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The exterior of the current Albany General Store with a snowpile in front. — Amy Kolb Noyes / VPR

NEK Community Rallies To Bring Back Albany General Store

The general store is the heart of many small Vermont towns, but the rise of online shopping and big box stores has made it hard for some more traditional stores to stay open. Some Vermont towns are turning to public-private partnerships to keep their general stores viable. In one Northeast Kingdom town they’re counting on that model to get their store back.

U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs Robert Wilkie - pictured here on Feb. 26 providing testimony to a House Appropriations subcommittee — Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie On Burn Pits, Suicide & More Issues Affecting Vermont Veterans

Shrewsbury resident Jonathan Gibson testifies at the Vermont Statehouse while others are seated behind him. — John Dillon / VPR

Lawmakers, Regulators Examine Vulnerabilities With Vermont's E-911 System

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Rutland Hospital Breaks Ground On $23 Million Medical Office Building

By Nina Keck • 9 hours ago

Local and state officials were at Rutland Regional Medical Center Monday to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new $23.9 million medical office building. The new construction is coming at a time when many hospitals in the state are struggling financially. Rutland hospital officials acknowledge they're taking a calculated risk.

Childcare Advocates Anxious As Senate Considers Increased Funding

By Peter Hirschfeld • 9 hours ago

Barre mother Nina Lemieux sits with her three kids, Billie, Brightlynn and Boston (from left). Shortly after Lemieux's daycare provider shut down unexpectedly in 2017, Lemieux lost her job, her savings and her apartment. — Peter Hirschfeld / VPR

House lawmakers last month approved a substantial increase in funding for childcare services, but leaders in the Senate say they aren’t ready to commit to the proposal.

Inside The Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve

By Jane Lindholm • 11 hours ago

More than 80,000 barrels of maple syrup are stored in the Laurierville facility. They make up half of the world strategic maple syrup reserve's current supply. — Jane Lindholm / VPR

In the tiny town of Laurierville, deep in the heart of Quebec, sits a former furniture warehouse that has been converted to hold half the world's reserve supply of maple syrup. This strategic reserve is designed to stabilize the price and supply of maple syrup for a growing global market, and all commercial maple producers in Quebec are required to deliver part of their crop to the reserve each year.

Supreme Court Will Hear Cases On LGBTQ Discrimination Protections For Employees

By Bill Chappell • 12 hours ago

The Supreme Court has accepted three cases that ask whether federal anti-discrimination laws should apply to sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace, putting the court on track to consider high-profile LGBTQ issues after its next term begins this fall.

Why Vermont's Pension Pressures Mean Other Projects Won't Get Funded

By Jane Lindholm & Matthew F. Smith • 13 hours ago

An increasing amount of the state's revenue - now roughly 40 percent - goes toward pension obligations. We're talking about Vermont's retirement liabilities and how they affect state spending on other projects. — sorbetto / iStock

Live call-in discussion: Vermont owes $1.5 billion in unfunded teacher pensions. After years of underfunding and low returns, paying for these pensions and other retirement obligations takes up a growing portion of the state budget. We're talking about ways Vermont is addressing these retirement liabilities and how it all affects the state's ability to pay for new projects.

Scientists Dig Into Hard Questions About The Fluorinated Pollutants Known As PFAS

By Rebecca Hersher • 16 hours ago

Scientists are ramping up research on the possible health effects of a large group of common but little-understood chemicals used in water-resistant clothing, stain-resistant furniture, nonstick cookware and many other consumer products.

Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton Joins Democratic Race For President

By Jessica Taylor • 20 hours ago

Updated at 9:53 a.m. ET

Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton is joining the large 2020 Democratic presidential field, touting a record of military service, bucking his party and arguing for younger leadership.

"The greatest generation saved our country from tyranny. It's time for our generation to step up and do the same," Moulton said in an announcement video posted early Monday.

Rabies Around Us: Avoiding, Treating And Eradicating The Viral Disease

By Jane Lindholm & Ric Cengeri • Apr 19, 2019

Coyotes infected with rabies are rare in Vermont. But two cases of rabid coyotes were recently reported in Addison County. — Bill_Dally / iStock

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Since 2005, just over 800 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies. But no coyotes. Until recently, when two coyotes in Addison County were found to be rabid. We'll take a full look at rabies in Vermont and the threat it poses to humans.

Gifford Medical Center Finds Worker Shortage Cuts Into Hospital's Bottom Line

By Howard Weiss-Tisman • Apr 19, 2019

Dr. Bryan Smith, standing, talks with a nurse at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph. — Howard Weiss-Tisman / VPR

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A recent report found that eight the state's 14 hospitals fell short of revenue forecasts in 2018. Gifford Medical Center officials say a workforce shortage is one of the biggest challenges, and it’s having a serious effect on the bottom line.

'Do I Scare You?': Weybridge Teen's Poem Confronts Islamophobia

By Jane Lindholm, Sam Gale Rosen & Matthew F. Smith • Apr 18, 2019

Mourners lay flowers on a wall at the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch, New Zealand, Monday, March 18, 2019. — Vincent Thian / AP

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9:55

Last month, the Addison Independent published a poem by Narges Anzali, a 13-year-old eighth grader who attends Middlebury Union Middle School. The poem is titled simply: "To All The People Who Hate Muslims."