VPR News

He's seen the change from oil lamps to electric lighting, and from the advent of radio to television and the computer. And modes of transportation shift from the horse and buggy to self-driving automobiles. At 106, Townshend's Warren Patrick finds happiness in every new day and gives thanks for it every night.

Most of us have causes that we’re passionate about. In my case, I’m passionate about trying to eliminate homelessness and provide decent housing for low and moderate income families.

In 1999, Portugal was the heroin capital of Europe, with fully one percent of the population addicted to hard drugs. But in 2001 they decriminalized all substances and spent a vast amount of their public money on treatment rather than drug enforcement.

One of the major competitions in the canine world took place this week in New York City. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show concluded Tuesday, Feb. 13. About a dozen dogs owned by Vermonters were among the field of 3,000 that competed this year. One of those dogs had an excellent show: Romeo, a Bernese Mountain Dog owned by Pam Eldredge of Waterbury.

As the country was reeling from the news of a deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida last week, Vermont State Police released news that a similar event may have been thwarted at Fair Haven Union High School.

Organic dairy farmers are getting paid less because of an oversupply of their milk, a market glut that’s led one major organic buyer to delay signing on new farmers.

With the 17 people who lost their lives when a gunman opened fire at a high school in Parkland, Florida , last week are still very much on the minds of Americans a two-year-old essay by Burlington writer Kimberly Harrington has renewed resonance.

It’s barely four months since the Las Vegas massacre, and already it’s all but forgotten. Now comes the Florida high school mass shooting and we must take steps to ensure it doesn’t become equally transitory.

Historian Kenneth Clark argued that, to survive, a civilization requires one thing above all: confidence. Confidence in itself; confidence in its culture and laws; confidence in the individual and collective capacities of its citizens to shape the future.

At Town Meeting in March, 13 central Vermont communities will consider forming a communications union district, the sole purpose of which would be to bring fiber-optic internet service to the area.

Among the proposals Gov. Phil Scott has made this year to expand Vermont’s workforce is adding more “enhancements” to the state’s signature business incentive program. But one top state official has long questioned a core principle of that program.

It’s such a joy to see the long list of Vermonters representing at the Olympic Games and fun to see the stories on so many athletes from Norwich. I grew up there with a generation of Olympic skiers and must be some sort of slacker.

Sixty percent of women say they've experienced sexual harassment at work, according to the Vermont Commission on Women , and three out of four of those women report experiencing retaliation for speaking up. Now House lawmakers are updating Vermont's sexual harassment laws to protect victims' rights and ban settlements that can silence victims and favor employers.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott was sworn in nearly a year ago. Scott, a Republican, was elected after Democrat Peter Shumlin's six-year tenure.

Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos is urging Congress to release nearly $400 million from a special fund to help states upgrade their voting systems to protect them from future cyberattacks. Although many vote tabulators in Vermont are 20 years old, Condos says it would be extremely dificult for anyone to hack into these machines.