Vermont Viewpoint

The Kelly Brush Foundation is dedicated to making active lifestyles a reality for those who have experienced a spinal cord injury. We’ll learn about the foundation and the upcoming annual Kelly Brush Ride. Then we’ll discuss the threat of forest fires in Vermont and the state’s history with these blazes. After that, national correspondent Bob Ney checks in with the latest in world news. We follow that by learning about Canadian boaters coming across the border during the pandemic from Ken Picard of Seven Days. And we finish by speaking with Loreen Benner – the Cookbook Queen – who owns over 3,000 of them and is liquidating her impressive collection. 

We start the show celebrating WDEV @ 90 and getting to know the beloved Jack Donovan. Then, we open up the phone lines. After that, we hear about the Water Street Cultural Heritage Walk in Northfield that remembers the impact Tropical Storm Irene had on the Dog River 10 years ago. And we finish up by heading to the Bennington Museum, where it’s time for the annual display of the world-famous 1863 Jane Stickle Quilt.  

We’ll spend the first hour with Vermont State Archaeologist Jess Robinson discussing the earliest Native inhabitants of Vermont, the Champlain Sea and how archaeology can reveal what the environment was like in the past. After that, we’ll explore “Charlie Hunter: Semaphore,” an exhibit currently on display at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.  And we finish by learning about caterpillars as the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier prepares for the Caterpillar Lab being held Thursday through Monday.  

One person who had a front-row seat to the destruction of Tropical Storm Irene and the rebuilding that followed was Sue Minter. She joins us to recount what happened 10 years ago. Next up, we learn about Silo Skis, a Vermont company that makes your skis exactly as you like them. They’re all custom built in Richmond. After that, we’ll discuss the impact of the recent decision by Horizon Organic to pull out of Vermont and the Northeast and what that means for the dairy farmers left in the lurch. And we finish the show at The Boardroom in Burlington. It sounds corporate, but it’s actually where people hang out and play board games! 

We’ll get the latest on the Hoyt Hill Farmstead, where the cows received tainted feed. And on the fundraising efforts to aid the Tunbridge organic dairy farm. Next, we learn about the Vermont Fusion Women’s Soccer team in Manchester and the upcoming discussion they’re hosting on the recent history of U.S. Women's soccer. After that, we’ll discuss why some students are taking gap years before heading off to college and how they’re spending that time. And we finish by visiting a company creating outstanding ocean-going technology in landlocked Richmond.  

Ten years after Hurricane Irene became a tropical storm and reached Vermont, we dodged any damage from Henri. Roger Hill will spend the first hour discussing the science of hurricanes and why we might see more up here by the Canadian border. At 10, national correspondent Bob Ney checks in. Then we hear from Seven Days food writer Melissa Pasanen about restaurants that boldly opened during the pandemic.  And then St. Mike’s Political Science and International Relations professor Jeff Ayres  shares findings from the 2021 Border Barometer, which looked at the impact of the U.S./Canadian border closing due to COVID-19. 

Waterbury Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk saw the worst of Tropical Storm Irene a decade ago. He joins us to share what he experienced and what it took for the town to rebound. Next, we head to Spruce Peak in Stowe to learn about their lineup of events, including the upcoming Taste of New England. After that, we give a sendoff to State Librarian Jason Broughton and learn about his new role at the Library of Congress. And we finish by checking in with Governor Phil Scott to hear his Irene memories and the latest on how the state is dealing with the COVID Delta variant. 

We’re going to be looking back at Tropical Storm Irene over the next few days. We start today’s program speaking with Kevin O’Connor about what the state has learned in the decade since Irene came roaring into Vermont. Next, noted film producer Jay Craven joins us to talk about the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, which begins today. After that, we have open phone lines to hear from listeners! And then we talk with Jeff Folb of Vermont Gatherings about upcoming events they have planned including the Vermont Sci-Fi and Fantasy Expo and the Living History Expo. 

Vermont’s Northland Journal publisher Scott Wheeler has written a series of books on the history of the Northeast Kingdom. To star the show, he’ll share stories from his latest, “Newport: Voices from an Evolving Community” and his other NEK histories. After that, we get wine suggestions from Lara Atkins of The Kitchen Table Bistro and master sommelier David Keck of the Vermont Wine Shepherd. 

State Epidemiologist Dr. Patsy Kelso joins us to discuss the threat of the COVID Delta Variant. Next, we hear about the scholarship fund created in the name of the late Warren Miller, who was known as the Mayor of Elmore. We’ll also learn about the Elmore Community Trust’s efforts to keep the Elmore Store as a vital part of the town. And then, as the Canadian Football League season has begun, we’ll check in with Vermont’s nearest professional football team, the Montreal Alouettes.