Vermont Edition

Many Vermonters are frustrated and worried about the high cost of healthcare in the state. One of the main organizations trying to figure out what to do about it is Green Mountain Care Board. It controls the rate of health care costs in the state. Green Mountain Care Board president Owen Foster joins us to talk about the rising costs of health insurance premiums, and the financial challenges facin...

When we file our taxes, we all have a guess as to where our money’s going. Education, infrastructure, the military, foreign aid. But for most of us, it’s just that – a guess. We break down where exactly our tax dollars go, both at the state and federal level. Vermont’s new tax commissioner Bill Shouldice explains where the state’s pot of tax dollars comes from, and where it gets allocated He also...

They hang upside down, fly by night, and some of them drink blood?! Bats get a bad rap – but are they really as scary as they seem? On today's Vermont Edition: Bats! It’s the latest installment of our March series, Animal Hour. Bats play a vital role in our ecosystems. But some species are endangered, and others are being threatened by disease. A small mammal biologist with Vermont Fish and Wildli...

Today on Vermont Edition: the history of the Vermont marble industry. Quarries around the state produced beautiful black, red, dark green and white marble. A Brandon historian will share stories of what it was like to work in a quarry, and the importance of marble to our region. We’ll also hear about the Marble Museum’s closure and the uncertain future of its collection, with the head of the Prese...

March marks the five-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine was a steadying force through the early days of the lock down, a conduit of quickly evolving health guidance, and an advocate for the vaccine. Gov. Phil Scott tapped Dr. Levine in 2017 to lead Vermont's Department of Health. As health commissioner, he provided guidance on public...

A new book preserves the stories of Vermonters during the historic COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, you can read oral histories of more than a hundred state leaders, frontline workers and regular citizens. It’s called Life Became Very Blurry , An Oral History of COVID-19 in Vermont . The book illuminates the mindset of Vermonters during this unforgettable period in history, the way Vermont h...

Sheep used to dominate the Vermont landscape. But these days, it’s kind of rare to drive by a large flock. What happened to Vermont’s sheep? Today on Vermont Edition: It’s the latest in our March series Animal Hour and it’s all about sheep. We begin with local historian Mark Bushnell who tells us all about the sheep boom and bust of the 1800s.  Even though there aren’t as many sheep here as there...

South Burlington children's book author and illustrator Jason Chin uses paint and pen to bring the world around us to life. Chin won one of the highest honors in his field in 2022, when he was awarded the Caldecott Medal for Watercress, written by Andrea Wang. This year, he and the writer Lynn Brunelle won the Robert F. Silbert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children for L...

This episode of Vermont Edition also included a conversation with VTDigger reporter Peter D'Auria about plans for a juvenile detention facility in Vergennes and some possible updates to Vermont's Raise the Age law. Your shoes are soggy. Your car wheels are spinning. You're not sure if you should dress for sun, rain, or even snow. Yes, it's mud season. Some Vermonters like Keegan Tierney, the Green...

The U.S. Department of Education is cutting nearly half of its workforce. President Donald Trump wants to see the agency eliminated completely. What do these tidal shifts in education mean for individual states, like Vermont? Today's show answers that question.

Vermont's famous big cats are rumored to be roaming the woods and hills. Here's how to know if you really did spot one in the wild.

A wounded Union captain from Vermont and the resilient wife of a Confederate soldier cross paths — and fates — in Chris Bohjalian's new novel. Bohjalian is the New York Times bestselling author of 25 books, a playwright and a longtime Weybridge resident. His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies and an Emmy-winning TV series (The Flight Attendant on Max). His novel Mid...

The average marketplace premium in Vermont is more than 140% higher than the national average in 2025. For individuals who get their insurance through their employers, not the marketplace, their contributions are the highest in the whole country. In a recent Brave Little State episode, senior producer Josh Crane explores why Vermont's health care system is so expensive. He looks into the UVM Healt...

Dr. David Krag and his team are sifting through around 43,000 studies about opioids and addiction to create an easy-to-access research database.

The proposed center will provide medical supervision to people using illegal drugs.

Town and state leaders are working to improve humans' relationship with beavers to support flood resiliency. Beavers' brains are small — about the size of a walnut — but you wouldn't know it from watching them work. "They get up and go to work every single day, never take a vacation," said Skip Lisle, a wildlife biologist in Grafton. Lisle invented the Beaver Deceiver, a flow device that sneaks wa...

Sen. Welch discusses Trump's tax on Canadian goods. Vermont Commerce Secretary and a Montreal reporter discuss how the tariffs will play out on either side of the border.

Town Meeting Day is a method of direct civic engagement and and a longstanding community building tradition. It's a time when Vermont’s 247 municipalities each decide how they’ll spend their local budgets. We begin by hearing about some significant votes taking place around the state. Vermont Public's Nina Keck talks about the Rutland mayoral race, and reporter Lexi Krupp explains Lyndon's vote to...

It’s time for Town Meeting Day, a Vermont tradition stretching back more than 200 years. Chief administrative officer for the City of Burlington Katharine Schad discusses significant bond measures. Missisquoi Valley School District vice chair Renick Darnell-Martin, a Highgate resident, talks through the school district's budget. In Plainfield, select board chair Karl Bissex talked about a plan to...

A Vermont microbiologist, food safety official and dairy farmer explain how raw milk is tested and regulated.

Are you craving new restaurants to try or want the latest on Vermont's food scene? We've got you covered. Food and drink editor Melissa Pasanen of Seven Days shares culinary updates from around the region.

Black Vermonters have helped shape the state throughout history, arts and culture.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for a study on the effects of antidepressants and antipsychotics on children. He established the Make America Healthy Again commission to examine childhood chronic diseases, including mental health disorders. This comes as new U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues that antidepressants, particularly selective...

Gov. Phil Scott wants to roll back some of Vermont’s key climate laws, arguing they are too costly to implement. Lawmakers are debating whether to stay the course on climate action. Vermont Public’s Peter Hirschfeld breaks down this debate over the Global Warming Solutions Act. He also looks at how legislators are preparing for Town Meeting Day and navigating uncertainty around federal funding. Ca...

Among DOGE's federal funding cuts, tariffs, and proposed cuts to Medicaid, there is a lot of change happening in the federal budget. Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Senate minority leader Scott Beck, and a recently-fired USDA worker give us their thoughts.