Lena Ashooh is Vermont's 43rd Rhodes Scholar, and the state's first since 2006. After earning Harvard University's first ever animal studies degree, she'll head to the University of Oxford to study legal philosophy.Von Jenn Jarecki, Nathaniel Wilson

A gas pipeline that once generated a lot of buzz in Addison County has largely faded from the headlines. But a few years ago, investigators identified several issues with the line’s construction. And now, reenergized by a recent Supreme Court ruling, some neighbors are still fighting.Von Sabine Poux

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Petroleum Institute have sued Vermont over a landmark climate law that seeks damages for climate change from big oil companies, and is modeled after the federal Superfund program.Von Abagael Giles

The road to getting anything big accomplished this year in Montpelier is going to require collaboration between Democrats and Republicans. Here are some of the key issues to watch.Von Peter Hirschfeld, Jenn Jarecki, April McCullum

Where Vermont gets its energy, and how many tons of greenhouse gas emissions it generates, will be one of the most pressing policy questions for lawmakers and the governor when they return to Montpelier on Wednesday.Von Peter Hirschfeld

Despite delays, Killington town and ski resort officials along with developers say the proposed ski village is going to happen.Von Nina Keck

Rep. Becca Balint discusses her priorities around housing issues, as well as how she hopes to work across the aisle and be fearless as she enters her second term in the House of Representatives.Von Bob Kinzel

"You don't get up at 7 o'clock in the morning and spend the whole day stomping around outside, freezing to death or getting soaking wet, unless it's something you're really committed to," said Sally Laughlin, who has organized the Christmas Bird Count in Woodstock for 50 years.Von Lexi Krupp

According to an oral health equity report recently published by the nonprofit Voices for Vermont’s Children, people without legal immigration status face particularly big barriers to dental care. But there are local efforts to overcome these challenges.Von Elodie Reed

Kyle Dodson of Burlington and Jason McConnell of Sheldon met for a One Small Step conversation about politics, education, family life, racial dynamics and bridging the political divide.Von Vermont Public Staff, Karen Anderson

Vermont’s largest city has launched a new initiative that allows first responders to administer opioid addiction treatment medication at the scene of overdoses. Research indicates it’s an effective way to get more people who struggle with opioid misuse into treatment.Von Liam Elder-Connors

Paul Yoon, Vermont State University's new chief diversity officer, answers questions about his approach to DEI work and his early efforts since starting the role in October.Von Jenn Jarecki, Nathaniel Wilson

Sara Forman and her cow Sassy shined at this year's World Dairy Expo, earning two ribbons. Sara and her mom, Angela Toms, joined Vermont Public's Jenn Jarecki to share more.Von Jenn Jarecki, Nathaniel Wilson

Jeff Simpson, owner of The Kingdom's Horse Drawn Wagon and Sleigh Rides, takes us on a winter journey in the NEK, highlighting this longtime holiday tradition.Von Jenn Jarecki, Nathaniel Wilson

In this episode of "What class are you?" Tankhun Thongjunthoug talks about what it was like to grow up in an immigrant family, and how he experienced the undercurrents of the American class system.Von Erica Heilman

The last new village in Vermont was established in 1933, so there wasn’t a modern roadmap. Westbury also didn’t have money for lawyers or professional support for guidance.Von Olivia Conti

"What class are you?" It's a question that Vermont Public reporter Erica Heilman has been asking people in Vermont, and this is the fourth installment of a new five-part series. Mark LaRouche grew up in a middle class family in Rutland, but says he prefers "the lower class," and he believes that addiction is the hardest class of all.…

Reporter Erica Heilman talked with Katrin Tchana about her childhood in Lyme, New Hampshire, and how it has become increasingly difficult for people who grew up there to remain.Von Erica Heilman

Retired Vermont State Police trooper Ingrid Jonas talks about class assumptions in law enforcement — and expensive condiments.Von Erica Heilman

Damian Renzello and reporter Erica Heilman are the same age and both grew up in Vermont. But according to Damian, they will always be different fruits.Von Erica Heilman

A downtown apartment building stitched Plainfield together. On July 10, floods washed it away. The Heartbreak Hotel was the kind of place where neighbors saw each other every day, where generations of people, from all walks of life, found belonging and someone to wave to in the morning. Twelve people were living there at the time, and they all surv…

"Uncomfortable conversations need to happen." Raneen Salha and Sarah White discuss their thoughts, feelings and personal connections to the war between Israel and Hamas.

More than four years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the state judiciary is still struggling with an enormous backlog of criminal cases and competing public pressures around how justice should be pursued. To better understand how the system is working, Seven Days and Vermont Public embedded two reporters at the Burlington criminal courthouse for…

Two Abenaki First Nations are continuing to call for Vermont institutions not to work with state-recognized tribes, and to reconsider the process that led to the state recognizing those groups as Abenaki tribes. Those nations — Odanak and Wôlinak — are receiving a mixed response. 2024-04-02: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect th…

John Harrison traveled Vermont as a preacher in the 1880s. A racist name in town records preserved his memory. Note: This story contains sensitive material, including racial slurs. Please listen with care.

Ashley Messier is the co-chair of the Corrections Monitoring Committee in the Vermont Legislature, and she’s the reentry services program manager for Vermont Works for Women. She grew up in Essex with an abusive father and with little money, and she found herself repeating the cycle in early adulthood. This is a story about multigenerational povert…

Many people don’t want to talk about class, because class differences are the source of cultural division and tension. In this story, Erica talks with old friend Susan Randall, a private investigator based in Vergennes, about the luxuries of growing up upper middle class. "What class are you?" is an occasional series from Vermont Public reporter Er…

In 2023, around 70% of the total wealth in this country was owned by the top 10% of earners. The lowest 50% of earners only owned 2.5% of the total wealth. In this story, Vermont writer and poet Garrett Keizer, who has written extensively on the history of labor unions, talks about what happens when we address gender and race equity, but we ignore …

Stephanie Robtoy works as an account manager at Working Fields, a staffing agency that helps people with barriers gain and maintain a job. She grew up in St. Albans in a huge family of Robtoys, some of whom are pretty notorious in town for criminal activity. In this story, Stephanie talks about what it was like to grow up poor, with a last name tha…

Irfan Sehic and his family fled the war in Bosnia and arrived in Barre when Irfan was 17. He worked a number of jobs, went to college and started his own insurance agency, which he still runs out of his house. And for the last few years, he's been a club soccer coach. Irfan lives with his wife and son in Milton, and in this story, he describes the …

Who gets to decide who is Abenaki? Vermont’s four state-recognized tribes — and the state recognition law — have different definitions and criteria for what it means to be Indigenous than many Indigenous Nations. In this episode, we look at this disconnect, and lay out what’s at stake, including power, money and authority. This is Chapter Three of …

After the original group of self-proclaimed Vermont Abenaki failed to gain federal recognition, Vermont lawmakers created a state recognition process of their own. One theory in particular informed the state’s consideration: that Abenaki peoples hid in Vermont to avoid persecution, including statewide eugenics policies. In this episode, we look at …

Two Abenaki First Nations in Canada contest the legitimacy of the four groups recognized by the state of Vermont as Abenaki tribes. This is a dispute that goes back at least two decades, and has gained more prominence in recent years. In this episode, we trace Abenaki history up to 2003, when Odanak First Nation first denounced Vermont groups claim…

University of Virginia researchers say the complaint line run by the grassroots workers’ rights program Milk With Dignity improves conditions for both farmworkers and farm owners. But the program currently only covers one-fifth of Vermont’s dairy industry. Read more from Vermont Public's Elodie Reed.…

Giuliano Cecchinelli is part of a long legacy of Italian stone carvers in Barre, craftsmen whose skill transformed an industry and made the small central Vermont town the “Granite Capital of the World.” In the early 20th century, Barre was a booming industry town. Thousands of workers spent their days making monuments. The railroad chugged into tow…

How the events of last year changed Vermont schools and law enforcement. Also - where's Jack?

How do you know if a young person is plotting a school massacre? And what do you do then?

How a Republican governor who had been rated "A" by the NRA decided that Vermont, one of the most gun-friendly states in the nation, needed gun control laws.

When does planning a school shooting become attempted murder? The question went all the way to the Vermont Supreme Court.

Jack Sawyer’s journal contained a startling confession. It landed him in jail, and sent shockwaves through the state of Vermont.

Who is Jack Sawyer, and why did he want to kill his former classmates?

Coming September 6 from Vermont Public Radio.