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Exploring Rutland's reputation and its reality

The city of Rutland sometimes gets a bad rap, but residents say there’s a side of the city that people often overlook. The team at Brave Little State recently solicited questions from a live event in Rutland and the winning question centers on why Rutland is made to feel like the ugly child.

Question-asker and retired school teacher Linda Mullin shared her experiences as a longtime Rutland resident, and tells us about what excites her about the city's future.

Broadcast live on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here and Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Andrea Laurion joined Vermont Public as a news producer for Vermont Edition in December 2022. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. Before getting into audio, Andrea worked as an obituary writer, a lunch lady, a wedding photographer assistant, a children’s birthday party hostess, a haunted house actor, and an admin assistant many times over.
Burgess Brown is part of Vermont Public’s Engagement Journalism team. He is the producer for Brave Little State, the station's people-powered journalism project.