VPR News

Libraries across Vermont have had to close at a time when many people are hungrier than ever for books as an escape. But Shelly Williams, who directs the Maclure Library in Pittsford, has found another way: She packs books in brown paper bags for curbside pick-up and at-home delivery.

Germaine and Gary Morse of Roxbury kept an old curved piece of wood in their umbrella stand for many years. Germaine’s brother had found it in their grandmother’s house in Northfield in 1980. It turns out that old piece of curved wood may be one of the oldest hockey sticks in existence, estimated to have been made sometime between 1850 and 1870. And as a result, it’s being sold off by a sports memorabilia auction house , with an initial appraisal at more than $3 million.

On March 27, Gov. Scott issued an executive order extending the closure of child care programs for non-essential workers until further notice. This hour, we talk to child care directors whose programs are open amidst COVID-19, hear about what’s being done to help families get the child care they need and talk about what guidance the state is putting out for these programs.

After years of trying, a Rutland doctor publishes his first novel and has two more set for release. Plus, an update on COVID-19 testing from Vermont’s Health Commissioner and a new map of statewide coronavirus cases.

What happens if either of the two likely presidential nominees were to die from COVID-19?

State college towns feel their vitality threatened. Plus, the latest COVID-19 case numbers and the Vermont House’s first Zoom vote.

Growing unemployment is challenging many Vermont households with meeting basic needs, including putting food on the table. We’re talking about rising food insecurity during the pandemic and what hunger relief resources are available.

In our weekly check-in with the Vermont Health Department, we talk about reopening the economy while preventing further spread of COVID-19. We also ask what officials know about the scope and timeline of community transmission in the state.

This week, Addison County Independent senior reporter John Flowers wrote about how Addison Central School District teachers and students are doing after a month of distance learning. Flowers said the superintendent described the district's Herculean efforts as having "to build in three weeks what should have taken a year to do completely and thoroughly."

The plan to close Vermont Technical College in Randolph would likely have ended the school’s dairy program, at a time when that iconic industry is struggling to survive. It also would have concentrated all of the state’s college-level technical education in Chittenden County.

Gov. Phil Scott plans to reopen Vermont's economy through incremental turns of the "spigot". What do Vermonters think about this approach? This hour, Bob Kinzel and VPR Morning Edition host Mitch Wertlieb hear your thoughts. Plus, the number of new COVID-19 cases is slowing in Vermont. Does this mean that measures like social distancing and wearing masks have helped reduce the spread of the virus?

Two Vermonters talk about trying to get unemployment benefits from an overwhelmed system. Plus, we hear from the task force determining how and when to re-open the state’s economy, and a warning for chicken owners.

President Trump has ordered a 60-day halt on some green cards to protect U.S. workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This hour, we consider the significance of this move both nationally and for Vermont, and we take a big picture look at how U.S. immigration policy has changed since the outbreak began.

An update on the Vermont State Colleges System’s proposed campus closures. Plus, the latest COVID-19 case numbers, a small protest, and a store in North Troy.

The village of North Troy is about a mile from the Canadian border, on a gorge carved out by the Missisquoi River. It used to be a successful mill town. Now it’s got a Dollar General, a school, and about two miles out of town, on Route 101, there’s Boutin’s Mini Market. Erica Heilman stopped in last week to check in with owner Jason Boutin.