802 News with Mark Johnson

Send us Fan Mail PBS journalist and author Ray Suarez will preach and discuss his book "We Are Home: Becoming American in the 21st Century" at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington on Sunday, July 20th. The book is an oral history of immigrants who've come to the United States. Suarez will also discuss the recent immigration crackdown by the Trump administration. (An event...

Send us Fan Mail A new advocacy group, Vermont Healthcare 911 , is taking aim at the rising costs of health care and increasing insurance rates. Coalition members Lisa Ventriss and Dr. Craig Jones discuss why they think their group's efforts -- along with the Green Mountain Care Board , the state's regulatory body -- will be more successful than past attempts to contain medical spending,...

Send us Fan Mail WCAX veteran photojournalist Joe Carroll talks about his journey after learning last year he has advanced prostate cancer. The 62-year-old host of "Super Seniors" is currently in remission. 

Send us Fan Mail The recent arrest of undocumented farmworkers by federal agents in Franklin County at the state's largest dairy operation has sparked fears of further enforcement efforts, as well as outrage against the Trump administration. Will Lambek of Migrant Justice discusses the reaction of the farming community and the resilience of the migrants who come primarily from Mexico. Vermont...

Send us Fan Mail Does increasing tariffs make sense? UVM Economics professor Rich Sicotte explains the history, mechanics and wisdom of President Trump's push to levy higher fees on imported products.

Send us Fan Mail Sen. Peter Welch says there are limits to what he can do to stop the "lawless and pretty cruel" policies of the Trump administration given that Democrats are in the minority in the U.S. Senate. "It's hard, it's dangerous, but these are the times we're in. And I think we've got to hang in."

Send us Fan Mail Burlington-based historian Garrett Graff discusses "Life Became Very Blurry," an oral history of the pandemic featuring interviews of Vermonters. The Vermont Historical Society initiated the project. 

Send us Fan Mail Burlington-based journalist and historian Garrett Graff says the country is at an "enormously dangerous moment" and has seen "the quick unraveling of many of the foundations" of American democracy since Donald Trump's return to the presidency in January. 

Send us Fan Mail A key Vermont official is worried federal cuts to Medicaid could hurt patients, rural hospitals, physician practices and nursing homes. Congress is considering cuts to the program which costs more than $2.2 billion a year in Vermont. DaShawn Groves is the commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access, which oversees the Medicaid program, which covers 172,000 Vermonters. ...

Send us Fan Mail Attorney General Charity Clark discusses the court cases Vermont has joined alongside other states against the Trump administration. 

Send us Fan Mail Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad will step aside in April after almost five years running the department. He cited differing views on policing than Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak for why he's leaving. Murad said the new chief will face multiple challenges, including recruiting more officers to a department still affected by city leaders' "tremendously bad" decisio...

Send us Fan Mail State Treasurer Mike Pieciak is promoting a program to wipe out medical debt for many low and moderate-income Vermonters. The proposal would also prevent medical debt from being included on an individual's credit report.

Send us Fan Mail The former eight-term senator discusses his accomplishments while in office, the presidents he served alongside, hip surgery, returning to Vermont and "the rock," his wife Marcelle. 

Send us Fan Mail Former Senator Patrick Leahy criticizes President Donald Trump's rampant misstatements, misguided pardons and cabinet nominees. Leahy also highlights some of his accomplishments during his 48-year Senate career. 

Send us Fan Mail Sue Wear has been helping families find their lost pets since 2013. She solved one of her most challenging canine cases recently, Ruby, a mixed breed rescue who was on her own for four months throughout Chittenden County before being humanely captured in December. 

Send us Fan Mail In December 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled the state's prohibition on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. In the Baker decision , the justices ordered the Legislature to either allow gay marriage or establish an alternative system to afford those rights. The Legislature created civil unions. Plaintiffs Stan Baker and Peter Harrigan discuss the ruling and the vitrio...

Send us Fan Mail In December 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled the state's prohibition on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. In the Baker decision , the justices ordered the Legislature to either allow gay marriage or establish an alternative system to afford those rights. The Legislature created civil unions. In part 1, plaintiffs Stan Baker and Peter Harrigan discuss the ruling and...

Send us Fan Mail An internal survey found widespread dissatisfaction among Burlington Police officers. Officers feel overwhelmed -- still -- after the city council voted to reduce the force in 2020 soon after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd. Burlington detectives Eric Dalla Mura and Padric Hartnett discuss the rank and file concerns, including public support for more police oversi...

Send us Fan Mail Lawmakers responded to the property tax revolt and budget defeats earlier this year by forming the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont. Chair Meagan Roy discusses some of the findings and funding ideas in the draft report  the commission will share with the Legislature next week. 

Send us Fan Mail Vermont is the 11th state to allow legalized sales of cannabis. James Pepper is the chair of the Cannabis Control Board which oversees regulation of the industry from seed to sale.

Send us Fan Mail Ginny Sweetser died by suicide after battling PTSD from her military service in Iraq. Her mother, Susan , is part of an effort to have wreaths placed at the gravesites of all Vermont veterans this holiday season. Click here to sponsor a wreath as part of the Wreaths Across America project.

Send us Fan Mail Singer-songwriter Jon Gailmor's musical impact on Vermonters has stretched across 45 years and been particularly profound on children through his long-running radio program "Just Kidding." Now 76 and facing health challenges, Jon is moving to New Orleans to be closer to family.  He promises to come back and visit the Green Mountains as often as possible.

Send us Fan Mail Owen Foster, the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, discusses an analysis by Dr. Bruce Harmory that paints a bleak financial picture for many of the state's 14 hospitals and why health care reform is urgently needed.

Send us Fan Mail Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak took over as mayor of Burlington in April with a focus on community safety. 

Send us Fan Mail University of Vermont Medical Center officials say the state's largest hospital costs more than $2 billlion to operate. UVMMC President Stephen Leffler points to Vermont’s older population as one major reason. The Green Mountain Care Board, which recently approved "painfully high" double-digit health insurance premiums for the third year in a row, wants to hold down...