Vermont Viewpoint

We’ll start the show learning about the work of the Vermont State Archivist and if there’s been any precedence for the remote opening of the Legislature. Then we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Montpelier’s Savoy Theater. We check in with national correspondent Bob Ney. Chef Emery Gray tells us about some of the wonderful programs going on at the Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock. And Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski gives us a look at her position and what she hopes will be accomplished during this biennium.

It was to be a simple act of ratifying the electoral college results. The final step before Joe Biden will be inaugurated as President of the United States in two weeks. But, after listening to President Donald Trump earlier in the day, protestors moved to the U.S. Capitol. There they tore down barriers and eventually forced their way into the Capitol building itself. It is a seminal moment in the history of the country. So, we will allow you to share your thoughts all morning on what you observed in our nation’s capital yesterday.

He is a hero in both the United States and France and a statue of him sits prominently on UVM’s green. But who was the Marquis de Lafayette and what did he do? Historian and author Willard Sterne Randall lets us know. We learn about the Burlington brewery that’s making a beer with all the flavor of an IPA but with no alcohol! And then we hear from a group that is working diligently to protect our pollinators.

With just a day before the new biennium, we continue speaking with lawmakers about what they hope to accomplish in this session. New Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint leads of the Legislative roundup. We hear about the Progressive Party priorities from Burlington Representative Selene Colburn. Then Washington-Chittenden Representatives Theresa Wood and Tom Stevens discuss their district’s needs, which incorporates Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buel’s Gore. We finish off the show by learning about those skiing Cochrans by chatting with Olympic gold medalist Barbara Ann Cochran, mother of recent World Cup Super G event-winner Ryan Cochran-Siegle. 

We’ll start the show by learning about a group in Newport hoping to restore community pride and momentum with the purchase of a boat called the Northern Star. We talk to neighborhood groups in Hardwick and East Hardwick about how they’re boosting their community with cookies, winter hats, gnomes and more. And we talk with House Minority Leader Patti McCoy about the upcoming legislative session.

Farmers Markets are an important part of Vermont’s food economy. We’ll check in with three of the state’s markets to see how they fared in this pandemic year. Bob Ney updates us on what’s happening around the country and the world. Pamela Poulston of Seven Days provides a roundup of some of the top Arts stories in Vermont in the past year. And VTDigger’s Alan Keays joins us to discuss his recent “Tarnished Badge” series. The three-part series looked at what happens to law enforcement officers whose truthfulness has been called into question.

Beware the red spotted lanternfly. We’ll start the show learning why this is the latest invasive insect that has Vermont’s state entomologist concerned. Then we get a large dose of sunshine when we speak with Sean Lawson of Lawson’s Finest Liquids, one of Vermont’s socially responsible businesses. Next we learn what Catamount Arts has going on, including St. Johnsbury’s First Night on Thursday.  And we finish with a history lesson on a very interesting little corner of the state – Kents' Corner in Calais.

There’s an effort to raise money to keep WGDR, the Goddard College radio station alive. Not only that, but it is being turned over by the school to the community. We’ll learn about these efforts from station director (and musician) Kris Gruen. Then we hear about Vermont Humanities’ top programs from the past year and what it has planned for 2021. And finally, Nick Fortin of Vermont Fish & Wildlife joins us to discuss the recent deer hunting season and how the state’s deer population is faring. 

We’ll start the show by meeting Troy Austin of Essex, who is dedicated to doing good deeds, especially around the holidays. Then VTDigger’s Alan Keays joins us to discuss his recent “Tarnished Badge” series. In the three-part series, Keays looked at what happens to law enforcement officers whose truthfulness has been called into question. During the second hour, State Geologist Jon Kim discusses how the bedrock beneath us was formed and explains how the study of geology helps us solve modern-day problems.

We chat with the gregarious Chef Joey Buttendorf who leads Capstone Community Actions’ Community Kitchen Academy. It’s a job training program that prepares underemployed and unemployed Vermonters for careers in the food service industry. We’ll then hear from National Correspondent Bob Ney on the top stories of the week. Colin Flanders of Seven Days joins us to discuss why some racial justice advocates are not pleased with Vermont’s tax-and-regulate pot law. And Bruce Edwards of Vermont Business Magazine has a comprehensive economic report on the communities in the Northeast Kingdom.