Between the 1930s and 1977, chemical companies such as Monsanto manufactured electrical equipment and building materials, including caulk and light ballasts, with human-made chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Although PCBs were banned in 1979, a lack of removal efforts means they persist in many…

South Africa is a country of contradictions. Wealthy businessmen of all races often live feet from  abject poverty. Multinational businesses happily open up shop alongside a liberation party that  governs haphazardly. Many who committed horrific crimes under apartheid walk freely among  their victims — in…

A Medicaid coverage cliff is a situation in which beneficiaries have incomes that exceed the limit for Medicaid supplemental coverage but still do not earn enough to afford private insurance. This report identifies the scope of Medicaid cliffs in Vermont and gives the Vermont House…

The HUB, a project of the Woodstock Community Trust, facilitates in the coordination of resources and funding among local organizations to support Woodstock-area residents during times of personal and community-level  crisis. This report identifies the current and future needs of Woodstock residents for The HUB…

Between 2013 and 2015, an average of 5.3 percent of all Vermont K-12 students were suspended or expelled from school.1 These adolescent mistakes that resulted in suspension or expulsion have the potential to hamper Vermont students' post-secondary pursuits if they are recorded and released to…

Lake Sunapee is the fifth largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire. It provides significant value to the state economy in the form of property, property taxes, business revenue, and water supply. The lake draws visitors and both full-time and part-time residents to the area…

Vermont faces numerous challenges from climate change, which have already begun to negatively impact the state's ecosystem, economy, and public health, especially affecting rural and low-income residents. While the state's greenhouse gas emissions make up only a small fraction of total United States emissions -…

This report analyzes the opportunity for Vermont to implement new improvements to their Unemployment Insurance (UI) System. This report draws on and synthesizes the key findings of the December 2021 Report of the Unemployment Insurance Study Committee, the Memorandum on the Feasibility of Changing the…

Mental health and substance abuse in the United States is a pressing crisis of mental health. The crisis has only been exacerbated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the demand for mental health and substance abuse support resources has never been…