Vermont Edition

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Why Vermont's health insurance costs keep going up Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

The average marketplace premium in Vermont is more than 140% higher than the national average in 2025. For individuals who get their insurance through their employers, not the marketplace, their contributions are the highest in the whole country.In a recent Brave Little State episode, senior producer Josh Crane explores why Vermont's health care system is so expensive. He looks into the UVM Health Network and compares health care costs in different parts of our region. Then, Chief Health Care Advocate for Vermont Legal Aid Mike Fisher answers your questions about our health care system. Broadcast live on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

A UVM team is creating a massive database of research about opioid use disorder Mar 11, 2025

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Dr. David Krag and his team are sifting through around 43,000 studies about opioids and addiction to create an easy-to-access research database.

What we know so far about Burlington's overdose prevention center plans Mar 10, 2025

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The proposed center will provide medical supervision to people using illegal drugs.

Vermonters work to broker peace deal with beavers Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

Town and state leaders are working to improve humans' relationship with beavers to support flood resiliency. Beavers' brains are small — about the size of a walnut — but you wouldn't know it from watching them work. "They get up and go to work every single day, never take a vacation," said Skip Lisle, a wildlife biologist in Grafton. Lisle invented the Beaver Deceiver, a flow device that sneaks water away from beavers and removes the need to trap or kill them.For naturalist Patti Smith of the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center in West Brattleboro, it's important for Vermonters to understand what happened when beavers were overhunted in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. "When all of the beavers disappeared from North America — disappeared being a euphemism for 'turned into stylish hats' — eventually those dams degraded and all of those wetlands drained," she said.

How Trump's Canada tariffs will affect Vermont, relationship with Quebec Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

Sen. Welch discusses Trump's tax on Canadian goods. Vermont Commerce Secretary and a Montreal reporter discuss how the tariffs will play out on either side of the border.

The past and present of Town Meeting Day Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

Town Meeting Day is a method of direct civic engagement and and a longstanding community building tradition. It's a time when Vermont’s 247 municipalities each decide how they’ll spend their local budgets. We begin by hearing about some significant votes taking place around the state. Vermont Public's Nina Keck talks about the Rutland mayoral race, and reporter Lexi Krupp explains Lyndon's vote to keep Town Meeting an in-person affair, rather than switch to Australian ballot.Then, we dig into the history of town meetings in Vermont with Middlesex town moderator Susan Clark. She is the co-author of many books about democracy in Vermont, including All Those in Favor: Rediscovering the Secrets of Town Meeting and Community. She discusses the times when Vermont towns voted on national and international issues that extended far beyond the purview of local budgets. Then, we share a 1982 NPR story by Leslie Breeding about a town meeting in Strafford. Broadcast live on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

A tour around Vermont ahead of Town Meeting Day Mar 03, 2025

Show notes

It’s time for Town Meeting Day, a Vermont tradition stretching back more than 200 years. Chief administrative officer for the City of Burlington Katharine Schad discusses significant bond measures. Missisquoi Valley School District vice chair Renick Darnell-Martin, a Highgate resident, talks through the school district's budget. In Plainfield, select board chair Karl Bissex talked about a plan to expand the town after last year's flooding caused major damage. Bellows Falls, Saxtons River and Rockingham voted this past weekend to create a single municipal fire and rescue department. Rockingham town manager Scott Pickup provides insight on that vote. Jackie Matts, chair of the Bennington charter review committee, explains the effort to allow 16- and 17-year-olds and non-U.S.citizens to vote on town issues.

Raw milk: to drink or not to drink? Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

A Vermont microbiologist, food safety official and dairy farmer explain how raw milk is tested and regulated.

Vermont restaurant news with Seven Days Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

Are you craving new restaurants to try or want the latest on Vermont's food scene? We've got you covered. Food and drink editor Melissa Pasanen of Seven Days shares culinary updates from around the region.

Black History Month: Black Arts and Culture in Vermont Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

Black Vermonters have helped shape the state throughout history, arts and culture.

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