JOLTED: start with parts 1, 2 and 3 at joltedpodcast.org

The two toddlers currently enrolled at LouLou's Pre-K & Family Child Care have a lot of books and toys to choose from. Once the home day care is licensed by the state, up to ten children will be allowed to enroll.
Amy Kolb Noyes / VPR

'Make Way For Kids' Grants Aim To Increase Quality And Quantity Of Child Care Options

If you've ever looked for child care in Vermont, you know it can be tough to find openings. But it can also be a tough, and expensive, process for providers to open up and register with the state. The organization Vermont Birth to Five is trying to help make it easier.

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Andy Paciulli, who was Academy School principal when this photo was taken in February, points to one of the Brattleboro school's fixtures that was replaced after state tests discovered lead was leaching into the water.
Howard Weiss-Tisman / VPR File

State Wants More Testing After 16 Vermont Schools Show Lead In Drinking Water

Federal Agents Board Buses 100 Miles From Border To Ask, Are You A U.S. Citizen?

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Senate Judiciary Committee Plots Way Forward In Kavanaugh Hearings

By & • Sep 21, 2018
After allegations of sexual assault have arisen against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh, his path to approval has gotten murky.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP FILE

The recent confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh have been controversial. And now the Senate Judiciary Committee — of which Sen. Patrick Leahy is the seniormost member — is trying to decide how to review allegations of sexual assualt that have been brought against Kavanaugh by professor Christine Blasey Ford.

Analyzing The Legal Challenges To Vermont's New Gun Laws

By & • Sep 20, 2018
An AR-15 rifle pictured with a 30-round magazine and a 10-round magazine. Vermont law now prohibits the sale and purchase of magazines with more than 10 rounds. The high-capacity magazine ban is the focus of one of two lawsuits in Vermont courts.
Charles Krupa / AP

Episode 4 of VPR's five-part podcast series, JOLTED, explores how Republican Gov. Phil Scott, a gun rights advocate, declared that Vermont needed more gun control laws. Within months, Senate Bill 55 was passed, putting several restrictions on gun and ammunition purchases.

Jared Carter, an associate professor at Vermont Law School and VPR commentator, joined Vermont Edition to discuss two lawsuits challenging the new law.

Campaign 2018: David Zuckerman Vying For Second Term As Lt. Governor

By & • Sep 20, 2018
Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman is running for re-election as Vermont's Lieutenant Governor.
Ric Cengeri / VPR FILE

As the Nov. 6 election starts to come into view, we're hearing from major-party candidates seeking statewide offices. Incumbent Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman joins us to share his legislative priorities.

UVM Nurses Union Reaches Tentative Contract With Hospital

By VPR Staff • Sep 20, 2018
The sign outside of the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.
Taylor Dobbs / VPR File

The University of Vermont Medical Center has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals after 10 months of bargaining.

Anti-Nuke Groups Concerned About Plans For Vermont Yankee's Radioactive Waste

By • Sep 19, 2018
People stand in front of a "mock nuclear waste cask" and hold up a yellow sign that says Don't Nuke The Climate.
Amy Shollenberger, courtesy

If you’re on the road in Vermont this week and happen upon a giant nuclear waste cask being towed by a white pickup truck, don’t panic — the cask itself is a fake. The people behind the spectacle, however, say the threat posed by nuclear waste is very real, and they’re sounding the alarm over plans for radioactive waste being stored at Vermont Yankee.

Act 46 Enters Final Decision Period: State Education Board's Merger Plan Due By November

By • Sep 19, 2018
A group of people gather around a table in a dark room.
Howard Weiss-Tisman / VPR

After a series of meetings to hear testimony from Vermonters, the final decisions about forcing mergers on school districts throughout the state now lie with the State Board of Education.

Vermont Will Send Out-Of-State Inmates To Private Mississippi Prison

By • Sep 19, 2018
Looking down a wing of closed doors at Camp Hill prison in Pennsylvania
Marc Levy / Associated Press file

Vermont will send more than 200 inmates currently housed at a state-run prison in Pennsylvania to a privately-owned and operated facility in Mississippi.

Emotional Support Animals Raise Questions Of Policy And Public Space

By & • Sep 19, 2018
Emotional support animals are increasingly found in public places like stores, businesses and school campuses.
Good Dog Autism Companions / Flickr Creative Commons

Emotional support animals are an increasingly common sight in public, in stores, on campuses and at airports. But accommodating these animals in crowded public spaces isn't easy, and the rules on what's allowed, and where, aren't always clear. We're talking about emotional support animals and how we're making space for them in public areas.

Flooding At Chester-Andover Elementary Means Students All Head To High School

By • Sep 18, 2018
The exterior of the brick Chester-Andover Elementary School.
Howard Weiss-Tisman / VPR

Things got off to a rocky start this year for Chester-Andover Elementary School, after a water main leak flooded the building just before school opened. Now about 240 displaced elementary students are spending their days learning at the local high school.

Leahy Accuses GOP Leaders Of Blocking Access To Key Information In Kavanaugh Case

By • Sep 18, 2018
Sen. Patrick Leahy says GOP leaders are blocking the release of key information concerning allegations of sexual assault brought against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh
Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press

Sen. Patrick Leahy is accusing Senate Republican leaders of trying to block an investigation into the facts around allegations of sexual assault that have been brought against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

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From The Brave Little State Archive

Taylor Dobbs / VPR

What Can Be Done About Vermont's Aging Sewer Systems?

This month on Brave Little State , a subterranean question about wastewater treatment in Vermont.

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Angela Evancie / VPR

Why Is Vermont So Overwhelmingly White?

frimages / iStockphoto.com

Is Vermont Really Losing Young People?

Commentary Series
More than 50 commentators provide perspective and opinion about current events, topics of interest, and often showcase the work of writers and storytellers.

Be In The Audience For Vermont Edition With Madeleine Kunin

Jane Lindholm will interview the former Vermont Governor about her new book, 'Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties.'

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The Latest From But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids!

istock / tang90246

Kangaroos, Koalas And Wombats! Why Don’t They Live In Cities?

We'll learn about the kinds of animals that live in urban environments and the challenges they face! One young Australian listener wants to know why wombats, kangaroos and koalas hang out in the countryside rather than the city. Dr. Mark Eldridge from the Australian Museum Research Institute tackles that one. And we turn our focus to one particular urban dweller, the raccoon, with York University raccoon expert Suzanne MacDonald. She lives in Toronto, which has one of the most dense populations of raccoons in the world. She helps answer why raccoons eat garbage, how long they live and why they look like they're wearing masks.

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Philadelphia firefighter Lisa Desamour says a healthy curiosity about fire is a good thing, and kids should feel comfortable asking questions. But they also need to know basic fire safety.
Jane Lindholm / VPR

Why Is Fire Orange?

Many different musical instruments
Katsiaryna Pleshakova / iSt

Why Do People Like Different Types Of Music?

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