VPR News

Governor Phil Scott’s spigot analogy. Plus: How one child care provider is preparing to open back up, the Black Lives Matter protest in Burlington, and the latest COVID-19 case numbers.

Since early spring, Gov. Phil Scott has taken to using a particular gardening analogy to talk about the gradual reopening of Vermont’s economy during the pandemic. Enter "the spigot."

Updated 5:38 p.m. 5/31/2020 to reflect added information from Burlington Police Chief Jennifer Morrison. Hundreds of protesters pressed into the parking lot of the Burlington Police Department Saturday evening, chanting through cloth face masks as black Vermonters confronted Burlingon’s police leadership.

This week, VPR catches up with Lindsey Hollenbaugh, managing editor of features for The Bennington Banner and its family of local papers, as well as its newsletter, The Eat . Hollenbaugh spoke to VPR's Mary Engisch and shared summertime recipes from The Eat 's staff writers. These sweet treats come together quickly and are perfect for socially-distanced, smallish gatherings and just right for when it's too hot out to turn on the oven.

The pandemic’s effect on Vermont’s judiciary. Governor Scott is running for re-election, but he won’t campaign. Plus, the sale of Marlboro College and COVID-19 case numbers.

Courts in Vermont, like pretty much all sectors of society, have been forced to rethink their operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. State courts have been in a judicial emergency since mid-March. Most hearings have been postponed, and public access has been severely limited.

This year is an election year. And one for the history books, no doubt. We look at what the COVID-19 crisis means for candidates and campaign strategy, and ask what lessons can be learned from campaigns of years past.

Erica Heilman’s conversation with Ronald Burns about what he learned from being homeless as a teenager. Plus: an interview with the interviewer, selling a ski resort, and loosening COVID-19 restrictions.

On June 1, child care centers in Vermont will be able to open to all families for the first time since March after only being allowed to care for children of essential workers.

Ronald Burns lives with his mother in St. Johnsbury. They’re both diabetic, and while his mother receives disability, Ronald’s income from his part-time job has dwindled since the onset of COVID-19. Erica Heilman met with Ronald to find out how he and his mother are getting on (and brought along her socially distant, makeshift mic boom ).

Tourism brings in over $2 billion of revenue to Vermont, and COVID-19 has made it very difficult for out-of-state tourists to visit Vermont hot spots. This hour, we talk with the Department of Tourism and Marketing about how summer tourism will look in Vermont, and if this will help make up for the loss in out-of-state tourism revenue.

Urbanites are showing an increased interest in Vermont properties. Plus: end-of-life decisions, food insecurity, and college students returning to Burlington.

Colleges around the country are navigating the tricky process of choosing whether to re-open for in-person classes this fall. The University of Vermont, the state’s largest higher ed institution, is planning on bringing thousands of students back to school in a few months . But so are some of the state’s smaller colleges, like Vermont Law School in South Royalton.

Vermont has one of the lowest rates of coronavirus infections in the country. People from more urban and more infected areas have noticed, and real estate agents report a surge in interest in Vermont property.

Law enforcement is adapting to a new reality amid the coronavirus, one that poses unique risks for officers and the public. This hour, we talk with police chiefs and officers across Vermont about policing during the pandemic, how agencies are keeping officers, civilians and suspects safe from COVID-19, and whether changes around enforcement and arrests could carry into the post-pandemic future.