Vermont Edition

The Vermont Legislature adjourned for the session Friday evening after Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott reached an agreement on education reform. Lawmakers also passed a budget bill and a yield bill to set tax rates, and Gov. Scott is expected to sign all three. 

To help us make sense of this sessions' hot topics are a trio of Vermont Public statehouse reporters: Peter Hirschfeld and Lola Duffort in Montpelier, and Report for America fellow Carly Berlin, who covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public and VTDigger.

Have you ever thought about just how many insect species call your yard home? There are thousands of species to discover just outside your door.

The app iNaturalist lets users upload photos to identify insects, animals, fungi and more. Each iNaturalist entry helps the team at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) catalogue every living species in the Vermont Atlas of Life. 

Two VCE biologists discuss ways to spot and catalogue local species: Kent McFarland, VCE's co-founder and the force behind the Vermont Butterfly Atlas, and Spencer Hardy, a bee biologist who runs VCE's Wild Bee Survey and the co-owner of The Farm Upstairs in Jericho.

Amateur naturalist and community scientist Bernie Paquette of Jericho is one of the top bee observers in the world on iNaturalist, where he posts research-grade photographs of insects. Last year, he received the 2025 Julie Nicholson Community Science Award from VCE.

Vermont Edition went down the rabbit hole with a recent episode of Brave Little State to find out if there really are more twins per capita in the town of Sheldon — and if so, how it happened.

Two sets of Vermont twins told us about going into business together. Leah Klatzker and Rachel Klatzker, co-owners of So Full Sisters, run two food trucks as well as a Middlebury College coffee stand. 

Circus artists Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion co-founded the nonprofit New England Center for Circus Arts and the creative circus production company Nimble Arts. They shared what it's been like to work together everywhere from the trapeze to the board room.

Broadcast live on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Some movie stars or celebrity chefs have massive followings on Instagram or YouTube. Others gain followers by posting addictive content. But some people simply post about what they love, and build a community from there.

Today on Vermont Edition, three Vermonter content creators showcase their passions on social media. Mirna Valerio is an endurance athlete, writer and brand ambassador for major brands like Darn Tough, Lululemon and LLBean. She also advocates for inclusion in the outdoors community. Graham Montague snorkels in local lakes and ponds and posts about his underwater wonders. Christine Tyler Hill is an artist and Burlington crossing guard. She mails a monthly printed newsletter about what she sees, but people on Instagram have caught on, too.

They’ve each learned a lot about how to make social media meaningful instead of soul-sucking. And they also have some big adventures planned for this summer.

Military academies and ROTC clubs teach children and young adults — most of them boys — how to fight in war. But this education comes with its own risk of scars.

Vermont-based freelance journalist Jasper Craven explores American military education in his new book, God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood.

Craven has reported on the military and veterans' issues for local and national publications including VTDigger, Mother Jones, The New Republic and the The New York Times Magazine.

Broadcast live on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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We’re nearing the traditional end point of Vermont’s legislative calendar. Adjournment at the statehouse in Montpelier is tentatively scheduled for May 29, but there’s a lot left to settle before the state’s part-time lawmakers head home. 

Throughout this legislative session you’ve heard lawmakers on Vermont Edition discuss these issues. Now, we get to hear from the state’s top elected official, Gov. Phil Scott.

Tick season is upon us yet again, and tick bite-related emergency room visits in the Northeast are higher than normal right now. It’s hard not to resent these disease-spreading arachnids. Ticks spread pathogens like anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus, and Lyme disease.  We're joined by David Allen, an associate professor of biology at Middlebury College to talk about the different types of ticks in the region, the diseases they spread, how to prevent tick bites, and how he learned to embrace one of the most detested parts of the animal kingdom. 

But first; the chair of the education committee in Vermont's House of Representatives will not seek reelection this fall. Rep. Peter Conlon (D-Cornwall) has served in the state legislature for a decade. He's focused his efforts in the last few years on education reform and the ongoing school redistricting debate. He joins us to talk about his decision to step down and what he's learned from his time in the legislature.

Broadcast live on Monday, May 18, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Vermont has no shortage of artists creating new works. 

Author Tim Weed of Putney has a new novel set in Vermont called The Gatepost that blends modern science and ancient cosmology. Photographer Nathan Larson of Windsor packed up his entire life into a van and hit the road. A new book of poetry and photographs captures his adventures. And filmmaker Robbie Leppzer's latest work is a documentary about the founder of Bread and Puppet Theater.

Broadcast live on Wednesday May 13, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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