VPR News

The question of how much federal coronavirus aid should go to small businesses - and how quickly they should get it - has sparked a dustup between Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic leaders in the Vermont Legislature.

Gov. Scott allowed child care centers to reopen starting June 1, but there has been some pushback from early childhood educators and parents concerned about the health and safety of children and teachers. This hour, we speak with the Department for Children and Families as well as some child care directors and teachers about the reopening of these centers.

State lawmakers have been working for weeks on plans to distribute several hundred million dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds across Vermont. The governor announced his plans last month, and says lawmakers are dragging their feet. This hour, we talk with House Speaker Mitzi Johnson and House Appropriations Chair Kitty Toll about what their COVID-19 relief efforts are for small businesses and individuals.

Meet a farmer who lives at the U.S.-Canada border. Plus: Governor Phil Scott extends the state of emergency and condemns vandalism to the Black Lives Matter mural.

The U.S. Canada border has been closed to all nonessential traffic since March, and Reuters reports the two federal governments will likely extend the closure till the end of July. So what does a closed border actually look like?

As if COVID-19 wasn't enough to worry about this summer, mosquito- and tick-borne diseases are back on the radar. EEE, Lyme, Powassan: How can Vermonters protect themselves while also enjoying – socially distant – time in the great outdoors? This hour, it's our weekly update from Vermont's health department. We check in with Deputy Commissioner Tracy Dolan and take your questions.

The cost of providing students with meals over the summer. Plus: the plans for Burlington’s police budget, more protests around the state, and COVID-19 case numbers.

This week, VPR spoke with Harriet Garner LeFavour, managing editor of The Campus , Middlebury College's student-run paper, about college student and alumi participation in anti-racism protests.

After COVID-19 closed Vermont’s schools, districts had to get creative in finding ways to continue feeding kids. And since the pandemic, every single school district in the state has set up a delivery, or pick-up system for school meals. But there are still a lot of questions about what will happen this summer, and if families will continue receiving free meals while school is out.

Keeping an eye on kids when you can only see them through a screen. Plus: transitioning homeless Vermonters out of hotels, criminal justice reform, and COVID-19 case numbers.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1,000 people experiencing homelessness in Vermont have been housed in hotels and motels around the state to avoid spreading illness in shelters. Now, after a few months, the state is looking to transition those individuals elsewhere.

Over the past three months, calls to Vermont’s child protection line have gone down by about half, according to the Department for Children and Families. But this doesn’t mean there are fewer instances of child abuse and neglect. DCF says the opposite may be true. And DCF workers and educators say they’re concerned about the kids they haven’t been seeing.

How Vermont schools are gearing up for summer programs. Plus: a visit to the dentist, Burlington’s police budget, and COVID-19 case numbers.

Vermont Foodbank CEO John Sayles, along with other groups fighting food insecurity in the state, made a plea to state lawmakers in early June: Give us additional funds immediately in order to address a growing food crisis in Vermont this summer. We talk with Sayles about rising food insecurity in Vermont as the coronavirus pandemic continues amid an economic recession.

This very strange school year is coming to a close. And while there are still a lot of questions about what Vermont schools will look like come September, some are moving ahead with in-person programs this summer.