Cancer is the leading cause of death in Vermont. Each year, 3,600 Vermonters are diagnosed with cancer, and more than 38,000 Vermonters are living with a current or previous diagnosis of cancer. We talk with advocates, patients and physicians about the changing face of cancer care in Vermont:

David Cranmer, coordinator, Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer (VTAAC), and a cancer survivor

Dr. Jim Wallace, medical director of radiation oncology, UVM Medical Center

Theresa Lever, Patient Navigator for the cancer program at University of Vermont Health Network, Central Vermont Medical Center

Beth Rusnock, president, National Life Group Foundation, sponsor of the Do Good Festival, which raises money for cancer support and treatment

Amy, patient at Central Vermont Medical Center who, along with her husband, was recently diagnosed with cancer

Last week at the White House an illustrious group gathered around President Barack Obama. The occasion was a ceremony to honor “Champions of Change” who support working families and help make change in their companies or communities. Among them were the CEO of Patagonia, the CEO of Microsoft…and Randy George, the co-owner of Red Hen Bakery in Middlesex, Vermont. Red Hen’s co-owners talk about buying local, making bread, earning dough, why they campaign for paid sick leave and higher minimum wages, and creating a better workplace.

Randy George & Liza Cain, co-owners, Red Hen Baking Company, Middlesex, Vt. (with a guest appearance by their daughter Solvay, age 8)

Howard Bryant, senior writer for ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN, and ESPN Radio. He has also been a reporter for the Washington Post and Boston Herald, and the author of many books. We talk about his recent article,“After Ferguson, sports stars are waking up,” and his own experiences and reflections on race and class.

Julia Alvarez, whose novels include How The García Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies, is writer in residence at Middlebury College. Her work has earned her numerous awards, including this year’s National Medal of the Arts. We speak about growing up in the Domenican Republic and the U.S., her work supporting migrant workers in Vermont, her thoughts on crossing borders, and her New Year’s resolutions to “tell stories to help come together as a human family.”

FairPoint strike: The strike against FairPoint Communications by 1,700 workers across Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire is now entering its third month. Some 300 of those striking workers live in Vermont. What’s at stake, and why are workers on strike? We talk with:

Mike Spillane, business manager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in Vermont

Lisa Barr, an employee of FairPoint and its telecom predecessors for the last 24 years, who is on strike

Adjuncts Unite: More than 40 percent of professors at private, nonprofit colleges in Vermont work part-time. Nationally, the percentage of professors without tenure increased from 57 to 70 percent between 1993 and 2011. This fall, adjunct faculty at Champlain College, Burlington College and St. Michael’s College each voted to join the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). We speak with two adjunct faculty about their working conditions and hopes for change:

Naomi Winterfalcon, adjunct professor, Champlain College

Betsy Allen-Pennebaker, adjunct professor, Champlain College

The 2014 midterm election was the most expensive in history, with $4 billion spent on campaigns around the country, including massive amounts of “dark money” from groups that do not reveal their donors. Robert McChesney sheds light on dark money as he discusses his new book (co-authored with John Nichols), Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America.

Zephyr Teachout, who grew up in Vermont and is now a professor at Fordham Law School, ran for governor of New York this year against incumbent Andrew Cuomo. Despite Cuomo’s $30 million war chest, Teachout won one third of the vote in the Democratic primary and forced Cuomo to campaign furiously against her. Teachout talks how she did so well against a powerful incumbent, her roots in Howard Dean’s presidential campaign, women in politics, and her future.

Vermont’s alternative economies are bustling: Onion River Exchange members have made over 10,000 work exchanges, sharing more than 30,000 service hours in 80 categories. VBSR Marketplace facilitates bartering good and services between members. To talk about it:

Heath Kralik, Outreach coordinator, Onion River Exchange

Michael Arnowitt, ORE member and concert pianist

Neily Jennings, Common Ground Center and VBSR Marketplace participant

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In 1950, Vermont had a little known McCarthy Era anti-communist witch hunt. Rick Winston discusses his article about the incident, which appeared in Vermont History.

Renewable energy has gone from pipedream to reality. Two leaders look at how renewables are powering us today and future prospects:

David Hochschild, Commissioner, California Energy Commission, co-founder Vote Solar Initiative

Gabrielle Stebbins, executive director, Renewable Energy Vermont

Vermont has been a national leader in the farm to plate movement — connecting farmers with food providers to build sustainable local economies. We talk with three leaders of that movement in Vermont:

Mark Curran, co-founder and co-owner, Black River Produce, winner, 2014 VBSR Terry Ehrich Award for Excellence in Socially Responsible Business

Ellen Kahler, executive director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

Robin Morris, founder, Mad River Food Hub