Brave Little State

A question about finding companionship in the Green Mountain State – from wide-eyed hopefuls to frustrated giver-uppers. Plus, a love story. Thanks to Silas Olsen for the great question. To see photos from this episode, check out our web feature . This episode was reported by Anna Van Dine and produced by Josh Crane. Mix and sound design by Josh Crane. Editing and additional production by the Brav...

Every summer, we trek across Vermont to uncover the origins of bizarre road names of your choosing. This year’s installment includes Iranistan Road in Burlington, Snipe Island Road in Jericho and … a bit of a wildcard. Thanks to this year’s question-askers: Ali Jalili, David Boyle, Sam Graulty and Katie Ruffe. And special thanks to Ken Picard, Carol McGranahan, Gary Irish, Wright Preston, Harriet...

Vermont’s first recreational cannabis dispensaries are set to open to the public on October 1, 2022. Reporter Bob Kinzel walks us through how we got here and how the new cannabis marketplace will work. Check out photos from Bob’s reporting on our web feature . Bob Kinzel reported this episode. Myra Flynn produced it, and she also did the mix and sound design. Editing and additional production from...

The trail follows Green Mountain ridgelines from one end of Vermont to the other. To answer this question from Eliza Keller, we go deep into the woods — and deep into a hiker hostel in downtown Rutland. We originally released this episode in 2018. For photos from our reporting, click here . Angela Evancie and Lynne McCrea reported this episode. Mix and sound design by Angela Evancie; engineering s...

A chapter of Northeast Kingdom history that is most mysterious. A man whose talent and ambition led him down a perilous path. To answer a question from Eric Lucier of Jay, Henry Epp tells the story of the Space Research Corporation and its founder, Gerald Bull. Check out photos of the Space Research Corporation site, then and now, in our web feature . Henry Epp reported this episode. Angela Evanci...

Vermont has been a popular destination for those who’ve relocated during the pandemic. But, how are they doing? We check in with some who made the move to see how they’re adjusting to their new lives. Check out our website for photos of the newcomers featured in this story. This episode was reported by Myra Flynn, who also did the mix and sound design. Additional production and editing from the re...

We’ve been hearing a lot about the housing shortage in Vermont, and how hard it is for people to buy homes right now. For this episode, we’re flipping the script. Imagine that you’ve not only found your dream house, but you’ve lived in it for years and made it just so. Maybe it’s even paid off. Now, as you get older and more comfortable in your house, the looming question becomes … How long can yo...

A question from Sam Leveston about a religion, and a people, who have often been overlooked. An answer in five chapters. To see photos from Josh Crane’s reporting and lots of additional resources about past and present Jewish life in Vermont, check out our web feature here . Special thanks to Bruce Post, Paul Carnahan, Kate Phillips, Sue Halpern, Rabbi Linda Motzkin, Rabbi Jonathan Rubenstein, Sta...

It’s a scary thought, to be sure. We discuss a few different apocalyptic scenarios, including some that have already begun. And, we test our social fitness: Just how neighborly would we be, really, if the world were ending? Check out the web version of this story here . Also recommended: In a food shortage, could Vermont farms feed the whole state? This episode was reported by VPR’s news fellow Ma...

This year’s mud season is full-on. So, we compiled your questions about dirt roads and put them to Keith Gadapee, road foreman in Danville — the town with the most “dirt mileage” in Vermont. Also: How bad is it out there? You sent us photos from your own impassable roads. Check them out here . Thanks to everyone who recorded a question for this episode: Geoffrey Bok, Michele Morris, Coco Moseley,...

A conversation with three teenagers about history and hope, featuring your questions about being young, Black and new American in Vermont in 2022. These teens performed in “The Listen Up Project,” an original musical based on interviews with hundreds of teenagers across Vermont. The show toured across the state in summer 2021. Find music, original artwork and video related to this episode here . T...

Amanda Calder of Winooski asked us what it would look like if we raised money for our schools in a totally different way. It’s a hypothetical some lawmakers want to turn into a reality. Amanda asked: “What would it look like if the taxes we had to pay for education were based on income rather than property value, with an equal tax on capital gains income?” Check out the web version of this story h...

A question from Dani Gagnon of Montpelier leads VPR’s Mikaela Lefrak to find out why Vermont’s housing crunch has become a crisis — and what people are doing about it. Check out the web version of this story here, featuring photos and further reading. ICYMI: Our 2019 episode about Vermont’s housing crunch. As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont S...

When question-asker Kate Phillips moved to Vermont, she was surprised to find three different food co-ops within driving range of her place. She then received a notice from her new electric company – yet another co-op. So, she started to wonder: What is the history of co-ops in Vermont? Why are they so successful here? VPR reporter (and former co-op manager) Howard Weiss-Tisman visits the oldest f...

Food scraps have been banned from Vermonters’ trash since July of 2020. Question-asker Bella Fearn wants to know: How’s that going? To answer Bella’s question we check out one of the biggest composting operations in the state, and one of the smallest. And for those of you who need a confidence boost to try backyard composting, we get a pep talk from an urban homestead in the heart of Winooski. Che...

A conversation with poet Rajnii Eddins about using “courageous vulnerability” to navigate the darkness. Find a photo of Rajnii and the lyrics to the poems he reads in this episode at bravelittlestate.org . This is the fifth installment of Homegoings , a series from Brave Little State that features conversations about BIPOC art and experience in Vermont. Find the full series here . Have a recommend...

We journey into the weird world of Vermont's favorite jam band, to explore the culture of "phandom” and Phish’s early roots in our brave little state. In our 100th episode, Ethan Weinstein of South Woodstock asks: “Why do people like Phish? And how did they become such a big part of Vermont music culture?” Warning: There’s a bit of profanity in this episode, and some discussion of drugs and drug c...

Question-asker Chris Jacobsen of Norwich grew up eating the renowned pancakes at Eaton’s Sugar House in Royalton. Brave Little State reporter Myra Flynn did too. They team up for our first true crime episode to explore the mysterious circumstances surrounding the fire that burned down a delicious Vermont institution. See photos of the Eaton's fire — and remains — in our web feature . If you have a...

A joint investigation into a growing rental empire finds a pattern of neglect — and reveals how ill-equipped Vermont is to oversee the quality and safety of some of the state's most affordable housing. VPR's Liam Elder-Connors and Seven Days ' Derek Brouwer join us to discuss their reporting. Read the story here: Roaches and broken locks: Mark and Rick Bove’s growing empire of affordable rentals v...

As we enter the darkest season of the year, you may be wondering: Why do we have to fall back and spring ahead? And is there anything that can be done about it? That’s what Olga Ardova of Georgia asked us. As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Twitter , Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email:...

To answer this question from Dean Lehrke of Kansas, reporter Elodie Reed travels to the Northeast Kingdom to explore the ways that isolated Amish families have become fixtures in their Vermont community. Elodie also draws on her own experiences growing up in Christian Science — a different culturally isolated community — to better understand Amish practices and Amish beliefs that go against conven...

To answer this question from Robert Small of Stannard, we take stock of not one, not two, but three pharmaceuticals currently in development. This episode features reporting from Sue Halpern, who coincidentally answered Robert’s question for The New Yorker in August: Why It Took So Long to Develop a Vaccine for Lyme Disease . More recommended reading: The Lyme Vaccine That Got Away (from The New R...

Call us rivals, or frenemies...But where does this half-serious tension come from? Ian Harding of Los Angeles asked us to break it down. Check out our 2017 episode about how some of the differences between Vermont and New Hampshire stem from our geology, and go back literally hundreds of millions of years. As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont S...

In the latest installment of a Brave Little State tradition, we journey to the back roads of Vermont to learn about three mystifying road and place names: Cow Path 40 in Marlboro, Agony Hill Road in Reading, and Texas Falls in Hancock. Check out bonus content, including maps and photos of the roads in question, at bravelittlestate.org . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it!...

A listener's request about the legacy of Tropical Storm Irene prompted us to tell three stories about resilience — personal, entrepreneurial and spiritual. Check out bonus content, including photos of the Graham-Frock family, the Woodlawn Cemetery project, and other people and places from this episode, at bravelittlestate.org . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a qu...