Vermont Viewpoint

St. Albans Messenger Sports Editor Ruthie Laroche shares stories of covering Vermont Olympian Elle Purrier St. Pierre and other local athletes. Local Motion Executive Director Karen Yacos tells us about the work of the group and discusses bike safety for both cyclists and drivers. After this, national correspondent Bob Ney checks in with a news roundup. We then hear from Keven McCallum of Seven Days who shares how pesticide-treated seeds might be contributing to bee hive deaths in Vermont. And we finish with a trip to Montpelier’s Kellogg-Hubbard Library and learn about their new Fine Free program and other things going on there this summer. 

We open the show by checking in with Olga Peters of The Commons for an update on some of the top stories in the southern part of the state. Next, Mark Ferguson of Vermont Fish & Wildlife discusses the problems our pollinators are facing and what we can do to help them. After that, we meet Danielle Morse, the Whiting firefighter who is now the reigning Miss Vermont.  And we finish by chatting with Melissa Perley, author of the award-winning children’s book, “The Violin Family.” 

Vermont Law School is hosting a Hot Topics in Environmental Law series. We’ll hear from Professor Pat Parenteau  about the City of Baltimore’s battle against Big Oil. Next, Vermont author Sarah Stewart Taylor joins us to discuss her suspenseful new book, “A Distant Grave,” the second in the Maggie D’Arcy series.  After that, it’s all about jousting and the Lords and Ladies of the Manor as we get ready for this weekend’s Vermont Renaissance Faire in Stowe.  Lastly, we finish the day by getting the latest from Governor Phil Scott. We’ll discuss the bills he vetoed, Vermont’s outstanding vaccination rate and whatever you’d like to ask the governor about.  

We start the show getting to know everything you should know about mosquitoes, including how to keep them off your property and what mosquito control districts do to keep their numbers down. Next, Calvin Cutler of WCAX gives us a primer on the Legislative Veto Session that begins on Wednesday. After that, you’re going to be introduced to Shrubbly, a natural Vermont soda made with aronia [er OH nee uh]. You’ll be the first on your block to be able to use aeronia in a sentence! And we wrap it up at the rodeo. We’ll hear from Vermont’s high school rodeo athletes and their quest to get to Lincoln, Nebraska! 

We get the show rolling this morning with open phone lines.  Next, we’ll hear about a series of Vermont Veterans Town Hall Meetings that will be held in Middlesex, Newport, Rutland and Burlington over the next few months.  Following this, we speak with Will Raap, the new owner of Nordic Farms on Route 7 in Charlotte. He’ll unveil his plans to turn the farm into an agritourism center.  And then Bill Soule , project manager for the Vermont Department of Corrections, shares his thoughts on changes that should be made at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, the state’s only prison for women. 

We start the episode with open phones and see how Ric did with his latest homework assignments.  Next, we take a trip to the Bennington Museum where you’re able to enjoy Grandma Moses, Robert Frost and an incredible array of outdoor sculpture. After that, national correspondent Bob Ney joins us for an update after the President’s big week of international diplomacy. We then chat with Anne Wallace Allen of Seven Days about Monkton’s Steve Parren, who has been dubbed the Turtle Savior. We wrap up the show hearing about the Juneteenth celebration going on in Burlington on Saturday.  

Open Phones will get the show rolling this morning.  Then we have Fairfax singer-songwriter Troy Millette joining us to talk about his craft and the tour he’s got coming up playing at a number of Vermont’s craft breweries.  Next, a full-hour book show. Claire Benedict of Montpelier’s Bear Pond Books and Brattleboro’s Brooks Library director Starr Latronica join us to share a ton of titles for you to check out as you look for great reads for your summer. If you're interested in checking out any of the books from the podcast, a list of all of them discussed are below:

After Life by Julia Alvarez  

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder 

Sad Janet by Lucie Britsch 

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu 

Good Talk by Mira Jacob 

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld   

Flight of the Puffin, by Ann Braden 

Anxious People, By Fredrik Backman 

Adventures of a Dwergish Girl, by Daniel Pinkwater 

The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman 

Flamer, by Mike Curato 

A Quiet Cadence, Mark Treanor (winner of the William E. Colby Award) 

A Distant Grave, Sarah Stewart Taylor   

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman 

We Ride Upon Sticks, Quan Barry 

All the Devils Are Here, Louise Penny  

The Little Local Vermont Cookbook, Melissa Pasanen 

The Art of Cooking with Cannabis, Tracey Madieros 

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Animals Nobody Loves by Ronald Rood 

Riding Home by Tim Hayes 

The Joy of Cooking 

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis 

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peek 

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Report from Practically Nowhere by John Sack 

Detective Levy Detects by Howard Norman 

We start with taking calls from listeners. After that, we’ll hear about the little brewery that could. Green Empire Brewing in Fort Ethan Allen started as a nano-brewery and just keeps growing in size and suds. Next, Chris Barbieri stops by to share his background in developing business in China. Plus, he’ll share his love for cars and provide details on the Vermont Antique and Classic Car Meet being held in Waterbury in mid-August. Lastly, we finish with another classic, when we talk to the British Clockmaker, Richard Bates of Newfane. 

Gypsy Moths are the bane of many of Vermont’s trees. And they are on the loose right now. Watch out, you oaks, elms and birches. State entomologist Judy Rosovsky will let us know what those gypsy moths are up to up in our trees. Next, Lt. Governor Molly Gray shares her thoughts about the state budget, the reopening of Vermont and she reflects on her first session in the office. We then speak with national correspondent Bob Ney who provides his perspective on President Biden’s trip to Europe and the G7 meeting. And we finish the show getting to know Charlie Papillo of “Travels with Charlie.” 

Addison County Rep. Peter Conlon starts the program by giving us insight into the per-public weighting task force, which will reconsider how the state distributes tax dollars to schools. After opening the phones to listeners, we then hear from members of the cast of “The Monument,” an NVU-Johnson, student-created theater piece that recently won a national award from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. We finish the show by learning about the Charlotte Seed Library!