Vermont Viewpoint

Today's show is a bit shorter as we had to break away for an early Red Sox game. Interim Corrections Commissioner Jim Baker is one of many who believe Vermont is in need of a comprehensive redesign of its prison system. VTDigger political reporter Xander Landen joins us to discuss what the Scott administration hopes that looks like. We travel to glorious Glover to visit the Museum of Everyday Life. And we’ll hear a major art announcement!

The first hour of the show will focus on difficult discussions that we need to have. We’ll start by talking about planning your funeral and then move on to why it’s important to complete an advance directive. National correspondent Bob Ney pops in with a report on what’s happening in the world. Next, Anne Wallace Allen of Seven Days discusses the less-than-robust hemp market. And we end the show at Orwell’s Animal Farm where Diane St. Clair makes amazing butter and superb perfumes. 

Vermont historian Kevin Graffiognino joins us for the first hour today to discuss some key figures in Vermont history and the historians who kept their stories alive. We learn about CBD -- what it is and why some people say it has helped them with severe pain relief. And we finish the show hearing from Champlain College senior Evelyn Gustafson about her award-winning film, Dear Dublin.

Love the Red Sox? You’ll love the first hour of our show when we take a deep dive into the club’s history with the author of “The Ultimate Red Sox Time Machine Book.” We learn about Rural Community Transportation that is providing public transportation for residents of the Northeast Kingdom and Lamoille County. Then Mark Isselhardt of the Maple Minute returns to wrap up the sugaring season to let us know how it went for Vermont sugarmakers. 

Former Governor Jim Douglas hosts the show while Ric takes the day off. Today's show is mostly dedicated to the recent announcement by Governor Phil Scott that Vermont is receiving $11 million as part of the federal government's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Julie Moore, Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, talks about addressing climate change and water and sewer infrastructure. June Tierney, Commissioner of the Department of Public Service, discusses plans to rollout high-speed broadband to rural parts of the state. Secretary of the Agency of Commerce Lindsay Kurrle talks other parts of the proposal to help with economic recovery and growth. Governor Douglas also talks with Education Secretary Dan French on the state's plan to move back to fully in-person education for pre-K through grade 12 students.

Lee Kittell hosts the show while Ric takes a few days off. Rick Welch, Senior Director of Vermont and Connecticut Centers of Teen Challenge, joins the show to discuss opioid abuse and drug addiction treatment. Kathleen Marden, UFOlogist and niece of Betty and Barney Hill, discusses the most well-known alien abduction in the Eastern United States.

There is only one Bird Diva – Bridget  Butler – and she joins us to discuss bird migration, rare bird sightings and being respectful while observing our avian friends. Then we’ll get a different take on birds, when poet Angela Patten flies in to discuss her new collection of poems called The Oriole and the Ovenbird. National correspondent Bob Ney gives us a bird’s eye view of what has been going on this week. Next, Kevin McCallum of Seven Days talks about how the Legislature might give communities more of a say in broadband buildout around the state. And then, we check in with St. Mike’s Biology Professor Declan McCabe about freshwater issues and how they can be impacted by beavers.  

What do you do when you love dogs, shopping and a global pandemic presents you with a lot of time? For two Vermont women, you create an online store called Life & Labradors. We’ll start the show hearing their story. Next up, we trek down Route 100 to Rochester and the Liberty Hill Farm and Inn where they’ve been practicing diversification, agritourism and going green long before they were a thing. We’ve got the perfect soundtrack for this warm, sunny week when Island Time Steel Drums serenade use. And yes, they are from Vermont. And we finish the show with a big cheese announcement. 

They come in an incredible variety of shapes and sizes and they are iconic Vermont. From monitor to round to post-and-beam and more, Vermont’s barns give the state that charm we all admire. But many are in need of repair. We’ll talk about Vermont’s many barns and the efforts to preserve them in the first hour. We’ll meet a couple who both have a deep love for poetry. Both also worked in academia – but at different Vermont colleges. And they have great names – Buff Lindau and Huck Gutman. 

Everyone seems to agree that the state’s unfunded pension funds need to be addressed sooner rather than later. But how that happens doesn’t have a consensus yet. VTDigger’s Lola Duffort provides an update on the discussions that have been going in the Legislature. Economists focus on the Gross National Product, but we’ll hear from Ginny Sassaman who focuses on our Gross National Happiness. Then we finish the show by focusing on what you should be focused on to make sure you’ve got the finances for a comfortable retirement.