A close gubernatorial election, Vermont Health Connect and the shutdown of Vermont Yankee were just a few of the many news events that kept our staff busy in 2014. We asked our reporters to choose one of their favorite stories. We've compiled them below and hope you enjoy.
Is Forever Always Forever? Bill To Alter Conservation Easements Divides Advocates
News Director John Dillon chose this story because "after this story aired, the land trust reversed course in the face of strong public reaction and dropped its support for the legislation. "
A Dirty Little Secret: Some Towns Are Beating Mud Season
Reporter Steve Zind said "as a long-time back road resident, I remember when I had to use a tractor to pull my car out of the mud ... I haven't been that stuck in years!"
Good News For Bicyclists: Island Line Bike Ferry To Get A Bigger Boat
Deputy News Director Melody Bodette chose this interview about the island line bike ferry because "it's not often that you get to go on a nice long bike ride on a beautiful day with your recorder."
Do You Phone While Driving? Listen Up!
Reporter Charlotte Albright chose this story as her favorite because "I had the most fun with this story I put together ... I literally called [News Director] John Dillon for the daily meeting using my new hands free speaker phone in my car. "
‘His Pain Was The Addiction’: An Overdose Death And A Family's Path Forward
Reporter Taylor Dobbs chose to highlight this story because "the intensity and completeness of this family's pain and love. Brennan was loved completely, and had a family fighting for him, and they lost him. It showed, in the most human terms possible, what addiction can do to a person and a family. But it also showed that this family's courage through these struggles, to move forward and keep supporting each other."
"I kept hearing about talented young people leaving the state, and I wanted to know why. The Vermonters interviewed for this piece were thoughtful, engaging, and at times, brutally honest. This was my favorite piece of 2014 because I learned why young Vermonters love living here, and what they think would draw more young professionals to the state." - Reporter Annie Russell
Choosing Vermont: Voices Of The State's Young Professionals
Reporter Annie Russell chose this series because "I kept hearing about talented young people leaving the state, and I wanted to know why. The Vermonters interviewed for this piece were thoughtful, engaging, and at times, brutally honest. This was my favorite piece of 2014 because I learned why young Vermonters love living here, and what they think would draw more young professionals to the state."
"I really liked this interview because as a sports fan, he got me out of my comfort zone regarding my role as a "passive" watcher of violent sporting events like football." - Mitch Wertlieb, host of "Morning Edition"
A 'Reluctant Manifesto' Against Watching Football
Morning Edition host Mitch Wertlieb chose an interview he did with author Steve Almond about his book Against Football. He says, "I really liked this interview because as a sports fan, he got me out of my comfort zone regarding my role as a "passive" watcher of violent sporting events like football. The book also came out (and the interview aired) just as the NFL was suffering more terrible PR from its handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence fiasco. It garnered a tremendous listener response as well."
What's Local At Trader Joe's? It's Hard To Tell
Digital Producer Angela Evancie says, "when Vermont's first Trader Joe's opened in South Burlington, there were so many stories about how the store would impact nearby local businesses -- and much fretting about how negative those impacts could be. To advance the story, I wanted to find out what kind of opportunity TJ's would present to Vermont growers and producers. Would Vermont farmers find a giant new client in Trader Joe's? But when I tried to answer that question, I ran into roadblock after roadblock. And that, I realized, was the story: In a state where local food reigns supreme, we now have a business that won't tell us what's local and what isn't."
"Would Vermont farmers find a giant new client in Trader Joe's? But when I tried to answer that question, I ran into roadblock after roadblock. And that, I realized, was the story: In a state where local food reigns supreme, we now have a business that won't tell us what's local and what isn't." - Angela Evancie, digital producer
Towns Consider Shutting Down Websites To Avoid New Open Meeting Law
Reporter Amy Kolb Noyes says, "I picked this story about changes to the open meeting law because I think it is a good example of why Public Post is an important part of our news coverage. Pretty much every city and town in Vermont had to make adjustments to when and/or how they provide information to the public when this law took effect. In some towns, the unintended result has been less information available online."
Businesses Give Big To Shumlin Campaign
Reporter Peter Hirschfeld picked this story because "the influence of corporate money in political races has increased at an alarming rate, even in Vermont. So Vermont Public Radio decided to dig into the numbers to find out just how much money businesses are contributing to Gov. Peter Shumlin. The research yielded some surprising insights that we hope will illuminate the intersection of money and politics."
Accountable Care Organizations: What Are They And How Do They Work?
Host and Reporter Bob Kinzel had a few favorite stories from the year, but wanted to feature this one about Accountable Care Organizations. The story explores how officials are turning to new and innovative ways to help control medical spending as health care costs continue to rise.
Homeless Youth Growing Older
"Jane Lindholm and one of our guests were in the Montpelier studio, the other guest was in Brattleboro. The director and I were in Colchester. There was a power outage in downtown Montpelier minutes before we went on air." - Sage Van Wing, "Vermont Edition" producer
Vermont Edition Producer Sage Van Wing chose this show because "the content of the show itself was important - the changing demographics of homeless youth in Vermont - but it was the physical circumstances of the show that made it stand out in my mind. Jane Lindholm and one of our guests were in the Montpelier studio, the other guest was in Brattleboro. The director and I were in Colchester. There was a power outage in downtown Montpelier minutes before we went on air. We were able to broadcast with our backup power generator, but didn't realize until we were already several minutes into the show that the generator would only last 15 minutes or so. I grabbed my colleague RicCengeri and put him in the host chair here in Colchester and gave him the script and Jane's list of questions and told him to follow along. Sure enough, the power went out completely about 20 minutes into the show and Ric picked up the hosting from there. It was mostly seamless and I don't know if listeners even noticed, but it sure made me feel proud of all my colleagues here at VPR."
