Episodes

  • Capitol Recap: Playing defense

    Capitol Recap: Playing defense
    Feb 1 2025
    Environmental advocates have enjoyed a lot of influence in Montpelier. But with Gov. Phil Scott looking to roll back most of the major climate policies of the last several years, they have to take a new approach this session.
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    6 mins
  • Some assembly required

    Some assembly required
    Jan 31 2025
    To increase the pace of home building, some housing experts say Vermont needs to turn to the assembly line. Plus, Gov. Scott wants to place new fees on electric vehicles in lieu of gas tax revenues, Vermont’s attorney general says she won’t back down on challenging Trump administration efforts she doesn’t believe pass legal muster, national testing results show declines in math and reading for Vermont fourth and eighth graders, a Middlebury philosophy professor discusses how to live a full life by mastering what she calls the ‘art of the interesting’, and we take stock of what sports fans are waiting for–from the pending Super Bowl to the start of the new baseball season–in our weekly sports report.
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    15 mins
  • ‘You must stop all work’

    ‘You must stop all work’
    Jan 30 2025
    Recent moves by the Trump administration are significantly disrupting organizations that help refugees resettle in Vermont. Plus, federal bureaucracy is delaying plans to permanently repair flood-damaged state buildings in Montpelier, Education Secretary Zoie Saunders addresses concerns about dropping a universal school meals program to help fund a new education plan, Lt. Gov. John Rodgers plans to take a lead role in reforming Vermont’s retail cannabis law, a Chittenden County bikeshare program will end this spring, and a Vermont gun rights group says it will oppose any legislation to impose a statewide ban on firearms inside town-owned municipal buildings.
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    10 mins
  • The grateful dead

    The grateful dead
    Jan 29 2025
    We visit an East Putney resident who helps maintain a nearby cemetery, in an excerpt from a recent Brave Little State episode about “adopting” small, local graveyards. Plus, Gov. Scott lays out budget priorities he says are aimed at making the state more affordable, Vermont’s congressional delegation slams President Trump’s decision to freeze federal grant and loan funding, state officials are waiting to see if the freeze will impact disaster relief, advocates for LGBTQ+ people emphasized that an executive order discounting gender identity doesn’t apply to the state government, and Vermont saw a record amount of tourism dollars in 2023.
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    10 mins
  • ‘It freaks me the hell out’

    ‘It freaks me the hell out’
    Jan 28 2025
    Speaking with people worried about the looming closure of Central Vermont Medical Center’s psychiatric unit. Plus, Gov. Phil Scott delivers his annual budget address today, why some Vermont lawmakers want consumers to have stronger data privacy protection, Sen. Peter Welch says he’ll work with the Trump administration to reform FEMA but will fight any effort to eliminate it, Quebec’s two largest police forces report losing several guns since 2020, and a Vermont nonprofit calls an executive order by President Trump to suspend the US refugee program an act of betrayal.
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    12 mins
  • ‘Stop heating the outdoors’

    ‘Stop heating the outdoors’
    Jan 27 2025
    Home weatherization can take a huge chunk out of your energy bill, but federal funding to make that work more accessible to lower-income households is running dry. Plus, prosecutors file charges tied to the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent in Vermont, the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs could slow Vermont’s broadband buildout, feds have approved the use of Medicaid funds for housing programs for people experiencing homelessness, and one of Vermont’s James Beard semifinalists describes his approach to cooking.
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    11 mins
  • Capitol Recap: Avoiding landmines

    Capitol Recap: Avoiding landmines
    Jan 25 2025
    Gov. Phil Scott unveiled a plan this week that would significantly shift how schools are funded and governed in Vermont, opening up a thicket of thorny issues for his administration and lawmakers to navigate.
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    7 mins
  • In the weeds

    In the weeds
    Jan 24 2025
    A Middlebury retail cannabis shop is suing the state, saying its cannabis advertising regulations violate freedom of speech protections in the Vermont Constitution. Plus, the Scott administration wants the state to have much stronger oversight of schools, President Trump’s tax plans could make it more difficult for local towns and cities to fund infrastructure projects, Vermont is home to a number of health-focused startups, and Middlebury College has a new president.
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    11 mins