

Vermont Edition
Vermont Public
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 2, 2026 • 50min
So you're thinking about getting Canadian citizenship, eh?
So you're thinking about getting Canadian citizenship, eh?

Apr 1, 2026 • 50min
No joke, let's talk superstitions and Vermont folklore
Grab your lucky rabbit’s foot, walk around that ladder, and come talk about superstitions and tall tales with us. Do you ever wonder why you feel a little uneasy when a mirror cracks? You’re not alone. Locally, there’s stories like the Bennington Triangle and Emily's Bridge in Stowe. There’s also the superstitious behavior we inherit, such as saying 'rabbit rabbit' on the first of the month.Today, you’ll hear from Kerry Noonan, a folklorist and Champlain College professor, and author Joe Citro from Windsor. He’s written lots of books about Vermont’s haunts, legends and best kept secrets.

Mar 31, 2026 • 50min
The legal battles over accountability in policing
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has roots in Vermont and nationwide implications. The Zorn v. Linton case involved a 2015 protest in Montpelier, and Vermont State Police.We discuss the case with one of its subjects, Shela Linton of Brattleboro, and two constitutional lawyers: Jay Diaz, Civil Rights and workers compensation litigator at Darby Kolter & Roberts. He was formerly the lead advocate for qualified immunity reform with the ACLU of Vermont in Waterbury, and Jared Carter of Vermont Law and Graduate School.Then: a few days after the Mar. 11 confrontation between ICE agents and protesters in South Burlington, the Vermont House advanced a bill to allow citizens sue federal agents for alleged civil rights violations. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Martin LaLonde (D-South Burlington), also chairs the Vermont House's Ethics Committee and the Judiciary Committee.Broadcast live on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Mar 30, 2026 • 50min
Brattleboro nurses and hospital administrators return to the bargaining table
Nurses at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will return to the bargaining table tomorrow with hospital administrators.

Mar 26, 2026 • 50min
Migratory songbirds warble, tweet and twitter their way back to Vermont
Migratory songbirds warble, tweet and twitter their way back to Vermont

Mar 25, 2026 • 50min
Town by Town: Rockingham
For the latest in our Town by Town series, we head to Rockingham, in Windham County. Rockingham sits along the Connecticut River and includes the villages of Saxtons River and Bellows Falls.Each month, Vermont Edition visits or learns about a different Vermont town or city, with the goal of hitting all 252 of them. At the end of the hour, a guest helps us select our next location by spinning a big wheel.Our guests are: the painter Charlie Hunter, twin brothers and small-scale developers John and Jeff Dunbar, Central Elementary School principal Kate Kane and Vermont Country Store proprietor Lyman Orton.Broadcast live on Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Mar 24, 2026 • 50min
As health plans drop GLP-1s, what's next for patients?
As health plans drop GLP-1s, what's next for patients?

Mar 23, 2026 • 50min
'I would never follow an unlawful order:' Vt. National Guard's new leader on overseas deployments
Lawmakers recently elected a new head of the Vermont National Guard. This new leadership comes as Guard members are being deployed around the world, from the Caribbean to the Middle East.Today on Vermont Edition, we'll talk with Major General Henry "Hank" Harder Jr. He now leads around 3,000 Guard members in the Green Mountain State. He’ll tell us about his military service, and his role when the Guard deploys.Plus, fossil fuel prices have increased significantly since the start of the war in Iran. Jared Duval with the Energy Action Network explains how rising gas prices affect Vermont’s economy.

Mar 19, 2026 • 50min
Vermont Edition At Home: Ryan Miller of Guster
In the latest installment of our series, Vermont Edition At Home, we head to the Williston home of Ryan Miller, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist for the pop rock band Guster. Miller and his bandmates have released nine albums over the last three and a half decades.Miller is also the former host of the Vermont PBS show Makin’ Friends With Ryan Miller, and composes for film and theater. His indie-rock musical, Safety Not Guaranteed, based on the film of the same name, is currently at the Signature Theater in Northern Virginia.We'll talk with him about his long-term friendships with his bandmates and making new friends when he and his family moved to Vermont. Plus, we'll take a tour of Miller's home music studio.

Mar 18, 2026 • 50min
Local authors on the art of translation
Commonsense House, a new publishing imprint in the Upper Valley, aims to bring more Arabic works to English readers. Its founder, Ezzedine Fishere, is an author himself. He is a Distinguished Fellow at Dartmouth from Egypt who teaches courses on Middle East politics. He discusses the highs and and lows of getting his novels translated into English. Daisy Rockwell is an award-winning Hindi and Urdu translator based in North Bennington. Her love of languages runs deep, as does her passion for bringing new books to American readers. Her latest translation is Sleep Journeys, a book-length prose poem by the noted Urdu poet Azra Abbas.Then, Mitch Wertlieb sits down with Westmore writer Ted Page. When he became a grandparent, Page couldn’t find much material that offered advice or reflection on this new stage of life. So, he decided to find out on his own and publish what he learned in Good Grandpa: Stories from the Heart of Grandfatherhood.Broadcast live on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.


