802 News with Mark Johnson

Aly Richards: 'Put Me In, Coach'

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2246311/fan_mail/new] The former chief executive director of Let's Grow Kids is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for governor [https://alyforvt.com/]. Richards, 40, will have at least one opponent in the primary, economist Amanda Janoo. Political analysts expect Republican Gov. Phil Scott to run for reelection in 2026 but he won't make an announcement whether he will run or not until after the Legislature adjourns.

Warped Masculinity

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2246311/fan_mail/new] Vermont investigative journalist Jasper Craven's new book "God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood" [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/God-Forgives-Brothers-Dont/Jasper-Craven/9781668087190] explores how the military and its training institutions have shaped the meaning of manhood and fueled toxic masculinity.

Sen. Welch on Iran, Bondi and ICE

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2246311/fan_mail/new] Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt, calls the war in Iran a "catastrophe." He also discusses the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the role of state and local police in a recent ICE raid in South Burlington.

Staving Off a "Maple-pocalypse"

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2246311/fan_mail/new] Innovation has increased maple syrup output over the last two decades, reducing fears that climate change [https://shelburnefarms.org/about/news-and-stories/maple-sugaring-climate-changes#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20challenges%20to%20sugaring%20in,can%20lead%20to%20invasive%20species%20growing%20in.] could cause a "maple-pocalypse." Vermont sugar makers are thriving, producing half the country's syrup, using practices like vacuum tubing and reverse osmosis to increase the amount of sap per tree. Steve Palmer owns Shelburne Sugarworks [https://www.shelburnesugarworks.com/], a 170-acre farm that uses many of the new techniques to produce 1,200-1,500 gallons a year as well as maple candy and maple-based ice cream.

State, Local Police Defend Actions in Federal ICE Raid; Protesters Object

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2246311/fan_mail/new] Leaders of South Burlington, Burlington and Vermont State Police defended their departments' actions during a March 11 federal immigration enforcement effort [https://www.wcax.com/2026/03/19/vt-lawmakers-probe-ice-operation-that-led-violence-detentions/] in South Burlington. Police Chiefs William Breault and Shawn Burke, Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison and VSP Col. Matthew Birmingham appeared before the Vermont Senate and House Judiciary Committees. Afterward, protesters and activists, including Will Lambek of Migrant Justice, criticized Vermont police actions during the day-long operation by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.