Vermont Edition

School is back in session. This is the first year that students across Vermont are banned from bringing cell phones. Today on Vermont Edition: the reasoning behind the cell phone ban, and what it’s like on the ground, trying to enforce it. We’ll talk with the principal of Rutland High School and the Dean of Students at Sharon Academy. This episode of Vermont Edition also includes a conversation with Seven Days food writer Jordan Barry. With summer in full swing, Jordan shares her favorite fair food, and current restaurant opening and closings. Broadcast live on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Based on the data, just one or two people live in most of Vermont's homes, that's Roughly 70 percent of the state's houses. The state has one of the country’s smallest average household sizes in the country.As we try to solve the state’s housing crunch, this component should play a key role in the conversation. That’s a big takeaway from recent reporting Carly Berlin. She’s Vermont Public’s housing and infrastructure reporter. She has an in-depth story on this subject, and she joins us today to tell us more about what she found when she dug into the data around population decline, household size and housing stock. We also have Maura Collins with us. She’s the executive director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. The organization finances and promotes housing for low and moderate-income Vermonters.Then; Vermont is in the midst of implementing a bold new vision for reducing health care costs. It’s called reference based pricing, and it’s the most expansive law of its kind in the country.The goal is to reduce hospital costs. They’re a major driver of our high health insurance premiums. Services at all Vermont’s hospitals will be standardized instead of being left to the hospitals and health insurance companies to negotiate independently, which is what they do now.This is happening because of a law the Vermont legislature passed last year, Act 68. It directs the independent Green Mountain Care Board to implement reference based pricing by fiscal year 2027. Owen Foster is the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board joins us to explain.Broadcast live on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Proposed federal changes to historic preservation sites–including what qualifies for protection and who makes those decisions–has experts around the country on edge. Today on Vermont Edition: What’s behind the move to make changes to a federal legal requirement known as Section 106.That law mandates federal agencies to assess and evaluate the impact of projects on historic and cultural properties around the country, including in Vermont. Two local preservation experts will discuss what could be vulnerable if the federal alterations go through. Later in the show, we’ll speak with the Vermonter who was crowned this year’s Miss Black USA. Harmony Edosomwan is a TV host, philanthropist, and food justice advocate who established a Winooski soul food catering company called Harmony’s Kitchen. We’ll find out how it feels to win the pageant and what comes with the honor.

New federal regulations surrounding hemp products are expected to have huge ripple effects on the industry. Guest host Jenn Jarecki hosts a panel of guests to discuss these changes and how they potentially impact growers, sellers, and buyers of CBD in the state. They'll also discuss some recent changes at the federal level, and what the future of growing and selling cannabis in Vermont looks like moving forward. We're first joined by James Pepper, the Chair of Vermont’s Cannabis Control Board. Then, we chat with Sam Bellavance, Founder and CEO of Sunset Lake CBD and Cannabis, Kris Brown, who hosts the podcast Cannasations and is a grower himself, and Scott Sparks, Owner of the Bud Barn dispensary in Brattleboro. They'll give us their respective takes on the state of recreational cannabis in Vermont.Disclosure: Sunset Lake CDB is a Vermont Public business partner. Broadcast live on Monday, August 24, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Amanda Janoo, Molly Gray, and Gerald Malloy discuss their campaigns, and reporter Lola Duffort breaks down the results. Then: it’s been nearly five years since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan. Vermont now has one of the largest per capita populations of Afghans in the U.S. The head of the Vermont Afghan Alliance will tell us about the challenges they still face. Broadcast live on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Vermont’s primary election is Aug. 11. About 3.1% of registered voters cast their ballots early, according to the Secretary of State's office. The rest of Vermont's 500,000 or so registered voters will need to go to a polling station to cast their ballots.Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas joins the show to discuss primary day logistics, Vermont's campaign finance laws and election security. Then, Vermont Public reporters Liam Elder Connors and Peter Hirschfeld talk us through the candidates in federal, statewide and county races that will appear on ballots.Check out Vermont Public's primary election guide for information on your polling place and candidate debates and interviews.Broadcast live on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Every year, the Vermont Edition team heads out to a Vermont fair to bring you the sounds and voices of our states favorite summertime traditions. Today we come to you live from Addison County Fair and Field Days in New Haven. This hour we’ll get to know the fair’s history, talk with 4-H members and animal experts, and get a little taste — literally — of what the fair has to offer. We're joined today by a host of guests that bring different energies and expertise to the fair-going experience. Benj Deppman is a fair board member whose roots run deep at the Addison Fair. We're also joined by Scythe Sister Michaela Stickney to learn about hand mowing competitions. Sugarhouse manager Andrew Rainville brings some of the fairs blue ribbon winners in the maple contest. Ethan Gervy coordinates the fair's demolition derby and is joined alongside Dylan Mason who has participated in the derby for the past two years and is competing this year as well. Dairy superintendent Stephanie Pope joins us alongside 16 year old 4-H competitor to talk about showing dairy cows. We hear from children's performer Pirate Man Dan who tells us what makes Addison County's fair distinct from the many others he performs at around the country. And board member Meghan Sutton tells us about the home and garden barn. Broadcast live on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Blackface performance – or minstrel shows – might seem like relics of the 19th century. But these racist traditions stuck around much longer, including at the University of Vermont.Today on Vermont Edition, we'll listen back to our conversation from April with the scholar Rhae Lynn Barnes. Her latest book is “Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment.”Barnes spent more than a decade gathering material for the book. She uncovered evidence of blackface performance from nearly every corner of the country…lasting all the way through the mid 1900s. In her book, she takes us to the campus of the University of Vermont. UVM fraternity members donned blackface during winter carnival, in a tradition lasted more than 70 years.

Every month, Vermont Edition spends an hour learning about a different municipality in the state for our monthly series, Town by Town. Today, we'll learn about Guilford, in Windham County. Guilford was once the most populous town in the state. It doesn’t hold that designation anymore, but it’s home to a bustling community center, local businesses and a rich history. We’ll talk with a local poet, a town historian, and the co-founder of the Guilford Gazette. We’ll also hear about a legendary recording studio in town. Artists like the Pixies and Noah Kahan have made records there.At the end of the hour, we’ll spin a big wheel to select our next town.

Local business leaders want Vermont to adopt the "abundance agenda." Remove administrative burdens so we can build more housing, and attract more working age people.Today on Vermont Edition: the abundance agenda. We’ll break down exactly what this buzzy phrase means and the challenge it poses specifically to liberals and progressives.Then: Vermont’s primary is about two weeks away. Two people are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House. We’ll hear from one of the candidates today – Gerald Malloy. He’s an Army vet and defense contractor. He hopes to take on Congresswoman Becca Balint in the general election.

Many of us dream of learning another language. But becoming fluent as an adult is so hard that it can feel impossible.Here's some good news: our region is full of linguaphiles who have cracked the code on achieving fluency in multiple tongues. We discuss the different methods of language learning with: linguistics professor Thor Sawin, the Associate Dean of Curriculum for Middlebury Language Schools; Gabe Wyner, a four-time graduate of Middlebury Language Schools, author of Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It, and creator of the Fluent Forever app; and Eric Agnero, a journalist and French tutor with Alliance française.Broadcast on Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.