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Plans for a pandemic Town Meeting Day. Plus, painting a portrait of Alexander Twilight, possible compensation for certain farming practices, a large conservation project, and COVID-19 numbers.

Of all the portraits in the Vermont Statehouse, none are of people of color, but that will soon change. A portrait of Alexander Twilight will go up in the halls of the Statehouse likely next year.

Vermont reporters provide a roundup of top news takeaways about the coronavirus and more for Wednesday, Feb 24.

If you want to understand how civil affairs are conducted in Vermont, it's important to know about the annual tradition of town meeting.

An argument for decriminalizing drug use in Vermont. Plus, vaccinated visitation, vaccines for those 65 and up, and the plan in Quebec.

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VPR Morning Newscast for Thursday, Feb. 25.

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VPR Evening Newscast for Wednesday, Feb. 24

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VPR Midday Newscast for Wednesday, Feb. 24

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If you want to understand how civil affairs are conducted in Vermont, it's important to know about the annual tradition of town meeting.

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VPR Morning Newscast for Wednesday, Feb. 24

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Gov. Phil Scott announced last week that travelers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not have to quarantine when visiting or returning to Vermont. This hour, we get the details on new state guidance and the vaccine rollout, and we answer your COVID-19-related inquiries.

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Public, educational and government access, or PEG access television, has for decades served community-produced cable programming to the Vermont public: graduation ceremonies. town meetings, the governor's twice-weekly COVID-19 press briefings. However, shifts in consumer behavior — away from cable in favor of internet streaming — have brought PEG access' primary financing mechanism, payments from cable companies, into question. This hour, we hear what a new report says about the financial viability of PEG access in Vermont.

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Gov. Phil Scott wants lawmakers to invest more than $200 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds in a number of one-time projects -- not ongoing programs. This hour, we talk with Republican and Progressive leaders at the Statehouse about their priorities for the session, including the use of this money.

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Many of us miss seeing a movie in theaters, feeling the rhythm of a live concert inside your body, or gathering with friends to have a laugh at a comedy club. This hour, we hear from arts organizations and performers about how they've been dealing with the pandemic. From taking a hiatus to going virtual, we talk about what's working and what's not, nearly a year in.

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Vermont is expanding COVID-19 vaccination to residents 70 to 74 years of age. As of 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, residents in this age group can schedule appointments online or by calling the state’s vaccine call center. We get the latest on these vaccination efforts, plus case trends, new CDC guidance for schools and other COVID-19 news.

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Weather Journal by VPR

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Recreational Forecast by VPR

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Morning Forecast by VPR

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Eye On The Night Sky For Thursday, February 25, 2021 by VPR

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Midday Forecast by VPR

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This one goes out to our future neighbors. With your help, we answer a question from soon-to-be Vermonter Samantha Spano, of South Florida.

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Not sure how to say Calais, or Topsham, or Beebe Plain? With your help, we've built a guide for all those tricky names on the Vermont map.

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The Senate impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump is set to begin on Feb. 9. And Vermont’s own Sen. Patrick Leahy will preside.

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The small town of Fletcher did notably well during the 1918 flu pandemic. How did they manage that, and how are they managing COVID?

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A listener question with some local implications. We pass the mic to our friends at New Hampshire Public Radio's Outside/In.

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This week on NEXT, we hear about the enduring impacts of The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island that killed 100 people in 2003. Plus, the mysterious history of Lost Nation Road in Vermont. And we visit an experimental forest in our region to gain new insight on New England research of the natural world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This week on NEXT, we’ll hear the latest on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout across our region — including concerns over inequities in distribution — and get expert answers to some of our questions about life after vaccination. Plus, what’s next for a proposed wood-burning biomass plant in Springfield, Mass., a city beset with high asthma rates. And we’ll learn what it’s like to work as a ski patroller during the pandemic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This week on NEXT, why one New England state is vaccinating young researchers before older adults. Plus, a look at ropeless fishing and the hope to save the endangered North Atlantic right whale. We’ll also hear from Connecticut’s Supreme Court chief justice about racial inequities in jury selection — and what his state is doing about it. And how the pandemic led one New Englander to create an unusual fictional crime thriller. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This week on NEXT, what student loan forgiveness under the Biden administration would mean for borrowers in Maine. Plus, an interview with Shalanda Baker, a new deputy director at the U.S. Department of Energy, on the role of energy justice in the transition to clean energy. And we hear from an insider about what happens at behavioral treatment programs for “troubled teens.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are the first of their kind to use mRNA. This week on NEXT, how this new experimental technology could help fight diseases like cancer and cystic fibrosis. Plus, some of the challenges of vaccine distribution in New England. And a new podcast, “Anything For Selena,” explores the Mexican American pop star’s legacy and what it shows us about belonging in America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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On Thursday, February 18th, a robot called a rover is expected to land on the surface of Mars, and begin collecting information scientists hope will help us learn if life ever existed on that planet! We answer your Mars questions with Mitch Schulte, NASA program scientist for the Mars 2020 mission. Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript NASA has a number of ways that you can watch the landing live on February 18th at 11:15 a.m. PST / 2:15 p.m. EST / 19:15 UTC. The rover is called Perseverance, which means not giving up, continuing to work toward a difficult goal even when challenges are placed in your way. And it is quite a challenge just to get to Mars! The rover was launched on a rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida more than 6 months ago, by NASA, the U.S. Space Agency. And it has been traveling through space ever since, on a path to Mars. And now, people all over the world are eager to watch it land on Mars and get to work. And it’s not just Perseverance that is going to land on Mars. There’s also a helicopter, called Ingenuity, which means cleverness, creativeness and resourcefulness all rolled into one. Ingenuity, the helicopter, is basically a drone—there’s no one inside driving it around, just as there are no people onboard the rover. But ingenuity is the first helicopter to ever test-fly on another planet!

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How is chocolate made? Why can't we eat chocolate all the time? Why is chocolate dangerous for dogs? Why do adults like coffee? In this episode, we tour Taza Chocolate in Somerville, Massachusetts to learn how chocolate goes from bean to bar. Then we visit a coffee roaster in Maine to learn about this parent-fuel that so many kids find gross! And we'll learn a little about Valentine’s Day. Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slides | Transcript "How is chocolate made?" - Samarah, 8, Johnson, VT "Chocolate actually comes from cocoa beans--which is no bean at all--they are seeds of the cacao trees," says Ayala Ben-Chaim of Taza Chocolate. Taza is a "bean-to-bar" chocolate maker. That means starting with raw cocoa beans and going all the way through the process to turn those beans into a chocolate bar you can buy in a store. (Some chocolatiers get chocolate that's already mostly made and they just add stuff to it and shape it.) The tree that those cocoa beans come from is called the Theobroma cacao tree, which grows in warm tropical parts of the world--within 20 degrees of the equator. Taza Chocolate sources (buys) cocoa beans from farmers in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Belize and Bolivia. It takes about five years from when it's planted for a cacao tree to produce cocoa pods. "Cocoa pods are a little bit funny to look at. They look like a gourd growing off of the tree, or like a lumpy tiny American football. The cocoa pods grow off of the branches of the tree like apples, but they also grow right off of the trunk of the tree," Ben-Chaim explains. "The next step in the process is fermentation. Fermentation is so important in chocolate making. And this is one of the things that is so surprising about chocolate making. After the beans ferment, they spend a week drying in the sun on wooden planks. At this point they look like almonds. Next, they are packaged and shipped to wherever they'll be made into chocolate. The first thing the chocolate maker will do is roast the beans at 200 degrees for about an hour, which gives them a nice toasted flavor. "We also start to separate the thin outer shell that surrounds the inner part of the cocoa bean. Our next step is to separate that shell from the inner part of the bean, called the nib. We do this by winnowing the cocoa beans, using a machine," says Ben-Chaim. "At Taza Chocolates we use a traditional Mexican milling style using a molino - or mill - to grind the cocoa beans down," Ben-Chaim says, demonstrating. "Over time, those cocoa nibs will be turned into a cocoa liquor, which is smooth and chocolaty. Imagine a chocolate waterfall. It looks beautiful, it smells chocolaty and delicious and yet it is not very tasty because we're missing a really important ingredient, and that is sugar." Sugar is added to the chocolate liquor, then the sweetened chocolate is ground again, and other ingredients are sometimes added, like spices or coffee or fruit. At this point some chocolate makers will conche the chocolate, which blends and mixes the chocolate at a high temperature over many hours, which makes it smooth and creamy. Taza doesn’t conche their chocolate. The next step is tempering. Tempering the chocolate makes it glossy and brittle. Then the chocolate is poured into molds and cooled. Then it's wrapped up and ready to take home. Also in this episode:  we visit 44 North Coffee  to learn more about the mysterious beverage that so many adults like to drink--coffee!

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What makes a cactus a cactus? And what are you supposed to call a group of these plants--cacti, cactuses, or cactus?! We'll find out in today's episode, as we learn more about the cactus family with Kimberlie McCue of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. She'll answer kid questions about why cactuses are spiky and how they got those spikes, as well as why teddy bear cactuses aren't actually cuddly! Download our learning Guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript Those prickly spines that are so characteristic of the cactus family are actually modified leaves! Cactuses don't have the kind of leaves like a maple or oak tree. But they might have had leaves that were at least a little more like that way way back in the past. Over time, those leaves evolved into the spiky spines we see on cactuses today because they help the plants survive in hot, dry environments. Why are cactuses spiky? -Noah, Iowa "They can be a defense mechanism to discourage herbivores - animals that eat plants - from eating the cactus. But, also, spines create shade!" explains Kimberlie McCue. "Early in the morning, there will be fog that comes off the water. Those spines provide a place for the water to condense, form little droplets of water that run down the spine, to the body of the plant, down to the ground and to the roots." Cactuses are also extremely important parts of their desert environments, as they hold soil in place and provide shelter for birds and other animals. Those insects and birds in turn help pollinate the cactus flowers. Cactuses are also an important local food source for humans. Unfortunately, cactuses are in danger from people who poach (illegally take) wild plants from their environment. Kimberlie McCue says one way to help make sure cacti stay healthy and plentiful is to be careful when you buy cactus plants. Check to see where the plant seller got the cactus and make sure they're taking care to be ethical stewards of these plants before you buy.

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Why are whale sharks called whale sharks? Why are guinea pigs called pigs if they're not pigs? Why are eagles called bald eagles if they're not bald? You also ask us lots of questions about why and how animals got their names. So today we're going to introduce you to the concept of taxonomy, or how animals are categorized, and we'll also talk about the difference between scientific and common names. We'll learn about the reasoning behind the names of daddy long legs, killer whales, fox snakes, German shepherds and more! Our guests are Steve and Matt Murrie, authors of The Screaming Hairy Armadillo, and 76 Other Animals With Weird Wild Names. Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript There are some animals whose names don't really seem accurate-like daddy long legs...which certainly aren't all daddies! Or bald eagles that very clearly have plenty of feathers on their heads. Or guinea pigs, which aren't actually pigs! homo is our genus and homo sapien is our species name. homo sapien. The species name for a common black rat is rattus rattus. An Asian elephant is elephas maximus. canus lupus. That would stay the same no matter what language you're using. But in English we tend to call it a wolf; in Spanish you'd call it un lobo, and in Welsh it would be blaidd (pronounced "blythe"). Even within the same language, an animal can have lots of common names. Here in Vermont, where I live, we have an animal called a groundhog. But most people around here call it a woodchuck. And others call it a land beaver, or a whistle pig! Common names were often in use long before animals go their specific scientific names.

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As the new year dawns, what are you hopeful for in 2021? Even though the change of the calendar year is mostly symbolic, New Year's Day is often a time for looking back on the year that just passed and setting goals for the year ahead. We asked you to share your hopes and dreams for 2021, from the end of the COVID-19 pandemic to your own personal goals. In this episode, more than 100 kids from around the world offer New Year's resolutions. We'll also hear from Johns Hopkins University epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, climate activist Bill McKibben and Young Peoples Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye. Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript Here are just a few of the hopes and dreams you sent us: "My environmental wish for 2021 is that we can stop so much pollution. My personal wish is to learn Urdu and to convince my brother to get a cat or dog!" - Maya, Toronto, Ontario "My wish for 2021 is that the coronavirus will stop and the vaccine will come out and we can do things we haven't done this year and we can have our birthday together this year!" -Zain "I want to learn how to ride my bike by myself. - Adelaide, 6, California "What I want to happen for the new year is that I want people to start being responsible and no coronavirus. I want people to stop polluting. I want people to wear more masks. I want people to be kind to animals." - Jedi, 8, Ohio My new year’s resolution is for sloths to take over the world and for people to use less plastic. - Sloan, 7, Wisconsin

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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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June 17th 1997, was “George Walker Day” in Washington DC as established by Mayor Marion Berry. It was a day to commemorate the life, music and legacy of one of the most accomplished American composers of late 20th Century, George Theophilus Walker.

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William Grant Still Jr. was called the “Dean of Afro-American Composers.” His career was full of “firsts”; milestones that broke through the racial and social barriers that were so prevalent in the United States.

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Much like mazurkas evoke Poland and waltzes remind us of Vienna, the “rag” will forever be tied to the United States. Composer Scott Joplin was called “The King of Ragtime.” Though his works were popular during his lifetime, Joplin did not have an easy life or kingly riches.

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We’ve been telling the story of the Estonian "Singing Revolution," how a people used song to affect real, political and historical change.

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We’ve been telling the story of the Estonian “Singing Revolution” and how non-violent, musical protest changed the course of a culture and a nation.

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How the events of last year changed Vermont schools and law enforcement. Also - where's Jack?

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How do you know if a young person is plotting a school massacre? And what do you do then?

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How a Republican governor who had been rated "A" by the NRA decided that Vermont, one of the most gun-friendly states in the nation, needed gun control laws.

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When does planning a school shooting become attempted murder? The question went all the way to the Vermont Supreme Court.

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Who is Jack Sawyer, and why did he want to kill his former classmates?

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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."