Local News Podcast Vermont Public Radio

Parkinson’s disease affects the nervous system. It muddles how the brain sends signals that coordinate movement. In Vermont, it's estimated that one out of a thousand people over age 55 have it.There’s no cure. But research shows vigorous exercise — and even a punch or two — can help those with Parkinson's slow the disease.

The state is encouraging towns to make small changes to their zoning codes to encourage more housing.

If we think about women in aeronautics, we tend to remember the ones who came to tragic ends: Amelia Earhart, Christa McAuliffe. One Vermont composer researched women in STEM fields and found uplifting stories, too, and put them to music.

Vermont is in the process of adopting new regulations that will push auto manufacturers to dramatically ramp up the number of electric vehicles they supply to dealerships in the state.These new regulations will apply to cars and big trucks. And by 2035, every new car sold in Vermont will have to be powered by electricity or by hydrogen.

Joe Wiah directs the Ethiopian Community Development Council’s Multicultural Community Center in Brattleboro. His work involves helping refugees settle in their new Vermont communities and connect with resources tied to employment, housing, education and medical care.

A new documentary follows a Vermonter who paddled 120 miles along Lake Champlain to explore its beauty, and the challenges impacting the state’s largest watershed. Vermont Public’s Mitch Wertlieb spoke with the paddler and cinematographer behind the documentary, No Other Lake.