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. 

The pandemic took a toll on Vermont’s creative economy in 2020. Karen Mittleman and Amy Cunningham of the Vermont Arts Council discuss how they developed partnerships to help artists throughout the state and the impact the creative economy has on the state. Then Lee Kittel takes over talking with Wood Energy Coordinator Emma Hanson of Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation about heating and cooling efficiency.

We start the program by learning how to build really strong grant proposals from Barbara Floersch, author of the new book, “You Have a Hammer”. Then we head into the NEK to talk with Kingdom Trails director Abby Long. The Trails have become a wonderful recreational venue and economic driver for the region. Next, CVHHH Executive Director Sandy Rousse joins us to discuss the safety of their staff and patients, how telemedicine is playing a greater role in their work, and the recruitment efforts undertaken by the organization. Then we finish with a century-old Vermont company that you’re going to love learning about – Vermont Glove. 

We begin by learning about Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s new initiative to acquire and restore wetlands in response to funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Listener David Pratt then joins us with his idea to attract more artists to Vermont. Writer and editor Erika Nichols-Frazer discusses a new anthology she’s developed that shares mental health recovery stories. And we finish the show with VTDigger’s Anne Wallace-Allen talking about the scrutiny State Auditor Doug Hoffer has come under recently.