VPR News

Goodridge Lumber is a family-run sawmill located in Albany, Vermont, in the heart of the Northeast Kingdom. In the last 25 years, nearly 150 of the state's sawmills have gone out of business according to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. But Goodridge Lumber, which specializes in locally harvested white cedar, is still going strong. Erica Heilman stopped by to talk with owner Colleen Goodridge.

This year brings the first official observation of Indigenous People’s Day in Vermont. It's also a time to reflect on what this part of the world was like before any Europeans set foot here, and on a submerged river bank in Brattleboro, ancient petroglyphs offer a clue.

Vermont has a lot of visitors this time of year, and it's not uncommon to see cars pulled off the road, flanked by people taking pictures of mountain vistas and tree-lined fields. That prompted Silene DeCiuces to leave subtle reminders in some hay fields of who made that perfect photo possible.

As financial need, demographics and the climate all change, Vermont libraries have to get creative to remain viable. Among these efforts: a fundraising calendar featuring local authors photographed "in various states of tasteful and artistically rendered implied nudity."

It's officially fall, but don't lock that garden shed just yet. Gardening guru Charlie Nardozzi joins Vermont Edition to talk about fall plantings, pruning perennials, and five things to do with all those leaves. Plus, what you can do to put your garden to rest this autumn and prepare your plants and soil for a productive season next year.

In September, the Vermont AFL-CIO elected a new slate of leaders who are promising to take the coalition of labor unions in a more left-leaning direction. Among those new leaders is David Van Deusen, the organization’s new president.

Ten days ago, Sen. Bernie Sanders had a heart attack at a campaign event in Las Vegas. Doctors discovered Sanders had a blocked artery and inserted two stents to repair that blockage. But what does Sanders' health mean for the campaign, and the Democratic presidential primary? Vermont Edition talks with senior campaign advisor Jeff Weaver to get an update on the candidate and his campaign.

How will Sen. Bernie Sander's recent heart attack affect the 2020 Democratic presidential race ? His campaign says there will be little impact, and he'll be back in action for the fourth Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday, Oct. 15. We're talking with reporters in Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa about how the dynamics of the race are shifting.

The Right Reverend Shannon MacVean-Brown is the first black woman to lead the Vermont Episcopal Church, and just one of three black women to hold the title of bishop in New England. MacVean-Brown says that experiencing this "otherness" can be uncomfortable, but it's also what informs her ministry.

Many local artists and musicians have benefited from Burlington musician Peg Tassey's tenacity. She has championed many local arts project s from first inklings to full-blown happenings - like helping to spread the word about octogenarian local author, Fay Webern , and curating a photography show titled, " Rural Revolution ," at her alma mater, Goddard College - featuring pictures snapped by students during the '70s. Now, Tassey has molded an entire album around one woman's voice.

Over Labor Day weekend the North American Hockey Academy , or NAHA, held a tournament that brought junior girls hockey players to rinks around northern Vermont – including the school's home rink, Stowe Arena. But the event was bittersweet in Stowe: It came just weeks after NAHA founder Bill Driscoll told the town he's selling the school, and the program is moving to Massachusetts.

Whistleblowers are in the headlines right now, but speaking out about government impropriety is nothing new in American politics. In fact, protection for people who come forward is written into our earliest laws. We're talking with Middlebury College professor Allison Stanger about her new book on America's history with whistleblowers, and why, despite our laws, they often face retaliation.

Update 9:50 a.m. 10/10/2019 Vermont State Police have identified the man whose body was discovered in Salisbury, in a case that is believed to be connected to the shooting in Rutland. The victim is Nicholas Louras, 34, of Rutland.

The graphic novel March tells the story of the life of Democratic Rep. John Lewis, one of the key leaders of the civil rights movement. Lewis chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and he was one of the principal organizers of the 1963 March on Washington, as well as the march across Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965.

Congressman John Lewis is the sole surviving member of the "Big Six" civil rights leaders of the 1960s. He's dedicated his life to nonviolent protests in pursuit of social justice. And along with co-author Andrew Aydin, Lewis wrote about his life and work in the graphic novel series March , a 2019 Vermont Reads selection. Today on Vermont Edition , we'll hear highlights from an event featuring Lewis and Aydin recorded live at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, Oct. 7.