VPR News

Given the massive existential threat climate change poses, it can sometimes be hard to wrap our brains around how it might affect our daily lives in Vermont. So we asked you to pose your questions to Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, a professor at the University of Vermont and Vermont’s state climatologist.

Federal disability insurance is forcing some Vermonters with disabilities to make an impossible choice — between keeping their benefits and working full time. Why aren’t there better options?

Last week, the CDC and FDA called for a pause in the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, at least until this Friday. The news came after six people reported severe blood clots after receiving the vaccine. The pause has left many Vermonters in limbo — especially those who are experiencing homelessness and are relying on this particular vaccine for its accessibility.

Vermont's pension funds for state employees and teachers face a multi-billion-dollar unfunded liability. How did this happen? And where do we go from here? This hour, we take a wide-ranging look at Vermont's pension funds and answer your questions.

Former Rutland Area NAACP president Tabitha Moore has long spoken out against racial injustice. On Wednesday, Moore joined VPR’s community conversation about the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd.

As of Monday, people 16 and older and now eligible to be vaccinated in Vermont. In our weekly health update, we talk through the latest COVID-19 news with the Vermont Department of Health, and we hear about efforts underway to increase vaccine uptake within the Nulhegan Abenaki community.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murdering George Floyd. Vermonters: How are you feeling about the verdict?

More than 70 Vermonters have used prescribed medicine to end their lives since state lawmakers passed the death with dignity law in 2013. But advocates say the law needs to be updated, and they’re asking lawmakers to consider changes that include allowing patients to use telemedicine when talking with their doctors about ending their life.

It's a 66-mile journey that traverses 26,600 feet in elevation. It requires skis, skins, crampons and more. But for St. Johnsbury native Hillary Gerardi, a world-class "skyrunner" and mountaineer, the grueling trail through the Swiss Alps known as the Haute Route was more than an adventure: it was making history as part of the first team of women to complete the route.

Vermont has suspended usage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine until at least April 23 while federal health authorities investigate a severe — though very rare — reaction to the shot. In talking with your friends and families and coworkers about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause, we wanted to know: How are you doing? What are you feeling and thinking?

As the planet warms, many areas around the world may become uninhabitable. On the east coast of the United States, especially in population centers like Boston and New York, rising sea levels and increased coastal flooding are likely to force people to move inland to places that are higher, drier and relatively affordable – places like Vermont.

Listen Up Project is an original musical created by Kingdom County Productions and built around stories from the lives of Vermont teens. Due to the pandemic, the main production's tour was postponed until later this spring. In the meantime, show choreographer Shani Stoddard helped put together a collaborative story-sharing project called Black Voices of Vermont .

Vaccination rates in Essex County have lagged behind other areas of the state for a number of reasons. To name a few: it’s remote, there’s no pharmacy or hospital. Some people don’t have easy access to internet, or by extension, the health department website.

The last few weeks have really started to feel like spring in much of Vermont. So, how about going for a hike? Well, the group that helps maintain Vermont’s Long Trail system wants you to hold off for a bit, to avoid damaging trails during mud season.

Gov. Phil Scott has outlined a plan to spend $1 billion in federal stimulus money on a variety of one-time Vermont projects. The governor says these are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. This hour, we talk with Scott about his proposal and get the latest on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.