VPR News

The "zero suicide" initiative teaches the basics of suicide prevention the same way we teach first-aid or CPR, training people on how to talk about suicide, how to identify risk factors, ways to reduce suicides and what help is available in Vermont. We're discussing suicide prevention and intervention with experts from Windham, Washington and Chittenden Counties.

From the start, news of a possible merger between Marlboro College and the University of Bridgeport stirred mixed feelings on campus and in town. Some worried the tiny liberal arts college would lose its identity; others said it was a reasonable solution to a challenging financial situation. But now that the merger is off everyone is wondering what's next.

Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell's career began in Vermont, but has led on a long and windy path around the world. Most recently, it’s landed her on Broadway, where her folk opera Hadestown won eight Tony Awards this year. As Mitchell prepares to go out on a solo tour (including sold-out performances in Vermont on Oct. 11 and 12), she told Vermont Edition about her musical journey.

Later this week, Middlebury College is hosting a symposium focusing on the future of the world's oceans . One of the discussions features two Middlebury College students, Jennifer Crandall and Caitlin Dicara, who will be sharing some of what they learned in a semester spent focusing on both marine ecology and the history of whaling.

Editor's note: This story is part of a collaborative reporting project between VTDigger and VPR. CHARLESTON, S.C. — For more than an hour on Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders instructed a full College of Charleston’ gymnasium on the need to raise the minimum wage, the importance of his “Medicare for All” proposal, criminal justice reform and protecting undocumented immigrants.

A new dieting app targets kids and teens to help them track their food and lose weight. But is using technology a good way to help young people eat well and be healthy, or can diets and apps be counterproductive for kids and achieving a healthy weight? We're talking with nutritionists about the role of food, family, technology and habits when it comes to kids, weight loss and healthy eating.

A merger plan between Vermont's Marlboro College and University of Bridgeport , in Connecticut, was put on ice Friday. Marlboro College announced on its website that the institutions suspended those negotiations "due to concerns around the sustainability of a merged institution."

Racial justice advocates say they’re unimpressed by a reporting system launched earlier this year that changed the way police handle racial bias incidents in Vermont.

Concerns about addiction to vaping products, especially among younger users , have raised great concerns within the medical community. But with recent deaths related to vaping and hundreds of suspected cases of lung disease, that concern is now widespread. Vermont Edition looks at what we now know about vaping.

After a fire damaged a historic building in Brattleboro , investors had a tough time raising enough money to redevelop the property. Ultimately, the project relied on both federal and state grants to finance the reconstruction. Eight years after the fire, we look at the current status of the Brooks House.

In the 250th year since its founding, Dartmouth College is confronting its history of profiting from the labor, sale and purchase of enslaved people. The college's founder was deeply involved in that brutal exploitation.

Friday, Sept. 13 is World Sepsis Day . And while half of the world might be wondering why there's a World Sepsis Day, the other half is asking, "What is sepsis?" It's probably important to know that, globally, sepsis affects about 30 million people a year, killing between 6 and 9 million of them.

In recent years, the state has put a lot into upgrading infrastructure at the Northeast Kingdom International Airport, in Coventry. But those improvements were made in conjunction with expected private sector developments in the region which never happened. Despite that, has the airport seen a boom in business?

In the last few days, a number of states — including South Carolina, Nevada and Kansas — have cancelled their Republican presidential primaries for 2020. These are states where the political parties control the operations of their own primaries, but could a political party in Vermont cancel the state's presidential primary?

Ten presidential candidates gathered in Houston on Thursday for the third Democratic debate. We're talking with political scientists and campaign watchers to break down the debate, the policy issues they put forth and what it means for the field of Democratic candidates still seeking the party's nomination for the presidency.