Issuu

WEEK IN REVIEW

emoji that

JULY 27-AUGUST 3, 2022

FILE: COURTNEY LAMDIN

COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY A sign at a former Burlington homeless encampment

AUDITOR: Where Are the Newly Homeless Coming From? Vermont has spent an eye-popping $456 million over the past six years to combat homelessness, and the problem is worsening, according to a report that state Auditor Doug Hoffer issued last Thursday. Homelessness spiked sharply during the pandemic even as the resources — which included federal relief funds — tripled. In early 2020, the annual point-in-time count tallied 1,110 homeless Vermonters. The following year, that figure soared to 2,591. It increased again this year, to 2,780. The report notes several factors driving the increase. During the pandemic, the state expanded eligibility for its general assistance emergency housing program that previously only placed at-risk people in motels and hotels during cold weather. Social distancing led those who had been staying with friends and family to seek the hotel vouchers offered through the program. The soaring cost of housing contributed to the spike, the report found. Hoffer told Seven Days he was not criticizing any particular strategy that the state has funded, such as investing in affordable housing and moving people from shelters to motel rooms. Rather, he said, the state needs to designate ways to evaluate results. “A lot of people are working very hard, but I’m not sure how success is defined,” Hoffer said. “I can’t audit criteria that don’t exist.”

true802 CARBON-CONSCIOUS COPS

The U.S. Air Force has grounded all F-35 fighter jets because of an issue with the ejection seats. Relief from above.

million

That’s how much Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, says he tucked into bills for programs in the Green Mountain State.

TOPFIVE

MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM

CHIP INFUSION

A federal bill will funnel billions of dollars into the semiconductor industry, including GlobalFoundries. “Fab” news.

STORM CENTER

Lightning struck the Burlington International Airport last week, setting off fire alarms and prompting an evacuation. Luckily, no one was hurt.

1. “Two Dead, One Wounded in Burlington Shooting” by Derek Brouwer. A man forced his way into an apartment and shot two women, one of them fatally, before killing himself. 2. “Three New Restaurants Open in Milton” by Jordan Barry. New options for breakfast, lunch and dinner have opened in recent months. 3. “Sweetwaters to Close and Become New Location of Pascolo Ristorante” by Melissa Pasanen. After 41 years, Church Street’s busiest corner is getting a new eatery . 4. “Vermont Woman Accused of Using Bear Spray on Hunters” by Kevin McCallum. A 61-year-old woman was charged with interfering with a hunter, simple assault and disorderly conduct. 5. “Santiago’s Cuban Cuisine to Open at Burlington’s Main Street Landing” by Jordan Barry. Oscar Arencibia and Luis Calderin plan to open the first downtown location of their “Cuban tropical” restaurant in September.

tweet of the week @goth_cat_lady

DOUBLE DIAMONDS

Pacific Group Resorts has made a $58 million offer to buy Jay Peak, the ski area at the center of the Northeast Kingdom’s EB-5 scandal, VTDigger.org reported. Going, going…

Is there anything more #btv than some college kid trying to recycle their yoga mat?

Cops in Richmond aren’t driving Ford Crown Vics anymore. The small-town police department added a Tesla Model 3 to its fleet last year in an effort to cut gas consumption and costs — and, potentially, recruit new officers. “There’s a good number of people in Richmond that are really forward-thinking about climate and climate change and becoming as net-zero as possible,” said town manager Josh Arneson. “So there was a large number of people that were really excited about the possibility of having such a vehicle here in Richmond for the police department.” Richmond isn’t the first Vermont police force with an allelectric Tesla; the Windham County Sheriff’s Office bought one in 2020. That inspired former Richmond chief Kyle Kapitanski to plug the concept in his town. In a March 2021 memo to the town manager and the selectboard, Kapitanski outlined all

LDSTEIN

THAT’S SO VERMONT

SASHA GO

?? ? ? ??

The report warns that the state could continue spending indefinitely without understanding whether the money is having its intended effect. As of April, 2,372 people were housed in hotels and motels, including 1,850 adults and 522 children. The figure remained high even though an estimated 1,800 people who had been homeless got permanent housing during the pandemic, according to the Department for Children and Families. “Where are all the people who are newly homeless, who were not homeless last week, coming from?” Hoffer asked. Gordon Sawyer has been bouncing around different motels since the pandemic began. He’s been staying at the Motel 6 in Colchester for a few weeks and sees no end in sight. “I absolutely feel stuck,” Sawyer said. “I feel like I’m never going to get into a place.” The state is paying $4,030 per month for his room, he said. For that kind of money, he said, he feels he should get into an apartment or even a rent-to-own arrangement. “Instead, I don’t even have a refrigerator or a microwave in my room,” he said. Read Kevin McCallum’s full story at sevendaysvt.com.

SOUND OF SILENCE

$212

Officers in Richmond take their cruisers home with them, and the Tesla was Kapitanski’s car. But it’s a tight fit for the interim chief, so it’s not currently getting much use, according to Arneson. Still, Arneson said, the electric car has gotten good reviews. It cost more up front — about $57,000, compared the potential to $45,000 for a more traditional police vehicle, a Dodge benefits. Durango Pursuit SUV. The town is approaching a year of Tesla Tesla police cruiser “Last, but not least, ownership, at which point it will tally up cost savings on gas and maintenance. the Tesla is just a pretty cool car all the way around,” he wrote. “My “From what I heard from our outgoing chief, it was fine in the belief is that some officers will be attracted to Richmond PD winter and handled really well,” Arneson said. “It did well on all the because we are willing to try out cutting edge technology and terrain that he needed to take it on.” equipment.” Any plans for another electric addition to the fleet? The recruitment bit hasn’t worked just yet. In fact, Kapitanski “I think we kind of need to gather some more of that feedback himself left the department last month to join the force in before we decide to make the purchase again,” Arneson said. Shelburne, and one other position in the five-member Richmond SASHA GOLDSTEIN PD is open. SEVEN DAYS AUGUST 3-10, 2022