As the weather warms, farmers in our region are filling up their customer lists for their annual CSAs. 

Today we hear from two local organizations working to increase access to healthy, locally grown food through community supported agriculture. Gabby Boyston is the Boyson is the food access manager at the Intervale Center in Burlington, and Grace Woroch is the community health manager at Vermont Youth Conservation Corps.

Plus, Vermont Public reporter Howard Weiss-Tisman talks through struggles and opportunities facing food co-ops in the region.

Broadcast live on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Circus Smirkus has been training young performers for four decades. But with financial challenges and an aerial accident last summer, the future of the touring youth circus is uncertain.

The youth circus cancelled its signature Big Top Tour this summer. Reporter Mary Ann Lickteig of Seven Days explains what that means for the organization’s finances. We’ll also talk through some parents’ discontent over Smirkus leadership and safety protocol.

Then: a theater group in Brattleboro has a special mission. They help actors with disabilities claim the stage. Now, they’ve created a guidebook so others can follow their blueprint. They want community theater to be accessible – and enjoyable – to everyone.

Strafford’s Noah Kahan is arguably the most famous musician to come out of Vermont in recent years. A new Netflix documentary, "Noah Kahan: Out of Body," follows the Upper Valley singer-songwriter as he grapples with fame, his mental health and complex family dynamics.

Following the meteoric success of "Stick Season" in 2022, Kahan spent the next few years touring, playing increasingly larger venues. This culminated in stops at Madison Square Garden in New York City and Fenway Park in Boston.

The "Out of Body" filmmakers joined him for those concerts, but also for many quieter moments at home in Nashville and Strafford. The cameras capture Kahan struggling with body dysmorphia and disordered eating, and trying to write new songs that could survive in the shadow of "Stick Season."

The documentary premiered at SXSW last month, where it won an audience award. Its director, Nick Sweeney, made repeated trips to Strafford and the surrounding area during filming in order to better understand his subject.

Then; JLee MacKenzie is an animator who grew up in Chittenden County. He was in film school in California when the pandemic hit, so he turned to animation to find a new way to tell stories. 

MacKenzie's new film is called “Definitely Gangster,” and it just premiered at the Made Here Film Festival. It follows the story of two kids who fly around the world to chase a dream. One of the kids is terminally ill, but the film is still a comedy. It was made with motion capture in a cabin in Worchester, Vermont and features local voice actors.

Lastly; Seven Days music editor Chris Farnsworth chats with Vermont Edition managing producer Jon Ehrens about notable new music releases out of Vermont. 

They discuss Burlington stalwart Bob Wagner's new song "The Richest Man on Earth," and the improbable techno of Roost.World and their single "Genesis." 

The most significant land use law in Vermont’s recent history is on the brink of major change. Key portions could be repealed, like the “road rule” and tier system.

Today, we discuss the future of Act 181. The law inflamed tensions between urban and rural Vermonters. Housing and infrastructure reporter Carly Berlin catches us up on lawmakers debate over Act 181 in Montpelier. We also hear from Alex Weinhagen from the Land Use Review Board, the state agency charged with implementing Vermont's land use laws. We're also joined by farmer Neil Ryan of Corinth and land planner Ben Falk, founder of Whole Systems Design in Moretown and Rochester. 

Broadcast live on Monday, April 27, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Every month, Vermont Edition hones in on a different town or city for a series called Town by Town. Our goal is visit all 252 towns in Vermont.

For the latest installment, we head to Royalton, which includes the unincorporated villages of North and South Royalton. It’s known for being the home to the state’s only law school, its bucolic location along the White River, and much more. 

Today's show was broadcast from First Branch Coffee in South Royalton with a live audience.

Around the turn of the 20th century, only 25% of Vermont was still forested. Today, that situation has completely reversed, with forests covering about three quarters of the state. 

Author Robert Mello helps Vermont Edition mark Earth Day 2026 with an environmental comeback story: How the Green Mountain State became green again. His new book, When the Trees Came Back: The Great Battle to Save Vermont’s Forests, is a history of the hard-won successes of local forest reformers. It was release by the Vermont Historical Society on Apr. 21.

Plus: postdoctoral researcher Morgan Southgate with the Appalachian Mountain Club wants to better understand how climate change affects spring wildflowers' development. She discusses what she's learned so far from her ongoing research on Mt. Equinox in Manchester, and how community members can contribute their own data to help protect the year's earliest blooms.

Broadcast live on Wednesday, Apr. 22, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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This hour we’re going to be talking with Beth Roberts, the CEO of Vermont’s largest private insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. This is a rebroadcast of a show from early February. We wanted to replay it in light of some updates.

Last month, BlueCross reported a net operating gain of 53 million dollars in 2025. This is significant because it’s the first time in 2020 that the company did not lose money. Blue Cross has more than 200,000 members. That means about a third of Vermonters rely on the nonprofit company for health insurance. 

Blue Cross’s tenuous financial state had a lot of ripple effects. The Green Mountain Care Board aggressively cut hospital budgets. State lawmakers capped certain prices. All of this was with the goal of limiting the cost of health care. Because Blue Cross said, we’re not going to be able to cover all these claims.

Now, the company says it’s on a path to financial recovery. It’s even been able to pay off a 30 million dollar loan it took out last year from its affiliate, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. 

The sound of spring peepers tells us warmer weather is on its way. As the frogs ribbit, spotted salamanders crawl across roads to find mating spots, while turtles and snakes bask in the sun.

Herpetologist Jim Andrews from Salisbury coordinates the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas. He joins Vermont Edition for our annual hour on reptiles and amphibians to offer advice on how to observe and protect our slithery, slimy friends. We also hear the sounds of some iconic spring species.

Vermonters can contribute their own amphibian and reptile sightings to the Atlas here. The Atlas is on the lookout for species reports in several places in particular:

Broadcast live on Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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