Send us a text Burlington attorney Walter Judge was one of the approximately 4,000 people in the US who received a heart transplant this year.WCAX News

Send us a text Lawmakers and Gov. Scott agreed last year to major education reform in hopes of reducing chronic property tax increases. However, a committee charged with drawing up new school districts presented this summer a different approach. How will the governor and legislature respond when lawmakers return to Montpelier next month? We spoke w…

Send us a text Jessie Krebs is an outdoor survival skills expert. She discusses how to prepare for an adventure and what to do when things go wrong. Krebs runs O.W.L.S. Skills and teaches courses throughout the country, including here in Vermont. She graduated from Air Force survival training and lasted 46 days on the TV show "Alone."…

Send us a text President Donald Trump is "an autocrat" who poses an unprecedented threat to American democracy. So says former Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Amestoy. With Trump loyalists running the Justice Dept., the FBI and the military, Amestoy worries the president will disregard court orders and election results with impunity. As…

Send us a text Mitra Mahtab (Naeimi), a 29-year-old Afghan woman, fled her country in 2021 after the United States completed its troop withdrawal and the Taliban regained control. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the 2001 9/11 attacks seeking to root out members of Al Quaeda. The Taliban greatly restricts the rights of Afghan women. Mitra had a l…

Send us a text Interim Police Chief Shawn Burke says a lack of accountability is a major factor behind the increase in drug use, theft, violent crime and other illegal activity in Vermont's largest city. Burke was police chief in South Burlington but agreed in March to return as the interim chief in Burlington, where he previously worked for 21 yea…

Send us a text Heather Darby is a seventh generation farmer in Alburgh. She is an expert in sustainable agriculture at the UVM Extension Service. She has a Masters in Agronomy and a PhD in crop and soil management. We talked about this year's severe drought and her concerns about the future viability of farming here in Vermont.…

Send us a text Former Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Amestoy writes about why famed lawyer Clarence Darrow became involved in a grisly murder case in the Green Mountain State in the 1920's. The book, Winters' Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder that Brought America's Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont, can be purchased from t…

Send us a text Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas says the Trump administration is attempting to tamp down voter participation with false claims about the accuracy of elections, "witch hunt" requests she'll oppose to turn over sensitive voter information and calls to scrap mail-in voting. Those efforts, along with sending National Guard troop…

Send us a text A grassroots group, Building Burlington's Future, recently formed to confront some of the issues facing the Queen City and advocate for policies to make the city "affordable, safe and vibrant."

Send us a text Owen Foster, chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, discusses the recent cost reductions proposed by the University of Vermont Health Network and the improved communications between the regulator and the state's largest health care provider. Hospital budget hearings before the GMCB start in August. Also, Chris Pearson of Vermont Hea…

Send us a text PBS journalist and author Ray Suarez will preach and discuss his book "We Are Home: Becoming American in the 21st Century" at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington on Sunday, July 20th. The book is an oral history of immigrants who've come to the United States. Suarez will also discuss the recent immigration crackdown by the…

Send us a text A new advocacy group, Vermont Healthcare 911, is taking aim at the rising costs of health care and increasing insurance rates. Coalition members Lisa Ventriss and Dr. Craig Jones discuss why they think their group's efforts -- along with the Green Mountain Care Board, the state's regulatory body -- will be more successful than past a…

Send us a text WCAX veteran photojournalist Joe Carroll talks about his journey after learning last year he has advanced prostate cancer. The 62-year-old host of "Super Seniors" is currently in remission.WCAX News

Send us a text The recent arrest of undocumented farmworkers by federal agents in Franklin County at the state's largest dairy operation has sparked fears of further enforcement efforts, as well as outrage against the Trump administration. Will Lambek of Migrant Justice discusses the reaction of the farming community and the resilience of the migra…

Send us a text Does increasing tariffs make sense? UVM Economics professor Rich Sicotte explains the history, mechanics and wisdom of President Trump's push to levy higher fees on imported products.

Send us a text Sen. Peter Welch says there are limits to what he can do to stop the "lawless and pretty cruel" policies of the Trump administration given that Democrats are in the minority in the U.S. Senate. "It's hard, it's dangerous, but these are the times we're in. And I think we've got to hang in."…

Send us a text Burlington-based historian Garrett Graff discusses "Life Became Very Blurry," an oral history of the pandemic featuring interviews of Vermonters. The Vermont Historical Society initiated the project.WCAX News

Send us a text Burlington-based journalist and historian Garrett Graff says the country is at an "enormously dangerous moment" and has seen "the quick unraveling of many of the foundations" of American democracy since Donald Trump's return to the presidency in January.

Send us a text A key Vermont official is worried federal cuts to Medicaid could hurt patients, rural hospitals, physician practices and nursing homes. Congress is considering cuts to the program which costs more than $2.2 billion a year in Vermont. DaShawn Groves is the commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access, which oversees the Med…

Send us a text Attorney General Charity Clark discusses the court cases Vermont has joined alongside other states against the Trump administration.

Send us a text Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad will step aside in April after almost five years running the department. He cited differing views on policing than Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak for why he's leaving. Murad said the new chief will face multiple challenges, including recruiting more officers to a department still affected by city leaders…

Send us a text State Treasurer Mike Pieciak is promoting a program to wipe out medical debt for many low and moderate-income Vermonters. The proposal would also prevent medical debt from being included on an individual's credit report.

Send us a text The former eight-term senator discusses his accomplishments while in office, the presidents he served alongside, hip surgery, returning to Vermont and "the rock," his wife Marcelle.

Send us a text Former Senator Patrick Leahy criticizes President Donald Trump's rampant misstatements, misguided pardons and cabinet nominees. Leahy also highlights some of his accomplishments during his 48-year Senate career.WCAX News

Send us a text Sue Wear has been helping families find their lost pets since 2013. She solved one of her most challenging canine cases recently, Ruby, a mixed breed rescue who was on her own for four months throughout Chittenden County before being humanely captured in December.WCAX News

Send us a text In December 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled the state's prohibition on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. In the Baker decision, the justices ordered the Legislature to either allow gay marriage or establish an alternative system to afford those rights. The Legislature created civil unions. Plaintiffs Stan Baker and Peter …

Send us a text In December 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled the state's prohibition on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. In the Baker decision, the justices ordered the Legislature to either allow gay marriage or establish an alternative system to afford those rights. The Legislature created civil unions. In part 1, plaintiffs Stan Baker…