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The international Poker Power organization teaches women and girls poker-playing strategies that aim to strengthen risk assessment, decision making and financial literacy. Lark McCarron started the first-ever high school Poker Power club.

The well-known progressive from Vermont also used the event to boost two Democratic candidates for statewide office in Maine: former Senate President Troy Jackson, who is running for governor, and U.S. Senate hopeful Graham Platner.

A Massachusetts forest specialist said that without fast and aggressive action, the beetle could have gradually spread across the state and even infiltrated Vermont or New Hampshire.

Daphne Kalmar taught elementary school for over 20 years, and she was one of those teachers — one of the exciting and inspiring ones you never forget.

Those who know, self-sow! Self-sowing is when certain plants are left to bolt or go to seed. When plants go to seed, their flowers attract more pollinators and the seeds drop in the soil for another perfectly timed crop for next season.

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The international Poker Power organization teaches women and girls poker-playing strategies that aim to strengthen risk assessment, decision making and financial literacy. Lark McCarron started the first-ever high school Poker Power club.

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Daphne Kalmar taught elementary school for over 20 years, and she was one of those teachers — one of the exciting and inspiring ones you never forget.

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Operators are proposing big changes for how they run three dams on the Connecticut River.

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During the first Trump administration, Muslim families used the library, which sits on the Vermont-Quebec border, to meet loved ones they couldn’t visit in the U.S. because of a travel ban.

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Brink spent most of her life in Vermont's Washington County. She first got exposure to Abenaki language and traditions through her grandmother, Elvine Obomsawin Royce, and other relatives, who would make baskets and share family stories.

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When we talk about schools, we usually focus on what happens inside the classroom, but what happens in the cafeteria also plays an important role in learning. In the second installment of our fall series School Stories, we’re talking school meals. Food services coordinators Susan Grabowski of the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union and Kathy Alexander of the Mount Abe and Addison Northwest school districts discuss menus, how federal funding cuts could affect school meals and the pros and cons of following the USDA’s rules. We'll also hear from a school district in southern Vermont, where a team of Afghan refugees cook up food in the cafeteria, including halal meals for Muslim and vegetarian students. Broadcast live on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

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Vermonters are very particular about our ice cream. It makes sense — we live in the land of milk and maple syrup. Chances are that if you stop a person in the street, they'll be able to quickly rattle off their favorite creemee spot and classic order. On Vermont Edition's annual creemee show, we talk with the purveyors of some of your favorite frozen treats in the region. This year we hear from Hannah Connor, the café and kitchen manager at Red Hen Baking Company in Middlesex, Jess Yates, owner of Yates Family Orchard in Monkton (creators the Dreamee), and Amanda Ellis Thurber of Lilac Ridge Farm in West Brattleboro. Plus: Asa Waterworth eats an eye-popping number of creemees every year — upwards of 50, she estimates. She takes photos of her cones and offers up recommendations on her instagram account, @creemeechronicles. Asa and Mikaela got a cone together and talked about what makes a perfect creemee down at Ice Cream Evan's at the Burlington Waterfront.

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Varsity bass fishing hooks Vermont high school students

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School Stories: Redistricting and consolidation

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For four decades, a statue dedicated to an Abenaki Chief stood in Burlington's Battery Park. The wooden statue was recently removed due to decay and rot. Deciding how to honor a complex part of history is never easy. We’ll talk with a Norwich professor about Northeastern Indigenous history, the director general of Odanak First Nation in Quebec, and a state representative for Burlington. City leaders in Burlington continue to debate how to address illegal activity in public spaces like drug use and sleeping outside. Ahead of a key city council meeting tonight, Seven Days reporter Courtney Lamdin updates us on a proposal to increase police presence in Burlington’s City Hall Park.

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Midday Forecast, Tuesday, September 2, 2025

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Morning Forecast   September 2, 2025

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Recreational Forecast   September 2, 2025

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Farm & Garden Forecast   September 2, 2025

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Eye On The Night Sky For Tuesday, September 2

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Every summer, we add a new chapter to our favorite annual tradition: investigating the origins of Vermont’s strangest road names, as chosen by our listeners. This summer’s crop included Horn of the Moon Road in East Montpelier, Scotch Hollow Road in Newbury and Goodenough Road in Brattleboro. Tune in to hear us raid town archives, chase down local lore… and spend an inordinate amount of time driving up and down the three roads in question (sorry, neighbors!) — all in the name of journalism.  And don’t miss the seven previous installments of this road-names-extravaganza. You can find them all here.  This episode was reported by Burgess Brown, Lucia McCallum and Sabine Poux. Editing and additional production from Josh Crane. Our Executive Producer is Angela Evancie. Theme music by Ty Gibbons; Other music by Blue Dot Sessions and Universal Production Music. Special thanks to Craig Goodenough, Bill Holiday, Joe Rivers, Mary Collins, Aroline Putnam, Paul Cate, Steve Picazio, Karalyn Mark, Jessica Leal, Trina Magi, Olivia Campbell, Eric Anderson, Corinne Cooper, Jennifer Boyer, Sarah Wilds and Bob Nuner. As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

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Starting this summer, Vermont farmers are some of the first in the nation to face major restrictions on neonicotinoids — a kind of pesticide widely used to treat corn and soy plants. In part, that’s because neonics are killing honeybees. Quebec has had a similar law on the books for years. So we head north of the border to see what we can learn from our Canadian neighbors and answer this question from Curtis Mraz, of New Haven: “What is Vermont doing to protect our pollinators?” For a full transcript of this episode and photos from our reporting, check out our web post. This episode was reported by Sabine Poux. Editing and production from the rest of the BLS team: Burgess Brown and Josh Crane. Additional support from Ainslie McClellan, journalist at CBC Montreal and the host of a podcast called This is Montreal. Our intern is Lucia McCallum. Angela Evancie is our Executive Producer. Theme music by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions. Special thanks to Abagael Giles, Howard Weiss-Tisman, Andrea Laurion, Laurie Kigonya, Todd Mallory, Seth Bedard, Noah Villamarin-Cutter, Valérie Fournier and Steve Dwinell.  As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi onInstagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

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Today, we're sharing an episode of a podcast we really like. It's called Essential Salt, a show about connection, local storytelling and how getting to know your neighbors might change the way you see yourself. It's a collaboration between Maine Public and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at the Maine College of Art and Design. In this episode, we get to know a famous figure who drew a city together while remaining completely anonymous. Then, we look at what being a good opponent at chess can teach us about building strong, long-lasting relationships.   As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

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July in Vermont means hot dogs and peanuts and Cracker Jacks… and summer baseball. A few summers ago, reporter Liam Elder-Connors joined question-asker Emma Ramirez-Richer in the stands at Centennial Field to share some Dippin’ Dots, root for the Lake Monsters and chat with fans about Emma’s winning question. The team had just been sold the year before and Emma wanted to know:  “What does the sale of the Vermont Lake Monsters mean for the team, and what does minor league baseball mean to Vermonters?” We’re revisiting that episode this baseball season.  Find the web version of this episode here. This episode was reported by Liam Elder-Connors and produced by Angela Evancie. Editing and additional production from Myra Flynn and Josh Crane. Engineering support from Peter Engisch. The encore was produced by Burgess Brown. Angela Evancie is Brave Little State’s executive producer. Our theme music is by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions. Special thanks to Kate Phillips and Kevin Trevellan.  As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Call our BLS hotline: 802-552-4880 Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Leave us a rating/review in your favorite podcast app Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

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Close your eyes and try to picture the Vermont flag… If you’re drawing a blank — you're not alone. Our flag defies almost all the flag design rules set out by the North American Vexillological Association.  That’s part of the reason why Brian Sewell, of Burlington, thinks Vermont should consider an upgrade. He asked: “Other states are undergoing redesigns of their state flags. How much do Vermonters know about our flag? And is it time to update ours too?” Have an idea for a new Vermont flag design? Check out our web post for a template and instructions to submit it to the show — we’ll post our favorites! We’ve also included question-asker Brian’s proposed redesign as inspiration. For more on flag design, check out this TED Talk from Roman Mars: “Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you've never noticed” This episode was reported by Mikaela Lefrak. Editing and production from the BLS team: Sabine Poux, Burgess Brown and Josh Crane. Our intern is Lucia McCallum. Angela Evancie is our Executive Producer. Theme music by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions. Special thanks to Zoe McDonald, Amanda Gustin, Ted Kaye and Katie Grant. As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi onInstagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

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Have you noticed especially hazy skies where you live over the last few summers? While many parts of the world are experiencing more frequent and intense wildfires, even places that are nowhere near the fires are being impacted by the smoke from fires hundreds or thousands of miles away. Wildfire smoke gets so high in the atmosphere, it can be blown across a continent in a matter of days. In this special bonus episode, we’re going to learn the how and why of wildfire smoke that drifts around the world. And we’ll talk a little bit about how to stay safe when air quality goes down. Our guests are Professor Joel Thornton of the University of Washington and Dr. Gregg Furie of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript

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Have you ever seen a puffin? With their bright beaks, orange feet and black and white coloring, these birds are very cool to look at. And we’ve gotten a lot of questions about them! In this episode, we talk with Don Lyons, an educator and avian ecologist with the Seabird Institute in Maine. What are puffins? Why are puffin beaks so colorful? Why do puffins dig burrows? How do puffins learn to fly? How can you tell if a puffin is male or female? How long can puffins hold their breath? Why do they have red feet? Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript

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Where did the English language come from? Why do words have silent letters? Why do some people have accents? Why do some words sound similar? Answers to all of your questions about English and words with sociolinguist Erica Brozovsky, host of a PBS digital show called Otherwords.  Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript

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For today’s episode, we’re doing something a little different! We’re going to be listening to our video series, But Why Bites! (Even without the video part, they’re really cool!) Every other week over on our YouTube channel, we answer one kid question in a short and sweet little video. You can find all of them at the But Why Kids channel while you enjoy this compilation of episodes that we’re calling a Big Bite.

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Who created math problems? Why does one plus one equal 2 and not 11? Why do numbers go on forever? Why are numbers for counting? Why do you need math? If you love math, this is the episode for you. And if you hate math…this is the episode for you! We’re answering all kinds of questions and demystifying the science and beauty of the discipline of mathematics with Dr. Melania Alvarez, outreach coordinator for the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia in Canada. She’s also education coordinator for the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences. And she loves all your mathematical questions!  Stay tuned for a math puzzle you can solve during the episode! Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript Math Question: There's a farmer who sells live chickens. He goes to three markets to sell them.  At the first market, he sells half of his chickens, plus half a chicken. Then he goes to the second market, where he sells half of his remaining chickens, plus half a chicken.  At the third market, he sells half of all his remaining chickens, plus half a chicken. And he is left with no chickens.  How many chickens did he have at the start?  (HINT: No chickens were harmed at any of the markets, and they were all fully alive when they were sold.) (Answer: 7 chickens)

Zebra Mussels are an invasive species in Lake Champlain. Not only do they consume a great deal of the food supply in the lake, but they also attack native mussel species by sticking to them and robbing them of fresh water and food. The Zebra Mussel can reach a density of 100,000 per square meter, covering exhaust and intake pipes for water treatment and power plants.

There are 19 species of worms in Vermont. Three of them are considered invasive; they are known as snake worms or jumping worms. These busy, invasive worms change the forest floor and the content of the soil, making it difficult for new growth to take root. This affects the habitat and food source of wildlife and the future of the forest itself.

Fen grass-of-Parnassus has a beautiful white flower that blooms from mid-August to mid-September in Vermont. It is the sole food source for a rare species of bee, which are only referred to by their Latin name, andrena parnassiae.

In these times of social distancing, when people can feel disconnected from one another, it's important to realize that nature is just outside your door. From bird songs to green frogs' croaking chatter, stay connected to the outdoors by exploring your own "backyard biodiversity."

Birdwatchers know that when they see the Red-winged Blackbird return, spring is on its way. These birds are numerous and everywhere. The males are stark-black with a red epaulette, a striking flash of color on their wings, that they use to attract mates and ward off other competing males.

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We’ve been exploring the life of Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a multi-talented violinist, composer and conductor who was famous in France in the 18th Century. In the last four episodes, as we’ve relayed all of this history, I’ve left something out on purpose, but it’s now time to address the elephant in the room. Anyone who has studied or listened to the music of Chevalier will know him by a particular nickname, “The Black Mozart” a title given after his death.

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Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a world-renowned fencer, a composer, violinist and conductor in 18th century France. Even with all of his success, there was a limit to what Chevalier was allowed to achieve.

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This is our third episode exploring the life of 18th Century French composer, violinist and conductor Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges. We’re answering the question, why was this incredibly talented individual, who was quite popular in his day, barely known to us today. In the last episode we spoke about Joseph’s heritage, being the son of a Senegalese enslaved individual and French aristocrat. In this episode we’ll dive into the early life of this multi-talented prodigy.

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***Just a quick content warning before we begin. This episode will make references to sexual assault and might be triggering for some listeners.*** Chevalier’s father, George, was born into a long line of colonists. The family owned extensive sugar and coffee plantations in Guadeloupe and beyond, meaning they were quite wealthy and had participated in slavery.

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Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges was an 18th Century French composer, violinist and conductor of mixed race. Why was this talented individual, who was quite well known in his day, all but forgotten in ours?

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July 1st, 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of civil unions in Vermont. This legal alternative to marriage was the first of its kind in the United States. In the Vermont Supreme Court case Baker v. Vermont, the court ruled that the state had no legal basis to discriminate against same-sex couples. If the legislature would not allow same-sex couples to get marriage licenses, lawmakers would have to figure out a legal alternative. The result: civil unions. Vermont Public's Andrea Laurion spoke with LGBTQ+ Vermonters who were coming of age — and coming out — when civil unions became legal. They were likely too young at the time to be thinking about marriage for themselves, but old enough to know what was going on and how it might affect them one day. See photos and learn more at vermontpublic.org. Support Vermont Public's longform audio storytelling with a donation.

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For Tibetan-American artist Migmar Tsering, music and dance are inextricably linked to being Tibetan. Migmar first learned traditional dance in the village of Langkor in the county of Tingri. He was born there almost 3 decades after the invasion of Tibet by communist China in 1950. Since the 1950s, the Tibetan diaspora has expanded, with multiple groups of Tibetans relocating to India and later the U.S., Canada, Australia, and some European countries. Under the United States 1990 Immigration Act, 1,000 Tibetans living in exile in India, Nepal, and Bhutan were chosen via lottery to receive U.S. visas. In 1993, Vermont became one of 25 resettlement sites in the U.S. Migmar arrived to Vermont in 2011 and soon began teaching traditional music and dance to kids in Vermont's Tibetan American community. The Arts that Shape Us is a podcast by Vermont Folklife, produced with support from Vermont Public's Made Here Fund. Hosted by Mary Wesley, it’s devoted to exploring the state’s cultural heritage and what different local artforms say about the past and present of Vermont.

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Since at least the 1870s, people in central Vermont have cut, chiseled, hoisted, polished, and carved local granite, creating monuments, statues, and especially memorial grave markers. The granite industry brought Italian, French, Canadian, Scots, Scandinavian, Irish, Greek, and Spanish workers to the city of Barre, each bringing their own stone carving traditions. Over time, these artisans and the manufacturers they worked for shaped an enduring identity: The Barre stone carver. The Arts that Shape Us is a podcast by Vermont Folklife, produced with support from Vermont Public's Made Here Fund. Hosted by Mary Wesley, it’s devoted to exploring the state’s cultural heritage and what different local artforms say about the past and present of Vermont.

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“There is a lot of change from the beginning up to now, and we are still learning every day.” The experience of resettling in Brattleboro has changed not only the Afghan women who had to rebuild their lives, but also the people and the town that helped them do it. There are many challenges—a housing shortage, the loss of federal funding that supports refugee programs, pockets of resentment among local residents. But in the words of one longtime Brattleboro citizen, the town has learned a lot “about resiliency, support, and what really matters.” The Afghan Women of Brattleboro was produced by Two Daughters Productions with support from Vermont Public's Made Here Fund.

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“My daughters will be raised in America, so their lives will be different from mine.” Some Afghan women in Brattleboro left their country because their husbands had jobs connected to the Afghan military or to the U.S. government evacuation in 2021, which put them in danger. Coming from traditional families, these women focus on the same things in Brattleboro as they did at home: raising their children, practicing their faith, and preserving their culture. But they’re also doing new things, like learning how to drive. The Afghan Women of Brattleboro was produced by Two Daughters Productions with support from Vermont Public's Made Here Fund.

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What role does storytelling have in addressing the opioid crisis? In March, Vermont Public Radio hosted a gathering at the Turning Point Center of Burlington to talk through that question with the team behind My Heart Still Beats .

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"When you have anxiety, or chronic depression, your mind is constantly going. And I tried opiates and realized that my brain was just quiet for a little bit."

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"When you're told over and over, 'Your child's a problem child — he's bad, he's bad, he's bad, he's bad!' ... You believe your kid's bad."

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"There were three things you could be good at: fighting, drinking or sports. So, I stink at sports. I can't fight. But I guess I can drink."

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"You’re right, I probably do deserve to be in jail the rest of my life. Or, I do deserve to give my life for hers. But since I can’t, let’s save somebody else’s life."