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NCPR News Staff: Sarah Harris
Champlain Valley Correspondent
Sarah Harris was a sophomore in college when the radio bug bit. She spent the year producing audio narratives of students' journeys to Middlebury (where she went to school) through the Middlebury Fellowship in Narrative Journalism. A long-time public radio lister, Sarah thought she might've found her niche. She spent the money she earned from the fellowship on equipment and promptly headed abroad to the Maldives and Nepal, where she did a ton of interviews and spent a month at Community Radio Madanpokhara, South Asia's first rural-based community radio station.
Upon returning to the United States, Sarah decided she needed to learn how to do radio for real. So she called NCPR on a Friday afternoon and proceeded to pester station manager Ellen Rocco until she agreed to give Sarah an internship. Sarah spent the following summer interning at the station and living on Ellen's Dekalb farm. She's been producing stories for NCPR ever since.
Sarah now covers the Champlain Valley. Her work has aired on Morning Edition and All Things Considered and has been published in The American Prospect and Slate. She reported on cement production in Chanute, Kansas through the Middlebury Fellowship in Environmental Journalism and contributed to the award-winning NPR/Center for Public Integrity collaborative series "Poisoned Places." Sarah assistant taught the first session of the Transom Story Workshop in fall 2011. She lives in Burlington, Vermont. E-mailStories filed by Sarah Harris
Tenzin Dorjee
Tibetan culture comes to Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY, Apr 11, 2012 — Last spring downtown Plattsburgh got a new restaurant: a Himalayan restaurant. It's owned and operated by Tenzin and Yangchen Dorjee, a Tibetan couple who moved to northern New York with their two kids in 2007.
This month they're putting on a Tibetan arts festival where visiting monks will make a mandala out of sand, and offer lectures on topics ranging from Tibetan medicine to religious ethics. Sarah Harris visited the restaurant and talked to Tenzin Dorjee about the family's journey to Plattsburgh and how they're keeping their culture alive in the North Country. Go to full article
This month they're putting on a Tibetan arts festival where visiting monks will make a mandala out of sand, and offer lectures on topics ranging from Tibetan medicine to religious ethics. Sarah Harris visited the restaurant and talked to Tenzin Dorjee about the family's journey to Plattsburgh and how they're keeping their culture alive in the North Country. Go to full article
This push for drivers licenses is not just about a piece of plastic but really about equality and trust for our communities.
Vermont considers driver's licenses for migrant workers
Burlington, VT, Apr 09, 2012 — The dairy industry in Northern New York and Vermont relies heavily on migrant labor. A lot of the farm workers are undocumented. That causes problems when the workers have to do simple tasks that involve driving, like going to the grocery store or visiting the doctor. But Vermont legislators are discussing a bill that may change that. Sarah Harris reports. Go to full article
The interior of the Strand Theater
Two downtown spaces bring art to Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY, Apr 04, 2012 — Plattsburgh is a city in transition. There's a lot of effort to attract new families and businesses and rebrand the lakeside city as a destination. As Sarah Harris reports, a key part of that revitalization means bringing the downtown back to life and building the arts scene. Go to full article
President Barack Obama, speaking at the University of Vermont. Photo: VT Digger
For Burlington, a visit from the president
Burlington, VT, Apr 02, 2012 — President Barack Obama visited Burlington, Vermont last Friday for a fundraiser and campaign event. The state hasn't been visited by a sitting president since Clinton's trip in 1995. Obama arrived on Air Force One around 11:30 a.m. He met with Vermont politicians, lunched with high paying campaign donors, then spoke to a crowd of supporters at the University of Vermont. Sarah Harris was there and has our story. Go to full article
Brett McLeod over the evaporator
Neighbors gather for a warm-weather "boil"
Vermontville, NY, Mar 21, 2012 — The unusually warm weather this March hasn't been great for sugar makers. Maple syrup yields across northern New York and Vermont have been low, and a lot of producers are pulling their taps. But in spite of the strange temperatures, sugaring traditions remain alive and well. Sarah Harris went to an Adirondack "boil" and sent this audio postcard. Go to full article
Tarry Tatro and Irene Clarke in front of the People's United branch
In Alburgh, Vermont, citizens recruit a bank
Alburg, VT, Mar 20, 2012 — When you drive across the bridge from Rouse's Point, New York, into Vermont, the first town you hit is Alburgh. It's a small community, about 2,000 people. And its geography is unusual: it's on a peninsula that borders Quebec, is surrounded by Lake Champlain, and doesn't touch any land in the United States.
Alburgh may be small and isolated, but the People's United branch has been on Alburgh's Main Street for as long as most people can remember. And when the local bank announced it would close, townspeople decided that was just too isolated. Sarah Harris has our story. Go to full article
Alburgh may be small and isolated, but the People's United branch has been on Alburgh's Main Street for as long as most people can remember. And when the local bank announced it would close, townspeople decided that was just too isolated. Sarah Harris has our story. Go to full article
Tara Liloia in front of Isle La Motte town offices. Photos: Sarah Harris
Town meeting day: VT voters decide issues big and small
Isle La Motte, VT, Mar 09, 2012 — Vermont's Champlain Islands are smack in the middle of Lake Champlain's northern end. Isle La Motte is the westernmost of those islands. It's isolated and rural. Living there, you might travel to New York State to see a doctor, or go to the grocery store.
But, Isle La Motte joins other towns across Vermont in town meeting day, when citizens come together to have their say on issues big and small. Sarah Harris spent town meeting day on the island and has our story. Go to full article
But, Isle La Motte joins other towns across Vermont in town meeting day, when citizens come together to have their say on issues big and small. Sarah Harris spent town meeting day on the island and has our story. Go to full article
Miro Weinberger, incoming Burlington mayor.
Miro Weinberger: Burlington's first Democratic mayor in 30 years
Burlington, VT, Mar 07, 2012 — Burlington has a new mayor, Democrat Miro Weinberger. He's the first Democratic mayor of Burlington in 30 years. Republican candidate Kurt Wright conceded just before 7:30 last night as votes were being counted. Sarah Harris was at Weinberger's election party in downtown Burlington and has our story. Go to full article
City Hall in Burlington. Photo: TripAdvisor.com
In Burlington, electing a new mayor
Burlington, VT, Mar 06, 2012 — Town meeting day in Vermont is one of the few examples of direct democracy in our country. It's a state holiday, and townspeople turn out to elect municipal leaders and approve local budgets.
This year local issues at town meeting reflect national debates. In Franklin, Vermont, voters will determine whether prayer should be allowed at town meeting. And 52 towns will vote on whether to pass a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United.
In Burlington, the state's largest city, Vermonters are headed to the polls to elect a new mayor. Sarah Harris has more. Go to full article
This year local issues at town meeting reflect national debates. In Franklin, Vermont, voters will determine whether prayer should be allowed at town meeting. And 52 towns will vote on whether to pass a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United.
In Burlington, the state's largest city, Vermonters are headed to the polls to elect a new mayor. Sarah Harris has more. Go to full article
Tempers are kind of flaring in a way that you don’t often see in Vermont politics, especially local Vermont politics.
Burlington mayor's race: a primer
Burlington, VT, Mar 02, 2012 — "Politics" are different in Vermont's largest city. Since 1985, a successful third party, the Progressive party, has dominated local government there. Progressive voters essentially sent Sen. Bernie Sanders to Congress after re-electing him mayor of Burlington for successive terms.
But for the first time in almost 30 years, there's no Progressive running for mayor this year.
Paul Heintz covers politics for 7 Days, an alternative weekly newspaper based in Burlington. He says this race isn't so much about issues as personalities and shifting loyalties. And he says that even though there's no Progressive on the ballot, those votes will still make a difference.
He told Sarah Harris there's a history of bad blood between Progressives and Democrats, and this race is a bit of a turf battle. Go to full article
But for the first time in almost 30 years, there's no Progressive running for mayor this year.
Paul Heintz covers politics for 7 Days, an alternative weekly newspaper based in Burlington. He says this race isn't so much about issues as personalities and shifting loyalties. And he says that even though there's no Progressive on the ballot, those votes will still make a difference.
He told Sarah Harris there's a history of bad blood between Progressives and Democrats, and this race is a bit of a turf battle. Go to full article
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St. Lawrence University, Canton,
New York 13617 • phone: 1-877-388-6277 • email
radio@ncpr.orgNCPR is a proud affiliate of:
NPR • American Public Media • Public Radio International
