Vermont is the 11th state to allow legalized sales of cannabis. James Pepper is the chair of the Cannabis Control Board which oversees regulation of the industry from seed to sale.WCAX News

Ginny Sweetser died by suicide after battling PTSD from her military service in Iraq. Her mother, Susan, is part of an effort to have wreaths placed at the gravesites of all Vermont veterans this holiday season. Click here to sponsor a wreath as part of the Wreaths Across America project.WCAX News

Singer-songwriter Jon Gailmor's musical impact on Vermonters has stretched across 45 years and been particularly profound on children through his long-running radio program "Just Kidding." Now 76 and facing health challenges, Jon is moving to New Orleans to be closer to family. He promises to come back and visit the Green Mountains as often as poss…

Owen Foster, the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, discusses an analysis by Dr. Bruce Harmory that paints a bleak financial picture for many of the state's 14 hospitals and why health care reform is urgently needed.WCAX News

Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak took over as mayor of Burlington in April with a focus on community safety.WCAX News

University of Vermont Medical Center officials say the state's largest hospital costs more than $2 billlion to operate. UVMMC President Stephen Leffler points to Vermont’s older population as one major reason. The Green Mountain Care Board, which recently approved "painfully high" double-digit health insurance premiums for the third year in a row, …

Ellen Kahler, executive director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, was recently inducted into the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame as an innovator for her work on the state's Farm to Plate program, which has benefited farmers and people by increasing the amount of local food consumed by Vermonters.…

Retired businessman and opinion writer Bill Schubart explains why he thinks Vermont's health care system is at a "tipping point" with costs rapidly rising and accessibility diminishing. A recent study by Rees Partners presented to the Green Mountain Care Board showed where savings could be achieved.WCAX News

Send us a text A poem about heaven and hell, and if you believe in them.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about our instincts, and when we just know when to use them.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about a dream in which I am all alone, apart from a floating stream.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about innocent death, and is it our place to ask the question why?Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A Poem about romantic breakups.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A Poem about being given the most beautiful gift, and that is life itself.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about what happens after we die.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about how we see other people, and what we think of them.Mark Andrew Johnson

Print and digital news outlets in Vermont are struggling financially. Seven Days reporter Colin Flanders discusses the in-depth analysis he and colleague Kevin McCallum conducted on the difficulties and efforts media sites are making to stay alive.WCAX News

Send us a text A poem about taking a break when something becomes boring, but never giving up. Otherwise, you will never find what you're looking for, or achieve what you want.Mark Andrew Johnson

Historian/Journalist Garrett Graff of Burlington discusses why the crimes and coverup that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon still resonate today. Graff is the author of "Watergate: A New History" that details the events and explains why the scandal has endured 50 years after Nixon stepped down in August of 1974.…

Historian Will Randall discusses past presidents who've faced the same pressure as Joe Biden to not run again. Some allies of the 81-year-old president have been concerned about his electability after a poor debate performance against Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Vermont Democrat Sen. Peter Welch said in Washington Post opinion piece that Biden shou…

Doris Sumner is the author of "Camp Life: Combating the Sexism We Tolerate and Why the Military Should Take the Lead." She served in the military for 36 years in several capacities, including as State Equal Opportunity and Diversity Manager for the Vermont National Guard.WCAX News

Lawmakers will try later this month to overturn Gov. Phil Scott's veto of a bill allowing for the creation of an Overdose Prevention Center in Burlington. Ed Baker, a retired psychotherapist, and David Mickenberg of the Drug Policy Alliance discuss how the center would save lives and reduce the strain on emergency workers.…

Ashley Van Zandt, a mother of two from Lyndonville, suffered from an unusual aftereffect from Covid that left most foods tasting and smelling like "moldy garbage" or the "bottom of your compost bucket" for a year until she tried a radical treatment in Texas.WCAX News

The head of the coalition of Vermont's free health care clinics says: "More people falling through the cracks into the safety net is indicative of a system that is failing." Olivia Sharrow blames "out of control hospital costs" for the rise in uninsured and underinsured people seeking help at the state's nine free clinics.…

State Treasurer Mike Pieciak was elected in 2022. Before that he served as Commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, where he played a key role in the state's Covid response and helped untangle the Ponzi-like fraud at Jay Peak. Part of his job as treasurer includes overseeing the Unclaimed Property Division, from where I received my $…

Send us a text A poem about how hard parents work for their children.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about the bible.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about daydreaming, pondering or thinking.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about a stranger helping you out or saving your life.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about taking time off from work, and really relaxing with your family and friends.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about U.F.O's or aliens, and are we really alone.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about the importance of the Sun.Mark Andrew Johnson

UVM History Department senior lecturer Andrew Buchanan discusses why it's important to look at what happened before 1941 and after 1945 to understand the full implications of World War II... even to today.WCAX News

Send us a text A poem about a circle in maths, and about life in general.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about whether to cheat on your partner.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about failing and succeeding.Mark Andrew Johnson

Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer has released a 69-page report on the role of state officials in the EB-5 ponzi scheme scandal. Three developers, Ariel Quiros, Bill Stenger and William Kelly were sentenced to jail in connection with the fraud.WCAX News

Send us a text A poem about seeing or experiencing an entity that doesn't make sense.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about moments and chances in life, and If they repeat themselves.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about succeeding or failing in life.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about climate change, and the problem the world faces in trying to slow it down.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about not having a name.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about the ups and downs of life.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about achieving your goals through hard work, sacrifice and commitment.Mark Andrew Johnson

Ten years ago, Vermont documentary filmmaker Bess O'Brien put the spotlight on opioid addiction in "The Hungry Heart." Now, she aims to raise awareness about Vermonters facing food and housing insecurity in "Just Getting By." The film tours from March 22 - April 12 throughout the state.WCAX News

Send us a text A poem about trees being in the same place until they die.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about strange weird dreams that don't make sense.Mark Andrew Johnson

Send us a text A poem about why the alphabet and words are so important in life.Mark Andrew Johnson

Dan Daltry served as a contact tracer for the Vermont Department of Health in the frightening early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was declared a national emergency four years ago. Daltry, an infectious disease program manager, has worked for the department since 2006. This interview will also appear as part of the Vermont Historical Societ…

Send us a text A poem about self belief, in achieving what you want from life.Mark Andrew Johnson