A potpourri of topics on Vermont Edition today: a local sartorial controversy, medical science, one town's prized root vegetable and great music to end the hour.
Dress codes
A community conversation has gotten intense in Woodstock. It stems from questions about how the local public middle school's dress code is being enforced. And the conversation has expanded to include gender politics, body shaming, and cultural norms. VPR reporter Rebecca Sananes was at a school meeting last night and will update us on how this discussion is unfolding.
Blood testing
The Vermont Health Department has announced more rounds of blood testing for the chemical PFOA in the blood of people who have lived or worked near the former ChemFab plant in North Bennington. Dartmouth Hitchcock physician Dr. Karen Huyke talks with us about the complicated factors that go into testing someone's blood or body for contaminants. She says it requires not just knowledge of the best ways to test, but a balanced understanding of risk as more and more things show up in our bloodstreams.
A turnip's day in the sun
Now that the Gilfeather Turnip is becoming Vermont's official state vegetable, we take a moment to appreciate the mystery root's origins in Wardsboro and how this particular turnip has contributed to community fundraising and the slow food movement. Plus, recipes!
Music by Carton
From Windsor, Vermont, the band Carton has received high acclaim. Paste Magazine named the group one of 10 bands you should listen to now. They recorded a four-song set for VPR at the Skinny Pancake in Burlington for our music discovery series, Live From the Fort.
Broadcast live on Thursday, May 12, 2016, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
