Podcast
Vermont Edition
Hosted by Vermont Public · EN
Vermont Edition brings you news and conversation about issues affecting your life. Host Mikaela Lefrak considers the context of current events through interviews with news makers and people who make our region buzz.
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Vermont Edition at Home: Howard Dean
3d ago00:49:22Tap to summarizeHoward Dean is a former Vermont governor, presidential candidate and Democratic National Committee chair. But before all that, he was just a local physician who really wanted Burlington to have a bike path.In the latest installment of our occasional series Vermont Edition At Home, Howard Dean invites us into his living room in Burlington. He talks candidly about his upbringing in New York and his ongoing grief over his brother’s early death. We also hear his thoughts on the current political climate and Vermont’s struggle to provide affordable healthcare to all residents.Broadcast on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.
Transcribe →Penny for your thoughts? Vermonters weigh in on the copper coin's demise
4d ago00:49:50Tap to summarizeThe U.S. Mint ceased making new pennies in November. Our humble, one-cent, copper-and-zinc coin can still be used as currency, but its circulation will dwindle in the years ahead.Vermont's first coin — before it became a U.S. state — was also made of copper. These coins date back to days of the Green Mountain Boys, when Vermont was its own republic. Historian Jon Mathewson of Middletown Springs shares the history of Harmon's mint in Rupert. Joe Watkins of Vermont Coin & Jewelry in South Burlington gave us his coin collector's perspective on how to make a pretty penny from collecting rare pennies.For insight from the banking world, we talk with Jennifer Smith, a regional leader with Union Bank in Morrisville. We also hear from Matt Cota, managing director of the Vermont Retailers & Grocers Association. He tells us about a new state law that creates a system for rounding cash purchases up or down at the register.When it comes to idioms and common English phrases, the penny punches above its weight: penny pincher, a pretty penny, penny-wise, a penny saved and so many more. Helping us make sense of the penny's place in language is Maeve Eberhardt, associate professor of linguistics at the University of Vermont.
Transcribe →Need a book recommendation? Check out Vermont Edition's summer reading list
5d ago00:49:50Tap to summarizeNeed a book recommendation? Check out Vermont Edition's summer reading list
Transcribe →The battle over Battery Energy Storage Sites
6d ago00:49:48Tap to summarizeBattery energy storage systems — BESS — are popping up across the country. They strengthen the electrical grid by storing energy and releasing it at high demand times, and can lower energy costs for customers. But some neighbors of some proposed facilities have concerns about safety and aesthetics.In Vergennes, residents are pushing back against plans by the company Lightshift to build one on Panton Rd. But local officials and Lightshift representatives say the worries are unfounded.We talk through how these systems work with Cyril Brunner. He works in the energy sector — currently for Texture, which builds software to operate the grid, and formerly for Vermont Electric Cooperative. We also talk with Vergennes property owner Carrie Hathaway, a vocal opponent of the proposed battery energy storage site. Adirondack Explorer reporter Gwendolyn Craig fills us in on similar debates over battery storage that are currently underway in Adirondack Park.A representative from Lightshift shared a statement from the company with Vermont Edition ahead of today's show:“Battery energy storage is playing an increasingly important role in advancing Vermont's renewable energy goals, strengthening grid reliability, and helping manage electricity costs. The proposed Panton Road facility uses lithium iron phosphate batteries, a technology widely recognized for its strong safety record. The proposed footprint is approximately 0.17 acres in an industrially zoned site near other larger commercial businesses. Lightshift has met with local officials and residents to present the project and answer questions, and local fire officials have stated they have no safety objections.If approved, the project will provide important benefits to the state and ratepayers. It will help lower energy costs, decrease fossil fuel reliance, and strengthen grid resilience during periods of severe weather and system stress. The project is designed with multiple layers of safety protection, will meet all required safety codes, and does not present a greater safety risk than other types of industrial businesses in the area. The noise level will be studied and mitigated if necessary to ensure no undue adverse impact. The project’s aesthetic impact will also be studied and mitigated if necessary to thoughtfully complement its surroundings.Our focus is on providing clear information about battery storage technology and safety, continuing to engage openly with residents and local officials, and participating fully in Vermont's rigorous regulatory review process. We are committed to ensuring that the process is guided by facts and grounded in a shared commitment to Vermont’s energy future.It is important to recognize that we are in the early stages of development. We look forward to continuing to engage with interested parties, including the town and residents, to try to incorporate community input as much as reasonably possible.”Broadcast live on Monday, June 8, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.
Transcribe →Town by Town: Brattleboro
1w ago00:56:56Tap to summarizeIt's is the latest installment of our Town by Town series. where every month, we take an hour to learn about a randomly selected town or city in Vermont, with the goal of hitting all 252 of them.Today: Brattleboro, in Windham County. Home to a little over 12,000 people, making it one of the larger municipalities in the state. The town sits right along the Connecticut River. It was named after Colonel William Brattle of Boston, who had bought some of land here in 1716. Dummer Meadows, in the southeastern corner of Brattleboro, was likely the first permanent English settlement in Vermont, in the 1720s, but indigenous people lived here long before that.We're joined this hour live in the Latchis Theater by Kate Trzaskos, the executive director of the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, Danny Lichtenfeld, the executive director of the Brattleboro Museum & Arts Center, Wendy O’Connell, host and executive producer of the interview program Here We Are on Brattleboro Community TV, Joe Wiah, the executive director of the Ethiopian Community Development Council, and Ann Latchis, of the Latchis Theater.Broadcast live on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.
Transcribe →The architecture movement rooted in the Mad River Valley
2w ago00:49:50Tap to summarizeDesign-build architects are trained not just to envision a home or structure, but to build it themselves and to improvise based on their on-site experiences.For years this movement centered around Prickly Mountain in Warren. A handful of visionary young architects moved to Vermont’s Mad River Valley in the 1960s to explore the more creative and experimental aspects of homebuilding. Waitsfield filmmaker Allie Rood grew up in and around Prickly Mountain homes. Her feature-length documentary, “Prickly Mountain, and My Design/Build Life,” premiered last fall. It won the best documentary award at Vermont Public’s Made Here Film Festival.There are many local architects who were inspired by the work of Prickly Mountain. We learn about the design-build movement of today with Britton Rogers, executive director of Yestermorrow in Waitsfield, and Danny Sagan, architecture professor at Norwich University.
Transcribe →AG Charity Clark and America 250 in Vermont
2w ago00:49:47Tap to summarizeFirst, we're joined by Vermont's Attorney General Charity Clark, who discusses her ongoing legal battle against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Then, a roundtable of historians and curators discuss the events going on around the state this summer to commemorate the 250th birthday of America. We're joined by Stephen Perkins of the Vermont Historical Society, Angie Grove of the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, and Martin Mahoney of the Bennington Museum.
Transcribe →Legislative session wrap-up
2w ago00:49:50Tap to summarizeThe Vermont Legislature adjourned for the session Friday evening after Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott reached an agreement on education reform. Lawmakers also passed a budget bill and a yield bill to set tax rates, and Gov. Scott is expected to sign all three. To help us make sense of this sessions' hot topics are a trio of Vermont Public statehouse reporters: Peter Hirschfeld and Lola Duffort in Montpelier, and Report for America fellow Carly Berlin, who covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public and VTDigger.
Transcribe →What hours of bodycam footage reveal about ICE operations in Vermont
2w ago00:49:35Tap to summarizeWhat hours of bodycam footage reveal about ICE operations in Vermont
Transcribe →Beetles, bees and butterflies: How to explore your buzzing backyard ecosystem
3w ago00:49:50Tap to summarizeHave you ever thought about just how many insect species call your yard home? There are thousands of species to discover just outside your door.The app iNaturalist lets users upload photos to identify insects, animals, fungi and more. Each iNaturalist entry helps the team at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) catalogue every living species in the Vermont Atlas of Life. Two VCE biologists discuss ways to spot and catalogue local species: Kent McFarland, VCE's co-founder and the force behind the Vermont Butterfly Atlas, and Spencer Hardy, a bee biologist who runs VCE's Wild Bee Survey and the co-owner of The Farm Upstairs in Jericho.Amateur naturalist and community scientist Bernie Paquette of Jericho is one of the top bee observers in the world on iNaturalist, where he posts research-grade photographs of insects. Last year, he received the 2025 Julie Nicholson Community Science Award from VCE.
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