Sam Gale Rosen

While a number of contenders are considering running for governor in 2020, former Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe is the first to declare her candidacy. Holcombe served as secretary of education under Gov. Peter Shumlin and Gov. Phil Scott, before resigning in 2018. She now says that she left the position over policy differences with Scott. She will seek the Democratic nomination for the governorship. Scott has not declared his intentions.

Former Vermont Public Radio host Steve Delaney died late last week. Delaney, who worked at VPR for about 12 years, preceded Mitch Wertlieb as host of Morning Edition and delivered the station's midday news report — all with his characteristic baritone newsman's voice and measured delivery.

The legislative session came to an official close on June 20, when Gov. Scott signed the last five bills waiting for him to act on. VPR's statehouse reporter Peter Hirschfeld joins Vermont Edition to discuss the governor's rationale behind the vetoes and what the next steps are from lawmakers. 

Amid nationwide debate over topics like abortion policy, curricula for sex education classes vary widely state by state. We're talking about what sex ed looks like here in Vermont, how health teachers think about that part of their job, and how new education requirements like proficiency-based learning intersect with teaching kids about sexual health.

Since 2014, the Vermont Health Department has been giving out the overdose reversal drug Narcan for free to people at risk of overdose, and since 2016 an order has allowed pharmacies to sell Narcan to anyone without a prescription. Now, nurses at some Vermont schools are also stocking the drug.

Inspired by a lack of action on climate change in Washington, and by the deterioration of coral reefs she witnessed while out snorkeling, Norwich filmmaker Liz Canner set out to create an experience that would evoke a visceral reaction and inspire people to address these issues. We’re talking about Lost City of Mer, a virtual reality game that uses a fantastic underwater world to teach players about the importance of climate change action.

Bennington College will use a $1 million grant to address food insecurity throughout the county by partnering with several institutions across Bennington County, including the local supervisory union, the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and others. We're talking about what hunger looks like in that part of the state and how it's being addressed.

In 1985 and 2000, two barrels containing four bodies were found just outside of Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire. In 2019, the identities of three of those victims were finally revealed. Vermont Edition spoke with Jason Moon, a reporter for New Hampshire Public Radio and host of the podcast Bear Brook, about the latest findings in the gruesome murders and the decades-long effort to identify the victims.

But Why takes over the airwaves of VPR's news and culture program, Vermont Edition. University of Vermont electrical engineering professor Paul Hines joins us to answer the many questions we've already gotten and those that come in live about electricity, renewable energy and other POWERful topics.

After three high-profile cases were dismissed in Chittenden County over planned insanity defenses, some — including Gov. Phil Scott — have questioned whether those dismissals were the right choice. We're talking about the legal and health issues behind this debate.

Witold Pilecki was a Polish resistance fighter who intentionally allowed himself to be captured and sent to Auschwitz. His mission was to sabotage and gather information about the camp — well before the full truth of its horrifying purpose was revealed to the world. We're talking to the author of a new book on Pilecki about what he accomplished and why he isn't better known today.

Ferns have been around for hundreds of millions of years, have survived several mass extinctions and may well be thriving after humanity has gone the way of the dodo. A new book describes ferns' remarkable survival skills and teaches fern enthusiasts how to identify species that live in our region.

Governor Phil Scott has said that he will allow H.57 – a bill protecting abortion rights – to become law. And lawmakers are also moving forward in the multi-step process of amending the state constitution to enshrine the right to an abortion. We're talking about Vermont's legislation on reproductive rights and how it fits into the national debate and legal landscape.

Major depression can have devastating effects on a sufferer's life – and can be deadly. There are many treatments – different kinds of drugs, therapies, and other interventions – but what happens when someone can't find one that works? We're talking about treatment-resistant depression and how it's dealt with by patients and care providers. 

Research by a UVM anthropologist suggests that a majority of migrant farmworkers in Vermont face serious barriers to accessing nutritious food – in addition to other enormous challenges. We're talking to Teresa Mares about her new book Life On the Other Border: Farmworkers and Food Justice in Vermont.

State lawmakers have passed a ban on single-use plastic bags and polystyrene food and drink containers. Now the final version of that bill is on its way to Gov. Phil Scott's desk. We're taking a look at what's in the current bill and how the legislature is looking ahead to possible next steps in fighting the growing problem of plastic pollution.

As the legislative session comes to a close, some of the most widely-watched bills are nearing the finish line in Montpelier – including minimum wage, paid family leave, and a bill preserving abortion rights. We're talking to Gov. Phil Scott, who faces a number of decisions on whether to sign, veto, or allow legislation to pass without his signature.

With an estimated one million species facing the threat of extinction driven by human activity, is now the time to think seriously about getting a handle on skyrocketing global population? We're talking about human population, its impact on the planet and what can be done.

The "Dr. Dynasaur" program has been providing healthcare for children and pregnant women for thirty years, and it's gone through a number of expansions and iterations. We're talking about how Dr. Dynasaur works, who is covered, how the program has changed since its introduction and how it might evolve going forward.

Math is much more than memorizing multiplication and division tables and converting fractions into decimals. There are incredible applications for math in the real world. We'll hear from mathematicians about someone of the ways they're using it practically.