Vermont’s Air National Guard and F-35A fighter jets have arrived in Puerto Rico. They’ve been deployed as part of Operation Southern Spear — a build-up of U.S. forces in the region targeting Venezuela and the Maduro regime.

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) joins us to weigh in on the deployment. He’s spoken out against President Donald Trump’s actions against Venezuela.

Stephon Boatwright, a St. Michael’s College professor of international relations and political science, shares his perspective on the legality of recent U.S. actions in the Caribbean. And Peter Ladensack, a former guardsman, explains what it’s like when a unit mobilizes. He has firsthand experience — he was deployed to Afghanistan with the Vermont Army National Guard.

An advocate for people experiencing homelessness. A folk singer, beloved by adults and children alike. A devoted mother who founded a food pantry. A poet. A professor. A Peace Corps volunteer.

Today on Vermont Edition, we honor some of the remarkable people from our communities who died in 2025. You’ll hear from their friends, family members, colleagues, and admirers.

We’ll also share calls and emails from listeners with stories of family members and friends who passed away over the last year. 

2025 was a landmark year for the genre-bending singer-songwriter Neko Case.

She released a new album, "Neon Grey Midnight Green," and published a memoir, The Harder I Fight The More I Love You. In both, she uses her singular voice to weave together personal stories, the sounds of a diverse musical community and her abundant respect for the natural world.

Case has deep roots in Vermont. She spent some of her childhood years in Lamoille County and now has a farm in the Northeast Kingdom. 

She joins us to share her experiences over three decades in the music world, and the inspiration behind her latest album. 

Then; Seven Days food editor and writer Melissa Pasanen is back with her latest local recommendations, including bean-to-bar delights at Prophecy Chocolate, a painting-worthy salad at The Crooked Ram and the unmissable tater tots at Onion City Chicken & Oyster.

Today on Vermont Edition: it’s the latest in our monthly series, Town By Town. Each month we spend an hour learning about a randomly selected town or city in Vermont. 

Today it’s Berlin, in Washington County. You’ll hear from three residents with deep roots, including a local author and the president of the town historical society! We’ll also visit the longstanding Wayside restaurant. 

Broadcast live on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

The Winooski School District’s superintendent, Wilmer Chavarria, has emerged this year as an outspoken advocate for immigrant families in his city, which is the most diverse municipality in Vermont. Chavarria first made national headlines this summer after he was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Texas after visiting family in Nicaragua. Last week he testified on Capitol Hill about his detention, and also filed a lawsuit against federal authorities.

He joins Vermont Edition to discuss his detention and the numerous other ways his school district is being affected by the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown.

Then: Vermont passed the Climate Superfund Act in 2024, allowing the state to sue fossil fuel companies for damage caused by climate change over the past 30 years. Legal challenges from the Trump administration and the oil industry soon followed. Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark gives an update on where those legal challenges stand today. Plus, Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak explains the process for tallying exactly how much money the state will aim to collect from fossil fuel companies. He also shares which of the state’s climate adaptation projects the money could help fund, and his hopes for these projects to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Today on Vermont Edition, UVM’s Community News Service provides journalism training with an opportunity for a professional byline. The program's audio journalism instructor and two current students will share what they’ve learned about reporting over the past semester.

Then: Did your Spotify Wrapped make you realize that you’ve been listening to the same artists over and over again this year? Seven Days music critic Chris Farnsworth is here to tell us about local musicians with great new music. He’ll also tell us about the perils of being a music critic and comparing one band to another.

Today on Vermont Edition, it’s our annual winter books show. We’ve assembled a team of super readers from all across the state to recommend books for you to read and gift this season. You’ll hear from a South Burlington children’s librarian, bookshop owners in Waterbury, Wilmington and Middlebury, and a writer and editor from Middlesex. 

They’ve brought with them lists of new books by Vermont authors, the year’s bestselling genre fiction, children’s books and graphic novels and older books that are making a comeback. Open your notes app or get out your pen and paper. You’re going to want to write a lot of these titles down!

Federal agents have arrested more than 100 people in Vermont over the last 10 months. Those arrests have heightened fears in tight-knit communities across the state. Vermont Public’s Peter Hirschfeld discusses his new 4-part series on arrests and deportations in our region. He gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his investigation.

Many of the immigrants targeted for arrest work on local farms. A new book called Will Work for Food argues that their labor needs to be part of any discussion about our food supply chain. We're joined by the book's co-authors Teresa M. Mares, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Vermont and the director of its food systems graduate program, and Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, an associate professor of geography and the environment at Syracuse University and the director of its graduate program in food studies.

Broadcast live on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

An early estimate from the state predicts that next year’s property taxes could rise an average of nearly 12 percent. The state’s tax commissioner Bill Shouldice joins us to explain how that property tax estimate was made, and all the factors that could affect the final number on your tax bill.

Then: noted Montpelier author Makenna Goodman has a new novel. It takes place in the middle of the countryside, where a professor is touring a seemingly idyllic house for sale. I’ll leave it at that for now.

Plus: there’s something special going on in Brattleboro for holiday window shoppers. Organizers of its first ever “festival of miniatures” tell us about the dollhouses, toy trains and tiny objects on view in local storefronts.