VPR News
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Full Senate To Take Up End-of-Life Debate

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The Vermont Senate Tuesday turns to end-of-life choices. As state senators debate a bill that would give patients with less than six months to live the choice to end their lives with doctor-prescribed drugs, Vermont has emerged as a key battleground in the national debate over the issue.
VPR News

Bishop Reacts To Pope’s Resignation

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The head of Vermont’s Roman Catholic diocese says the news that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning "causes sadness in our hearts" but says the diocese will continue to be inspired by his teachings.
VPR News

State Police Warn Of Icy Roads

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Authorities say accumulating ice and slush has made roads dangerous in the Franklin County area and that black ice is a danger in Chittenden County.
VPR News
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Live Coverage Of President Obama’s State Of The Union Address

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VPR will carry live NPR coverage of President Obama’s State of the Union address. It’s the first address of his second term. The President is expected to expand on his proposals for new immigration and gun laws as well as budget and tax policy. Listen on-air, online, or mobile beginning at 9PM ET.
VPR News
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Entergy Wants To Limit State’s Role In Yankee’s Relicensing

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Lawyers for Entergy Vermont Yankee want to sharply limit the issues a state regulatory panel can review as it weighs Yankee’s request for a new 20-year state permit. The Public Service Board is considering whether Vermont’s only nuclear plant can operate until 2032. The plant already has approval from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Commentary Series
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Nadworny: Partnership for Change

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Creating a great 21st century education system is hard. It’s even harder, when you’re Burlington and Winooski and you have over 50 languages being spoken in the high schools. Rich Nadworny is seeing first hand how one group is tackling the problems.
VPR News

Pope To Resign On Feb. 28th

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Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign on Feb. 28 because he was simply too infirm to carry on – the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March.
VPR News

Lawmakers Look For Ways To Bridge Gender Wage Gap

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More than a decade has passed since lawmakers enacted the Vermont Equal Pay Act. But women in the workplace continue to earn less than their male counterparts. And the Legislature this year will again look for ways to bridge the wage gap between genders.
VPR News

Vermont Tax Forms Available Online

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Officials say the personal income tax return booklet, instructions, tax tables and other helpful information may be downloaded and printed from the "forms" section of the Vermont Department of Taxes website.
VPR News

Brattleboro To Get EPA Money

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One community in Vermont and two in Maine will receive technical assistance to pursue sustainable growth from the EPA.
VPR News

Senate To Vote On End Of Life Bill

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The Vermont Senate is gearing up for a vote on legislation that supporters call "death with dignity" and critics call "physician-assisted suicide."
My Place with Joel Najman

Songs About “Radio”

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This week Joel Najman’s My Place program presents an hour of vintage pop music songs that are about "radio" or which mention "radio" in the lyrics. Memorable songs by Chuck Berry, Joni Mitchell, Donna Summer and others are included.
A Passion For Opera
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Falstaff

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Peter Fox Smith explores with us some of the melodic gems, comedic monologues, and masterly ensembles that are woven into the unbroken stream of music that is Verdi’s final masterpiece, Falstaff. Listen Saturday at 12 p.m.
VPR News
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Analysis: Pertussis Prompts Review Of Immunization Exemption Law

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Lawmakers are reconsidering the philosophical and religious exemption to the childhood immunization law in the face of a rise in pertussis (whooping cough) cases. They’re also set to discuss the contentious end-of-life bill next week. VPR’s Bob Kinzel talks with Peter Biello about the week in legislative news.
Commentary Series
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Luskin: Towers

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For years, Deborah Luskin has been listening to her neighbors complain about the near total lack of cell service in her town; now that there are proposals to bring two towers to Newfane, she’s been listening to neighbors complain about what they’ll look like.
VPR News

Multiple Accidents Cause Delays On I-89 In Vt.

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Vermont State Police say several vehicles crashed in both the north and southbound sides of I-89 in South Burlington early this afternoon. This morning, a multiple-vehicle crash caused substantial traffic delays on I-89 south in the area known as "Bolton Flats."
Vermont Edition
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Sweet on Soda Tax?

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Today, lawmakers will begin considering a bill taxing sugar-laden beverages. The bill would implement a penny per ounce tax on sodas and sugar-sweetened beverages. We’ll discuss the pros and cons today.
VPR News

State Board Sets 4 Percent Inflation Rate For Hospital Budgets

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The Green Mountain Care Board has set forth a tentative target inflation rate of 4 percent for Vermont’s 14 hospitals for the coming fiscal year, a target that would add about $85 million to the current statewide spending level of $2.136 billion. The final system increase will depend on the board’s decisions on the individual hospitals’ requests.
VPR News
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Reach-up Recipients Say Program Is Lifeline, Not Handout

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Advocates and low-income people are pushing back on Gov. Peter Shumlin’s proposed cuts to the state’s main welfare-to-work program. Eight women, many of them single mothers, came to the House Human Services Committee this week to put a face on the budget decisions facing lawmakers.
Classical Music With Kari Anderson

Snowflakes

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In preparation for tomorrow’s snow, the Snowflake Ballet from Offenbach’s Voyage to the Moon. Also, a Ballet Suite from Shostakovich, and the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story of Leonard Bernstein.
VPR News

Vermont Bill Holds VY To Shutdown Promise

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Vermont lawmakers are looking to firm up a promise made by the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant that it would take extra steps to clean up the plant’s Vernon site after it shuts down.
VPR News

Berlin Considers Municipal Water System

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Berlin voters will weigh in next week on whether the town should borrow $5.5 million to create a municipal water system to serve the Four Corners area of town.
Art Hounds
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Art Hounds: Looking Back

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This week, our Art Hounds look back with an artist’s retrospective and a dance for those who’ve passed.
Commentary Series
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Dunsmore: The Gatekeepers

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When the Academy Awards are presented later this month, Barrie Dunsmore will be paying special attention to the documentary category. This morning he tells us why one particular film in this group is attracting great international interest.
Vermont Edition
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Senator Bernie Sanders

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Senator Bernie Sanders discusses the wind power moratorium in the state, gasoline prices and other issues, and we learn about Vermont Writes Day.
Commentary Series
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Krupp: New Local Solutions

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It’s hard to keep with all the new farm and food initiatives taking place in the Green Mountains. Ron Krupp describes three new sustainable models in Burlington, Berlin and Newport.
Vermont Edition
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Energy Efficient Design

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It can cost a lot of money to heat your house in the winter time. There are a few super energy efficient homes being built in Vermont right now that are so efficient they don’t have to spend any money at all on heating.We’ll learn all about the latest trends in energy efficient construction and how they can be used in Vermont.
VPR News
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Welch Says Community Events Are A Touchstone

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Over the past six years, Rep. Peter Welch has held almost 150 "Congress in Your Community" events throughout the state. It’s an opportunity for Vermonters to discuss their concerns with the Congressman in an informal setting.
VPR News

New Bill Would Require Pertussis Vaccine

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The Shumlin Administration says it won’t support legislation that’s designed to deal with an outbreak of pertussis in Vermont. Health Commissioner Harry Chen says his department can make solid progress on this issue without engaging in a legislative battle that it’s likely to lose.
VPR News

Dems Rip GOP Over School Lunches

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Vermont Democrats are firing barbs at Republican leaders in the state House after GOP members of a House committee voted against a proposal to provide free school lunches for low-income students.
VPR News

Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Introduced

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Bills newly introduced in the Vermont House and Senate would decriminalize marijuana. The bills would make penalties for possessing small amounts similar to a traffic ticket.
Commentary Series
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Mares: Health Care

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In many international sports America’s ranking may be #1, but writer, educator and commentator Bill Mares notes that among all advanced countries we come in a distant 17th – in health.
Commentary Series
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McCallum: Steeples

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In winter, Vermonters can see further across the stark landscape, noticing things that are less visible with foliage on the trees. Mary McCallum says it offers a better view of an architectural detail that serves as a beacon to travelers and churchgoers alike.
VPR News

Vets, Fiscal Office Question Break-open Ticket Tax

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The Shumlin Administration’s proposal to tax private lottery tickets is under scrutiny at the Statehouse. The Legislature’s fiscal office says the administration has over-estimated the potential tax revenue. And a veteran’s group that sells the tickets is worried the tax will cost it needed funds.
Vermont Edition
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The Truth About Fishers

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We set the record straight on the elusive little predator called the fisher and Karen Tronsgard Scott, executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, provides her perspective on the Violence Against Women Act.   
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Venice Baroque

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We’ll the complete Four Season of Antonio Vivaldi, played by the Giuliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra.  The VBO performs at the Hopkins Center tomorrow evening.
VPR News
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In Wake of Newtown, Schools Walk Tightrope on School Safety

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When students in South Burlington arrive at school Monday, new surveillance cameras will be filming the entry ways. It’s part of the South Burlington School District’s response to the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. School administrators across Vermont are struggling to balance increased security while maintaining a warm atmosphere.
VPR News
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Cash For Gold Dealers Grapple With New Law

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State Police say last week’s arrests in a case involving the theft of more than $200,000 worth of coins from an Alburgh home were the result of a recent law intended to help them track down stolen jewelry. But authorities say some of the area’s cash for gold dealers are ignoring the law and making it easy for thieves to sell stolen jewelry.
VPR News

Hunting Season Expanded For Snow Geese

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A decades-long boom in the population of snow geese is leading Vermont and New York to expand hunting seasons as part of a broader plan to cut their numbers in half across North America.
VPR News

Woman Seriously Injured In Snowmobile Crash

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Winhall Police & Rescue says Pamela Goulet lost control of her snowmobile Sunday morning while attempting to make a turn on a wooded trail. They say the snowmobile appeared to have rolled over her, causing serious injuries to her leg, arm, back and pelvis.
Commentary Series
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Schubart: Transparency

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Attorney General Sorrell opposes adopting the federal Freedom of Information Standard for disclosure of police records in Vermont. Bill Schubart thinks he should change his mind.
The VPR Saturday Special
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State Of The Re:Union: Pike County, Ohio

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Al Letson and guest producer Lu Olkowski visit a tiny town in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio where, for a century, residents have shared the common bond of identifying as African-American despite the fact that they look white.
VPR News

Grafton Officials Take “Wait And See” Approach On Wind Projects

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The town of Windham has been in the news recently for its efforts to defend a provision in its town plan banning commercial wind projects. Despite those efforts, a major energy company recently won permission to build wind test towers in Windham and neighboring Grafton. Officials in Grafton have been silent on the issue, but that may be changing. VPR’s Susan Keese reports.
Saturday Matinee
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Le Comte Ory

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Rossini’s comedy stars tenor Juan Diego Florez as the amorous Comte. Listen Saturday at 1 p.m.
VPR News
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Amid Debate, Lawmakers Get Hands-On Look At Guns

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The display of guns at the Statehouse – a place where firearms are otherwise prohibited – was the idea of Essex Representative Linda Waite-Simpson, the sponsor of a bill introduced this week that would ban ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds.
VPR News
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Waterbury Recovery Efforts Get $1 Million Boost

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The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board has awarded two nonprofit housing groups more than $1 million in state and federal funds to buy and reconfigure a building that has sat vacant since Tropical Storm Irene destroyed much of the state office complex. The project will create 27 new affordable apartments on Main Street.
Classical Music with Joe Goetz

Schubert’s Mass in G

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Schubert’s Mass in G will be performed by the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus this weekend, and we’ll hear it this afternoon.  Also, Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto and Dvorak’s tone poem "The Water Goblin."
Vermont Edition
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The End-of-Life Rights Debate

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We hear the debate over end-of-life rights after a week of hearings at the State House, VPR’s John Dillon provides analysis on wind power issues and we listen back to the voices in the week’s news.
VPR News

Gas Prices On The Rise

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The website VermontGasPrices.com shows the lowest prices ranging from $3.45 in Brattleboro to $3.53 around the state.
Vermont Edition
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Finding and Paying for Childcare

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Governor Shumlin has made providing child care for low-income Vermonters a priority in his budget this year. That still leaves a lot of middle-income families who are struggling to find and afford someone to help look after their kids. We’ll explore the landscape of child care in Vermont.
Commentary Series
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Slayton: Birding Champlain

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The connection Vermonters have with nature flourishes in winter as well as warmer times. Tom Slayton proved that point recently when he spent the day birdwatching along the shore of Lake Champlain.
VPR News

Health Care Advocates Worried About Increased Costs Under Exchange

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In his Budget speech last week, Governor Peter Shumlin said that Vermonters enrolled in Catamount Health Care won’t face additional financial burdens when the state’s new health care exchange goes into place next January.  But some health care advocates say the Governor is following through on only half of that pledge.
VPR News

New Vermonters: Pohkrel

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Chandra and Phul Pokhrel arrived in Vermont almost four years ago with their son, Austin. They had been living in a refugee camp in Nepal for 18 years. In Bhutan, their families owned land, had access to education and good jobs. Then they lost everything and were driven out of the country.
VPR News

Hartland Man Dies Of Crash Injuries

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Vermont State Police say 82-year-old Robert Guillette of Hartland fell asleep at the wheel on Interstate 91 south on Friday, going off the road and hitting a rock ledge in the median.
VPR News

Pastor In Same-Sex Parent Dispute Due In Court

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The Virginia pastor jailed for refusing to testify before a grand jury about other people involved in helping move a former Vermont woman out of the country to avoid sharing custody of her daughter with her former lesbian partner is due in a court in Vermont.
VPR News

New Vermonters: Pohkrel

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Chandra and Phul Pokhrel arrived in Vermont almost four years ago with their son, Austin. They had been living in a refugee camp in Nepal for 18 years. In Bhutan, their families owned land, had access to education and good jobs. Then they lost everything and were driven out of the country.
VPR News
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Environmentalist To Vt. Lawmakers: Act Now On Climate

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Environmentalist and author Bill McKibben addressed members of the legislature at the Statehouse Wednesday, urging them to pass legislation during this biennium that might combat climate change in Vermont – and elsewhere.
VPR News
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Mentors “Do Lunch”

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Mentors in Windsor County’s "Let’s Do Lunch" program show up every Thursday at Springfield’s Union Street School to have lunch and hangout with their mentoring partners.
VPR News
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Tar Sands Pipeline Should Get Act 250 Review, Groups Say

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Environmental groups say any effort to ship tar sands oil through a northern Vermont pipeline should be subject to the state’s land use review. The pipeline company has insisted it has no current plans to reverse the flow of an existing line to carry the heavy fuel across northern New England.
VPR News

New Vermonters: Hassan and Yusef

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Turns out, Burlington, Vermont is on the radar for many families in big cities around the country looking for a different pace of life. And yet these urban- transplants-turned-new-Vermonters are not our only new neighbors. There is another group of new Vermonters growing in numbers: the new Americans who came here as refugees. They are putting down roots, contributing to the community and embracing a new way of life.
VPR News

State Police Search O’Hagan’s Home

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Vermont State Police investigating the abduction and killing of a Sheffield grandmother more than two years ago have returned to her home to search the property.
VPR News

Caution Continues At Brattleboro Schools

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Extra school security will remain in place for the rest of the week in Brattleboro area schools as officials continue to manage the fallout from a possible security threat.
VPR News

New Vermonters: Hassan and Yusef

By |
Turns out, Burlington, Vermont is on the radar for many families in big cities around the country looking for a different pace of life. And yet these urban- transplants-turned-new-Vermonters are not our only new neighbors. There is another group of new Vermonters growing in numbers: the new Americans who came here as refugees. They are putting down roots, contributing to the community and embracing a new way of life.
VPR News
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Hearings Begin On Assisted Death Bill

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The Vermont Senate Health and Welfare Committee has started its week-long review of one of the most controversial and emotional issues of the session. A bill under consideration would allow physicians to prescribe drugs to help terminally ill people end their lives.
Commentary Series
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Killacky: A Moment in Time

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This week the Brooklyn Academy of Music is presenting the Trisha Brown Dance Company, featuring one of her most acclaimed works, "Set and Reset" that premiered there thirty years ago. The performance has particular significance for John Killacky.
VPR News

New Vermonters: Harte

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Rob and Alison Harte are urban transplants from New York City. In the winter of 2009, the Harte family visited good friends of theirs who moved to Burlington, Vermont a few years before. They had a great time, so much so that Alison left Vermont feeling like she had to find a way to get her family back there permanently. It took another two years for things to come together in such a way that made it possible.
VPR News

Hearings Begin On Assisted Death Bill

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Witnesses ranging from former Gov. Madeleine Kunin to Vermont’s current health commissioner, Dr. Harry Chen, are scheduled to testify to a state Senate committee about legislation that would allow physicians to help terminally ill patients end their own lives.
VPR News

New Vermonters: Harte

By |
Rob and Alison Harte are urban transplants from New York City. In the winter of 2009, the Harte family visited good friends of theirs who moved to Burlington, Vermont a few years before. They had a great time, so much so that Alison left Vermont feeling like she had to find a way to get her family back there permanently. It took another two years for things to come together in such a way that made it possible.
Commentary Series
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Gilbert: Frost’s Final Days

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Robert Frost died fifty years ago tomorrow at the age of eighty-eight. Here’s Peter Gilbert to tell us about the last days of a man that scholars generally now recognize as one of America’s greatest poets. 
VPR News

Lawsuit Alleges Corruption, Cover-Ups In Rutland City Police Force

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The highest-ranking members of the Rutland City Police Department are the focus of a lawsuit alleging a longstanding culture of corruption, misconduct and cover-ups. The suit was filed by a former police officer and targets Police Chief Jim Baker and other officers as well as former state public safety commissioner Thomas Tremblay.   
VPR News
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Celebration Marks Opening Of Bartonsville Bridge

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More than a hundred people braved frigid temperatures Saturday to celebrate the opening of the new Lower Bartonsville covered bridge. The single-lane, lattice-truss bridge is modeled on its 140 year old predecessor, which was swept into the Williams River in Tropical Storm Irene.
VPR News

New Vermonters: Bieber

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As part of the VPR News series, The New Vermonters, Jessica Ticktin interviewed Matt and Emily Bieber left their home in Los Angeles, California to move to Burlington, Vermont in July 2011.
VPR News

Republicans Rip Health Care Report

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Vermont Republican leaders say they’re not impressed with a new report from consultants to the Shumlin administration outlining some of the financial impacts of the state’s planned single-payer health care system.
VPR News

Vermont Farm Show Starts Tuesday

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The 81st annual show takes place Tuesday through Thursday and includes more than 150 agricultural exhibits from tractors to livestock to equipment.
VPR News

New Vermonters: Bieber

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As part of the VPR News series, The New Vermonters, Jessica Ticktin interviewed Matt and Emily Bieber left their home in Los Angeles, California to move to Burlington, Vermont in July 2011.
All the Traditions
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Oh Canada!

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Lots of music by Canadian artists, a hefty helping of jug band music, and, as always, some musical surprises!
A Passion For Opera
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Mozart & Richard Strauss

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In celebration of the January 27, 1756 birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and of the January 26, 1790 premiere of his opera Così fan tutte, and of the January 26, 1911 premiere of Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier – we’ll hear excerpts from these two wonderful operas.
Saturday Matinee
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La Rondine

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Puccini’s tale of Magda, who like the swallow of the title, goes south in search of romance and happiness. Listen Saturday at 1 p.m.