802 News with Mark Johnson

Send us Fan Mail Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski is not running for re-election in November after 14 years as a legislator and speaker since 2021. The 46-year-old Burlington Democrat discusses accomplishments, disappointments and challenges including a swatting incident and a stalker who required court intervention. 

Send us Fan Mail Ryan McLaren , a former top aide to Sen. Peter Welch, is running for lieutenant governor. He faces Molly Gray and Esther Charlestin in the August Democratic Party primary. The winner will face incumbent John Rodgers, a Republican, in November. McLaren, 40, says his campaign is focused on hope, housing and health care and his "opponent in this race is nihilism, the sense (peop...

Send us Fan Mail Molly Gray , a former lieutenant governor, wants her old job back and is in a three-way primary for the Democratic Party nomination. The winner will face incumbent Lt. Gov. John Rodgers, a Republican, in November. Gray, 42, was elected as lieutenant governor in 2020 and lost a bid in 2022 for Vermont's lone seat in the U.S. House in the primary to Becca Balint. Since then, sh...

Send us Fan Mail Amanda Janoo , an economics and policy expert, is running for governor. She faces child care advocate Aly Richards for the Democratic Party nomination. The primary will be in August. Janoo, 38, grew up in Strafford, Vermont, lives in Burlington and works with the Wellbeing Economy Alliance .  

Send us Fan Mail The former chief executive director of Let's Grow Kids is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for governor . Richards, 40, will face economist Amanda Janoo in the Democratic Party primary in August for the chance to run against Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who will be seeking his sixth two-year term.

Send us Fan Mail Vermont investigative journalist Jasper Craven's new book "God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood" explores how the military and its training institutions have shaped the meaning of manhood and fueled toxic masculinity. 

Send us Fan Mail Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt, calls the war in Iran a "catastrophe." He also discusses the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the role of state and local police in a recent ICE raid in South Burlington. 

Send us Fan Mail Innovation has increased maple syrup output over the last two decades, reducing fears that climate change could cause a "maple-pocalypse." Vermont sugar makers are thriving, producing half the country's syrup, using practices like vacuum tubing and reverse osmosis to increase the amount of sap per tree. Steve Palmer owns Shelburne Sugarworks , a 170-acre farm that u...

Send us Fan Mail Leaders of South Burlington, Burlington and Vermont State Police defended their departments' actions during a March 11 federal immigration enforcement effort in South Burlington. Police Chiefs William Breault and Shawn Burke, Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison and VSP Col. Matthew Birmingham appeared before the Vermont Senate and House Judiciary Committees. Afterwar...

Send us Fan Mail State Sen. Phil Baruth recounts the highs and lows of his 16 years in the Vermont State Senate, including efforts to pass gun control legislation and boosting childcare subsidies. The Democrat/Progressive is stepping down after this session and will keep writing and teaching at the University of Vermont.

Send us Fan Mail Statistics from the Burlington Police Department for 2025 show an overall decrease in violent crime, including homicides, and reductions in quality-of-life incidents including burglaries, retail theft, stolen automobiles and car break-ins. Drug arrests are up. However, domestic assaults increased. And recruitment of new police officers remains a challenge. Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stan...

Send us Fan Mail Vermont journalist Peggy Shinn previews some of the events and participants at this year's Winter Olympics in Italy, including several with ties to Vermont. The Northeast Kingdom native has covered eight Olympics during her career. 

Send us Fan Mail There's a new book coming out about Bernie Sanders and Burlington. The author is Dan Chiasson, a Queen City native. " Bernie for Burlington " traces the political rise of Sanders from his 1981 mayoral win to his two unsuccessful bids for the presidency. Chiasson  also shares his observations about Burlington. The author will be part of a book launch event at Burling...

Send us Fan Mail Many boys and young men are struggling with isolation and loneliness and there is a significant gender gap in academic achievement, opioid deaths and suicide rates . Why? A Vermont documentary " Gone Guys " and the nationally acclaimed book " Of Boys and Men " explore these challenging issues. UVM's Ali Mahmood , assistant director of the Interfaith Center...

Send us Fan Mail Burlington attorney Walter Judge was one of the approximately 4,000 people in the US who received a heart transplant this year.

Send us Fan Mail Lawmakers and Gov. Scott agreed last year to major education reform in hopes of  reducing chronic property tax increases. However, a committee charged with drawing up new school districts presented this summer a different approach. How will the governor and legislature respond when lawmakers return to Montpelier next month? We spoke with 7Days education reporter Alison Novak about...

Send us Fan Mail Jessie Krebs is an outdoor survival skills expert. She discusses how to prepare for an adventure and what to do when things go wrong. Krebs runs O.W.L.S. Skills and teaches courses throughout the country, including here in Vermont. She graduated from Air Force survival training and lasted 46 days on the TV show "Alone."

Send us Fan Mail President Donald Trump is "an autocrat" who poses an unprecedented threat to American democracy. So says former Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Amestoy. With Trump loyalists running the Justice Dept., the FBI and the military, Amestoy worries the president will disregard court orders and election results with impunity. As Trump amasses power, Amestoy warns: &...

Send us Fan Mail Mitra Mahtab (Naeimi), a 29-year-old Afghan woman, fled her country in 2021 after the United States completed its troop withdrawal and the Taliban regained control. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the 2001 9/11 attacks seeking to root out members of Al Quaeda. The Taliban greatly restricts the rights of Afghan women. Mitra had a long journey to reach the U.S. in 2023 and plans...

Send us Fan Mail Interim Police Chief Shawn Burke says a lack of accountability is a major factor behind the increase in drug use, theft, violent crime and other illegal activity in Vermont's largest city.  Burke was police chief in South Burlington but agreed in March to return as the interim chief in Burlington, where he previously worked for 21 years. In an interview at City Hall Park, a p...

Send us Fan Mail Heather Darby is a seventh generation farmer in Alburgh. She is an expert in sustainable agriculture at the UVM Extension Service. She has a Masters in Agronomy and a PhD in crop and soil management. We talked about this year's severe drought and her concerns about the future viability of farming here in Vermont. 

Send us Fan Mail Former Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Amestoy writes about why famed lawyer Clarence Darrow became involved in a grisly murder case in the Green Mountain State in the 1920's.  The book, Winters' Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder that Brought America's Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont, can be purchased from the Vermont Historical Society.  

Send us Fan Mail Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas says the Trump administration is attempting to tamp down voter participation with false claims about the accuracy of elections, "witch hunt" requests she'll oppose to turn over sensitive voter information and calls to scrap mail-in voting. Those efforts, along with sending National Guard troops to patrol major cities in large...

Send us Fan Mail A grassroots group, Building Burlington's Future , recently formed to confront some of the issues facing the Queen City and advocate for policies to make the city "affordable, safe and vibrant."

Send us Fan Mail Owen Foster, chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, discusses the recent cost reductions proposed by the University of Vermont Health Network and the improved communications between the regulator and the state's largest health care provider. Hospital budget hearings before the GMCB start in August. Also, Chris Pearson of Vermont Health Care 911, reacts to the proposed cuts a...