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Steve Zind

Steve has been with VPR since 1994, first serving as host of VPR’s public affairs program and then as a reporter, based in Central Vermont. Many VPR listeners recognize Steve for his special reports from Iran, providing a glimpse of this country that is usually hidden from the rest of the world. Prior to working with VPR, Steve served as program director for WNCS for 17 years, and also worked as news director for WCVR in Randolph. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, Steve also worked for stations in Phoenix and Tucson before moving to Vermont in 1972. Steve has been honored multiple times with national and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for his VPR reporting, including a 2011 win for best documentary for his report, Afghanistan's Other War.

  • Last year, Gov. Peter Shumlin devoted his entire State of the State address to Vermont's opiate addiction problem. Since then it has expanded treatment, but doctors say demand is outpacing services.
  • Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin attracted national attention this month when he devoted his entire annual State of the State speech to heroin addiction in Vermont. As the state expands addiction treatment services, it's also trying to come to grips with one of the most difficult and emotional aspects of the problem: pregnant women addicted to opiates.
  • When Tropical Storm Irene struck Vermont two years ago, miles of roads were destroyed and 1,400 families were displaced. It didn't take long for the highways to be repaired, but putting people's lives back together has taken much longer. It's been a difficult lesson for a state unaccustomed to natural disasters.
  • The U.S. Postal Service's decision to end Saturday delivery comes on the heels of a plan to reduce hours at many rural post offices. In Vermont, residents of small towns are worried the change is another step toward the eventual demise of their local post offices.
  • The image of the rural bed and breakfast with claustrophobic rooms, spartan amenities and prying innkeepers has long been a source of laughs for comedians and sitcoms. But B&Bs are fighting back. Now, many country inns are trying to dispel old stereotypes to appeal to new travelers.
  • Bill Wilson's simple grave in Vermont makes no mention of his work — co-founding Alcoholics Anonymous. But that doesn't stop people from visiting it, especially on the first Sunday in June. There, they celebrate Wilson, and his role in helping them change their lives.
  • Boiling down the last of the season maple sap and brewing a strong dark beer to share in the summer was a common tradition on Vermont farms a couple of generations ago. The practice had all but died out but is being revived now, thanks to a handful of local brewers.