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Tune in to interviews with people who are making a difference – locally and nationally in the worlds of socially responsible business, politics, education, the environment and activism. And, you’ll also keep current on VBSR’s events, policy work and programs.

VBSR’s The Vermont Conversation, with host David Goodman, airs live every Wednesday from 1-2 PM on WDEV Radio Vermont.

 

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24
Jun

“The greatest voter fraud is denying an American the right to vote:” Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos

Pres. Trump declared at a rally in Arizona this week: “This will be in my opinion the most corrupt election in the history of our country, and we can not let this happen.” Trump has repeatedly claimed without proof that expanded mail-in voting will l …

Jim Condos, Vermont Secretary of State

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24
Jun

We need “a radical reconception of policing:” Ex-Police Chief Brandon del Pozo

In a forceful New York Times op-ed following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Brandon del Pozo, a former NYPD officer and police chief of Burlington, Vermont, slammed police for having “aligned themselves with the president’s flagra …

Brand del Pozo, former chief, Burlington (Vt.) Police Department

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17
Jun

Black Lives in the Green Mountains: Race & racism in Vermont

According to the ACLU of Vermont, “Every metric we have shows that Black Vermonters face systemic barriers to education, health care, employment, and justice.” Too often, conversations about racism consist of white reporters (like me) asking black pe …

Maroni Minter; Katrina Battle, Jabari Jones, Tophre Woods, Damien Garcia, Serenity Willis, Marlena Tucker-Fishman, campaigns director, ACLU of Vermont, co-host;

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10
Jun

How Democracies Die: Harvard Prof. Steven Levitsky

Is America on the brink of authoritarianism? Steven Levitsky has been wrestling with that question. Levistky is professor of government at Harvard University and is co-author, with fellow Harvard Professor Daniel Ziblatt, of the international bestsel …

Steven Levitsky, Professor of Government, Harvard University, co-author, How Democracies Die

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10
Jun

Is America at a tipping point? Bill McKibben on the Uprising

Could the wave of protests around the US signal a tipping point for social change? How are the issues of climate crisis, racism, police brutality, and the COVID-19 pandemic linked? Bill McKibben, a veteran activist and author, discusses the interconn …

Bill McKibben, founder, 350.org, contributing writer, The New Yorker

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03
Jun

“Racism is death by a million cuts:” Former Rep. Kiah Morris on roots of the rebellion

America is in revolt. Following the police killings of unarmed African Americans George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, numerous cities have erupted in mass protests against racism, police brutality, white supremacy, and inequality. We disc …

Kiah Morris, former Vt. State Rep., Movement Politics Director in Vermont, Rights & Democracy

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03
Jun

“We have to defend the country from martial law:” James Lyall of ACLU of Vermont

Scenes of American soldiers and militarized police attacking peaceful protesters have shocked the world this week. James Lyall of the ACLU of Vermont says, “This is not a time for despair. It is a time for everyone to speak out, to protest, to demand …

James Lyall, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont

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27
May

Essential but abandoned: Undocumented farmworkers in Vermont demand recognition

Immigrants and undocumented workers on Vermont’s dairy farms have been hit with a triple crisis: the coronavirus pandemic, the collapse of dairy farms, and the ongoing threat of deportation by ICE. Farmworkers, led by Migrant Justice, are demanding s …

Marita Canedo; Thelma Gomez, Migrant Justice; Migrant Justice

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27
May

“This is a crisis on top of a crisis:” Undocumented people fight for survival and support during pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic has hit immigrant communities harder than nearly any other group. But as trillions of dollars in relief money has been authorized by Congress, the undocumented, including essential workers, have been left out. We speak with two …

Juan Carlos Ruiz; Cinthya Santos Briones, Lutheran pastor, Good Shepherd Church, Brooklyn and co-founder, national New Sanctuary Movement and the New Sanctuary Coalition in New York City; Mexican photographer, anthropologist, community organizer, author of photo essay in The Nation, “Immigrants Are Bearing the Brunt of the Coronavirus Crisis”

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20
May

Who lives and who dies? Harvard epidemiologist Nancy Krieger on health disparities, COVID-19 & “our common humanity”

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected millions of people around the country and the world, but the rates of death among low-income and minority communities is disproportionately high. Why? Dr. Nancy Krieger, Professor of Social Epidemiology at the Harva …

Dr. Nancy Krieger, Professor of Social Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

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20
May

“We are in serious trouble:” Prof. Amitai Etzioni on Trump and the threat of fascism

Amitai Etzioni is from a family of German Jews who fled Germany as Hitler and the Nazis were rising in the 1930s. He worries that fascism could come to America under Donald Trump. “Now we have a demagogue who can rile up the masses and undermine demo …

Amitai Etzioni, advisor to Pres. Jimmy Carter, University Professor, George Washington University

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13
May

“We are in an unprecedented moment:” Sens. Sanders, Leahy & Rep. Welch on COVID-19 response and road ahead

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many businesses and employees are relying on lifelines from emergency federal relief programs. Vermont’s Congressional delegation — Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch — discuss the feder …

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont); Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont); Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vermont),

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06
May

Is Trump accountable for COVID-19 deaths? Eugene Jarecki launches #TrumpDeathClock

In just the first two months of the pandemic, 70,000 Americans died of COVID-19–more Americans than died during the decade-long Vietnam War. Epidemiologists have written that if Trump had instituted social distancing on March 9, a week earlier than h …

Eugene Jarecki, filmmaker and author

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06
May

“It’s time for the next generation of leadership:” Molly Gray runs for Vermont Lt. Governor

Molly Gray is a fourth generation Vermonter who grew up on a family farm and now works as an assistant attorney general in Vermont. She is running for Lt. Governor of Vermont. If elected, she would be just the fourth female lieutenant governor in Ver …

Molly Gray, candidate for Vermont Lt. Governor

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29
Apr

“Lean on me:” Coping with COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis are impacting many people’s mental health. A recent poll by Kaiser showed that 45% of adults in the United States reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over th …

Mary Moulton; Margaret Joyal; Linda E. Johnson, executive director, Washington Country Mental Health Services, VT; director, Center For Counseling & Psychological Services, WCMHS; executive director, Prevent Child Abuse Vermont

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22
Apr

“We’re nowhere near where we need to be:” Stanford epidemiologist Steve Goodman on COVID-19 testing, easing restrictions & a Second Wave

As President Trump pushes states to relax their COVID-19 restrictions amid protests, many sponsored by national conservative activists including the Mercer and Koch families, we talk with Stanford epidemiologist Steve Goodman, MD, MHS, PhD, about whe …

Dr. Steven Goodman, Associate Dean, Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health, and Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

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22
Apr

Hunger grows in Vermont

The images are becoming a symbol of our time: 800 cars in line at a food shelf in Pittsburgh. New York City residents lined up for blocks to receive free food. In Vermont, food shelves are experiencing a spike in demand. Now a new study from UVM reve …

Meredith Niles; Rob Meehan; Anore Horton, assistant professor, Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, University of Vermont; director, Feeding Chittenden; executive director, Hunger Free Vermont

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15
Apr

“This is a wake-up call:” Donna Carpenter of Burton Snowboards on fighting COVID-19, climate change & paying it forward

When Donna Carpenter, owner and board chair of Burton Snowboards, heard that local hospitals were asking for donations of personal protective equipment to deal with the widening COVID-19 pandemic, she thought of the nurses and physicians who cared fo …

Donna Carpenter, owner and board chair, Burton Snowboards

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15
Apr

Grow your own: VT physicians & local businesses team up to make PPE

The novel coronavirus has inspired novel solutions. As Vermont health care workers confront the prospect of running out of personal protective equipment, they are taking a page from the localvore movement: grow your own. University of Vermont Medical …

Dr. Eike Blohm, MD; Meg Hammond, emergency medicine physician, University of Vermont Medical Center; executive director, Generator Makerspace, Burlington, VT

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09
Apr

Mutual aid in a pandemic: Vermont volunteers confront COVID-19 – Part 2

As Vermont grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers are stepping forward to play key roles in their communities. We talk with Vermonters involved in mutual aid and community-level response to the pandemic. (April 9, 2020 broadcast)

Joey Buttendorf; Jessica Tompkins; Drew McNaughton, senior chef instructor, Community Kitchen Academy, Capstone Community Action; Mad River Valley Emergency Response Team; Marshfield & Plainfield mutual aid

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09
Apr

Mutual aid in a pandemic: Vermont volunteers confront COVID-19 – Part 1

As Vermont grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers are stepping forward to play key roles in their communities. We talk with Vermonters involved in mutual aid and community-level response to the pandemic. (April 9, 2020 broadcast)

Allison Levin; Carrie Stahler; Monique Priestly, executive director, Community Harvest of Central Vermont, currently leading volunteer coordination, Washington and Northern Orange Counties Regional Response Command Center (WNOC-RRCC); director of community engagement, Green Mountain United Way; executive director, Space On Main, organizer, Bradford Resilience

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01
Apr

Schools on the frontline: Delivering lessons, meals & hope in one Vermont school district – Part 2

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools and students to transform overnight. Classes have gone from in person to online, meals are being served not in school buses instead of cafeterias, and teachers are conjuring new ways to maintain bonds between …

Brigid Nease; Katie Sullivan; Paul Morris, superintendent, Harwood Union Unified School District; grade 3/4 teacher, Warren Elementary School; food services co-director, Harwood Union Unified School District

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01
Apr

Schools on the frontline: Delivering lessons, meals & hope in one Vermont school district – Part 1

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools and students to transform overnight. Classes have gone from in person to online, meals are being served not in school buses instead of cafeterias, and teachers are conjuring new ways to maintain bonds between …

Tom Drake; Jonah Ibson; Aliza Jernigan, principal, Warren Elementary School; teacher, Harwood Union High School; 11th grade student, Harwood Union High School

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25
Mar

From masks to sanitizer: VT businesses adapt, worry & work for change in face of pandemic – Part 2

How are Vermont businesses coping with the COVID-19 pandemic? For some, it means reinventing themselves. Caledonia Spirits and Silo Distillery have transformed from distilling spirits to making hand sanitizer for area hospitals and residents. Vermont …

Michele Asch; Bill Butcher; Sam Hooper, Twincraft Skincare, Winooski, VT; Mocha Joe’s Roasting Co., Brattleboro, VT; Vermont Glove, Randolph, VT

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25
Mar

From masks to sanitizer: VT businesses adapt, worry & work for change in face of pandemic – Part 1

How are Vermont businesses coping with the COVID-19 pandemic? For some, it means reinventing themselves. Caledonia Spirits and Silo Distillery have transformed from distilling spirits to making hand sanitizer for area hospitals and residents. Vermont …

John & Jen Kimmich; Ryan Christiansen; Peter Jillson, The Alchemist, Stowe, VT; Caledonia Spirits, Montpelier, VT; Silo Distillery, Windsor, VT

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18
Mar

“Our house is burning down:” Stanford epidemiologist Dr. Steven Goodman on COVID-19

In our second COVID-19 conversation (first episode here, article on Medium), Stanford epidemiologist Dr. Steve Goodman discusses the latest scientific information emerging from Europe and China about how COVID-19 is spread and stopped, the evolving r …

Dr. Steven Goodman, Associate Dean, Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health, and Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

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18
Mar

“It’s really really serious – we have to be all in:” Rep. Peter Welch on federal response to COVID-19

Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.) discusses how the federal government is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it has evolved from “a slow response, to a little bit of denial, to a cavalier response…to a sense of urgency and action.” He explains …

Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vermont),

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11
Mar

“This is an impending catastrophe:” Stanford epidemiologist Steve Goodman on the coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic is sweeping across the globe and has arrived in Vermont. Stanford epidemiologist Steve Goodman discusses the uniquely dangerous dimensions of this new pandemic, the botched federal response, the impact of the Trump Administra …

Dr. Steven Goodman, associate dean, Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health, and Medicine, Stanford Medical School

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11
Mar

Should there be billionaires? Chuck Collins, Oscar Mayer heir, says no

“The problem isn’t really individuals making money. The problem is having an entire system that grows the wealth of billionaires at the expense of everything else we care about — including our democracy,” writes Chuck Collins in an op-ed for CNN Busi …

Chuck Collins, co-editor, Inequality.org at the Institute for Policy Studies, author, Born on Third Base

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04
Mar

“I am incredibly proud of the title Madam Speaker:” Vt. House Speaker Mitzi Johnson

Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson is 1 of just 8 female Speakers of the House in US legislatures. Johnson was elected to the VT House of Reps in 2002. She rose to be chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, and was elected Speaker in 2017. S …

Mitzi Johnson, Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives

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26
Feb

Act 250 at 50: Debating the future of Vermont’s landmark environmental law

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Act 250, Vermont’s signature land use and development law. It was passed at a time when Vermont was undergoing significant development pressure. Two new interstate highways, I-89 and 91, had recently opened, increas …

Peter Walke; Brian Shupe, commissioner, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation; executive director, Vermont Natural Resources Council

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19
Feb

Sen. Pres. Tim Ashe challenges “governing by veto” and talks political future

Vermont Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe on the key legislative issues in 2020, including the failure of paid family leave and the veto of a higher minimum wage. He accuses Gov. Phil Scott of “governing by veto or veto threat.” And he discusses his …

Sen. Tim Ashe, Vermont Senate President Pro Tem

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19
Feb

Transforming disability to ability: Vermont Adaptive changes lives

Visitors to Vermont’s mountains will encounter people with disabilities skiing and participating in sports that once might have seemed beyond reach. They are participants with Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports, a nationally recognized organization th …

Kim Jackson; Emily Cioffi; Kyle Robideaux, director of communications & marketing, Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports; mono skier; a skier with visual impairment who is also an ultra trail runner

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12
Feb

Stop the cuts: Advocates defend antipoverty programs

The programs that low-income rely on are under attack. Nationally, Pres. Trump is slashing money for food stamps and affordable housing, to name a few. In Vermont, Gov. Scott is proposing to eliminate funds for two longstanding anti-poverty programs: …

Jan DeMers; Liz Scharf; Jennifer Fowler; Tim West;, executive director, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO); Director of Community Economic Development, Capstone Community Action; program participant; program participant

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05
Feb

“I will have your back:” Rebecca Holcombe on her race to be Vermont’s governor

In fall 2019, Rebecca Holcombe became the first declared candidate for Vermont governor in the 2020 gubernatorial race. Holcombe is a former teacher, principal, and she served as Vermont’s secretary of education under Governors Peter Shumlin and Phil …

Rebecca Holcombe, candidate for Vermont governor

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05
Feb

Building community through music: Anne Decker & TURNmusic

TURNmusic is a chamber music ensemble with attitude. It is taking classical music out of its comfort zone, venturing into the community to play in bars, meeting halls and other offbeat venues. Conductor Anne Decker of Waterbury, Vermont, says the pro …

Anne Decker, conductor, TURNmusic

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29
Jan

“Now is not the time to be complacent:” James Lyall of ACLU Vermont on defending civil liberties in the Trump era

More than 8,000 Vemonters are under some form of correctional control. One in four people incarcerated in Vermont have not been convicted of a crime. A new bipartisan consensus is emerging for criminal justice reform. A poll released this week by the …

James Lyall, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont

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29
Jan

Will local journalism survive? Anne Galloway of VTDigger

This week, Vermont’s nonprofit news publication VTDigger was awarded a $900,000 grant by the American Journalism Project to support its work as a daily statewide news source. This is the largest grant ever received by VTDdigger, which recently celebr …

Anne Galloway, founder and editor, VTDigger.org

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22
Jan

Is VT wasting money on programs that don’t work? VT State Auditor Doug Hoffer

Does it make sense to pay people to move to Vermont to solve a workforce shortage? Does spending more on tourism marketing actually bring more tourists? Is Vermont losing or gaining workers? Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer follows the money and off …

Doug Hoffer, Vermont State Auditor

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22
Jan

Will VT get paid family leave, higher minimum wage & legal pot sales? Vermont House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski weighs in

Will Vermont finally get paid family & medical leave, a higher minimum wage and legalized marijuana sales that are taxed and regulated by the state. Vermont House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski (B-Burlington) discusses the politics and possibilit …

Rep. Jill Krowinski, Vermont House Majority Leader

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15
Jan

Progressive on the move: Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman on why he is running for governor

This week, Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman announced that he would run to replace Gov. Phil Scott, who is widely assumed will run for a third term in 2020. If Zuckerman were to defeat Scott, he would be the first candidate to defeat an incumbent Ver …

Vermont Lt. Governor David Zuckerman, candidate for governor

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08
Jan

Legendary broadcaster Ken Squier on local media, America & his legacy – Part 2

Ken Squier is an American broadcasting legend and Vermont icon. He is best known to Vermonters as the owner of WDEV Radio Vermont, the 90-year-old independent radio network, and to its listeners as the host of Music to Go to the Dump By. The last thr …

Ken Squier, NASCAR Hall of Fame broadcaster and owner, WDEV Radio Vermont

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08
Jan

Legendary broadcaster Ken Squier on local media, America & his legacy – Part 1

Ken Squier is an American broadcasting legend and Vermont icon. He is best known to Vermonters as the owner of WDEV Radio Vermont, the 90-year-old independent radio network, and to its listeners as the host of Music to Go to the Dump By. The last thr …

Ken Squier, NASCAR Hall of Fame broadcaster and owner, WDEV Radio Vermont

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18
Dec

Why are so many women poor? Breaking out of the gender poverty trap – Part 2

Why are women a disproportionate share of Vermonters in poverty? Why are 4 out of 10 women who work full time unable to meet their basic needs? Why do women earn 84 cents for every dollar earned by a man? What does it cost a young mom to take a few y …

Tiffany Bluemle; Cary Brown, director, Change the Story Vermont; executive director, Vermont Commission on Women

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18
Dec

Why are so many women poor? Breaking out of the gender poverty trap – Part 1

Why are women a disproportionate share of Vermonters in poverty? Why are 4 out of 10 women who work full time unable to meet their basic needs? Why do women earn 84 cents for every dollar earned by a man? What does it cost a young mom to take a few y …

Tiffany Bluemle; Cary Brown, director, Change the Story Vermont; executive director, Vermont Commission on Women

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11
Dec

“A stain on the soul of our state:” Ex-Rep. Kiah Morris on racism, misogyny & her fight for justice – Part 2

Kiah Morris was elected to the Vermont State Legislature from Bennington in 2014 and re-elected in 2016. She was the only female African-American Vermont state representative at that time. In September 2018, she resigned from the legislature in the w …

Kiah Morris, former Vermont State Representative

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11
Dec

“A stain on the soul of our state:” Ex-Rep. Kiah Morris on racism, misogyny & her fight for justice – Part 1

Kiah Morris was elected to the Vermont State Legislature from Bennington in 2014 and re-elected in 2016. She was the only female African-American Vermont state representative at that time. In September 2018, she resigned from the legislature in the w …

Kiah Morris, former Vermont State Representative

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04
Dec

Deep legacy: Snowboard trailblazer Jake Burton Carpenter, 1954-2019

Jake Burton Carpenter, who died on November 20, 2019 at the age of 65, was a trailblazer in many ways. He took his passion of riding a single plank — a snowboard — and transformed it into a global phenomenon and thriving business. He was also a much …

Lisa Lynn; Chris Doyle, Editor, Vermont Ski & Ride; Rapid Prototype Engineer, Burton Snowboards

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04
Dec

Huts for all: A backcountry hut network rises in Vermont

Imagine Vermont with a network of trails and huts that would allow a mountain biker, hiker or skier to travel throughout the mountains staying entirely off the grid and in the backcountry. Other states, including Colorado, New Hampshire and Maine, ha …

RJ Thompson, Executive Director, Vermont Huts Association

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20
Nov

Filmmaker Bess O’Brien on incarceration, addiction and teen angst – Part 2

Bess O’Brien is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has changed the public discourse on issues ranging from addiction to incarceration. Her film The Hungry Heart, about the prescription drug crisis in Vermont, impacted the state’s drug policy. All …

Bess O’Brien, filmmaker

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20
Nov

Filmmaker Bess O’Brien on incarceration, addiction and teen angst – Part 1

Bess O’Brien is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has changed the public discourse on issues ranging from addiction to incarceration. Her film The Hungry Heart, about the prescription drug crisis in Vermont, impacted the state’s drug policy. All …

Bess O’Brien, filmmaker

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13
Nov

Friend or foe? China, trade wars and human rights

China has been in the headlines from protests in Hong Kong, to human rights abuses in western China to Pres. Donald Trump’s trade war. China expert James Millward explains what is behind Trump’s obsession with China, the crackdown on ethnic minoritie …

James Millward, professor, Department of History and School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

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13
Nov

On public assistance and against government: Arlie Russell Hochschild on the paradox of poor states

Arlie Russell Hochschild is one of the most influential sociologists of our time. She is the author of nine books, including her latest, the bestseller, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right. In that book, she travels …

Arlie Russell Hochschild, professor of sociology, UC Berkeley, author, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right

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06
Nov

Why I quit the US Foreign Service: Lizzy Shackelford on the revolt of the diplomats – Part 2

Elizabeth Shackelford was a career diplomat in the U.S. State Department until December 2017, when she resigned in protest against the Trump administration. Shackelford served in U.S. embassies in Poland, South Sudan, Somalia, and Washington, D.C. Sh …

Elizabeth Shackelford, US diplomat who resigned in protest

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06
Nov

Why I quit the US Foreign Service: Lizzy Shackelford on the revolt of the diplomats – Part 1

Elizabeth Shackelford was a career diplomat in the U.S. State Department until December 2017, when she resigned in protest against the Trump administration. Shackelford served in U.S. embassies in Poland, South Sudan, Somalia, and Washington, D.C. Sh …

Elizabeth Shackelford, US diplomat who resigned in protest

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30
Oct

Innovate or die: Matt Dunne on helping rural areas thrive

Around the US, rural areas are in decline. Can rural areas thrive? Matt Dunne argues that  rural areas can be centers of innovation and is piloting a model project in the struggling city of Springfield, VT with a new organization whose mission is to …

Matt Dunne, Founder and Executive Director, Center on Rural Innovation

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30
Oct

Where are the workers? Vermont confronts a workforce shortage

A recent study found that Vermont needs nearly 11,000 more workers per year than it currently has. How can Vermont solve its workforce shortage? Adam Grinold discusses options, from recruiting asylum seekers and New Americans, to raising wages to hel …

Adam Grinold, chair, Vermont Workforce Development Board, executive director, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, president, Regional Development Corporations of Vermont

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23
Oct

From birth to menopause: The many roles of midwives

One in four births in Vermont are now attended by midwives and the number of midwife-attended births in the United States has more than doubled since 1991. A new study shows that greater access to midwife care is linked to better outcomes for familie …

Bonny Steuer; Rebecca Montgomery; Elisa Vandervort; April VanDerveer, Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), president, Vermont chapter, American College of Nurse Midwives, practices at UVM Medical Center; CNM & Certified Menopause Practitioner, adjunct professor of nursing, UVM, practices at Vermont Gynecology in S. Burlington; CNM, family nurse practitioner, practices at Central Vt Medical Center, Gifford Hospital and University of Dodoma in Tanzania, Africa; CNM, practices at Full Spectrum midwifery, specializes in home births

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16
Oct

Trump’s betrayal of the Kurds: Amb. Peter Galbraith on why the Kurds matter and the new Mideast order

President Trump’s abandonment of the Kurds has resulted in the slaughter of a former American ally and has realigned the Middle East. Trump claimed that the conflict between Turkey and the Kurds, which he greenlighted in a phone call with Turkish Pre …

Peter Galbraith, former ambassador

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16
Oct

Tell your story: Resumes, LinkedIn and rebooting your career

Re-entering the workforce? Changing careers? Two career coaches discuss how to effectively tell your story, from writing resumes to using LinkedIn. (October 16, 2019 broadcast)

Etienne Morris; Kate Paine, founder and president, Morris Recruiting & Consulting; founder and president, Standing Out Online

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02
Oct

Can Vermont solve its childcare shortage?

Vermont’s record low unemployment rate – now hovering at around 2% — has spawned another problem: the state can’t find enough workers. One recent study says Vermont is short about 11,000 workers per year.  What does child care have to do with this pr …

Emily Blistein; Shelley Sayward; Lindsay DesLauriers; Kailie Speciale; Nicole Grenier, director of business strategy, Let’s Grow Kids; vice president, Casella Waste Systems; president, Bolton Valley Resort; housekeeping supervisor, Bolton Valley Resort; owner, Stowe Street Cafe, Waterbury; director, Children, Youth & Family Services, Washington County Mental Health, author of op-ed piece on childcare crisis

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27
Sep

From grief to action: Jenna’s Promise offers hope against addiction & stigma

In February 2019, 26-year-old Jenna Tatro died of a drug overdose at her family’s home in Johnson, Vermont. Now her parents, Greg and Dawn Tatro, have dedicated themselves to fighting opioid addiction and helping those who suffer with it. The Tatros …

Greg and Dawn Tatro, founders, Jenna’s Promise

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18
Sep

Closed for business, open for action: Why Vermonters are on #ClimateStrike

On September 20, 2019, millions of people walked out of schools, workplaces and homes to heed the call of a global climate movement: “Join young climate strikers in the streets and demand an end to the age of fossil fuels. Our house is on fire — let’ …

Jenn Swain; Kristin Kelly; Divya Gudur, global senior sustainability manager, Burton Snowboards; director of communications, Green Mountain Power; student organizer, Middlebury College

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18
Sep

Business for good: Bram Kleppner of Danforth Pewter on being a change agent

Bram Kleppner, CEO at Danforth Pewter since 2011, has been a forceful advocate for progressive change while turning around his company from losses to growth and profitability. Under his leadership, Danforth has become the world’s first 100% solar-pow …

Bram Kleppner, CEO, Danforth Pewter

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11
Sep

Hooked: Kate O’Neill fights opioid addiction stigma in stories about her sister’s death

Writer Kate O’Neill is on a mission to end the stigma surrounding drug addiction, which she identifies as the biggest barrier to treatment. This mission is personal: her sister, Madelyn Linsenmeir, died in October 2018 after years battling opioid add …

Kate O’Neill, author, “Hooked: Stories and Solutions from Vermont’s Opioid Crisis,” Seven Days

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11
Sep

Can businesses win Medicare for All?

Medicare for All has evolved from a progressive pipe dream, to a central plank in Sen. Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign, to a mainstream policy idea embraced by nearly every leading 2020 Democratic presidential candidate.  Now a new group ha …

Dan Barlow, executive director, Business for Medicare for All

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04
Sep

Are interns the solution to VT worker shortage?

Vermont now has the lowest unemployment rate in the country (2%). That’s good news, but the bad news is that Vermont employers are struggling to find help. Meanwhile, many college graduates are pondering their future. Internships may unite these empl …

Samantha Sheehan; Pat Boera; Patrick Dansereau; Blaise Schroedersecker; Molly Aldrich; Molly Bisulca, communications manager, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, Vermont Intern Program; associate director, Career Collaborative, Champlain College; intern at Vermont Mutual, Champlain College, Class of 2020;  intern supervisor, Vermont Mutual; intern at Suncommon, Champlain College, Class of 2020; intern supervisor, Suncommon

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28
Aug

Stealing food from babies: Will 5,000 Vt children lose food assistance? – Part 2

The Trump administration is proposing to kick over 3 million people off of food stamps, about 8 percent of the total the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In Vermont, over 13,000 people would lose 3SquaresVT benefits, some 13 percen …

Anore Horton; Doug Davis, executive director, Hunger Free Vermont; food services director, Burlington School District

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28
Aug

Stealing food from babies: Will 5,000 Vt children lose food assistance? – Part 1

The Trump administration is proposing to kick over 3 million people off of food stamps, about 8 percent of the total the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In Vermont, over 13,000 people would lose 3SquaresVT benefits, some 13 percen …

Anore Horton; Bruce Williams, executive director, Hunger Free Vermont; assistant superintendent, Orange East Supervisory Union

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21
Aug

Is the economy rigged? Marjorie Kelly on building prosperity for the many

Over 70 percent of Americans believe that economic system is rigged against them. And the three wealthiest men control more resources than the bottom half of all Americans. What’s the alternative? Marjorie Kelly, co-author (with Ted Howard) of The Ma …

Marjorie Kelly, Co-author, The Making of a Democratic Economy: Building Prosperity for the Many, Not Just the Few

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21
Aug

Building community with bikes: Dan Hock & Old Spokes Home forge connections

Dan Hock began volunteering at Bike Recycle Vermont in 2005 while attending Saint Michael’s College. Bike Recycle was a social enterprise with a mission of giving bikes to those in need. It was located across the street from Old Spokes Home, a much l …

Dan Hock, programs director, Old Spokes Home, Burlington, VT

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07
Aug

Brave new medicine: Dr. Cynthia Li on her recovery from autoimmune disease

Millions of people worldwide are affected by autoimmune disease, which includes conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome. The symptoms are often dismissed by doctors, families and friends. Cynthia Li faced this firsthand, but as a doctor herself, …

Dr. Cynthia Li, author, Brave New Medicine: A Doctor’s Unconventional Path to Healing Her Autoimmune Illness

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07
Aug

Brain injured: The strange world of foreign accent syndrome

When Gwynne Berry fell on the ice while skiing in January 2017, she suspected she had a concussion. A Vermont native, she was shocked a short while later when she awoke speaking with a foreign accent. Berry, a former ski racing coach and a mother of …

Gwynne Berry, on foreign accent syndrome

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31
Jul

VT Climate Caucus confronts climate change: Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas & Sen. Chris Pearson

With a climate denier in the White House, states are taking the lead in passing climate change initiatives. The vice chairs of Vermont’s Climate Solutions Caucus discuss their priorities, what laws have won and lost in Vermont and future plans. The n …

Vermont Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D-Bradford); Vermont Sen. Chris Pearson (P/D-Burlington), vice chair, Climate Solutions Caucus; vice chair, Climate Solutions Caucus

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31
Jul

From Classroom to City Hall: Montpelier Mayor Anne Watson

Anne Watson was elected mayor of Montpelier, Vermont’s capital city, in 2018. By day, she is an award-winning teacher of science, math and financial literacy at Montpelier High School. She is also coach of MHS’s boy’s varsity ultimate Frisbee team, w …

Anne Watson, Mayor of Montpelier, VT, and Science & Math Teacher, Montpelier High School

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17
Jul

Vermont Town Hall The People Make the Peace: Lessons from the Vietnam Antiwar Movement

2019 is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It also marks another milestone: the 50th anniversary of the height of the Vietnam War and the popular movement that arose to confront it. By 1969, more than 14,500 young American soldiers h …

Judy Gumbo, Jay Craven, Frank Joyce, Member of the Yippies, Filmmaker, Labor Activist

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10
Jul

Has cheap renewable power rendered conventional energy obsolete? Nuke whistleblowers Arnie & Maggie Gundersen say the future is now

Could a space-based nuclear weapon trigger the simultaneous meltdown of every nuclear power plant on the East Coast? And has the plunging price of renewable power rendered every other form of energy obsolete? Nuclear whistleblowers Maggie & Arnie …

Arnie & Maggie Gundersen, Nuclear whistleblowers, founders, Fairewinds Energy Education

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10
Jul

An advocate returns to the mountains: Lindsay DesLauriers of Bolton Valley on paid family leave, skiing & climate change

For the last decade, Lindsay DesLauriers has been in the news as an advocate for paid family leave and other progressive causes in her role as the state director for Main Street Alliance. In 2018, DesLauriers turned her skills from advocacy to her fa …

Lindsay DesLauriers, President & COO, Bolton Valley

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03
Jul

Democracy’s defenders: Jay Diaz & Lia Ernst of ACLU VT on fighting for civil liberties

On this Independence Day show, we discuss the battle for civil liberties in Vermont and around the country. Jay Diaz and Lia Ernst have been staff attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont since 2015. They have been arguing — and wi …

Jay Diaz & Lia Ernst, ACLU VT

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19
Jun

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki on Elvis Presley as metaphor for US and “taking the fight to Trump” – Part 2

What do the war on drugs, the military-industrial complex and Elvis Presley have in common? They are all the subject of films by filmmaker and Vermont resident Eugene Jarecki. Jarecki is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning documentary director who has …

Eugene Jarecki, award-winning filmmaker

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19
Jun

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki on Elvis Presley as metaphor for US and “taking the fight to Trump” – Part 1

What do the war on drugs, the military-industrial complex and Elvis Presley have in common? They are all the subject of films by filmmaker and Vermont resident Eugene Jarecki. Jarecki is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning documentary director who has …

Eugene Jarecki, award-winning filmmaker

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12
Jun

Bill McKibben: Are humans losing the game to climate change? – Part 2

Thirty years ago, journalist, author and activist Bill McKibben wrote The End of Nature, the first book for a general audience about climate change. He went on to found 350.org, the first global climate change movement, and he has helped launch the f …

Bill McKibben, founder, 350.org and author, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

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12
Jun

Bill McKibben: Are humans losing the game to climate change? – Part 1

Thirty years ago, journalist, author and activist Bill McKibben wrote The End of Nature, the first book for a general audience about climate change. He went on to found 350.org, the first global climate change movement, and he has helped launch the f …

Bill McKibben, founder, 350.org and author, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

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05
Jun

Banning plastic bags, losing minimum wage & waiting on campaign finance reform: #Vt Advocates on wins & losses in 2019 legislature

In January 2019, public interest advocates weighed in on the Vermont Conversation with their priorities for the 2019 legislative session in Vermont. Five months later, they return to discuss what happened: who won, who lost, what’s still in play on k …

Paul Burns, Executive director, Vermont Public Interest Research Group; Lauren Hierl, Executive director, Vermont Conservation Voters; Dan Barlow, Public Policy manager, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility,

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05
Jun

“It’s been hard, emotional & frightening:” Judiciary Chair Rep. Maxine Grad on tackling guns, abortion & sexual abuse

This year, the Vermont House Judiciary Committee passed legislation on a number of national hotbutton issues. This included passing the strongest abortion rights law in the country, enacting a 24-hour waiting period for handgun purchases and removing …

Rep. Maxine Grad, chair, Vermont House Judiciary Committee

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29
May

Women “have the right to have an abortion:” Vt Rep. Ann Pugh & Sen. Ginny Lyons on new protections for women and families

Rep. Ann Pugh, chair of the Vermont House Committee on Human Services, was recently featured in the New York Times discussing Vermont’s historic abortion rights legislation, which she co-sonsored. Sen. Ginny Lyons, chair of the Vt. Senate Committee o …

Rep. Ann Pugh; Sen. Ginny Lyons, chair, Vermont House Committee on Human Services; chair, Vermont Senate Committee on Health and Welfare

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29
May

“Identity theft:” Deb Meyerson on emotional recovery after a stroke

What would you do if you lost your ability to speak? That was one of many challenges confronting Stanford professor Debra Meyerson when she suffered a stroke at age 53. Her book, Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke, explores the impa …

Debra Meyerson; Steve Zuckerman, author, Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke; nonprofit consultant

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22
May

“We trust women:” Sen. Becca Balint on Vermont’s historic abortion rights law

In the final days of the 2019 legislative session, the Vermont Legislature passed the most sweeping reproductive rights protections of any state in the country. Gov. Phil Scott has indicated that he will allow the law to stand. This has occurred agai …

Senator Becca Balint, Vermont Senate Majority Leader

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21
May

Soak the rich: Patriotic Millionaire Alan Davis demands higher taxes

Do the rich pay enough taxes? Self described “Patriotic Millionaire” Alan Davis says no. The Patriotic Millionaires are a group of more than 200 individuals with annual incomes over $1 million and/or assets over $5 million who are committed to raisin …

Alan Davis, Patriotic Millionaire

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15
May

Hard questions for good business: Sustainable business leaders on economic justice & impact

How can business be a force for positive change? Three of Vermont’s sustainable business leaders offer their thoughts. (May 15, 2019 broadcast)

Duane Peterson; Sarah Kaeck; Jed Davis, co-president, Suncommon; CEO & founder, Bee’s Wrap; director of sustainability, Cabot Creamery

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15
May

“Nursing should be a right, not a privilege:” Sascha Mayer & Mamava

They went from nonexistent to now being everywhere: lactation suites, the standalone pods that enable new moms to nurse their babies in private, grew out of enlightened public policy that required accommodation for breastfeeding mothers. In 2013, Ver …

Sascha Mayer, CEO & co-founder, Mamava

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08
May

Voter fraud or voter suppression? The growing voter rights movement – Part 2

Is vote fraud a national epidemic? Or is vote suppression the real problem? Joshua Douglas, professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law and the author of Vote for Us: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting, discusse …

Joshua A. Douglas, professor, University of Kentucky College of Law, and author, Vote for Us: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting

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08
May

Voter fraud or voter suppression? The growing voter rights movement – Part 1

Is vote fraud a national epidemic? Or is vote suppression the real problem? Joshua Douglas, professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law and the author of Vote for Us: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting, discusse …

Joshua A. Douglas, professor, University of Kentucky College of Law, and author, Vote for Us: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting

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24
Apr

Will there be skiing in the age of climate change? Ski industry leader Nick Sargent calls for climate action – Part 2

As climate change threatens the very existence of many ski areas, “The snow sports industry is in a state of disruption,” warns Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the nonprofit, 70-year-old trade association representing snow sports manufacturers, …

Nick Sargent, president, Snowsports Industries America (SIA)

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24
Apr

Will there be skiing in the age of climate change? Ski industry leader Nick Sargent calls for climate action – Part 1

As climate change threatens the very existence of many ski areas, “The snow sports industry is in a state of disruption,” warns Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the nonprofit, 70-year-old trade association representing snow sports manufacturers, …

Nick Sargent, president, Snowsports Industries America (SIA)

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20
Apr

Is climate change killing skiing? Part 2

Is climate change killing skiing? One study argues that only about half of the 103 ski resorts in the Northeast will be economically viable by mid-century. The advocacy group Protect Our Winters says that in low snow years, reduced participation in s …

Porter Fox, Author, DEEP: The Story of Skiing and the Future of Snow

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20
Apr

Is climate change killing skiing? Part 1

Is climate change killing skiing? One study argues that only about half of the 103 ski resorts in the Northeast will be economically viable by mid-century. The advocacy group Protect Our Winters says that in low snow years, reduced participation in s …

Kelly Pawlak, President, National Ski Areas Association

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17
Apr

Is 100% renewable energy possible? Mary Powell says the time is now

Green Mountain Power announced this month that it had established a goal of getting of getting 100% of its power from carbon-free sources by 2025 and 100% from renewable sources by 2030. The announcement by Vermont’s largest electric utility made nat …

Mary Powell, president, Green Mountain Power

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17
Apr

Is Vermont losing ground on climate change efforts?

Jared Duval of Energy Action Network discusses what will be required for Vermont to green its energy supply and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are currently on the rise. He begins by offering perspective on the announcement by Green Mountain …

Jared Duval, executive director, Energy Action Network

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17
Apr

Can universal health care work in Vermont?

Following the collapse of Gov. Shumlin’s single payer health effort in 2014, what is the future of universal health care in Vermont? Dr. Deb Richter, past president of Physicians for a National Health Program and president of Vermont Health Care for …

Dr. Deb Richter, president, Vermont Health Care for All, past president, Physicians for a National Health Program

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10
Apr

A long walk for the climate

On April 5, 2019, a group of marchers set off to walk from from Middlebury to Montpelier, Vermont to press the case for climate action from affected communities to the Vermont State House. The walk was organized by 350 Vermont and dubbed Next Steps: …

Marchers on 350 Vermont Climate Solutions Walk,

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03
Apr

Fighting poverty with literacy and energy efficiency: Duncan McDougall

Duncan McDougall is the founder of Waterbury Local Energy Action Partnership (LEAP) and founder and executive director of Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF). LEAP’s energy fair, held each April, has grown to be the largest in Vermont, drawing over …

Duncan McDougall, founder, Waterbury LEAP and Children’s Literacy Foundation

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03
Apr

Dying to Work: Jonathan Karmel on dangerous workplaces

In January 2019, the Trump admin dealt a blow to workers by blocking a rule requiring most employers to report details of workplace injuries. This is one of many rollbacks of workplace safety protections. The fallout could worsen an already treachero …

Jonathan Karmel, attorney, author, Dying to Work: Death & Injury in the American Workplace

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27
Mar

Addiction, death, and a sister’s crusade: Kate O’Neill on Vt’s opiate crisis – Part 1

In the fall of 2018, a young mother, Madelyn Linsenmeir, died of complications related to her heroin addiction. Afterward, Madelyn’s sister, Kate O’Neill, wrote a heartfelt obituary that went viral. O’Neill was subsequently hired by Seven Days to rep …

Kate O’Neill, author of HOOKED, Seven Days

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20
Mar

From toilet paper to craft beer: Unconventional business mogul Alan Newman – Part 2

A number of Vermont’s iconic socially responsible businesses have something in common: Alan Newman. Newman was involved in starting Gardener’s Supply Company, he founded Seventh Generation Inc., and co-founded Magic Hat Brewing Company. Newman discus …

Alan Newman, social entrepreneur

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20
Mar

From toilet paper to craft beer: Unconventional business mogul Alan Newman – Part 1

A number of Vermont’s iconic socially responsible businesses have something in common: Alan Newman. Newman was involved in starting Gardener’s Supply Company, he founded Seventh Generation Inc., and co-founded Magic Hat Brewing Company. Newman discus …

Alan Newman, social entrepreneur

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13
Mar

Vt House Speaker Mitzi Johnson on women, leadership & Trump – Part 2

Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson was first elected to the Grand Isle-Chittenden seat in the Vt House of Reps in 2002 and has been re-elected 8 times. She served on the House Agriculture Comm for a decade on the House Appropriations Committee, inclu …

Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, (D-Grand Isle)

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13
Mar

Vt House Speaker Mitzi Johnson on women, leadership & Trump – Part 1

Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson was first elected to the Grand Isle-Chittenden seat in the Vt House of Reps in 2002 and has been re-elected 8 times. She served on the House Agriculture Comm for a decade on the House Appropriations Committee, inclu …

Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, (D-Grand Isle)

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06
Mar

From #StudentStrike to #ClimateSolution, Vermonters confront climate change – Part 2

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called for radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, but emissions locally, nationally and globally continue to rise.  In response, some 54 towns–about one-fourth of Vermont communities– …

Jaiel Pulskamp, farmer and field organizer, Re)Generate New Solutions; Libby Brusa, student, Harwood Union High School, activist with Youth Lobby,

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06
Mar

From #StudentStrike to #ClimateSolution, Vermonters confront climate change – Part 1

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called for radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, but emissions locally, nationally and globally continue to rise.  In response, some 54 towns–about one-fourth of Vermont communities– …

Maeve McBride, director, 350 Vermont; Leif Taranta, student at Middlebury College, active with Sunrise Movement and the Sunday Night Environmental Group,

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27
Feb

Can a woman be jailed for a miscarriage?

Does a fetus have the same rights as a person? That’s at the heart of new laws that are resulting in the prosecution of pregnant women and women who have miscarriages. According to a remarkable 8-part editorial series in the New York Times, “Women wh …

Lynn Paltrow, Executive Director, National Advocates for Pregnant Women

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27
Feb

The fight to keep abortion legal in Vt: House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski

The Vermont House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved H.57, a bill guaranteeing a woman’s right to a safe & legal abortion regardless of laws restricting abortion that the Supreme Court or Trump administration may pass.  A lead sponsor of …

Rep. Jill Krowinski, House Majority Leader

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20
Feb

Can Vermont end gun violence? Part 2

2018 was the year that shook the nation–and Vermont–when it comes to gun violence and gun safety. Following the shooting deaths of 17 high school students in Parkland, Florida in February 2018, high school students around the country mobilized, walke …

Sen. Philp Baruth (D-Chittenden County), author of gun safety legislation; Clai Lasher-Sommers, executive director, GunSense Vermont,

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20
Feb

Can Vermont end gun violence? Part 1

2018 was the year that shook the nation–and Vermont–when it comes to gun violence and gun safety. Following the shooting deaths of 17 high school students in Parkland, Florida in February 2018, high school students around the country mobilized, walke …

Grace Walter, U. of Vermont sophomore from Newtown, CT, gun safety activist; Dr. Rebecca Bell, pediatric critical care physician, UVM Medical Center, vice president of Vt chapter American Academy of Pediatrics, asst. prof. of pediatrics, UVM Larner College of Medicine,

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13
Feb

What Patagonia can teach the world: Director of Philosophy Vincent Stanley on suing Trump & running a business with values

Vincent Stanley has been with Patagonia, the iconic outdoor clothing company, since its beginning in 1973, for many of those years in key executive roles as head of sales or marketing. He is co-author with Yvon Chouinard of The Responsible Company: W …

Vincent Stanley, Director, Patagonia Philosophy

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13
Feb

“The other Vermont” vs. special interests: Vt. Senate President Tim Ashe

Vermont Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe launched the 2019-2020 legislative biennium with a challenge to his colleagues: “I challenge each of you, and I challenge myself, to never let go of this one question: what can we do to improve life in the ot …

Tim Ashe, Vermont Senate President Pro Tem

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06
Feb

#MeToo aftermath: A Vermont story of challenging the culture of sexual harassment & assault

agreement by publishing an explosive account of her sexual assault and harassment by Craig DeLuca, president of Inntopia. Her story, “The NDA Protected Our Predator. I’m Breaking My Silence, Because Women Deserve Better,”appeared in the Daily Beast. …

Lisa Senecal, co-founder, The Maren Group, member, Vt Commission on Women

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06
Feb

How enriching the 1% impoverishes communities of color

A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies highlights how a racial wealth divide has grown between white households and households of color over the past three decades. Since the early 1980s, median wealth among black and Latino families has …

Josh Hoxie, director, Project on Opportunity and Taxation, Institute for Policy Studies

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30
Jan

Rep. Tom Stevens on the Fight for $15, paid family leave, VT National Guard controversies & Gov. Scott

Rep. Tom Stevens is chair of the Vermont House Committee on General, Housing, and Military Affairs, He was elected in 2008 as state rep for Waterbury, Huntington, Buel’s Gore & Bolton. He  has served as Chair of the Waterbury Select Board and Pre …

Rep. Tom Stevens (D-Waterbury), chair, House Comm. on General, Housing and Military Affairs

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30
Jan

Gov. Scott’s 2019 VT budget proposal: Do the numbers add up?

In his January budget address, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott declared that Vermont has a demographic crisis. He has proposed a range of solutions, including paying young workers $5,000 to move to the state. He also announced that he is abandoning his longs …

Stephanie Yu, deputy director, Public Assets Institute

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23
Jan

Could carbon pricing save money & the planet?

A long awaited report on carbon pricing from the Vermont Legislature’s nonpartisan Joint Fiscal Office Leg’s was released this week. It’s key conclusion is that carbon pricing could enable Vermont to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without adversely …

Johanna Miller; Tom Hughes; Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas;, Energy & Climate Action Program Director, Vermont Natural Resources Council; Campaign Director, Energy Independent Vermont; D-Bradford, chair, VT House Government Operations Committee

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23
Jan

Has the time come for paid family leave?

Paid family leave — passed by the Vermont Legislature in 2018, only to be vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott — is back on the front burner. Gov. Scott has proposed a voluntary two-state program with New Hampshire, and the legislature has countered with mandat …

Sivan Cotel, co-founder, Stonecutter Spirits; Michelle Fay, executive director, Voices for Vermont’s Children; Samantha Sheehan, communications manager, Vermont Businesses for Social Responbility,

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16
Jan

How Vermont craft beer took over America

Vermont craft beer is taking over America. Vermont now leads the nation with 11.5 breweries per 100,000 adults, according to the Brewers Association. Vermont brewers produce over 150 pints of beer for every person in the state of legal drinking age ( …

Dave Juenker, co-owner, Blackback Pub, Waterbury, VT; Ari Fishman, co-owner, Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, VT,

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16
Jan

How does a small state tackle global climate change? Suncommon’s Duane Peterson tells how

How does one of the smallest states tackle one of the world’s most urgent problems? How can Vermont attract young workers? And how does a former cop lead a business that progressive millennial workers flock to? Duane Peterson, co-founder of Suncommon …

Duane Peterson, co-founder, Suncommon

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09
Jan

The Advocates: Vermont’s public interest groups mobilize for change – Part 2

Will 2019-2020 bring Vermont paid family leave, $15 minimum wage, smart justice reform, stronger protection from toxic chemicals and clean water? These are some of the goals of advocates for social, economic and environmental justice who have descend …

Kate Logan, director of programming & policy, Rights & Democracy; James Lyall, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont,

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09
Jan

The Advocates: Vermont’s public interest groups mobilize for change – Part 1

Will 2019-2020 bring Vermont paid family leave, $15 minimum wage, smart justice reform, stronger protection from toxic chemicals and clean water? These are some of the goals of advocates for social, economic and environmental justice who have descend …

Paul Burns, executive director, Vermont Public Interest Research Group; Lauren Hierl, executive director, Vermont Conservation Voters; Dan Barlow, Policy Manager, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility,

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02
Jan

From homeless teen to newspaper editor: Steve Pappas finds his voice

Steven M. Pappas is the editor of the Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, two of Vermont’s leading daily newspapers. Born and raised in Vermont, Pappas has not taken an easy road to journalism. Raised by his grandparents, Pappas was a su …

Steve Pappas, editor, Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus

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19
Dec

Rusty DeWees: How a VT actor became The Logger

Rusty DeWees is an entertainer, comedian, actor, producer, writer, musician and, as many Vermonters know him, The Logger. The Logger is one-man comedy show that DeWees describes as “Blue Collar Comedy” meets “Prairie Home Companion.” DeWees discusses …

Rusty DeWees, actor, The Logger

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19
Dec

How to get 67¢ back from every $1: The power of Buying Local

A new study shows that for every $1 spent at a locally-owned business, 67¢ stays in the local community. In the age of online shopping and big box stories, Buying Local has become a powerful rallying cry to strengthen local communities and sustain vi …

Michael DeSanto, co-owner, Phoenix Books; Melissa Kosmaczewski, program manager, Local First Vermont, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility,

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12
Dec

Warriors to end wars: Veterans for peace

As The US has been embroiled in numerous foreign wars in the last few decades, some of the most passionate activists for peace have been military veterans. Guys Like Me: Five Wars, Five Veterans for Peace (Rutgers University Press, 2018), by Michael …

Daniel Craig, US Army, Gulf War; Jonathan Hutto, US Navy, Operation Iraqi Freedom; Ken Mayers, US Marines, Vietnam War; Michael Messner, professor of sociology and gender studies, University of Southern California, author, Guys Like Me,

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05
Dec

The Fighting Mayor: San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz on Puerto Rico’s struggle & challenging Trump

When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017, President Donald Trump minimized the damage and visited the island, famously tossing rolls of paper towels to desperate residents. By contrast, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz emerged as …

Carmen Yulin Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico

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05
Dec

What could you do with a few thousand dollars? Author Bob Friedman says you can change the world

What would you do with a few thousand dollars? Author Bob Friedman argues that you could transform your life, and the world, with an investment like this in his new book A Few Thousand Dollars: Sparking Prosperity for Everyone (The New Press, 2018). …

Robert Friedman, author, A Few Thousand Dollars

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28
Nov

Is welfare reform killing women? Felicia Kornbluh on the female face of poverty

Has welfare reform, passed in 1996 with bipartisan consensus between Pres. Bill Clinton and a Republican Congress, been an attack on women? That is the argument made by Dr. Felicia Kornbluh in her new book, with Gwendolyn Mink, Ensuring Poverty: Welf …

Dr. Felicia Kornbluh, professor, University of Vermont, author, Ensuring Poverty

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14
Nov

Fighting for a Green New Deal: Bill McKibben on midterm elections, unnatural disasters & Boston Red Sox

Author and activist Bill McKibben spent fall 2018 barnstorming the country for progressive candidates and a Green New Deal. He talks about the pulse of climate change activism around the US, his take on the midterm elections and what to expect from t …

Bill McKibben, author, activist, and co-founder of 350.org

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14
Nov

Is philanthropy racist? Edgar Villanueva on decolonizing wealth

“Philanthropy has evolved to mirror colonial structures, ultimately doing more harm than good,” argues Edgar Villanueva in his new book, Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance. Villanueava is a nationally recognize …

Edgar Villanueva, philanthropist & author, Decolonizing Wealth

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31
Oct

Vermont’s child care crisis

When it comes to finding child care in Vermont, the numbers tell a stark story: 70% of Vermont kids have all available parents in the workforce 80% of infants and toddlers likely to need child care in Vermont do not have access to high-quality progra …

Aly Richards, CEO, The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children; Emily Blisstein, Director of Business Strategy, The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children; Joanna Scott, Development Director, YWCA Vermont; Faye Longo, Outreach Coordinator, Vermont Food Bank,

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24
Oct

Can we find common ground? Inclusion, diversity & nationalism

Does diversity matter? We discuss this with Dr. Jude Smith Rachele, an expert in the area of diversity, unconscious bias, inclusive leadership and cultural competence. She has designed programs to help professionals display inclusive behaviors and to …

Dr. Jude Smith Rachele, CEO, Abundant Sun

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17
Oct

Gov. Madeleine Kunin on aging, love, loss & women’s rising power

Gov. Madeleine Kunin marks her 85th birthday with an intimate new memoir, Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties. Through poetry and prose, Kunin reflects on aging, love, loss and women’s rising political power. Madeleine Kunin was the first and o …

Gov. Madeleine Kunin, Governor of Vermont, 1984-1990

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10
Oct

Social media for small business: What works?

What’s the most effective way for a business to do social media? What types of business can benefit from social media engagement? What type of content is best? This show explores the best practices in social media. Three experts share their advice an …

Valerie Solof Monette, Breezy Hill Marketing; Tara Pereira, communications director, Vermont Fresh Network; Samantha Sheehan, communications manager, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility,

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03
Oct

Lift Us Up, Don’t Push Us Out: Breaking the school-to-prison pipeline: Part II

In 2008, Chelsea Fraser, 13, was doodling on her desk. The eighth grader was sent to the principal’s office along with three African American classmates. But instead of being reprimanded, the four students were marched out of their middle school by p …

Mark Warren, professor of public policy and public affairs, University of Massachusetts-Boston, co-chair, Urban Research-Based Action Network; Roberta Udoh, pre-kindergarten teacher, Boston Public Schools and an activist in Boston Teachers Union; Carlos Rojas, director, special programs, Youth on Board,

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03
Oct

Lift Us Up, Don’t Push Us Out: Breaking the school-to-prison pipeline: Part I

In 2008, Chelsea Fraser, 13, was doodling on her desk. The eighth grader was sent to the principal’s office along with three African American classmates. But instead of being reprimanded, the four students were marched out of their middle school by p …

Mark Warren, professor of public policy and public affairs, University of Massachusetts-Boston, co-chair, Urban Research-Based Action Network; Denyse Wornum, organizer and youth leader, Youth on Board, Boston; Roberta Udoh, pre-kindergarten teacher, Boston Public Schools and an activist in Boston Teachers Union,

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12
Sep

How socially responsible businesses became a movement

How did sustainable business that support a triple bottom line of people, planet and profit become a movement? We talk with leaders of this movement from its founding to today. We look at how Vermont energized the socially responsible business moveme …

Jane Campbell; Pat Heffernan; Michelle Veasey, Executive Director, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility; President, Marketing Partners; Executive Director, New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility

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29
Aug

Can a vanilla ice cream company fight white supremacy & lead radical change? Outgoing Ben & Jerry’s CEO Jostein Solheim makes the case

Jostein Solheim has just stepped down as CEO of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream after eight years at the helm of this iconic progressive company. He took the job a decade after the company’s purchase by Unilever, and some worried that Ben & Jerry’s m …

Jostein Solheim, CEO Ben & Jerry's, 2010-2018

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24
Aug

Surviving Amazon.com: How Don Mayer of Small Dog Electronics Runs with the Big Dogs

Don Mayer began selling Apple computers out of his garage in Warren, Vermont in 1994. That business blossomed into Small Dog Electronics, which is now the largest independent Apple reseller in the country. Mayer has been an outspoken leader in the fi …

Don Mayer, CEO of Small Dog Electronics

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17
Aug

Red Scare in the Green Mountains: Rick Winston on the McCarthy Era in Vermont

The anti-communist Red Scare that swept the country in the 1940s and 50s blew right into Vermont. Author Rick Winston has been an avid historian of the little-known McCarthy Era witch hunts that rampaged through the Green Mountain State. His new book …

Rick Winston, Author, Red Scare in the Green Mountians

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09
Aug

Special Olympics at 50: The coming #InclusionRevolution: Part II

Fifty years ago this summer, the very first Special Olympics for people with intellectual disabilities was held at Chicago’s Soldier Field. It was the brainchild of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of Pres. John F. Kennedy and of Rosemary Kennedy, …

Adam Bunting, Principal, Champlain Valley Union High School

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09
Aug

Special Olympics at 50: The coming #InclusionRevolution: Part I

Fifty years ago this summer, the very first Special Olympics for people with intellectual disabilities was held at Chicago’s Soldier Field. It was the brainchild of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of Pres. John F. Kennedy and of Rosemary Kennedy, …

Tim Shriver, chairman of the board, Special Olympics International; Sue Minter, President & CEO, Special Olympics Vermont,

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06
Aug

America’s Forgotten Border: Porter Fox Travels the 4,000 Mile Northern Border

Pres. Donald Trump has been stoking fear about security on the southern border ever since his 2016 campaign, with talk of marauding criminals, rapists, and implementing a policy of tearing children from their families. But little is said about our lo …

Porter Fox, Author, Northland: A 4000 Mile Journey Along America’s Forgotten Border Audio Player

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27
Jul

Exposing Secrets: Legendary Investigative Reporter Seymour Hersh

Fifty years ago, US soldiers entered the village of My Lai in Vietnam and massacred more than 100 villagers. A year later, a young freelance reporter named Seymour Hersh exposed the massacre in articles that ran in newspapers around the world. It was …

Seymour Hersh, Investigative Reporter, The New York Times

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20
Jul

Dr. Bernard LaFayette on MLK’s Last Battle, Part II

Part 2 of 2: LaFayette talks about who Martin Luther King was, his relevance today, and why King expanded his efforts from civil rights to fighting for all poor people. (July 11, 2018 broadcast)

Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Civil Rights Leader, Aide to Dr. Martin Luther King

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20
Jul

Poor People’s Campaign: Dr. Bernard LaFayette on MLK’s Last Battle

Dr. Bernard LaFayette, chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, is a giant of the civil rights movement. In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King appointed LaFayette to be National Coordinator of the Poor Peoples’ Campaign, King’s final grass …

Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Civil Rights Leader, Aide to Dr. Martin Luther King

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29
Jun

“We are at War:” MLK Aide Bernard Lafayette on Fighting White Supremacy Then & Now

Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King who was with him the day he was assassinated and was the leader of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, discusses the rise of President Donald Trump and white supremacists. He talks about …

Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Civil rights leader and aide to Dr. Martin Luther King

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29
Jun

The Poor People’s Campaign and its Sweetest Backer

Ben & Jerry’s is marking the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign with a special display from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture about the civil rights struggle. The exhibi …

Jerry Greenfield and Dr. Aaron Bryant, co-founder, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture

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28
Jun

Do Felons Deserve a Second Chance?

In 2005, Ben and Jerry’s chief financial officer Mickey Wiles was charged with embezzling more than $300,000 from the company. Wiles pleaded guilty to a felony charge of wire fraud and served two years in federal prison. He confessed that his actions …

Mickey Wiles, Founder of Working Fields

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21
Jun

Energy Pioneer Mary Powell

Mary Powell has been president and CEO of Green Mountain Power since 2008. Powell and GMP have been pioneers: the utility is the first to help its ratepayers go off the grid, the first to offer residential solar customers the Tesla Powerwall battery …

Mary Powell, President & CEO of Green Mountain Power

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07
Jun

Broken promises: Ed secretary Rebecca Holcombe on how Gov. Scott is raising taxes & rejecting voters

Rebecca Holcombe served as Vermont’s Secretary of Education under two governors. She was appointed in January 2014 by Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin, and kept on in January 2017 by Republican Gov. Phil Scott. She was a driving force behind Act 46, Ver …

Rebecca Holcombe, Vermont Secretary of Education, 2014-2018

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07
Jun

Shattering the silence on sexual harassment & assault: Lisa Senecal breaks her NDA & tells her #MeToo story

Lisa Senecal had a choice: the entrepreneur in Stowe, Vermont, could abide by her nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and remain silent about the sexual harassment and assault that she says she experienced while applying for a job at Inntopia, a national b …

Lisa Senecal, Co-Founder, the Maren Group, "The NDA Protected Our Predator. I'm Breaking My Silence, Because Women Deserve Better."

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16
May

The business case for charitable giving & second chances

At the 2018 VBSR spring conference, Mickey Wiles of Working Fields and Theresa Snow of Salvation Farm discuss why they give second chances to people with challenging employment histories. And Kate Williams of 1% for the Planet and Michael Cyr of Skin …

Mickey Wiles, Theresa Snow, Kate Williams, Michael Cyr, CEO and founder, Working Fields, Executive director, Salvation Farm, Executive director, 1% for the Planet, Marketing director, Skinny Pancake

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10
May

Hero or villain? Author Reeve Lindbergh on the double life of Charles Lindbergh

In 1927, at the age of 25, aviator Charles Lindbergh made the first solo transatlantic flight. He won a $25,000 prize, and was immortalized. Lindbergh and his wife, author Anne Morrow Lindbergh, soon became known as “the most famous family of the twe …

Reeve Lindbergh, author

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26
Apr

Part 2: Can a former anti-Semite & a Jewish extremist make peace?

Can enemies make peace? A former anti-Semite and a former Jewish extremist are reaching across the divide to change the Muslim-Jewish relationship. Their efforts occur as more than three dozen Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers in the …

Imam Abdullah Antepli, Muslim chaplain, Duke University, co-director, Muslim Leadership Initiative

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26
Apr

Part 1: Can a former anti-Semite & a Jewish extremist make peace?

Can enemies make peace? A former anti-Semite and a former Jewish extremist are reaching across the divide to change the Muslim-Jewish relationship. Their efforts occur as more than three dozen Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers in the …

Yossi Klein Halevi, author, co-director, Muslim Leadership Initiative, Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem

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18
Apr

Breaking into the Hollywood boys’ club: Nell Scovell pulls back the curtain

Even if you don’t know the name Nell Scovell, you’ve probably seen her work and laughed at her jokes: she’s written for The Simpsons, Late Night with David Letterman, Murphy Brown, created Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, and co-wrote the 2013 blockbuster …

Nell Scovell, author, TV writer, producer, director

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18
Apr

Tackling toxics: Will Vermont side with industry or citizens?

In the aftermath of the discovery in 206 of widespread contamination of drinking water around Bennington, Vermont, citizen’s groups have lobbied for laws to tighten restrictions on toxics. But on April 16, 2018, Gov. Phil Scott vetoed legislation int …

Paul Burns, executive director, Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG)

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12
Apr

The long road to gun control in Vermont

On April 11, 2018, Gov. Phil Scott strode onto the steps of the Vermont State House and signed into law the first major restrictions on gun ownership in the state’s history. The move represented a dramatic about face for the Republican governor — and …

Philip Baruth, Vermont Senator (D-Burlington)

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12
Apr

Business leaders demand action on clean water & carbon

Five Vermont CEOs recently wrote an open letter to Vermont Gov. Phil Scott urging him to support studies for clean water and decarbonization. “We, as leaders of companies that employ more than 800 Vermonters and account for over $1 billion in sales e …

Bram Kleppner, CEO, Danforth Pewter

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04
Apr

Is our economy stacked against women?

As part of marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we speak with Rickey Gard Diamond, author of Screwnomics: How Our Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change. Diamond explains that she …

Rickey Gard Diamond, author, Screwnomics: How Our Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change

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04
Apr

Stand up: How to speak out & win

We mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a conversation with author Gordon Whitman about his new book, Stand Up! How to Get Involved, Speak Out, and Win in a World on Fire. Whitman is director of policy for …

Gordon Whitman, author, Stand Up! How to Get Involved, Speak Out, and Win in a World on Fire

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30
Mar

Are we living in a post-truth world?

Are we living in a post-truth world, where “alternative facts” replace actual facts and feelings have more weight than evidence? Is the the attack on truth and the media a step towards authoritarian rule? Lee McIntyre, author of Post-Truth, says this …

Lee McIntyre, Author, Post-Truth, research fellow, Center for Philosophy and History of Science, Boston University

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30
Mar

How Heady Topper is brewing social change: The Alchemist’s Jen Kimmich

Heady Topper, the legendary and elusive IPA from The Alchemist named one of the top 100 beers in the world, has spawned a cult following — and social change. Alchemist co-founder Jen Kimmich is an influential political activist who serves on the boar …

Jen Kimmich, Co-founder, The Alchemist

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23
Mar

Vermont’s secret Olympic pipeline

In February 2018, the US women’s cross-country ski team team won the first ever Olympic gold medals in their sport. Olympic skiers are now returning home, which for many of them is to Craftsbury, Vermont. This small northern Vermont community has bec …

Judy Geer, Hannah Dreissigacker, Emily Dreissigacker, and Caitlin Patterson, Concept2 Director, Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Green Racing Project, 1976, 1980 & 1984 Olympic rower; 2014 Olympic biathlete, member, Green Racing Project; 2018 Olympic biathlete, member, Green Racing Project; 2018 Olympic cross-country skier, member, Green Racing Project

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15
Mar

Walkout and speak up: Students and teachers take on gun violence & austerity budgets

Can students and teachers change the story on gun violence and school cutbacks? One month after the school massacre in Parkland, Florida, students across the country and throughout wintry Vermont walked out of class to demand new gun safety laws. Stu …

Hazel MacMillan, Martha Allen, Student activist & junior, Harwood Union High School, Vt., Vermont National Education Association

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15
Mar

“Schools are not prisons:” Pedro Noguera on real school safety

Will arming teachers, hardening schools, and putting cops in the halls make schools safer? Or will it just result in students going to jail instead of the principal’s office? What is missing from the conversation about school safety? Dr. Pedro Noguer …

Dr. Pedro Noguera, Distinguished Professor of Education, UCLA, and director, Center for the Transformation of Schools

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08
Mar

From Nazis to Watergate to Trump: Legendary WaPo editor Harry Rosenfeld connects the dots

An unsung hero of the Watergate scandal was Washington Post editor Harry Rosenfeld, who directed Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein in their Pulitzer Prize winning exposes that brought down Pres. Richard Nixon. Rosenfeld was born in Berlin, Germany, i …

Harry Rosenfeld, Editor, Washington Post & Albany Times Union

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08
Mar

How Vermont embraced gun safety: Gun Sense VT founder Ann Braden on the challenges ahead

In December 2012, Adam Lanza, 20, shot and killed 26 students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Ann Braden, a stay at home mother of two in Brattleboro, VT, decided enough was enough. Shortly after the Newton killing, she g …

Ann Braden, Founder, Gun Sense Vermont

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28
Feb

#NeverAgain: Vermont student activists demand gun safety

In the wake of a school shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people, students from around Vermont have streamed out of their schools and into the Vermont State House to demand new gun control laws. They are part of a national grassroots stude …

Meagan Filkowski, Gabe Groveman, Hannah Pandya, Senior, Harwood Union High School, Moretown, Vt.; 8th grader, Twinfield Union High School, Marshfield, Vt.; Senior, St. Johnsbury Academy, St. Johnsbury, Vt.

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28
Feb

Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas: Transforming activism into law on sexual harassment & gun safety

The Vt Commission on Women reports that 60 percent of women say they’ve experienced sexual harassment at work, and most of those say they have experienced retaliation for speaking up about it. Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D-Bradford) is lead sponsor o …

Vermont Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas, Vermont Representative

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14
Feb

Vt. Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman: Vt. is not protecting most vulnerable

Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, the lone third-party lieutenant governor in the country, often finds himself at odds with Republican Gov. Phil Scott. Zuckerman argues that Scott is not keeping his promise to protect the most vulnerable while cuttin …

David Zuckerman, Vermont Lt. Gov.

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07
Feb

Do Vermont schools spend too much? Rep. Dave Sharpe says no

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott promised not to raise taxes, but he is now presiding over the largest property tax increase in memory. What happened? Gov. Scott says that schools spend too much. But Rep. Dave Sharpe, chair of the Vermont House Education Comm …

Rep. Dave Sharpe, Chair, Vt House Committee on Education

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07
Feb

Is Vermont’s renewable energy revolution over?

Gov. Phil Scott says he is committed to the goal of having Vermont meet 90 percent of its energy needs with renewable power by 2050. But Vermont is moving in the opposite direction: Renewable Energy Vermont says that in 2017, there was a 50 percent d …

Olivia Campbell Andersen, Dan Kinney, executive director, Renewable Energy Vermont, co-founder and member-owner, Catamount Solar

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01
Feb

The fastest women in the world: The remarkable rise of the US Women’s XC Ski Team

The U.S. earned its only Olympic medal in cross-country skiing in 1976, when Vermont skier Bill Koch captured silver. That may soon change: The women of the US cross-country ski team are serious contenders for an Olympic medal in South Korea in 2018. …

Peggy Shinn, Matt Whitcomb, Liz Stephen, Jessie Diggins, Sophie Caldwell, author, World Class: The Making of the US Women’s Cross-Country Ski Team, coach, US Women’s Cross-Country Ski Team, 3x Olympian from E. Montpelier, Vt., 2x Olympian from Minnesota, trains in Vt with team from Stratton Mountain School, 2x Olympian from Peru, Vt.

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24
Jan

VT Attorney General T.J. Donovan: Yes to reform, no to private prisons

On January 23, 2018, Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan issued a statement strongly opposing a plan by Gov. Phil Scott to build a $140 million 925-bed private prison in Vermont. “Vermonters should ask some tough questions about whether there is a …

T.J. Donovan, James Lyall, Bill Cobb, Ashley Sawyer, Vermont Attorney General, executive director, ACLU of Vermont, deputy director, ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, formerly incarcerated

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24
Jan

Can we end mass incarceration?

According to the ACLU, Vermont currently incarcerates approximately 1,700 people. That’s three times the number of people it incarcerated in the 1980s and 50 percent more people than in the late 1990s. According to the Sentencing Project, Vermont imp …

James Lyall, Bill Cobb, Katrina Battle, executive director, ACLU of Vermont, deputy director, ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice, Katrina Battle, founder, Milton Inclusion & Diversity Initiative

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17
Jan

The Post and the leaker Pt.2: Daniel Ellsberg speaks

The Post is a new Hollywood movie about the dramatic decision by the Washington Post (together with the NY Times) to publish the Pentagon Papers in 1971. The movie features Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. The real-life star of this drama was Daniel Ellsb …

Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers leaker

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17
Jan

The Post and the leaker Pt.1: Daniel Ellsberg speaks

The Post is a new Hollywood movie about the dramatic decision by the Washington Post (together with the NY Times) to publish the Pentagon Papers in 1971. The movie features Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. The real-life star of this drama was Daniel Ellsb …

Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers leaker

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10
Jan

State of Working VT: As inequality deepens, Gov. Scott faces self-inflicted property tax hike

Vermont’s economy is growing slowly, but income inequality has deepened. That’s the conclusion of the State of Working Vermont 2017 report issued by Public Assets Institute. The report shows that 1 in 9 Vermonters — including 16,000 children — live i …

Paul Cillo, founder and president, Public Assets Institute

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10
Jan

The people’s treasurer: Beth Pearce

State treasurers are not typically viewed as crusaders for economic justice. But Vermont State Treasurer Beth Peace has quietly and doggedly championed programs, some of them first-in-the-nation, aimed at strengthening the economic security of workin …

Beth Pearce, Vermont State Treasurer

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03
Jan

Trailblazers Pt.2: Vt Sen. Becca Balint & Rep. Kiah Morris on #MeToo, activism and politics

Vermont Sen. Becca Balint and Rep. Kiah Morris are political trailblazers. Balint, the Senate Majority Leader, is one of the first women to be elected to Senate leadership and the highest ranking openly gay legislator in the state. Morris is just the …

Vt. Rep. Kiah Morris, Bennington

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03
Jan

Trailblazers Pt.1: Vt Sen. Becca Balint & Rep. Kiah Morris on #MeToo, activism and politics

Vermont Sen. Becca Balint and Rep. Kiah Morris are political trailblazers. Balint, the Senate Majority Leader, is one of the first women to be elected to Senate leadership and the highest ranking openly gay legislator in the state. Morris is just the …

Vt. Senator Becca Balint, Windham County, Senate Majority Leader

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27
Dec

Bill McKibben & Ken Squier: Media, resistance & the way forward

A rare meeting of two icons: Bill McKibben, author, activist and founder of 350.org, and Ken Squier, owner of WDEV Radio Vermont and a legendary sports broadcaster who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2018, held a public conve …

Bill McKibben, Ken Squier, author, founder of 350.org, owner, WDEV Radio Vermont, legendary sports broadcaster, NASCAR Hall of Fame 2018

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20
Dec

How the GOP “lost its soul:” Republican strategist Stuart Stevens on Trump and his enablers

Stuart Stevens has been a top Republican strategist in the presidential election campaigns of Mitt Romney and George W. Bush. But Stevens has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and now describes himself as “homeless” in his own party. He t …

Stuart Stevens, author, Republican strategist

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13
Dec

Don’t cry for the fallen: Madhulika Sikka on downfall of once-mighty media men

Matt Lauer of NBC, Charlie Rose, of PBS and CBS, Bill O’Reilly of Fox News, John Hockenberry of NPR – all of these powerful men of the media have one thing in common: they no longer have a microphone due to sexual harassment allegations. Are these me …

Madhulika Sikka, Public Editor, PBS

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13
Dec

Ethan Allen, poser? Revisiting Vermont history

Journalist-turned-historian Mark Bushnell has been writing about Vermont history since 2002 for the Rutland Herald, Barre-Montpelier Times Argus and VTDigger. His latest book, Hidden History of Vermont (History Press, 2017), takes a new look at some …

Mark Bushnell, historian and author, Hidden History of Vermont

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06
Dec

Can local food save the world?

Vermont’s local food movement is a national leader. There are ambitious goals: the Vermont Farm to Plate plan calls for 10% local food consumption by 2020, while the New England Food Vision aims for 50% of all food consumed in New England to be from …

Holly Groschner, Scott Campitelli, Mark Curran, Michael Cyr, Samantha Sheehan, CEO Vermont PBS, VP of content Vermont PBS, co-founder, Black River Produce, marketing director, Skinny Pancake, VBSR, Local First Vermont

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29
Nov

Billionaire Bonanza: America’s oligarchs

A new report, Billionaire Bonanza 2017, shows that the three wealthiest Americans — Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Bill Gates of Microsoft, and investor Warren Buffet — have more wealth than the bottom half of all U.S. households combined. “If left unchecked, …

Josh Hoxie, co-author, Billionaire Bonanza 2017

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29
Nov

Terri Hallenbeck on two decades as a Vt. political journalist

Terri Hallenbeck started work for the Burlington Free Press in 1998, where she served as copy editor and assistant metro editor. She joined the paper’s capital bureau from 2005 to 2014, when she left to join Seven Days, where she was the staff writer …

Terri Hallenbeck, Journalist

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15
Nov

What the U.S. can learn from Finland

“If you want the American Dream, go to Finland,” said British politician Ed Miliband. This is the premise behind Finnish journalist Anu Partanen’s book, The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life. Partanen discusses what the U.S. can …

Anu Partanen, Author, The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life

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08
Nov

Reuben Jackson: Poetry, Jazz & Dissent

Reuben Jackson has been the host of Friday Night Jazz on Vermont Public Radio since 2012, a job he has just announced that he will leave in 2018. Before this, he was curator of the Duke Ellington Collection at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. for …

Reuben Jackson, Host of Friday Night Jazz, Vermont Public Radio

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08
Nov

Sarah Browning: Poetry of Provocation & Witness

Sarah Browning is co-founder and executive director of Split This Rock: Poetry of Provocation & Witness, and an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies. She talks about poetry as protest, white supremacy and privilege, her work organ …

Sarah Browning, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Split This Rock: Poetry of Provocation & Witness

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01
Nov

Bill McKibben: Radio Free Vermont & Resistance

Could an aging Vermont radio man, aided by a crew of Olympic cross-country skiers and craft-beer drinking fellow travelers, lead the resistance to Donald Trump? That’s the plot of Radio Free Vermont: A Fable of Resistance, the latest book by author a …

Bill McKibben, author and activist

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25
Oct

Power Struggle: The Epic Battle to Shut Down Vermont Yankee

Vermont’s lone nuclear power plant, Vermont Yankee, operated from 1972 until 2014, when the plant shut down for good under intense political and financial pressure. POWER STRUGGLE is a new feature-length documentary by filmmaker Robbie Leppzer about …

Robbie Leppzer, Arnie Gundersen, Maggie Gundersen, award-winning independent documentary filmmaker, Power Struggle, nuclear engineer and whistleblower, Fairewinds Energy Education

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25
Oct

Can a Business Change its Culture?

Rob Miller wanted to shake things up: the president and CEO of Vermont State Employees Credit Union (VSECU) wanted to make his company more transparent. And he wanted to be more responsive to customers. First, he had to change the business culture. H …

Rob Miller, president and CEO, VSECU

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18
Oct

#MeToo: Women fight back against sexual harassment and assault

The #MeToo campaign, in which women are taking to social media to share their experiences with sexual harassment and assault, has shined a bright light on what women deal with daily at work and in public. This campaign has been energized by revelatio …

Cathleen Barkley, Sarah Robinson, Executive Director; HOPE Works, Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

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18
Oct

Is the media fair to Pres. Trump?

Pres. Trump insists the media is “terribly unfair” to him. Is it? Jesse Holcomb, formerly of the Pew Research Center and currently a professor of journalism at Calvin College, dissects media coverage of Trump, and delves into the quality of news arti …

Jesse Holcomb, Calvin College, Columbia Journalism School’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Pew Research Center

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11
Oct

Changing the Face of the Outdoors: First all-African American Ascent of Denali

In 2013, the first all-African American team of climbers tackled Denali, or Mt. McKinley, in Alaska, North America’s highest peak. The expedition was sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). The goal of the expedition was to inspir …

James Edward Mills, author, The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors

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04
Oct

Co-working: Office & Community for Workers Without an Office

Co-working is what independent workers do who share an office but not a job. Vermont has seen a variety of co-working spaces pop up from Bennington to Burlington. They serve telecommuters, freelancers, and independent entrepreneurs. We speak with lea …

Wayne Maceyka, Dimitri Garder, Samantha Sheehan, Simeon Chapin, organizer, HinesburgHUB, Director, The Lightning Jar, Bennington, owner and founder, Valley.Works, Waitsfield, director, Community & Social Development, VSECU

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20
Sep

Naomi Klein: Resisting Trump’s shock politics and winning the world we need

Bestselling author, activist and filmmaker Naomi Klein is known for her critical writings on corporate globalization and capitalism. Her books include No Logo (1999), The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (2007) and This Changes Everyth …

Naomi Klein, author, No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need

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20
Sep

Slow food pioneer: Visionary food writer Patience Gray

Today’s movements celebrating slow food and simple living owe a debt to food writer Patience Gray. In 1986, she published Honey from a Weed, considered one of the greatest cookbooks of all time by the likes of Mollie Katzen and April Bloomfield, and …

Adam Federman, author, Fasting and Feasting: The Life of Visionary Food Writer Patience Gray

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13
Sep

Juan Gonzalez: Can Mayors save America? (Part 2)

Juan González is one of the best known Latino journalists in the U.S. He has been a crusading columnist for the New York Daily News for nearly 30 years, co-host of Democracy Now! for 20 years, and is now a professor of journalism at Rutgers. His book …

Juan González, journalist and author, Reclaiming Gotham

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13
Sep

Juan Gonzalez: Can Mayors save America? (Part 1)

Juan González is one of the best known Latino journalists in the U.S. He has been a crusading columnist for the New York Daily News for nearly 30 years, co-host of Democracy Now! for 20 years, and is now a professor of journalism at Rutgers. His book …

Juan González, journalist and author, Reclaiming Gotham

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06
Sep

“Give me your tired, your poor:” Peter Gould’s Anthem for the Immigrant Rights Movement (Part 2)

Peter Gould has been involved in Vermont arts as a performer, director, teacher, and author for more than 45 years. He is the founder of “Get Thee to the Funnery,” a youth Shakespeare program in Craftsbury, Vt. which celebrated its 20th season in 201 …

Peter Gould, author, performer, 2016 Vermont Arts Council award winner

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06
Sep

“Give me your tired, your poor:” Peter Gould’s Anthem for the Immigrant Rights Movement (Part 1)

Peter Gould has been involved in Vermont arts as a performer, director, teacher, and author for more than 45 years. He is the founder of “Get Thee to the Funnery,” a youth Shakespeare program in Craftsbury, Vt. which celebrated its 20th season in 201 …

Peter Gould, author, performer, 2016 Vermont Arts Council award winner

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30
Aug

Is Vermont’s Climate Economy a National Model? (Part 2)

A week after Hurricane Harvey broke climate records and tore through Texas, Vermont is hosting a “national innovation summit” about responding to climate change: building the climate economy. “Answering climate change could be the greatest economic o …

Rob Miller, President of Vermont State Employees Credit Union (VSECU)

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30
Aug

Is Vermont’s Climate Economy a National Model? (Part 1)

A week after Hurricane Harvey broke climate records and tore through Texas, Vermont is hosting a “national innovation summit” about responding to climate change: building the climate economy. “Answering climate change could be the greatest economic o …

Paul Costello, Executive Director, Vermont Council on Rural Development, organizer, Catalysts of the Climate Economy: A National Innovation Summit

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16
Aug

Can Bullying be prevented? (Part 2)

Teen suicide rates have spiked dramatically, especially for teens in middle school. In many of these cases the cause is bullying. This disturbing trend has shaken Tom Murphy. Murphy, a resident of St. Albans, Vt., is a former All American wrestler an …

Tom Murphy, Co-Founder, Sweethearts & Super Heroes

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16
Aug

Can Bullying be prevented? (Part 1)

Teen suicide rates have spiked dramatically, especially for teens in middle school. In many of these cases the cause is bullying. This disturbing trend has shaken Tom Murphy. Murphy, a resident of St. Albans, Vt., is a former All American wrestler an …

Tom Murphy, Co-Founder, Sweethearts & Heroes

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09
Aug

Author Mark Pendergrast on Atlanta, Coca Cola, & Repressed Memory

Vermont author Mark Pendergrast talks about his books, from his latest–City on the Verge: Atlanta and the Fight for America’s Urban Future–to his previous writings about repressed memory, coffee, and Coca-Cola. (August 9, 2017 broadcast)

Mark Pendergrast, Author

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09
Aug

Can Technology Humanize the Workplace?

As smart machines replace human labor, how do workers stay relevant and essential? Author Edward Hess, professor of business administration at the University of Virginia, argues, “To stay relevant, we need to excel at critical, creative, and innovati …

Edward Hess, Co-author (with Katherine Ludwig), Humility is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age

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02
Aug

Sen. Patrick Leahy: A life in politics, as told by Philip Baruth

Sen. Patrick Leahy has represented Vermont in the U.S. Senate since 1974 . He is the longest serving senator in the U.S. Senate. Philip Baruth’s new biography, Senator Leahy: A Life in Scenes, chronicles how Leahy, a Catholic and a Democrat, was neve …

Philip Baruth, Author, Professor, Vermont state Senator

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26
Jul

From renewables to rails: David Blittersdorf & Deb Sachs

David Blittersdorf and Deb Sachs want us to reimagine how we live. Blittersdorf is a well known renewable energy entrepreneur. In 1982, a year after graduating from the University of Vermont, he founded NRG Systems, a wind-energy company. In 2004, he …

David Blittersdorf, Debra Sachs, Founder, AllEarth Renewables and commuter rail advocate; Founder and executive director, Net Zero Vermont

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19
Jul

Ken Squier: A life on the air

2017 has been an eventful year for Ken Squier: he became the first journalist ever inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, he sold Thunder Road, the race track that he has owned for over a half century, and he has put his beloved WDEV radio station up …

Ken Squier, Owner, WDEV Radio, NASCAR Hall of Fame 2018 inductee

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12
Jul

An Alzheimer’s Journey: Vt. couple fights stigma & promotes understanding

In summer 2016, Sky Yardley, 66, was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s Disease. There is no cure for this disease. He and his wife, Jane Dwinell, decided to begin writing and speaking about their shared experience of Sky’s dementia. “We started …

David Goodman, Sky Yardley and Jane Dwinell, authors, Alzheimer’s Canyon blog

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05
Jul

Is Trump’s vote fraud commission a fraud? Vt. Sec. of State Jim Condos says yes

Forty-four states and the District of Columbia have refused to provide certain types of voter information to the Trump administration’s so-called election integrity commission, according to CNN. Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos declared, “I will …

Jim Condos, Vermont Secretary of State

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05
Jul

Dr. Ben Kligler: Alternative medicine goes mainstream

Dr. Ben Kligler is a pioneer in the field of integrative health and medicine – sometimes referred as complementary and alternative medicine. Last year, he was named the founding National Director to leading integrative health strategy at the Coordina …

Dr. Ben Kligler, National Director, Integrative Health Coordinating Center, U.S. Veterans Health Administration, and professor of Family and Community Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York

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28
Jun

Pete Seeger: The dissident who was never dissonant

“Wherever he went, he got people singing.” So begins the beautifully illustrated children’s book, Listen: How Pete Seeger Got American Singing (Roaring Brook Press, 2017), by Vermont author Leda Schubert. The book chronicles the life and times of Ame …

Leda Schubert, Author, Listen: How Pete Seeger Got American Singing

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28
Jun

Vt. Veto Session Politics: Killing pot, Attacking Teachers

This spring, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott vetoed the state budget after the legislature rebuffed his last minute demand for the state to to strip local school boards of the right to collectively bargaining health care benefits with teachers. Scott also ve …

Dave Silberman, Darren Allen, Middlebury lawyer and pro bono drug policy reform advocate, communications director: Vermont NEA

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14
Jun

The last hermit: Michael Finkel’s stories of crime, war, adventure and penance

Michael Finkel is the author of the bestselling new book, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, about a man who disappeared into the Maine woods for over 30 years. Finkel is also the author of  True Story: Murder …

Michael Finkel, Author of The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

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07
Jun

America at the Black & White Edge

John Gennari and Emily Bernard are both professors of English and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of Vermont. As academics, they explore the volatile interface of race, ethnicity, politics, literature, music and culture. As a marri …

John Gennari and Emily Bernard, Author & UVM Assoc. Prof. of English & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies; Author and UVM Prof. of English & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, respectively

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31
May

Jay Karpin: D-Day veteran on liberating Europe, human cost of war, and life

One of the most moving Vermont Conversations was my 2016 interview with First Lt. Jay Karpin, a bombardier in the first wave of bombers that attacked Normandy in the famous D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. It was the first time that Karpin, 93, among …

Jay Karpin, WWII veteran, recipient of Distinguished Flying Cross, Chevalier in French Legion of Honor

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24
May

“We were too optimistic”: Sen. Tim Ashe on Gov. Scott’s marijuana veto and union attacks

Vermont Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe discusses Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of Vermont’s first-in-the-nation legislative marijuana legalization and the governor’s attack on teachers’ unions. “Perhaps we were too optimistic that there would actually be …

Sen. Tim Ashe, Vermont Senate President Pro Tem

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24
May

Is attacking Vermont teachers part of a national strategy?

Is Vermont Gov. Phil Scott’s attack on the collective bargaining rights of Vermont’s teachers part of national strategy being led by Republican governors and groups that back them, such as ALEC and the Koch Brothers? Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker won e …

Michael Charney, Amanda Miller, Former vice president, Cleveland Teacher’s Union; President, Kalamazoo Education Association, respectively

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17
May

The Road Ahead for Socially Responsible Businesses

A live broadcast from the VBSR Spring Conference talking with leaders in the socially responsible business movement in Vermont and nationally about issues from SR Business 201, gender diversity in the workplace, a quarter century of SR business in Ve …

Jason Haber, Duane Peterson, Lindsey Lathrop, Michelle Asch, Leah Schulz, Paul Dickin, Keynote speaker, author, Business of Good: Social Entrepreneurship and the New Bottom Line; Co-president & founder, Suncommon, VBSR board member; Change the Story; VP, Twincraft; UVM sustainable MBA graduate, Cope & Associates; Senior Consultant, Cope & Associates, respectively

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10
May

Who is behind the national campaign to weaken unions?

As Vermont Gov. Phil Scott attempts to assert state control over collective bargaining with teachers over their health benefits, we examine the national network of conservative organizations that is backing statewide efforts to weaken unions. A new e …

Mary Bottari, Deputy Director, Center for Media and Democracy

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10
May

Is Vermont the next anti-union state?

In his first few months in office, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has proposed level funding for K-12 education, which could weaken teachers’ collective bargaining power. Scott’s moves have elements in common with the strategy of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker …

Martha Allen, Amy Mizialko, President, Vermont chapter of the National Education Association; Vice President, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, respectively

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03
May

Will paid family leave become law in Vermont?

Paid family leave for Vermont employees moved a step closer to reality when the Vermont House of Representatives passed legislation for it on May 3, 2017. What form will the coverage take, and what will it take for paid family leave to become law?

Jen Kimmich, Lindsay DesLauriers, Co-Owner, The Alchemist; State Director, Main Street Alliance, respectively

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03
May

Vermont’s outdoor economy breaks out

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, wrote in a recent editorial in the LA Times: “America’s public lands perform best when protected for recreation. In fact, the business of outdoor recreation, which relies heavily on public lands, supports more jo …

Amy Kelsey, Drew Simmons, Elise Annes, Jessica Savage, Executive Director, Catamount Trail Association; President, Pale Morning Media; Vice President for Community Relations, The Vermont Land Trust; Recreation Program Manager, Vermont Dept. of Forest, Parks and Recreation, respectively

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26
Apr

Amy Goodman & Democracy Now!: 20 Years Covering the Movements Changing America

When Democracy Now! launched in 1996, it was planned as an eight-month experiment: a grassroots news hour on Pacifica Radio that would cover the 1996 presidential elections. Twenty years later, Democracy Now! airs on 1,400 radio and TV stations world …

Amy Goodman, Host & Executive Producer of Democracy Now!

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19
Apr

An alternative to austerity

Are social service cuts necessary? One Vermont, a coalition of advocacy and social service groups in Vermont, argues that proposed state budget cuts will hurt the vulnerable, and can be avoided by closing tax loopholes for the wealthy and lowering ta …

Stephanie Yu, One Vermont Coordinator, Public Assets Institute

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19
Apr

How corporations are remaking America

It has been seven years since the US Supreme Court Citizens United decision unleashed unfettered corporate influence in politics. What has happened as a result? In his new book, political economist Gordon Lafer follows where the big money is flowing: …

Gordon Lafer, Author, The One Percent Solution: How Corporations are Remaking America One State at a Time

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12
Apr

Youth demand climate action

On April 12, 2017, hundreds of high school students from around Vermont descended on the Vermont State House to demand climate action in the second annual Youth Lobby Day. We speak with the student activists and the founder of Youth Lobby Day, Matt H …

Matt Henchen, Zoe Werth, Liliana Ziedins, Ellie Zimmerman, Duncan Weinman, Page Atcheson, and Vermont student activists, Founder Youth Lobby Day, teacher, Harwood Union High School; Activists from Harwood, Stowe, Hazen Union, Winooski, and Randolph Union high schools, respectively

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12
Apr

Time to put a price on carbon?

This week, Vermont state representative announced four proposals to tax carbon while eliminating or reducing other taxes. One bill would replace Vermont’s sales tax with a tax on carbon pollution; another would return all carbon tax revenue to Vermon …

Rep. Diana González, Rep. Martin LaLonde, P/D-Winooski, D-South Burlington, respectively

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05
Apr

Is justice biased?

According to Justice for All: “People of color are being treated unfairly as a result of institutionalized racism across the nation and here in Vermont. In the criminal justice system these disparities create challenges ranging from disproportionate …

Will Lambek, Mark Hughes, Sarah Robinson, Migrant Justice, Justice for All, Vermont Network Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, respectively

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05
Apr

The New Sanctuary Movement

As the Trump Administration intensifies its crackdown on immigrants in the U.S., the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia has received national attention for its creative and determined efforts to protect undocumented people. It has pioneered a San …

Blanca Pacheco, Assistant Director, New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia

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29
Mar

Procuring fairness

Can the power of state procurement be used to give incentives to companies that create livable wage jobs and good benefits? We discuss legislation that would level the playing the field for socially responsible businesses.

Dan Barlow, Pat Heffernan, Jennifer Chiodo, Public Policy Manager, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility; President, Marketing Partners; Co-Owner, Cx Associates, respectively

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22
Mar

Is there life after prison? Dismas House offers hope & second chances

Is there life after prison? For 30 years, Dismas House of Vermont has been a welcome home for those leaving prison. There are now four Dismas Houses in Vermont: Burlington, Rutland, Winooski and Hartford. The mission of Dismas is “is to reconcile for …

Richard Gagne, James King, Jan Tarjan, House Director, Dismas House, Burlington; Resident, Dismas House, Burlington, Executive Director, Dismas of Vermont, respectively

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22
Mar

Prison nation: are there alternatives to jail?

The US incarcerates more people than any country in the free world, and Vermont spends more money on incarceration than it does on higher education. Who is in jail in Vermont? Is there a better alternative than prison?

Suzi Wizowaty, Executive Director, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform

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17
Mar

What was the source of the “fake news tsunami” that swamped the Bernie Sanders campaign?

Hillary Clinton murdered her political opponents, used body doubles, and ran child sex rings. Sounds absurd? It is. But these stories were part of a tidal wave of fake news that hit the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders. Where did it come …

Ryan Grim, John Mattes, Washington bureau chief for The Huffington Post and an MSNBC contributor; Former Emmy-award winning investigative consultant for ABC World News I-Team in Miami and reporter, respectively

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17
Mar

Transformative education: Governor’s Institute of VT changes lives

Every summer since 1982, high school students from Vermont and beyond spend up to two weeks living on college campuses and immersing themselves in current affairs, math, engineering, the arts, and other topics. This is the transformative experience o …

Karen Taylor Mitchell, Simon Norton, Madelyn Koff, Executive Director, Governor’s Institute of Vermont; Co-Director, Governor’s Institute on Current Issues and Youth Activism, School for International Training, Brattleboro; Student and GIV participant, Hartford High School, respectively

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08
Mar

Supporting schools, rejecting austerity

Vermont voters overwhelmingly rejected Gov. Phil Scott’s call to slash education spending, as 91 percent of school budgets were approved on Town Meeting Day. We discuss the politics of school budgets in Vermont, the impact of education cutbacks, the …

Nicole Mace & Jeff Francis, Executive Director, Vermont School Boards Association; Executive Director, Vermont Superintendents Association, respectively

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22
Feb

Enemy of the people? David Moats on press freedom, Nixon & Trump

David Moats has been editorial page editor of the Rutland Herald for 35 years. He won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing for his coverage of Vermont’s debate over civil unions. Moats discusses editorial writing, the parallels between Presid …

David Moats, Editorial Page Editor, Rutland Herald

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22
Feb

High taxes, bad business climate, youth exodus, and other myths: Doug Hoffer challenges conventional wisdom

Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer keeps a watchful eye on the numbers, both in his official duties and as a frequent contributor to local blogs and comments. Here, he takes down some persistent economic myths.

Doug Hoffer, Vermont State Auditor

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15
Feb

“We will fight back”: Immigrant advocates react to crackdown

The Trump administration’s first immigration crackdown led to more than 680 arrests in just a week in a series of operations around the country. Two leading immigration advocates and attorneys discuss the fallout and how Vermont is fighting to protec …

Erin Jacobsen & Jay Diaz, Supervising Attorney, South Royalton Legal Clinic, professor, Vermont Law School; , Staff Attorney, Vermont ACLU, respectively

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15
Feb

“Not welcome here”: Immigrants react to racism and raids

In early February,  Fadwa Alaoui, a resident of the Montreal suburb of Brossard, was turned away at the U.S. border station at Highgate  after being questioned about her Muslim faith and her views on Donald Trump. The Moroccan-born Canadian citizen w …

Fadwa Alaoui, Will Lambek & Wilmar Santiz, Muslim Canadian citizen denied entry to US; Migrant Justice; undocumented Vermont farm worker, respectively

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08
Feb

Is Gov. Scott’s budget busted?

Gov. Phil Scott has proposed a budget that key Vt. legislators charge is out of balance, raises property taxes, is unconstitutional, and impossible to implement. Is Gov. Scott’s first budget irreparably broken? Paul Cillo, president of Public Assets …

Paul Cillo, President, Public Assets Institute

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08
Feb

Will Vt. subsidize child care? The big return on investing in kids

The Vermont Business Roundtable, along with VBSR and others, released a report, Vermont’s Early Care and Learning Dividend, which details the return on investment that Vt stands to gain by increasing public investments in high-quality early care and …

Robyn Freedner Maguire, Lisa Ventriss & Kelly Klein, Campaign Director, Let’s Grow Kids; President, Vermont Business Roundtable; Owner and CEO, of Groennfell Meadery, Colchester, respectively

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01
Feb

See you in court: Vt ACLU prepares to take on Pres. Trump

In President Trump’s first week in office, the American Civil Liberties Union handed him his first defeat: successfully challenging his refugee and Muslim ban in court and winning a stay in multiple federal courts. Now the Vermont chapter of the ACLU …

James Lyall, Executive Director, Vermont ACLU

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01
Feb

Free Lake Champlain: Community Sailing Center makes lake accessible for all

The Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center is a community-based nonprofit group that provides lake access to over 6,000 people each year regardless of age, ability or income. In May 2017, the CSC moves into a new permanent facility on the Burlington …

Make Naud, Executive Director, Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center

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25
Jan

The end of local control of education in Vermont?

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has proposed a radical change in how education is funded and governed. In his first budget address on Jan. 24, 2017, Scott proposed mandating level-funded budgets for all schools, pushing back school budget voting nearly three …

Geo Honigford & Martha Allen, President, Vt School Boards Association; President, Vermont-National Education Association, respectively

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25
Jan

Buying local for less: Local First VT promotes localism and deals

Buying local is a powerful economic driver: for every $1 spent at a local business, 45 cents is reinvested locally. For every $1 spent at a corporate chain, only 15 cents is reinvested locally. Local First Vermont has been spreading the gospel of loc …

Wendy Wilson, James JT Thompson & Chris Morrow, Manager, VBSR Local First Vermont; CEO, Daft Labs; Owner, Northshire Books, Manchester, VT, respectively

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18
Jan

A Conversation with Amy Goodman & Bill McKibben

Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, the daily grassroots global news hour, and Bill McKibben, author and founder of the international environmental group 350.org, participated in a public conversation at the Chandler Music Hal …

Amy Goodman & Bill McKibben, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!; founder of 350.org

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11
Jan

Fighting environmental backsliding and holding leaders accountable: Paul Burns & VPIRG

Paul Burns is executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, a position he’s held since 2001. In just the past few years, VPIRG has played a major role in the nation’s first ban on fracking, new regulations on toxics, and the movem …

Paul Burns, Executive Director, Vermont Public Interest Research Group

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04
Jan

Single payer health care in Vt: What went wrong and what’s next?

What’s next for single payer health care in Vermont? Dr. Deb Richter, a family medicine physician in Montpelier, Vermont, is a former President of Physicians for a National Health Program. For two decades, Richter has been a leading national and loca …

Dr. Deb Richter, physician and single payer health care advocate

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28
Dec

Sen. Bill Doyle: A half century of Vermont politics

For 48 years, Vt Sen. Bill Doyle has participated in the ebb and flow of Vermont politics from inside the Legislature and from his classroom at Johnson State College. He notes proudly that about 50 of his former students have run for elective office. …

Bill Doyle, Vermont State Senator, Washington County

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21
Dec

Is there a solution to Vermont’s child care crisis?

Some facts about Vermont’s child care crisis: Nearly 80% of infants and toddlers likely to need child care in Vermont do not have access to high-quality programs Middle-income families with two children are paying up to 40% of their income on child c …

Sarah Squirrell, Charlotte Ancel & Paula Nadeau, Executive Director of Building Bright Futures, Member of the Blue Ribbon Commission; Chair of Blue Ribbon Commission, Vice President, Green Mountain Power; Parent and Owner-Director of an infant-toddler center for 20 children, respectively

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21
Dec

Can poverty be eradicated? Chris Curtis on the enduring challenge

Christopher Curtis has dedicated his life to eradicating poverty. Though he has never held elected office, Curtis, staff attorney at Vermont Legal Aid and co-chair of the Governor’s Council on Pathways from Poverty, has been the force behind many key …

Christopher Curtis & Whitney Nichols, Staff Attorney, Vermont Legal Aid, Co-Chair, Governor’s Council on Pathways from Poverty; Consumer Advocate, member of Governor’s Council, respectively

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21
Dec

Changing lives a book at a time: Children’s Literacy Foundation

Duncan McDougall quit his job as a globetrotting management consultant in order to help those in need. In 1998, he founded the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF). Today, CLiF has provided free and inspiring literacy programs and brand-new books to …

Duncan McDougall, Jess Kell, & Jamie Kinnarney, Founder and Executive Director, Children’s Literacy Foundation; Kids-A-Part program for incarcerated mothers, Lund Family Center; Principal, Williamstown Elementary School, respectively

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21
Dec

In Search of Lowell Thomas with Filmmaker Rick Moulton

Journalist and broadcaster Lowell Thomas is best known for dramatizing the story of Lawrence of Arabia. But Thomas had a storied career as a radio broadcaster for CBS, which often originated from Stowe, Vermont, where Thomas loved to ski. Thomas trav …

Rick Moulton, filmmaker

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21
Dec

Can fungus save the planet? Eben Bayer on disrupting the toxic economy

Eben Bayer discovered something on his family’s Vermont farm that could save the planet: mycelium, the fine white filaments that are part of fungi such as mushrooms, form a bond as dense and strong as commercial adhesives used in plywood. His company …

Eben Bayer, founder, Ecovative Design

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18
Nov

Rules for Revolutionaries: Lessons from the Sanders campaign on waging a political revolution

Two senior advisers to Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign are out with a new book that they intend as a playbook for progressive activists. Rules for Revolutionaries: How Big Organizing Can Change Everything (Chelsea Green, 2016) challenges conven …

Becky Bond & Zack Exley, co-authors, Rules for Revolutionaries

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18
Nov

Vermont climate activism under Trump

Pres.-elect Donald Trump has declared that climate change is a “hoax.” What are Vermont climate change activists to do? An organizer of a Climate Solutions Summit sponsored by Energy Independent Vermont discusses plans to press ahead on climate issue …

Shaina Kasper, Vermont state director, Toxics Action Center

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15
Nov

Chuck Collins: How the Oscar Mayer heir gave away his fortune to fight for economic justice

Chuck Collins is the great grandson of meatpacker Oscar Mayer. At age 26, He gave away his inheritance and has spent the last three decades mobilizing against inequality. Collins is now a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies where he co …

Chuck Collins, Author and senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies

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27
Oct

Harwood Strong: Trauma, grief & recovery

On October 8, 2016, a wrong-way driver on I-89 killed five teenagers, four of whom were juniors at Harwood Union High School in Moretown, Vermont, and the fifth was a Waitsfield teenager who had been a student at Harwood through 8th grade. Several of …

Margaret Joyal & Brigid Nease, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Washington County Mental Health; Superintendent of Schools in the Washington West Supervisory Union, respectively

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27
Oct

Peace Has No Borders: American War Resisters in Canada

During the Iraq and Afghan Wars, veterans from the United States crossed the border to Canada seeking relief and refuge from serving in what they viewed as an unjust and immoral war. Peace Has No Borders is a new documentary by Vermont filmmakers Deb …

Deb Ellis & Dennis Mueller, creators of the documentary Peace Has No Borders

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24
Oct

Filmmaker Bess O’Brien shines spotlight on eating disorders

Award-winning filmmaker Bess O’Brien is the director All of Me, a new feature length documentary film focused on the lives of women, girls and some boys who struggle with eating disorders. Bulimia, anorexia, binge eating and other eating disorders ar …

Bess O'Brien, Filmmaker

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07
Oct

How the Scandinavians got it right

George Lakey is a long time activist, strategist and trainer for nonviolent movements. He is a co-founder of Movement for New Society, Training for Change, and Earth Quaker Action Team, and the author of nine books. His newest book, Viking Economics: …

George Lakey, co-founder of Movement for New Society, Training for Change, and Earth Quaker Action Team

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22
Jun

Capt. Ingrid Jonas: VT’s Top Woman Cop on Racial Profiling, Bias-free Policing & Diversity

On July 1, 2016, new bias-free policing policies were enacted for all police in Vermont. This followed charges of racial profiling leveled against multiple Vermont police agencies. Capt. Ingrid Jonas of the Vermont State Police is the highest ranking …

Capt. Ingrid Jonas, Director of Fair and Impartial Policing and Community Affairs, Vermont State Police

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15
Jun

Kim Fountain: The LGBTQ Struggle Continues

In the wake of the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, 1,000 people marched in Burlington, Vermont–and in numerous other cities–in solidarity with LGBTQ people. Achieving marriage equality was a milestone, but the struggle for LGBTQ ri …

Kim Fountain, executive director, Pride Center of Vermont

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