[S]ince May 2017, VTDigger has been bringing readers inside the newsroom with our weekly podcast, The Deeper Dig. In each episode, our reporters describe how and why they took on major stories, while candid interviews with officials, activists and everyday Vermonters shed light on key issues.
Over the course of 40 episodes this year, our audio reports have covered a range of topics, from Act 46 implementation to the Mueller investigation. Here are 10 episodes that merit another listen:
Grappling with gun rights (Feb. 2)
Months before the Parkland shooting and the Fair Haven threat turbocharged the conversation about firearm restrictions in Vermont, three gun bills were already sparking debate at the Statehouse. At a public hearing in late January, advocates and opponents brought fiery testimony to legislators, highlighting long-running tensions and foreshadowing the debate that would dominate the months ahead.
Guests: Sen. Philip Baruth, Clai-Lasher Somers (GunSense Vermont), Ed Cutler (Gun Owners of Vermont)
In the Zone: Voices from the F-35 debate (Feb. 27)
VTDigger’s “Rough Landing” investigation chronicled the role of state leaders in the decision to deploy F-35 fighter jets in Vermont’s largest metro area. In this companion audio report, business leaders make the case for strengthening Burlington’s Air National Guard base, while airport neighbors who’ve faced years of encroachment worry that their community may already be lost.
Guests: Roseanne Greco, Matthew Ennis, Ernie Pomerleau (Pomerleau Real Estate), Frank Cioffi (GBIC), Ray Gonda, Carmine Sargent, Anna Johnston, Steve & Loretta Marriott
Precedent and politics in the Sawyer case (April 19)
Jack Sawyer, a teenager in Fair Haven, was arrested just days after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, for allegedly plotting to attack his Vermont high school. Prosecutors brought a slew of charges — but quickly discovered that under current laws, they would have trouble convicting Sawyer of much at all. While new gun restrictions dominated public debate, lawmakers who focused on criminal justice faced a more theoretical question: when does suspicious behavior cross the line into attempted crime?
Guests: Robert Sand (Vermont Law School), Alan Keays (VTDigger)
$5.8 billion in 15 minutes (May 18)
Despite Gov. Scott’s budget veto at the end of the legislative session, Vermont’s spending blueprint was set down in early May — to the tune of about $5.8 billion. How does the state dole out that dough? We asked officials and analysts across state government to explain their process. And to make things more interesting, we gave each one an amount of airtime proportional to their piece of the pie.
Guests: Steve Klein (Joint Fiscal Office), Sen. Jane Kitchel, Emily Byrne (Agency of Education), Joe Flynn (Agency of Transportation), Mike Faher (VTDigger), Colin Meyn (VTDigger)
‘A lethal combination’ in the Lumumba homicide (May 25)
The murder of Anako Lumumba, a 33-year-old South Burlington nurse who was allegedly killed by her boyfriend Leroy Headley, set off an interstate manhunt this spring. It also renewed a statewide conversation about the judicial system’s handling of domestic violence cases, and the dangerous connection between firearms and abuse.
Guests: Trevor Whipple (South Burlington Police), Auburn Watersong (Vermont Network Against Domestic & Sexual Violence)
Vermonters raise voices to the southern border (July 6)
As the national outcry over the Trump administration’s family separation policy was peaking, VTDigger’s national reporter Elizabeth Hewitt revealed a little-known link between the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and Vermont: ICE’s global call center, which accepts tips about immigration violations, operates out of a nondescript office building next to a Bed Bath & Beyond in Williston.
Guests: Elizabeth Hewitt
EB-5 cleanup leaves investors anxious (July 20)
In July, the aftermath of Vermont’s EB-5 fraud scandal appeared to take two steps forward. First, the federal government announced that it would immediately shut down the Vermont EB-5 Regional Center, a decision state officials protested and appealed. Then, Attorney General TJ Donovan announced a civil settlement against the developers behind the fraud. But the long-term effect of both events remains uncertain — and an attorney fighting on behalf of the defrauded investors says their interests continue to be ignored.
Guests: Russell Barr (Barr Law Group), Kate Gallagher (Vermont Attorney General’s Office), Mike Pieciak (Vermont Department of Financial Regulation), Alan Keays (VTDigger)
An Amish enclave in the Northeast Kingdom (Oct. 21)
Since 2015, Amish families have been leaving Pennsylvania and Ohio to resettle in the Northeast Kingdom town of Brownington. The Amish use traditional farming and building techniques, and they prefer not to be photographed or recorded. But some members of the community — along with the realtor who’s helped many of them find new homes — opened up to VTDigger’s Anne Wallace Allen about what brought them to Vermont.
Guests: Dan McClure (Century 21 Farm & Forest), Molly Veysey (Old Stone House Museum), Anne Wallace Allen (VTDigger)
Under new scrutiny, the church pledges change (Nov. 2)
Two national stories about clergy misconduct, including one about Burlington’s troubled St. Joseph’s Orphanage, brought new attention to the past abuses of Catholic organizations nationwide. Under its current bishop, Vermont’s diocese is taking a turn towards transparency. But church officials and survivors of abuse still have different ideas of what justice looks like.
Guests: Bishop Christopher Coyne (Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington), Jerry O’Neill (Gravel & Shea), Kevin O’Connor (VTDigger)
Hospitals struggle with psychiatric care (Nov. 16)
For years, mental health patients in Vermont have faced increasingly long stays in hospital emergency rooms while they wait for openings in psychiatric facilities. In a series published this fall, VTDigger’s Mike Faher examined new state inspection reports that detail the mistreatment that those patients face in hospital custody — and the pressures on the system that create barriers to quality care.
Guests: Phoebe Sparrow Wagner, Mourning Fox (Vermont Department of Mental Health), Mike Faher (VTDigger)
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