Vermont Edition

The COVID-19 pandemic drove many to work part- or full-time from home. But will these workers ever return to the office? This hour, we explore the future of telecommuting and answer your questions.

If 80% of eligible Vermonters get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Phil Scott says he'll lift all remaining pandemic restrictions. In our weekly health update, we talk with Deputy Health Commissioner Tracy Dolan about when this might happen and what it means for all Vermonters.

The spiny softshell turtle has been on the threatened list in Vermont since 1987. Populations near Lake Champlain have struggled in the last few decades. Some of those struggles are manmade. This segment, VPR's Connor Cyrus checks in with Vermont's Fish and Wildlife Department about the Vermont Eastern Spiny Softshell Recovery Plan and what still needs to be done to protect this species of turtle.

Last week, North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik was elected as the House Republican Conference Chair to replace Liz Cheney. This segment, we discuss what this means for Rep. Stefanik, North Country voters and the Republican Party.

At a time when some states are moving to restrict access to voting, the Vermont Legislature is moving in the opposite direction. Lawmakers have given their approval to a bill that encourages early and mail-in voting. This segment, we'll look at this issue with Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos.

According to a new national study, Vermont leads the country in four out of five categories dealing with statewide vaccination rates. In fact, Scott administration officials say if Vermont were its own country, it would have one of the highest participation rates in the world. At the same time, the number of people between the ages of 18 and 29 who have been vaccinated lags considerably behind the rest of the state. In our weekly health update, we talk with Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine about what the state is doing to get more young people vaccinated. We also talk about the Scott administration's recent decision to lift the state's mask mandate for fully vaccinated Vermonters.

Lawmakers are coming down the homestretch of the 2021 session and there seem to be some significant budget issues dividing legislative leaders and Gov. Phil Scott. This hour, we talk with Vermont's legislative leaders about this and other issues.

New reporting from VPR's Abagael Giles examines the critical role community organizers have played in helping shrink the vaccination gap between BIPOC and white Vermonters. In our weekly health update, we talk with Giles. We also hear from two of the visionaries behind Burlington's BIPOC clinics and consider how their recent efforts might serve as a model for building health equity in Vermont.

Thousands of false unemployment claims have been filed with the Vermont Department of Labor during the pandemic. This hour, we talk with the Labor Commissioner about this fraud, and the reinstatement of the work requirement to receive unemployment benefits.

State health officials are concerned that many young people are choosing not to get a COVID-19 vaccination because of what they've read on the internet. In our weekly health update, we take a look at the state's efforts to reach out to younger Vermonters, plus other COVID-19 news. Our guest is: