A friend recently sent me a Yale thesis that used regression analysis to determine the quantitative impacts of the Act 46 school district mergers.
As someone who participated in the policy discussions that lead to Act 46, and has closely followed the outcomes of district consolidation efforts, I read this report with great interest. I was eager to compare the learnings of
Williston’s Community Newspaper Since 1985
www.willistonobserver.com
P.O. Box 1401, Williston, VT 05495 | 802-489-5499
ADVERTISING
Rick Cote, Associate Publisher rick@willistonobserver.com 802-373-2136
EDITOR
Jason Starr editor@willistonobserver.com
PRODUCTION & DESIGN
Jan Kenney
jan@willistonobserver.com
PUBLISHER
Susan T. Cote susan@willistonobserver.com
BILLING INQUIRIES
Michael McCaffrey office@willistonobserver.com
Member:
ADVERTISING SPACE DEADLINE
Friday at 5 p.m. for the next Thursday issue rick@willistonobserver.com, 802-373-2136
CLASSIFIED ADS
Deadline is Friday 5 p.m. There is a fee for business, real estate, help wanted and legal ads. Free classifieds must be 25 words or fewer and are printed on a space available basis.
SUBMISSIONS & LETTERS
Deadline is Monday noon for Thursday issue. News/ story tips are welcomed. Letters to the Editor should be 300 words or fewer and include your name, address and a daytime phone number so that we can verify the letter’s author.
The Williston Observer reserves the right to edit or refuse submissions or advertising. Opinions expressed in the paper are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the paper.
A publication of Twin Ponds Publishing LLC
that report to the current legislative efforts in Act 73 to address rising education costs. I believe it’s important for Vermonters to understand which policy choices will and will not help in addressing our education spending and property tax woes.
As 21st century Americans, we have been conditioned to think that bigger is better; we see manifestations of this all around us in the form of cities, larger vehicles and giant retail chains, as a few examples. However, bigger does not always mean better outcomes; it also comes with diseconomies of scale and, often, a loss of focus on individuals and communities.
The Yale report found there was no significant change in overall spending or local tax rates from the Act 153 and Act 46 mergers, after consolidating 273 school districts down to the current 119. Act 73 contemplates further consolidation down to 10-20 districts. This would mean the removal of over 250 local school boards.
Act 46 actually appears to have increased the cost per pupil in our education system. You can see a definite acceleration in spending as mergers got underway in 2016. Equally important is that student outcomes have also been falling since 2013.
Larger school governance structures do not seem to have addressed either of these issues. This was further reinforced by a report put out by Campaign for Vermont in December, which confirmed that larger school districts in Vermont do not perform better on either cost or outcomes.
Why would consolidation increase spending? According to the Yale report, for a couple reasons. The first is transportation costs ($166 increase per student). There were also some minor material cost increases ($88 per student). But the big one was staff salaries and benefits ($1,121 per student). The reason for these salary and benefit increases is not obvious and eluded even the author of the report. When you merge business entities (in this case, school districts), you need to re-negotiate staffing contracts, and there is pressure to level up the lowest paid salaries
to match the most generous contract among the previous districts. In other words, no one wants to take a pay cut, so you end up bringing everyone up to the same (higher) pay scale. This costs money, both in year one and subsequent years. It also explains why any savings from administration and contracted services were soaked up by these newly introduced costs (or, diseconomies of scale).
You will hear all kinds of arguments over the next couple years about what needs to be done with our education system, but remember that bigger is not necessarily better.
Perhaps more importantly, when you increase the geographic footprint of school districts, boards are now responsible for more students. It becomes very difficult for board members, who are supposed to be the oversight mechanism, to have a strong sense of what is happening in each individual building and whether or not schools are meeting their obligations to students.
This is further complicated when we start adding assignments to these volunteer board members, like consolidation mandates or “policy governance.” It shifts the focus away from education quality and meeting students where they are.
We are seeing the results of this. Today, our students are performing below the national average when you control for our demographics. Prior to the Act 156 and Act 46 consolidation efforts, we were among the best in the country.
When I talk to people about this, they say things like “I just can’t believe larger districts won’t save money” or “there must be administrative savings,
right?” There are some administrative savings of course, but they are swallowed up by other diseconomies of scale that drive costs higher. When having these sorts of policy discussions, it is important to keep the facts in front of us, because it is easy to get distracted with platitudes that sound reasonable at the surface but fall apart as you look more closely. Such is the state of our politics today.
Fortunately, there are options that the data and research support. Getting rid of school boards (aka districts) is not one of them. Instead, keeping a local focus on student outcomes with districts that are a manageable size for board members to stay engaged with their school communities is important.
Economies of scale can be found through shared services between school districts that can reduce the cost of districts procuring these on their own. We already do this for special education, but it could be expanded to all sorts of things, such as bulk purchasing, facility maintenance, transportation, HR, financing, accounting, AP and language classes — the list goes on. Campaign for Vermont put out a proposal this past spring for one such model, but the key is thinking about how to collaborate without giving up the things that make Vermont schools special: the ties to their community.
A group of Vermont colleges has already done this through the Vermont Higher Education Collaborative. They did this to achieve economies of scale without losing their individual identities. It could serve as a model for how we provide primary and secondary education as well.
You will hear all kinds of arguments over the next couple years about what needs to be done with our education system, but remember that bigger is not necessarily better. Better is better. Demand transformations that are focused on outcomes backed by data.
Ben Kinsley is the interim executive director for Campaign for Vermont, an advocacy group focused on growing the state’s middle class.
Celebrate library’s 120-year legacy
In 1905, the Williston Public Library was established as the result of a vote at Town Meeting. The library was opened in a portion of the Modern Woodmen of America’s Hall — what is currently the Town Hall Annex — in October of 1905. The original collection consisted of 225 books, most of them on loan from the Vermont State Library, for a population of about 1,100.
The library — and Williston — has come a long way in the last 120 years. The town’s population has increased tenfold, and 65 years ago the town found a permanent home for the library with the opening of the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library in 1960.
St. George residents now also call Dorothy Alling their home library. Two wings were added on
To recognize the rich history of library services…a 120th celebration is planned for Saturday, Sept. 20.
in the 1980’s and 1990’s, with a third expansion being contemplated currently.
To recognize the rich history of library services to Williston, a 120th celebration is planned for Saturday, Sept. 20, rain or shine.
From 10 a.m. to noon, the Williston Historical Society will present the Williston Antiques Roadshow. Come to the library’s community room to have up to three
of your treasures appraised by local auctioneer and appraiser Ethan Merrill of Merrill’s Auction Gallery. A suggested donation of $5 per item will benefit the historical society, but call the library if you would like a “one free appraisal” coupon reserved for you.
Then, from 1-3 p.m. there will be a performance by the Williston Town Band (1:15 p.m.), cake (donated by Hannaford) and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, old-style lawn games (weather permitting), and a chance to explore the Village Vibrancy library expansion plans by walking the layout of the proposed new spaces.
We hope you can join us for the fun celebration!
Kevin Unrath Director Dorothy Alling Memorial Library
The Dorothy Alling Memorial Library will host a 120th library anniversary party Sept. 20. COURTESY PHOTO BY KIM PEINE
Orphanage survivors complete restorative justice with Burlington memorial
BY KEVIN O’CONNOR VTDigger
Debbie Hazen recalls turning 6 when the nuns who ran Burlington’s former St. Joseph’s Orphanage locked her in an attic trunk in the early 1960s.
“They told me there were bats and snakes and spiders in there
that were going to get me,” she said of the dark place.
Hazen never imagined she would eventually find herself outside the orphanage dedicating a “memorial healing space” for the more than 13,000 children who lived at the Catholic facility from its opening in 1854 to its closing in 1974.
“This has been a long time coming and quite the journey for all of us,” Hazen, now 70, told a crowd of 100 fellow survivors and supporters Friday. “For some, this will complete their healing. For others, there’s still much to do.”
The North Avenue memorial, which features a sculptural arbor and stones etched with the words of former orphanage residents, is the final project in a five-year restorative justice process.
“Your voices have been instrumental in shaping our approach to child protection,” Chris Winters, commissioner of the Vermont Department for Children and Families, told survivors. “This memorial is not just a reminder of the past, but it’s also a symbol of your resilience and of our commitment to a future where every child is safe.”
Former orphanage residents once feared no one would believe their memories of mistreatment, so they didn’t start publicizing their childhood conditions until
the 1990s. But authorities didn’t launch an investigation until a
A sculptural arbor and stones etched with the words of survivors are part of a new “memorial healing space” at Burlington’s shuttered St. Joseph’s Orphanage — now an apartment building in the Cambrian Rise complex on North Avenue.
PHOTO BY KEVIN O’CONNOR/VTDIGGER
continued from page 8
2018 BuzzFeed article exposed the full extent of past “unrelenting physical and psychological abuse.”
By 2020, the review confirmed “abuse did occur … and that many children suffered,” although the accusations were too old to pursue criminal charges. To compensate, local and state leaders initiated a “restorative justice inquiry” to help former residents push responsible parties to adopt measures “to ensure that these harms never happen again.”
Working with social service and legal professionals, former residents lobbied for a 2021 state law that eliminated time limits on filing civil lawsuits alleging childhood physical abuse — a success that won them the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services’ 2021 Survivor/Activist Award.
But the orphanage’s overseers — the state’s Roman Catholic Diocese, the Sisters of Providence and Vermont Catholic Charities — would not meet with survivors as a group nor consider requests for childhood records or restitution.
As part of the inquiry, participants told their stories through several public projects, including two anthologies, a Vermont Folklife-supported oral history and traveling exhibition, and journalist Christine Kenneally’s 2018 BuzzFeed exposé and 2023 follow-up book, “Ghosts of the Orphanage.”
Inquiry organizers also released a 176page final report that summed up the restorative justice process as both “helpful and healing” and “difficult and painful.”
The new memorial rose with help from Burlington’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Waterfront and supporters who donated $160,000. The dedication featured current and former local and state leaders as well as survivors who came from as far away as Florida.
“I would like to acknowledge all the unseen victims who have gone unnoticed,” said Debi Gevry, 62, whose father, struggling to care for her and her two siblings, placed them at the orphanage in the 1960s.
“He did so thinking he was doing what was best for his children,” she said in a speech.
“On a mechanic’s wage, he paid for our keep not knowing the suffering we were enduring on a daily basis.”
Gevry, who said she wasn’t hugged until after leaving at age 12, went on to raise her own family.
“I have yet to heal from the traumas hidden deep in my soul,” she said. “I have unknowingly passed on my fears and anxieties to the next generation. This is just a small example of the ripple effect abuse carries.”
Gevry closed by reading a poem she wrote. Chiseled into a memorial stone, it’s punctuated by the refrain, “We will be remembered.”
“I may never be completely whole,” she said, “but I will not be silenced.”
Salmon
continued from page 9
“Half of our funding was frozen in February, and projects were significantly set back. We’ve had great support from Vermont Fish and Wildlife, but we’re worried about their funding too. With all of the federal disinvestment in climate change and resilience, we’re going to be in a difficult position in the future. It’s daunting.”
Despite an uncertain future, other success stories in Lake Champlain are a silver
lining. Simard said it took 50 years of hatchery stocking and intervention for lake trout populations to stabilize in the basin.
Simard said it might not be possible to achieve similar outcomes with Atlantic salmon because of dam usage and changing regulations for fisheries management, but he, his fellow researchers and volunteer groups want to do their best to get there.
As Braun put it: “We’re on the right track, but we need to keep it up.”
Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Winooski News.
A state worker handles an Atlantic salmon.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
www.folinopizza.com/ form-job-application
Meet your makers
Sarita Devi — Growing up in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, Sarita learned to cook family recipes throughout her childhood. Nine years after moving to Vermont with her husband, Yogi Singh, she realized her dream of opening Aromas of India to share the food she loves with others. Her flavorful vegetarian menu (Indian food is so much more than curry!) features complex flavors and textures. Everything she serves, she makes from scratch, with attention to detail that shines in every dish.
Francisco Guzman — Francisco, Carlos and Ricardo Guzman and Eduardo Fuentes have been friends since their grade school days in Jalisco, Mexico. With two other successful Tex-Mex restaurants up and running, the partners seized the opportunity to open their third, under Francisco’s leadership, when space came available in Williston. At Casa Grande, Francisco has created a colorful, lively atmosphere, where he eagerly welcomes guests to enjoy authentic dishes with the vibrant flavors of Mexico.
Craig Anthony — Craig Anthony grew up in Tamworth, New Hampshire. His love for cooking was found as
a child hunting and fishing, and grew during high school as a member of the Junior American Culinary Federation. In 2007, he relocated to Vermont, building a distinguished career with Mirabelles Bakery and Waterworks Food and Drink, before becoming Executive Chef at the Kitchen Table. Craig delights in creating a space for family and friends to gather and enjoy delicious homecooked comfort.
Samantha La Croix
— Pastry Chef, Samantha La Croix, was born and raised in Vermont where her passion for baking was sparked at an early age by her late grandmother. Classically trained in Pastry & Baking Arts at The New England Culinary Institute, Sam has delighted diners at Jupiter Island Club in Southern Florida, Hen of the Wood, The Inn at Shelburne Farms, and Mirabelles Bakery. Widely recognized as one of the best dessert bakers in Chittenden County, she loves feeding people food that brings them to a warm, familiar place.
Bobby Seaman Bobby, Director of Operations at Folino’s Pizza, has worked at the restaurant for 7 years. Bobby was the leader behind opening their Williston location in 2021. Bobby comes from a rich culinary background but has found working with pizza is the most rewarding because of the flexibility of flavors and toppings. Bobby says, “Folino’s stands out because of our attention to high-quality ingredients and naturally rising dough.” His go-to order is the Margarita pizza. “It’s a classic pizza that lets our ingredients do the talking.” With multiple Folino’s locations, Bobby says, “The best thing about working in Vermont is
Meet your makers
getting to know the communities that we are a part of and bringing a smile to people’s faces.” Visit Bobby and the rest of the Folino’s family at our Williston location!
Perry & Neil Farr — Perry & Neil Farr met as students at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY then settled in Williston (Neil grew up in Colchester) to raise their family, where they each pursued careers in food service while exploring business ideas. When they discovered Poké on a trip to San Francisco they knew they needed to bring the concept to Vermont. The Scale was born. Perry & Neil take pride in sourcing only the freshest ingredients - mostly local – and offering hungry patrons fast, healthy and delicious food with a Hawaiian flare.
Max Fath — Max Fath grew up in Williston, the son of Jon and Lucie Fath who owned and operated the original Toscano Café Bistro on Bridge Street in Richmond. With twenty years of experience in restaurant service and management, Max was eager to launch a new rendition of Toscano when the opportunity became available in Williston. Max built a team of some familiar faces from the original Toscano and some new faces he met along the way and is grateful for the opportunity to serve our community once again, blending nostalgia from the original Toscano with contemporary elegance in his newly renovated space.
Eric Kelley — Originally from Massachusetts, Eric went to college in Colorado where he began his career in the food service business. After moving to Vermont in 2009, Eric saw an opportunity to create a gathering place in Williston where locals could connect to enjoy excellent coffee, espresso drinks, and fresh baked goods. He opened Williston Coffee Shop to serve the breakfast and lunch crowd. Over a decade later, Eric can be found in the early hours baking bread, croissants, scones and pastries to the delight of his regular customers. He takes pride in his products, the friendly atmosphere of the Shop, and the many employees who have learned from him. Located on Cornerstone Drive, it’s no surprise that Williston Coffee Shop has become a Williston cornerstone.
Brian Lewis— Brian’s journey to Williston wends from his native Connecticut through Seattle, L.A., Rhode Island, and Waitsfield. After a season as Executive Chef at Sugarbush resort’s main slopeside restaurant, Lewis struck out on his own in Waitsfield, opening Toast and Eggs in 2018. After leading that restaurant through the pandemic, he purchased South Burlington’s Parkway Diner on Williston Road. He also bought the original Yellow Mustard deli while launching Filibuster Restaurant and Bar, both in Montpelier. Following the floods of 2023 he successfully reopened both restaurants. After opening his second Yellow Mustard Subs and Sandwiches shop in Burlington, Brian is thrilled to join the Williston community with his newest location in the Taft Corners Shopping Center!
As drought persists, livestock farmers are hurting
BY AUSTYN GAFFNEY VTDigger
George Foster, a third-generation farmer in Middlebury, cut corn on a neighbor’s farm last Tuesday to help feed his 950 cows after this summer’s drought shrunk his own crop.
The 2,000 tons of additional feed cost roughly $100,000, Foster said, not including the labor of harvesting the corn and trucking it home to his dairy farm. The last time the 2,300acre farm had to buy extra feed was in 1965, Foster said.
The U.S. Drought Monitor, a national drought mapping project out of the University of NebraskaLincoln, shows that all of Vermont is in a moderate or severe drought, as of Sept. 2. For farmers, that’s making a difficult dairy business even more challenging as they’re forced to haul water and buy feed to keep the cows producing milk through the heat.
Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, the state climatologist, said there are two types of drought in the state right now: a long-term drought that began last fall and a flash drought that began around June 4. Some streamwater gauges and groundwater wells are at the lowest levels ever seen in Vermont since record keeping began up to 109 years ago, according to Dupigny-Giroux.
Jon Lucas, of Lucas Dairy, has been hauling up to 5,000 gallons of water per day from a creek to his farm in Orwell since his three wells started drying up in June. Lucas said a typical milk cow needs to drink about 50 gallons of water to produce 100-150 pounds of milk a day. Some farmers said they’ve lost about ten pounds a day of milk per cow because of the heat, and the lack of feed could worsen the conditions, Lucas said.
“The first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I go to bed is making sure the cows have water,” Lucas said, adding that, along with being a huge time commitment, hauling the water is mentally draining.
The dry spell comes from a shortfall in precipitation that’s affecting the entire state, but particularly the Northeast Kingdom, Dupigny-Giroux said. Rainfall could hit Vermont through the weekend, she said, but it won’t cure the various types and stages of drought impacting the state.
“It took us a while to get into this drought,” Dupigny-Giroux said. “It’ll take us a while to get out, barring tremendous amounts of rain.”
Depending on the region of the state, it would require roughly six to eight inches of rain throughout a month to pull the state out of the drought, according to DupignyGiroux. That much rain would have to make it down through the soil and into the groundwater without being taken up by thirsty plants along the way.
Lindsey Brand, the marketing and communications director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, a farmer-led organization advocating for sustainable agriculture, said the state’s drought particularly impacted livestock farmers.
“We’re seeing a lot of folks who have not been able to do a third cut of hay,” Brand said, referring to a harvesting practice that increases grass yields by cutting the crop throughout the season. “That’s a pretty serious blow on the farm.”
That means farmers like Lucas and Foster, who normally can grow enough to feed their herds, have to buy additional feed, creeping into their already slim margins in the dairy industry, where there are fixed prices for fluid milk that don’t oscillate to meet the needs of the milk producers.
A consolidating dairy industry means there’s a very small number of buyers, and they’re able to set a low milk price, Brand said.
“The choice for dairy farmers is, do they want to sell or not sell their milk?” Brand said. “The price is set for them. They can’t negotiate based on an increased cost of production, so a year like this serious drought situation and buying more feed because cows can’t graze means their already-small margins have shrunk significantly.”
Graham Unanst-Rufenacht, the policy director at Rural Vermont, a small-farmer advocacy organization, said most small-scale vegetable farmers are less vulnerable because they can rely on irrigation. Larger animal operations, however, have struggled to rotate their grazing lands, provide enough feed and access enough water since wetter weather ended in June.
Unanst-Rufenacht manages his own animals to encourage ecological resilience on his Marshfield farm, frequently moving animals in tight groups across his 15 acres. But a drought like this summer’s slows
pasture regeneration and can impact how much pasture is available for feed.
Lucas said he’s spending $50,000-$100,000 on feed products like corn, hay and wet brew, a byproduct from making beer, to feed his 300 cows and supplement what he normally harvests from his 900 acres of cropland along Lake Champlain.
Lucas is a first-generation farmer, and he said this is the worst dry spell he’s experienced on his farm since he purchased the acreage in 2012.
State funds could help alleviate the crunch through a proposed Farm Security Fund, said Unanst-Rufenacht.
Originally, the measure requested $20 million annually to support farmers impacted by extreme weather conditions increasing under climate change, but that request was whittled down to $1 million during the last legislative session before lawmakers tabled the bill entirely.
“The exact purpose is that, if there’s an extreme weather event, rather than a business being rocked to the ground, it can receive flexible, quick funding and recover,” Brand said.
She said the fund was more important than ever to meet the new paradigm of a changing climate that has swung between two years of horrible floods to a summer largely impacted by drought, along with a smaller spate of floods in July.
“Farmers are on the front line of climate change,” Brand said. “We don’t want to see our agricultural system collapse in the face of this new normal.”
VTDIGGER PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL
Lincoln’s Plan
The Emancipation Proclamation, written by President Abraham Lincoln, was published on Sept. 22, 1862. It said all enslaved people in any state in rebellion against the Union would be free as of Jan. 1, 1863. The proclamation was the first step in stopping the practice of slavery in the United States.
This week, The Mini Page learns more about Lincoln’s proclamation and how it affected our country.
What is slavery?
Slavery is the practice of one human being owning another human being, just as someone might own a car or a house.
This means that at any time, an enslaved person could be sold and sent far away from their family. They might never see each other again.
How did slavery begin?
Since the early 1600s, Africans had been brought to North America by slave traders and sold to work on farms and plantations. (A plantation is a large farm where crops are grown and workers live on the property.)
The Africans did not want to come; they were kidnapped, chained together and then forced onto a ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The ships were overcrowded, and people often got sick. Many died during the trip.
The kidnapped Africans didn’t understand the language of their captors. They didn’t know what would happen to them. After they arrived in the Americas,
most were sold to work growing tobacco, rice, sugar and cotton. Some also worked in the homes of the plantation owners.
Lincoln acts
Mini Fact: This painting by Francis Bicknell Carpenter shows Lincoln reading his proclamation to his Cabinet.
Abraham Lincoln was a young man when he probably got his first close-up view of slavery. He traveled down the Mississippi River, where he saw men, women and children in chains and at slave sales. Lincoln was shocked at these scenes, and he began to hate the idea of slavery.
After he became president, Lincoln hoped the Southern states would change their minds about slavery. But in April 1861, Confederate soldiers attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and the Civil War began.
In the summer of 1862, Lincoln began working on his document that would free the slaves. He shared it with his Cabinet, and it was published in September.
The 13th Amendment
In December 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution made slavery unconstitutional, or against the law, in the United States.
Kids in slavery
Next Week: Time to visit the doctor!
Children who were born to slaves started working as soon as they were able. They didn’t go to school; in fact, learning to read was against the law for a slave child.
Some children wore nothing but a long shirt, with no pants, underwear, socks or shoes, even during cold winter months.
Kids didn’t get much food to eat.
Frederick Douglass, a former slave, wrote:
“Our food was coarse corn meal boiled. This was called mush It was put into a large wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs …” Kids would eat the mush with their hands because they weren’t given spoons.
The proclamation
The original Emancipation Proclamation is at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The original document was five pages long and was tied with narrow red and blue ribbons. After it was published, it freed about 3.5 million enslaved Africans and allowed newly free men to join the Union army.
Try ’n’
Find
Aromas of India
Chef’s Corner
Observer rack locations
Goodwater
Words that remind us of the Emancipation Proclamation are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:
Dorothy Alling Memorial Library
Fairfield Inn
Call Rick Cote at (802) 373-2136 or email
Rick@WillistonObserver.com if you would like copies for your location
Folino’s Pizza Gardener’s Supply
Green Mountain Bagel
Healthy Living Williston
Home2Suites
Island Homemade Ice Cream
Korner Kwik Stop
Marriott Courtyard
Men At Wok
M&T Bank
Ramunto’s
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
Essex/Essex Jct.
Essex Automotive
Five Corner Variety
Hannaford
Inn at Essex
Martone’s Deli Price Chopper
Scott: How can you make the odd number seven into an even number?
Mac’s Market
Sierra: Remove the S!
Cumberland Farms
Richmond Free Library
Richmond Market
Founded by Betty Debnam Issue 37, 2025
Slave children, probably recently freed, around 1870.
This drawing of an escaped slave serving the Union Army appeared in Harper’s Weekly magazine in July 1864.
understand the language of their captors. They didn’t know what would happen to them. After they arrived in the Americas, to the Constitution made slavery unconstitutional, or against the law, in the United States.
Try ’n’ Find
Words that remind us of the Emancipation Proclamation are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:
1. Process watermelon (in batches) in a blender until smooth.
Mini Jokes
Scott: How can you make the odd number seven into an even number?
Sierra: Remove the S!
Eco Note
2. In a 13-by-9-inch pan, stir apple juice and lime juice into blended watermelon.
3. Cover and freeze for 4 hours.
4. Remove from freezer, break up and blend until smooth a second time. Return to pan and freeze again for 2 hours.
5. Before serving in individual dishes, allow watermelon to sit for 10 minutes to make it easier to break up.
7 Little Words for Kids
* You’ll need an adult’s help with this recipe.
1. it falls from an oak tree (5)
2. passage through a mountain (6)
3. crunchy vegetable stalk (6)
4. person sentenced to jail (8)
5. they grow on trees (6)
6. cart pulled by a horse (5)
7. rock band member (7)
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. Answers: acorn, tunnel, celery, criminal, leaves, wagon, drummer.
The U.N. weather agency reports that sandstorms and dust storms are intensifying worldwide due to human-driven climate change and poor land management. The storms carry health risks such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease, with airborne particles contributing to about 7 million premature deaths annually. In 2024, particularly severe storms hit East Asia, West Africa and the Middle East, while dust from the Sahara Desert travels as far away as the Caribbean and Florida at times.
For later:
Look in your newspaper for articles about presidential proclamations or executive orders.
Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
My 80-year-old father, who lives alone, has fallen several times over the past few months. Are there any tips or precautions you recommend that I can implement to help prevent this?
Concerned Son
Dear Concerned,
This is a common concern for millions of elderly seniors and their families. Each year more than 1 in 4 older Americans fall, making it the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for those aged 65 and older. But many falls can be
SAVVY SENIOR
How to prevent falls at home
prevented. Depending on what’s causing your dad to fall, here are some tips that can help keep him on his feet.
Get him exercising: Weak leg muscles and poor balance are two of the biggest risk factors that cause seniors to fall. Walking, strength training and tai chi are all good for improving balance and strength, as are a number of simple exercises your dad can do anytime like sit-to-stand exercises (sitting down and standing up from a seat without using his hands for assistance), standing on one foot for 30 seconds then switching to the other foot, and walking heel-to-toe across the room.
Check his meds: Does your dad take any medicine, or combination of medicines, that make him dizzy, sleepy or lightheaded? If so, make a list or gather up all the drugs he takes — prescriptions and over the counter — and contact his doctor or pharmacist for a drug
review and adjustment.
Many blood pressure medications, anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, antipsychotic drugs, diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers, some painkillers and over-the-counter drugs that cause drowsiness are common culprits in medication-related falls.
Get a vision and hearing test: Even small changes in sight and hearing can increase your dad’s risk of falling, so get his eyes checked every year to be sure his vison and eyeglasses (if used) are up to par. Hearing loss can also double the risk of falling, so have your dad’s hearing checked too, and if he uses a hearing aid, be sure it fits well, and he wears it.
Fall-proof his home: There are a number of simple household modifications you can do to make your dad’s living area safer. Start by helping him arrange or move the furniture so there are
clear pathways to walk through, and pick-up items on the floor that could cause him to trip like newspapers, shoes, clothes and electrical or phone cords. If he has throw rugs, remove them or use double-sided tape to secure them.
Buy some non-skid rugs for bathroom floors and a rubber suction-grip mat or adhesive nonskid tape for the floor of the tub or shower, and have a carpenter install grab bars in and around the tub/shower for support.
Also, make sure the lighting throughout the house is good. Purchase some inexpensive plugin nightlights for the bathrooms and hallways, and if he has stairs, put handrails on both sides.
For more tips, see the National Institute on Aging “Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room” web page at www.NIA.NIH.gov/ health/fall-proofing-your-home.
Choose safe footwear: Going barefoot or wearing slippers or
socks at home can also cause falls, as can wearing backless shoes, and shoes with heels or smooth leather soles. The safest option is rubber-sole, low-heel shoes.
Purchase some helpful aids: If your dad needs some help with his balance or walking, get him a cane or walker. Also, to help ensure your dad’s safety and provide you some peace of mind, consider getting him a medical alert system that comes with a wearable emergency help button (some systems are voice-activated) that would allow him to call for help if he did fall or need assistance.
To help you evaluate your dad’s risk of falling, use the National Council on Aging’s “Falls Free Checkup” tool at www.NCOA.org/ tools/falls-free-checkup.
Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.
TODAY’S HISTORY:
• In 1857, settlers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and members of the Utah Territorial Militia massacred 120 pioneers in Mountain Meadows, Utah.
• In 2001, hijacked planes crashed into New York City’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field in terrorist attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
• In 2007, Russia announced the successful test of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb, a thermobaric weapon.
• In 2012, a militia attacked the U.S. consulate and a CIA compound in Libya, killing four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. TODAY’S FACT:
• John Tyler was the first vice president to assume the presidency because of a sitting president’s death—William Henry Harrison served only one month as president before dying in office.
SOLUTION FOUND ON PAGE 22
Library hours:
• Monday and Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Visit www.damlvt.org to apply for a library card and register for programs. Need help? Call 8784918 or email daml@damlvt.org.
YOUTH PROGRAMS
Children in fourth grade and younger must be supervised by someone over 16 years of age.
FRENCH STORYTIME
Saturday, Sept. 13, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Enjoy stories read aloud by a native French speaker.
PLAY THERAPY
Mondays, Sept. 15 and 22, 10:30-11 a.m. Suggested for parents/ caregivers and children ages 3-6. Join the Champlain Center for Play Therapy and Family Counseling for a series designed to strengthen bonds through joyful, structured play. Guided by trained facilitators.
STORYTIME
Tuesdays, Sept. 16 and 23, 10:3011 a.m. Have fun with storytime. Outdoors when weather permits.
BABY TIME
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 10:30-11 a.m. Ages 0-18 months. Drop in for gentle bonding and socializing activities with your little one.
AFTER SCHOOL CRAFT
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2-3 p.m. Join volunteer and a youth librarian after school to make your own zines.
MUSIC AND PLAYTIME
Thursdays, Sept. 18 and 25, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Linda Bassick’s preschool music. stay to play. Outdoors when weather permits.
AFTER SCHOOL STEAM FUN
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2:15-3 p.m. After school hands-on experiments.
LEGO TIME
Thursday, Sept. 25, 3-4 p.m. Build something exciting with the Library’s LEGO collection.
MULTI-AGE PROGRAMS
READ TO A DOG (LOLA)
Thursday, Sept. 18, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Sign up for a 10-minute session to read to (or hang out with) Lola the therapy dog.
WILLISTON ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
Saturday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m.12 p.m. The Williston Historical Society presents: The Williston Antiques Roadshow. Have your treasures appraised by local auctioneer and appraiser Ethan Merrill of Merrill’s Auction Gallery.
DAML ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Saturday, Sept. 20, 1-3 p.m.
Celebrate the 120th year of the library in Williston, rain or shine.
Old-style lawn games, a town band performance, cake and ice cream, and a chance to explore the Village Vibrancy expansion plans.
ADULT PROGRAMS
For online programs or to join a book club, email daml@damlvt.org.
TEA CLUB: SILVER NEEDLE TEA
Each month, we will highlight a true tea (made with tea leaves) and provide a sample, a description of the tea’s history, and instructions on brewing and tasting.
ADULT MEDITATION (ONLINE)
Fridays, Sept. 12 and 19, 1212:30 p.m. Join our guided meditation to relax and recenter.
MAH JONGG
Fridays, Sept. 12 and 19, 1-3 p.m. All abilities welcome.
BOOK CLUB BUFFET (ONLINE)
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “The Museum of Extraordinary Things” by Alice Hoffman.
COOK THE BOOK
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 12-1 p.m.
Dust off those kitchen gadgets from the back of your cupboards. Highlighting cookbooks on grilling, air fryers, rice cookers, pressure cookers, spiralizers and woks.
SPANISH CONVERSATION (ONLINE)
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 5-6 p.m. Join us to brush up on your language skills. All abilities welcome.
CONSTELLATION TALK
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 7-8 p.m. It’s a bird, it’s a plane … no, it’s Orion the hunter! Come to this talk by the Vermont Astronomical Society on how to recognize common constellations and how knowing them can help you orient yourself.
READERS’ ROUNDTABLE
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “All the Colors of the Dark” by Chris Whitaker.
CURRENT EVENTS
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Drop in to discuss timely topics with other community members.
David Michael Winter
David Michael Winter was born on March 19, 1960, in Barre City Hospital and died September 5, 2025, in the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vermont, after a long battle with cancer.
Dave was a lifelong hiker, climbing his first mountain, Camel’s Hump, at the age of 5; completing the Long Trail at 13 to become its youngest solo Endto-Ender; and continuing to climb Camel’s Hump and nearby mountains until the last year of his life. His appreciation of the wilderness made him a strong proponent of restoring and enhancing our environmental protections.
Overcoming many personal obstacles, he was a fierce advocate
OBITUARIES
for the poor, homeless, mentally ill, and others he believed were ill-treated by society. He worked for many years at COTS, as well as helping people cope with jail release, substance abuse, and other problems.
For several years, Dave was a self-employed logger and snowplow contractor. In his last years, he was a bus driver for GMTA, a job he thoroughly enjoyed, and a proud member of the Teamsters Union, until their leadership supported Trump.
Dave was an avid writer and published several chapbooks of original poetry. He continued to pen new work until the last week of his life.
His many other interests included martial arts, both Tai Chi and Kempo Ju Jitsu, where he proudly achieved a purple belt. While opposed to most forms of consumerism, Dave was a lifelong coin collector; he also collected movies, tools, and Magic Cards.
Dave was a lover of all creatures on four legs, especially dogs. His childhood dog Schatzie was his constant hiking companion. As an adult, he was never in a position to keep a dog, but his family’s dogs (“puppies”) always gave him, and them, joy.
While Dave took his civic responsibilities seriously, working hard to support candidates who shared his views and letting his representatives know where he
stood on issues, he may be remembered best for his generosity of spirit and willingness to lend a helping hand to friends, neighbors, and family. He showed a special level of care to his mom, claiming he “tortured that poor woman” as a teenager.
We wish to express our sincere thanks to all the staff and volunteers at McLure-Miller who took such good care of him in his final days. And we especially want to thank all his friends who visited him at both the hospitals and respite house - it did a lot to brighten his spirits. And your friendship is the best testament to the man Dave was.
Dave was predeceased by his mentor and his mother’s longtime partner, Alvin Gover. He is survived by his mother, Hazel Winter; sister, Monique “Moki” Fox; father, James Winter and his wife, Kelly Winter, who handknit Dave many beautiful hats; nephew Jesse Fox and wife, Eron, and their children, Irie, Morgan, Lyran, Quinten, Stella, Jacob and Adelaide; niece Lizzy Fox Lausier, her husband, Steve, and their daughter, Sylvia; and niece, Nurto Hassan.
A celebration of life will be held at East Cemetery in Williston on Wednesday, September 17th, at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Green Mountain Club, https://www. greenmountainclub.org/.
Brian Bittner • 802-489-5210 • info@bittnerantiques.com Wednesday-Friday, with walk-ins to sell Thursdays ANTIQUES WANTED Decluttering?
The week-long bait drop is a cooperative effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal disease.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies. The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its
saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal.
So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.
from page 4
According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their nor mal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.
saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost al ways fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal. So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont
Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and
SHELBURNE DAY continued from page 4
Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and
‘Hawks over Hornets
CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU’s Reese Kingsbury battles with an Essex defender during the Redhawks’ 2 - 1 overtime win over the Hornets on Thursday in Essex. Sierra Rainey looks to make a pass. The team regroups after the game. Teammates celebrate Elsa Klein’s goal. CVU goalie, Anya Johnson, punts the ball away from her end zone.
SPORTS
Staying on the ball
CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU goalie, Charles Wallace punches the ball away from his goal during the Redhawks’ 0 - 0 tie with the South Burlington Wolves on Friday in Hinesburg. The team all worked hard to control the ball including Julian Olin kicking one into the box, William Wallace using his head to send it downfield and Sebastian Bronk putting on a burst of speed to outrun an opponent.
