Vermont Edition

State Senators Seth Bongartz (D-Bennington) and Scott Beck (R-Caledonia) are the subject of an ethics complaint that alleges their ties to independent schools influenced their work on Vermont's big education reform bill. Vermont Public reporter Lola Duffort has been closely following the education reform process and this ethics complaint.We also explore the process of investigating alleged ethical violations, such as conflicts of interest and other financial entanglements that could influence lawmaking. We speak with the executive director of the Vermont State Ethics Commission, Christina Sivret, and members of the House and Senate ethics committees, Rep. Martin LaLonde (D-South Burlington), and Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky, (P/D-Chittenden Central). Broadcast live on Monday, July 7, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Who wants to turn on the stove and cook dinner this time of year when you could stop by a local snack bar instead? Eating out at these seasonal restaurants is a beloved summer tradition in our region.Seven Days food writer and editor Melissa Pasanen shares some of her favorite snack menu items, like the smash burgers from Gondola's Snack Bar in Morristown and the hand cut fries at Green Meadows Grill in Williston. We also talk with local snack bar owners: Marilyn Kozlowski of Joe's Snack Bar in Jericho, Jason Boutin of Cajun's Snack Bar in Lowell, Jon Villeneuve of Kate's Food Truck in Jericho, and Josh Butler of Village Snack Bar in Rutland.Broadcast live on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Of all the touchy topics there are to talk about, class might be the thorniest of all. Today on Vermont Edition: Vermont Public's Erica Heilman tells us about her ongoing series examining economic differences in Vermont. New stories in her series What Class Are You drop this week.Then: we bring you a recent episode of the podcast Brave Little State/ Producer Burgess Brown explores what it’s like to get around Vermont and maintain a social life when you can no longer drive.Broadcast live on Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.

How local communities are working to save their general stores

July 1st, 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of civil unions in Vermont. This legal alternative to marriage was the first of its kind in the United States.In the Vermont Supreme Court case Baker v. Vermont, the court ruled that the state had no legal basis to discriminate against same-sex couples. If the legislature would not allow same-sex couples to get marriage licenses, lawmakers would have to figure out a legal alternative. The result: civil unions.Stan Baker was the lead plaintiff on that case, alongside with his partner, Peter Harrigan, and two other couples. He died on Monday at the age of 79. We'll listen back to a 2019 interview he gave on Vermont Edition, and hear from Susan Murray of Burlington. She was one of the attorneys who represented Baker and the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit.Vermont Edition producer Andrea Laurion spoke with LGBTQ+ Vermonters who were coming of age — and coming out — when civil unions became legal. They were likely too young at the time to be thinking about marriage for themselves, but old enough to know what was going on and how it might affect them one day. We also talk with David Moats, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for his editorials about civil unions in the Rutland Herald.

Our region is home to celebrated poets from a wide variety of personal backgrounds. On this Vermont Edition, we revisit interviews with four local poets that we recorded in April to mark National Poetry Month. Bianca Stone of Brandon reflects on her first year as Vermont’s poet laureate, Geof Hewitt of Calais tells us about the roots of slam poetry, Alexandria Hall explains how she carries her Vergennes roots with her while living in California, and Sarah Audsley of Johnson discusses the influence of her personal identity on her poetry.Broadcast on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

What it's like being a first-term state lawmaker

Building queer community can be incredibly hard, when you’re facing forces like bigotry or intolerance. It can also be hard when you live in a place like Vermont, where there just aren’t a whole ton of people.Last week, our team went to The Barre Social Club to record a live panel discussion with Barre-area LGBTQ business owners and organizers who are trying to strengthen ties in Barre’s queer community and support vulnerable people there.Our guests were; Liv Dunton of Fox Market and Bar in East Montpelier and Foxy’s in Barre. Maddie Cobb is a co-owner of Slowpoke Exchange, a buy-sell-trade shop for vintage and modern clothing in Barre. Heather Ely is the executive director of the Rainbow Bridge Community Center in Barre - a nonprofit that provides support for vulnerable communities and a gathering space for connection. And Lee Baker is a potter and a co-organizer of Vermont Queer Craft.They also shared their thoughts on making Central Vermont home, the recent Supreme Court decision upholding a Tennessee ban on gender affirming care, and about Pride Month – where Barre just hosted its fifth annual pride parade.Broadcast on Monday, June 23, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Communities across our region are hosting Juneteenth celebrations this year. The federal holiday marks the end of slavery in the United States and honors Black history and culture. South Burlington recreation specialist Kate Likhite and state Sen. Joe Major of Hartford tell us about their communities' Juneteenth events.Then: two local authors share the stories behind their new books. In "The Ghost Lab: How Bigfoot Hunters, Mediums and Alien Enthusiasts Are Wrecking Science," Vershire's Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling explores the ties between pseudoscience and the erosion of trust in institutions like government and media. Mima Tipper, who lives in Waitsfield and South Hero, tells a story of travel, family and young love in her debut young adult novel, "Kat's Greek Summer."

More than 200 wildfires are currently burning in Canada. They are transforming forests, and becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change. This hour we discuss how wildfires affect our landscapes, and how wildfire smoke affects air quality and our bodies. Our guests are David Grass, a senior environmental health manager at the Vermont Department of Health, and David Phillips, a Toronto-based climatologist emeritus with Environment and Climate Change Canada, a governmental agency.This episode also includes an interview with Boston Globe correspondent Paul Heintz about recent ICE detentions in Vermont, including an immigrant rights advocate and his 18-year-old stepdaughter.Broadcast live on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.