Andrea Laurion

Months of campaigning and planning have lead to today— Election Day. Polls across Vermont are open until 7 p.m., and Vermonters can still register and vote at their local polling place

It's been almost 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. The conflict transformed how Americans felt about fighting on foreign soil, and how civilians treat veterans upon their return home.

Wrapping up season two of the Vermont Public podcast Homegoings, a show about art and race. Plus, the town of Chester rejects new zoning rules to promote housing development, Barre City passes a new flood resiliency plan, former Gov. Madeleine Kunin reflects on what Kamala Harris' loss means for the Democratic Party, Vermont Fish and Wildlife offers a $5,000 reward for leads on the shooting of a bald eagle, and permits are now available to harvest Christmas trees in Green Mountain National Forest.

With the colder weather seeping in, it's about time for cozy fall recipes and trying new hot spots. This ski season, our region's mountain towns are teeming with new and newly reimagined restaurants. Melissa Pasanen , food writer for Seven Days, joins us for a conversation about our region's food and beverage scene.

Artist, poet, musician and hatmaker Toussaint St. Negritude lives in the Northeast Kingdom. His first collection of poetry, Mountain Spells , is now available from Rootstock Publishing.

Middlebury Chapel sits on a hill overlooking the idyllic campus. Every afternoon, the carillon rings out over the surrounding hillside from the chapel's tower.

Over the course of the year, many of us had to say goodbye to close friends or family members. Others lost people they didn't know well personally, but who nevertheless had a deep impact on them.

Plus, an environmental organization says Vermont isn't on pace to meet a legally mandated deadline to lower carbon emissions, an electric co-op is selling the Wrisghtsville Hydro Plant, the state Department of Taxes is calling to overhaul how towns collect property tax info, and construction on Winooski's Main Street is pausing for the winter.

Soup is one of those meals that inherently brings people together — maybe it's the warmth, the fusion of ingredients and spices, or the act of ladling into carefully clutched bowls.

The year is coming to a close, but the party is just getting started. In a special two hour Vermont Edition broadcast, we shared the songs that were