Vermont Viewpoint

Former Vermont state senator Matt Dunne created the Center on Rural Innovation to reverse the nation’s growing rural opportunity gap and create economic prosperity for small town residents across the country. We’ll spend the first hour hearing how that’s being accomplished. After that, we celebrate “America Recycles Day” by learning more about how to be better recyclers and about where exactly all that stuff you’ve been putting in your blue bin rather than your trash actually goes. And we finish the day with your chance to comment on what’s happening in your world as we open up the phones.   

Montpelier was chosen as the premier small-town shopping destination by editors and readers of USA Today. We’ll speak with Montpelier Alive Executive Director Dan Groberg to find out why. Then, Burlington Free Press reporter Joel Banner Baird explains what the recent vote by Essex Junction to secede from Essex will mean for each entity. After that, national correspondent Bob Ney checks in. Next, Margot Harrison of Seven Days joins us to talk about the documentary “Vermont and the Bright Green Nothing”, the Eat More Kale documentary that premiers next week.  And we finish by learning about a group called Confident Care for Kids, that aims to create less stressful vaccine visits for children who have high-sensory needs and experience anxiety when they get vaccinated. 

The holidays are getting closer and that means the scammers are working even harder to separate you from your hard-earned cash and your precious data. Elliott Greenblott returns to warn us of scams to be aware of. After that, we’ll open the phones to honor our Veterans on this Veterans Day. Then we visit the 4th grade classroom at Burke Town School to learn about their Veterans Wall of Honor. And we finish meeting the Vermonter who won two equestrian Olympic gold medals in Montreal and we’ll learn about the company he’s founded making saddles that can relieve back pain for both the horse and the rider. 

Ric Cengeri comes to you live from the 2021 Radio Vermont Group Job Fair, being held at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. He talks with some of the companies at the fair about what positions they're looking to fill.You can catch a video version of this podcast (Or most of it) here: https://fb.watch/9bQOV9Fial/However, we had audio difficulties for about the first half of the show.

We’ll let you chat us up for the first half hour as we open the phones. Then we hear from Greg Guma, author of the book, “Restless Spirits and Popular Movements,” that looks at the history of Vermont’s activists and social movements. After that, for the second day in a row, we hear from one of our WDEV All-Stars as we celebrate the station’s 90th Anniversary. This time it’s Anson Tebbetts. And we finish off by meeting artist Jenny Bryan, whose paintings are currently being exhibited at Norwich University’s Sullivan Museum and History Center.

In 2022, the Vermont House of Representatives will vote on the Reproductive Liberty Amendment in its fourth and final stage of legislative review. We’ll hear from supporters of the amendment. Next, we’ll learn about the Washington County Youth Services Bureau’s Country Roads Program, that provides individual and family counseling, family mediation and emergency temporary shelter for youth who are in crisis. After that, WDEV All-Star Brian Harwood joins us to reflect on WDEV @ 90. And we finish hearing about the work being done by UVM Computer Science Professor Chris Danforth analyzing Tweets. 

We’re going to open the show with open phones and revisit the world of coincidence that we explored earlier this week. And you’re invited to share yours. Then we’ll speak with UVM’s Vice President of Research Kirk Dombrowski. We’ll discuss the research going on at the school and why he’d like to increase its standing as a research institution. After that, national correspondent Bob Ney checks in. Then we hear from Colin Flanders of Seven Days about the use and cost of traveling nurses in Vermont hospitals to fill staffing shortages. And finally, we get ready to get cozy with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra as they launch their November in New England tour with the Jukebox Quartet, featuring singer Moira Smiley. 

We’re broadcasting live from Norwich University’s Military Writers’ Symposium. During the morning, we’ll hear about the Indigenous perspective on the Arctic and the Russian Arctic defense strategy. We’ll also speak with Adam Higginbotham about his book, “Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster.” And we’ll meet Norwich Corps of Cadets member Larenz Simpson, a triple major and the 2021 Symposium Fellow.  

CVFiber has received a $2.8 million grant in its quest to provide high-speed internet for all of Central Vermont. We open the show hearing about those plans. Next, we learn how a long-abandoned ski resort in southern Vermont is coming back to life through the help of a group of skiers and hikers. Then we hear from adoption experts about Vermont’s efforts to find permanency for every child in the state. And we finish with open phones and want to hear about the wildest coincidences you’ve ever experienced.  

It’s up to the Islands to start the show as we meet the owners of Two Heroes Brewing in South Hero. Next, we learn about the Vermont Specialty Foods Association, its food producers and what they’re making that will enhance your Thanksgiving Day meal. After that, Vermont singer Taryn Noelle has created a dance-based musical called “Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night” that she’ll tell us about. And we finish hearing about Vermont’s Weatherization Program and how you might be eligible for beneficial services.