Vermont Edition

First, we speak with Vermont Public's housing and infrastructure reporter Carly Berlin, about a new state  initiative intended to spur housing construction in Vermont. It's a catalog of prefab homes that would help people fastrack their approval process and keep costs of new construction down.

The specific challenges facing boys and young men often make headlines: For the last 50 years, for example, the number of male students on college campuses has slowly but steadily decreased. And young men are also more likely than women to experience drug and alcohol addiction.

For parents of young boys, these headlines and statistics can be particularly distressing. What can we control in our homes to help our boys navigate the world with confidence, happiness and care? 

Two guests join Vermont Edition to discuss the art and peril of raising boys. Keegan Albaugh is the founder of Dad Guild, a Burlington-based nonprofit that supports masc-identifying caregivers by running playgroups, educational events, pick up sports, peer support groups, and more. Kate Mangino is a Virginia-based speaker, facilitator and writer who is in Vermont to host a series of parenting workshops this week. She’s the author of the book Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home.

Broadcast live on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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College athletes can cash in on their name and image. And as of last year, colleges can pay their athletes directly, too. This rule change impacts everyone in college sports. University of Vermont Athletic Director Jeff Schulman says pay-to-play has changed the game.

Every year in Montpelier, residents wake up to find their city covered in red hearts. This is the work of the Valentine Phantom, a mysterious figure— or figures— who brings love to the state capital each year in the form of thousands of hearts.

Broadcast live on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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First up on the show:  Colchester resident and asylum seeker Steven Tendo was detained by ICE Wednesday after his shift at the University of Vermont Medical Center, where he works as a nursing assistant. Tendo fled Uganda in 2018. On Vermont Edition last year he said he was tortured by the Ugandan government for encouraging youth voter registration.

For an update on Tendo's case and whereabouts, we speak with immigration attorney Brett Stokes. He is the director of the Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School.

Thousands of athletes are in Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which start tomorrow. Some of those athletes are from our little corner of the world, which makes them extra fun to root for. Here to give us a local look at the biggest international sports competition in the world is Mitch Wertlieb. He’s the host of Vermont This Week on our main TV channel, and as of just a few days ago, the host of the Sports Rapport, a weekly sports show from Vermont Public.

If you’re not familiar with the biathlon, here’s how it works. Athletes cross-country ski with rifles on their backs. During the race, they stop and shoot at targets 50 meters away. If they miss a shot, they get time added to their race, or they have to ski an extra 150 meter penalty loop. Biathlete Susan Dunklee of Craftsbury joins us now. She’s competed in three winter Olympics, and she’s won two silver medals in world championship races. She is now the Director of Biathlon at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. 

In the mid-1970s, avant-garde musician and Bennington College professor Bill Dixon created a department called the Black Music Division. Along with fellow musician and professor Milford Graves, they taught performance and theory while bringing Black music into the academic sphere. 

Joining to walk us through this history is Michael Wimberly, a percussionist, composer and Bennington College professor. Last year, he organized a two-day symposium to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the division's founding with live music and reflections. 

During the current cold snap, many Vermonters are able to take comfort in their wood stoves or heating systems. Others aren’t so lucky. A growing number of people without permanent housing are living outside during the depths of winter.

Vermont has had a high rate of homelessness ever since the pandemic — one of the highest rates in the country. The state used to pay a lot of money to house people in motels, but that program was significantly scaled back last year. Some of the money was redirected to shelters that only open on the coldest nights. But when temperatures rise, even by just a few degrees, those shelters close their doors.

In Brattleboro, homeless encampments have been a repeated topic of discussion at select board meetings this winter. Meanwhile, the arts center 69A is working to provide basic services to homeless people in the area. It moved to a new location at the end of last year. Its director, Lisa Marie, has personal experience living in encampments in the Brattleboro area. 

We also hear from Charles "Chuck" Keir III, Brattleboro's assistant fire chief and town health officer, Becky Best, director of shelters at Groundworks Collaborative; select board chair Elizabeth McLoughlin and select board member Isaac Evans-Frantz.

Broadcast live on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Bernie Sanders is one of our country’s most famous senators. He’s run for president, has stood up to oligarchs, and even became a mitten-wearing meme. Before all that, he was Mayor Sanders, of Burlington, where he served from 1981 to 1989.

A new book, Bernie for Burlington: The Rise of the People's Politician, covers that pivotal time of change in the Queen City. The author, poet and professor Dan Chiasson, is a Burlington native and weaves in many personal anecdotes about his hometown. 

Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the U.S.'s current posture towards its trade allies as a "rupture." U.S. President Donald Trump fired back, threatening new tariffs on its northern neighbor.

Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum is viewed by many as a landmark moment in the rapidly shifting relationship between the U.S., Canada, and the international community writ large.

A year into Trump's second presidency, and nearly a year into Carney's leadership, we asked listeners from both Quebec and Vermont how they are feeling about the tensions between the two nations. Vermont Edition teamed up with our friends at the CBC's Radio Noon and their host Shawn Apel for this conversation. We also heard from Newport, VT Mayor Rick Ufford-Chase to hear how the Canadian boycott of the U.S. has affected his town. 

Broadcast live on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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During the legislative session, Vermont’s Statehouse is usually full of heated debate, gaveling and other sounds of lawmaking. But on Wednesday nights, legislators cede the dais to musicians and artists for the Farmers Night series. David Schutz, Vermont’s longtime state curator, joins Vermont Edition to look back at the origins of the series. Rep. Mary-Katherine Stone (D-Burlington) shares a preview of this year’s lineup and talks about the value of bringing the arts directly to the House Chamber. 

The 2026 Farmers Night series continues through April 8 and takes place on Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. at the Vermont Statehouse. Performances are free and open to the public.

Then, noted Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye is headed to Putney’s Yellow Barn for a performance that weaves together poetry and music. Nye joins the show, along with Yellow Barn’s executive director Catherine Stephan.

Naomi Shihab Nye will perform alongside musicians Daniel Chong, Jessica Bodner and Daniel Anastasio on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 3:00 p.m. Admission is free, but advance registration is recommended.

Broadcast live on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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