The Frequency

Considering the effect this summer’s drought will have on the fall foliage season. Plus, the Vermont Medical Society scores a legal victory against the Trump administration in a case about removing public health data from federal websites, the Scott administration’s plan to have state workers in their offices more often faces pushback from the union, school bus drivers return to the roads in Windham County after a company-imposed lockout against them was lifted, the UVM Medical Center is making changes to how operating rooms deliver anesthesia in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and a long-serving town manager for Bennington has died. 

Visiting a sanctuary in Springfield that rehabilitates roosters rescued from illegal cockfighting rings. Plus, Amazon plans to appeal after its proposal for a distribution facility in Essex was denied, a new UVM volunteer program aims to foster friendships between teens and seniors, Vermont’s Attorney General spearheads an effort to stop the spread of fake images made without consent, and after weathering potential closure Vermont’s universal school meals program is up and running with the start of the new academic year.  

 Meet one woman documenting the dozens of creemees she eats every year, one cone at a time.  Plus,  The Trump Administration is threatening to pull Vermont’s funding for a federal sex education program if it doesn't remove language that references gender identity, Governor Phil Scott says he thinks the state’s voluntary paid family and medical leave program is off to a good start, boaters and swimmers will notice low water levels across our region ahead of this holiday weekend and for the first time in Vermont,  anglers without a license can fish for free this long weekend.

In an effort to streamline Vermont’s K-12 school system, a task force of state lawmakers and retired school administrators are working to create new district maps. Plus, Governor Phil Scott says he's pleased to see many of Vermont's larger school districts restrict student cell phone use, Vermont Public announced layoffs, U-S Senators from New York Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are attempting to secure funding for airports in our region, and a portion of Montreal's Sainte Catherine Street will become a year-round pedestrian zone.

Three hydroelectric dams along the Connecticut River are being relicensed, and there are proposals to make big changes to how they operate. Plus, health insurance plans on the state marketplace are raising rates, though not as much as in recent years; Burlington City Council looks to improve safety in a major downtown park; contract disputes keep school bus drivers in southern Vermont from returning to work as classes resume; and what to expect for Labor Day travel.

A play about how Muslim families relied on a library that straddling the U.S. and Canada border during the Trump Administration's first term has taken on new meaning in the President's second term. Plus, the Scott Administration seeks federal disaster relief money to Northeast Kingdom towns recovering from flooding last month, remembering late Abenaki elder Jeanne Brink, debate continues over how to replace a statue in Burlington, state officials remind hunters about a ban on selling bear paws and Vermont musicians seek to break the record for “World’s Largest Square Dance.

A visit to Brattleboro’s year-round senior bowling league. Plus, Vermonters rally to show support for Brattleboro Memorial Hospital as it considers cost saving measures that include layoffs, an outside firm is being hired to develop a new visual brand identity for Vermont, the city of Vergennes and the town of Panton are in a dispute over a contested boundary, and a local volunteer organization breaks its own late-summer record with the donation of over one million blueberries. 

Examining the causes behind recent increases in wildfire smoke in Vermont. Plus, school choice advocates argue stricter rules in the new education reform law regarding where families can use publicly-funded school vouchers violate a clause in the state constitution, the head of Vermont’s cannabis control board reacts to news  that the Trump administration is considering a plan to reclassify cannabis as a less harmful drug, passengers who paid for expensive last-minute airfare following the Air Canada flight attendants' strike can now apply for a refund, why the town of Pomfret is implementing traffic restrictions again this year during peak foliage season, and we consider the abrupt changes of fortune over the last week for the Red Sox and Yankees in our weekly sports report. 

Discussing new research that shows a growing number of kids and teenagers in Vermont are struggling with mental health issues. Plus, Gov. Scott disputes Trump administration claims that Vermont is illegally providing a safe haven for undocumented immigrants, hundreds of acres of land has been permanently conserved as a community forest in Wolcott, twelve of the fifteen positions being eliminated at Bennington College are union roles, the state health department says Burlington’s insurance plan will provide enough coverage for the city to house a proposed overdose prevention center, and a volunteer-led effort will help connect neighbors with local farmers in Jericho and Underhill. 

We speak with the owner of a music store in Randolph about the resurgence in vinyl records, CD’s, and other forms of physical media. Plus, Vermont’s Secretary of State says President Trump’s call for an end to mail-in voting would be unconstitutional, Vermont joins a lawsuit to block the Trump Administration from withholding over a billion dollars in federal Crime Victim Funds, the mayor of Winooski is resigning after nearly seven years in office, and two Vermonters take first prize in amateur solo bagpipe competition at Scotland’s World Pipe Band Championships.