The Frequency

A migrant worker from Mexico who’s been in Vermont for nearly two decades explains his reasons for staying and working in the state even as the Trump administration ramps up its deportation agenda. Plus, a loss of grant funding threatens a Rutland organization that serves needy people more than 150 meals a day, Vermont’s first restrictions on neonic pesticides go into effect, after an initial funding freeze Vermont schools will be able to access more than 6 million dollars for summer and after school programs, and music lovers throughout Vermont mourn the death of long-time folk and world music host Robert Resnik. 

We visit the Blank Page Cafe which has been serving breakfast tacos, gluten-free treats and coffee in Shelburne for nearly a decade. Plus, Essex town officials deny local approval for an Amazon distribution facility, Montpelier town officials order the removal of a homeless encampment near the downtown bus station, the Winooski-Burlington bridge projects gets federal money, and two local organizations that help people with disabilities enjoy year-round sports and outdoor recreation will merge.

Visiting a natural nighttime light show produced by New England fireflies. Plus, Vermont joins a multi-state lawsuit suing the Trump administration for canceling a program that helps towns prepare for natural disasters, the state learns federal money for tobacco control efforts may be coming soon after fearing it was lost, Quebec officials add more than 500 Million dollars to the province's education budget for the upcoming school year, a sculpture Park in Enosburg Falls hosts a Canadian artist-in-residence, and our weekly sports report focuses on baseball’s annual all-star game and the ESPY award earned by Vermonter and rugby champion Ilona Maher.

The new hurdles that may have to be cleared by Vermont homeowners hit by flooding and hoping for a buyout from FEMA. Plus, Londonderry residents will vote on whether to green-light new restrictions on short-term rentals, plans are underway in Putney to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Landmark College, for a second consecutive year a record was set for the amount of unclaimed money returned to Vermonters, and a rally is held at the New Hampshire Statehouse in support of local farmers impacted by cuts to federal farming grants. 

Thousands of Vermonters could lose their federal food benefits. That’s due to federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Plus, the state is offering to help homeowners repair septic systems, the head of the U-V-M Health Network talks efforts to reduce spending and there’s a new resource for families of L-G-B-T-Q+ youth.  

Nearly one-quarter of emergency department visits among patients 60-and-older nationally resulted in a hospital stay. A Rutland man, worried about his widowed father, made an emergency hospital go-bag for his dad, and experts say more of us should have them. Plus, budget cuts have prompted layoffs at the Vermont Foodbank, areas of Montreal are recovering from flooding, and people who work with refugees and asylum seekers in Vermont are struggling to keep up with recent changes to federal immigration laws.

Speaking with the owners of a popular toy store that’s about to close after two decades of operation in Waterbury Village. Plus, flash floods late last week destroyed homes and did severe damage in the Northeast Kingdom and Addison County, Sen. Welch introduces a bill he says would decentralize FEMA operations and streamline the disaster recovery agency, a New Hampshire man who took part in the January 6th riots at the US Capitol wants to reject president Trump’s pardon, and a Vergennes state representative hopes to pass legislation calling for all campaign ads to disclose when Artificial Intelligence has been used.

Why disaster recovery officials in Vermont are worried about the federal government's future plans for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Plus, Vermont state officials say they support the closing of Copley Hospital’s birthing center as a cost-saving measure, Sen. Bernie Sanders decries the changes to Medicaid in the recently passed federal budget bill, Gov. Scott makes three new leadership appointments, the Deerfield Valley News has a new owner, and we ponder whether the Boston Red Sox should trade one of their hot-hitting outfielders for pitching help in our weekly sports report. 

The difficulty in finding ways to protect state public buildings from the next big flood event. Plus, despite passage of a new state education reform law there’s confusion over which private schools can still access public funds, a state trooper is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting death of a man in Putney, the Howard Center announces cuts to programs in Burlington and St. Albans due to several years of financial losses, and the Vermont Green FC soccer club remains undefeated after a win over Albany. 

A Plainfield couple whose home was severely damaged by flooding two years in a row anxiously await news on whether they’ll get a FEMA buyout for the home they can't stay in. Plus, Gov. Scott’s administration starts a review of the newly passed federal budget bill to assess its impact on Vermont, the health department seeks to open three new methadone clinics in communities outside the state’s Hub and Spoke treatment system, Sen. Welch meets with Vermonters impacted by flooding from the past two years, and the federal budget bill makes cuts to flood research funding at the University of Vermont.