Williston Observer 06/13/2024

Proud progress on flag policy

Educators recommend putting students at center of flag display decisions

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

The Pride Progress flag has been flying at the entrance to Williston Central School since February, sharing a flagpole with the Black Lives Matter flag that was raised in 2020. How long the flags should remain, positioned as they are next to the U.S. and Vermont state flags, has been the subject of a protracted debate drawing in students, educators, school board members and citizens.

Despite a school board policy adopted in 2022 that limits the display of flags (other than the U.S. and Vermont flags) to no more than 20 consecutive school days, the board has agreed to keep the Black Lives Matter flag up at all district schools indefinitely.

The Pride Progress flag display also has no end date.

“We have no plans to take the

flag down at this time or in the future,” Williston Lead Principal

Greg Marino said, adding that the Pride Progress flag will go up at Allen Brook School as soon as a second flagpole is installed at the K-2 school, likely this summer.

Created in 2018, the Pride Progress flag is a symbol of “diversity and inclusion” representing LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual) people of all colors, according to Outright International.

Williston Central School’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance presented a petition to school administrators at the beginning of the school year to have the flag raised and, in February, led a flag-raising ceremony outside the school.

“It’s a sign we accept everyone,” one of the students said in the petition.

MAKING THEIR RUN Candidates lin e up for Statehouse seat nominations

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

The Democratic Primary Election in August for nominations to represent Williston in the Vermont Senate will be contested with four candidates vying for three seats. Also, Williston’s Bruce Roy will run uncontested for a Republican nomination, setting up a contest

NOW SERVING BREAKFAST

between him and three Democrats in the General Election in November.

Williston is part of the Chittenden Southeast Senate District along with several neighboring municipalities. Incumbents Thomas Chittenden of South Burlington, Ginny Lyons of Williston and Kesha Ram Hinsdale of Shelburne are all running for re-election. Chal -

lenging them for a Democratic nomination is Louis Meyers of South Burlington.

The deadline for candidates to file petitions with the Vermont Secretary of State to appear on primary ballots passed May 30. The Primary Election will be held Aug. 13.

In the House of Representatives, incumbents Erin Brady

see CANDIDATES page 12

The Pride Progress flag has joined the Black Lives Matter flag on display outside WCS this school year. The flag is expected to be raised at Allen Brook School this summer.

OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR

Bruce Roy

Ginny Lyons

Erin Brady

Angela Arsenault

A close up of the Pride Progress flag that is flying at WCS. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

• Benjamin Feinson bought a home on 1 acre on Williston Road from Anna Gutwin for $310,000.

• Brenton Towne bought a home on Hanon Drive from the Roy Family Trust for $925,000.

• The John G. Petrasch Jr. Trust bought a home on Winslow Drive from Scott Brooks for $699,000.

• Evan McCrea bought a home on Ledgewood Drive from Michel G. Moreau for $855,000.

• Ivan Wemple bought a home on Chloe Circle from Northridge-Williston LLC for $905,892.

• Holland Elias Clark Conway bought a condominium on Southview Lane from Kimberly J. Smith for $354,000.

• Ronald Eldred bought a condominium on Whitewater Circle from the Phyllis Lund Living Trust for $580,000.

• Jennifer Hoag bought a condominium on Commons Road from the Jeannette A. Randy Irrevocable Trust for $265,420.

• Erik Andersson bought a home on 2 acres on Oak Hill Road from Judith Isham for $550,000.

Around Town PROPERTY TRANSFERS - MAY 2024

• Scott Wasserman bought a home on 2 acres on Mountain View Road from Yasmin Tayeby for $1.65 million.

• Owen Mayhew bought a condominium on Madison Drive from Christopher Page for $449,000.

• Elizabeth Katharine Hunicke-Smith bought a home on Stonybrook Drive from Nicholas Mallozzi for $540,000.

• Keith Gonzales bought a home on 1 acre on Mountain View Road from Timothy Brison for $600,000.

• Michael Durkin bought a home on Brookside Drive from Ronald Payson for $725,000.

• David O’Rourke bought a home on Caroline Court from Adams Real Properties LLC for $874,609.

• Josie Toof bought a condominium on Foxwood Circle from Karen P. Mitchell trustee for $361,500.

• Stephen Wiedler bought a home on Brennan Woods Drive from Ira Heitner for $925,000.

Williston woman graduates from leadership institute

Justice Elijah of Williston, owner of Spreading Justice LLC, graduated from the Snelling Center for Government’s Vermont Leadership Institute with the Class of 2024. Their graduation was celebrated during a June 1 ceremony at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes.

Elijah joined 22 others from around the state for a series of eight overnight sessions themed around leadership adaptation, public policy, innovation, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Visit www.snellingcenter.org for more information about the program.

Special Olympics to hold comedy fundraiser

America’s Got Talent finalist Don McMillan will perform family friendly comedy on June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Essex High School auditorium in a fundraiser event for Special Olympics Vermont.

General admission tickets for $30 include the show and a dessert reception. Special VIP tickets for $50 entitle guests to preferred seating and a meet-and-greet

session with McMillan. Tickets are available at www.specialolympicsvermont.org/ goforgold.

Water/sewer/stormwater bills in the mail

The Williston Department of Public Works has mailed quarterly water/ sewer/stormwater bills to residents. Payment is due by June 30. For more information, call the department at (802) 878-1239.

Route 2A construction to slow traffic

Construction of a new southbound turn lane and signalized intersection along Route 2A at the new Annex housing development will cause periodic lane closures in the vicinity of Alpine Drive and O’Brien Court until June 7, according to the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission. Work will take place between 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Knights dinner generates $1K donation

A spaghetti dinner fundraiser hosted May 11 by the Knights of Columbus served about 120 people and raised $1,000 for the Williston Community Food Shelf. Donations for the dinner were provided by Shaw’s, Boves, Panera Bread and Hannafords. Homemade contributions came from Midge Rensch, Jean Asselin, Bernie Ferenc and Cathie Cassano.

Justice Elijah

Independence Day Celebration schedule announced

The Williston Recreation and Parks Department has announced the schedule for Williston’s Independence Day Celebration on July 3-4.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3

• The Friends of the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library

Book Sale at Williston Central School, 4-6 p.m.

• Ice Cream Social and Town Band concert on the Town Green, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, JULY 4

• The Friends of the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library

Book Sale at Williston Central School, 9 a.m-1 p.m.

• Independence Day Parade, 10 a.m. start, along Route 2

• Activities on the Town Green, 11 a.m.-1 pm.

• Stovepipe Corners Schoolhouse Open House and Williston Memories,

sponsored by the Williston Historical Society, 9-10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Fire Department Open House, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Evening Celebration, 6-9 p.m. at Village Community Park: activities, food trucks, entertainment

• Fireworks, 9:20 p.m. at Village Community Park

SATURDAY, JULY 6

• Deb Beckett Memorial 5K Run/Walk, 8 a.m. at Village Community Park. Register at www.willistonrec.org.

Register to participate in the parade by June 30 at www. willistonrec.org. To become a sponsor of an event or activity, contact the Recreation Department by phone at (802) 8761160 or by email at recreation@ willistonvt.org.

Good Knights

Feeding Chittenden pivots to Feeding Champlain Valley

Feeding Chittenden, the largest charitable food provider in Vermont, has been expanding its food distribution reach into Addison, Franklin and Grand Isle counties for nearly three years. On Tuesday, the organization unveiled a new name — Feeding Champlain Valley — to better reflect its work throughout the region.

A program of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), Feeding Champlain Valley runs three food shelves

in Burlington, Middlebury and St. Albans, as well as a network of food hubs across the Champlain Valley, coordinating food access and delivery to individuals, children and families.

“Barriers to food access in the charitable food system include transportation challenges, a lack of fresh, diverse and nourishing food for specific diets, as well as language barriers and stigma associated with food shelves.” said Paul Dragon, executive director of CVOEO. “Feeding Champlain Valley is overcoming these challenges by increasing food choice, providing pickup and delivery options, and intentionally reaching out to diverse language communities.”

In connection with unveiling its new name, Feeding Champlain Valley is launching a fundraising cam-

paign — the Fund to Feed Champlain Valley — to ensure strategic investments in infrastructure, food access and capacity.

“We have an ambitious goal of raising $7.5 million from businesses, foundations, government sources and individuals — neighbors committed to this region and who want to see it thrive,” said Jason Rouse, director of philanthropy and communications at CVOEO. “Funds raised will allow us to renovate and expand Burlington’s Community Resource and Food Access Center, strategically invest in food distribution centers and networks in Addison, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, and help ensure future access to fresh, nourishing food in our region.”

Visit www.feedingchamplainvalley.org for more information.

Ginger Morton and Jennifer Selwah, front row, of the Williston Community Food Shelf, accept a $1,000 donation from members of the Knights of Columbus, back row.

Marino elaborated: “In Williston and CVSD, we believe that if our schools are safe and welcoming places of belonging for people who have been historically marginalized, then our schools will be safe and welcoming places of belonging for everybody.”

Input from community members since the initial Black Lives Matter flag-raising four years ago has compelled the board to create a policy to govern flag-raising requests.

“We’ve gotten a lot of requests from students and community members (asking), ‘well, what about our flag,’ and it raises a lot of questions,” said CVU educator Christina Daudelin, a member of the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion team. “We needed a policy. We can’t just put flags up willy-nilly.”

The 2-year-old flag policy ultimately leaves decisions about

whether to grant flag requests up to the district superintendent or building principals, and lists guidelines for them to refer to when making decisions. The guidelines state that “only requests from officially organized/ recognized student groups will be considered” and that flags should be flown for no more than 20 consecutive school days.

With administrators across the district having overruled these guidelines in their indefinite approvals of Pride Progress flag displays — and after a board meeting in October when a district parent called into question the Black Lives Matter organization’s geopolitical leanings — the board has sought to revise the flag policy this school year. In October, it tasked the district’s six-member diversity, equity and inclusion team of educators with coming up with recommendations.

are not only queer for 20 days, we are queer all our lives,’ so that’s why they want the flag to stay as long as we fight for social justice,” Williston diversity, equity and inclusion coach Ainaka Luna said.

Incorporating the recommendations would give the board a policy that insulates them from public input on the subject.

“We appreciate that parents are involved and excited, but this is something that students have control over. They choose which flags go up and when they come down,” Daudelin said. “If we have community members who are upset, ‘thank you, we appreciate you, but we have this policy because we value our student voices.’ This policy is about them.”

The recommendations will now be taken up by the board’s policy committee before eventually coming up for adoption by the full board. Board member Keith Roberts of Hinesburg said he’s not comfortable leaving flag-lowering decisions to students, or with the indefinite nature of the displays.

The team presented those recommendations to the board May 21. The recommendations put students at the center of flag-raising and flag-lowering decisions. Flag display requests would be required to come from student-led groups and align with the district’s equity policy and strategic plan. Flags would only be taken down at the request of students, and only “if conditions underlying the original purpose have been met,” the recommendations state.

“One student commented ‘We

“I love the fact that the decision to put up a flag is student-driven,” Roberts said. “I don’t love the fact that the decision to bring down a flag is student-driven. We can’t completely absolve ourselves of guiding students and bringing to their attention the concerns that might exist, legitimately or not, about the organizations behind these flags.”

‘Ridiculous in all the best ways.’

Vermont Repertory Theater brings ‘Spamalot’ to Isham Barn

BY INDIRA BUSH Special to the Observer

The Williston theater community is growing, and quickly. Last year, the new Vermont Repertory Theater debuted with a production of “The Comedy of Errors” at the Isham Barn. This year, the group is back at the barn with a production of “Spamalot” June 25-29.

“Spamalot” is a musical adaptation of the beloved movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Director Michael Fidler acknowledges that, while it’s not an incredibly well-known play for Vermonters right now, it’s “all the sketches that you know and love with a full score.”

For actor Zach Stark, who plays Sir Galahad and grew up watching “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the play is “ridiculous in all the best ways.”

There are notable challenges to developing this kind of high-level theater in a place where theater is not necessarily in the spotlight. According to Fidler, because everyone has jobs and other commitments outside of the theater, “you get less time than you would in a professional environment.” All the songs, lines and choreography must be learned in a much more confined amount of time.

Financial challenges are real as well. According to Fidler, “to make good theater you need to put money onto the stage.” Theater at this level requires certain elements: features like impressive sets and realistic and well-made costumes.

But, because the production is not a paid acting job, “people are doing it for the fun of it,” Fidler said, which leads to a “great

WHAT: “Spamalot” the musical WHEN: June 25-29

WHERE: Isham Family Farm, 3515 Oak Hill Rd. Williston TICKETS: www.vermontrep.com

atmosphere in rehearsals.”

“I look forward to coming to rehearsal every day,” Stark confirmed. He credits this to the fun and open nature of the rehearsal environment.

Fidler started the Vermont Repertory Theater alongside Burlington actor Connor Kendall in 2023. But the idea goes back to when he moved to Vermont from England in 2014 and noticed a lack of “small-scale professional level theater” in Williston and around Vermont.

He felt like he saw a lot of acting talent, but also a lot of talent that wasn’t being realized. For Stark, who joined the group as an actor this year, Vermont Repertory Theater is valuable to the local community for its ability to “take classics, put a good interpretation on them, and just provide an all-around good show with all the bells and whistles.”

“We’re really proud to be Williston residents and doing something in Williston,” Fidler added.

After selling out the Isham Barn for “The Comedy of Errors” last year, Fidler advises people to buy tickets for “Spamalot” soon.

On the horizon, Vermonters also have another production to look forward to: Vermont Repertory will be presenting “Sweeny Todd” in February.

Carl Heilman II, © Fort Ticonderoga

King Arthur and his knights, part of the cast of ‘Spamalot.’

OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO

Pushing back on tech’s influence on children

BY SEN. KESHA RAM HINSDALE

As a Vermont senator and the mother of a toddler, with a new baby on the way, I feel a deep personal responsibility to make sure the digital world our children grow up in is as safe and nurturing for them as the physical one.

this bill, not only as a lawmaker but also as a parent who understands the stakes.

That’s why I’m grateful our Legislature came together at the end of this session to pass the Vermont Kids Code. I’m proud to have sponsored

As parents, we see the real-life consequences of inadequate digital safety every day. Our kids are online more than ever before, facing risks that range from harmful messages from strangers to addictive design features like the infinite scroll. These are real threats that can lead to tragic outcomes, as too many families in Vermont know all too well.

from big tech companies and their trade group allies has been fierce.

After their testimony before our committee, it’s clearer than ever to me that the tech industry is hiding behind an army of lobbying groups to avoid scrutiny for not supporting efforts to keep kids safe online while they continue doing their “business as usual.”

to protect its youngest users. What’s more, our work on this bill proves that we can regulate tech in a way that preserves Vermont’s tradition of creativity and innovation.

Throughout the bill’s journey through our Legislature, the support we saw from communities across Vermont, including brave young people speaking out for action, was truly inspiring.

Mediterranean Mix, El Gato Food Truck, The Scoop handcrafted ice-cream, Taste of Desi, and Farmers Market Pizza and more.

FUN ACTIVITIES: Vermont Close Up Magic Show, Face Painting and others.

Isham Family Farm

OAK HILL ROAD • WILLISTON • 802-872-1525

Across the country this year, from Vermont to Maryland, whose own Kids Code was signed into law in May, we’ve seen a powerful movement grow — a united effort of parents, young people, educators, pediatricians, technologists and policymakers. Together, we seek to address the tech industry’s often harmful influence on kids at its source, by making sure digital products for kids are designed with their privacy and well-being in mind.

Our efforts show that when it comes to protecting our children, support for smart solutions transcends politics. That’s why we passed the Vermont Kids Code with a unanimous tripartisan vote. It’s especially impressive because the resistance

We should demand better from the companies who profit from our kids’ attention and data.

They argue that parents should just manage the risks alone by “taking their kids’ phones away,” but any parent struggling to navigate today’s digital landscape knows this is a complex problem we need cooperation to solve.

I believe our state and its economy will be stronger when we stand up to an industry whose biggest companies have consistently failed

Let’s send a clear message that, in Vermont, we put our kids first. We wouldn’t send our children to play alone in a dangerous park without safeguards in place, so why should we accept similar circumstances in the unregulated digital world?

We should demand better from the companies who profit from our kids’ attention and data.

Here in Vermont, we will.

The Kids Code offers my children and yours the opportunity to grow up with digital environments designed for them, and the tools we need to keep kids safe from routine exploitation and harm online.

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale represents Williston in the Vermont Senate as part of the ChittendenSoutheast Senate District.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The wisdom of equitable school funding

In Vermont’s quest for equitable education funding, Act 127 represents a beacon of hope, especially for our rural communities. This legislation, informed by thorough research from Rutgers and the University of Vermont, revises the state’s school funding formulas to reflect the actual costs of educating students in diverse socio-economic settings, with a significant focus on rural districts.

Rural schools in Vermont face unique challenges that often go unnoticed outside of these communities. Higher poverty rates, limited access to services, and the absence of economies of scale make education more costly and logistically challenging. Unlike larger urban districts with more substantial tax bases and resources, rural districts cannot easily spread costs. This results in fewer educational opportunities and less support for students who already face significant barriers.

Act 127 addresses these disparities by implementing a pupil weighting system that recognizes and compensates for these inherent challenges. It ensures that schools in areas with higher poverty, greater distances and smaller student

populations receive adequate funding to provide a quality education. This is not just about redistribution of funds, it’s about recognizing and rectifying the historical and systemic neglect of rural educational needs. By supporting Act 127, we are advocating for a more just and balanced educational system where every student, regardless of their rural or urban setting, has access to the necessary resources to succeed. This act acknowledges that our state thrives when every community has the tools to educate its youth effectively.

Furthermore, supporting rural education through Act 127 aligns with Vermont’s values of community and mutual support. Ensuring that rural schools are well-funded is not only an investment in the students’ futures but also in the economic stability and growth of our state. Well-educated communities lead to robust local economies and a more engaged citizenry.

As we move forward, it is essential for all stakeholders to understand the critical role of Act 127 in safeguarding the future of Vermont’s rural students. We must continue to champion this legislation, ensuring that it is not only preserved but strengthened, to uphold our commitment to every Vermont child’s right to a fair, adequate and

equitable education.

Matthew LeFleur

Vt. League of Cities and Towns Equity Committee Alburgh

Respect for Rep. Brumsted

Deepest thanks to Rep. Jessica Brumsted for her four terms in the VermontHouse of Representatives representing Shelburne and St. George.

Rep. Brumsted has done an exemplary job of listening, caring and creating lasting change. I experienced first-hand how carefully she listened to her constituents, and it was quickly apparent that if something meant a great deal to someone, it would in turn mean a great deal to her.

Her genuine concern to get the facts straight and to look at all of our issues in a holistic way made her an extraordinary representative.

She will be leaving a legacy of thoughtfulness, civility and accomplishments. She truly gave of herself to enrich our community and, for that, I extend sincere gratitude to a remarkable person.

Ashley Prout McAvey Shelburne

New Chef = New

Your Local Pub!

6/13

6:30p Trivia Thursday

6/14 6p George Murtie Live Music

6/19 5:30p DJ Papi Javi Karaoke

6/22 6p Michael McNaughton Live Music

6/27 6:30p Trivia Thursday

SPORTS Vermont’s ‘Miss Basketball’ makes plans for college baseball

CVU standout Elise Berger wraps up stellar Redhawks career

BY WILL THORN Community News Service

You could call Elise Berger a Swiss Army knife, a state champion — even Captain Chaos, the nickname she earned for her messy room as a kid. Now, as her time at Champlain Valley Union High School comes to end, you can call her Miss Basketball. Berger took the crown this year as the best player in girls high school hoops in Vermont, as selected by the Burlington Free Press. The award came on the heels of a Division I championship

over St. Johnsbury Academy in March, good for the team’s second title in a row.

“We all knew going into the season that this was going to be a grind,” said Berger, who’s played organized basketball since the first grade. “It was cool that we had six seniors on the team that have been playing together for a really long time and that we were able to bring the team together, put in all that work and have it all pay off in the end.”

The 5-foot-11 point guard averaged 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game for the Redhawks this season. The senior and teammates helped send 13-year head coach Ute Otley off to her new post leading Norwich

University’s women’s team with a record 10th DI state title.

“She’s pretty much a coach’s dream,” said Otley.

Berger was a four-year varsity player and a mature locker room presence who thrived in any role, Otley said.

Berger’s recognition comes at a time of unprecedented focus on the women’s college game and its recent superstars, like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese. Berger is all for the attention.

“I think it’s really cool to see the growth women’s basketball has had,” she said. “It’s really cool to see … it becoming a big national thing.”

Otley hopes those who have

Elise Berger poses with a basketball at her home court at CVU in Hinesburg.

PHOTO BY CATHERINE MORRISSEY

tuned in to watch Clark play realize just how many women play the game “at such a high level that it is really entertaining to watch.”

Berger’s playstyle is far from Clark’s high-octane shooting from deep but commands a similar respect on the court. She’s “a floor leader who can advance the ball quickly, who knows how to create shots for her teammates and whose presence on the floor demands so much defensive attention that she can make the defense do what she wants to do to and create the kinds of shots she wants for her teammates,” Otley said.

She likes to attack the glass and do “the smaller things that set people up and get the team in good positions,” Berger said. Sometimes Otley had to remind Berger to look for her own shots, too.

Berger separates herself with her playmaking, Otley said. “We haven’t had a kid at 5-foot-11 that can handle the ball the way she can,” said the coach. Plus: “She has a true pull-up jumper.”

“That combination of ball-handling, size and mid-range game,” Otley said, “made her a pretty unique athlete that we could use defensively a million different ways.”

Her athletic singularity goes further: Berger is even better with a baseball in her hand. She not only pitches for her high school’s baseball team but has also twice been selected to pitch for the U.S. women’s national team, which she first made at 16 — the earliest age allowed.

“There definitely are some nerves, but it’s also really prideful, especially being from a small state like Vermont that a lot of people haven’t heard of outside of the U.S.,” she said. “Being able to show what we can do as a team is also really cool.”

Berger committed to play baseball for Bard College last October. She has been in touch with current players and other commits, and is excited to get to Bard and out on the field with them.

“I was definitely looking for a school that had the academics and the intensity that I was looking for but also was a supportive place to play baseball,” she said. “Bard was the best mix of the two for me.”

Although she loves basketball, played soccer through middle school and dabbles in mountain biking, baseball “has always been

SPORTS

the big thing,” said her mother, Elizabeth Berger.

At age 4, Elise would watch Lake Monsters games start to finish, and growing up, she’d drift asleep to the sound of baseball broadcasts, her parents remember. She made every school project she could baseball themed.

Berger’s father, Chris, is a California native and big fan of the Golden State Warriors and Cincinnati Reds. His love of sport spread to the young Berger, who, raised in Vermont, became a Red Sox fan — an infinitely better option, she’s quick to say, than choosing the Yankees. She stuck with the Warriors too for their dynastic run over the last decade.

“They’ve been super supportive of whatever I’ve wanted to do along the way,” Berger said of her parents. “Whichever teams I wanted to be on, whatever training I wanted to do, different tournaments we needed to go to — it was always, ‘We’re going to figure out a way to make this happen for you.’”

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been challenges along the way. She felt on the same level as boys throughout Little League, but as those male teammates got older she worried she was falling behind. Those feelings continued into her first two years playing for the Bases Loaded Bulldogs, a local travel team she started playing for at 13. But by year three, feeling more trust from her team, she grew more confident. Her pitching improved.

“That year I think I grew comfortable in my role as a pitcher, understanding that I wasn’t necessarily going to keep up with them velocity-wise on the mound, but I had other aspects that made me a good pitcher,” she said.

It came down to work ethic. Berger said she’s driven by her competitive nature, hatred of losing and the collective euphoria of team success.

“If I lose because I feel like I got outworked by somebody, that’s something that drives me to keep pushing and keep working harder,” she said.

And it shows. Said her father: “She puts in hours every week on either strength work or specific conditioning work for her pitching muscles. Since middle school, it’s been pretty constant every week. She’s incredibly disciplined.”

Back in the summer of 2022, Berger had to miss basketball

workouts because of national baseball team obligations. Otley had challenged Berger a few months prior to get faster and tighten her ball-handling, and she worried the young standout wouldn’t have time to do it, the coach recalled. But Berger came back that fall with improvement in every area Otley wanted, the coach said.

Heading into last summer, Otley challenged Berger to hone

“If I lose because I feel like I got outworked by somebody, that’s something that drives me to keep pushing and keep working harder.”

Elise Berger

her three-point shooting. Once again, Berger came through, said her coach, meaning opponents in her senior season were forced to respect her shot and bring double teams out of the post.

That dedication to her craft was present even when Otley first met

Berger when the latter was a fourth grader at a basketball camp.

“I remember thinking that she was a serious little kid, very focused, very dialed in. She wasn’t there to goof around; she was there to learn,” Otley said.

Berger’s mother recalled Elise’s baseball games: “I’m there cheering her on, and I’m like, ‘Hey, Elise, did you hear me cheer?’ and she says, ‘Nope, didn’t hear.’

She doesn’t notice anybody in the stands, she’s just focused on what she needs to do.”

But Berger isn’t always stonefaced. “Once you break under Berger’s shell, she definitely talks a lot,” said basketball teammate and fellow senior Samara Ashooh.

“She’s a very funny person, and she’s always down to go out and have some random adventure. People say that she’s quiet and reserved, but I think she’s actually a very open and communicative person and always a good presence to be around.”

Berger’s mother called her daughter a “chatterbox” at home.

The two like to cook together, and Berger loves showing off her 30plus Spotify playlists filled with recent music finds — lately some country, classic rock and hip hop.

As Berger steps into the more

competitive college game, her parents are confident she’ll be able to handle it.

“Our attitude for college baseball is the same as it’s been,” said her father. “We feel she can usually rise to the level she needs to and work as hard as she needs to to be competitive, and we’ll see how it goes. She’s going to have to earn her playing time like anybody else.”

In the meantime, Berger said she appreciates the chance to give back to her community. She got invited to throw the first pitch on opening day this month for the Champlain Valley Little League, the same one she played in those years ago.

“I’ve been able to come back into my community and be a role model for younger girls,” she said. “When I was younger, I know I had role models that I aspired to be, and being able to go meet and play with some of them now has been huge. I hope that I get to be that person for some girls.”

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.

‘Hawks down Comets

ACCEPTING

Emergencies

TOP TO BOTTOM: CVU’s Kate Boehmcke looks for a lane to the goal as BFA St. Albans’ Rae Alexander cuts her off during the Redhawks’ 19-8 quarterfinal win over the Comets on Saturday morning in Hinesburg. Stella Dooley ducks away from an Adi Hughes check. Emerson Rice makes a pass as BFA St. Albans’ Bri Jarvis defends.

Quarterfinal win

TOP TO BOTTOM: CVU’s Russell Willoughby steals second as the Redhawks defeat Brattleboro in quarterfinal action June 7 in Hinesburg. Starting pitcher for the ‘Hawks is Aaron LaRose. At third Declan Cummings stretches for a bounding ball.

Lady ‘Hawks dominate

CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU’s Lilly Caputo drives the ball through the infield during the Redhawks’ 17-3 win over the South Burlington Wolves on May 28 in Hinesburg. Mackenzie Yandow gets the starting nod. Baylee Yandow slides safely into second. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY

Off to the races

CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU’s Alice Kredell wins the girls 1500 meter run followed by three team members during the Vermont Division l track and field state championships on Saturday in Burlington.

Dylan Elder leaps the first hurdle in his heat.

Wade Nichols competes in the discus.

OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY

Candidates

continued from page 1

and Angela Arsenault are running uncontested for Democratic nominations for the two Chittenden 2 District seats representing Williston. No other Democrat or Republican filed to appear on the primary ballot. However, Republicans could still field candidates for the two seats in the Nov. 5 General Election.

A portion of southern Williston is combined with a portion of South Burlington in the Chittenden 8 House District, which has one seat in the House. South Burlington Democrat Bridget Marie Burkhardt is running uncontested for the Democratic nomination as incumbent Democrat Noah Hyman did not file a petition to run for re-election. No Republican filed for the Primary Election for the seat.

Longtime Rep. Jessica Brumsted is not running for re-elec -

tion in the Chittenden 7 House District representing St. George and Shelburne. Two candidates Shawn Sweeney and Michael Ashooh — are running against each other for the Democratic nomination for the seat. No Republican filed for the Primary Election in the district.

Here is a closer look at the candidates.

CHITTENDEN SOUTHEAST SENATE DISTRICT

In explaining his challenge to the incumbent Democrats for one of the Chittenden Southeast Senate District seats, Meyers, a physician and high school wrestling coach, said his focus in the Legislature would be reforming Vermont’s “hugely expensive and unwieldy health care system which is driving up insurance premiums and forcing people to wait for up to a year for medical appointments.”

“If we truly want to change policies and direction, we will

need to elect new people with new ideas — rather than automatically continue returning the same incumbents to Montpelier,” he added.

Lyons, regarding her bid for re-election, presented herself as a needed pillar of experience as a new generation of legislators come to the Statehouse. She is chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

“I will continue work to improve public health and the environment,” she said. “It’s an honor to represent Williston … I look forward to re-election.”

Chittenden also described it as an honor to serve in the Senate and encouraged constituents to contact him (Thomas.Chittenden@gmail.com) about what they want him to focus on as a legislator.

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done steering conversations and standing up for important issues,” he said.

Ram Hinsdale did not re -

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spond to a request for comment.

Roy, the Williston resident running uncontested for a Republican nomination for a Chittenden Southeast Senate District seat, said he’ll offer voters a choice for changing the direction that the Democrat-led Legislature has taken. Roy has lived in Williston since 2001 and is an Air Force veteran, former member of the Vermont National Guard and a retired IBM employee.

“I am alarmed at the lack of balance and common sense in our Legislature,” he said. “It has led Vermont to the status quo of unchecked state spending and increasing tax burden, making living here unaffordable for residents and inhospitable to businesses … To do a course correction of spending and taxation, it is critical to restore common sense and balance.”

CHITTENDEN 2 HOUSE DISTRICT

Williston’s two incumbent representatives — Brady and Arsenault — are running uncontested for Democratic nominations in the Chittenden 2 House District. But they may yet face a challenger in the General Election in November.

In two terms, Brady, a high school teacher, has worked her way up to vice chair of the House Education Committee.

“We have made important progress on public safety and historic investments in housing, childcare and climate resiliency,” she said. “I am especially proud of our work to support children and families, including a robust childcare bill and universal meals in schools.”

Arsenault, who also serves on the Champlain Valley School Board, is seeking a second term in the House. She describes herself as a collaborative problem-solver and looks forward to focusing in the future on regulating social media, technology companies and artificial intelligence.

“The lack of federal action

in this area is nothing less than an abdication of responsibility,” she said. “There is a lot of work left to do in order to address youth mental health and online safety, as well as to regulate the potentially disastrous proliferation of AI.”

CHITTENDEN 7 HOUSE DISTRICT

Brumsted represented Shelburne and St. George for eight years. Two Shelburne Democrats are vying for one Democratic nomination to succeed her.

Ashooh, a philosophy teacher at UVM, is the chair of the Shelburne Selectboard. Sweeney, a native of Montpelier, is a business owner in town.

“I would like to try to take the success I have helped to achieve in Shelburne to the next level,” Ashooh said in announcing his candidacy. “I would like to help our state solve our affordability problems, create affordable housing, reasonably financed public education and the preservation of our natural environment.”

Sweeney said he would focus, if elected, on fiscal responsibility, affordable housing and the complexities of the state’s education funding system.

“I want to continue hearing what is important to the people of St. George and Shelburne,” he said. “I want to be a strong, well-informed voice for you in Montpelier. I will bring compassion, listening skills and creative problem-solving to the Vermont House of Representatives. I plan on representing our communities with common sense, fairness and a collaborative spirit.”

CHITTENDEN 8 HOUSE DISTRICT

Burkhardt, the lone candidate for a nomination for the seat representing southern Williston and a portion of South Burlington, did not respond to a request for comment.

LOCAL SHOP

Will Vermont GOP follow its rule against backing felons?

Party leaders haven’t decided on impact of Trump conviction

BY SARAH MEARHOFF VTDigger

The bylaws of the Vermont Republican Party prohibit it from backing candidates who have been convicted of a felony. That could pose a problem for the party, given that its likely standard bearer, former President Donald Trump, was convicted last month of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment in hopes of influencing the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

But according to Vermont Republican Party chair Paul Dame, it’s not a problem — yet.

Only after next month’s Republican National Convention when, presumably, Trump will again secure the party’s presidential nomination — would the Vermont GOP’s rule apply, Dame told VTDigger on Tuesday. And he’s still not sure how it would then play out.

As reported last week by the Vermont Political Observer and NBC News, the state party’s rules say that it “will not support or promote any candidate for elective office who … is a convicted felon.”

The party can make exceptions. A subsection of the rules allows its executive committee, by a majority vote, to exempt a

particular candidate from the prohibition “under extenuating circumstances.” Such circumstances are not defined.

“In the past, exemptions like this have been made when a candidate may have completed their sentence, when they have evidence of kind of turning their life around and have shown a capac-

discuss what, if any, action we would take and whether or not such an action would be necessary in the case of President Trump,” Dame said in the recording.

Trump has not yet been sentenced and could still appeal the verdict.

Dame told VTDigger that he hadn’t “talked about it with

door, executive session.

Asked if he thought the committee should take up the question, Dame said, “It doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what the rest of the executive committee thinks.”

“Whether you vote yes, whether you vote no, or whether you don’t hold the vote, all three

where he would land. “I haven’t had time to think about it, and I’d want to hear the arguments for both sides,” he said.

“Overall, Vermont Republicans didn’t support Trump. We’re the only state that Trump didn’t win,” Dame said. “So I certainly think there’s a case to be made for the fact that that’s what our electorate — that’s the message they sent in March.”

“But that was March,” Dame continued. “That’s a long time ago in politics, and I’m sure that at least some of those people wanted to register their preference against Trump, but many of them still don’t want Joe Biden to win.”

Vermont Democratic Party executive director Jim Dandeneau said Tuesday that he had a different read from Dame’s recorded statement earlier that day.

“Based on the video, I think that their minds are made up and that the Vermont Republican Party is going to go to the wall for Donald Trump, and that is shameful.”

ity to be of service to their local community,” Dame said in a video statement on Tuesday. “In the past, this has been done because we believe in second chances.”

So far, the party’s executive committee has not met “to even

enough people to say” whether the 14-member executive committee would hold a vote to exempt Trump from the rule. Such a vote would only happen after Trump is nominated in July, Dame said, and would be held in a closed-

of those send some kind of message,” Dame said. “We just haven’t had a chance to get everybody together to talk about what message we want to send.”

Dame said that, if such a vote were held today, he wasn’t sure

Dandeneau added, “They should be humiliated and embarrassed by the fact that they’re going to waive their own rules to support a man who was convicted of 34 felonies for covering up an affair with massive campaign finance violations to win the presidential election in 2016.”

According to Dame, the party bylaw is unlikely to affect Vermont’s delegates to next month’s

Vermont Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame marches in the Essex Memorial Day parade in Essex Junction on May 28, 2022.

FILE PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER

Vermont to get $3 million from nationwide Johnson & Johnson settlement

BY SHAUN ROBINSON VTDigger

Attorney General Charity Clark announced Tuesday that Johnson & Johnson will pay Vermont more than $3 million to settle allegations the company long misled customers over the safety of its baby powder and body powder products that contained the mineral talc.

It’s part of a nationwide settlement totaling $700 million.

Clark said talc is often tainted with asbestos, a mineral that can cause lung disease and cancer when inhaled. A fouryear investigation by Clark’s office and 42 other attorneys general across the country argued that the pharmaceutical giant hid these health risks from customers for decades, she said at a press conference.

That amounts to a violation of Vermont’s Consumer Protection Act, Clark said, noting that the company’s marketing of talcum powder products primarily targeted women.

“Johnson & Johnson not only marketed its products as safe when it knew they

bankruptcy,” the attorney general said.

Vermont will receive $3.1 million from the settlement over the next four years, according to Clark’s office. The money will be deposited into the state’s general fund.

Clark’s office said that when Vermont and other states launched their investigation, Johnson & Johnson stopped selling its talcum powder products in the U.S., and it more recently ended global sales of those products.

Tuesday’s settlement bars the company from manufacturing such products in the future, which Clark said went by brand names including “Johnson’s Baby Powder” and “Johnson & Johnson’s Shower to Shower.”

Clark said it’s unlikely that Vermonters still have those talc-based products in their homes today but encouraged people to check.

Notably, the company did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER

were not — it tried to avoid accountability by creating new entities and filing for

The agreement comes as Johnson & Johnson faces tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its talc-based products caused mesothelioma or ovarian cancer. The company proposed a nearly $6.5 billion settlement to resolve many of those cases last month, after twice trying and failing to resolve the lawsuits in bankruptcy court in recent years.

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Erik Haas, Johnson & Johnson’s worldwide vice president of litigation, said the company “continues to pursue several paths to achieve a comprehensive and final resolution of the talc litigation,” including the settlement announced Tuesday.

from page 13

convention. Nearly half of them are slated to cast their ballots for Trump.

Dame noted that two additional party rules — one from the state bylaws and another from Republican National Committee bylaws — require that delegates abide by the results of their state primary elections when casting their ballots at the convention.

“So to me, I’ve got two rules that tell me those Trump delegates have to vote for Trump, because we are there representing the vote that took place in March,” Dame said.

“That’s the instructions I’ve given to delegates who have asked me,” he said.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won Vermont’s Republican presidential primary with just over half of the vote on March 5 — the only state primary she won before dropping out of the race the following day. But Vermont has a proportional delegate system, which means that nine of the state’s 17 delegates are set to cast their ballots for Haley at the convention, while eight are expected to vote for Trump, who won nearly 46 percent of the vote in March.

If the Vermont GOP’s executive committee were to keep the rule in place for Trump, Dame said that the most tangible outcome for Trump in the state would be that “we’re not going to send money to that campaign, I think.”

“Outside of that, it’s nothing we’ve really discussed, because we haven’t run into this before,” he said. “We are primarily focused (on) electing Republicans to the Legislature, and so the money that we’re raising … that money has always been designed to be primarily spent here in Vermont, on Vermont races. And so whether Trump was convicted or not, that was going to be the case.”

Attorney General Charity Clark discusses a settlement between Vermont and 42 other states with Johnson & Johnson during a press conference in Montpelier on Tuesday.

Larry C. Bevins Sr.

Larry C. Bevins Sr., 83, passed away peacefully with his family by his side at The McLure Miller Respite House in Colchester on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

Larry was born on June 14, 1940, in Georgia, VT, the son of Clifton and Margaret (Tipper) Bevins. Larry was born again January 19, 1990, when he committed to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Larry grew up in a home filled with family and good cooking which continued with him throughout his life. He enjoyed his time in the kitchen and was known to tackle the holiday meals and Sunday dinners with ease. The food he prepared was made with skill and love and always turned out delicious. While he had a variety of specialties, his family considered him to be an expert in making gravy and especially looked forward to having it with Thanksgiving dinner.

Larry was a hard worker and gave 110% in all that he did. He believed it was important to invest the extra time and effort in doing a job right the first time. He was willing to continually learn and perfect new skills and through the years became a jack of all trades. As a business owner, people knew him as a professional who took pride in his work and maintained an elevated level of excellence in every job, project or task he completed. His dedication, commitment

and desire to do well extended beyond work to his family and his love of music. At an early age Larry was surrounded by musicians and gained a passion for music that led him to become the incredible pedal steel guitar player we knew and loved. He was a proud member of the Pedal Steel Guitar Association. He formed his first band in 1967, “Larry and The Country Gentlemen.” The name was fitting as he was a true gentleman.

Over the last 50 years Larry has performed in many local bands sharing his talent and love for country music. These bands included numerous great friends and family members. He especially treasured playing alongside his nephew, Mike Bevins. In the hearts of his family, he will forever be remembered for his dedication to mastering his craft and the array of emotions he brought us when he played.

For those who had the good fortune of calling him friend, knew Larry was an honest, strong, and brave man yet also sweet, caring, and forgiving. You always knew where you stood with him and if he made you a promise he would follow through on it. He was a man of his word. He believed in helping others but never looked for recognition. He had a quick wit which brought smiles and laughter to those around him.

Larry was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and son. He loved his family fiercely and always wanted what was best for them. In some ways, he was the glue that held his family together. While his presence will be deeply missed, we, his family, will do our best to continue his legacy through our actions, integrity, love for one another, and love for music. Until we reunite with him in heaven, we will find comfort in the memories we shared.

Larry is survived by his loving wife of 47 years Julie Bevins; children, Larry Bevins Jr., Margaret Rice (Billy Johnson), Tina Yates (Rick), Brian Bevins (Annette Frederick), Ron Bevins (Danielle), Jeremy Bevins (Elizabeth),

OBITUARIES

Amanda Monti (Nick); grandchildren, Jayson Bevins, Chantelle Edwards, Andrea Bergeron, Christopher Rice, Brody Yates, Skye Yates, Corey Bevins, Kyle Bevins, Grace Bevins, Ryan Bevins, , Isabella Bevins, Maxwell Bevins, Graham Bevins, Stephen Mansell, Mia Monti, Gianna Monti, and many great grandchildren. Larry is also survived by his siblings, Virginia Alicandro, Janice Marcelino, Madeline Leggett, Norma Brunelle and Norman Bevins; his mother-in-law, Rita Marshall; sisters-in-law, Rena Bevins, Nancy Blow (Wayne), Laurie Rathe (Armand); brothers-in-law, Mike Marshall (Shari), Steven Marshall, and many loving nieces, nephews, friends, and music family.

Larry was predeceased by his parents, Clifton and Margaret Bevins; his son, Jason Bevins; his brothers, Clifton Bevins Jr., Richard Bevins Sr., Ronald Bevins Sr., Donald Bevins, Gary Bevins Sr.; his brothers-in-law, Angelo Alicandro, Jed Marcelino, Armand Leggett Sr.; his sisters-inlaw, Belle Bevins, Linda Bevins; his father-in-law, Malcolm Marshall; his daughter-in-law, Donna Bevins; and his former wife and friend, Jane Phillips.

The family would like to invite family and friends to join them for a celebration of Larry’s life which will be held Saturday June 15 from 1-5 p.m. at the Fraternal Order of Eagles #4218 located at 42 Centre Drive, Milton, VT. Per Larry’s wishes there will be no visiting hours or burial.

The family wants to extend their sincere appreciation to Larry’s doctors, nurses, home health team, hospice team, and the staff at the Respite House for the incredible care and support Larry and his family received. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Larry’s memory made to The McClure-Miller Respite House, 3113 Roosevelt Highway, Colchester, VT 05446, or Essex Alliance Church, 37 Old Stage Road, Essex Jct., VT 05452.

Elmwood-Meunier Funeral Home, Burlington is in charge of arrangements.

Lyn Marie Donaghy

Lyn Marie Donaghy, aged 59, passed away on June 5, 2024, in Hinesburg, VT Lyn was born on January 19, 1965, in Burlington. She was a dedicated employee at Walmart in Williston for over 25 years, known for her hard work and friendly demeanor across various areas of the store.

Lyn was a kind and

thoughtful woman, always looking out for her family, friends, and co-workers. Her sense of humor and infectious laugh would light up any room she was in. She enjoyed fishing, hunting, baking, and supporting her local community, including the Williston Fire and Police departments and the Josh Pallotta Fund.

She is survived by her husband, Archie Donaghy, her children Salena, Thomas and Jeffery Stone, her step-children Aaron and Catherine Edelstein, Keith Bushy, Roxanne Nelson, her siblings Chris, Cathy, Mike Elwood, late brother, Terry Elwood, and her grandchildren Daunte, Jordan, Kylie, Cayden and Asher

Visiting hours were held June 12 with a service to honor Lyn’s life at 1 p.m. at Gifford Funeral Home in Richmond.

Lyn Marie Donaghy will be deeply missed by all who knew her, and her memory will live on in the hearts of those she touched.

ADULT PROGRAMS

SENIOR STRENGTH AND FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY

Ages 50-plus. This fitness program for seniors concentrates 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. Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:45-10:45 a.m., $5 per visit, at the R.E.C. Zone, 94 Harvest Lane.

JAZZERCISE CARDIO SCULPT PROGRAMS

Ages 50-plus. These programs are low impact, with different levels of intensity. Classes are offered year-round. Passes of one, five and 10 visits are available to purchase. Cardio Sculpt Low, Tuesdays and

Fridays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. and Mondays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Cardio Sculpt High, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:45-5:45 p.m. and Sundays, 8:30-9:30 a.m.

TAI CHI INTRO

Ages 50-plus. This class will present sequences of movements derived from the “Sun” style, which is slow, smooth and upright in posture. This style is especially accessible to those over 50 or with impaired mobility. Wednesdays 12:15-1:15 p.m. R.E.C. Zone, 94 Harvest Lane. Free. Instructor: Adina Panitch

FAMILY

PROGRAMS

LINE DANCING

Ages 6-plus. This program consists of line dance instruction for the first hour and open dance

time for the second hour. All experience levels, including beginner, are welcome. Instructors: Country’s Best VT. Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m. $10 per person at The R.E.C. Zone, 94 Harvest Lane.

SUMMER CAMPS

Spots are available in Williston Recreation and Parks day camps. Camps begin Monday, June 24.

R.E.C. Camp is for kids entering grades 1-6. Mondays-Fridays, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., or half days 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. or 12-5:30 p.m.

L.I.T. Camp is for kids entering grades 7-8. Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

O.U.R. Camp is for kids entering grade 6-8. Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Other camps with spots still open are: Field Hockey, Ultimate Frisbee, Pinball Design, Build-AThon, Art, Space Robot, Just Kids Multi-Sports, Rocketry, Dinos vs Robots, Strike Zone Baseball, VT Voltage Soccer, Gadgets & Contraptions, Engineering, Wicked Cool Science, Chess Wizards and Ninja Science.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library hours:

• Monday and Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

• Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit www.damlvt.org to apply for a library card and to register for programs that require registration. Need help? Call 878-4918 or email daml@ damlvt.org.

BOOK SALE

In preparation for the Friends of the Library July 3-4 book sale, we are accepting books in good condition during the month of June. Donations will be accepted Monday and Wednesday, 12-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 12-2 p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Limit three boxes per day. Visit www. damlvt.org for more details.

YOUTH PROGRAMS

Children in fourth grade and younger must be supervised by someone over 16 years of age.

MUSIC AND PLAYTIME

Thursdays, June 13 and 20, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Sing with Linda then stay to play. On the Town Green.

TEEN NIGHT: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Thursday, June 13, 5-6 p.m. Ages 12-plus. Join our teen advisory board. You bring the thoughts, we bring the food. This month, meet a representative from Habitat for Humanity to learn how teens can get involved.

SUMMER READING KICK-OFF PARTY

Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Get excited for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge with Big Blue Trunk’s Twirly-Whirly ride, games and cotton candy. On the Town Green, rain or shine.

KINDERGARTEN GEAR-UP

Monday, June 17, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Incoming kindergarteners and their adults are invited to register for this 10-week kindergarten readiness program at the library. Incoming kindergarteners will learn important skills, and adults will have an opportunity for infor-

mational discussions with school and town leaders. See www. damlvt.org for more information and to register.

SPECIAL STORYTIME

Tuesday, June 18, 10:30-11 a.m. Join us at the Williston Fire Station for a special storytime with a firefighter to celebrate Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday.

MULTI-AGE PROGRAMS

SUMMER READING: ADVENTURE BEGINS AT YOUR LIBRARY!

Williston and St. George residents can participate in the Summer Reading Challenge. Youth and adults are invited to join the challenge to earn rewards and enter raffles for prizes. Tracking takes place June 15-Aug. 11. Visit www.damlvt.org for registration details, important dates and more.

ADULT PROGRAMS

For online programs or to join a book club, email daml@damlvt.org.

ADULT MEDITATION (ONLINE) Fridays in June, 12-12:30 p.m. Get in touch with your peaceful breath.

SPICE CLUB: CARAWAY (NEW) While supplies last, stop in for a sample of the month’s highlighted spice along with information about the spice’s profile, uses and a few recipes to try. Email a picture of your creation or a review of your recipe.

LIFE STORIES (ONLINE)

June 12, 2-3:30 p.m. We all have stories to tell. Tune in to share one with our group.

AFTER HOURS BOOK CLUB Wednesday, June 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano.

BOOK CLUB BUFFET (ONLINE)

Tuesday, June 18, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “Cover Her Face” by P.D. James.

COOK THE BOOK

Wednesday, June 19, 12-1 p.m. Check out a magazine from the collection and make a recipe to share at our potluck. From “Cook’s Illustrated” to “Bon Appetit,” we have a cooking magazine for you in print or online in Libby/Overdrive.

May 15 at 12:28 p.m. — Assisted Williston Rescue with a juvenile having a mental health crisis. The juvenile was transported to the hospital for evaluation.

May 15 at 6:06 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Home Depot. Male suspect was issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft.

May 15 at 6:39 p.m. — Following a motor vehicle crash, the female operator was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

May 15 at 10:15 p.m. — Suspicious male reported in Walmart. Male had an active arrest warrant. He was transported to the correctional facility.

May 16 at 10:13 a.m. — Report of a male going through trash on Chelsea Place. Male was moved along from the area.

May 16 at 7:37 p.m. — Male wanted to report that his phone was stolen from Shaw’s. Phone was located at lost and found in Shaw’s.

May 17 at 12:06 p.m. — Window broken on vehicle on Harvest Lane with items missing.

May 17 at 3:56 p.m. — Assisted Williston Rescue with unresponsive male. Male was transported to the hospital.

May 18 at 12:30 a.m. — Following a traffic stop, male operator was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

May 18 at 6:15 a.m. — Retail theft reported at Jolly. Male was located and issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft and unlawful trespass.

May 18 at 5:07 p.m. — Report of a male who hit another male with a baseball bat on Porterwood Drive. Both males were transported to the correctional facility.

May 18 at 11:50 p.m. — Underage party reported on Highlands Drive. Party was broken up.

May 19 at 11:32 a.m. — Assisted property manager with issuing a

male and female a notice of trespass from property on Marshall Ave.

May 19 at 3:41 p.m. — Assisted Williston Rescue with a female having a seizure.

May 20 at 5:59 a.m. — Report of a male who was trespassing at Jolly. Male was located and issued a citation to appear in court for unlawful trespass.

May 20 at 7:43 a.m. — Report of a suspicious vehicle at Brennan Woods Park. Male was having car issues and eventually moved along.

May 20 at 5:30 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Hannaford. Male suspect was issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft and false information to a police officer.

May 21 at 1:56 p.m. — Report of a suspicious vehicle on Holland Lane. Car was gone before offi

cer’s arrival.

May 21 at 3:52 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Marshalls. Case is still under investigation.

Officers also conducted 36 traffic stops and responded to five alarm activations and 11 motor vehicle crashes during this time frame.

LIMITED TIME

Heat Pump Rebates

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Up to $650 Off Ductless Heat Pump Heating & Cooling System

• Alternative to central AC that avoids installing ductwork

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Funding is made possible by your electric utility and Efficiency Vermont. Your utility may have additional incentives available.

Homes Under Water

Have you ever hunted for seashells at the beach? Did you know that they were once the homes of animals from a watery world?

This week, The Mini Page learns more about our world’s beautiful seashells.

A big family

Sea animals with shells belong to a group known as mollusks (MAH-lusks). Mollusks also include some animals with no shells, such as the octopus.

Protection

Shells help protect animals with soft bodies and no backbones, or vertebrae (VER-tuh-bray). Soft-bodied animals with no backbone are called invertebrates (in-VERtuh-brits). Most animals are invertebrates.

Seashells protect invertebrate sea animals. These marine animals, or creatures living in the water, build shell homes and live inside them. Some animals move into the shells of other animals after the original owner dies.

Building a home

Shells are made of a rocklike material formed from calcium and other minerals, like our bones are. Sea animals get these minerals from the water.

Shelled marine animals have a special skinlike covering over their bodies. This is called a mantle. The mantle secretes (si-KREETS), or produces and spreads, the material for the shell all around the animal’s body.

Sea animals build their shells over time,

Next Week: Fireworks safety

Fact: The giant clam is the largest bivalve on Earth. It can weigh up to 500 pounds.

Shellfish life

Shellfish have a strawlike organ called a siphon (SY-fun) that they use to pull water across their gills. They breathe and feed with their gills. They get their oxygen and food from the water.

Some shellfish also have a type of tiny plant called algae (AL- jee) living with them. The algae can make energy from sunlight and nutrients they get from the water. They share this energy with the shellfish.

layer by layer. You can tell how old a shellfish was by counting the layers spreading out over the shell, much like counting the rings of a tree. Shellfish don’t build their shells at a steady rate. They have growth spurts.

Colors

The beautiful colors on the shell vary depending on the animals’ diets and how fast they are secreting the shell material.

Shellfish in warmer waters, where there is a big variety of food, will usually have many more colors than shellfish in colder waters.

How many shells?

Animals such as snails build single shells to live in. Sea snails such as the conch or whelk usually build shells in a spiral shape.

Other mollusks, such as clams and oysters, have two shells joined together with a kind of hinge. This type of shellfish is called a bivalve (BY-valve).

Have you noticed that you usually find only one half of a shell? When the animal dies or is eaten, the hinge usually breaks, and the two halves of the shell separate.

Bivalves open their shells when they are eating or breathing. They close their shells when they feel threatened.

Shellfish that live in areas close to the coast may close their shells during low tide. This keeps the animal from drying out. When the tide comes back in, the animal opens up its house and lets the water in.

Collecting shells

Never take a shell that is home to a living animal. All living things are important to the environment.

Some living shellfish can sting you. The nose area of some cone shellfish has a kind of harpoon. They inject their prey with venom to paralyze it, then they eat it. Sometimes people can have serious reactions to the stings.

Resources

On the Web:

At the library:

• “Seashells: More Than a Home” by Melissa Stewart

• “Seashells and Beachcombing for Kids” by Stephanie Panlasigui and Erika Zambello

Mini

Founded by Betty Debnam Issue 24, 2024

photo by Peter Craig, courtesy NPS

Sinuous whelk

material for the shell all around the animal’s body.

Sea animals build their shells over time, only one half of a shell? When the animal dies or is eaten, the hinge usually breaks, and the two halves of the shell separate.

Try ’n’ Find

Words that remind us of seashells are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:

ALGAE, ANIMAL, BEACH, BIVALVE, CALCIUM, COLOR, HOME, INVERTEBRATE, LAYER, MANTLE, MOLLUSK, SEA, SECRETE, SHELL, SIPHON, SPIRAL, STING, VERTEBRAE.

Cook’s Corner

Squash and Cheese Casserole

You’ll need:

• 1 1/2 pounds sliced yellow squash

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

What to do:

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 1/2 cup low-fat milk

• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine squash, onion, salt and sugar in a pan with enough water to cover.

Stewart • “Seashells and Beachcombing for Kids” by Stephanie Panlasigui and Erika Zambello

Mini Jokes

Shelly: What did the beach say to the wave? Sherman: Long tide, no sea!

Eco Note

2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.

3. Drain the squash mixture; place in a bowl and mash.

4. Add butter and mix well. Stir in eggs, cheddar cheese, milk and cayenne pepper.

5. Spoon into a buttered 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, until set. Serves 4.

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.

1. fury (5)

2. way of dressing (5)

3. keep in your mind (8)

4. idea (6)

5. when the sun rises (4)

6. ask to a party (6)

7. finds at fault (6))

* You’ll need an

Answers: anger, style, remember, notion, dawn, invite, blames.

Record-breaking ocean heat of the past year appears to have caused a never-before-seen decline in phytoplankton, algae and bacteria, which many marine species depend upon for food. A study examined 21 years of satellite data and found that by April 2023, there had been a 22% drop in the microorganisms compared to the 21-year average. The study found that almost three-quarters of the global ocean surface saw such a decline. While marine ecosystems can sometimes recover, one scientists called these results “very concerning.”

For later:

Look in your newspaper for articles about marine life.

Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!

By Jim Miller

SAVVY SENIOR

Dreading a colonoscopy?

There are alternatives

Dear Savvy Senior,

Are there any easier alternatives to a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer? I just turned 60 and my wife keeps nagging me to get tested, but I

hate the idea of drinking that laxative solution and being sedated for the procedure.

Squeamish Steven

Dear Steven,

While a colonoscopy remains the most accurate screening test for detecting colon cancer (94 percent accurate), there are other easier — although less accurate — tests available. But be aware that if the result of one of these tests are positive, you’ll still need to undergo a colonoscopy.

Here’s what you should know.

Screening Guidelines

Colorectal cancer, which develops slowly over several years without causing symptoms especially in the early stages, is the second largest cancer killer in the U.S., claiming more than 50,000 Americans each year. Colorectal cancer screening guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce and the American Cancer Society call for most adults to get screened starting at age 45

and continuing through age 75. Earlier screenings, however, are recommended to people who have an increased risk due to family history of colorectal cancer or polyps, or a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

But despite these guidelines, and the fact that colonoscopies save an estimated 20,000 U.S. lives each year, around 40 percent of eligible people don’t get screened.

Why? Because most people, like yourself, dread the laxative prep and sedation, not to mention the procedure itself.

But a colonoscopy is not your only option for screening for colon cancer. There are currently several types of FDA approved stool tests that you can take in the privacy of your own home that require no laxative-taking/ bowel-cleansing preparation.

The two most accurate that you should ask your doctor about are:

— Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): This test looks

for hidden blood in your stool, which suggests polyps or even cancer. Your doctor will give you a FIT test kit to use at home. You take a small sample of stool and mail it to a lab to be analyzed. You don’t need to do any prep. The cost of this annual test is covered by private insurance and Medicare. FIT has an almost 80 percent accuracy rate for detecting colon cancer, but it detects only about 28 percent of advanced polyps that might turn into cancer.

— Stool DNA test (Cologuard): This screening kit looks for hidden blood as well as altered DNA in your stool. Your doctor will order the test, and you will receive the collection kit in the mail. You do the test at home every three years and send your stool samples to Cologuard via UPS. No special prep or change to your diet or medication schedule is required. Cologuard, which is covered by most private insurers and Medicare, detects 92 percent of colon cancers but only 42 percent of see SAVVY page 22

TODAY’S HISTORY

• In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.

• In 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African American to be nominated as a Supreme Court justice.

• In 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts from the Pentagon Papers.

• In 1996, the Montana Freemen surrendered after an 81-day standoff with federal agents outside Brusett, Montana.

TODAY’S FACT:

• Eight spellers were crowned as co-champions of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2019, the first time a group shared the title in the event’s history.

SUDOKU

Savvy

large precancerous polyps. It also may provide a false-positive, indicating that you might have cancer when you don’t.

New Blood Test

There’s also a new experimental colon cancer blood test you should ask your doctor about called the “Shield Blood Test.” This new test, developed by Guardant Health, detects more than 80 percent of colon cancers early when they’re most treatable.

Guardant is currently seeking FDA approval to market the test, but it’s available now as a “lab-based test,” which does not require FDA approval. It’s currently not covered by most private insurers or Medicare.

Your doctor will need to request this test, which costs $895, at www.BloodBasedScreening. com.

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.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Champlain Valley School District (formerly Chittenden South Supervisory Union) including the towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg, St. George, Shelburne, and Williston intends to destroy the special education records of all students who exited from any special education program during the 20182019 school year.

A permanent record of the student’s name, address, phone number, grades, attendance record, and year completed is maintained without time limitation.

Any former student, who has reached 18 years of age, may review and/or receive these records upon request. Also, any parent of a student who is 18 years of age or older, who has retained parental rights, may obtain these records.

Please contact the Champlain Valley Union High School Special Services Office at (802) 482-7115 by July 31, 2024. If no student, parent, or guardian responds to this public notice prior to or by July 31, 2024, the school district will assume consent to destroy the entire record specific to the student.

YARD SALES

GARAGE SALE— Sadler Lane

(Brennan Woods) Saturday June 15th from 8 a.m. - noon.

LEGAL

TOWN OF WILLISTON Notice of Adoption

Williston Unified Development Bylaw Amendments

On June 4, 2024, The Williston Selectboard adopted amendments to the Williston Unified Development Bylaw. These amendments are related to residential building heights, residential densities, density bonuses for affordable housing developments, and zoning map amendments to comply with new provisions of 24 V.S.A. 4412 adopted under Vermont Act 47, the HOME Act of 2023. The adoption followed a public hearing, held on the same day, to receive

CLASSIFIEDS

comments on the proposed amendments. The amendments are summarized as follows:

• Allow multi-family residential buildings with four or fewer units in Williston Sewer Service Area, Including Agricultural Rural Residential Zone, where required by the HOME ACT.

• Allow 5 dwellings per acre in zoning districts that allow residential and are in the Williston Sewer Service Area which ensures Williston’s zoning regarding density complies with the HOME Act.

• Reduce minimum parking requirements for residential developments as required by the HOME Act.

• Change Taft Corners Form Based Code Overlay District to Taft Corners Form Based Code Zoning District, move from Appendix F to Chapter 32, and Amend Zoning Map to reflect.

• Clarify motor vehicle fueling (gas

Full-Time, Part-Time & Per-Diem Work Available Immediately

and Georgia South I-89 Welcome Centers - $17.15/hr

The Williston and Georgia South I-89 Welcome Centers are looking to hire full-time, part-time and/or per diem employees with great customer service skills and a love for Vermont tourism.

Duties include some custodial tasks and physical tasks including snow removal. Weekend and some holiday availability is required.

To learn more or to apply, email welcomecenters@vermont.org

stations) and cannabis retail are prohibited uses within the Taft Corners Form Based Code Zoning District.

• Remove Business Park Zoning District from Chapter 32.

• Reduce maximum allowed building height in Form-Based Code Zoning District Shopfront and Town Center from five stories to four stories, previous five-story maximum only allowed for Affordable Housing Projects as required by the HOME Act.

• Replace “Dwelling Unit Equivalent” throughout with “dwelling,” which ensures Williston’s zoning regarding density complies with the HOME Act.

• Restate required 40% density bonus for Affordable Housing Projects as required by the HOME Act in all residential and mixed-use districts.

• Remove “focal point” from Chapter 46 Definitions and add “footprint lot” definition to clarify that such lots are not subject to allowed residential densities for small lots otherwise required by provisions of the HOME Act.

The amendments to the Bylaw will go into effect on June 25, 2024, unless a petition signed by at least five percent of the voters of Williston is filed with the Town Clerk by June 24, 2024, asking for a vote to disapprove the adoption. If a petition is received, the Selectboard will warn a special meeting and the voters may vote on that question pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 4442.

The above is a summary. The complete adopted amendments to the Williston Unified Development Bylaw are available for review during regular business hours at the Town Hall and can also be found on the Town’s website at http://town.williston. vt.us by navigating to public records and documents / legal notices. Members of the public can contact the Williston Planning Department at (802) 878-6704, or at planning@willistonvt.org with any questions.

To place a classified ad, email rick@williston observer.com or call 802-373-2136

So

year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal 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 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.

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal 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.

Shelburne display lead dors from creemees. from

continued