South Royalton has something that no other Vermont town does: a law school. But for a long time, there’s been one rumor the town and the school can’t seem to shake — that Vermont Law & Graduate School is on the verge of upping sticks for Burlington.

Question-asker Tess Mix, of neighboring Tunbridge, has been hearing this rumor her whole life. She wants to know, is it true? And how reliant is the community on the law school, anyway?

For more photos and an episode transcript, head to our website.

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This episode was reported by Sabine Poux. It was edited and produced by Josh Crane and Burgess Brown. Our intern is Catherine Morrissey. Angela Evancie is our Executive Producer. Digital support from Sophie Stephens. Theme music by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Stephanie Clark, Don Hayes, Lisa Lance, Todd Tyson, Katie Merrill, Victoria Paquin, Andrew Hockenberry, Matthew McGovern, Drew Collins and Kelli Cigelnik.

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You can find the swoopy, stylized version of the word “Stowe” everywhere — police cruisers, store windows, a covered bridge. It’s as if the entire town is part of one giant marketing campaign. Question-asker Joe Emery of Essex finds this sort of weird, and wants to know how it came to be.

We made a video version of this episode! Check it out here.

For more photos and an episode transcript, head to our website.

This episode was reported by Sabine Poux. It was edited and produced by Josh Crane and Burgess Brown. Our intern is Catherine Morrissey. Angela Evancie is our Executive Producer. Digital support from Sophie Stephens. Theme music by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Nina Keck, Poppy Gall, Carrie Simmons, Amy Spear, Emily Hurd ,Tommy Gardner, Marina Gisquet, Abby Blackburn, Tim Hayes, Courtney Difiore, Sarah Tauben, Keri Smotrich, Maggie Hughes, Ezra Spring and the folks at the Stowe Free Library..

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 Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt
• Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org
• Make a gift to support people-powered journalism
• Tell your friends about the show!

Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

Five mysterious disappearances were the talk of Bennington in the mid-20th century. Now, they’ve developed a cult following online. We revisit the initial cases and trace the rise of the “Bennington Triangle” in the popular imagination.

Thanks to Kevin Landry of Claremont, New Hampshire for the great question.

Check out the web version of this story here.

This episode was reported by Howard Weiss-Tisman and produced by Burgess Brown. Editing and additional production from Josh Crane and Sabine Poux. Our intern is Catherine Morrissey. Angela Evancie is our Executive Producer. Digital support from Sophie Stephens. Theme music by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Laura Nakasaka, Jon Ehrens, Betty Smith, Eric Ford, Laurie Kigonya, Matt Harrington, Ashley Jowet, Nancy Koziol, PJ DeVito, Tyler Resch and Brian Campion.

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 Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt
• Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org
• Make a gift to support people-powered journalism
• Tell your friends about the show!

Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.