Vermont Viewpoint

We’re at the Aud this morning, but not for high school basketball playoffs. Rather, for the 13th Annual Central Vermont Job Fair. We’ll spend the morning chatting with at least a dozen companies from the area who are looking to hire you! Listen all morning to hear about Central Vermont employers and what positions they currently have open. 

If you’d like to see a video version, you can go here: https://youtu.be/_8uQuCdbfec

We begin the morning learning about the Upskill Vermont Scholarship program, which allows Vermonters to take two free courses to enhance their current work skills or allow them to pivot to a new career. Next, we meet artist Rebecca Kinkead and hear about her “Neighbor Project.” It’s a series of paintings that invites anyone to sit for her, allowing the artist to capture them in a moment. After that, we check back in with Chip Piper, who attempted an 88K this weekend to raise funds for the Turning Point Center of Addison County. And we finish the morning at the ballpark to meet this year’s Vermont Lake Monsters, who just got their new Futures League season started.  

We’ll open our Memorial Day show with the opportunity for our listeners to call in and honor those who have served. Next, we’ll head to Northfield to hear about how The Veteran’s Place has been offering transitional housing and support to Vermonters who have served in the military. After that, we’ll learn about the 10th annual Vermont Veteran’s Summit being held this Friday at NVU-Lyndon. And we finish the morning at Super Thin Saws, a Waterbury company that has become a world-wide leader in thin saw technology for the woodworking industry.   

We’ll spend the first hour of the morning touring four of the state’s finest historic inns, traveling from Newfane to Lower Waterford to Hyde Park and on to Middlebury. We’ll learn about the wonderful lore and beautiful amenities of these inns. After that, national correspondent Bob Ney provides his balanced perspective on what’s happened in the world this week. Next, Courtney Lamdin of Seven Days shares her story about UVM wanting to build dorms on its Trinity Campus. We finish the morning meeting WDEV All-Star Greg Hooker. And we’re going to talk a lot of baseball.  

Back on the road again as part of WDEV’s 90th anniversary and this time we’re headed deep into the Northeast Kingdom as we visit Island Pond and the friendly folks who listen to us on 101.9. Today, we’ll be broadcasting live from the Island Pond Public Library. We’ll spend the morning discussing the railroad history of the area. We’ll visit the nearby Silvio Conte Fish & Wildlife Refuge. We’ll also catch up with Essex County State’s Attorney Vince Illuzzi and learn how Island Pond has become such a snowmobiling mecca. And hear about all that the Kingdom has to offer. 

This morning we’re going to combine physical activities and Lake Champlain throughout the show. Sort of. And we begin with the intersection of the two when we learn about Dragonheart Vermont, the group that travels the world competing in Dragon Boat races and puts on the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival in early August. Next we speak with filmmaker Jordan Rowell about “No Other Lake,” his new film that celebrates the unique beauty of Lake Champlain and looks at its greatest challenges. After that, we get back on terra firma by learning about how Girls on the Run Vermont works to build confidence in girls and encourage healthy habits for life. And then we open up the phones one last time this week. 

The show opens with the Open Phones. Next, we meet an East Burke couple who shifted their business from logging and milling to woodturning. After that, get ready for some cat and dog fun as we prep for the St. Johnsbury Pet Parade. And we finish the morning with even more animals. We’ll visit Shat Acres Highland Cattle in Greensboro Bend. 

We’ll meet the Vermont woman who figured out how to make running and strolling a fun and easy activity with the creation of the StrollRunner. Next, we’ll open up the phones for a half hour. Then, WDEV Weather All-Star Roger Hill stops in to continue our 90th anniversary celebration. And we finish the morning with the poetry of Laura Budofsky Wisniewski, from her acclaimed collection, “Sanctuary, Vermont.”  

We prep for their upcoming conference, by learning about the Vermont Employee Ownership Center and the state’s employee-owned businesses. Next, we hear about the 20 years of wilderness protection provided in our region by the Northeast Wilderness Trust. After that, national correspondent Bob Ney brings us up to date on what’s happening in the world. Then, Colin Flanders of Seven Days shares the story of the aquatic army fighting to keep Lake Champlain free of invasion from the round goby [GO bee]. And we finish the morning by meeting the state’s newest sports team, the Vermont Green Football (as in soccer) Club.

We’ve gotten perspective from experts on Russia and Ukraine, from Ukrainians who have resettled in the U.S. and one refugee who was forced to leave her country because of the war. This morning, we’ll speak with two local men who decided to spend a week volunteering for World Central Kitchen in Poland. Then, we’ll open the phones for a half-hour. After that, we get an excellent civics lesson on Vermont’s assistant or side judges…from two assistant judges. And we finish the morning learning about an organization called Hack Club that is now based in Vermont. It’s a global network of high school hackers, coders and makers.