Melody Bodette

Work has been completed on one of the projects state officials hope will improve water quality in Lake Carmi, which has been plagued by blue-green algae, a bacteria that can release toxins.

When a storm blew through Vermont earlier this week, it knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses in all parts of the state. Utilities say that because these outages are so scattered, it has been a slow process to bring power back to homes. It could even be into the weekend before power is restored in some areas.

In a collection of provocative photographs people are seen holding white boards with messages that include: "I am not an exchange student." "You look so ethnic." "I am only into black guys." "No I'm not adopted." "You're good at sports because you're black." "Your hair is so different. Can I touch it?" All these photos include the hash tag #IAmVermontToo.

More than 150,000 Vermonters were without electricity Monday after severe winds felled power lines across the state, and utility officials say it could be days before some homes and businesses have the power back on.

A 5-year-old girl from St. Albans has limited mobility due to muscular dystrophy, and during her school day that poses a big challenge. But now thanks to some professors and students at Saint Michael's College, she'll have a new way to get around: a battery-operated ride-on car.

The enormity and horror of the Holocaust has been chronicled soberly in newsreels, in history books, in documentaries and Hollywood films. And yet one of the most revered depictions of the 20th century's greatest atrocity is communicated in a medium too often dismissed as a frivolous diversion: cartoons.

In 1992 the graphic novel Maus won the Pulitzer Prize for offering readers a simple but brilliant and relatable distillation of the Holocaust by rendering comic book versions of Nazis drawn as cats and the Jews they slaughtered as mice. A sequel told of survivors struggling to make a new life in the U.S.

This week the city of Burlington is planning to close a homeless encampment in the city's south end. We spoke to some members of the homeless community to get a sense of what they think of the decision.

Just last week, Vermonters in many parts of the state were still looking at the green leaves of summer, with some even browning prematurely due to a long span of unseasonably hot weather. But over the weekend that changed quickly, according to Mike Snyder, Commissioner of Vermont's Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation. His department puts out the state's weekly fall foliage report.

Four years ago, a huge fireball appeared over the small Quebec town of Lac Megantic. The fireball was from an explosion caused by a runaway train that crashed into the downtown. Nearly 50 people were killed.

That tragedy is being examined again this week in a courthouse in Sherbrooke, Quebec, where three railway employees are on trial for criminal negligence.

Last week cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, showed up in blooms that closed beaches on Lake Champlain and Lake Carmi, disappointing swimmers looking for relief from the late September swelter. But more than an inconvenience, it also posed health concerns for people and pets who might come into contact with the bacteria.

What is Vermont doing to prevent these blooms from happening? We asked Julie Moore, Vermont's Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources.

Sunday's mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival Sunday night has been called the deadliest in modern American history, with at least 59 people killed hundreds more injured. Among those shot dead was a native Vermonter, 35-year-old Sandra Casey of Dorset.

VPR's Mitch Wertlieb spoke with Vermont Congressman Peter Welch on the prospect for legislation to change the country's gun laws.