Vermont Edition

Nine soldiers from the Vermont Army National Guard are now stationed at Maryland's Fort Meade as part of a year-long deployment supporting U.S. Army Cyber Command. One guardsman on the deployment, Col. Bill Wagner, tells Vermont Edition that even after a month of training, it's unclear what the small Vermont contingent will do day-to-day during the year-long missions.

Vermont legislative rules mandate that senators and representatives fill out forms to disclose information about their employment and finances. The idea is that the public should be aware of any potential conflicts of interest and be able to figure out what financial entanglements the lawmakers we vote for might have.

Vermont's ethics commission is supposed to keep state government accountable. But the commission can't investigate complaints of misconduct, nor can it enforce any penalties. We're looking at ethics oversight in Vermont and whether the commission should be able to investigate complaints on its own.

High-quality child care in Vermont can be tough to find and tougher to afford. And elected officials from the governor on down seem to agree that this is a serious problem for the state. So what's being done to address the issue? We're looking at the state of child care in Vermont. And going through some of the ideas on the table to make that care more accessible and affordable.

The historical novel Refugee weaves the stories of three refugee families fleeing their homes in different parts of the world and during different time periods: Germany in the 1930s, Cuba in the 1990s and Syria just a few years ago.

Since 1931—with a couple of exceptions—farmers have been getting together at this time of year for the Vermont Farm Show to socialize with other farmers and learn what's new in the agriculture world. We'll be surrounded by hay bales and hay balers, horses and horse power when Vermont Edition broadcasts live from the annual Vermont Farm Show at the Champlain Valley Expo.

"Meal kit" services are an increasingly popular way to put dinner on the table, delivering everything you need to prepare a meal in a single box of ready-to-cook ingredients. But what about finding time to cook and confidence in the kitchen? Do meal kits really save time, and do they help you eat fresh and local? We're talking about meal kits and Vermont's home-grown alternatives.

In his budget address, Gov. Phil Scott outlined his key spending initiatives for the coming year. This includes a proposal to finance a long-term plan to clean up Lake Champlain - and the state's other major lakes and streams - with existing revenues. We're taking a closer look at the Governor's budget priorities.

It's hard to believe, but listeners have been transfixed by the Eye on the Sky weather forecasts on VPR for more than 37 years. It was December 1981 when the partnership between the station and the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium began. Senior Meteorologist Mark Breen shares a behind-the-scenes look at the Eye on the Sky operation.

January's Brave Little State looks at the pros and cons of heating with wood . About 38 percent of Vermont homes burn wood for some kind of heat. Almost a fifth of all households rely on wood as their primary way of staying warm. But when Vermonters who heat with wood face the choice of heating their home or putting food on the table, it often falls to donation-based and volunteer-staffed wood banks to offer enough wood to help out.

Last year Governor Phil Scott vetoed a paid family leave bill. This year, Scott and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu have unveiled a voluntary plan that would involve state employees from both states. The Legislature has also made the issue a priority for this term.

The promises of 5G - the fifth-generation cellular technology - are incredibly fast speeds and the ability to connect thousands of devices at once. But according to the state's chief of telecommunications Vermonters hoping the technology will bring much-delayed broadband and cellular coverage to rural areas of the state will be disappointed.

Vermont’s drag scene has been around for decades, but now a generation of drag queens and drag kings are breaking stereotypes and finding new ways to play with gender on stage. We're talking about how Vermont's drag scene is evolving with new kinds of drag performances.

Parts of Vermont saw as much as 18 inches of snow over the weekend. Big snow storms like this can pose a challenge for cities and towns with already strained budgets. We're talking about how municipalities work to keep roads safe and clear while facing challenges like high salt prices and aging equipment.

Former State Rep. Kiah Morris reported a long campaign of racist harassment directed at her and her family. It's put a spotlight on the issue of racism in Vermont. We're hearing from a panel of Vermonters to talk about their experiences and thoughts on racism in our state.