Vermont Edition

Today on Vermont Edition, UVM’s Community News Service provides journalism training with an opportunity for a professional byline. The program's audio journalism instructor and two current students will share what they’ve learned about reporting over the past semester. Then: Did your Spotify Wrapped make you realize that you’ve been listening to the same artists over and over again this year? Seven Days music critic Chris Farnsworth is here to tell us about local musicians with great new music. He’ll also tell us about the perils of being a music critic and comparing one band to another.

Today on Vermont Edition, it’s our annual winter books show. We’ve assembled a team of super readers from all across the state to recommend books for you to read and gift this season. You’ll hear from a South Burlington children’s librarian, bookshop owners in Waterbury, Wilmington and Middlebury, and a writer and editor from Middlesex. They’ve brought with them lists of new books by Vermont authors, the year’s bestselling genre fiction, children’s books and graphic novels and older books that are making a comeback. Open your notes app or get out your pen and paper. You’re going to want to write a lot of these titles down!

Doing business in Vermont

Federal agents have arrested more than 100 people in Vermont over the last 10 months. Those arrests have heightened fears in tight-knit communities across the state. Vermont Public’s Peter Hirschfeld discusses his new 4-part series on arrests and deportations in our region. He gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his investigation. Many of the immigrants targeted for arrest work on local farms. A new book called Will Work for Food argues that their labor needs to be part of any discussion about our food supply chain. We're joined by the book's co-authors Teresa M. Mares, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Vermont and the director of its food systems graduate program, and Laura-Anne Minkoff-Stern, an associate professor of geography and the environment at Syracuse University and the director of its graduate program in food studies. Broadcast live on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

An early estimate from the state predicts that next year’s property taxes could rise an average of nearly 12 percent. The state’s tax commissioner Bill Shouldice joins us to explain how that property tax estimate was made, and all the factors that could affect the final number on your tax bill. Then: noted Montpelier author Makenna Goodman has a new novel. It takes place in the middle of the countryside, where a professor is touring a seemingly idyllic house for sale. I’ll leave it at that for now. Plus: there’s something special going on in Brattleboro for holiday window shoppers. Organizers of its first ever “festival of miniatures” tell us about the dollhouses, toy trains and tiny objects on view in local storefronts.

Our region is teeming with holiday markets where shoppers can find the perfect holiday gift, share in community and support local artists and makers. This year's Vermont Edition gift guide show goes behind the scenes of some of the state's holiday fairs: Julia Tadlock, founder of Brattleboro Flea, tells us about the crafts, books, food and more that shoppers can expect to find at downtown Brattleboro's pop-up Market on Main. Morgan Haynes, who manages the Vermont Farmers Market's Holiday Craft Shows in Rutland, shares some of her favorite gifts at the show and talks about how markets can bring communities together. We also hear about artisans and makers all across the region, from bookbinders to metalsmiths, whose work might be the perfect gift for someone on your list. Plus, we talk with one of the founders of a new online donation platform based in Vermont that can help you support organizations doing good in our communities. For even more great gift ideas, check out Vermont Public's 2025 local gift guide. Broadcast live on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Local auto mechanics share what they know about EV battery life and winter maintenance for electric cars and trucks.

Grace Cottage Hospital in Townsend is the smallest hospital in Vermont. It’s operating in the red, like many hospitals in our region. But its administrators have big plans for its future, like constructing a brand new clinic. We're joined by Grace Cottage CEO Olivia Sweetnam. The hospital she runs is unique for many reasons. Some of its doctors have worked there for decades. It’s one of the smallest hospitals not just in Vermont, but in the whole country. And it’s building a new family clinic by relying heavily on philanthropic support. Grace Cottage also faces challenges that any rural hospital administrator would recognize. To put Grace Cottage’s situation in perspective, we talk with a medical professor at the University of Vermont, Erika Ziller. She’s researching how to improve rural health care in the state.

Rosemary Gladstar is said to be the Godmother of modern herbalism. In this rebroadcast of our occasional series Vermont Edition At Home, the team visits Gladstar at her home and gardens in Milton. Gladstar discussed her roots in herbalism, from foraging for food and medicine with her grandmother to becoming the founder of a world-renowned herbal retreat center in Vermont and several companies. She also gave a tour of her herb and flower garden and explained some of her favorite plants' medicinal and culinary uses. Originally broadcast on Tuesday, Jun. 12, 2025. Rebroadcast on Monday, Nov. 25 at 12 and 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

A good jingle is short, catchy and teaches you a business name or phone number that you can't get out of your head — maybe even for years. This hour we celebrate the art of the local jingle with jingle writers who have composed some legendary earworms. This show is a rebroadcast from July. Jim Giberty is based in Bethel and wrote ads for local ski areas, as well as some broader New England gems, most notable, The Lobster Claw in Cape Cod. Cary Reich is based in Florida, but he penned songs for Pizza Putt and Wendell's Furniture that will be familiar to longtime Vermonters. And we also hear from Daisy Nell, a folk musician who had some of her songs turned into local jingles. Her most famous was for the Snowsville General Store in 1979. Originally broadcast live on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at noon. Rebroadcast on Monday, November 24, 2025 at noon and 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Three Courses with Vermont Edition: Desserts

Vermont ranks as one of the most active states in the country, according to the CDC. It makes sense for a state filled with mountains, trails, and a huge lake. Outdoor activities keep our population healthy, but some of the most beloved activities pose risks, especially to our brains, like hockey, climbing, skiing, and snowboarding. We hear tips from injury prevention expert Tara Grenier on how to lower your risk of brain injury, including the proper way to wear a helmet. Pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Katrina Ducis explains what a concussion is, and how concussion treatment recommendations have changed in recent years. And Jess Leal, executive director of the Brain Injury Alliance of Vermont, shares how her organization helps connect traumatic brain injury survivors with support and resources. Broadcast live on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Vermont’s school redistricting task force is wrapping up its work. It was charged with creating consolidated school district maps for the state. But what it’s come up with is pretty different from that original goal. Today on Vermont Edition: you’ll hear from a co-chair of the task force, Representative Edye Graning, and a member, Jay Badams. They’ll share their reasons for not pushing forced mergers. Instead, they think consolidation should be voluntary, and come with incentives. Then: it’s deer season, so get out your blaze orange if you haven’t already. Two game wardens – one current, one retired – have decades of experience between them. They’ll tell us about getting to know multi-generational families of hunters, investigating wild poaching cases and what it feels like to snag a deer.

A new podcast from the nonprofit Green Mountain Justice shares the stories of people in our region who struggle with housing insecurity. They’ve had to live outside, in a shelter, or other temporary housing as they search for a more permanent and affordable home. "Voices from the Edge" features intimate interviews between its host, Tom Morgan, and his guests. Morgan founded the Addison County-based organization Green Mountain Justice. He and producer Corey Hendrickson tell us more about the podcast and the people it centers. Broadcast live on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

It’s the second installment of our three-course November series on holiday food. Last week was appetizers. This week – main courses. If you love a traditional meal, we’ll learn about what Vermonters in the 1800s served on their Thanksgiving tables with Christine Scales, the director of education and interpretation at the Billings Farm Museum. Then we hear from chef and owner of a restaurant and inn right along the Canadian border in Orleans County – the Derby Line Village Inn, Fritz Halbedl about some offbeat meal centerpieces to keep your guests on their toes. We also hear how the turkey, and turkey sausage gets made with Paul Stone, founder of Stonewood Farm, a family-run poultry operation in Orwell.

Vermont Edition heads to Grafton in Windham County for the latest installment in our monthly “Town by Town” series. Grafton is known for its cross-country ski trails, its award-winning cheddar cheese, the centuries-old Grafton Inn, and its tight-knit community of longtime residents. Our guests include: Grafton News editor Wendy Martin; lifelong Grafton resident Cynthia Gibbs; Patrick Cooperman of the Cooperman Company, which manufactures fifes and drums; Windham Foundation executive director Dan Lerner; Vermont Farmstead Cheese company president Kent Underwood; and Nikolas Katrick, executive director of the Nature Museum at Grafton. Each month for "Town by Town," we spend an hour together learning about one of Vermont’s 252 towns or cities. Hear from regular folks and town leaders about what life is like there and how the town culture and economy have changed over the years. At the end of the hour, a guest helps us randomly select our next town by spinning a big Wheel of Fortune-style spinner.

About 6% of Vermonters are veterans. That's nearly 39,000 people, as of 2023. Many veterans face mental and physical challenges because of experiences they had while serving. They often have to navigate complex legal systems to make sure they receive the benefits and services they’re entitled to. Ahead of Veterans Day, we learn about a few local programs that support veterans. Misha Pemble-Belkin is an Army veteran and the coordinator of a veterans program for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. They run year-round sports and recreation programs for people with cognitive, developmental, physical and emotional disabilities. Donald Hayes runs the Vermont Veterans Legal Assistance Project at Vermont Law and Graduate School. He’s also volunteered as a ski instructor with the New England Healing Sports Association and Vermont Adaptive. We also hear from John Curtis, a veteran, and Kate Adams, who together run Ascutney Mountain Horse Farm in Perkinsville. They will host a free event for veterans, first responders, family and friends on Veterans Day. Then, Vermont Edition managing editor Jon Ehrens speaks with Seven Days music editor Chris Farnsworth about some new releases from Vermont musicians that have caught his ear.

It’s the first installment of our three part – or three course – series on food. Up first – appetizers. We’ll talk dips, dumplings, charcuterie and cheese. We get ideas for what to serve your guests this holiday season when we talk with Pete Colman, the founder of Vermont Salumi, which makes all kinds of cured meats, Cara Tobin, the chef and co-owner of two Burlington restaurants focused on Middle Eastern flavors, Honey Road and the Grey Jay, and Nurbu Sherpa who runs Sherpa Foods, which sells pre-packaged Nepalese dumplings called momos and handmade sauce at co-ops and markets around New England. We also talk about ways to support one another in this season through the sharing of food.. This hour you’ll hear about a couple different organizations that offer free meals or groceries to those in need. Broadcast live on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Civil War

What’s the story of the phrase Jeezum crow? How’s Vermont doing on composting? And why do people like the band Phish so much? These are just some of the questions taken on by the Vermont Public podcast Brave Little State over its 200 episodes. Today on Vermont Edition: we celebrate our homegrown podcast’s 200th episode. To mark the milestone, the Brave Little State team answered 20 questions in one show. We’ll chat with the podcast’s lead producer and one of its founders. And we’ll even get the story behind the podcast’s perfectly Vermont name.