Vermont Viewpoint

We’re on the road again as part of WDEV’s 90th anniversary. Today, we’ll head to our lone stop in Addison County when we tuck into Rosie’s Restaurant in Middlebury. We’ll spend the morning discussing the arts, including opera, Vermont folklife and the organization working to link Vermont’s food production with Vermont’s food insecure. We’ll also learn about a delicious salumi made in Middlebury, as well as a brewery that not only produces great beer, but teaches others how to do the same.  

This episode was also filmed! If you’d like, check out the video version here

Two local Rotary Clubs are working together to Rise Against Hunger. We’ll hear the details of their concerted efforts. Next, we’ll celebrate the almost half-century career with UVM’s Royall Tyler Theater of Pat Orr, who has served as shop foreman, instructor and technical director. After that, we head to Northfield to enjoy a Pitter Patter Porter, a Pigman Lives IPA and an Early Riser Cream Ale at Good Measure Brewing. And we finish the morning sitting down with one of the biggest stars in the galaxy of WDEV All-Stars – Farmer Dave! 

We’ll open the show by getting to know another of our WDEV All-Stars. Tom McLeod, who currently works at sister station WLVB, has a long, wonderful history with WDEV. Next, Calvin Cutler of WCAX puts a bow on the current session of the Vermont Legislature, giving us an idea of what got passed, what might get vetoed and how some of the Governor’s previous vetoes fared in trying to override them. After that, Vermont Fish & Wildlife biologist Nick Fortin educates us about fawns and why it’s important to leave them alone, no matter how cute they are. And we’ll finish the morning hearing about the Seven Stars Arts Center in Sharon and its Historic Stage Curtain Celebration coming up on Friday.  

Being a hockey referee might be the most difficult job in sports. We’ll speak with former UVM women’s hockey player Chelsea Rapin who has refereed on the international level. Then we take a trip to New Hampshire to learn how you can still see the Old Man of the Mountain. After that, national correspondent Bob Ney brings us up to date on what’s happening in the world. Then Derek Brouwer of Seven Days shares his story about a Middlebury prof’s assessment of the leaked Supreme Court draft ruling about the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. And we finish discussing with VTDigger’s Emma Cotton how Organic Valley has stepped in to help Vermont’s organic dairy farmers left in the lurch by Horizon Organic.  

In this age of high-tech gaming gadgetry, we open the show by going seriously low-tech and learning how to make toys and games with cardboard. Next, we’ll hear about the latest round of Impact Grants that have been awarded by the Working Lands Enterprise Board, to the tune of $3.1 million. After that, the Letter Carriers’ Food Drive returns this weekend after a pandemic-created hiatus. We’ll learn how you can take part.  And we finish by getting ready for the Celebrity Storyteller Series going on around the state. 

We begin by learning how young voices with a knack for opera get trained in Vermont. Then we’ll hear about plans for a Mad River Valley Recreation Hub, and how you can share your thoughts on its creation. After that, as water sports enthusiasts get ready to return to Vermont’s lakes (soonish), we’ll discuss the importance of reducing your wake. And for the second day in a row, we talk poetry. This time with members of the Poetry Society of Vermont. 

Norwich University is bringing together community leaders and groups working to celebrate and strengthen Vermont’s resilience. We’ll open the show hearing about the upcoming Resilient Vermont Conference. Then Iryna Petrus shares her story of leaving Ukraine as a refugee in the face of the Russian invasion there. After that, we celebrate the station’s 90th anniversary by catching up with another WDEV All-Star – Neal Charnoff. And we finish the show by getting ready for this weekend’s Anything Goes Poetry Slam in Waterbury with Geof Hewitt. 

We’ll open the show by getting some clarity about the leaked Supreme Court brief on Roe v. Wade from Vermont Law School professor Jared Carter. Then, WCAX Capitol Bureau Chief Calvin Culter provides a comprehensive report on the Legislative session. After that, we’ll be digging in the dirt with farmer and gardener Alan LePage and learning about the benefits of dandelions. And we finish the morning learning about the rebirth of the Montpelier Historical Society and an upcoming show-and-tell event it has planned. 

We’ll open the show with open phones, on purpose this time. Then, following her announcement this week the she’ll be retiring, we speak with State Treasurer Beth Pearce. After that, national correspondent Bob Ney joins us stateside for the first time since his trip to India. We’ll then hear about “Lost Nation”, the film Jay Craven is currently working on, which might be his last. And we finish be speaking with the organizers of Project Dove, who are collecting items to send to Randolph’s sister city in Ukraine.  

Half of the show will be filled with sunshine and song. The other half will be menacing and warlike. We start off learning about how you can harness the power of the sun when we check in with the folks at Green Mountain Solar. Next, author Janet Wylie tells us about her new book, “Menace in the Mist.” After that, we head to Winooski to hear about Waking Windows, which has blossomed into a three-day festival of music, comedy, art, food and drink. Then writer and field biologist Bryan Pfeiffer shares his thoughts on how the war in Ukraine affects peacock butterflies, sweet violets and the rest of nature.