VPR News

Kevin Hoyt is a conservative gun rights activist running for governor as an independent candidate in the 2020 general election. He has been a vocal critic of Gov. Phil Scott's efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 by shutting down sectors of Vermont's economy.

Emily Peyton is running for governor as a candidate with the “Truth Matters” party. She believes in the right of citizens to decline vaccines and disputes the Vermont Department of Health’s assertion that 58 people have died of COVID-19 in Vermont since March.

Vermont's largest college has only seen a handful of coronavirus cases so far.

Across Lake Champlain in New York's North Country, Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is defending her seat against Democratic challenger Tedra Cobb.

Updated 10/30/2020 9:05 a.m. The UVM Health Network, which runs six hospitals in Vermont and New York State, was the victim of a major cyber attack which affected operations at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington Wednesday and Thursday.

She's helped older Vermonters be more empowered, independent and to live out their golden years with dignity for three decades. Now Beth Stern is stepping down from her role as executive director of the nonprofit Central Vermont Council on Aging after 30 years with the organization, including 15 at its helm.

Last Friday, the Brattleboro Retreat , the state's largest inpatient psychiatric facility, announced it was cutting 85 jobs in several programs as it deals with significant financial challenges.

The City of Burlington announced this month that it's going to expand a pilot project tracking COVID-19 in the city's wastewater treatment plants and continue the program for at least another three months. The project surveys wastewater for RNA strands that carry the novel coronavirus. But what good does finding it in the city's sewage actually do for how the city and state can respond to coronavirus in the population? We'll check in with the project leader to get the details.

K-12 schools have been back in session in Vermont for about a month and a half. And so far, there have been few cases of COVID-19 connected to schools: 13 cases in total, according to the latest numbers from the Health Department.

A record number of Vermont voters have cast early ballots for the November third election, and thousands more are expected to mail their ballots in the days ahead. But this new method of voting has raised some questions among voters. This hour, we put some of those questions to Vermont election experts and take your calls, tweets, and emails.

For months, restaurants have had to find ways to adapt to serving customers during the coronavirus pandemic, working within health guidelines that have shifted and changed over the past seven months. But the winter could bring new challenges.

Dead North is a haunted event in North Danville in its 19th year. It features animatronics and special effects and live actors, and it sells out every time. Mike Boudreau is the owner and operator of Dead North, which is right next to his Great Vermont Corn Maze, which independent producer Erica Heilman tried last year, without success. So she gave the haunted option a shot.

Publishing a book is always challenging, but it's been even more so during the pandemic. This hour, we want to celebrate local authors, booksellers and readers. Tell us if you've written or published a book recently, and what local authors you've been reading! Plus, how are you helping to keep local bookstores and libraries going during this strange time?

The health department continues to track 30 people as part of a COVID-19 outbreak associated with hockey and broomball leagues in central Vermont. This hour, we get the latest from deputy health commissioner Tracy Dolan. We also find out what researchers at the University of Vermont have learned about the body’s immune response to COVID-19.

The province of Quebec is experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 infections.