Once upon a time, on a tree-lined ridge overlooking Lyndonville, a bunch of kids gathered in a red barn. They moved some hay bales around, scared away some angry starlings, and sang and danced their way into the hearts of the Northeast Kingdom.

Over 20 years later, and with a lot of help from volunteers and benefactors, the curtain is still going up on the Vermont Children’s Theater.

A downgrade in revenue projections has opened up a $31 million hole in the state budget. And the shortfall will likely result in unexpected cuts to government programs.

When lawmakers and Gov. Peter Shumlin gave final approval to the fiscal year 2015 state budget back in May, they assumed a 4.8-percent increase in revenues over the coming year. But it turns out the economic recovery isn’t going quite as well as they’d hoped.

In the post-recession era it’s become more difficult for start-ups and companies without a track record to secure traditional bank loans, so businesses have had to turn elsewhere. 

“What has happened in Vermont is there has been an appetite to seek raising money directly from investors,“ says Commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation Susan Donegan.

It’s natural that people, for the most part, do not like to talk about death and dying. An audio exhibit in Montpelier this weekend is trying to change that.

The Wake Up To Dying Project gathers stories about death, dying and life, and supplements them with art exhibits and discussion. The traveling exhibit is at Montpelier's Christ Episcopal Church July 24-26.

To hear Mayor Miro Weinberger tell it, getting Burlington Telecom out of city ownership will be a big win for Burlington and its taxpayers. But some of the network’s high-profile proponents have serious concerns.

They say the city’s settlement with Citibank over unpaid BT bills and a financing plan with Merchant’s Bank and local businessman Trey Pecor put the high-tech telecom on an uncertain and perilous path.

Four years ago, Jesus was all the rage. Now it’s selfies. We’re talking toasters, of course, that burn these images into your morning slice of bread. They’re the products of St. Johnsbury company called Vermont Novelty Toaster Corporation, and CEO and President Galen Dively talked with Vermont Edition about what it takes to get your face imprinted on... toast.

Chris Morrell is the oldest serving police canine handler in the country, and in June he and his German Shepherd Buck retired from police work. Morrell's career spanned more than 40 years, working most recently with the Shelburne Police Department, and before that the Hinesburg Community Police Department.

Morrell and Buck visited the VPR studios, where Morrell described his work with police K9s over his career.

Vermont ranks second in the country in child well being. That’s according to the most-recent Kids Count Data Book, which is published annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The state is among the top 10 in all four of the ranked categories – economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.

Voices for Vermont’s Children Research Associate Sarah Teel and Marianne Miller, Head Start and Early Head Start director for Capstone Community Action Council, discuss the report’s findings and look at areas of well-being that still have children’s advocates concerned.

Writer and Vermont resident Julia Alvarez captured critical acclaim with her novels How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies. Now, she’s about to receive the National Medal of Arts in a White House ceremony on Monday. Alvarez joins us to discuss her work.

Book lovers of all stripes will be gathering in Woodstock this weekend for the sixth annual Bookstock festival.

The literary event brings together people for author readings, workshops and to browse many used and vintage books for sale.

The headliners at this year’s conference are Billy Collins, Anita Diamant and Charles Simic.

But there are also many local poets, fiction and non-fiction authors giving readings at the festival.