Brave Little State

Christiana Martin wants to know how much short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, are exacerbating Vermont’s housing crisis. We survey the data, and visit two Vermont neighborhoods — Decatur Street in Burlington and Gorham Drive in Kirby — to find out how communities across the state are responding to a growing industry.Thanks to Christiana for the great question. To explore the data from this episode, and see photos from Josh’s reporting, check out our web feature.Josh Crane reported and produced this episode, and did the mix and sound design. Editing and additional production from the rest of the Brave Little State team: Angela Evancie, Myra Flynn and Mae Nagusky. Data guidance from April McCullum. Ty Gibbons composed our theme music; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.Special thanks to Howard Weiss-Tisman, Jacob Mushlin, Amy Ash Nixon, Madeleine Parkin and Jade Tinsley.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Call our BLS hotline: 802-552-4880 Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public, and a proud member of the NPR Network.

So, your electricity rates are rising. Oil and gas costs … also rising. This led Remington Nevin of Quechee to wonder if Vermont’s electricity is truly as environmentally friendly as some claim it is. Turns out, the answer is complicated. Climate and environment reporter Abagael Giles provides an education in our power grid and explores how Vermont could generate more renewable energy in the future.Additional resources: Find out how you can participate in the Vermont Department of Public Service’s public engagement campaign on renewable electricity here Check out a tool from ISO New England that shows you what energy source is powering your electricity right now Check out photos from Abagael’s reporting in our web feature Abagael Giles reported this episode. Angela Evancie produced it, with lots of help from Mae Nagusky. Mix and sound design by Angela Evancie and Mae Nagusky, with additional help from the rest of the Brave Little State team: Myra Flynn and Josh Crane. Ty Gibbons composed our theme music; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.Special thanks to Ben Storrow, John Dillon, Anne Margolis, Matt Kakley, Mara Hoplamazian, Miriam Wasser, Oliver Tully, Jared Duval, Peter Hirschfeld and Brittany Patterson.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Twitter, Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public.

Matt “Beagle” Bourgault wants to know how Vermont’s bedrock and soil shaped our identity — and made us different from our neighbors. We originally released this episode in 2017. A lot has changed since then, but our geologic history has not.To see maps showing the “folds” and “blobs” in our local bedrock, check out our web feature. Related listening: Vermont vs. New Hampshire: What’s the beef? (Brave Little State, 2021) Geology is destiny (NEXT New England, 2017) Lynne McCrea edited this episode. Angela Evancie reported and produced it, along with Henry Epp, and did the mix and sound design. The re-release was supported by Brave Little State’s Josh Crane, Myra Flynn and Mae Nagusky. This episode featured original scoring by Liam Elder-Connors, with other music by Podington Bear and the Sturbridge Colonial Militia. Our theme music was composed by Ty Gibbons.Special thanks to Andy Friedland, Mary Searles, Paul Rumley, John Dillon and Oliver Riskin-Kutz.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public.

If you live in Vermont, and you have a terminal illness, where and when you die could be up to you. Charlie Bestard of Hartland asked us about the state’s medical aid in dying law: How many Vermonters have used it, and how does the medical establishment view it?To see photos of the Fitch sisters, and their parents, Stanley and Elaine, check out our web feature.Additional listening, from our Vermont Edition colleagues: Connecticut patient sues Vermont over residency mandate in aid-in-dying lawMikaela Lefrak reported this episode. Josh Crane produced it and did the mix and sound design. Editing and additional help from the rest of the BLS team: Angela Evancie, Myra Flynn and Mae Nagusky. Ty Gibbons composed our theme music; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.Special thanks to Jaina Clough, Erica Heilman, Tim Lahey, Lynda Bluestein and Chelsea Chalfant.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Twitter, Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public.

Paintbrushes and blank canvases helped Burlington artist Liza Phillip love their biracial identity. Now, they paint colorful genderless monsters and sing songs on the ukulele to celebrate life beyond traditional binaries.Find original artwork related to this episode at bravelittlestate.org.This is the latest installment of Homegoings, a series from Brave Little State that features conversations with Vermont artists of color. Find the full series here. Also, we have exciting news! On February 11, some of the artists featured in the series will join forces for a soulful evening of performance, art and conversation. Learn more and get your tickets to Homegoings: A Live Performance here.Have a recommendation for a future Homegoings interview? Get in touch with our team by emailing hello@bravelittlestate.org.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public, created by the Brave Little State team: Myra Flynn, Josh Crane, Angela Evancie and Mae Nagusky. Mae Nagusky reported, produced and mixed this episode. Myra Flynn composed the theme music. Other music by Liza Phillip, including the song “Do It Cause It Feels Good.”Special thanks to Hannah Braun, Dan Cahill and Remi Lemal-Brown. Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public.

Vermont is the only state in the Northeast without a freestanding birth center. We dig into the reasons why, and talk to folks who are pushing for change.To see the inside of a freestanding birth center, and some super cute baby photos, check out the web feature for this episode.Special thanks to Scott Fleishman, Gail Zatz, Peter Hirschfeld and all the midwives and birthing peoples who trusted us with their stories.This episode was reported by Joia Putnoi, with mix and sound design by Myra Flynn. Additional editing from Lynne McCrea and the Brave Little State team: Angela Evancie, Josh Crane and Mae Nagusky. Ty Gibbons composed our theme music; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public. bravelittlestate.org

Many Vermont restaurants are understaffed and struggling to stay open. Khrista Trerotola of Waitsfield wants to know, “What happened to all the restaurant workers? Where have they gone? And what are they doing now?”To answer Khrista’s question, Josh Crane tells the story of one restaurant, from the very beginning to the end of an era. Also, he finds out what the people who used to work there are up to now.To see photos from Josh’s reporting, check out our digital story.Josh Crane reported and produced this episode, and did the mix and sound design. Editing and additional production from Lynne McCrae and the rest of the BLS team: Angela Evancie, Myra Flynn and Mae Nagusky. Ty Gibbons composed our theme music; other music by Blue Dot Sessions and XTaKeRuX.Special thanks to Nicholas Martin and all the other former restaurant workers who shared their stories with us. Also thanks to our colleagues Bob Kinzel, Liam Elder-Connors, Henry Epp, Lexi Krupp, Nina Keck and Mark Davis.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public.

Vermont has the most breweries per capita. But the more beer they brew, the more they have to deal with their wastewater. Caleb Henderson of Winooski asked us this: “Breweries and cideries were in the news a few years ago for the wastewater. How are they mitigating their waste now? Has it improved?”Reporter Howard Weiss-Tisman learns how breweries — and communities — are grappling with this issue in different ways. And in many respects, Vermont is ahead of the curve. To see photos from Howard’s reporting and find a transcript of this episode, check out our web feature.Howard Weiss-Tisman reported this episode, and Angela Evancie produced it, with research and studio help from Mae Nagusky. Mix and sound design by Josh Crane, Mae Nagusky and Angela Evancie, with additional help from Myra Flynn. Ty Gibbons composed our theme music; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.Special thanks to the crew at the Richmond wastewater plant, the Vermont Brewers Association and Lui Schmit.Disclosure: A lot of the folks Howard talked to and mentioned in this episode either are or have been Vermont Public or BLS underwriters, including The Alchemist, Switchback, Citizen Cider and the Agency of Natural Resources, which houses the Department of Environmental Conservation. And Lawson’s Finest Liquids, which also brews a beer named after our show that helps support our station.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public.

On Anna Costello’s first visit to Vermont, she was surprised by the large number of Chinese restaurants compared to the seemingly small number of Asian Americans. So, she asked us: "What’s the Asian American experience like in Vermont?"To find the answer, Myra Flynn learns to make bao, tours an Asian market, and talks to some of the leaders within this quiet but booming community here in Vermont.Check out lots of photos from Myra’s reporting in our web feature. Myra Flynn reported this episode and did the mix and sound design. Engineering support from Peter Engisch. Editing and additional production from the rest of the Brave Little State team: Angela Evancie, Josh Crane and Mae Nagusky. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Special thanks to Mae Nagusky, Marlon Hyde, Ita Meno and Anna Ste. Marie.As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Twitter, Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public.

When the federal government banned alcohol in 1920, Vermonters took matters into their own hands. We head to the Northeast Kingdom to collect stories of cross-border bars, liquor hidden in baby bottles and potato cellar robbery.Thanks to Nathan Bangs for the great question. Check out old photos from Prohibition-era Vermont in our web feature. Want to have a say in which question we tackle in an upcoming episode? Vote here!Kevin Trevellyan reported this episode. Josh Crane produced it, and did the mix and sound design. Editing and additional production from the rest of the Brave Little State team: Angela Evancie, Myra Flynn and Mae Nagusky. Our theme music is by Ty Gibbons. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.By the way, December 5 will mark the 89th anniversary of the repeal of federal Prohibition. If you want to honor this very random anniversary (or any other special occasion), might we suggest a toast with Brave Little State Pale Ale — that’s right, our show has a namesake beer. It's brewed by Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield and it’s available throughout Vermont.Special thanks to Andy Kolovos, Kate Phillips, Peter Martin, Odette Crawford and Adrian Thibeault. As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Vote on the question you want us to tackle next Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Twitter, Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public.