Vermont Edition

Town by town: The 251 Club

In Vermont, annual precipitation has increased six inches since the 1960s. That, plus the state’s steep terrain, make Vermont a laboratory for the study of intense rainfall and flooding.Today on Vermont Edition, The New Yorker magazine staff writer John Seabrook explores how Vermont manages its rivers in his latest article. He sees scientists, land use planners and policymakers breaking away from tradition, and making choices that other states could mimic. We’ll also hear from Kevin Geiger, a land-use planner with the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, in Woodstock.Plus, Jordan Barry of Seven Days shares the latest food news from around our region. 

Canada and the U.S. are in an intense period of negotiations over a trade deal. Many Canadians are boycotting the States this summer over President Trump’s policies and 51st state rhetoric. We talk with Shawn Appell, host of our sister show on the CBC, Radio Noon in Québec, about what he's hearing from his listenership regarding their feelings on travelling to Quebec in the age of Trump. Then, during the pandemic lockdown musician and songwriter Katy Hellman began to dig into her Irish heritage, particularly the folklore of the pre-Christian era. She used her newfound passion as inspiration for her newest musical venture Emerald Ground Water. Their new album is called "The World Below."Lastly, a new musical comedy video series explores the natural world and our connection to it. It’s called “Biraland,” and it’s a 20-part video series created by Bira Vanara. He’s a multimedia artist and musician in Middlebury. "Biraland" features a host of wacky characters, catchy original music and wild effects, all conceived of and performed by its creator. Biraland was funded in part by Vermont Public’s Made Here Fund, which supports a diverse group of video and filmmakers across the state.

Money runs out to pay federal defense lawyers, and Champlain College hones in on cybersecurity

Today on the show, we explore the sibling dynamic, and how some families have multiple high achieving kids. Susan Dominus is a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. Her new book, “The Family Dynamic,” looks at classic sibling examples, like the Bronte sisters, and modern ones. We’ll talk with two New Hampshire sisters featured in the new book – Olympic triathlete Sarah True and renowned novelist Lauren Groff. Plus, two Vermont brothers who come from a VERY large family.

Tourism-heavy towns often have a lot of AirBnBs per capita. Some towns, like Londonderry, are putting stricter rules in place on short-term rentals.Their goal, in large part, is to maintain housing for full-time residents — Vermont has a housing shortage, after all. But some short-term rental owners think the new rules are too strict and end up hurting the local economy.Vermont Public reporter Howard-Weiss Tisman shares an update on current debates over short-term rentals in southern Vermont towns. We also hear from Julie Marks, the founder and executive director of the Vermont Short Term Rental Alliance, the chair of Londonderry's housing commission Patty Eisenhauer, and Nate Lantieri of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency.Broadcast live on Monday, July 28, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

For 29 years, Robert Resnik celebrated folk and world music as the host of the Vermont Public music show All the Traditions. He passed away earlier this week. Through his show, he elevated local musicians and introduced listeners to new sounds and styles. He was also a musician himself and played more than two dozen instruments. We’ll share memories with friends, fellow musicians, and our listeners.Then: A new addiction treatment clinic has opened in Bennington.We’ll talk with Vermont’s deputy health commissioner about how this clinic fits into the state’s hub and spoke system.

Vermont state symbols and how they came to be

Love 'em or hate 'em, jam bands have infiltrated our culture and forever changed the music industry. There’s the Grateful Dead and Phish, but also Widespread Panic, The String Cheese Incident, and The Dave Matthews Band.Author Mike Ayers joins Mikaela to talk about his new oral history which chronicles the rise of the jam band genre in the 1990s, and the culture that surrounded them. It's called "Sharing in the Groove: The Untold Story of the 90s Jam Band Explosion and the Scene that Followed." We talk about some of the biggest jam bands to come out of this region, and remember some of the most iconic local concerts. Mike Ayers is a veteran music journalist, and he’s been to more than 20 Grateful Dead shows and 130 Phish shows.Broadcast live on Tuesday July 22, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Last year, Vermont became just the second state in the nation to ban a type of pesticides called neonicotinoids. Now, that ban is going into effect. Many farmers use these treated seeds to keep pests away, but pollutes water and hurts fragile pollinator populations, like honey bees. The Vermont state government is in charge of enforcing this ban. It also has a role in determining exemptions. Who still gets to use neonics, and under what conditions? We’ll hear how the state is making those choices, using information from local farms. We’ll also learn about other neonics restrictions in Quebec and New York.