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Town makes play for state police building A potential site for community center, Wells says BY JASON STARR Observer staff
The Town of Williston seeks a right of first refusal to buy the Vermont State Police barracks near the Exit 12 interchange of Interstate 89. Town Manager Erik Wells made a formal request last Friday at the Statehouse in Montpelier, testifying in front of members of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions. The roughly 3-acre site, he said, could serve as the location for a future town community center — a gym, senior center, pool project that a citizens committee recommended for Taft Corners last November. Alternatively, Wells said, the town could use the parcel to create affordable housing. “There exist many potential options for the property, and if granted the option to acquire it, the town could have a thoughtful conversation about its potential uses,” Wells said. The property is currently appraised at $2.6 million. It has a 30,000-square-foot building on it that the Vermont State Police used as a regional headquarters up until last November, when it moved about a
original plans due to construction cost overruns, leaving nowhere to move the state police’s marine division equipment. The department is looking into short-term storage alternatives as well as the construction of a new storage facility. “The current plan is to continue to use the Williston police barracks to house that equipment,” Fitch said. “Once we can move the marine division out and it becomes vacant, we plan to put it on the market.” For Williston to be offered a right of first refusal, the House committee would have to amend its capital bill legislation, which would then need full House and Senate approval and the governor’s signature. That would allow the town to initiate a public conversation about the option, Wells said. Any acquisition would require The roughly 3-acre parcel of the former Vermont State Police barracks on Route 2A is soon to be up for sale. OBSERVER FILE PHOTO voter approval to borrow funds, he said. If quarter-mile south to a newly constructed for sale … I believe we would get into a the town refused the option, the state could headquarters on the other side of the in- bidding war, so who knows where that will then sell the property on the open market. Lawmakers have in the past given muterstate. Vermont Department of Buildings lead. It hasn’t been listed. The offers and nicipalities right of first refusal to purchase and General Services Director of Planning solicitations will only get larger once we state property, but House committee memand Property Management Eric Pembroke go down that road.” bers said none had the potential windfall said he gets frequent inquiries from land One caveat with the sale is that the state for state coffers that the Williston property developers in Vermont and out of state police are still storing boats and snowmohas. who are interested in purchasing the prop- biles there, according to Jennifer Fitch, “Are we shortchanging Vermonters erty. He expects the state would generate the commissioner of the Department of if we don’t seek the highest bid?” asked more revenue if the parcel were sold on the Buildings and General Services. In testicommittee member Michelle Bos-Lun of open market, rather than to Williston. mony to the committee, she explained that Westminster. “This is going to be a very “It’s a very attractive piece of proper- storage capacity at the newly constructed difficult decision for us.” ty,” Pembroke said. “Should we put it up headquarters had to be pared down from
Court: Dog rescue can’t operate from home
Neighbors win case against Lamplite Lane nonprofit BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Vermont Environmental Court has ruled in favor of a group of 18 Lamplite Lane residents hoping to rid the neighborhood of a nonprofit dog rescue that operates out of a home there. The legal dispute started with a 2022 Notice of Violation issued by the Town of Williston that prompted rescue founder Dawna Pederzani to scale back the organization’s operations. Called Vermont English Bulldog Rescue, the nonprofit receives a variety of breeds of homeless dogs from out of state and pairs them with people looking to adopt. It has been based out of Pederzani’s Lamplite
Lane home since 2010. Pederzani received a town permit to run the rescue last January after paring down the operation, including setting up an off-site location to receive vanloads of homeless dogs. It remains a subject of dispute between the neighbors and Pederzani how many dogs are still received and kept at the house, let into the backyard, and walked around the neighborhood by volunteers, the court noted. Led by Kim Butterfield, the neighbors hired an attorney to appeal the town permit with a hearing in front of the Development Review Board. Last March, the board overturned the permit approval. Pederzani then appealed the board’s decision to the Vermont Superior Court’s Environmental Division in Burlington. This week, Pederzani said she is considering an appeal of the Environmental Court’s
“(Pederzani) is not entitled to an administrative permit for a home business for the rescue’s current operations.” Vermont Environmental Court
decision to the Vermont Supreme Court. The Environmental Court’s decision, issued Jan. 31 by Judge Thomas Walsh, noted that, while home businesses are allowed in residential areas under Williston’s zoning regulations, operations must remain inside the home. The court rejected Pederzani’s argument that walking rescue dogs around the
neighborhood and letting them use the backyard is akin to how other residents walk and care for their dogs. “The rescue’s use of the neighborhood is an integral part of its operation,” the court ruling states. “The Williston Zoning Ordinance is clear and unambiguous: home businesses are to occur inside in the Residential Zoning District,” the court concluded. “(Pederzani) is not entitled to an administrative permit for a home business for the rescue’s current operations.” Williston Zoning Administrator Matt Boulanger said, unless an appeal is filed, the dog rescue will be required to cease operation. “If it does not, it is in violation and the town can pursue enforcement,” Boulanger said.
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Williston Observer • February 8, 2024
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Dorothy Alling Memorial Library is hosting a sled dog event for all ages on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 10-11 a.m. Milagro Turner has four Siberian huskies that are trained as
sled dogs. Learn how she raised and trained them and meet the huskies. Photo opportunities with the dogs and sled may be available. Depending on weather, this event may be either indoors or outdoors on the Town Green.
Property taxes due Feb. 15 The third property tax installment for the 2023/2024 tax year is due to the Town of Williston by Feb. 15. Payments can be made in person at Town Hall, left in the drop boxes behind Town Hall, paid online by credit card or e-check, or paid by mail. Payments with postmarks dated Feb. 15 or before will be considered on time.
Hinesburg school launches math, arts program The Olivia & Leslie Foundation, in partnership with Shelburne Museum, has launched a visual arts education program at the Hinesburg Community School aimed at teaching kindergarten and first grade students critical thinking and cognitive skills while developing their social and emotional core. The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics)-based program integrates mathematical concepts and the arts and will be offered after school twice a week. Artwork from Shelburne Museum’s collection will be featured in the curriculum, and the program will culminate with a student art exhibition at Shelburne Museum in May. “It gives children an opportunity to use their imaginations to explore different mediums,” Hinesburg Co-Principal Suzan Locke said. “The program is hands-on, and I like that our young students will experience seeing the skills
Hinesburg Community School kindergartners and first graders have started participating in the Olivia & Leslie Arts + Math program, which will culminate in May with a student art exhibition at Shelburne Museum.
and concepts they are learning in math and art applied across curriculums. The Olivia & Leslie Foundation was started by Shelburne resident and entrepreneur Chris Kuenne to honor the creative legacies of his daughter, Olivia, who died in an accident in 1997 at the age of 5, and his late wife, Leslie, who died of ovarian cancer in 2019.
“Olivia and Leslie taught all those around them the creative power of art to inspire, teach and invoke our deepest humanity,” Kuenne said. “Our goal is to foster creativity among young students. Our longer-term goal is to catalyze changes in the way we all think about art and its role in developing creative problem-solving in our next generation.”
PROPERTY TRANSFERS - JANUARY 2024 • Adrian Llarena bought a home on Lea Drive from Todd Tucker for $510,000. • Conor Pecor bought a home on Paddocks Lane from the Estate of Maxine E. Perrin for $599,000. • The Roy Family Revocable Trust bought a condominium on Zephyr Road from Mathew Miller for $630,000. • The Hagwood Family Trust bought a home on Chloe Circle from Northridge-Williston LLC for $933,577. • The Jeffrey Peter Firlik Living Trust bought 4 acres of open land on River Cove Road from Upper Paddock LLC for $240,000. • U.S. Ecology Burlington, Inc.
bought 3 acres of commercial property on Avenue D from Dac III LLC for $3 million. • The Adams Family Trust bought 4 acres of open land on Old Stage Road from the Deborah Lee Macdonald Trust for $350,000. • Evan Goldfried bought a home on Chamberlin Lane from Joseph Duncan for $810,000. • Thomas Carl bought a home on Isham Circle from Evan Goldfried for $595,000. • Alyza Wiener bought a condominium on Shirley Circle from Michael Luneau for $233,000. • 451 River Cove Road LLC bought a home on River Cove Road from the Joerg and Erika Mellmann Trust for $806,000.
• Robert Tutu bought a condominium on Stillwater Lane from Karen Boutin for $434,900. • Alexander Barret bought a home on Stonybrook Drive from Daniel Chave for $322,000. • Yashoda Bhattarai bought a home on Essex Road from Cuong Nguyen for $420,000. • Ian Andrews bought a home on 2 acres on Highlands Drive from Jenifer Burnett for $900,000. • William Hurd bought a condominium on Northview Court from Kristin Cutler for $357,500. • Mark Kinsley bought a condominium on Whitewater Circle from Louise Vidrine for $460,000.
John Welsh, Williston’s longtime Town Cobbler, dies
John Welsh, owner of The Town Cobbler and former police officer and U.S. Marine, died Feb. 2. Welsh was born March 8, 1941 and grew up in Winooski. As a Marine, he was stationed in Cuba, Japan and the Philippines, then served as a police officer in Winooski and Shelburne. He was one of a handful of cobblers in Vermont when, after 25 years doing business in Williston’s Taft Corners Shopping Plaza, he closed the shop in October of 2022. Welsh was the state coordinator for “Toys for Kids of Vermont,” a nonprofit organization that operates the largest Christmas toy collection program in the state. Donations in Welsh’s memory can be sent to Toys For Kids, P.O. Box 4092, Burlington VT 05401. Much of his family preceded him in death: his ex-wife Jeannine Gamlin Welsh in 2007, daughter
John Welsh PHOTO COURTESY OF UVM MEDICAL CENTER
Celeste Marie Welsh in 2008, and his son David Welsh in 2013. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Catherine of Siena in Shelburne. An obituary for Welsh is online at the Stephen C. Gregory and Son Cremation Service website (https://www. gregorycremation.com/obituaries).
On the website’s tribute page for Welsh, one person whom Welsh mentored paid tribute: “John was an amazing man in my life when I was growing up in Winooski,” he wrote. “I spent most of my time … either finding trouble or making trouble in the streets of Winooski. John was a Winooski police officer (and) rescued me with fierce discipline and correction that I certainly needed … Thank you John Welsh for helping a troubled youth turn his life around and give back to the community where I live.” Another tribute was written by a fellow Winooski Police Officer. “John was … incredible, unique, devoted, generous, nonjudgmental, dependable to a fault, fearless and undaunting,” it said. “Truly one of a kind and forever irreplaceable … He gave so much to so many and asked for nothing in return. A true Marine and a true police officer.”
Standardizing restorative justice statewide Lawmakers seek to codify funding, referral process
BY NORAH WHITE Community News Service Legislators are weighing a bill that would standardize how restorative justice programs in each county receive funding from the state and referrals from prosecutors — with the goal of increasing fair access for affected parties. “We are working to have clear standards and procedures of how (restorative justice) programs are going to be developed across the 14 counties in Vermont, which is not necessarily the case now,” said bill sponsor Rep. Karen Dolan, D-Essex Junction, who also works for the Essex Community Justice Center. As the six sponsors of the bill, (H.645) see it, funding for restorative justice centers is inconsistent and disorganized. Three state entities provide centers grant money — the attorney general’s office, the Department for Children and Families and the Department of Corrections — but there is no current standard for how those bodies allocate the funds. “They could be giving those grants to all the same entity,” Dolan said. “It’s not necessarily taking into consideration what does the state’s attorney in that county want to do
with those referrals.” “What we’re trying to do is create a dividing line of who funds the restorative justice programming,” she added. The bill’s organization plans would help speed up the pandemic-induced backlog in the referral process, said Damien Barnes, the director of Rutland County Community Justice Center. “We have been getting cases for referrals for reparative panels that are just now being adjudicated and the original harm was caused maybe two or three years ago when the person was originally cited into court,” Barnes said. This bill promises to both speed up and organize the referral process. One of the main approaches to this issue is the bill’s goal of defining and putting into statute pre-charge referrals — when a prosecutor refers a case to a restorative justice program rather than filing charges in court, with the goal of encouraging rehabilitation rather than pursuing formal prosecution. State’s attorneys do this already, but no standard practice for the state is codified in law, Dolan said. “This is going to deflect the criminal justice system,” Dolan said. Under the bill’s changes, if someone has only been charged — not convicted — their referral would go to the attorney general’s office. After a conviction, the referral would be
handled by the Vermont Department of Corrections. “So, it creates two clear lanes for that,” Dolan. Dolan believes the bill’s measures would increase access to restorative justice for people accused of crimes. “It’s not necessarily doing anything to reinvent restorative justice or restorative approaches; it is making it so it is more streamlined access across the state,” Dolan said. “This is trying to get some consistency and also respect the uniqueness of each county.” Willa Farrell, director of the Office of the Vermont Attorney General’s community justice unit, believes the bill is a good idea. “There’s a lot of value for having pre-charge referrals and having a timely response to incidents of harm and keeping people out of the court system,” Farrell said. For the supporters, the goal is to define expectations so state’s attorneys and law enforcement feel confident their referrals will be processed the same way no matter which county they are in. The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide material for local news outlets at no cost.
February 8, 2024 •
Williston Observer •
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Inside The Town Cobbler in Williston, where Welsh repaired shoes for 25 years. OBSERVER FILE PHOTO
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Williston Observer • February 8, 2024
Lawmakers consider pushing back school budget votes Act 127 property tax caps under microscope BY ETHAN WEINSTEIN VTDigger
Lawmakers are now talking about replacing a controversial cap on homestead property tax rates with a new tax “discount” that would apply only to districts losing tax capacity. “Five percent cap is over,” Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a joint hear-
ing with the House Committee on Education on Tuesday. She also said that lawmakers were drafting language “to allow districts to move their budget votes out a little bit to give them time to redraft their budgets,” now that lawmakers are again planning to adjust the details that govern the state’s education funding system. The specifics of the new proposal are expected to be made public later this week, Kornheiser said. Voters typically consider school budgets on Town Meeting Day, which is four
weeks away. The latest tax discount idea would give districts a one-cent discount on the homestead property tax rates — prior to being adjusted by the Common Level of Appraisal — for every percent decrease in their “taxing capacity” since the implementation of Act 127. That discount would gradually fade out over the next five years, much like the original 5 percent cap. Act 127, which encompasses the latest changes to Vermont’s education funding system, was
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meant to direct education money toward students who need it by providing schools with more money to educate students who are more expensive to teach. Ideally, that change in “pupil weighting” would create a more equitable funding structure. Districts that relatively lost “pupil weights” also lost “taxing capacity,” a phrase that refers to the relative portion of weighted students a district has compared to Vermont as a whole. To smooth that transition, Act 127 capped increases to the homestead property tax rates at 5 percent for the next five years. But that cap applies to all districts, not just those that lost tax capacity. Responding to the law, some districts added money to their budgets with the understanding that local taxpayers wouldn’t directly feel the full burden of that extra spending. Lawmakers and school leaders alike bemoaned the “unintended consequences” of the tax cap, leading the house tax committee to rethink the cap entirely. State economists, using the latest available school budget projections, have predicted that education spending could increase almost 15 percent next
year. As a result, the latest modeling indicates the average Vermonter could expect education property tax bills to increase 20 percent, assuming lawmakers go forward with the new discount — roughly the same increase expected with the 5 percent cap. School officials say a variety of factors have compounded soaring budgets this year, from disappearing federal dollars, increasing health care costs, school construction needs, teacher salaries, special education costs and more. Kornheiser, who is leading the push to change Act 127’s cap, said the new cent-on-thedollar property tax discount for fewer districts better fit with the original intent of transitioning into Vermont’s new pupil weighting system. According to the modeling from the Joint Fiscal Office, the newly proposed discount would cost approximately $30 million. But legislators repeatedly reminded those listening that if districts are given the time and opportunity to redraft their budgets, they might reduce spending now that the Legislature plans to remove the 5 percent cap. If so, an overall reduction in education spending would drive down property taxes to some degree.
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Williston Observer • February 8, 2024
GUEST COLUMN
It’s not Act 127’s fault BY MARC B. SCHAUBER Act 127 of 2022, the law that corrected 25 years of injustice in our education funding system, is a good law. It allows all children in Vermont to receive an excellent education regardless of their background or zip code, all while supporting local control and decision-making. The bill that led to Act 127, S.287, passed almost every committee review unanimously, then passed both the House and the Senate with unanimous voice votes, and Gov. Phil Scott signed it. Hundreds of Vermont school officials, teachers, school board members, members of education associations, and citizens spoke in favor of the legislation. It was among the most important tri-partisan pieces of legislation to be passed in years. Sadly, with immense and complex economic pressures on Fiscal Year 2025 school budgets, many are mistakenly and unfairly blaming the equitable funding law for the sharp rise in property tax rates. There are many eco-
nomic and political pressures on FY 2025 school budgets that seem to be creating a perfect economic storm. Act 127 is not one of those pressures. Let’s consider the upward pressures on FY 2025 school budgets. Many existed long before Act 127 — inflation, double-digit increases for health insurance for the past several years, and the common level of appraisal, just to name a few. Other pressures have been ratcheted up for a variety of complex reasons. Let’s take special education. The recent implementation of Act 173 of 2018 changed how the state pays for special education services from a model of partially reimbursing costs incurred to a flat “Census Block Grant” dollar amount. Many districts are seeing a substantial reduction in funding from the state for these services, putting a larger and larger portion of these costs on local taxpayers. Mental health is another example. In recent years we’ve seen a major shift in how our
schools provide the mental health support that more and more Vermont students require to be able to learn. In the past, most of that support was provided through county or regional organizations that are contract-
Many are mistakenly and unfairly blaming the equitable funding law for the sharp rise in property tax rates. ed by our schools. Those funds come from the state’s general fund. For many reasons these organizations are unable to provide our schools and children with all the services they need, forcing schools to either hire staff them-
selves or contract privately with other providers. This has shifted the cost burden from the general fund to the education fund and thus local taxpayer-supported budgets. Finally, some school districts are facing a fiscal cliff with federal Covid relief funds coming to an end. Many districts used these funds to hire staff. Many of those hires were for positions that our schools sorely needed and are now seen as invaluable for the education of our children. In many cases, the costs for those positions are now shifting from federal funds to our local taxpayer supported budgets. Many of these pressures have existed for years. Indeed, for the last two years one-time funds were used to artificially lower tax rates. While the relief was welcome, it now causes what appears to be an even larger tax increase now that one-time funds are no longer available.
Mistakenly blaming Act 127 for the impacts of all of these upward pressures on school budgets is inaccurate and does a disservice to students and taxpayers. Act 127 is largely expense and revenue neutral. It creates a more accurate allocation of education fund resources to improve equity in our statewide school funding system. With one exception — a multi-year transition provision — no more and no less money needs to be raised for the education fund due to Act 127. During a fiveyear transition period, Act 127 limits the increase in a school district’s “equalized” tax rate to 5 percent per year, as long as the school district’s spending per pupil does not increase by more than 10 percent. Important note: This cap is applied before the CLA. The idea is to protect schools from experiencing an unmanageable, one-year jump see SCHAUBER page 7
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The Champlain Valley School District’s Board of Directors approved the proposed 2024-2025 budget to present to voters on Town Meeting Day ballots at its Jan. 23 meeting. The proposed budget is now a warned article on the ballot. However, the Vermont Legislature is currently considering changes to Act 127, the new education funding law. Their review may require us to modify our proposed school district budget and possibly when we vote on the upcoming school year’s ballot articles. We want to let all of our community members know that we are aware of this and will do our best to keep you informed as we learn more. We will reschedule community presentations about the proposed budget and will update associated materials when we have clarity. Rene Sanchez Superintendent Champlain Valley School District
Verizon has the money The Old Brick Church needs a fire
Schauber
continued from page 6
in equalized tax rates as the new funding mechanism is implemented. A laudable idea. However, that provision is proving to be problematic as it also creates a gap in revenue. How will that gap be filled and where will the additional funds come from? In Vermont’s statewide education funding system, one school’s shortfall will be made up with higher taxes being borne by other school districts taxpayers. Moreover, many of the districts that might bear that added tax burden from higher spending elsewhere are likely among those schools that Act 127 was
suppression system and chimney repairs. According to Verizon’s website, the company’s total wireless service revenue for 2023 was $19.4 billion, a 3.2 percent increase year over year. Verizon serves 99 percent of the Fortune 500 companies. Its CEO, Hans Vestburg, receives total yearly compensation of $19.83 million. I say, tell Verizon if they want this church site so badly (‘Preserve the church’ Feb. 1) to pay for the entire fire suppression system and chimney repairs, plus a monthly or annual rental fee, to have their equipment in the church. I bet their corporate tax attorneys would approve of the donation portion. They have the money. Tricia Knoll Williston LETTER POLICY: We ask that letters run no longer than 300 words. We edit only for length, clarity, style, spelling and grammar. Please include your name, town or city where you live and a daytime phone number (which we won’t print) so we can verify you wrote the letter. The deadline is Monday at noon for letters to be printed in Thursday’s paper. Send to: editor@willistonobserver.com
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originally intended to help. The transition provision is problematic and the Legislature should look at potential solutions to address it. But make no mistake, doing so will not solve our education spending challenges. Until we address major societal issues like health care costs and mental health care, we will have an ever more expensive education system on our hands. Let’s fix this one provision in Act 127, but let’s not destroy a good law in the process and take our eyes off the real drivers of education spending. Marc B. Schauber of Dover is executive director of the Coalition for Vermont Student Equity, online at www.cvtse.org.
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Williston Observer • February 8, 2024
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Legislators consider school funding adjustment
Property tax hike higher than expected BY ETHAN WEINSTEIN VTDigger
A new estimate puts the projected average property tax bill increase next year at more than 20 percent. In response, the tax committee in the Vermont House of Representatives is considering its options, including changing a controversial cap on local property tax rate increases. Summarizing lawmakers’ views, Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a hearing last Tuesday that the immediate priorities would be finding new revenue sources for the education fund, adjusting the income-based property tax credit, and — perhaps most controversially — changing Act 127’s 5 percent cap on homestead property tax rate increases. “What seems obvious to me is that cap, that 5 percent, is not working the way it was intended,” Rep. Carolyn Branagan, R-Georgia, said. “So we ought to ditch it.” Act 127, the latest target for lawmakers and educators frustrated with Vermont’s education finance system, is intended to direct more education money to schools that have students who are more expensive to teach. It does that by increasing the “pupil weight” ascribed to high-poverty and rural students, as well as English language learners. As a result, wealthier and generally less rural districts saw their pupil weights decrease, requiring those districts to increase taxes to pay for the same level of spending as the year before. To make that change more gradual, Act 127 capped increases to homestead property tax rates at 5 percent for the next five years. In theory, the cap would allow districts to adjust to the new constraints on spending, or higher taxes, over a longer period of time. More recently, though, legislators and education officials alike have grown concerned that the cap may be pushing districts
to spend more than they otherwise would have. “Absolutely some transition mechanism will still be needed,” Kornheiser said, but that mechanism would be more “surgical” than the existing law, which applies to any district — not just those losing pupil weight.
ries, dilapidated school buildings, student mental health needs and more were all contributing to increased spending, they said. Last Tuesday, House Ways and Means Committee members discussed their concerns that the complexities of Vermont’s education finance system have
February 8, 2024 •
Williston Observer •
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Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, at the Statehouse in Montpelier last Thursday. PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
The latest property tax projections for 2025 — a product of new data collection from the Vermont Agency of Education and modeling from the Joint Fiscal Office — rely on newer, more specific information than previous outlooks. Since the last estimate, more than 100 districts submitted budgets to the state, with a handful of others offering more recent projections regarding education spending increases. All in all, the new numbers represent the vast majority of spending — for 97 percent of the so-called “weighted” students in Vermont’s systems. The average education spending increase, according to that data, is 14.84 percent, up from 12 percent predicted earlier this year. Previously, the average property tax bill was expected to grow by more than 17 percent. Now the projected increase is 20.59 percent to homestead tax bills. Education leaders from across the state recently testified regarding their frustrations with Act 127, though their aggravation with this year’s budgeting extended far beyond the law. Rising costs of health care, teacher sala-
alienated voters from the direct impacts of their local school budgets. One product of that system could be that more districts vote down their budgets due to the increased spending, yet school boards can’t adequately respond to the feedback of voters. “Districts could cut a huge amount from their budgets in an effort to be responsive to taxpayers, and still not actually lower their tax rates very much,” Kornheiser said, citing the way Act 127 affects local tax rates. “And so voters won’t feel that those school boards and superintendents are being responsive to their rejection of a budget.” As discussion continued, lawmakers from the House Committee on Education joined the committee hearing. Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, chair of the education committee, pointed out that even the districts whose pupil weight barely changed due to Act 127 are having a uniquely challenging budget year. “For so many districts, it was much more all the other factors than it was pupil weighting that was affecting their tax rates,” he said.
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February 8, 2024
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More are believed to be living outside, making them harder to count and help BY CARLY BERLIN VTDigger
On a cold, gray morning in late January, three women in Bennington packed into a car, each with a clipboard and a stack of surveys in hand. Those surveys contained a key question: Where did you stay last Wednesday night? This team of service providers was playing a small role in a massive undertaking: the annual, federally mandated point-intime count, a national effort to tally every person experiencing homelessness on a single night each January. It’s a sort of national census of people who are unhoused — a snapshot that provides a window into how homelessness is changing across the country and over time. While it’s relatively straightforward to count people staying at shelters and in state-spon-
sored motel rooms, the task at hand for this Bennington group was far more elusive: tallying the number of people living outside. Roxanne Carelli, interim director of Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless, knew her small team likely
In January 2023 … Vermont sheltered 96 percent of its homeless population, the highest rate in the country. wouldn’t be able to capture every unsheltered person in the area before the federal deadline. They’d already been delayed by bad weather twice. She listed off some of the places she has known people to set up camp: a public park along the river downtown, near the food shelf; behind some of the big-box stores and chain
restaurants on the edge of town. She directed the car toward a mountain road pull-off in the direction of Woodford. “Especially in the summer, and nicer weather, that’s where a lot of our unsheltered individuals camp,” she said. “Right now, sporadic, whether anyone’s there or not.” Over the last two years, the point-in-time count has produced a statistic that has turned heads in the Green Mountain State: It’s shown that Vermont has the second-highest per capita rate of homelessness in the country. It has also revealed that Vermont holds another, less widely cited distinction. Over the same two-year time frame, the state did a better job than any other of sheltering people — that is, keeping people experiencing homelessness in some form of emergency shelter or transitional housing. But a lot has changed since last year’s count. After the state began winding down the expanded, pandemic-era version of the motel voucher program see UNHOUSED page 11
February 8, 2024 •
Unhoused
continued from page 10
Staff of the Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless look for unsheltered people to tally during the annual point-in-time count outside Greater Bennington Interfaith Community Services’ food shelf and clinic on Jan. 31. PHOTO BY CARLY BERLIN/VTDIGGER AND VERMONT PUBLIC
last summer — booting hundreds of unhoused Vermonters out of motel rooms — communities have witnessed an uptick in people living unsheltered. Accurately counting people who are unsheltered — which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines as having a “primary nighttime location” like a vehicle or the streets — is notoriously difficult. People may move around frequently; they may not want to be found. And in a rural state like Vermont, service providers often lack the resources to fan out to the remote corners where unsheltered people might be staying. (Advocates also point out that the federal department employs a narrow definition of
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homelessness, so the official count, by design, doesn’t capture people staying with relatives or sleeping on someone’s couch.) As the nature of homelessness in Vermont changes, so could the state’s ability to count people who are unhoused. That could impact the public’s understanding of the problem — and the state’s attempts to combat it. A MORE ACCURATE TALLY
In 2020, Vermont made a bold choice. When the pandemic broke out, the state offered virtually anyone who was homeless a voucher for a motel room. The idea was to keep people out of cramped shelters where the virus could spread. This constituted a major expansion of an existing and ongoing program that
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offers vouchers to people facing an immediate crisis or during the harshest winter months. The state could pull off this scaling-up because federal Covid-19 relief funding covered the cost. People who had been living in precarious situations — doubled up with relatives, couch surfing, living in cars or tents — were able to come into formal shelter, maybe for the first time, said Anne Sosin, a public health researcher at Dartmouth College who studies homelessness. That influenced the first pandemic-era point-in-time count, in January 2021. “We were able to get a much more accurate census of the population experiencing homelessness,” Sosin said. “That first count really captured what we see UNHOUSED page 12
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Unhoused
continued from page 11
always knew was happening just under the surface or out of sight in Vermont.” That year’s count showed a massive spike in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Vermont: a jump from about 1,100 in 2020 to over 2,500 in 2021. That rise can be attributed, in part, to the fact that so many more people were in shelter — and thus much easier to count, Sosin said. But since then, the number of unhoused people in Vermont has continued to increase. Meanwhile, the state has continued the expanded, pandemic-era version of the motel program — a matter of intense debate — keeping unhoused Vermonters inside. In January 2023, according to the annual analysis of the count from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Vermont sheltered 96 percent of its homeless population, the highest rate in the country. COUNTING CHALLENGES
But last year, federal funding for the pandemic-era program ran dry. Gov. Phil Scott’s administration has argued that the program is too expensive to continue, and in early June, the state evicted around 800
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people from hotels and motels across the state. After that, lawmakers struck a last-minute deal to keep the roughly 2,000 remaining people sheltered until this coming spring: people with disabilities, families, and elderly Vermonters. But barring another extension, those who haven’t moved into other shelter or housing options will lose their vouchers on April 1. And people receiving monthlong vouchers through the state’s adverse weather policy will lose the benefit on March 15. To temporarily shelter those exiting the motels, the Scott administration has proposed standing up emergency shelters by the spring, though key questions about the plan remain up in the air. In the meantime, shelters across the state are generally full, as are the state-sponsored motel rooms. As people get turned away from shelter, more are likely living outside — making them harder to count and harder to help. Back in Bennington at the mountainside pull-off, Carelli’s team noted one person living out of a series of vehicles. Service providers had already counted the woman; Carelli’s team knew her well. She cooks out of a camper and offers food “to anyone who comes around, even the truckers if there’s a snowstorm,” Carelli said. The woman has a few dogs, which have posed a barrier to accessing shelter, Carelli said. But she also wants to stay in Ben-
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nington, where “there’s no motel rooms,” said Jessica Luther, case manager and housing navigator for Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless. People calling 211 can get placed anywhere there are vacancies, “from Bennington up to Burlington,” Luther said. The woman at the pulloff would need to leave her broken-down truck there, and her car isn’t good in the snow, so she worries about traveling, Luther said. The group doubled back into town and headed toward the local food shelf. Often, there are unhoused people behind the building, or under the bridge over the river nearby. But that morning, the water was high, and no one was there. Carelli led the group across the street, to a small clearing along the water called People’s Park. “When the motels first stopped — exited everyone this past year — this is where a lot of people came,” Carelli said. Soon after that, the town shut down the park, citing health and safety concerns. The closure only lasted a few days, but that kind of enforcement can make people scatter — and hide, Carelli said. That morning, no one was camping in the park. “Is it because they’re moving around today because the weather’s nice?” Carelli said. “Or have they been pushed along?” Municipalities limiting and enforcing where people can camp can make it more difficult to count people who are unsheltered, said Jesse Rabinowitz, campaign and communications director at the National Homelessness Law Center. “We’re seeing cities and states across the country criminalize homelessness and displace people from areas they would prefer to be, pushing them further into the margins, further into the woods, making them not only harder to count, but also harder for them to access the services they need to get support and get into housing,” Rabinowitz said. But there are also capacity issues that impede how well service providers are able to count people. Carelli noted that her organization is currently hiring to create a larger, dedicated outreach team — and until they do, they are choosing not to approach some of the larger encampments on the edge of town for the count. In Washington County, service providers noted an increase in the number of people unsheltered during this year’s count, said Rick DeAngelis, co-executive director of Good Samaritan Haven. They registered 47 people as unsheltered, he said, compared to 32 last year. But their team focused primarily on the communities where they already have a base — Montpelier, Barre and Berlin — and wasn’t able to get out into the further reaches of the county. “We just don’t have the person power to really be doing much in those other communities,” he said. Extenuating circumstances get in the way, too. In Bennington, the unsheltered count was delayed multiple times by bouts
of rain and snow. In Brattleboro, two out of three outreach workers had Covid during the count, said Karli Schrade, director of shelters at the Groundworks Collaborative. The difficulty of counting people as they become unsheltered makes it difficult to predict what this year’s point-in-time count will reveal, Sosin, the researcher, said. “It’s hard to anticipate what that count will look like,” she said. HIGH STAKES
The murkiness surrounding this year’s count could later impact decision-making at both the state and federal levels. The Vermont Department for Children and Families uses the annual count to help inform both funding and policy decisions, said Lily Sojourner, interim director of the department’s Office of Economic Opportunity, in an email. Sojourner was quick to point out the limitations of the count, though, and noted that the department uses reports from programs and caseload data to inform its decisions as well. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees the annual count, does not use point-in-time count data in any of its current funding formulas, according to Christine Baumann, a public affairs officer for HUD based in Boston. But when doling out grants, HUD does reward local coalitions that can demonstrate they have succeeded in reducing homelessness, as measured by the annual count, along with other data sources, Baumann said. For Sosin, this year’s count comes during an inflection point for homelessness in Vermont, as lawmakers and the Scott administration debate the fate of the pandemic-era motel voucher program — and what will come after it. “If we begin to lose track of the numbers of people that are experiencing homelessness, that’s really going to undermine our efforts to bring to bear solutions at the scale that’s needed,” Sosin said. At the end of a morning of counting in Bennington, Carelli’s team had found only one unsheltered person. Pulling back into the parking lot behind the family shelter, she said she hopes others have gotten counted as they’ve gone to the food shelf or the free clinic — but she knows they could be missing people. And if and when the motel programs phase out in a few months, she’s bracing for even more people to become unsheltered. That could both make the problem worse — and, as people scatter, harder to quantify. “It’s going to be a crisis all over again,” she said. “It’s already a crisis. But it’s going to be … devastating.” This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.
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Addressing ‘biggest barrier’ to leaving domestic violence New program offers credit counseling, grants and financial literacy to survivors BY SARAH MEARHOFF VTDigger
Ari Menard, above, an advocate from the Washington Countybased domestic violence shelter Circle Vermont, and Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, left, speak during a press conference held at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday about financial literacy resources that are available to survivors of abuse. PHOTOS BY GLENN RUSSELL/ VTDIGGER
At a press conference where Gov. Phil Scott declared this week Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, state officials, domestic violence advocates and representatives of M&T Bank celebrated a new program to offer financial literacy resources to survivors of abuse. Funded through a $100,000 donation from M&T Bank’s Charitable Foundation, the state treasurer’s office is partnering with the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence to provide financial educational resources to survivors to help them leave abusive relationships and-or rebuild their lives after they’re free from their partners. “I hear many different stories of abuse on a daily basis,” Ari Menard, an advocate from the Washington County-based domestic violence
Williston
The Williston Observer is mailed to every home and business in Williston and St. George every Thursday. In addition, we provide rack distribution to locations in Williston, Richmond and Essex. Williston Adams Farm Market Belle’s Café Chef’s Corner Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Fairfield Inn Gardener’s Supply Green Mountain Bagel Hannaford Healthy Living Williston Home2Suites Island Homemade Ice Cream Korner Kwik Stop Marriott Courtyard Men At Wok M&T Bank Ramunto’s Rehab Gym Shell Gas Station (Essex Rd) Simon’s Mobil Williston Simply Divine Café Sonesta Sunoco Station Town of Williston Offices UPS Store Vermont Meat & Seafood Williston Coffee Shop If you would like copies for your location, call Rick Cote at (802) 373-2136 or email Rick@WillistonObserver.com
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shelter Circle Vermont, said at Tuesday’s press conference. “But there is one form of abuse that is the single biggest barrier to housing, and to allowing survivors to move on with their life. And that is financial abuse.” For many survivors of domestic violence, financial dependence can be one of the greatest barriers keeping them from leaving their abusive partners, or forcing them to ultimately return. Staying in or returning to an abusive relationship can be fatal: According to a January report from the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, between 1994 and 2022, 45 percent of Vermont’s 403 homicides were related to domestic violence. Menard said on Tuesday that financial abuse can take many forms. It can mean barring a victim from working, so they can’t attain financial independence. It can mean forcing a victim to cash their paychecks and hand over their money. It can mean tallying the car’s odometer and checking grocery store receipts to make sure not a penny was spent elsewhere. It can mean opening a slew of credit cards in a victim’s
name, maxing them out and wrecking their credit score. “More stereotypical” forms of abuse have financial repercussions for victims, too, Menard said. If a victim is being verbally or physically abused, they may flee their home and seek shelter in a hotel to get away from their abuser — perhaps maxing out their own credit card in the process. This, Menard said, is “the cost of survivorship.” “Most often, I see the tangible effects of financial abuse in poor credit scores that in no way reflect the credit and the financial abilities and the person with that score,” Menard said. “These credit scores haunt survivors as they seek housing, or apply for new financial products, while they try to work to reassemble the pieces of their lives.” The financial literacy classes, set to be provided through the Vermont Network, will teach survivors the basics of how to attain financial independence and improve their credit scores. Some of M&T Bank’s $100,000 donation — set to be distributed over four years — will also go toward “mini grants” to help survivors get back on their feet.
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February 8, 2024 two months; 10 class pass, good for three months. Bring clean Indoor sneakers to change into, light hand-held weights and water THERAPY DOG ACADEMY
Jan. 22 at 1:41 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Best Buy. Male was identified and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Jan. 22 at 9:16 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Marshalls. Male was located and was issued a citation to appear in court. Jan. 23 at 7:30 a.m. — Death investigation conducted. Nothing suspicious. Jan. 23 at 10:14 a.m. — Retail theft reported at Best Buy. Unable to locate suspects. Case is still under investigation. Jan. 23 at 11:47 a.m. — Retail theft reported at Plato’s Closet. Male was identified and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Jan. 23 at 1:01 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Best Buy. Male was identified and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Jan. 23 at 5:08 p.m. — Report of a male lying in the middle of the road. Male was gone upon officer’s arrival. Jan. 23 at 7:46 p.m. — Male passed out behind the wheel at a stop light. Male was issued a citation for suspicion of DUI. Jan. 24 at 6:25 a.m. — Burglary reported on Munson Way. Case is still under investigation. Jan. 24 at 7:44 a.m. — Report of a car broken into on Marshall Ave. Items stolen. Case is under investigation. Jan. 24 at 7:56 a.m. — Report of a male causing a disturbance at Walmart. Male was trespassed and removed from the property.
Jan. 24 at 12:25 p.m. — Male from prior incident back on the property of Walmart. Male was issued a citation to appear in court for unlawful trespass. Jan. 24 at 4:48 p.m. — Male that is trespassed reported to be at Shaw’s. Male was located and issued a citation to appear in court for unlawful trespass. Jan. 25 at 10:00 a.m. — Report of stolen credit cards being used at Walmart, Home Depot and Hannaford. Case is still under investigation. Jan. 25 at 1:50 p.m. — Male that is trespassed from Walmart located in the store. Male was removed from the store and issued a citation to appear in court for unlawful trespass. Jan. 26 at 9:30 a.m. — Report of a male in Healthy Living that has stolen from them in the past. Male was issued a notice of trespass. Jan. 26 at 12:15 p.m. — Report of a fight on Hurricane Lane. Female was transported to the courthouse for simple assault. Jan. 26 at 5:40 p.m. — Report of a retail theft at Best Buy. Male was located and issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft, resisting arrest and violating conditions of release. Female was also involved and issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft. Officers also conducted eight traffic stops and responded to seven alarm activations and three motor vehicle crashes during this time frame.
ICE RINK AT VILLAGE COMMUNITY PARK
The ice rink at Village Community Park is open. The entrance to the rink, by the warming hut, will be open when the rink is safe to use, and closed off by fencing when the rink is unsafe, or ice is being made. Openings and closings of the rink will be posted at www.willistonrec. org. Please respect the rink; be careful of the liner, boards and brackets so they can be reused each year. Share in the use. No one group has priority or allocated time. All are welcome. SUMMER CAMPS
Summer camp registration is now open for Williston residents. A Summer Camp Guide was mailed to homes the week of Feb. 5 with day camps and enrichment camps listed, as well as registration information. Camp information is also available at www.willistonrec.org. SPRING/SUMMER PROGRAM GUIDE
The Spring/Summer Program Guide will be mailed home mid-February and will have programs for March through August. There will be programs for active agers (50-plus), adults, preschoolers, youth and teens.
FAMILY PROGRAMS TABLE TENNIS
When you shop for yourself, Remember the Shelf! The Williston Community Food Shelf is seeing a large and increasing number of clients (over 300 families per month!) and
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Ages 12-plus. Come out and play, stay fit and meet new people. The program is open to all experience levels. Players should bring their own paddles (a limited number of loaner paddles are available). Players under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
ADULT PROGRAMS SENIOR STRENGTH AND FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY
Age 50-plus. Grab your weights and a water bottle and join this fitness program just for seniors. The program will concentrate on developing upper and lower body strength as well as improving balance and strengthening your core. In this dementia-friendly class participants are encouraged to work within their abilities while socializing and having fun. The program meets Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:45-10:45 a.m. starting Feb. 7. Cost is $5 per visit, payable when you attend class. The program is held at The R.E.C. Zone, 94 Harvest Lane. Optional equipment to bring with you: hand/ankle weights, bands/tubing, mat, ball. Chairs will be available to all participants. JAZZERCISE CARDIO SCULPT
Jazzercise is for every body. Dance, sweat and say hello to your favorite workout with easy-to-follow dance aerobic moves, strength training and flexibility. Programs are low impact with different levels of intensity. Instructors will show you options to take it high or low with lots of energy. Use of a chair is optional. This program is geared toward adults 50-plus but open to everyone looking for a low-impact workout to start your physical wellness journey. There are two different programs offered: • Cardio Sculpt Low, (low impact, low-to-moderate intensity): Classes offered year round, Mondays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. • Cardio Sculpt High, (low impact, moderate-to-high intensity): Classes offered year round, Tuesdays 4:45-5:45 p.m. Purchase one of three class pass options and start any time: single class, good for one month; 5 class pass, good for
Age 18-plus. This six-week course gives dogs and handlers the necessary skills for not only passing the test, but also for working successfully as a therapy dog team. The course is taught by Deb Helfrich, who has been a therapy dog handler since the mid-1990s, has had six therapy dog partners over the years, and has directed a large therapy dog certification and training program since 2005. The program starts in March. WOMEN’S PICKUP BASKETBALL
Age 19-plus. Come out and play, stay fit and meet new people. The program is for the not-so-serious player who is looking to play, get exercise and have fun.
YOUTH PROGRAMS YOUTH LACROSSE
Registration opens Feb. 4. Lacrosse is a fast-paced sport that combines the power of football and hockey and the endurance of soccer and basketball. The KinderRec program is coed and is a child/parent program for ages 5-6. The Grade 1-8 program offers separate boys and girls teams. Volunteer coaches are needed in these programs. NINJA SCIENCE CAMP
This camp combines all the martial arts, tumbling and parkour that your kids love with environmental science education. There will be lots of technique-oriented Karate, playing martial arts games, breaking boards, sword fighting and delving deeper into meditation and the moral and ethical precepts of the martial arts. We’ll also be talking about ants, space and animal tracking. We help girls and boys realize their full potential in an environment that is playful, supportive and fun. Instructor: ONTA Studio
www.WillistonObserver.com
February 8, 2024 •
Speaking the language of flowers Different flowers convey different meanings BY DEBORAH J. BENOIT Special to the Observer Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to show those we care for just how much they mean to us. Often, that means a gift of flowers. Throughout history, flowers have held special meanings; a gift of flowers is more than just a pretty present. Floriography, also known as the language of flowers, dates to the Victorian Era (1837-1901), where flowers were used to pass messages wordlessly. Even today, the meanings associated with flowers can serve as a subtle form of communication or add an extra layer of sentiment. Their implied message can even add a bit of fun. Roses symbolized the goddess of love (Aphrodite in Greece and Venus in Rome), making them a natural selection for Valentine’s Day. If you want to give the classic Valentine’s flower, select the red rose, sometimes called the lover’s rose. The traditional dozen red roses send a clear message of love and passion. It’s sure to communicate your romantic intentions, even to someone unfamiliar with the language of flowers. A dozen red roses symbolizes a declaration of complete love. A single red rose can represent love at first sight or communicate that its recipient is the one and only object of your love and devotion. Different colored roses can impart different meanings. A purple rose conveys a message of mystery, enchantment and fascination. White roses, often referred to as the bride’s rose, speak of new beginnings and an open heart. Pink roses can convey romantic love and affection, but they can also show gratitude and appreciation and are often given to mothers and other female relatives. If you’re looking for something a little different to show your affection, white chrysanthemums symbolize truth and fidelity, while tulips send a message of romance, dedication, admiration and passion. If it’s friendship you want to
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convey, say it with a yellow rose. Yellow roses also convey admiration, happiness, warmth and positivity. Sunflowers are another good choice, sending a message of admiration, sunny days and loyalty. Ranunculus will tell the recipient that you are dazzled by their charms. Gardenias whisper of secret love, while daisies bring thoughts of innocence or new love. A mixed bouquet can combine any of these sentiments. Add baby’s breath (eternal love), fern fronds (fascination and sincerity) or ivy (fidelity and affection) for added meaning.
Floriography, also known as the language of flowers, dates to the Victorian Era (1837-1901), where flowers were used to pass messages wordlessly. To make Valentine flowers last as long as possible, give those flowers the tender loving care they deserve. Start with a clean vase filled with room temperature water. Add the packet of flower food provided by the florist. Next, remove all leaves that will fall below the surface of the water. Then, using a sharp knife, give the bottom of each stem a fresh diagonal cut, and put the stem immediately in the water. Display the arrangement out of direct sunlight and away from hot drafts. Check the water level daily and refill as needed. Replace the water completely if it appears cloudy. With a little TLC, flowers can continue to reflect your message of love, friendship or gratitude long after Valentine’s Day. Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from North Adams, Mass., who is part of the Bennington County Chapter.
Pink roses have many different meanings, conveying romantic love and affection, but also gratitude and appreciation, especially for mothers, aunts and other female relatives. PHOTO BY JILL WELLINGTON/PIXABAY
The choice is yours. KWINIASKA RIDGE
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Page 16 •
Williston Observer •
February 8, 2024
SPORTS Swish CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU’s Tucker Tharpe gets a layup for two during the Redhawks’ 62-46 win over the Essex Hornets on Thursday evening in Essex. Russell Willoughby makes a bucket from the paint. Kyle Eaton puts up a jumper from behind the arc. Colby Morehouse drives the lane for a hoop. Ollie Cheer launches a three point shot. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY
February 8, 2024 •
Williston Observer •
Page 17
SPORTS
Loss by one CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU’s Zoey McNabb scores two on a fast break during the Redhawks’ 52-51 loss to the St. Johnsbury Hilltoppers on Friday evening in Hinesburg. Merrill Jacobs goes to drive on St. Johnsbury’s Kaia Anderson. Grace Thompson gets into the lane for a shot. Samara Ashooh attempts two from behind the arc. Alexandra Montgomery makes a bucket from the lane. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY
Page 18 release • Williston Observer dates: Feb. 10-16, 2023• February 8, 2024
06 (24)
Next Week: It’s a leap year!
Issue 06, 2024
Founded by Betty Debnam
Presidents Old and New We celebrate Presidents Day on Monday, Feb. 19. This holiday began as a tribute to President George Washington and was scheduled near his birthday, Feb. 22. In fact, the official name of the federal holiday is still Washington’s Birthday. This week, The Mini Page celebrates Presidents Day by getting to know our first five and most recent five presidents. (The number next to each president’s name shows the order in which he served.)
George Washington (1) • Washington was the only president to have a state named after him. • He gave the shortest inauguration speech ever, 133 words, at his second inauguration in 1793.
John Adams (2)
• Adams was the first president to live in the White House. He moved in before it was completely finished in 1800.
Thomas Jefferson (3)
Mini Fact:
photo courtesy Library of Congress
George Washington did not have wooden teeth. His teeth were made of the best materials available at the time.
James Madison (4)
• Madison spoke in such a soft voice that people often had to ask him to speak up. • Madison was the shortest president. He was only 5 feet 4 inches tall. He weighed 100 pounds.
James Monroe (5)
• As George Washington’s ambassador to France, Monroe helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. • About Monroe, Jefferson said, “Monroe was so honest that if you turned his soul inside out, there would not be a spot on it.”
Bill Clinton (42)
• Clinton met President John F. Kennedy when he was in high school. He said that meeting led him to a life of public service. • Clinton is the only president to have been a Rhodes Scholar.
• Jefferson sold about 6,000 George W. Bush (43) of his own books to help start • Bush’s father, George the Library of Congress in H.W. Bush, served as the Washington, D.C. country’s 41st president. • In 1819, he founded the • Bush was the president University of Virginia in during the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Charlottesville. The Mini Page® © 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication
• Obama was the first African American president in the United States. His father was from Kenya, and his mother was born in Wichita, Kansas. • Obama was elected to a second term in office in 2012. He was the fourth president to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.
Donald Trump (45)
• Trump, a business owner, was elected in 2016. He had never served in a governmental role before. • Trump lost his reelection bid in 2020 but is running again in the 2024 presidential election.
Joe Biden (46)
• Biden served in the U.S. Senate, representing Delaware, for 36 years before becoming Obama’s vice president in 2008. • Sadly, Biden lost his wife, Neilia, and their daughter, Naomi, in a car accident in 1972. Biden later married first lady Jill Biden. • With careful therapy, Biden overcame a stuttering problem that he’d had since he was a boy.
Resources On the Web:
• bit.ly/MPpresidents
At the library:
• “Our Country’s Presidents” by Ann Bausum (updated through 2020 election)
Try ’n’ Find
Mini Jokes
Words that remind us of our presidents are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: FEDERAL, HOLIDAY, HONEST, LOUISIANA, NOBEL, PRESIDENT, RHODES, SECOND, SENATE, SERVICE, SPEECH, STATE, STUTTER, TERM, TRIBUTE, UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, WHITE
Barack Obama (44)
Y E E A N F H O L I H E V S T O T T N E N A S E R E N R H O S E C X Y T S F E D
A D U D V D T E
I A T I I E I R
S Y T S C S S A
I S E E E T R L
U P R R S R E E
O L E E L E P I E C I B V I T A
H W C C H Y B O N Y Z C O N D U T E N U T T S E
Penny: What was Abraham Lincoln’s nickname as an infant? Paul: Babe Lincoln!
Eco Note A massive iceberg that was stuck on the ocean floor off Antarctica for more than three decades is now drifting freely toward the South Atlantic Ocean. Designated
Washington, D.C. country’s 41st president. • In 1819, he founded the • Bush was the president University of Virginia in during the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Charlottesville. The Mini Page® © 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication
At the library:
• “Our Country’s Presidents” by Ann Bausum (updated through 2020 election) February 8, 2024 •
Try ’n’ Find
Y E E A N F H O L I H E V S T O T T N E N A S E R E N R H O S E C X Y T S F E D L W A S H A J W W H
A I D A U T D I V I D E T I E R I N I T
S Y T S C S S A G E
I S E E E T R L T H
U O L P E E R L E R P I S E C R I B E V I E T A O N R O U S
Penny: What was Abraham Lincoln’s nickname as an infant? Paul: Babe Lincoln!
H W C C H Y B O N Y Z C O N D U T E N U T T S E E S R E Y M
Eco Note A massive iceberg that was stuck on the ocean floor off Antarctica for more than three decades is now drifting freely toward the South Atlantic Ocean. Designated A23a, the huge chunk of sea ice split from the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986 before quickly running aground. It began moving again last year as the world’s largest iceberg, measuring 1,544 square miles. Satellite images show it is now gaining speed while passing the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Weighing nearly a billion tons, A23a could run aground again near South Georgia Island.
Cook’s Corner
7 Little Words for Kids Use the letters in the boxes to make a word with the same meaning as the clue. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of letters in the solution. Each letter combination can be used only once, but all letter combinations will be necessary to complete the puzzle.
DA
IST
IES
ILB
BEL
EA
YA
TRA
MA
OX
WR
ONG
EX
ZEN
RN
CIT
Answers: wrist, belong, extra, cities, mailbox, earn, Zendaya
1. it connects the arm and hand (5) 2. fit in (6) 3. more than you asked for (5) 4. Atlanta and Chicago (6) 5. where you find letters (7) 6. receive for working (4) 7. “Rewrite the Stars” singer (7)
adapted with permission from Earthweek.com
The Mini Page® © 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication
What to do: 1. In a stew pot, heat olive oil and cook onion, carrots and garlic until onion is translucent. 2. Add cumin and chili powder, stirring for 1 minute until mixed. 3. Add stock, pepper and 1 can black beans; heat until boiling. 4. Meanwhile, puree remaining can of beans and tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Add to soup mixture. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serves 4.
©2024 Blue Ox Technologies Ltd. Download the app on Apple and Amazon devices.
• 2 (14-ounce) cans vegetable stock • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper • 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* You’ll need an adult’s help with this recipe.
Black Bean Vegetable Soup You’ll need: • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 medium onion, chopped • 2 medium carrots, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 2 teaspoons ground cumin • 1 teaspoon chili powder
Page 19
Mini Jokes
Words that remind us of our presidents are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: FEDERAL, HOLIDAY, HONEST, LOUISIANA, NOBEL, PRESIDENT, RHODES, SECOND, SENATE, SERVICE, SPEECH, STATE, STUTTER, TERM, TRIBUTE, UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, WHITE HOUSE.
Williston Observer •
For later:
Look in your newspaper for items about Presidents Day celebrations.
Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!
Page 20
• Williston Observer • February 8, 2024
SAVVY SENIOR Do I need to file a tax return this year?
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior, What are the IRS income tax filing requirements for retirees this tax season? I didn’t file the past two years because my income was below the filing threshold, but I got a part-time job so I’m wondering if I’m required to file this year. Retired Worker
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Dear Retired, Whether or not you are required to file a federal income tax return this year will depend on how much you earned last year (in 2023), as well as the source of the income, your age and filing status. Here’s a rundown of this tax season’s IRS tax filing requirement thresholds. For most people, this is pretty straightforward. If your 2023 gross income — which includes all taxable income, not counting your Social Security benefits, unless you are married and filing separately — was below the threshold for your filing status and age, you probably won’t have to file. But if it’s over, you will. • Single: $13,850 ($15,700 if you’re 65 or older by Jan. 1, 2023). • Married filing jointly: $27,700 ($29,200 if you or your spouse is 65 or older; or $30,700 if you’re both over 65). • Married filing separately: $5 at any age. Head of household: $20,800 ($22,650 if 65 or older). • Qualifying surviving spouse: $27,700 ($29,200 if 65 or older). To get a detailed breakdown on federal filing requirements, along with information on taxable and nontaxable income, call the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ask them to mail you a free copy of the “1040 and 1040-SR Instructions for Tax Year 2023,” or you can see it online at www.IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi. pdf.
CHECK HERE TOO
Be aware that there are other financial situations that can require you to file a tax return, even if your gross income falls below the IRS filing requirements. For example, if you earned more than $400 from self-employment in 2023, owe any taxes on an IRA, Health Savings Account or an alternative minimum tax, or get premium tax credits because you, your spouse or a dependent is enrolled in a Health Insurance Marketplace plan, you’ll need to file. You’ll also need to file if you’re receiving Social Security benefits, and one-half of your benefits plus your other gross income and any tax-exempt interest exceeds $25,000, or $32,000 if you’re married and filing jointly. To figure all this out, the IRS offers an online tax tool that asks a series of questions that will help you determine if you’re required to file, or if you should file because you’re due a refund. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete. You can access this tool at www. IRS.gov/Help/ITA. Click on “Do I Need to File a Tax Return?” Or you can get assistance over the phone by calling the IRS helpline at 800-8291040. CHECK YOUR STATE
Even if you’re not required to file a federal tax return this year, don’t assume that you’re also ex-
cused from filing state income taxes. The rules for your state might be very different. Check with your state tax agency before concluding that you’re entirely in the clear. For links to state tax agencies, see www. Taxadmin.org/fta-members. TAX PREPARATION HELP
If you find that you do need to file a tax return this year, you can free file through the IRS at www. IRS.gov/FreeFile if your 2023 adjusted gross income was below $79,000. Or, if you need some help, contact the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (or TCE) program. Sponsored by the IRS, TCE provides free tax preparation and counseling to middle- and low-income taxpayers, age 60 and older. Call 800-906-9887 or visit www.IRS. treasury.gov/freetaxprep to locate services near you. You can also get tax preparation assistance through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide service. Call 888-227-7669 or visit www.AARP. org/findtaxhelp for more information. You don’t have to be an AARP member to use this service. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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February 8, 2024 •
Williston Observer •
Page 21
CROSSWORD • SOLUTION ON PAGE 22
TODAY’S HISTORY:
• In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed on suspicion of plotting to murder her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. • In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated. • In 1971, the NASDAQ stock exchange began trading. • In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law, leading to a drastic overhaul of U.S. media regulations.
TODAY’S FACT:
• “Saturday Night Live” star Cecily Strong, who joined the NBC sketch-comedy series in 2012 and departed in 2022, is the longest-tenured female cast member in the show’s 48-year history.
SUDOKU • SOLUTION ON PAGE 22
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Page 22
• Williston Observer • February 8, 2024
SUDOKU SOLUTION Puzzle found on page 21
CLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE MOBILITY SCOOTER LITE RIDER—Model GP 162. used very little.
Purchased 2022 new. Call or text 802-9225145 for additional info. Asking $800
LEGAL
TOWN OF WILLISTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD AGENDA Tuesday, February 13, 2024 – 7:00 PM Town Hall Meeting Room (Town Hall, 7900 Williston Road, use rear entrance) or Zoom Meeting ID 846 5863 3532 on zoom. us/join or call 1-646-558-8656
CROSSWORD SOLUTION Puzzle found on page 21
DP 24-14 Pre-App CSWD requests pre-app review of the proposed Materials Recycling Facility, a ±72,000 sf building on 2 lots totaling 36 ac. at 432 and 694 Redmond Rd in the IZDE. Continued from January 8, 2024: APP 24-02 Waldo and Mary Siple appeal the zoning violation dated October 24, 2023, Re: RV Use Exceeding Duration Limits and Unpermitted Establishment of a Dwelling Unit at 1250 South Rd in the ARZD. Project details and site plans are available on the website, town.williston.vt.us, under “Public Records and Documents”, then “Agendas & Minutes”, and “Development Review Board”. Contact Planning & Zoning Office for more information: 802-878-6704 or email planning@willistonvt.org
LEGAL
AGENDA Tuesday, February 27, 2024 – 7:00 PM Town Hall Meeting Room (Town Hall, 7900 Williston Road, use rear entrance) or Zoom Meeting ID 846 5863 3532 on zoom. us/join or call 1-646-558-8656 DP 24-15 Pre-App Ken Pidgeon requests pre-app review of the proposed ±2,855 SF addition and associated site work for the existing ±7,080 SF building at 99 Engineers Dr. in the IZDW. Project details and site plans are available on the website, town.williston.vt.us, under “Public Records and Documents”, then “Agendas & Minutes”, and “Development Review Board”. Contact Planning & Zoning Office for more information: 802-878-6704 or email planning@willistonvt.org
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February 8, 2024 •
SERVICE DIRECTORY
Page 23
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Williston
Page 24 •
Williston Observer •
February 8, 2024
State confirms 2023 record fish catch
A longnose gar taken by a bowfishing angler last year has been certified as a new state record. Last May, Pennsylvania angler Jeremy Bicking was out bowfishing in the evening on Lake Champlain and took a gar that weighed 18.6 pounds, beating the previous bowfishing record set in 1996 by nearly one pound. State records are kept separately for four species of fish that can be taken both by hook-and-line and bowfishing. “While fishing remains excellent for more traditional sport fish species such as bass, trout, walleye and pike, there are so many other fish out there that can provide amazing action with real trophy potential — fish like bowfin, gar, freshwater drum, suckers and even fallfish — Vermont’s largest native minnow species,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Shawn Good, who administers the state’s Record Fish Program. “The opportunities are endless.” Although not new state re-
cords, two other notable fish were caught in 2023 — an 11-pound walleye from Lake Champlain and a 25-pound Lake Trout from Echo Lake in Charleston. The walleye entry is a testament to the ongoing successes of fisheries management efforts on Lake Champlain, Good said. The state’s walleye hatchery on Grand Isle and long-term sea lamprey control by the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative (comprised of Vermont Fish & Wildlife, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) has bolstered walleye and other sport fish species’ populations in the lake. “The population has really been booming in the last few years, with lots of 10-pound-plus fish being caught,” Good said. “Our hard work and long-term management efforts are paying off for anglers.” For more information on Vermont’s fishing opportunities and record fish program, visit https:// vtfishandwildlife.com/fish.
CLOCKWISE (l to r): The Northeast Kingdom region of Vermont hosts several lakes that support abundant, naturally reproducing lake trout populations with the occasional trophy. This 25-pound trout was taken in Echo Lake last year by Roger Stoddard of Morgan, Vt. Jeremy Bicking caught this recordbreaking 18-pound longnose gar while bowfishing last May on Lake Champlain. It beat the previous bowfishing record set in 1996 by nearly one pound. Grand Isle angler Nausori Osasa displays a roughly 12-pound walleye last year on Lake Champlain. State biologists credit their long-term sea lamprey control program and improved walleye stocking program on the lake with the increasing size of walleye caught. PHOTOS COURTESY OF VT FISH AND WILDLIFE
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