2023 is winding down, and Vermont Public is back with our yearly reflection. After covering the state this year, our staff has picked their favorite stories of 2023 — from flooding to local filmmakers.
We'll be rebroadcasting these stories as the year comes to a close, so listen for them this week on air. We've also included links to each.
Tulip superbloom
Abagael Giles, reporter
This summer, it felt like climate change hit Vermont hard. Way back in April, before all of the extreme rainfall we got in July, we had a record-breaking heat wave. Temperatures soared into the 80s before leaf-out. Then we had a late frost in May. It’s exactly what scientists predict Vermont will see more of as the climate changes. In all this chaos, one tulip farmer in Waitsfield wound up with an overabundance of tulips at the wrong time. Farmers are some of the most adaptive, resilient people I’ve met as a reporter, but hearing Emily talk about changing the brilliant way she grows her flowers made me think about all the private things each of us has lost, and will lose, if we don’t address climate change. I was really moved by how she took that grief and fought back by spreading joy in her community. Because who doesn’t love a tulip?
Revisit the piece: An April heat wave led to a 'superbloom' of tulips at this Vermont farm
New law opens door for more homeless shelters
Carly Berlin, reporter with Report For America
My favorite stories are ones that tie together individuals’ experiences, local dynamics and state-level policy. This one did just that. During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed a measure that makes it more difficult for municipalities to block the establishment of a homeless shelter. It was meant to temper local restrictions on an opposition to new shelters, which, in the past, delayed or killed shelter proposals that were in the works. St. Johnsbury is one town that has long limited where new shelters could go — but the new law cleared a path for a new shelter there this winter. I spoke to an unhoused resident in St. Johnsbury who was excited by the prospect of having a new, warm place to go.
Revisit the piece: A new law clears the way for a homeless shelter in the Northeast Kingdom
Interactive data: Finding assisted living facilities across Vermont
Corey Dockser, data reporter
This is a fully handmade interactive based on data I helped gather, two career firsts. When I first started studying computer science with the intent of eventually becoming a data journalist, it was these sorts of projects that I hoped to eventually do. I learned a lot about the state’s residential care system as well as how to approach these sorts of stories, both of which will no doubt be useful for me in the future. It’s also just a lot of fun to work with another reporter on a project.
Revisit the piece: Here's a tool to find assisted living and residential care facilities in Vermont
Recognized: Abenaki Nations and the challenge to Vermont's state-recognized tribes
Elodie Reed, digital producer/reporter
This special podcast series from Brave Little State was the culmination of two years of meeting Abenaki peoples, diving into many reports, newspaper articles and meeting minutes, and much, much learning about how different people — and recognition processes — define Indigeneity. It’s my favorite story of the year (or rather, years!) for the sheer relief it was to finally share, in digestible form, everything we’d been reporting out. That this story also required so many voices and so much help from colleagues to tell it made the endeavor feel like a true community effort. And that’s what I love about journalism — to do it well, we have to do it together.
Revisit the piece: Why are Abenaki Nations challenging the legitimacy of Vermont's state-recognized tribes?
Love and death (and sheep)
Erica Heilman, reporter
This was one of the most visceral field recordings, or one of the most viscera-rich experiences in the field — that I've ever had. It's a strange combination of love and death, and it's about as straightforward an introduction to where food comes as I can imagine. Hail Mary.
Revisit the piece: Mary Lake slaughters and shears sheep for a living. They're 'everything' to her
The flower man
Howard Weiss-Tisman, reporter
This was my favorite story for a few reasons. I’ve always been impressed by Dick DeGray’s volunteer work and so it felt good to let the rest of Vermont know what he’s been doing to make downtown Brattleboro more beautiful and welcoming. But when I set out to do the story, I did not expect to see folks experiencing homelessness wandering around Brattleboro at 4:00 in the morning. So I recorded that interaction, and the story grew into a larger discussion about the challenges facing Brattleboro and many of our downtowns.
Revisit the piece: The flower man of Brattleboro
Documenting life and ‘fractured Iranian identity’ in Bristol
Jenn Jarecki, Morning Edition host
Sierra Urich’s deeply personal documentary "Joonam" — a hometown hit at this summer’s Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival — was shot almost entirely in Bristol, where the director grew up. But "Joonam" reaches far beyond Addison County, spanning three generations and over 6,000 miles. The film explores Urich’s relationship with her mother Mitra, her grandmother Behjat, and her own “fractured Iranian identity.” The film is stunning — I told Sierra off mic that it gives me major Terrence Malick vibes — and I’m still struck by Urich’s courage and vulnerability in approaching such personal, and even potentially dangerous, issues in such a public way — she’s unlike any other Vermonter I’ve met, and I’d be thrilled to give the conversation an encore.
Revisit the piece: Vermont filmmaker explores her ‘fractured Iranian identity’ in ‘Joonam’
Thetford church gets new life as community center for people of color
Lexi Krupp, reporter
Last year, a Methodist congregation in Thetford donated their church building to a group called the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust to create a community center there. To me, the project was a striking example of how to repurpose aging infrastructure in a small town, while creating a space specifically geared towards communities of color. Recently, I checked in to see how the project is going. The building has a new name — the New Suns Community Center, based on an Octavia Butler quote. They’re hosting reading groups, flea markets, and for a large hall in the building, they’ve amassed a collection of roller skates in all sizes.
Revisit the piece: A church in North Thetford is getting new life as a community center for people of color
Motel housing program keeps changing
Liam Elder-Connors, reporter
Before the floods hit, the big story this summer was the winding down of the pandemic-era motel housing program that provided shelter for thousands of Vermonters. My colleague Elodie Reed and I wanted to bypass the policy fight in Montpelier and focus on the people living in the motels. After a day of driving around the Northeast Kingdom — and thanks to a bit of luck — we met Paula and Krystal, who agreed to share their stories.
Revisit the piece: It’s a stressful time for these Vermonters as the motel housing program continues changing
'You can't get butter': What happened when Johnson lost its market
Mitch Wertlieb, "The Frequency" podcast host
This mix of resident voices in Johnson explaining the ripple effect of losing Sterling Market to the summer floods — the one place where nearly everyone shopped for staple goods like milk, bread and butter — illustrates the vulnerability of small towns when large natural disasters occur amid a changing climate. It also reflects a sense of community. Sad as the story is, I did find a sense of hope that local developers understanding the importance of having a central marketplace for both practical and psychological reasons will work to bring a new store to Johnson, and that perhaps revitalization is possible even in difficult times.
Revisit the piece: Johnson eager for a new supermarket after summer flooding: 'You can't get butter'
A glimmer of wildflowers
Nina Keck, reporter
I came across a new word this year, or at least a new interpretation of glimmer. Glimmers are small moments that spark joy or peace — a beautiful sunset, your dog’s head in your lap, a stranger’s smile in the checkout lane. For me, my neighbor’s abundant and colorful wildflowers were daily glimmers. Turns out they were for a lot of people. I wrote this story so that others could feel the same joy I did when I learned how the flowers came to be and how much they helped their gardeners as well.
Revisit the piece: Chittenden couple’s wildflowers bring joy, connections and bees
Some light in the dark: Animal lovers help flood-displaced pets
Peter Hirschfeld, reporter
In the days after the July floods, reporters like me spent long days chronicling the despair and destruction left in their wake. So when I heard about the animal shelter that a local organization had opened for displaced pets, I couldn’t resist the urge to take a quick break from the horror and go see some wagging tails. The volunteers who stood up that shelter in Barre City brought a little bit of light into an otherwise dark time for flood survivors. And they reminded us of the abiding love we have for our pets. And the happiness they give us when we need it most.
Revisit the piece: Barre animal lovers help shelter pets displaced by Vermont flooding
Guns in Vermont
Brave Little State
The headline says it all: Erica Heilman talks to five Vermonters about their relationship to guns, to answer a listener's question about the prevalence of gun ownership in Vermont. The resulting conversations are raw and consistently surprising — and they represent a needed injection of humanity and empathy into a highly polarized national debate. Erica is a master interviewer, and her ability to connect with people from all walks of life with respectful yet unwavering curiosity shines in this episode.
Revisit the piece: 5 Vermonters talk about guns
What are eels?
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
In May, the But Why team traveled to Poughkeepsie, New York to learn about eels with Hudson River estuary educator Chris Bowser, who leads a citizen science project counting baby eels. Researchers think American eels hatch in the Sargasso sea between Bermuda and Puerto Rico and then travel thousands of miles to freshwater rivers and creeks across North and South America, where they grow to maturity. As many as 25 years later, they return to the ocean to spawn and die. Host Jane Lindholm slipped on some waders to learn more about these remarkable creatures and try her hand at counting what some of the participants say feel like “slippery noodles.”
Revisit the piece: What are eels?
Putting grief out there
Homegoings
This episode of Homegoings was released just before the holidays, and I had a lot of trepidation about doing so. There is always a little pressure that time of year to lean into the good feels. But there are so many people for whom the holidays bring up feelings of sadness and mourning, because they trigger the memories of togetherness with people they’ve lost. So I decided to get it out there. This is for them.
Revisit the piece: The relief in grief
Frankness in the film 'Dear Ani'
Made Here
It’s hard to pick a favorite film from the fall season, but Micah Levin’s film Dear Ani delivers on all levels. It’s a surprising and personal story from start to finish, with a complicated central character, Keith Wasserman. Keith’s frankness and vulnerability surrounding his own struggles with mental health is the true heart and message of this film. And paired with an insightful interview with Ani Difranco from Mary Engisch only makes the experience more compelling.
Revisit the piece: 'Dear Ani' considers fandom — and obsession — centered on singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco
Vermont videos
Video team
The video production team collaborated with many Vermont Public programs this past year including Vermont This Week, Made Here, But Why, Homegoings, All Things Gardening, Vermont Edition, Brave Little State and Classical! However, the three videos we wanted to highlight from 2023 were produced in response to events and opportunities we couldn't ignore: the retirement of our longest serving U.S. Senator Leahy, the effects of the devastating July floods on our state's capital, and a chance to work alongside the talented NOVA team at GBH in Boston.
Revisit the video projects:
