Vermont Edition

Vermont Public

4.3 (101)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
UPDATED DAILY

Vermont Edition brings you news and conversation about issues affecting your life. Host Mikaela Lefrak considers the context of current events through interviews with news makers and people who make our region buzz.

53M AGO

Musical traditions from around the globe converge in All the Rivers

Six languages. Ten countries. Countless musical traditions. One home — Vermont. A musical ensemble brings musicians from across the globe together. We’re joined by members of All the Rivers for a live performance and discussion of the diverse musical journeys that brought them together. Hear from the group’s founder and guitarist Avi Salloway. We’ll also chat with Dr. Jules Wetchi, founder of a Congolese Catholic choir that now sings with the group, percussionist Assane Coly of Senegal, and guitarist and singer Cintia Lovo Arias, who was born in Colombia and grew up in the U.S. Broadcast live on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

50 min
1D AGO

Vermont looks to study -- and possibly block -- data centers

Vermont looks to study -- and possibly block -- data centers

50 min
2D AGO

Tariffs or no tariffs? Vermont businesses react to Supreme Court ruling

There’s been near-constant change when it comes to U.S. trade policy. Soon after entering office, President Trump raised import taxes on China, Canada and other major trade partners. On Feb. 19 of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that much of President Donald Trump's tariff policy was illegal. The next day, the White House imposed a 10% global tariff — then switched the number to 15%. Representatives from a variety of industries discuss the tariffs' impacts on business and their reactions to the Supreme Court ruling. Nik Holm is the CEO of Terry Precision Cycling, a Burlington-based women’s cycling apparel company. Terry Cycling was one of the small businesses that sued President Trump and his administration over tariffs. Holmes Jacobs owns Two Brothers Tavern, a bar and restaurant in Middlebury. His recent Facebook post about the tariffs' negative impact on small businesses drew hundreds of comments. Allison Hope is the executive director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association. The U.S. imports syrup and sugaring supplies from Canada. Jesse Mitchell works in imports and exports with Strader-Ferris International, a customs brokerage company with offices in New York and Ontario. He says the past year has been the most challenging in the company's 75-year history, due to the tariffs. Broadcast live on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

50 min
3D AGO

Town Meeting Day 2026: What's on the ballot in your town?

One of Vermont’s most beloved annual traditions is tomorrow – Town Meeting Day. Have you read through your school budget and town report? Today on Vermont Edition, we’ll get a preview of some of the big issues and elections going on this town meeting day. Rutland City residents get to select their next mayor. Pomfret will decide if non-residents can hold town office and whether to add a local option tax. Folks in the Woodstock area will vote on a bond to rebuild their middle and high school. Ripton is deciding what to do with its shuttered elementary school building. And Grande Isle is one of the numerous towns battling the emerald ash borer. They’ll vote on whether to allocate tax dollars to remove ash trees killed by this invasive bug.

50 min
FEB 26

[REBROADCAST] Decision making in the age of plastics

With more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface covered by water, what’s contained in all that H2O is pretty important. A Granville-based marine conservation and expedition scientist has traveled as far as Antarctica to sample and study microplastics in the world’s water supply, chronicling and explaining the dangers they pose. Rachael Z. Miller explores the choices around the plastics in our daily lives in her new book, Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics: A choose-your-own-adventure style guide to purchasing while balancing your health, the environment and your budget. Originally broadcast live on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

50 min
FEB 25

Vermont's 'Wildlife Action Plan'

What does the timber rattlesnake have in common with the eastern meadowlark? Or how about the elm-leaved goldenrod and the Green Mountain quillwort? These plant and animal species are all classified as endangered or threatened in Vermont. And right now, local biologists are working to update the state’s Wildlife Action Plan. That plan is basically a wildlife-focused conservation blueprint for the state. The team that’s been working on it is proposing some changes that could mark a shift in how the state thinks about conservation. Recently I sat down with Dr. Rosalind Renfrew to learn more. She’s based in Montpelier as the Wildlife Diversity Program lead for Vermont Fish & Wildlife. We were also joined by Kent McFarland from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies in Norwich.Then; Marie Curie is a famous name, but even if you know who she is, you might only know the basics of her extraordinary life. Marie Curie was a Polish-French scientist and a pioneer in the study of radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win a Nobel twice. Marie Curie is also the subject of a new book by Devon Jersild of Weybridge, Vermont. Devon is a psychotherapist and a writer. She’s won a prestigious O. Henry Award for her short story writing, and is the former associate director of the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, associate editor of the New England Review, and a visiting lecturer in English at Middlebury College.

50 min
FEB 24

Don't get salty: Finding alternative solutions to road salt

Salt helps us travel safely when ice forms over roads and sidewalks, but those little grains of salt can have a big impact on the environment. Today on Vermont Edition: road salt and how it affects our natural world. The associate director of the Lake Champlain Sea Grant will share her research on sustainable alternatives to help navigate the slippery conditions of winter. A road foreman in Hyde Park discusses putting one of those alternatives to use. We’ll also hear the concerns of a Rutland state senator regarding cost and regulation. Then, we’ll head to Addison County, where a Lunar New Year celebration in Middlebury includes one of the biggest movies of the past year: K-Pop Demon Hunters.

50 min
FEB 23

Brave Little State digs into Vermont's lack of county governance

Orange, Grand Isle, Lamoille, those are just a few of Vermont’s 14 geographically and culturally unique counties. Compared to many states across the United States, Vermont has one of the weakest forms of county government, and a lot of you out there are curious why. Vermont Edition revisits a recent Brave Little State episode to find out why. Broadcast live on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

50 min

See All (213)

4.3

out of 5

101 Ratings

An interesting listen

09/17/2024

JJ90909

I’m from New England and love visiting Vermont. The hosts are always polite even when callers are a little blunt. Although the callers tend to be very nice! You can learn a lot from this show regardless of where you live. One suggestion I have is that while each episode says it’s been edited for clarity and brevity, it feels like some content could be cut such as calls from people who can’t hear the hosts or vice versa. The hosts having to cut off callers who go on for too long is a little awkward too (maybe this interaction is left in for transparency?).
Love the show but…..

01/14/2023

lake/farmgirl

I love the show but some of the programs are just boring and useless. I love Jane Lindholm and miss her very much, the new hosts voices are super annoying. I love when brave little state does it because they are clear and factual.
Unprofessional

02/23/2023

123FakeSt

You don’t seem to have an editor. You leave in irrelevant calls, and the resulting fluster that it causes the hosts. Mikaela stutters and stammers and she sounds perpetually stuffed up. “Verbont” I can’t stand it. The guests are good, and the topics are interesting. Please make it sound more professional and smoother
I'm a Vermont Edition Fan!

07/20/2017

PMullery

Jane Lindholm does an amazing job of ferreting out the issues that are critical to all of us living in Vermont. She has a wonderful interview style - kind, calm, insightful. Her show is on daily, and I am continually amazed at how many topics of interest and significance there are to cover in our small state. Thank you, Jane. Thank you, Vermont Public Radio and everyone who contributes financially to keep Vermont Edition on the air. I'd give Vermont Edition a 5+ star if it were available.

Vermont Edition brings you news and conversation about issues affecting your life. Host Mikaela Lefrak considers the context of current events through interviews with news makers and people who make our region buzz.