The Frequency
Vermont PublicThe Frequency
Vermont Public's daily news podcast. Get up to speed on what's happening every day in Vermont in under 15 minutes. Available every weekday morning by 6 a.m.
Vermont Public
Vermont Public's daily news podcast. Get up to speed on what's happening every day in Vermont in under 15 minutes. Available every weekday morning by 6 a.m.
Vermont Public
Why Vermont lawmakers are struggling to come to agreement on a comprehensive data privacy bill. Plus, a state cannabis equity group is disappointed that Gov. Scott passed a bill they say doesn’t a…
A look back at the fraught three-week manhunt that took place in 2015 after two convicts escaped from the Dannemora prison in northern New York, not far from the Vermont border. Plus, Copley…
Assessing the threat of a small invasive worm that’s capable of decimating Vermont’s beech trees. Plus, Vermonters will experience a second consecutive day of extreme heat today, a new opioid-use di…
Scientists and researchers try to find out where the harmful microplastics in Lake Champlain are coming from. Plus, economic challenges have forced about one third of small outdoor cannabis growers…
Why Vermont’s smaller retail cannabis businesses are not happy with a new bill that makes changes to the industry. Plus, Sen. Welch decries a section of the budget bill being considered by Congress …
State lawmakers finally adjourn for the 2025 legislative session after working overtime to pass a sweeping education reform bill. Plus, Vermont agrees to the terms of a multi-state settlement with…
A conversation with former state Representative Bill Lippert, whose impassioned advocacy for civil unions is credited with helping Vermont become the first state to legally recognize same sex…
Why the current political climate might put efforts to expand ‘all resident voting’ on hold. Plus, Vermont’s L-G-B-T-Q community raises concerns about a broader age range of gender identity quest…
We visit Swanton’s recreation commission where a group of teens has created a variety of after-school activities. Plus, why rank and file lawmakers in Montpelier may not automatically sign off on a…
Federal funding cuts to rental assistance programs mean some families may be forced back into homelessness. Plus, state legislators continue to debate education reform, the state signs on to…
There’s growing concern over the future of Vermont farmers’ markets because many don’t own the land where they operate. Plus, Vermont Senator Peter Welch says the Trump’s budget bill would “inflict …
A conversation with former Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, whose eight-term tenure was the third longest in the history of the US senate. Plus, Vermont in April received 68 Million dollars more in…
Lawmakers have taken a two-week pause to hammer out an education reform bill they couldn’t get over the finish line by the scheduled end of the legislative session, and we’ll examine whether the…
Vermont lawmakers are trying to control healthcare costs by capping how much hospitals can charge for specialty drugs and we hear from Woodstock resident and comedian Vicki Ferentinos. Plus,…
We speak with FIFA World Cup champ Sam Mewis as she prepares to coach two women’s exhibition games for the Burlington-based Vermont Green FC soccer club. Plus, cuts to federal food benefits could a…
Considering the fate of Vermont’s electric vehicle sales mandate now that the Governor has paused its implementation. Plus, Gov. Scott says he will sign a bill delivering 14 million dollars in tax c…
A reporter roundtable discussion about the extra work needed this legislative session to pass an education reform bill. Plus, it’s unclear whether Gov. Scott will sign a bill that would shift the w…
The threat to a program that’s helped millions of low-income people in the northeast pay their heating bills. Plus, federal officials detain migrant workers employed at an affordable housing p…
Lawmakers in Montpelier scramble to complete legislation on key issues including education reform and housing, but it’s unknown exactly when they’ll reach the finish line..
The joys of spring cleaning with two Vermont professional home organizers. Plus, many construction projects along the state’s shores are paused for spring fish spawning season, a new study shows w…
Visiting the White River Valley to find out how a popular pick-up soccer league helps bring folks from all walks of life together to get some kicks. Plus, a Senate-approved bill would change how…
Democratic lawmakers have spent the last five years laying the groundwork for the most aggressive emissions-reduction policies Vermont has ever seen. But a political seachange after the November …
A young Vermonter debates whether to leave the state after graduation and a dispatch from the annual state surplus auction. Plus, Vermont’s unemployment rate ticks up slightly in April, federal i…
Lake Champlain’s wild lake trout population is sustaining itself on its own again, but scientists aren’t sure what’s brought the fish back. Plus, voters in Bethel and Royalton shoot down a school bo…
Members of Odanak First Nation in Quebec use food to preserve their knowledge, culture and homelands. Plus, Governor Scott signs a bill that keeps education property taxes nearly flat, a state…
How do we manage forest and the human-need for wood in the face of climate change. Plus, fatal opioid overdoses declined in Vermont last year, flash flooding closed roads and inundated downtowns…
Former Human Services Secretary Mike Smith outlines his plans for looking into the cost effectiveness of programs at the University of Vermont Health Network. Plus, the Trump Administration has…
A massive education reform bill advanced out of a key tax-writing Senate committee Thursday and is poised to receive a floor vote early next week.
We finish our series showcasing Vermont musicians who entered this year’s NPR Tiny Desk contest with Fawn and the Wormdogs. Plus a federal judge orders the release of a Vermont farmworker who was d…
A huge rebuild may be needed at Hartford’s high school due to PCB contamination, and we hear more from Vermont-based musicians who submitted entries to this year’s NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert contest. P…
Why Vermont is in dire need of a new residency program to train primary care doctors, and we hear from two more Vermont-based musicians who competed to win this year’s NPR’s Tiny Desk contest. Plu…
We continue our series showcasing Vermont musicians who entered this year’s NPR Tiny Desk contest with the Hokum Brothers and Wes Pearce. Plus, the Trump administration terminates a federal grant a…
We hear from Vermont-based musician Sarah Bell and the band Miles of Fire as they compete to be winners of NPR’s annual Tiny Desk Concert. Plus, the Trump administration sues Vermont and three o…
Lawmakers in Montpelier scramble to finish a bill aimed at alleviating Vermont’s housing crisis.
Speaking with the designer of a highly reviewed video game called Wanderstop that infuses parts of Vermont’s largest city into the action. Plus, a legal defense fund is created to help non-citizen V…
A conversation with Vermont’s Agriculture Secretary about the federal government’s crackdown on immigration and the effect it may have on the future of the state’s dairy industry. Plus, three migra…
In his first interview with local media since being released from prison, Moshen Mahdawi speaks about his detention by immigration authorities and the message of hope he’s trying to send now. Plus, …
Longtime New Yorker cartoonist and New Hampshire resident Harry Bliss talks about his new graphic memoir. Plus, Many of Vermont’s federally qualified health centers face dire financial straits, st…
Lawmakers, union leaders and administration officials all agree that the shortage of prison workers in Vermont is a major problem, but there’s no agreement about how to address the issue. Plus, r…
The challenge facing state lawmakers as they try to craft a budget with uncertain projections on how much federal revenue will be available.
Why there’s an urgent call to support and save public access to trails that cross over into private land. Plus, House lawmakers approve a state constitutional amendment protecting collective b…
A conversation with Lt. Gov. John Rodgers about a wide range of issues, including his willingness to speak out against the Trump administration and his advocacy for reforming state cannabis law.…
Lawmakers in Montpelier are revisiting an idea to place heavier taxes on second homes to help ease the state’s housing crisis. Plus, Trump administration cuts cancel thousands of pounds of food t…
A conversation with Gov. Phil Scott about tensions over federal immigration policy and the effects being felt in Vermont. Plus, the town of Woodstock moves to buy a local water system from a…
Poet Geof Hewitt, Vermont's reigning poetry slam champion, performs each week at an open mic in Calais backed by a group of improvising musicians. Plus, lawmakers consider a new program to finance…
In this week’s edition of the Capitol recap, the Vermont Senate gave final approval on Friday to legislation that seeks to expand access to reproductive care.
Researchers are looking for ways to help snowshoe hares adapt to a changing climate. Plus, Vermont State Police investigate the non-fatal shooting of a Milton police officer, the state senate gives…
Cars and climate change have annual early spring migrations for amphibians more treacherous. Plus, a judge orders the feds to keep a detained Columbia University student in Vermont, college…
More invasive species, like sea squirts, are being found on New England’s floating docks and piers and they may stick around thanks to warmer ocean temperatures caused by climate change. Plus, U.S b…
Wild blue mussels have all but disappeared from New England’s coastline, a reality that’s been hard for people who harvest them for a living. Plus, Catholic Vermonters remember Pope Francis, who die…
This week we bring you a series of stories from our public radio partners around New England exploring how the region’s flora, fauna and fungi are living with climate change. Plus lawmakers are t…
In this week’s edition of the Capitol recap, we examine a bill that would fundamentally overhaul Vermont's response to homelessness and provide a potential off-ramp to the mass-use of motel rooms a…
In our recurring series on class we hear from Isaac McDonald who spoke previously about growing up in the Northeast Kingdom, and is now back to talk about attending his freshman year at Columbia…
In the latest installment of our recurring series on class, we meet Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer who talks about the increasing pressures of maintaining a middle class life in Vermont. Plus,…
In our recurring series on class in Vermont we meet Tom Burdick and hear about the challenges of breaking into higher education, and raising children in a different class from the one he grew up…
In our recurring series on class in Vermont we meet…Kathy Quimby Johnson, who grew up in East Peacham Vermont in the 60s and 70s, when it was mostly farmers and summer people. Plus, Vermont’s tou…
In our recurring series on class in Vermont we meet a filmmaker from Richford who discusses the challenges of attending college among more affluent peers. Plus, a federal judge halts a Trump…
Capitol Recap: House education reform
Investigating whether there’s any truth to rumors that Vermont’s only law school might be moving from its home in South Royalton. Plus, two Nicaraguan students at CVU High School face deportation, a…
We preview the Paramount Theatre’s staging of the Tony Award winning musical Urinetown. Plus, Vermont communities lose FEMA funding for a hazard mitigation program canceled by the Trump a…
The effort to get more people biking as a chief mode of transportation in Chittenden County. Plus, Vermont’s Education Secretary reverses course on a Trump administration directive to ban DEI p…
State regulators have approved a new 12-bed adolescent psychiatric unit at a Bennington hospital, despite opposition from the only other adolescent psychiatric facility in the state. Plus, Vermont…
State lawmakers are facing potential federal spending cuts from the Trump administration that may create challenges for Vermont’s budget, just as newly announced tariffs risk shrinking the state’s e…
Speaking with the high school junior who won Sen. Bernie Sanders’ annual State of the Union Essay Contest for Vermont students. Plus, Vermont’s treasurer says newly imposed tariffs by the Trump adm…
In an excerpt from Brave Little State, we dig into the origins of the widespread, stylized Stowe logo. Plus, the final state budget approved by House lawmakers could be jeopardized by potential…
Highlighting streaming video services designed specifically to help people suffering from dementia and those who care for them. Plus, House lawmakers approve legislation shielding personal Internet…
Vermont’s new tax commissioner explains his approach to the job and how federal action could impact the Green Mountain State. Plus, Vermont’s attorney general says the president’s voter regist…
What’s behind the big enrollment numbers for Vermont’s career and technical centers. Plus, Gov. Scott extends through June emergency motel housing for certain vulnerable households, some state law…
Capitol Recap: Hard bargain
Visiting a Shelburne farm where people can snuggle with goats to help release stress. Plus, after exceeding its budget last year the University of Vermont Medical Center proposes a deal to avoid…
How President Trump’s tariffs and aggressive rhetoric toward Canada are putting a serious political and social strain on the relationship between Vermont and Quebec. Plus, a rally in Montpelier c…
New University of Vermont research explores the surprising link between whale pee and healthy ocean ecosystems. Plus, the Vermont House advances legislation that could limit the number of new…
Learning how a Bristol tulip farm works, as workers gear up for the spring season. Plus, Vermont House lawmakers advance a midyear budget adjustment opposed by Gov. Scott, Brattleboro town meeting…
Commemorating the Westminster Massacre amid a debate over whether it really marked the first death of the American Revolution. Plus, U.S. Border Patrol officials are restricting Canadian visitor…
Capitol Recap: Tax tangle
We preview original classical music compositions written by Vermont students for a Music-COMP concert next week. Plus, what’s behind the financial shortfall hampering Randolph’s Gifford Medical Cen…
We speak with UVM women’s head basketball coach Alisa Kresge as the conference champion defensive-minded Catamounts prepare to compete against NC State in the NCAA March Madness tournament. Plus, t…
A conversation with Vermont’s senior U.S. senator Bernie Sanders as he tries to rally political and public opposition to president Trump’s agenda in Washington. Plus, Vermont lawmakers consider a bi…
Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders discusses how roiling changes at the U.S. Department of Education may impact the state. Plus, Vermont’s Senate Education Committee chair says the state’s un…
Why voters in Royalton rejected proposed restrictions on what people can do with flood plain property. Plus, nearly half of Vermont’s 14 hospitals lost money providing patient care last year, Gov. S…
Capitol Recap: New session, first veto
A couple that had never had kids or pets adopts a puppy and records an audio diary of the first seven months of that new and often difficult experience. Plus, Zoie Saunders is confirmed as…
Programs that provide support for older Vermonters and their caregivers could be at risk due to proposed federal cuts to Medicaid. Plus, the Trump administration shutters a nationwide program that…
The board members of a small community hospital in Morrisville face a difficult decision on whether to close its birthing center. Plus, Middlebury College is among 60 universities under threat of…
A debrief on why the town of Richmond terminated a deal to hire the a new police chief just hours before he was scheduled to begin the job. Plus, a doctor at Vermont’s largest hospital is trying to…
Taking a deep dive into why health insurance is so expensive in Vermont with a segment from Brave Little State. Plus, a group of potential buyers for the Burke Mountain ski resort say their bid has…
Capitol Recap: Growing pains
How supporting the state’s beaver population could help Vermont with flood resiliency. Plus, Gov. Scott is glad most school budgets passed this year but adds more needs to be done to reform e…
Examining why many more school budgets were approved during Town Meeting Day this year, after nearly a third failed last year. Plus, state officials and local business owners brace for the economic…
Sharing scenes from Town Meeting Day, including a less-than-glowing assessment of local road maintenance. Plus, U.S. Rep. Becca Balint boycotts President Trump’s joint address to Congress, the head …
Without intervention, education officials say health care costs will continue to eat up ever-larger shares of local school budgets — regardless of which cost-saving measures Montpelier imposes on d…
Despite historically strong ties, Canadians are canceling trips to Vermont amid President Trump’s threats to institute tariffs on Canadian goods and calls to make our northern neighbor the “51st sta…
Democratic lawmakers have mixed interest in advancing Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s wide-ranging housing plan, and haven’t offered many of their own proposals to address Vermont’s long-standing unit …
Neurodivergent Vermonters are organizing a mutual aid effort to provide each other with medicine, groceries and other support amid potential cuts to Medicaid and other federal funding. Plus, the…
Vermont poultry farmers take steps to guard their animals against bird flu, which has been spreading around the country. Plus, rank-and-file lawmakers are pushing Democratic leadership to exempt…
The mountain town of Ripton has been trying to keep its small elementary school open for years, and now risks losing one of its classes unless the community can recruit a handful of extra students…
February 25, 2025
A new study out of Dartmouth College examines how current research practices can improve the governance of Indigenous data. Plus, the University of Vermont Health Network will continue to run three…
In this week’s Capitol Recap, reporters Lola Duffort and Peter Hirschfeld dive into the debate over the future of energy policy in Vermont, and if Democrats are prepared to roll back or revise some …
We meet an Iraqi refugee who came to Vermont as a teenager and now works as a police liaison officer in Winooski schools. Plus, a state organization that provides legal assistance to immigrants has…
Breaking down Rutland’s mayoral race, which has recently generated some controversy for the well-known candidates. Plus, Democratic legislative leaders decry the Scott administration’s efforts to ro…
Shape-shifting
Stormy weather
In this week’s Capitol Recap, reporters Lola Duffort and Peter Hirschfeld talk over what’s behind the lack of action in Montpelier on legislation regarding big issues like education and housing.
Love notes
Under the wire
Open house
Game on
Trash talk
Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders revealed some new details this week about how school choice could change under the Scott administration’s proposal to overhaul the state’s education system. Vermont Public education reporter Lola Duffort has the details for this week’s edition of the Capitol Recap.
‘Sean wouldn’t want this’
‘No renter history’
‘He was a local’
More than a store
Response guide
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.
Some assembly required
‘You must stop all work’
The grateful dead
‘It freaks me the hell out’
‘Stop heating the outdoors’
Privacy protection
June 12, 20258min 59sec
Why Vermont lawmakers are struggling to come to agreement on a comprehensive data privacy bill. Plus, a state cannabis equity group is disappointed that Gov. Scott passed a bill they say doesn’t address the concerns of small growers, a wildlife crossing project gets put on hold, the state labor department launches a new workforce expansion program, and despite some setbacks Vermont ski areas saw growth this winter.