VPR News

There's been a lot of hype over the years about the future of autonomous vehicles – though mostly in cities, like San Francisco. But Joe Segale, the Vermont Agency of Transportation's director of policy, planning and research , would like to see self-driving cars being tested on Vermont roads.

Science is the study of the world around us, and is not - definitely not – the sole purview of scientists. Anyone can do science.

Even though it's now legal to possess, consume and grow small amounts of marijuana in Vermont, that doesn't mean we've seen the end of pot legislation. The Governor's Marijuana Advisory Commission has been evaluating what has happened in other states and listening to Vermonters' thoughts on the future of pot laws. We'll hear the results from the co-chairs of the commission. We'll be joined by Tom Little and Jake Perkinson who discuss their report and possible recommendations that will be made to

About half of Vermont's native species of bumblebees have disappeared or are in serious decline — that's a principal finding of a new study out this month by the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and the University of Vermont.

Two current exhibitions at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center are stunning – and very different.

UNICEF has declared the bloody war in Yemen the worst ongoing humanitarian disaster in the world. More than 2 million people are displaced, and more than 85,000 children have died from war-induced famine, with millions more people on the brink of death by starvation. On Thursday, the Senate passed a resolution under the War Powers Act that would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen.

Vermont State Police have disbanded a decades-old program that used military helicopters to spot illicit cannabis farms from on high.

Nearly 12,000 children aged nine and ten are now taking part in a decade-long, nationwide study looking at how young brains develop. And 577 of them are right here in Vermont. We're talking with investigators leading the research at UVM about this landmark study and what they're learning about this pivotal decade in the development of young brains.

The bears are mostly in bed for the winter, so it's safe to bring out your birdfeeders. But what's the best way to attract birds to your yard—what kind of food should you use? How can you take steps to keep your avian visitors safe? And how do you choose bird food based on what birds you might want to see?

A little bit of Mexico came to Middlebury last weekend. Officials from the Mexican government were in town to help its citizens renew passports or obtain other documents.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has called for a revenue-neutral Carbon Pollution Fee – meaning that all the fees would be returned to Vermonters through a system that is progressive and protects low- and moderate-income Vermonters.

A Chinese scientist set off a firestorm recently when he claimed he'd created the world's first gene-edited babies . He Jiankui says he altered the genes of twin girls while they were embryos, to protect them from the HIV virus. Dr. Leah Burke, a pediatric geneticist and professor at the University of Vermont , said she was appalled by the news.

If you’ve been in downtown Burlington this year, you’ve probably seen a big empty lot. It's right where a new mall is supposed to be built. A mall with lots of space for new stores and offices, plus 288 apartments — and at 14 stories, it would be the tallest building in the city. But construction on the big project hasn’t started, and city officials are frustrated by the lack of progress and communication from the developers.

From a tiny area along the New York border called the Slate Valley, Vermont is the leading producer of slate in the country. And as old quarries are reopened or expanded, the rub between quarry owners and neighboring homeowners has gotten tense. We'll take a look at today's slate industry in Vermont.

We're talking weatherization: how to keep your home warm for less and address other health and comfort issues at the same time. Plus, when to go do-it-yourself and when to bring in the professionals.