Flying the tin can
Memorial Day
The Logger heads south to the Land of Enchantment and finds ...
Middlebury puts on a parade and honors vets on Memorial Day.
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By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com MONTPELIER — Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a medical marijuana bill into law that will cr eate several medical marijuana dispensaries in V ermont in the coming year or two. The Legislature passed the bill even though there was fier ce opposition from the state law enforcement officials and anti-drug groups. Medical marijuana has been permitted in V ermont since 2004. Patients and their car egivers ar e permitted to gr ow small amounts of hemp. Some critics say the dispensaries will open themselves up to criminal activity by announcing their locations. Legislators were unfazed by the charges. Vermont is the eighth state to permit registered marijuana users legal outlets for the drug. State Sen. Jeanette White said, “we left medical marijuana users in a bind; on the one hand, we granted them the right to use this drug, but did not provide them with a safe way to find it.” The V ermont Department of Public Safety is now charged with issuing a total of four dispensary licenses within one year. So far , White said two Vermont r esidents have expressed an inter est in establishing a dispensary. Gov. Shumlin signed the legislation on June 2 in Montpelier.
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Serving Addison and Chittenden Counties
June 11, 2011
Shumlin signs bill for medical marijuana dispensaries
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Take one
Lodge residents display artistic side
Art on Display
By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.co m M I D D L E B U RY — R e s i dents of the Lodge at Otter Creek i n M iddlebury ar e displaying sides of their lives rarely seen in public— their artistic sides. And judging by the r esident art on display in this upscale re tirement facility, the Lodge seems to have an abundant resource of dynamic talent—all in their 80s and 90s. Paige Larson, dir ector of activities at the Lodge, thought a r esident and staf f art exhibit was a good idea when it was first pr oposed by resident and artist Jo Birnbaum. The idea was to appr oach various artists living at the Lodge and ask them to donate (or cr eate) artwork for
the public display. Next, display areas were set up in the lobby, common room and social areas to permit easy access; wa lker- and wheel chair-bound r esidents can get in close and enjoy the art. “The response to this community exhibit turned out to be overwhelming,” said Larson. Residents enter ed a variety of work in the exhibit, which has all the appear ances of an upscale urban gallery—from paintings to photography, sculptur e to woodware, and needlepoint to stained glass—and everything in between. One L odge s taffer, m edical technician Daniel Hamilton, enter ed an unusual piece—a finely detailed natur e scene etched on the underside of a cap of a giant tree mushroom. See ARTISTS, page 9
Resident artists at the Lodge at Otter Creek gather in the common room. Their work was on display for the public last week. The exhibit may be extended.
Capital region assesses flood damage By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com
BUY LOCAL — Happy shoppers from Brandon and Middlebury visit the Brandon Farmers Market, located on the town green across from the Brandon Innand public library. They enjoy a wide selectionof “Buy Local” items such as fresh baked goods, organic produce, fabrics, honey, maple syrup and sugar products as seen here. The market opened last month and welcomes shoppers from around the area.
MONTPELIER — For many central V ermont r esidents, Friday, May 27, 201 1 is a date that will live in infamy. As if flooding in the Champlain Valley region earlier in the month wasn’t enough to test the r esolve of local r esidents, last Friday’s violent thunderstorms in the state’s capital r egion pushed some ar eas untouched by earlier spring flooding into crisis mode. During the early morning hours of May 27, a series of powerful, tr opical-like thunderstorms moved th rough Vermont’s mid section. The ensuing heavy rain water , falling and accelerated downslope by steep, narrow mountain valley walls, cr eated the flash flood emer gency. The Winooski River and its feeder streams quickly reached flood levels.
Photo by Lou Varricchio
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