It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Vermont’s messy transition from winter to spring always brings its fair share of surprises and obstacles. And this year has been no exception: The mud came early, and it came often. Keith Gadapee is on the front lines of battling mud season as road foreman for the town of Danville — which has more dirt roads than anywhere else in Vermont. We spoke to Keith back in 2022 for an episode we called “Mud Season Madness” and put your pressing mud questions to the expert. We dug out that episode for an encore and checked back in with Keith as this year’s roll ..read more

Two Abenaki First Nations headquartered in Canada contest the legitimacy of Vermont’s state-recognized tribes. How are Vermont lawmakers responding?  Last October, Brave Little State published “Recognized”: a three-part investigation into contested claims that Vermont’s four state-recognized tribes are not legitimate. The Abenaki First Nations making those claims have called on Vermont lawmakers to reconsider the state recognition process.  Reporter Elodie Reed followed up on her original reporting and shared her findings with The Frequency podcast host Mitch Wertlieb. We’re reshar ..read more

This week, a story from our neighbors at North Country Public Radio. If All Else Fails is a recent podcast about the growing presence — and threat — of far-right extremism in northern New York, and the voters and local law enforcement that are engaging with the movement there. You can learn more about the series here. That’s also where you can find photos from NCPR’s reporting, and listen to the rest of the series. Heads up: The show contains some harsh language and some listeners might find certain parts of this episode disturbing. This episode was reported by Emily Russell and Zach Hirsch ..read more

The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, better known as VAST, maintains more than 6,000 miles of snowmobile trails across the state. Today, snowmobiling is one of the top contributors to Vermont’s winter economy. But for a sport so dependent on reliable snow, the future is uncertain. The majority of VAST trails are on private land. One of those landowners is winning question-asker Barb Huibregtse of Danville, who asks:  “What is the impact of the VAST trail on Vermont’s economy?” Find the web version of this episode here. This episode was reported by Howard Weiss-Tisman and produce ..read more

A smattering of Vermont and New Hampshire towns on either side of the Connecticut River are known collectively as the “Upper Valley.” We set out to learn more about the origin of that phrase, and what makes the Upper Valley a geographic and cultural outlier. Our mission comes from question-asker David Watts, of Norwich: “What is the Upper Valley? And how did it get its name?” Find the web version of this episode here.   This episode was reported and produced by Josh Crane. Editing and additional production from Burgess Brown and Sabine Poux. Angela Evancie is our Executive Producer. Th ..read more

Vermont is home to almost 200 independent and locally funded libraries. This means they each must evolve to meet the unique needs of their communities with sometimes limited resources. That got listener Diane Church of Fairlee wondering: “How do our public libraries manage to stay alive and vibrant in this age of technology?” Vermont Public’s Sabine Poux and Andrea Laurion visit two of Vermont’s libraries to see how things are going.   Find the web version of this episode here.   This episode was reported by Sabine Poux and Andrea Laurion, and it was produced by Burgess Brown ..read more

Burlington has sister cities all over the world — including in Nicaragua, Mississippi and Japan. Winning question-asker Peg Clement is curious about the city's relationship with two, in particular: Bethlehem, in the West Bank, and Arad, in Israel.  Find the web version of this episode here. The Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad sister city committee holds public meetings on the first Monday of every month in Burlington’s Miller Center. You can find more information here. Additional resources: NPR: Special Series: Middle East crisis – explained Al Jazeera: What’s the Israel-Palestine conflict ..read more

We journey into the weird world of Vermont's favorite jam band to explore the culture of "phandom” and Phish’s early roots in our brave little state. We originally released this episode in 2021. In it, Ethan Weinstein of South Woodstock asks: “Why do people like Phish? And how did they become such a big part of Vermont music culture?” (Heads up: There’s a bit of profanity in this episode, and some discussion of drugs and drug culture.) To see photos of Phish from their early Vermont days, check out our web post. You’ll also find a Phish starter kit with resources to further your Phish educa ..read more

Volunteers were still pumping water out of basements from the July floods when another round of flooding hit this week. Vermonters on the front lines say the frequency of these events point to the need for more durable solutions. On this episode of Brave Little State, a question from Sophi Veltrop, of Woodbury: "How are towns hit by 2023 flooding doing? What locally-driven solutions are helping those most harmed and setting the stage to rebuild better?" Reporter Pete Hirschfeld talks to some of those who were hit hardest over the summer, from a family whose home is still uninhabitable to a ..read more

Vermont’s pastoral, small town charm didn’t just happen out of thin air. It’s been legislated. And it’s especially baked into one really important Vermont law — Act 250. But as Vermont changes, there’s an increasing push for Act 250 to change with it.  That’s why Danielle Laberge of Wells submitted this winning question to Brave Little State:  “What's the deal with Act 250, Vermont's signature land-use law? Why is it important and what's changing?” Reporter Sabine Poux digs into the story of Act 250, from its origins in the 1960s to a present-day battle over how it should be imple ..read more