Vermont Public
Gov. Phil Scott highlights split between urban and rural Vermont in inaugural address
- Title
- Gov. Phil Scott highlights split between urban and rural Vermont in inaugural address
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- In his inaugural address last week, Gov. Phil Scott highlighted the power of 100 lawmakers who represent rural Vermont.
"There are 17 Senators and 83 House members who represent these left-behind communities. Which means if you ignore party labels, you actually have the majority here," Scott said.
🔗 https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-01-09/watch-or-listen-live-gov-phil-scott-inaugural-address
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- Gov. Phil Scott calls for new approach to funding Vermont schools
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- In his inaugural address on Thursday, Gov. Phil Scott pledged to fix a “broken and failing” education funding system and called for a different approach to funding Vermont schools.
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- Governor Scott's Inaugural Address
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Elections have consequences. And in his inaugural address this week, Governor Phil Scott made clear that he thinks he has a mandate to overhaul Vermont’s education system. But what will Democrats think of this potentially historic overhaul? And when push comes to shove, will anyone in Montpelier really muster the courage to make unpopular choices to cut costs. We have a full debrief from the opening days of the legislative session.
This week's panel:
Mark Davis - Moderator, Vermont Public
Pete Hirschfeld - Vermont Public
Alison Novak - Seven Days
Calvin Cutler - WCAX
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- Vermont Rep. Alice Emmons on how the Legislature has changed
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Broadcasting live from the Statehouse on Wednesday, Vermont Edition caught up with Rep. Alice Emmons, who first took office in 1983.
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- FULL VIDEO: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott's 2025 inaugural address
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Gov. Phil Scott will deliver his fifth inaugural address starting at 2 p.m. on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
https://www.vermontpublic.org
- Title
- Vermont Gov. Phil Scott comes out swinging on education funding during inaugural address
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Gov. Phil Scott proposed a sweeping overhaul of what he called Vermont’s “broken and failing” education funding and governing systems during his inaugural address Thursday.
In his first major speech since voters overwhelmingly reelected him and booted Democrats up and down the ballot from office, Scott focused on the topic that most infuriated Vermonters in November: affordability.
As is typical for an inaugural speech, Scott did not delve into specifics on Thursday — the details of his plan will be unveiled later this month during his budget address.
But in the broad strokes, Scott teased a plan that would overhaul Vermont’s byzantine school governance structure and see the state assume a direct role in deciding how much districts spend.
Read more and watch Scott's full address: https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-01-09/gov-scott-comes-out-swinging-on-education-funding-during-inaugural-address
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- Who takes care of Vermont’s tiny cemeteries?
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- We track down the Lorax of Vermont cemeteries and visit a farm in East Putney where the past and present collide.
Share your feedback about BLS! We’d love to hear from you and it will help us make the show even better. Plus: prizes! (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOb8h6ZOrF4q6DzPGfioRDKiuweCLAh9m8Er83Q6A2dGmjoA/viewform)
Thanks to Kathleen Cuneen of Thetford for the great question. Check out the web version of this episode for photos and a full transcript (https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2025-01-09/its-quiet-work-taking-care-of-vermont-cemeteries) .
This episode was reported by Sabine Poux. It was produced and edited by Burgess Brown and Josh Crane. Digital support from Sophie Stephens. Angela Evancie is Brave Little State’s Executive Producer. Our theme music is by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.
Special thanks to Sam Eaton, Tom Giffin and Martha How...
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- Talking about it: What residential schools did to Indigenous children
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- ***A heads up: This episode contains unbleeped swearing and covers sensitive material, including sexual abuse. Please listen with care.*** In this episode, Vermont Public reporter Elodie Reed joins Huntington, Vermont resident and Lakota elder Beverly Little Thunder and her daughter, Lushanya Echeverria, at the movies. Together they watch the documentary Sugarcane, about the horrific history and intergenerational trauma of residential or boarding schools.
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- Vermont Lt. Gov. John Rodgers pledges to govern in a bipartisan fashion
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Republican John Rodgers was elected lieutenant governor in a secret ballot by a joint assembly of the Vermont Legislature on Thursday. He defeated incumbent Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman by a vote of 158 to 18.
In a brief speech after taking the oath of office in the Senate chamber, Rodgers pledged to govern in a bipartisan fashion.
“I was a Democrat for many years, and now I'm a Republican. That said, I'm always a Vermonter first,” he said.
Thursday’s election was an unusual but not unprecedented event. Rodgers beat Zuckerman in the November elections, but because neither won more than 50% of the vote, the state constitution required lawmakers to name a winner. The last time lawmakers held such an election was ten years ago, when then-Gov. Peter Shumlin narrowly won his third term in office.
Read more: https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-01-09/lawmakers-elect-republican-john-rodgers-as-lieutenant-governor
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- Vermont Rep. Pattie McCoy on the Global Warming Solutions Act
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- In an interview with Vermont Public’s Mikaela Lefrak on Wednesday, Rep. Pattie McCoy reiterated her criticism of the clean heat standard, a policy that would reduce the use of fossil fuels in home heating by asking companies that import heating fuels to help their customers transition to greener heating technologies.
If those companies can’t or won’t engage in that work, then they’d have to buy clean heat credits from the state.
“This was a carbon tax. Plain and simple,” she said.
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- Jill Krowinski and Phil Baruth reelected to Vermont legislative leadership
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- House Speaker Jill Krowinski and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth have negotiated power-sharing agreements in recent days with the Republicans minority leaders who now hold far more sway over the course of legislative actions.
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-01-08/vermont-house-speaker-jill-krowinski-reelected-to-leadership-fending-off-challenge
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- Vermont Public reporters preview the 2025 legislative session
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Vermont Public reporters Peter Hirschfeld and Bob Kinzel offer a preview of the 2025 legislative session, which begins this week.
Follow along with our coverage of the new session at vermontpublic.org.
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- Just over half of Vermont high schoolers feel like they matter to people in their community
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Vermont’s latest statewide survey of middle and high school students has intensified concerns about youth mental health. On a special edition of Vermont This Week, we sit down with an expert panel to discuss what steps can be taken to best support youth in the state.
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- As mental health challenges persist, what do Vermont students need?
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Vermont’s latest statewide survey of middle and high school students has intensified concerns about youth mental health. Dana Kaplan, the executive director of Outright Vermont, joined Vermont This Week's youth mental health panel to discuss the needs of LGBTQ+ students.
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- Child psychiatrist Dr. Steven Schlozman on the need for belonging for middle schoolers
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Child psychiatrist and University of Vermont professor Dr. Steven Schlozman joined Vermont This Week's youth mental health panel to discuss the need for belonging for middle school students.
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- Youth Mental Health
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Vermont’s latest statewide survey of middle and high school students has intensified concerns about youth mental health. On a special edition of Vermont This Week, we sit down with an expert panel to discuss what steps can be taken to best support young people in the state.
This week's panel:
Mitch Wertlieb - Moderator, Vermont Public
Dr. Mark Levine - Vermont’s Commissioner of Health
Dana Kaplan - Executive Director, Outright Vermont
Dr. Steven Schlozman - Chief, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UVM Larner College of Medicine
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- Former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin reflects on her childhood, her mother's idealism
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- When she sat down with Vermont Public's Mitch Wertlieb in November, former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin reflected on her path to public service.
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- Vermont This Week's top 10 stories of 2024 | Republican victories in the Vermont Legislature
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- In November, Republicans picked up more seats in the Vermont Legislature than they have in more than a decade and dislodged the Democratic/Progressive supermajority. Our Vermont This Week panelists named that story one of our top 10 of the year.
Tap the link below to read Vermont's top 10 stories of 2024 and watch the latest episode of Vermont This Week.
🔗 https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-this-week/2024-12-27/vermonts-top-10-stories-from-2024
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- Yann Falquet performs live on Vermont Edition
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Yann Falquet is a Brattleboro-based guitarist who specializes in Québécois traditional music. Falquet and folk musicians Seamus Eagan and Moira Smiley joined Vermont Edition in studio earlier this month.
🔗 https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-edition/2024-12-17/live-music-and-conversation-with-folk-musicians-seamus-egan-moira-smiley-and-yann-falquet
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- Vermont This Week's top stories of 2024 | Landmark health care report
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Our seventh top story of the year, voted on by our Vermont This Week panelists, is the 114-page landmark report that recommends dramatic changes to Vermont’s health care delivery system in order to bring down costs.
Tap the link below to read our top 10 stories and watch the latest episode of Vermont This Week.
🔗 https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-this-week/2024-12-27/vermonts-top-10-stories-from-2024
- Title
- Top 10 Stories of 2024
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- As 2024 comes to a close, we recount the top 10 stories of the year, as voted on by our panelists.
This week's panel:
Mitch Wertlieb - Moderator, Vermont Public
Mark Johnson - WCAX
Lola Duffort - Vermont Public
Lisa Scagliotti - Waterbury Roundabout
- Title
- ‘What does the concept of mother and child mean to you?’
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- For this intimate Homegoings Shorty, Vermonter Raph Draws asks host Myra Flynn a question that doesn’t have one right or wrong answer: “What does motherhood mean to you?” Myra sits down with her mother Martha Mathis and her daughter Avalon as three generations share the holidays and their thoughts about mothers and daughters.
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- Legislative committee recommends changes for Vermont farmworkers
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- With Vermont’s 2025 legislative session just weeks away, lawmakers consider minimum wage recommendations for agricultural workers. Plus, the Scott administration plans a push to delay ‘Raise the Age’ juvenile justice reforms for a fourth year in a row. And a look at health care in Lamoille County.
This week's panel:
Mitch Wertlieb - Moderator, Vermont Public
Calvin Cutler - WCAX
Elodie Reed - Vermont Public
Aaron Calvin - Stowe Reporter/News & Citizen
- Title
- Folk musician Seamus Egan hated practicing the flute
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Vermont folk musicians Seamus Egan, Moira Smiley and Yann Falquet joined Vermont Edition earlier this week to perform in front of a live studio audience.
They also chatted with host Mikaela Lefrak about their inspirations, their love of folk traditions and Vermont's local music scene.
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- A Vermont hunter shares his reverence for deer
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- We at Brave Little State aren’t big hunters. But when Alex Larrabee, a 10th grader in the Northeast Kingdom, asked us why people like to go hunting so much, we put on our blaze orange and went to find out for ourselves.
Alex Smith, a hunter in Bristol, took us out for a day at one of his favorite spots.
- Title
- BLS goes hunting
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Alex Larrabee is in 10th grade at the Danville School in the Northeast Kingdom. She doesn’t hunt, but her family does and her classmates do. And she’s noticed that people who go hunting… it’s not a casual interest. They’re passionate about it. Alex, on the other hand, doesn’t really get what all the fuss is about.
Now, we at Brave Little State are not big hunters, and neither is Lola Duffort, our reporter for this episode. So, we figured the best way and probably the only way to answer Alex’s question was to head into the woods and see for ourselves. We hope you’ll tag along.
Check out the web version of this episode for photos from our hunting excursion and a full episode transcript (https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2024-12-19/a-collection-of-somewhat-torturous-events-brave-little-state-goes-hunting) .
...
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- Seamus Egan, Moira Smiley and Yann Falquet Live on Vermont Edition
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Mikaela Lefrak of Vermont Edition hosted some of Vermont's finest folk musicians, Seamus Eagan, Moira Smiley and Yann Falquet, in front of a live studio audience. They brought their instruments along to perform their music and to chat with Mikaela about their inspirations, their love of folk traditions, and the local music scene.
Seamus Egan is an internationally acclaimed Irish folk musician based in Vermont. He’s the founder of the Irish-American band Solas, and is well known as one of the leading composers and interpreters of the tradition.
Moira Smiley is a Bristol-based folk musician and composer. She has recorded and performed with the indie-pop band the Tune Yards, and her new album out this year is called "The Rhizome Project."
Yann Falquet is a Brattleboro-based guitarist who specializes in Québécois traditional music.
More at https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-edition/2024-12-17/live-music-and-conversation-with-...
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- University of Vermont men's soccer team returns to Burlington after national championship win
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Fans gathered at the University of Vermont on Tuesday to welcome home the Catamounts men’s soccer team, who took home the NCAA national championship last night.
“I watched the ending of that game, and I played it back and watched it again. Played it back, watched it again,” former U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy told the crowd. “None of you will ever forget that. But we Vermonters won’t forget it either.”
Junior Maximilian Kissel scored in a sudden-death overtime to help Vermont beat Marshall 2-1 on Monday night for the program's first national championship.
🔗 https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-12-16/uvm-mens-soccer-wins-ncaa-national-championship-in-overtime
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- The strain at Vermont's Human Rights Commission
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Vermont's Human Rights Commission is turning away cases due to a lack of capacity. Watch the latest episode of Vermont This Week:
https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-this-week/2024-12-13/in-review-vermont-migration-numbers-trump-administration-implications-cannabis-advertising-lawsuit
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- Bernie Sanders look-alike contest held in Burlington
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Eight men sporting white hair and glasses lined up in front of onlookers at City Hall Park in Burlington on Saturday to celebrate their resemblance to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The event was the latest in a string of viral celebrity look-alike contests popping up around the world. It started in October, when a look-alike contest for actor Timothée Chalamet drew hundreds of onlookers — and an appearance from Chalamet himself.
Spreading the word through flyers and on social media, fans have since set up their own local look-alike events.
John Bronstein of Putney took home the contest’s grand prize: a sandwich bag filled with $17, Sanders’ proposed federal minimum wage.
“So many people come up to me and say, ‘Are you Bernie Sanders?’ Especially people who have poor eyesight,” Bronstein said.
Read the full story: https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-12-14/bernie-sanders-look-alike-competition-held-in-b...
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- Cannabis retailer sues Vermont Cannabis Control Commission over advertising restrictions
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- A cannabis retailer filed a lawsuit against the Vermont Cannabis Control Commission this week over the state's cannabis advertising restrictions, arguing they infringe on constitutional rights to free speech.
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- Thousands more people are moving into Vermont than moving away
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- A new study from the state treasurer's office finds that on a per capita basis, Vermont had the highest net in-migration of any New England state, and the third highest rate in the U.S. last year. Plus, with January’s Presidential inauguration rapidly approaching, we take stock of the potential impacts the Trump administration could have on Vermont. And a cannabis retailer files suit over the state’s advertising rules.
This week's panel:
Mitch Wertlieb - Moderator, Vermont Public
Anne Wallace Allen - Seven Days
Howard Weiss-Tisman - Vermont Public
Auditi Guha - VTDigger
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- Why do Black folks carry hot sauce in their bag?
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Vermonter Kiah Morris wants to know why Black folks have a history of carrying hot sauce in their bag. In this spicy Homegoings Shorty we dive right into it with Torrance, California, hot sauce maker Brittney McCray, and unpack how the Great Migration impacted the portability of this spicy condiment.
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- Vermont Public Classical host Helen Lyons shares her holiday music favorites
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- ‘Tis the season for classical music, and Vermont Public Classical host Helen Lyons has you covered.
From traditional tunes to modern twists on Christmas classics, you can hear Helen’s favorites on Music for the Season, our streaming station dedicated to holiday music.
🎶 Helen’s picks 🎶
“A Christmas Festival” (John Rutter)
“J.S. Bach Christmas Cantatas” (Ton Koopman)
“The Cherry Tree” (Anonymous 4)
“Songs of Joy and Peace” (Yo-Yo Ma)
“Imagine Christmas” (Sono Luminus)
Tap the link below to listen, or tell your speaker, “Alexa, play the Vermont Public holiday stream.”
🔗 https://www.vermontpublic.org/holiday
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- Percentage of female lawmakers in Vermont Legislature drops
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- The percentage of female lawmakers in the Vermont Legislature will drop when the new legislative session begins in January.
VTDigger's Sarah Mearhoff and Erin Petenko dove into the details on the latest episode of Vermont This Week.
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- What's driving increases in Vermont's property taxes?
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- With the 2025 legislative session on the horizon, a new analysis out this week predicts a 5.9% hike in property taxes next year. And everyone seems to think that’s too high.
Education spending is up, and WCAX political reporter Calvin Cutler says factors like building maintenance and health care costs are driving that increase.
- Title
- New analysis predicts 5.9% hike in Vermont property taxes next year
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- With the 2025 legislative session on the horizon, a new analysis out this week predicts a 5.9% hike in property taxes next year. But are statehouse officials willing to make the tough choices to bring the rates down? Plus, the Vermont Treasurer’s Office launches a new retirement savings program. The feds have built some new surveillance towers, but want to cut back on crossing stations. A Moretown couple raises their home, and Milton remembers a local servant.
This week's panel:
Mark Davis - Moderator, Vermont Public
Sarah Mearhoff - VTDigger
Calvin Cutler - WCAX
Erin Petenko - VTDigger
- Title
- Vermont Edition // Live form Jay Peak!
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Vermont Edition broadcasted live from Jay Peak on 12/5. Host Mikaela Lefrak talked to a slate of ski-loving guests about the outlook for this year's ski season, the gnarly effects of climate change and the sweet feeling you get when you're skiing.
You can listen to the whole show right here.
https://youtu.be/lYOkiJxWMyg
It's going to be totally radical.
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- How has Vail’s acquisition of Vermont ski areas impacted locals?
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- It’s been seven years since Colorado-based Vail Resorts bought the ski resort at Stowe. Almost immediately, Vail cut the cost of a season pass there in half. But cheaper skiing hasn’t deterred people from lampooning Vail online or displaying angry bumper stickers in ski town parking lots — spotlighting a tension over the soul of Vermont ski culture and ski towns.
In this episode, we look into what’s changed since Vail’s entry here, from chairlift upgrades to stress on the housing market. Plus, a general sense of transformation that’s harder to pinpoint.
Check out the web version of this episode (https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2024-12-05/how-has-vails-acquisition-of-vermont-ski-areas-impacted-locals) for photos from our reporting and a full episode transcript. And to learn more about a new exhibit on Vermont’s lost ski areas, check out the Vermont Sk...
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- Venison for Vermonters processes and donates wild game to those in need
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Since March 2020, Vermont Fish and Wildlife game warden Abby Serra has helped run the program Venison for Vermonters.
When wild animals — largely deer — are killed on the road or illegally hunted, Serra and others butcher and process them. The meat is then donated to people who are food insecure. To date, more than 3,000 pounds of wild game meat has been donated to local food shelves across the state.
Vermont Public’s morning news producer Nathaniel Wilson recently met up with Serra in Rutland County. He arrived to find a skinned and gutted deer ready for processing.
Note: this story contains graphic descriptions and sounds of butchering.
Tap the link below for more ⬇️
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-12-02/game-wardens-process-wild-game-donate-it-vermonters-in-need-venison-for-vermonters
- Title
- From pavement to plate: Game wardens process wild game, donate it to Vermonters in need
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Since March 2020, Vermont Fish and Wildlife game warden Abby Serra has helped run the program Venison for Vermonters.
When wild animals — largely deer — are killed on the road or illegally hunted, Serra and others butcher and process them. The meat is then donated to people who are food insecure. To date, more than 3,000 pounds of wild game meat has been donated to local food shelves across the state.
Vermont Public’s morning news producer Nathaniel Wilson recently met up with Serra in Rutland County. He arrived to find a skinned and gutted deer ready for processing.
Note: this story contains graphic descriptions and sounds of butchering.
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- Animal shelters in Vermont
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Animal shelters throughout the state are fundamental to the communities they serve, providing care to animals in need and supporting the human-animal bond through advocacy, education, and adoption. On a special edition of Vermont This Week, we sit down with representatives from three Vermont shelters to hear about the challenges they’re facing, what the future looks like, and how you can help. Ahead, on Vermont This Week.
This week's panel:
Mitch Wertlieb - Moderator, Vermont Public
Erika Holm - Co-Executive Director, Central Vermont Humane Society & Chair, VT animal cruelty board
Krista Malaney - Executive Director, Homeward Bound
Emily Hecker - Director of Development, Humane Society of Chittenden County
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- What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Happy Thanksgiving, Vermont 🦃
On the latest episode of Vermont This Week, panelists shared their favorite Thanksgiving dishes — mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallow, cottage cheese cheesecake and paninis stuffed with leftovers.
What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
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- Vermont Public 2024 Annual Impact Report
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Media is more than news and entertainment—it’s a lens through which we understand our world and each other. The way we engage with media has transformed rapidly in recent years, yet Vermont Public remains deeply committed to delivering trusted, relevant content on-air, online, and through live events.
Serving our community is our purpose; you are at the heart of everything we do. As you’ll see in the following report, this purpose took on new meaning this year through our Citizens Agenda project. We spoke with hundreds of people across the state to understand their concerns and priorities. These conversations guided the questions we asked candidates in debates, focusing on issues that mattered most—taxes, climate, housing, education, and health care.
When this year’s devastating floods hit, we provided crucial information and coverage, demonstrating our commitment to be there for our community during natural disasters and emergencies.
I...
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- How do you cook YOUR greens? - the remix
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Don’t call it a rerun, call it a remix! In this remixed episode of ‘How do you cook YOUR greens?’ host Myra Flynn catches up with chef Harmony Edosomwan to see what’s new in her world of business — and her collard greens, since it came out last year. Along with a world-renowned chef and Myra’s mother, they explore how the history of a once undesirable food mimics the resilience, innovation and perseverance of a once considered undesirable people.
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- What's driving the cost of Vermont's temporary family shelters?
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Two temporary state-run shelters for families experiencing homelessness will cost an estimated $3 million for five months of operation, the Department for Children and Families commissioner said earlier this month.
That price tag is driven, in part, by the last-minute nature of the shelter operations at the former state police barracks in Williston and the former National Guard armory in Waterbury — and the fact that the state could not secure a local shelter provider to run them.
On a per-household, per-night basis, the new state shelters are significantly more costly than the motel program, but are also continually staffed and offer more support services on-site.
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- State officials peg shelter cost at $3M
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Officials say two temporary state-run shelters for families experiencing homelessness will cost an estimated $3 million for five months of operation. Plus, President-elect Trump’s deportation plan spurs calls for protections for Vermont farmworkers. And Burlington’s police chief announces that he won’t seek reappointment in 2025.
This week's panel:
Mikaela Lefrak - Moderator, Vermont Public
Carly Berlin - Vermont Public/VTDigger
Peter Hirschfeld - Vermont Public
Katharine Huntley - WCAX
- Title
- How one Vermont company is accelerating the speed of housing construction
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- The gap between housing stock and housing needs has significantly driven up housing prices in Vermont. Some think alternative methods of construction, including modular builds, could help.
Vermont is facing a serious housing crisis. Rental vacancy rates are 3.5% statewide, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and a recent study done by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency found by 2030 the state needs between 24,000 and 36,000 new housing units.
Part of the problem is that Vermont isn’t building homes fast enough.
In East Montpelier, modular home manufacturer Huntington Homes uses factory line construction methods to speed up the process.
The company ships modules and assembles the home on site. Huntington Homes can build a house in 96 hours – and set it on a foundation in four. That’s a lot faster than the traditional length of time it takes to build a house, a timeline which is often exacerbated by a lack of skilled labor in th...
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- Trump deportation plan spurs calls for protections for Vermont farmworkers
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- One of President-elect Donald Trump’s key campaign promises could have serious ramifications for Vermonters living in the country without legal authorization, and advocates want state and local officials to protect migrant farmworkers and other immigrants from any mass deportation efforts undertaken by the federal government.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to deport all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally. That population includes approximately 1,500 immigrants living and working on Vermont’s dairy farms, many of whom have resided in the state for more than a decade.
🔗 https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-11-19/trump-deportation-plan-spurs-calls-protections-vermont-farmworkers
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- How do we lower Vermont's health care costs?
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- As conversations about how to contain Vermont's rising health care costs continue throughout the state, providers, businesses, schools, and nonprofits question how long they can bear the expense.

