VPR News

Election Day has finally arrived and as voters head to thepolls, we learn about the American Presidency. Historian and Author Kenneth C. Davis' new book is Don't Know Much About the American Presidents. He joins usto explain why we have a President and not a king and sorts out the electoral college idea. He also looks at the accomplishments of the two Vermont-born Presidents - Chester A. Arthur and Calvin Coolidge.

There's always a lot of talk about the 'middle class' during election season. But who exactly is the middle class? Do you consider yourself middle class? Can you afford to buy a house, send your kids to college, and take a vacation every year? We'll explore what the idea of middle class means in Vermont, and to you. Our guests are Elaine McCrate, professor of economics at the University of Vermont, and Marc Dixon, professor of sociology at Dartmouth College.

All the campaign calls, handshakes, honk-and-waves and debates end Tuesday with the election. We take one last opportunity to evaluate this year's races.

VTDigger's Anne Galloway, Pete Hirschfeld of the Vermont Press Bureau and VPR's John Dillon join Bob Kinzel to look at the people and issues in all the statewide races. They also discuss the impact that Super PAC money has had in this campaign, particularly in the race for Treasurer.

We've seen a number of methamphetamine cases in Vermont lately. The ability to manufacture meth at home is one of the reasons for this rise. So, could someone in your neighborhood be running a meth lab?

U.S. Attorney Tristram Coffin and Spectrum Youth amp; Family Services' Annie Ramniceanu discuss the lure of this drug, why it's so easy to produce and the threat it may pose to your community.

(Host) While trick-or-treating is usually geared toward kids, this Halloween, performer and commentator Jason Lorber has been thinking about what adults should be scared of - but in a good way.

From Vermont's perspective, Sandy was no Irene. But the superstorm did have some impact on the state.

We hear from Eye on the Sky Meteorologist Mark Breen on why Vermont was spared a major hit by Sandy. VPR's John Dillon reports on the Governor's update on the state of the state post-Sandy. And we get an update on power outages, volunteer opportunities and how Mad River Valley residents prepared for the storm.

  Why climb Mount Everest, George Leigh Mallory was asked? Because it's there, he supposedly replied.

Those haunting words have been with me since my mother read me an account of the British Everest expedition of 1924 that nearly succeeded in climbing, for the first time, the world's highest mountain. On June 8, 1924, Mallory and Andrew Sandy Irvine had been spotted less than 1,000 feet from Everest's 29,000 foot summit. Then clouds rolled in and the two were never again seen alive. Had they reached the top? Nobody, apparently, will ever know for certain.

As Hurricane Sandy makes itself felt in our area, we hear from emergency management personnel, weather forecasters and VPR reporters on the impact of the weather system on our region.

State Senator Randy Brock is the Republican challenger to Governor Peter Shumlin's re-election bid. The two candidates disagree on a number of issues: from health care to renewable energy. We ask Brock what he would do as Governor of the state.

We also check in with the Red Cross and the state Department of Public Safety about their efforts to prepare for Hurricane Sandy.