Special Sandy Coverage Tonight And Tomorrow

Stay tuned to VPR tonight and tomorrow morning for special coverage on Hurricane Sandy from VPR.

VPR reporters are stationed throughout Vermont and will be reporting the news about the storm on the air and online. And we'll continue to update weather information as we receive it.

Here is a rundown of our special coverage:

4:00 p.m.: All Things Considered will have coverage of the storm and frequent weather updates.

7 p.m.: Vermont Edition will broadcast live. You're encouraged to call in with questions and updates from your area.

8 p.m.: Special coverage continues with All Things Considered, hosted by Jane Lindholm and Neal Charnoff. VPR reporters will provide details from locations around Vermont, and we'll speak with Mark Breen about the storm's activity and a get a statewide update from Steve Zind.

10 p.m.: Listen for the BBC with VPR News updates from Neal Charnoff.

11 p.m.: VPR will carry the BBC overnight, which will provide a big picture of the storm.

5 a.m.: Morning Edition begins an hour earlier and you'll hear additional newscasts and coverage throughout the morning.

VPR's news and digital team will report new information as we receive it on the VPR News Blog. Let us know the storm’s effects in your region. Email vermontedition@vpr.net or post photos to VPR’s Facebook page. You can also tweet updates using the hashtags #VPR and #VTSandy.

You can also follow Sandy’s progress at VPR.net, where you will find a map tracking the storm, Eye On The Sky updates, links to Vermont Emergency Management and the National Hurricane Center, and preparedness recommendations.

All of our VPR News transmitters have generators so we don't anticipate power outages being a problem, but if you do have trouble receiving VPR please let us know by reporting it here.

We hope you and your family are safe as Hurricane Sandy arrives in Vermont.

VPR Presents Colman McCarthy

There's a new kind of course available to high school students at some high schools all over the country: "Conflict Resolution" or "Peace Studies."

Yes, in addition to reading, writing, and 'rithmetic, young people can now learn the literature of peace. Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gandhi are among the many writers who have penned the great masterpieces of "peace literature."

These kind of courses are just what America needs, according to peace activist and former Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy. His lecture on teaching peace earlier this month at St. Michael's College illustrates how, for many Americans, education has focused mostly on wars and battles. We know, for example, who Robert E. Lee was, but how many people can name the one member of Congress who voted against going to the war in Afghanistan?

Listen to VPR Presents Colman McCarthy for a fascinating lecture on America's fascination with conflict and the need for peace education.

"Burn" Takes A Look At Presidential Candidates' Energy Policies

Alex Chadwick, host of Burn.

Where do President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney stand on energy issues?

Listen to VPR Monday, October 29th and Tuesday, October 30th at 10PM for Burn: An Energy Journal. In this two-part special, host Alex Chadwick (pictured left) digs deep into where the major party candidates running for President stand on energy issues.

We'll also get a better sense of what the issues are. From fracking to rechargeable batteries, Burn offers you this comprehensive look at energy issues before the November 6th election.

Learn more about Burn: An Energy Journal.

The VPR Travel Mug Is Back - Today Only!

VPR’s stainless steel travel mug is back, just for a limited time!

Become a sustaining member today with an automatic pledge of $10 a month or more and we’ll send you one of these classic mugs.

Click here to become a sustaining member now!

These mugs are in limited supply. They’re shaped to fit in your hand and your cup holder as naturally as VPR fits into your life!

When you become a sustaining member, you’ll join more than 8,500 members who give monthly to VPR, providing a reliable source of income we can count on year-round, saving mailing and postage costs, and everyone’s favorite - reducing on-air fundraising.

And of course, your ongoing support helps pay for Vermont Edition, Performance Today, Radiolab, and all of the programming you rely on every day.

Please become a sustaining member today and get your VPR travel mug while they last. Many thanks for your support!

Get Your Reusable VPR Shopping Bag And A Recipe For Cheddar Soup

VPR is about halfway to meeting its membership drive goal of $500,000, but we need your help to get it “in the bag!”

When you pledge $60 or more to Vermont Public Radio today, we’ll thank you with a VPR reusable shopping bag and coupons for $5 worth of Cabot dairy products!

The green nylon bag folds up into a fist-sized pouch that fits in your purse or back pocket. It has VPR’s “euro” design on the front so you can show everyone that you support your public radio station.

This special gift is our way of saying thank you for supporting VPR.  Your financial contribution helps pay for election coverage, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, This American Life, VPR Classical, and all of the programming you rely on every day.

Please make your contribution right now, and many thanks for your support!

And, if you're looking for a way to use that free Cabot cheese, I highly recommend trying out this recipe for Vermont cheddar soup from VPR Underwriter Simon Pearce. It's amazing!

Meet Our Fall Mug Artist

This peaceful, folk art mug design was painted by Weathersfield artist Lisa Curry Mair.

Lisa says, "At Canvasworks, VPR is almost always on!"

She invites listeners to visit her newly expanded post and beam studio for a grand reopening event on November 17th and 18th. You can meet Lisa, see her murals, folk art, and extensive offerings of painted canvas floorcloths.

Just what exactly is a canvas floorcloth? Find out and learn how they're made at CanvasWorks FloorCloths's website.

You can get your new VPR artist mug with this design for a $90 pledge, or two for a pledge of $12/month ($144).

See all 61 artist mugs in our series online here!

Get Your NPR Election-Themed Buttons Today Only!

When you support Vermont Public Radio with a pledge today, we’ll thank you with a trio of these NPR election-themed buttons. Click here to make a pledge, or call us at 1-800-639-6391.

These buttons, with designs chosen by listeners, let people know you’re an informed voter because you listen to public radio. Wear them on your jacket or hat, pin them to your backpack or the bulletin board in your kitchen or office cubicle.

Don’t delay – these buttons are only available today, the first day of VPR's fall membership drive. Your one-time contribution or sustaining membership will help us pay for the news coverage you need to make important decisions this November!

Thank you so much for your support!

VPR's Saturday Special Features Alec Baldwin

Fans of Jack Donaghy (of "30 Rock" fame) rejoice!

Actually, that slick and scrupulous character, portrayed by award-winning actor Alec Baldwin, never really shows up on this new public radio special, Here's The Thing.

Instead, listeners are treated to a genuinely interested and humorous host in Baldwin, as he talks with entertainers and musicians, visiting them at their apartments and homes and asking the questions we'd all ask if we could. The program is produced by our friends at WNYC and will make its debut on VPR this weekend.

This new VPR Saturday Special begins Saturday, October 13 at 4 p.m. and Baldwin's first guest is the Piano Man himself: Billy Joel. Listen for upcoming episodes of this five-part series when Baldwin chats with former "Saturday Night Live" cast member, Kristen Wiig; legendary talk show host, Dick Cavet; stand-up comedian, Chris Rock and others.

Let us know what you think of VPR's new Saturday Special, Here's The Thing.

VPR Is Counting On Your Vote!

Vermont Public Radio’s membership drive is fast approaching, and we are counting on your vote! Every pledge we receive before the drive begins helps us keep on-air fundraising as short as possible.

Click here to support VPR with your pledge today!

In this election season, we are bombarded by an endless news cycle largely made up of sound bites, quips, spin, and misstatements.  But Vermont Public Radio is different. VPR helps you see through the clutter to reveal a clearer picture of the candidates and the issues.

Covering an election the public radio way is a financial challenge. It takes extensive resources to provide the kind of high-quality, dependable news and information needed to participate in a robust democratic society.  And that’s where you come in.

Your contribution or sustaining membership contribution today is a vote of confidence in VPR. It will help us pay for the coverage you need to make important decisions this November, and it will keep the independent news you count on coming to you throughout the year to come.

Thank you so much in advance for your support!

The Party's (Finally!) Over: Saying Goodbye To The 2012 Red Sox

Red Sox logo (via Wikipedia)

While Major League Baseball’s best ready for the one-game playoffs that start today, Red Sox Nation says farewell to the 2012 season, and you know that expression about not letting the door hit you on the way out.

So, how to sum up the 2012 Red Sox season? First, I defer briefly to Woody Allen:

“Summing up…I wish I had some sort of positive message to leave you with. I don’t. Would you take 2 negative messages?”

OK, I will try to be a tad brighter in my outlook than that, but it is safe to say that a fan base hasn’t been this let down by the thing they love since George Lucas released the Star Wars prequels.  And as a new character, the just-fired, one-year-and-out manager Bobby Valentine proved to be about as popular as Jar Jar Binks. But it wasn’t all Bobby V’s fault that the Red Sox had their worst season since 1965. There were an absurd amount of injuries…a record 56 roster players used as a result…and a squad of B-level players and rookies playing out the string after the big salary shed that sent Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to the LA Dodgers.

But those factors don’t excuse the 9 run lead they coughed up to the Yankees in a loss in April, or the roll-over-and-play-dead 0-8 home stretch when they could have played spoiler for any number of teams playoff aspirations...the Yankees chief among them. If the Red Sox historic collapse last September was a scary horror film, this year’s long, slow slog to the AL East basement was a joyless installment of a once-frightening horror series cynically grasping to put a few extra butts in the seats…think Friday the 13th Part 9 in 3-D.

This brings us to the future, and its link to the past. The media in Boston were merciless in calling the celebration of past stars at Fenway’s final home game a distraction for the failures of 2012, but I disagree. I will never tire, for example, of recalling the glory of the 2004 season. You could put it on a loop and make me watch it Clockwork Orange style and I’d still love it. So when the Red Sox contemplate next year’s roster, the last link to that 2004 team…and the one who had the biggest hand in breaking the 86-year world title doubt - David Ortiz - must be back in the fold. If those celebrations of past Red Sox greats are really not a distraction, but a reminder that we do have an emotional connection to the players who provide us with life-long memories, then Big Papi needs to finish his career in a Red Sox uniform. It would show the fans that the loyalty they have shown in recent years isn’t taken for granted, and that the best of the past can sometimes be our greatest springboard to a brighter future.

- Mitch Wertlieb

Get The New VPR Android App

The VPR Android App is now available for free in Google Play.

The App is designed to give you immediate access to the news and easy, high-quality listening to all VPR streams.

Upon launching the App you're immediately browsing the latest VPR News headlines, with text and audio just a tap away. Swipe the screen to find the latest Vermont Edition and Commentaries, the Programs, Schedules, and Blog, and even School Closings (yes, they're on the way).

At the bottom of every screen you have quick access to the live streams of VPR, VPR Classical, and VPR Jazz24. The latest VPR Newscast and Eye On The Sky forecast are also just a tap away. You can even listen to the Vermont Legislature when they're in session.

There are many, many makes and models of Android smartphones, and unfortunately we can't guarantee that the App works on all of them. It does support Android 2.2 and above. If you have 2.2+, and you experience problems, please let us know.

The VPR Android App was developed by PRX (maker of Apps for Radioloab, This American Life, and many public media organizations) and is supported by the VPR Journalism Fund.

Download the App, give it a listen, and let us know what you think.

The First Presidential Debate Is Wednesday

AP/Carolyn Kaster/Carlos Osorio

This Wednesday’s debate between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney kicks off a series of presidential debate broadcasts this campaign season. VPR will be broadcasting NPR’s full coverage on Wednesday, October 3 beginning at 9 p.m.

Guy Raz will host for the broadcast.  Immediately following the debate, you’ll hear analysis from NPR Senior Washington editor Ron Elving, political analysts E.J. Dionne and Matt Continetti, with input from NPR campaign reporters.

In addition to Wednesday’s debate, VPR is expecting to air three more presidential debates on October 11, 16, and 22. 

And be sure to check the schedule for Vermont Edition’s debate series for statewide races. Those debates begin on October 10 and  you can record questions for any debates in advance by calling (802) 552-3425, or email questions to vermontedition@vpr.net.