VPR News

A summer without a single Lake Monsters game. Plus: compost, masks, COVID-19, and moose.

In 2018, Vermont lawmakers passed — at the behest of Gov. Phil Scott — multiple new gun control laws. Among them was a ban on the sale, possession or transfer of long gun magazines holding more than 10 rounds, and hand gun magazines holding more than 15. Now that ban is being challenged before the Vermont Supreme Court. We talk with a reporter following the case and the arguments the court is hearing.

If you’ve been spending any time hiking this summer, walking through the woods or even just driving along Vermont roads, you wouldn’t be alone in thinking: Are there chipmunks, like, everywhere this year? We turn to a small mammal biologist for answers.

It's official. There will be no Minor League Baseball this summer, and that means the Vermont Lake Monsters will not be playing at Centennial Field in Burlington this year.

Projects for kids in quarantine. Plus: a former St. Albans police officer charged with assault, a day no new COVID-19 cases, and a mask mandate in Quebec.

Earlier this month, many onlookers in the Burlington area saw something unusual in the sky: a large transport helicopter flying overhead with a smaller craft dangling below it like a marionette. It turns out the smaller aircraft was an experimental prototype being transported from Burlington International Airport, across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh.

Since the beginning of COVID-19, we've received many questions about masks. This hour: we'll have a doctor on to answer your questions about the effectiveness of masks during a pandemic. We'll also hear about how a facial covering mandate is panning out in neighboring Massachusetts, and learn about the ways Vermonters and local businesses are supplying masks to their community members.

COVID-19 has closed playgrounds, limited sports and summer camp activities and curtailed playdates. So for many families with young kids, the long hot summer looms. But the situation got several nonprofit groups in Rutland to brainstorm ways to create kid-friendly, hands-on activities to help jumpstart family fun.

Writer Ralph Ellison’s 1945 visit to Fayston. Plus: COVID-19 case numbers, Vermont Law School’s fall plans, and a special guest co-host.

As the nation reckons with racial injustice, people are turning to books that deal with race and anti-racism. And on some of the recommended reading lists circulating online — and in this opinion piece by NPR’s Scott Simon — is Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, a novel that began in a barn here in Vermont 75 years ago.

The Vermont Legislature has wrapped up an unusual and historic session dominated by its response to a public health and economic crisis.

A new state report finds women in Vermont have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. The COVID-19 disease itself has affected their personal health, but the economic downturn associated with the pandemic has also seen a uniquely large impact on women's financial stability and economic security. This hour, we'll take a close look at the report's findings.

As Vermont continues to reopen its economy, states like Arizona and Texas are pumping the brakes due to surges in COVID-19. This hour: it's our weekly check-in with the Vermont health department. We get the latest COVID-19 case numbers for Vermont, as well as an update on out-of-state travel restrictions, mask guidance, and much more.

Some activists say Ben & Jerry’s isn’t taking enough action on social justice issues. Plus: more on Vermont’s drought and the latest COVID-19 case numbers.

After the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and protests that followed calling for racial justice, many companies around the world put out statements that were intended to show support for racial equity. Many of those messages were criticized for being vague . But there's one company that's earned praise for its response: Vermont's own Ben & Jerry's ice cream, which has a long history of speaking out on the liberal side of social and political issues. However, some local activists see