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Maddie Cobb paid off her school debt in 10 years, and spent a lot of nights in the woods.

In late 18th-century New England, flax was a mainstay on families’ farms. Women and children would have spent weeks processing it into linen, then a staple fabric. Every year, Burlington’s Ethan Allen Homestead Museum takes visitors back to this late-summer ritual.

The lack of basic infrastructure like water and sewer lines has impeded housing development in many rural towns across Vermont. But the cancellation of a publicly funded affordable housing project is highly unusual.

A majority of Vermont households — roughly 70% — contain just one or two people. In fact, the average number of people living in each year-round home in Vermont has been on a steady decline for decades.

Hidden Brain: The Perceptions Tour comes to Burlington's Flynn on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. Ahead of the show, host Shankar Vedantam spoke with Vermont Public's Jenn Jarecki about the podcast and the importance of scientific research. Listen to Hidden Brain Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Mondays at 10 p.m. on Vermont Public.

In this month's reading, Vermont Poet Laureate Bianca Stone explores Capitalism by Massachusetts-based poet Dara Barrois/Dixon

Janoo, a 38-year-old economist who previously worked internationally for the United Nations, entered the race in March with virtually no name recognition. She will face incumbent Gov. Phil Scott as he seeks a sixth term in the general election.

Mayor Marc Gwinn is a regular street performer at Montpelier’s “Ramble,” an effort to encourage people to come downtown to experience the city’s business and arts offerings.

Incumbent State’s Attorney Sarah George has sought to use her office to address racial and economic disparities in the criminal justice system and reduce mass incarceration. Her challenger, Bram Kranichfeld, says those efforts are making the county less safe.

Mountain bike enthusiasts have been working for years on an ambitious multi-use trail that will span the length of Vermont. Organizers are now working to make the Velomont user-friendly for everyone.

Deferred maintenance is piling up at parks across the state, contributing to more parks going up for sale. Outright closures, like the evictions of residents at the Green Mountain Mobile Manor, are fairly rare.

Most of the lupine that bloom across Vermont are non-native. But there's a very rare species of lupine that is native to Vermont, and there are almost none of these plants left in the state. Reporter Erica Heilman spent a day visiting a family of the rare Lupinus perennis with Vermont's head botanist.

A dramatic jump in new apartments in Chittenden County and a dip in demand have contributed to the rising vacancy rate.

Wednesdays are Ladies' Day at Vermont Quick Lube, which means a flower and a free car wash.