During the first hour, Liz Scharf of Capstone Community Action joins us to discuss the financial counseling and coaching services that they offer. And she’ll discuss some of the programs that community members can participate in. National correspondent Bob Ney provides an update on top world and international news stories. Kevin McCallum of Seven Days will discuss Gov. Phil Scott’s surprise executive order to modernize Act 250, the state’s land-use law. And we finish the show in a festive mood when we hear about the Waterbury Winterfest Wanderlust Challenge.

The USDA has three Dairy Business Innovation Centers across the country. The one that serves all of the Northeast is based in Vermont. We’ll learn what the center is and the many projects it has going on or is about to launch. Next, we stop in Brandon to meet the owners of Swan & Stone Millinery, makers of fashionable and funky hats. And they’ve recently sent one of their designs off to Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s all things Maple with Mark Isselhardt, the UVM Extension Maple Specialist and host of the Vermont Maple Minute. We’ll learn how to sugar, the importance of forestry practices, what it to takes to do backyard sugaring and how to grade your syrup.

We learn about the state’s river system from Richarda Ericson of the Vermont River Conservancy and the work her organization is doing to keep them vibrant. And programs they’ve instituted to give students a better understanding of our river network. Olga Peters, staff reporter for The Commons, provides an update of the Brattleboro selectboard elections, a report calling for expanded restorative justice efforts and reforms to dismantle bias in the police force, and the state library board’s consideration of a name change for Negro Brook in Townshend.

Get ready to start your day with some belly laughs as Rusty DeWees joins us. And he’s got some big news that involves a Mack Truck and a CDL. That’s right, Rusty’s got himself a Commercial Drivers License! Next, we learn all about the historic Northeast Slopes in East Corinth. We’ll talk t-bars, rope tows and family fun. Burlington’s new Director of Police Transformation Kyle Dodson talks about his work to forge a new consensus on policing in the city.  And we finish the show with VTDigger’s projects editor Jim Welch to discuss the controversy surrounding Slate Ridge, a center for military-style training and “professional gunfighting” in Rutland County.  

We open up with Bill “Spaceman” Lee to learn about his new book and his views on all things baseball. Next, we’ll tantalize you with some food talk as we learn about the South Indian street food, dosa. And we’ll meet the owner of the Brattleboro restaurant that serves them up, Dosa Kitchen. Then we speak with St. Johnsbury Representative Scott Beck, who has been critical of the Vermont GOP leadership regarding former President Trump’s role in inciting the attack on the Capitol. And we finish by learning how Charlie Hohn is rewilding Firefly Hill in Montpelier.

We start with ice fishing and finish with soup today. Shawn Good from Vermont Fish & Wildlife opens the show with the fundamentals of ice fishing to make sure everyone has an enjoyable and safe season. We then learn about a Vermont company called Ramble Maps that are producing stunning high-resolution elevation maps of mountains, lakes and entire states. Correspondent Bob Ney checks in with an update on the weeks national and world news. And we finish by learning about the amazing soups being cooked up by Joe’s Kitchen at Screaming Ridge Farm.

Vermont Conversation’s David Goodman goes from host to guest as he spends the first hour talking about one of his passions that isn’t politics and social justice. He shares his knowledge of backcountry skiing and discusses his new book, “Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast.” Then Dartmouth College Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences Brad Duchaine shares his research into face blindness (or prosopagnosia). It’s fascinating stuff.

Ric didn’t get a guest for the first half hour, so he’s opening up the phones looking for your suggestions on what to stream. Everyone seems to reach the end of everything they want to watch online, so help others by sharing what you’ve enjoyed. Lola Duffort of VTDigger joins us next to discuss Treasurer Beth Pearce’s call for changes to the state pension program. Next, we meet painter Julia Jensen, who was recently chosen to have some of her works displayed in the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia. And we finish the show by learning some cybersecurity tips from Aaron Reason of Consolidated Communications. 

Bad guys, baseball, bears and BIPOC is what we have in store today. Archer Mayor, author of the Joe Gunther Detective series tells us about his latest book, “The Orphan’s Guilt.” We then talk the importance baseball players place on the uniform numbers with Karl Lindholm. He’ll also talk Sox and Negro League Baseball. Forrest Hammond from Fish & Wildlife is up next, to give us a bear hunting season roundup. And we finish with supporters of the proposed BIPOC Land Access and Opportunity Act, that they hope will get passed in the Vermont Legislature this year.  

Conservation biologist Kent McFarland will share how listeners can contribute to research and conservation policy with their smartphone, and discuss the alarming levels of toxic mercury in ecosystems on Vermont’s mountaintops. National correspondent Bob Ney brings us up to date on the big stories from the week. We get to talk donuts with Jordan Barry of Seven Days (but, alas, no samples). And Roman Catholic Bishop Christopher Coyne discusses the moral leadership needed in the wake of last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.