Bunting convenes committee on student use of phones
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Do phones and schools mix?
Champlain Valley School District leaders may be leaning toward ‘no’ on that question.
Under Interim Superintendent Adam Bunting, the district is convening a committee this school year to study the so-called “phone-free schools movement.” The committee, made up of teachers, parents, students and administrators, will make eventual recommendations to the school board about what the district’s cell phone policy should be for students.
The district is currently without an over-arching policy, leaving it up to school principals to set standards. Williston Central School has an “away-forthe-day” standard, where students can bring phones to school but must keep them in bags or a school-provided locked location during the school day.
“In order to maintain our learning environment, electronic games, cell phones, Airpods, smartwatches, etc. are not to be carried or used during the school day,” the grade 3-8 school’s handbook states.
The policy gets looser as kids age into high school. CVU asks students to refrain from phone use during classroom time, but allows phone use in the cafeteria and library when students have unscheduled periods.
“We have not attempted to mitigate cell phone use during those times yet,” Bunting said. “We want to learn more. The research is pretty clear about the impact of cell phone use and social media on student mental health, in addition to that, just the impact of distraction on our learners. It’s important for our learners to be present.”
He said students can get derailed during the school day by a troubling text or social media message and have difficulty refocusing on academics.
According to Erin Brady, Williston’s representative in the Legislature who serves as vice chair of the House Education Committee, teachers would welcome stricter phone use policies. Brady works see PHONES page 9
Incumbents hold the day
OBSERVER STAFF REPORT
In the only contested election Williston voters had to consider during Tuesday’s statewide Primary Election, incumbent State Senators Ginny Lyons, Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Thomas Chittenden outpaced challenger Louis Meyers for the three Democratic nominations in the Chittenden Southeast Senate District.
Meyers received 12 percent of the roughly 23,000 votes cast over the 25-town district, according to results published Tuesday by the Vermont Secretary of State’s office. Lyons was the top vote-getter with about 27 percent; Chittenden got 25 percent and Ram Hinsdale got 24 percent.
In Williston, a total of 1,455 voters (out of a voter roll of about 9,000) turned out for the election, the Town Clerk’s office reported. Voters could choose which party primary to participate in — Democratic, Republican or Progressive. For more primary election coverage, see Page 13-15.
Nice weather greets voters Tuesday as they head in to the polls in Williston. Bottom right, voters place two unused ballots in a container. Bottom left, David Howell marks his ballot.
OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY
Celebrating family ties
Three generations of Williston’s Osborne family gathered for a first-time family reunion in July at the Isham Family Farm. There were 74 members of the family in attendance, sharing memories, stories, laughter and tears.
The Osbornes’ Williston roots began in the 19th century with Jesse Dana and Harriet Warren Osborne. Their son, Pearl Jesse Osborne and Ada Miles were married in town in 1919 and raised four children here. During the reunion, the grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren of Pearl and Ada came together.
The family has been involved in many aspects of the community over the decades, including founding the Williston Volunteer Fire Department.
“IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN THE FEELING OF GRATITUDE AND JOY THAT WE FEEL WHEN SOMEONE MANAGES TO UNDERSTAND OUR DREAMS AND TURN THEM INTO REALITY. NINA IS MUCH MORE THAN A REALTOR, SHE IS SENSITIVE ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND OUR NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS, BEING CAPABLE OF TRANSFORMING EVERYTHING WE DREAMED OF INTO REALITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH NINA! YOU'RE PART OF OUR FAMILY!”
-JACKIE & THIAGO BOUGHT IN COLCHESTER
Around Town
Help raise Martha’s Barn for autism support
Martha’s Barn, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals with autism, will hold its Raise the Barn fundraiser on Sept. 7 at the Catamount Country Club in Williston. This is an all-day golf event with food and music to raise awareness and funding for the organization’s goal of building a home with support staff for adults with autism.
Volunteers and silent auction-raffle gift certificates are needed. To get involved, email marthasbarnvt@gmail.com or call (802) 578-5460.
‘Lost Nation’ tickets on sale for WCS show
The newest film by Vermont
filmmaker Jay Craven — “Lost Nation” — will be screened at Williston Central School on Oct. 5. Craven will be in attendance for a discussion and Q&A after the screening. The event is part
‘Lost Nation’ will play Williston Central School on Oct. 5.
of a 50-town Vermont film tour.
“Lost Nation” is a Revolutionary War-era drama set in Vermont about Ethan Allen and Lucy Terry Prince. Tickets and more information are available at the Catamount Arts website, www.kcppresents.org.
ACADEMIC HONORS
The following Williston and St. George students, listed alphabetically, received academic honors in higher education during the spring 2024 semester. A lengthier list of academic achievements was published in the July 18 edition of the Observer.
Kirsten Atkins graduated from Vermont State University.
Curtis Babbie graduated from Vermont State University.
Brittany Catella graduated from Vermont State University.
Olivia Cuneo graduated from Bates College.
Natalie Curtis graduated from Vermont State University.
Reagan Leigh Dufresne graduated from St. Michael’s College.
Kendell Kamansky graduated from Vermont State University.
Noah LeCours was named to the Dean’s List at the University of Tampa.
Margaret Anne Martell graduated from St. Michael’s College.
Carmella Martone was named to the Dean’s List at Clark University.
Madi Patrick graduated from Vermont State University.
Lindsey Peryea was named to the President’s List at Husson University.
Jack Raymond graduated from Vermont State University.
Sarah Root graduated from Vermont State University.
Three generations of Williston’s Osborne family came together for a first-time reunion in July at the Isham Family Farm.
OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
A rendering of the proposed Martha’s Barn home with supports for adults with autism.
WILLISTONHUB
WILLISTON: BUSINESS HUB OF VERMONT
Thrifting is trending
Trying on the second-hand shopping trend in Williston
BY INDIRA BUSH
Special to the Observer
Thrifting is a back-to-school trend that suits Williston well.
Prompted by TiKTok and YouTube videos, school-aged consumers have started to show an interest in second-hand shopping, upending the traditional apparel shopping experience.
Short videos on TikTok known as “thrift hauls,” where shoppers show off everything they bought during their thrift store trips, regularly rack up over 50,000 likes and get shared thousands of times. The same is true on YouTube. A video that popular YouTuber Emma Chamberlain posted in 2021 titled, “I HAVE A THRIFTING PROBLEM,” for example, got over 5 million views.
Williston residents have no shortage of stores to help them participate in the trend.
In the Taft Corners Shopping Center, three stores, Once Upon a Child, Plato’s Closet and Style Encore, are conveniently located right next door to each other. Once Upon a Child is all for young kids, whereas Plato’s Closet gears itself more toward teens, and Style Encore more toward women. But shoppers of all ages are welcome to hunt for their new perfect thrifting find in any store.
These stores pay people when they bring in their clothes, but will only take the clothes they want for the store, making for a curated selection. They are also unique because of their “drops.” Plato’s Closet’s “Back to School Drop” is in early August; Style Encore’s “Active Drop” was on Aug. 10. When new clothes hit the floor on these dates, expect great prices and a big rush to get to the items.
“I love the environment,” said Kate Guay, who works at Style Encore. “We get a lot of
regulars.”
Other thrift stores in the area have a wider focus. Stores like Goodwill, ReSource and ReStore have wide-ranging collections of clothes, along with other typical second-hand items like furniture, books and housewares. Each one of these stores also has a unique mission.
ReSource, which has been in Vermont since 1991, provides programming to at-risk youth and low-income individuals around Vermont. The store has trained over 4,200 Vermonters through their training programs, including (but not limited to) Construction 101 and LEAP, which helps visually impaired youth gain skills before joining the workforce.
Shoppers can expect low prices and a wide selection in the clothing section, located on the lower floor, at ReSource,
At ReStore, operated by the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity, the proceeds from all sales go to help build and fix affordable and safe housing for families. Highlights of a ReStore trip are the must-see vintage graphic T-shirt rack and the jewelry selection by the register.
Goodwill, possibly the most well-known second-hand store, also offers a unique thrifting experience. Donna Jacobs, an employee at the Williston Goodwill store, describes the company’s mission to “employ people with barriers, and teach them good life skills.”
“We all pull for each other,” Jacobs said. “We’re like a family.”
Jacobs also spoke about the environmental importance of second-hand shopping and mentioned that, at Goodwill, everything that doesn’t get sold gets recycled, meaning nothing ends up in a landfill. Goodwill offers a wide array of women’s and men’s clothes, as well as a children’s section.
Another driver of the growth in thrifting is second-hand shopping’s environmental
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The racks are loaded at ReSource in Williston, top, and a wide array of women’s clothing hangs in the Williston Goodwill store, above. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY INDIRA BUSH
Essex Experience owner looks to add workforce housing
BY AUDITI GUHA VTDigger
With the Essex Experience shopping complex at capacity, its owner has his sights set on a new project in the plaza: four green buildings that would bring a total of 170 rental units of workforce housing. In an interview last week, Peter Edelmann called his plan, first reported by the Essex Reporter, an “opportunity to continue the evolution of what was becoming a failed retail center into a vibrant hub for creativity, community, tourism and a walkable living environment that could be a model for other locations to consider.”
The approach is similar to one taken by the University of Vermont Health Network to create workforce housing in the region. Edelmann said he hopes to partner with local employers to build rental housing that they can lease on a long-term basis to employees at 25 percent below the market rate. Such partnerships would help lower risk and interest rates, he said. The Colchester entrepreneur also hopes to capitalize on state and federal grants and tax credits to build in an area that already has infrastructure and wouldn’t encroach on existing green space, he said.
The project is still in its infancy — Edelmann hopes to break ground next spring but still needs to secure permits and funding — but it’s already creating excitement among local officials. “We’re hoping that this will be a model for the state,” said Jean O’Sullivan, the economic development coordinator in Essex town. She credited Edelmann with turning the flailing shopping plaza he
bought in 1994 into “a locally owned, pedestrian-friendly, fabulous place to visit” today.
In his conversations with locals, three things repeatedly come up, Edelmann said: concern about the lack of housing that young people can afford; businesses struggling to attract new talent because of the housing crunch; and a desire for community, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Initial sketches submitted to the town in May outline four new four-story residential buildings on a 24-acre parcel zoned for mixed-use development. The buildings would not be dependent on fossil fuels and would feature green space, green roofs and solar power. Edelmann pointed to the advantages of locating housing in an area in which residents can walk to eat, grocery shop and enjoy entertainment.
The development would include both underground and surface parking, although overall parking in the area would be reduced from 1,084 to 1,004 spaces, according to an April 4 letter from O’Leary-Burke Civil Associates to the town zoning office, on behalf of Edelmann’s company, Eurowest Retail Partners.
A May 9 planning commission document outlines some initial design concerns about the project, which include queries about the proposed density and building height, roadway design, lack of shared-use bike paths, and capacity for shared trash, parking and deliveries at the mall.
Rep. Leonora Dodge, D-Essex, said she has heard local concerns about the size of the proposed buildings, the implications for
Providing Peace of Mind for Families and Loved Ones
tenant rights if housing is through an employer and its environmental impact. She said she looks forward to continued discussions with the developers on these issues.
Still, the proposal is cause for hope at a time in which developers are strapped by market forces, according to O’Sullivan, a former state representative. “Affordable housing is a social good that we as a community invest in. This is a market solution to work for and a partnership between businesses and developers with, hopefully, some support from the state,” she said. “So this is a commercial project with the goal that it will be commercially sustainable so it can be replicable at scale everywhere else.”
Dodge called it “one of many innovative solutions to the state’s housing crisis.”
“It seems to fit the category of smart growth housing in a location that enjoys existing sewer and utility access, in the heart
of public transit, a bike path, and shopping, which encourages walkability/rollability,” she wrote in an email.
Edelmann said he could not disclose what the project would cost until he secures the funding. For now, the next meeting to discuss the design plans with Essex town is set for Sept. 12.
He also hopes to partner with the Champlain Housing Trust to manage the buildings. Michael Monte, chief executive officer of the trust, said they had a good initial conversation and he is open to exploring such a partnership.
“I’m pretty impressed with what he’s done out there. It’s quite different from what it used to be as a factory outlet and he does have a vision on what to do,” Monte said.
“We don’t have any commitment yet either way, but I would say that what he wants to do makes a lot of sense.”
Peter Edelmann, owner of the Essex Experience, chats with business owner Kayla Silver in July.
PHOTO BY AUDITI GUHA/VTDIGGER
NEFCU awards annual college scholarships
New England Federal Credit Union has awarded five $5,000 scholarships to local students interested in advancing their education in college. The annual scholarship program has given about $350,000 over the past 25 years.
This year’s recipients include Jacob Medici of Williston, Aiyana Auer of St. Albans, Peyton Metruk of Fairfax, Rory McLane of Worcester and Sydney Taft Cole of Duxbury.
NEFCU received over 100 applicants.
“The volume and quality of applications we received was a strong reflection of our member’s exceptional academic achievements and community engagement,” said Sarah Ricker, community relationship manager at NEFCU.
New leadership to take reins at Grocers Association
The Vermont Retail & Grocers Association has announced the departure of its president, Erin Sigrist, effective Oct. 1. Ed Fox, a veteran of the food retail and manufacturing industries, will take over as the trade group’s leader.
“It has been an incredible honor to serve as the president of VRGA for the past seven years,” said Sigrist. “I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together, guiding retailers and consumers through a global pandemic, advocating on behalf of the retail and food industries in a rapidly changing regulatory and political landscape, and workforce issues. It has been a privilege.”
Fox expressed his enthusiasm for the new role, stating, “I am honored to join VRGA and build on the strong foundation of VRGA. I look forward to working with the talented team and dedicated members to achieve our shared goals.”
Vermont Chamber announces new programming director
The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has hired Karen Duguay as its new senior director of programming. She joins the Vermont Chamber with a wealth of experience in marketing and communications, promoting economic health and resiliency for businesses, municipalities and nonprofits. She has previously worked as assistant director at Addison
HUB Happenings
County Economic Development Corporation and executive director at Better Middlebury Partnership.
“Karen’s expertise in community and economic development will bring tremendous value to our organization,” said Amy Spear, president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. “We are thrilled to have her on board and look forward to the innovative programs and initiatives she will develop.”
Goodwill names VP of retail in Williston
Dave Robison, former chief operating officer at Southern Oregon Goodwill Industries, has been appointed vice president of retail at Goodwill Northern New England in Williston, Vermont Business Magazine reported last month.
Robison has worked at three Goodwills, with escalating responsibility from store manager to COO.
Copper Leaf promotes Furnari
Copper Leaf Financial, a wealth-management firm based in Williston, has promoted operations specialist Maia Furnari to firm administrator, Vermont Business Magazine reported in July. Furnari joined Copper Leaf in 2021 and recently earned an MBA at Champlain College.
“We are thrilled to welcome Maia to our leadership team,” said Chief Operating Officer Kathryn Diedrichsen. “She has been a tremendous asset to us, and we are extremely confident in her ability to manage all of the firm’s administrative and operational processes.”
Women Business Owners Network to host annual conference
The Women Business Owners Network Annual Conference is set for Sept. 24 at the Hampton Inn & Lighthouse Restaurant in Colchester. The event features diverse resources and first-hand experiences from those who have navigated the challenges of multigenerational caregiving, owner or employee illness, natural disasters, or the growing issues
of homelessness and substance abuse in their communities.
Visit www.wbon.org for registration information.
MetroRock workers launch union campaign
Employees at the MetroRock climbing gym in Essex have initiated a campaign to unionize and asked management to agree to neutrality throughout the process. MetroRock Staff United will be affiliating with Workers United RRJB, which also represents Scoopers United (Ben & Jerry’s in Burlington), Gakru United (Gakru Ramen in Burlington) and Starbucks Workers United in Shelburne and Essex Junction.
“I feel really fortunate that I get to spend so much time outside showing kids what I love about Vermont climbing,” said outdoor camp instructor Griffin DeMatteo. “Unionizing will help ensure the sustainability of this work and the careers of all of our educators, and help us continue to be stewards of the Vermont climbing community.”
continued from page 5
benefits. According to a report from Boston University’s School of Public Health, Americans throw out more than 34 billion pounds of used textiles each year, and 66 percent goes to landfills. Of the 15 percent that is theoretically recycled, up to half may end up in landfills in lower-income countries, according to the report.
Environmental activist and artist Matilda Lartey described in the report how, when clothes end up in a landfill, they release harmful chemicals into the earth and clog drainage systems, leading to increased flooding.
Also, the creation of new clothes requires resources. As reported by the United Nations Trade and Development office, the fashion industry uses about 93 billion cubic meters of water per year, which the U.N. says is enough for 5 million people. Thrift store shopping allows for reuse, instead of making more.
Williston is certainly not lacking second-hand options. With little bit of a thrifty mindset, your back-to-school haul might just have a few added environmental benefits this year.
Karen Duguay
Dave Robison
Maia Furnari
Blazing trails for the future at Catamount
BY SHANA HAINES
As a mom of three kids who are suddenly teenagers, I am grateful to live in Williston, but admit to feeling a bit of an existential dilemma with the seemingly rapid development and climate transitions we face. I
wonder, “What do I want the future of Williston to look like? How can I help make that vision a reality?”
One of the many things I love about Williston is the Catamount Outdoor Family Center (COFC), which is the official trails and programs manager for the town-owned
Catamount Community Forest. On a recent run there, I saw people from most stages of life enjoying the trails walking, running, hiking, birding, biking, maintaining trails, searching for red efts, watching their children and grandchildren on the pump track, riding in a baby carrier. I love when my kids head down there to hang out and ride, and I also enjoy hitting the trails several times a week.
The COFC vision of “a community in which playing outdoors is everyone’s first choice” comes to life when campers, racers, friends, school groups and people looking to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors fill the woods at different times of day for nature walks, group rides, yoga hikes, skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, alone time, and more. The excitement for the outdoors is palpable at COFC!
As adults in our community, we must invest in protecting and improving access to the outdoors to maintain the values that make Williston such a great place to live and be. Returning to the questions I asked earlier: “What do I want the future of Williston to look like? How can I help make that vision a reality?” let’s ensure the long-term health of the COFC.
Sustaining this community-cen-
tered, healthy place is key to making Williston the place where children, teens and adults of all ages and abilities engage in healthy activity and community, and grown children return to raise their children where they grew up.
To this end, the COFC is currently working on Act 250 permits for network-wide upgrades and reroutes. The trail plans are being reviewed by the Town of Williston now, and with your help over the next 10-15 years, we can make these dreams a reality. Until the permits are attained, only routine maintenance can occur.
The trail system is the heart of COFC. All activities—birding, hiking, running, skiing, biking, geocaching—require trails. The current trail system is based on an organic growth pattern and needs major upgrades to reduce impacts and maintenance inputs, increase sustainability in a rapidly changing climate, protect natural resources and make it more accessible and fun for a wider range of visitors.
A short history of the trails at COFC starts with ancient use by the Abenaki, followed by roads, farms and fields built by European settlers (including Gov. Chittenden), and farming and logging by the McCullough family starting in 1873.
The McCulloughs opened the Catamount Outdoor Family Center in 1978, hoping to “farm fun instead of cows.” They built cross country ski trails first, followed by summer hiking and biking trails. In 2019, the property was conserved as the Catamount Community Forest, and ownership transferred to the Town of Williston. As part of the conservation effort, the property came with a four-year “no dig” rule by one of the grantors, limiting maintenance and mandating no improvements or refreshes until July 1, 2023. The Catamount Community Forest also operates under existing Act 250/ wetlands permits that need to be updated for any significant changes to occur.
In the past year, COFC has made several small trail improvements, but these regulatory restrictions and funding preclude a more comprehensive upgrade of the trail system,
We need better designed and built trails so they can be used in all weather and conditions. This includes reducing steep unsustainable pitches, improving drainage and hardening routes. The COFC’s plans also include simplifying trail intersections and refreshing signage to ease navigation.
The Kismet Building
Williston
until updated permits are earned and funds are raised for the work.
The Agency of Natural Resources has asked COFC to apply for these permits as a full network proposal, not as individual trail projects. COFC has identified these key areas for the proposal:
• Address trail network climate resiliency and sustainability under decreasingly snowy and increasingly rainy conditions, including year-round flooding and erosion potential
• Ensure long-term COFC financial stability in a changing climate and with competition from several better, free-toaccess trail networks in the immediate area
• Increase trail accessibility to a wider range of visitors while managing shared use and reducing user conflicts
• Make trails usable in all seasons/weather conditions and in both directions as much as possible
• Upgrade connectivity, navigation and enjoyment through trail reroutes and improvements
• Reduce overall impacts and maintenance to improve resource protection
• Secure a long-term solution for the Lookout viewshed
• Reclaim and enhance Wedding Field as a trailhead and event site
• Close trail sections that are too steep/ tight, overly impactful, redundant, confusing, unsafe and/or off CCF property with no long-term access protection
Williston should be a place where all people are welcome to engage in healthy activity within community. Having a thriving COFC, with magical trails that foster a lifelong love of outdoor exercise across seasons is at the heart of this vision. These trails must be accessible, well-drained and attractive to people with a variety of interests.
Supporting COFC’s comprehensive trail initiative is one way we can all help improve Williston to make it even better for the future. Ways to support COFC in improving the trails include using the trails, advocating for permitting the changes, becoming a member, donating to COFC, becoming a sponsor of COFC, and volunteering during volunteer trail days. As a community, let’s work together to blaze the way to a phenomenal Williston of the future.
Shana Haines is a member of the nonprofit Catamount Outdoor Family Center’s board of directors.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Voters’ time for a veto
Like most of you I have received my property tax bill. I’m a single parent, single income household raising an autistic son. This tax increase is a game-changer for us.
This added $1,400 is money I will not be spending in our local community, dining, movies, shopping, vacations. The whole community suffers because of the ridiculous tax increase.
I’m beyond frustrated with the Vermont House and Senate representatives who overrode Gov. Phil Scott’s vetoes.
I don’t care what your political party label is, these legislators who override Gov. Scott’s vetoes on just about every bill need to go. I voted for Phil Scott not because he is a Republican but because he has common sense, he listens to the people and knows what Vermonters can and can’t afford.
The Vermont median household income is $74,014. The lowest end of middle class income $49,342. Forcing a huge tax on Vermonters, pushing Vermonters to the point they cannot afford to live in Vermont, is wrong.
The insane tax increase isn’t the only bad decision our representatives in the Leg-
islature have made. They also imposed a renewable energy standard that will increase electric bills by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 10 years. They passed an expansion of Act 250 that will make it harder, and in some cases impossible, to build and restore homes and grow businesses in smaller, rural communities.
They failed to meet the moment on housing, ignoring many tools to increase the availability and affordability of homes across the state, while specifically excluding three counties — Bennington, Grand Isle and Essex — from taking advantage of the property tax freeze to revitalize housing.
They added a 20 percent increase to DMV fees, a new payroll tax effective July 1, and expected increases to home heating fuel as a result of the clean heat standard — all of which were also imposed over Gov. Scott’s vetoes.
This election, don’t vote based on a political party label, vote for the person who is going to look out for the interest of Vermonters.
David Martel Williston
Phones
as a teacher at Colchester High School.
“It’s tricky at the high school,” she said. “It’s supposed to be put away during academic times, unless a teacher has allowed it. Sometimes kids use it for quick research or they’re filming something. In my experience, everybody has them on them, and everybody checks them fairly regularly.”
She said the current “away during academic time” standard is “very hard to enforce.”
“If they are physically on the students, you are going to have issues with them constantly,” Brady said. “They have to somehow be put away somewhere … It seems to me the only way it’s really going to work is if it’s all or nothing, and they are physically not in the classroom.”
Two Vermont high schools Harwood Union and Thetford Academy — have announced phone-free policies for this school year. They are giving each student a lockable pouch in which to place their internet-connected devices upon entering the school. The pouches remain automatically locked until the student leaves the building.
“Students are required to bring their pouch to and from school
each day and are responsible for their pouch at all times,” Harwood school administrators explained to parents in a July letter about the policy.
“If they are physically on the students, you are going to have issues with them constantly.”
Rep. Erin Brady
“… Learning and social behavior improve drastically when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates,” the letter continues.
Earlier this year, the Senate Education Committee passed a bill that would set statewide phone-free school standards. The House education committee has not yet taken it up. Brady welcomes a state-level solution but said “the biggest thing is how do you do it right without putting costs on schools.”
In trying to balance phone use with learning, CVU has tried a “Be Present” campaign that encourages students to value faceto-face interactions and remain
present in academic spaces. Bunting said administrators will redouble those efforts this school year.
“When we stay vigilant and we have some collective effort around that, we make some real progress,” he said.
The idea of removing phones from schools has a strong champion in Angela Arsenault, a Champlain Valley School Board member representing Williston who also serves in the Legislature. Arsenault is involved in the Vermont chapter of the Phone Free Schools Movement, a national nonprofit. In June, she introduced the topic at a meeting of the Champlain Valley School Board’s Policy Committee. The committee’s discussion spurred Bunting’s work to convene the phone policy committee. The committee’s report and recommendations are expected by the middle of the school year, Bunting said.
The issue will also be up for discussion at a September meeting of the school board.
“We aren’t rushing into a policy yet,” Bunting said. “Social media and cell phone use and the harmful impacts really are a community issue and we have to partner with our parents and our students on how we move forward thoughtfully.”
Teen shot at Burlington skatepark
BY CHLOE JAD VTDigger
An unidentified juvenile was shot in the chest early Sunday morning at the Andy “A_Dog” Williams Skatepark on the Burlington waterfront, according to a Burlington police press release.
He was treated for a torso wound at the University of Vermont Medical Center and has since been released from the hospital. Police subsequently took him into custody as an “out-of-state runaway” and have contacted the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, according to the release.
Police responded to a similar shooting in August 2022 at the skatepark.
Burlington police received word from the University of Vermont Medical Center at 4:28 a.m. on Sunday that a male with a gunshot wound to the chest had arrived in the emergency unit. Officers arrived at the hospital and went to the skatepark, where they recovered ballistics evidence, according to the press release.
The victim, a 17-year-old male from Utica, N.Y., was with three other people — one adult male from New York, and two young males from Vermont — who police said failed to give “forthcoming, credible accounts” when interviewed at the medical center. One of the Vermont residents was associated with previous Burlington gunfire incidents, according to the press release.
The Burlington Police Department continues to investigate the incident, the department said Monday.
As the state-run motel program winds down, Burlington looks to its neighbors for help
BY COREY MCDONALD VTDigger
The numbers paint a stark picture.
In Chittenden County, more than 800 individuals were counted as unhoused in a single night, according to point-in-time data conducted in January. In June, 266 people were sleeping “rough” — in tents or somewhere outside — according to data from the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance. Only 80 individuals were in similar conditions just two years ago.
“The reality of this number surpassing 300 is very real,” Sarah Russell, Burlington’s special assistant to end homelessness and co-chair of the alliance, said during a City Council meeting in June. “We need to have an immediate response to this growing population as well as intentional planning, and to expand emergency shelter capacity.”
But as the number of people in need of temporary shelter continues to grow, the number of shelter beds — traditional beds or those provided through the state’s motel program — has not kept pace. Queen City officials have increasingly been sounding the alarm that they’re shouldering more than they can handle, and they’re asking neighboring municipalities for more support.
Out of the state’s 550 total number of traditional shelter beds, 223 are in Chittenden County, and of those, 183 operate year round, according to data from the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance, a coalition of individuals, organizations and government officials. All but 28 of Chittenden County’s traditional shelter beds are in Burlington.
Nearby towns and cities, however, say they are not equipped to finance or staff a shelter, and nonprofit providers who could partner with towns to do the bulk of the work say they are maxed out.
“Where in core government does raising revenues to support this work live?” said South Burlington City Manager Jessie Baker. “I don’t think we as a state have answered that question yet.”
A GROWING PROBLEM
Vermont has the second highest per capita rate of homelessness in the country. According to the point-in-time data conducted in January, 3,458 people were recorded experiencing homelessness statewide, and the largest percentage — nearly 25 percent — were located in Chittenden County.
The state-run motel shelter program has held much of the state’s unhoused pop -
ulation since the Covid-19 pandemic. In Chittenden County, there are currently 273 motel rooms used for the state program, concentrated in South Burlington, Williston and Shelburne. (There are no rooms used for the program located in Burlington.)
Russell estimates that the county, in addition to those motel rooms and the 223 shelter beds, would need an increased capacity of 300 year-round, low-barrier shelters beds, and another 100 low-barrier seasonal beds to meet the growing pace of unhoused community members.
But who would build these beds, staff them and pay for them remains an open question.
The need for shelter capacity is only expected to grow in the coming months, after state lawmakers decided during the past legislative session to scale back the state-run motel program.
The program, which expanded dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic, has sheltered the bulk of the state’s unhoused residents and currently serves about 1,500 households throughout the state. But a new cap will draw that down to 1,100 in September.
Lawmakers also approved a new 80-day limit on households’
A worker helps assemble a structure at the Elmwood Emergency Shelter Community, a group of pods meant to temporarily house people who otherwise have no shelter, in Burlington in 2022.
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Housing
motel room stays outside of the winter months, which went into effect July 1 and impacts the amount of time vulnerable households can stay through the warmer months of the year. Eligibility during the colder months — historically open to anyone experiencing homelessness — will be limited to households that meet certain vulnerability criteria.
“It’s clear that at this point the level of homelessness on the streets of Burlington is going to increase dramatically, if it hasn’t already,” Michael Monte, the president and CEO of Champlain Housing Trust, said during an interview with VTDigger earlier this summer.
In crafting legislation to limit the state’s motel program, lawmakers sought to soften the impact by also offering funding to stand up temporary warming shelters in the budget that took effect July 1. That included $10 million for shelters specifically to be stood up between December and March for people who do not meet the motel program’s eligibility criteria during the coldest months of the year.
Fourteen applicants from seven different counties applied, and those requests totaled over $30 million. But only two of those are proposals from Chittenden County, according to Lily Sojourner, the director of the state’s Office of Economic Opportunity, part of the Department for Children and Families.
Another pot of money in the state’s general fund, to the tune of $7.2 million, would support the expansion of the number of permanent shelter beds. The state has not yet released information on who applied for those funds.
There’s agreement among advocates and local officials, however, that this funding won’t make a large dent in the problem.
‘BURLINGTON IS ESSENTIALLY DOING EVERYTHING’
There’s widespread consensus that Burlington has been bearing responsibility for sheltering the growing unhoused community in Chittenden County — and city officials have been increasingly vocal about that fact.
As the state’s motel program winds down, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak is bracing for even more unsheltered people. As the urban core of the county, it’s where many of the region’s services are located, including community health centers, Feeding Champlain Valley, and various housing partners and mental health providers.
In her first three months, Mulvaney-Stanak said the city has focused on providing services to places where unsheltered folks are camping. The mayor allocated $50,000 in the city’s FY25 budget to provide support and services to people living in tents and encampments throughout the city. The city, in partnership with COTS, has
also applied to use some of the $10 million in state funds to build a temporary warming shelter in the old Social Security Administration Building on Pearl Street. That plan remains in negotiations with the state.
“We feel we can at least make a good faith effort to step up,” said Jonathan Farrell, the executive director of COTS, which operates four individual and family shelters in Burlington.
The city will also seek to renew the lease for the Elmwood Avenue “pods,” a temporary shelter site that was originally supposed to close in July 2025.
Meant to provide a relatively brief stay — three to six months — before transitioning folks into permanent housing, the pods have morphed into a long-term operation, with unhoused people staying for a year or more.
“We had to change the policy pretty quickly,” said Monte of the Champlain Housing Trust, which operates the shelter
(Burlington) officials have increasingly been sounding the alarm that they’re shouldering more that they can handle, and they’re asking neighboring municipalities for more support.
under contract with the city. “Everybody who was there, they were … wanting to move, they just had no place to go to.”
The site, which has 35 stand-alone rooms, has both a waitlist of people hoping to move from the shelter into stable housing, and a growing backlog of unsheltered folks waiting to get in.
In an interview, Mulvaney-Stanak said that the city has to think of building new shelters in a sustainable way.
“This is not Burlington getting into the business of running shelters permanently, that is not our lane, and I want to be really clear about that,” she said in an interview. “But the only other alternative to me becomes, I think, a critical health and safety emergency — with people literally not having anywhere else to be.”
Burlington city councilors and other officials have been quick to point out that Burlington is struggling to shoulder the burden, while much of the surrounding area has little in shelter capacity.
“We have heard repeatedly that Burlington is not doing enough, but it seems at least in this area, Burlington is essentially doing everything,” said Burlington City Councilor Tim Doherty during the June meeting. “This is not a problem that is reasonable or even remotely possible for Burlington to address on its own.”
Organic Recycling Facility (ORF) and our six Drop-Off Centers accept food scraps from residents and businesses to keep them out of Vermont’s only landfill.
Housing
continued from page 11
In June, Mulvaney-Stanak sat down with a group of town managers and leaders from across the county’s 19 municipalities for a monthly lunch meeting, where the conversation quickly turned into how to address the region’s unhoused challenge.
For Mulvaney-Stanak, the meeting was the starting point of what she hopes will be a coordinated and collaborative approach to addressing the unsheltered crisis in the county — and drawing the attention of state lawmakers.
“To me there’s this concerning pattern by the state … about not really understanding what’s happening here in Burlington,” said Mulvaney-Stanak, who served as a state representative before becoming mayor. “It should not be in the work of a city to be operating shelters, we’re not service providers, and yet we’re at this impossible point. … If the state’s not going to do that, I can’t in good conscience not figure out some sort of small thing that we could be doing to help in a temporary way.”
Mulvaney-Stanak said she recognizes that some Chittenden County towns have played a part in hosting motel program participants, but said she was hopeful other towns would be eager to help in whatever way they can.
‘NOT
EQUIPPED FOR IT’
Leaders of neighboring municipalities who spoke to VTDigger acknowledged that Burlington is bearing the brunt of the crisis. But town managers pushed back on claims that other towns have done little, and noted that municipalities are not well-equipped to finance or staff shelter systems.
In South Burlington, City Manager Jessie Baker said these conversations have been ongoing among county partners and the state for years. South Burlington, she said, has taken a more longterm approach, building 169 permanently affordable homes over the last two years.
Thirty-nine of those units are specifically dedicated for folks leaving homelessness, Baker said. Through a partnership with the Champlain Housing Trust, the city allocated $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to assist the housing organization in the renovations of the former Ho Hum Motel. Twenty transitional rooms
are housed there, while another 19 will be housed at Champlain Housing Trust’s Beacon Apartments in South Burlington.
Williston, similarly, worked with the Champlain Housing Trust to convert a former 99-room hotel into housing with 72 units of perpetually affordable housing. Thirty-eight of them are reserved for unhoused households who will receive rental assistance from the Burlington Housing Authority.
The town waived approximately $200,000 in impact fees to assist in the renovation of the building, according to Williston Town Manager Erik Wells.
But many town managers say the expectation that towns should operate new shelters is unrealistic. Unlike affordable housing, which offers at least some revenue to offset expenses, shelter operations generate no revenue, and the work requires dedicated mental health and social work experts that municipalities either can’t pay for or can’t find.
“We have no policy to that end and we have no staffing to that end,” Baker said. “It’s really the providers and the state that operate those shelters, not the municipalities.”
Elaine Wang, Winooski’s city manager, noted that the city has the lowest-valued grand list in the county and, she said, simply does not have the taxing capacity to support the sheltering of unhoused residents.
“We’re up against a fiscal problem,” she said. “We don’t have a hard solution. If we did, we probably would have done it already. But it’s kind of an intractable problem. I know a lot of us are saying the same thing. But we do agree that this is not a city function, especially in Vermont — we are not equipped for it.”
A major challenge in standing up a new shelter is getting somebody to operate it, Wells said.
“The town can play that kind of connective tissue role if it’s working with the state and other partners to try and identify possible locations out there. We’re happy to help explore those solutions,” he said. “But just from a day-to-day operational level, there has to be some type of infrastructure put in place for those shelters to operate.”
Baker echoed similar concerns.
“If a provider wants to come to South Burlington and say, ‘Hey, we have this location, we would like to partner with you. Can we
jointly submit a grant?’ Absolutely. South Burlington is ready to stand by their side,” she said. “But we as municipal government are not set up to be a service provider in that realm.”
Russell and others in Burlington have acknowledged that other towns are not equipped to be opening shelters.
“But do they have a parking lot where another Elmwood could be established? Do they have a building that’s being underutilized?” she said. “What are the resources that they may have that could ease some of the strain and allow us to expand shelter in other areas as well.”
ther started or taken over in three and a half years — not counting the group’s operation of the Holiday Inn during the pandemic. In November 2021, the organization started Burlington’s Community Resource Center, a low-barrier daytime warming shelter off of South Winooski Avenue, which now sees up to 180 people a day, the majority unsheltered.
Altogether, Dragon said about 80 percent of the people at the Community Resource Center have some form of disability or are elderly. Dragon said it speaks to the larger needs of society and who is falling through the cracks. But it also highlights the difficulty of the work for staff who are often not trained to work in a mental health facility or a facility for the aging.
“It’s extremely difficult for organizations to run and sustain shelters because they’re expensive, they’re really difficult work, and the funding doesn’t always match what the organizational needs are,” Dragon said.
Other organizations are also feeling the strain.
we’re laying out is something that’s achievable, and that we can move forward with in a sustainable fashion. Could we get any bigger than that? I don’t know. We don’t know what shelter funding is going to look like year to year.”
While Dragon with CVOEO said there were more applications than expected for the state’s $10 million temporary shelter proposal, the program presents its own issues in that it only provides onetime funding.
“It’s kind of kicking the can down the road, hoping that maybe something else will come up next year,” he said. “We’re already stretched in terms of capacity.”
Dragon also expressed skepticism over some towns’ willingness to cooperate. Some local officials, he said, have expressed what he said was an “if you build it, they will come” attitude, expressing concern a shelter would draw more unhoused people to town.
Monte said he thinks there could be more coordination at the municipal level on this issue.
‘HOW
MUCH MORE CAN AN ORGANIZATION DO?’
While municipalities aren’t clamoring to run new shelters, the service providers most experienced in doing so say their capacity is already stretched.
In September, Paul Dragon, the head of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, was approached about taking over operations at the Champlain Inn, a low-barrier shelter off of Shelburne Road in Burlington. ANEW Place, the nonprofit operating the shelter, had notified the state and the city that it could no longer manage it.
CVOEO took over in October and soon began staffing the shelter 24/7, changing the operation to ensure guests were assigned rooms for six months at a time or longer.
A year and a half prior, a similar situation had played out in St. Albans, when CVOEO decided to take over operations at the Samaritan House on Kingman Street. The former organization there said it could no longer successfully operate the site.
The Champlain Inn was the third shelter that CVOEO had ei-
“Certainly all the nonprofit organizations feel they either have some responsibility to respond, or at least a moral responsibility to respond,” said Monte with the Champlain Housing Trust. “But there’s limitations in there too — limitations in terms of both financial support or long-term financial support or mostly staffing capacity.”
“How much more can an organization do?” he added. “We have felt that at times. I know CVOEO has felt that at times.”
Farrell, with COTS, said his organization is in a position to operate a temporary shelter at the proposed location on Pearl Street, if both the funding and location are approved by the state.
He hopes that eventually the state funding could then allow them to renovate that space for a new home for Waystation, the organization’s nighttime shelter on Church Street that has been in operation since 1983. With a new location, the hope is to expand the number of beds in Waystation by at least a dozen, Farrell said.
But while the organization feels it is financially positioned to expand and operate a new temporary shelter, Farrell has acknowledged, like other providers, that they have their limits.
“We are a very effective but rather small organization when you think of scale,” he said. “What
“I would not necessarily simply say, though, that other municipalities have just been sitting idly by, I don’t see that happening,” he said. “But when you get down to a very specific work and activity, which is shelter, there could be more work to be done amongst all the municipalities,” he said.
Dragon is in agreement with municipal leaders interviewed by VTDigger that addressing the new need for shelter expansion should be a fundamental responsibility of the state and federal government.
“No nonprofit, or even city, is going to be able to manage such a systemic problem,” Dragon said. “It takes so much effort and leverage, and only the state and federal government can really bring that to bear.”
Mulvaney-Stanak said she hopes that through conversations with other town leaders they can develop a coordinated “advocacy plan” to lobby state leaders as the next legislative session approaches.
“To me, that’s the scariest humanitarian moment in this,” she said. “We’re going to face cold, typical Vermont weather in the matter of months at this point, and I’m very concerned about where people are going to go. That’s really what’s at risk here, unfortunately: a larger health and safety emergency ahead of us, where people — I don’t know where they’re going to survive.”
Jonathan Farrell, the director of the Committee on Temporary Shelter, in Burlington in 2022.
Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and former state legislator John Rodgers won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively, for Vermont’s second-highest office on Tuesday, setting the stage for a general election clash between two Statehouse veterans who do not fall neatly along party lines.
Zuckerman, a Hinesburg produce farmer who is seeking his fourth stint in the lieutenant governor’s office, overcame a challenge by Winooski Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner. With every town reporting results just before midnight, Zuckerman defeated Renner 56 percent to 37 percent, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Rodgers, who runs a construction business in Glover and previously served nearly two decades in the state Legislature, prevailed over Rutland accountant and former local GOP committee chair Gregory Thayer. The unofficial results showed Rodgers with 56 percent of the vote and Thayer with 35 percent.
Meanwhile, Zoraya Hightower — a former Burlington city councilor who works at an environmental justice nonprofit — won her uncontested bid for the Vermont Progressive Party’s lieutenant gubernatorial nomination, unofficial results showed.
That party’s chair had said previously, though, that Hightower and other statewide Progressive candidates would “probably not” continue onto the November ballot, adding that the Progs would endorse certain candidates after the primary, several of whom are historically “fusion” candidates, such as Zuckerman, who styles himself as a Progressive/Democrat.
“I’m feeling good — it certainly has been a real race,” Zuckerman said Tuesday night at a campaign watch party in Burlington’s South End, shortly after results were announced. “Thankfully, my track record with a lot of people counts for something.”
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Zuckerman was the only statewide incumbent facing a primary challenge this year. In his campaign, he played up his experience presiding over the Vermont Senate as lieutenant governor (the job’s main responsibility), and before that serving in that chamber and in the Vermont House as a lawmaker.
Several voters said at the polls on Tuesday that they had had second thoughts about Zuckerman after reading recent reporting on a 2023 incident involving the lieutenant governor. As VTDigger reported last week, House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, issued verbal and written warnings to Zuckerman early that year after state legislators reported feeling uncomfortable when he offered them access to a supply of menstrual products.
Northfield resident Ben Sanders said the story was the topic of many conversations he had about Zuckerman.
“I felt he’s done a good job up until now,” Sanders said. “But recent news gave me a lot to think about. Whether there was an overreaction or the right amount of reaction to what he did, regardless, it still makes me think more se -
riously about who we want representing us.”
Others, though, said they were excited to vote to reelect the lieutenant governor. Zuckerman “understands Vermonters” and “cares about the environment,” said Samantha Keyes, 27, of Middlebury.
Renner — who has only held office at the local level — had centered his identity as a gay black man, emphasizing the importance of representation in state government. He said that he saw few differences between himself and Zuckerman over policy issues, though he also highlighted that he identified solely as a Democrat.
“Going against an incumbent is really difficult. I worked for an incumbent who was there for 30-plus years,” Renner said, referring to former U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy. Renner was speaking to supporters at a campaign party in downtown Winooski. “We ran a really great campaign, though,” he said.
In Zuckerman, Vermont’s Democratic voters once again backed a lieutenant governor candidate with a less stringent allegiance to their party. But GOP voters, in Rodgers, also backed a fairly unconventional Republican.
Rodgers served in the House and Sen -
ate as a Democrat, even running a writein campaign as a Democrat for governor in 2018. But he announced his campaign for lieutenant governor earlier this year as a Republican, saying the state’s Democratic party no longer reflected his values and charging that its leadership was not looking after working class people.
He had also described himself as a moderate in comparison to Thayer, who is a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and who attended the Stop the Steal rally in Washington, D.C., that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“I think our message is being well received, and a lot of Vermonters are ready for change,” Rodgers said in an interview Tuesday night after results were announced. “And they feel like I’m the candidate to do it.”
Reached on the phone Tuesday night, Thayer — who also ran, unsuccessfully, for the GOP’s lieutenant governor nomination in 2022 — said he was disappointed in the results, but added that he is “not going away.”
“We got our message out there. We talked to, and represented, thousands of Vermonters,” Thayer said. “We’re going to keep working.”
Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman celebrates his election as the Democratic Party nominee in Burlington on Tuesday.
Esther Charlestin wins Democratic gubernatorial
Statewide incumbents cruise to primary victories
VTDIGGER STAFF REPORT
Gov. Phil Scott, the incumbent Republican, will face Democratic challenger Esther Charlestin, an educator and former selectboard member from Middlebury, in Vermont’s general election this November.
The Associated Press called Tuesday’s Democratic gubernatorial primary for Charlestin less than an hour after polls closed around the state. In her race for her party’s nomination, Charlestin competed with Peter Duval, a former Underhill selectboard member who had previously run statewide as a Republican.
Charlestin won 49 percent of the vote to Duval’s 19 percent, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office. An unusually high 32 percent of voters wrote in another name or left their ballot blank.
At an election night celebration in Burlington, Charlestin told VTDigger that clinching the Democratic nomination “feels amazing.” Now the first woman of color representing a major party on Vermont’s gubernatorial ballot, Charlestin called her primary victory “his-
Esther Charlestin hugs a supporter after winning the Democratic Party nomination for governor in Burlington on Tuesday.
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER see CHARLESTIN page 15
Charlestin
tory in the making.”
Until November, she told VTDigger, her plan was to “go hard” campaigning for Vermonters’ votes.
“That means raising a lot more money,” she said. “That means knocking on doors. That means seeking endorsements.”
Reached by phone Tuesday night after the race was called for his Democratic opponent, Duval told VTDigger that the primary results were “as expected.”
For the first time in roughly two decades, Scott faced no primary challenger on Tuesday, according to his campaign manager, Jason Maulucci. In a written statement after the results came in, Scott — who is seeking his fifth two-year term in office — thanked voters “for once again placing their faith and trust in me.”
“Now, we turn our focus to November,” Scott said. “I am committed to working hard to help elect a more balanced, pragmatic Legislature, and supporting candidate(s) who will work with me, regardless of party, to make Vermont a more affordable place to live, work, raise a family, start a business, and retire in.
“I invite all Vermonters who want to see change in (the) Legislature to step up, reach out, and get involved,” he concluded.
According to the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office, two other candidates are slated to appear on the gubernatorial ballot this November: Eli “Poa” Mutino, an independent from Barre City, and June Goodband of Springfield, who is running as a member of the Peace and Justice party. Neither had to compete in a primary election for a major party nomination.
Perhaps emboldened by his better-than-ever general election performance in 2022, Scott appeared not to be preoccupied with his gubernatorial opponents this campaign cycle. Instead, the Republican has set his sights on Democrats’ theoretically veto-proof majority in the state House and Senate.
As a governor from a party out of power in
the Legislature, Scott has issued a record number of vetoes during his nearly eight years in office. And this biennium, especially, a record number of those vetoes were overridden by at least two-thirds of state legislators.
On Monday, the governor’s campaign sent an email to supporters not pleading for their votes in his own contest, but urging them to vote down-ballot.
“The current Super Majority in Montpelier is so far out of balance and out of touch, and we desperately need more common sense in the State House,” the Scott campaign wrote. “After the Primary, we will continue our focus on getting more pragmatic candidates elected in November who will actually work with me to make our state a more affordable place to live, work, raise a family, do business, and retire in.”
It’s that attitude of the governor’s, though, and his increasingly tense relationship with the Legislature “that’s the problem,” Charlestin told VTDigger Tuesday night.
“That isn’t actual leadership,” she said. “We have to work together. We have to figure out a way. It’s not about who we like. It’s about, how do we move Vermont forward in a way that we can all thrive?”
Monique Hanson, 34, of Burlington, said Tuesday that she had voted for Charlestin for governor. “She just gave me hope,” Hanson said.
Edgar Butterfield, 70, of Middlebury said that he had voted Republican across the ballot. “I just don’t like the liberal mentality,” he said. “This woke-ism.”
Butterfield, a farmer, said he saw Scott as an important check against Montpelier’s liberal supermajority. “He tries to keep stuff under control,” Butterfield said. Nonetheless, times are tough. “I see taxes continuing to go up,” he said.
Scott was one of many statewide incumbents who cruised to easy victory in Tuesday’s primary elections, with all but one facing no competition for their party’s nomination.
This year’s primaries were markedly different from the 2022 election cycle, when six
out of Vermont’s nine statewide officeholders opted to leave their posts — spurring hotly competitive primary contests and a rare level of turnover in Vermont politics.
Just two years later, though, only Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive/ Democrat, saw a primary challenge — from Thomas Renner, a Winooski Democrat who serves on the city council and as deputy mayor.
Also on Tuesday’s primary ballots were a slate of Vermont’s incumbent statewide officers, all Democrats, also unchallenged for their party nominations: Attorney General Charity Clark, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Auditor Doug Hoffer and Treasurer Mike Pieciak. All four of these uncontested incumbents easily secured their Democratic nominations. Hoffer has also historically run as a Progressive.
On the Republican ticket, perennial candidate H. Brooke Paige secured the GOP nomination in three statewide primaries, in which he ran uncontested: attorney general, secretary of state and auditor. He will face off against Clark, Copeland Hanzas and Hoffer, respective -
ly, in November.
Having won his uncontested bid for the Republican nomination on Tuesday, Josh Bechhoefer of Cornwall will compete against Pieciak to serve as treasurer come November. Bechhoefer was recruited to run for the seat by the Vermont GOP this spring.
Two of Vermont’s three members of Congress are also up for reelection this year — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and U.S. Becca Balint, D-Vt. — and were unchallenged in their primaries. (Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, historically competes in the Democratic primary, and then forgoes the party nomination to run as an independent.)
Both Balint and Sanders’ Republican challengers were also uncontested in their party primaries this week. Running against Balint this November is Mark Coester, a small business owner from Westminster. And challenging Sanders is Republican Gerald Malloy of Weathersfield, who ran against then-U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., for Vermont’s other Senate seat last cycle.
Fall for Football
Does your family have a favorite football team? As football season heats up, The Mini Page takes a close look at how this popular American sport is played. Use this issue to guide you as you watch a game. What is football?
Football is a complex team sport played in every corner of the United States. It is played by kids and adults alike.
Many people begin playing football as kids and later play in high school. How it’s played
In football, the offense tries to put the ball in the opponent’s end zone (6 points) or kick it through the goal posts (3 points).
The defense tries to prevent the offense from doing so.
To move closer to the end zone, a team has four chances, or downs, to move the ball 10 yards. If the offense moves the ball at least 10 yards, it gains a new set of downs.
The line of scrimmage (SKRIH-mej) is an imaginary line where the football is placed. The offense lines up on one side, and the defense is on the other.
Scoring
Mini Fact: Early players didn’t use helmets or pads. Many players were killed playing football, and it was nearly outlawed.
Touchdown: A team scores 6 points if the ball reaches the opponent’s end zone.
Extra point: After a touchdown, a ball kicked through the goal posts adds 1 point.
2-point conversion: After a touchdown, a team may try to move the ball into the end zone again for 2 extra points instead of kicking it.
Field goal: The offensive team may kick the ball through the goal posts for 3 points.
Safety: If the defense tackles an opposing player in his own end zone, it is given 2 points.
Who’s who on the field
There are three units, or groups, on each football team.
Offense: The offense tries to get the ball into the end zone for a touchdown.
Defense: The defense works to stop the other team’s offense.
Special teams: These units come on the field for kicking plays: kickoffs, punts and field goal attempts.
There are always 22 players on a football field at once — 11 for each team. Each player has a specific job to do.
Next Week: Homework help
Some offensive positions
Quarterback: the leader of the offense; takes the snap from the center and may hand off the ball to a running back or throw a pass; may also run with the ball.
Wide receiver: often very fast and able to catch passes far down the field.
Tight end: blocks like a tackle on running plays; can also catch passes.
Tackle: left and right tackles block defenders for running backs; also responsible for protecting the quarterback’s “blind side” — an area behind the thrower where he can’t see.
Running back: takes a “handoff” from the quarterback, or may go out for a pass.
Some defensive positions
Tackle: two tackles line up to the left and right of the football; they rush the quarterback, knock down passes or try to slow down a running back.
Cornerback: two cornerbacks defend the left and right edges of the defensive formation; usually responsible for guarding the wide receivers.
Safety: one or two safeties are the last line of defense; “free” safeties guard areas down the field against long passes and running plays; “strong” safeties cover tight ends and help stop runners.
At the library:
• “Incredible Football Stories for Young Readers” by Trevor Fields
• “It’s a Numbers Game! Football” by Eric Zweig and Patrick Mahomes
Founded by Betty Debnam Issue 33, 2024
photo by Mike Hoff
photo by prayitno
photo by TigerNet.com
The goal post and field at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The place kicker, a special teams member, attempts a kick for Clemson University.
• “Incredible Football Stories for
• “It’s a Numbers Game! Football” by Eric Zweig and Patrick Mahomes
Try ’n’ Find
Words that remind us of football are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:
AMERICAN, DOWNS, END ZONE, FIELD, FOOTBALL, GAME, GOAL POST, OFFENSE, POSITION, RECEIVER, SAFETY, SCRIMMAGE, SEASON, SPECIAL, SPORT, TACKLE, TEAM, TOUCHDOWN, UNIT.
Cook’s Corner Peach Berry Smoothie
You’ll need:
• 2 cups fresh peaches (with or without peel)
• 1 cup strawberries
• 8 ounces low-fat plain yogurt
What to do:
1. Wash fruit and cut it into chunks.
2. Place all ingredients in large blender.
• 1 cup fruit juice (any flavor)
• 1 cup ice cubes
3. Process until smooth and creamy. Makes 4 servings.
Mini Jokes
Frank: Where do football players go when they need a new uniform?
Frida: New Jersey!
Eco Note
Hundreds of millions of people are threatened with water shortages due to low levels of snow this year in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains in Asia. Snowmelt brings a quarter of the total water flow to the region’s 12 major river basins, and this year’s snow cap is the second smallest for the past 22 years, trailing only slightly behind the record low set in 2018. Scientists said the lack of adequate snow could have devastating consequences in the future for large populations that rely on runoff.
For later:
Look in your newspaper’s sports pages for articles about football scores and standings.
Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!
By Jim Miller
SAVVY SENIOR
Paying for nursing home care with Medicaid
Dear Savvy Senior, If my mother needs to move into a nursing home, what are the eligibility requirements to get Medicaid coverage?
Caretaking Son
Dear Caretaking,
The rules and requirements for Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care are complicated and will vary according to the state your mother lives in. With that said, here’s a general, simplified rundown of what it takes to qualify.
MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY
Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that covers health care for the poor, is also the largest single payer of America’s nursing home bills for seniors who don’t have the resources to pay for their own care. (Note that some states have different names for their Medicaid program.)
Most people who enter nursing homes don’t qualify for Medicaid at first but pay for care either through long-term care insurance or out-of-pocket until they deplete their savings and become eligible for Medicaid.
To qualify for Medicaid, your mother’s income and assets will need to be under a certain level that’s determined by your state. Most states (except California) require that a single person have no more than about $2,000 in countable assets ($3,000 for a married couple) that includes cash, savings, investments or oth-
er financial resources that can be turned into cash.
Assets that aren’t counted for eligibility include your mother’s home if it’s valued under $713,000 (this limit is higher — up to $1,071,000 — in some states), her personal possessions and household goods, one vehicle, prepaid funeral plans and a small amount of life insurance.
But be aware that while her home is not considered a countable asset to determine eligibility, if she can’t return home, Medicaid can go after the proceeds of her house to help reimburse her nursing home costs, unless a spouse or other dependent relative lives there. (There are some other exceptions to this rule.)
After qualifying, all sources of your mother’s income, such as Social Security and pension checks, must be turned over to Medicaid to pay for her care, except for a small personal needs allowance — usually between $30 and $160.
You also need to be aware that your mother can’t give away her assets to qualify for Medicaid faster. Medicaid officials will look at their financial records going back five years (except in California which has a 30-month
look-back rule) to root out suspicious asset transfers. If they find one, her Medicaid coverage will be delayed a certain length of time, according to a formula that divides the transfer amount by the average monthly cost of nursing home care in their state.
So, for example, if your mom lives in a state where the average monthly nursing home cost is $8,000 and she gave away cash or other assets worth $160,000, she would be ineligible for benefits for 20 months ($160,000 divided by $8,000 = 20).
SPOUSAL PROTECTION
Medicaid also has special rules (known as the community spouse resource allowance) for married couples when one spouse enters a nursing home, and the other spouse remains at home. In these cases, the healthy spouse can keep one half of the couple’s assets up to $154,140 (this amount varies by state), the family home, all the furniture and household goods and one automobile. The healthy spouse is also entitled to keep a portion of the couple’s monthly income — between $2,465 and $3,854. Any income above that goes toward the cost of the nursing home recipient’s care.
WHAT ABOUT MEDICARE?
Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors 65 and older, and some younger people with disabilities, does not pay for long-term care. It only helps pay up to 100 days of rehabilitative nursing home care, which must occur after a three-day hospital stay.
For more information, contact your state Medicaid office. You can also get help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see ShipHelp.org), which provides free counseling on Medicare and Medicaid issues.
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.
TODAY’S HISTORY:
In 1483, the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel was consecrated.
• In 1914, the Panama Canal officially opened.
• In 1947, India and Pakistan won independence from Britain.
• In 1971, President Richard M. Nixon canceled the direct convertibility of the U.S. dollar to gold.
• In 2021, the Taliban regained control of Kabul, Afghanistan.
TODAY’S FACT:
• The price of gold skyrocketed from $35 per ounce in 1971 to $850 per ounce in 1980 as a result of the economic measures undertaken by President Nixon in 1971.
1 stick it out (6)
2 boards an aircraft (8)
3 reached one’s goal (9)
4 checks’ counterparts in law (8)
5 slightly off-center (5)
6 icing targets (5)
7 like Wolfgang Puck’s skills (8)
Dorothy Alling Memorial Library hours:
• Monday and Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday summer hours: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Visit www.damlvt.org to apply for a library card and to register for programs requiring registration. Need help? Call 878-4918 or email daml@ damlvt.org.
YOUTH PROGRAMS
Children in fourth grade and younger must be supervised by someone over 16 years of age.
KINDERGARTEN STORYTIME
Monday, Aug. 19, 5-6 p.m. Incoming kindergarteners and their families are invited to drop in for themed stories and activities to prepare for kindergarten.
STORYTIME
Tuesdays, Aug. 20 and 27, 10:30-11 a.m. Drop in for stories and fun on the Town Green.
Comprehensive Dentistry
BABY TIME
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 10:3011 a.m. Come together for gentle social and bonding activities with your baby.
KINDERGARTEN KICKOFF
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 6-7 p.m. Register your kindergartener! Come on out to the Town Green to meet others in your Allen Brook School class, enjoy snacks and read a fun story. Rising kindergarteners are eligible to sign up for their own library card. For quicker library card pick-up, fill out the online form at www.damlvt.org in advance and note that you’d like to pick it up during this event.
MUSIC AND PLAYTIME
Thursdays, Aug. 22 and 29, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Sing with Linda then stay to play on the Town Green.
LEGO TIME
Thursday, Aug. 22, 3-4 p.m. Create something fun with the Library’s LEGO collection.
KID CRAFTERNOON:
FOLDER DECORATING
Friday, Aug. 23, 5-6 p.m. Bring your folders, binders, pencil cases, etc. and decorate them with stickers and craft supplies at the library.
LITTLES D&D
Saturday, Aug. 24. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Suggested ages 6-8. Register
your young dungeoneers to try out Dungeons & Dragons. Adults should stay to help their little campaigners. Registration required.
AFTER SCHOOL GAMES
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2-3 p.m. Have fun after school with a variety of board games.
MULTI-AGE PROGRAMS
READ TO A DOG (ROCKO)
Monday, Aug. 26, 3-4 p.m. Sign up for a 10-minute session to read to (or hang out with) Rocko the therapy dog.
READ TO A DOG (LOLA)
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Sign up for a 10-minute session to read to (or hang out with) Lola the therapy dog.
ADULT PROGRAMS
For online programs or to join a book club, email daml@damlvt.org.
TAKE THE “REDUCE YOUR PLASTIC USE” CHALLENGE
Pick up a challenge form at the library or download one from www.damlvt.org. Each activity you do to reduce your plastic use gives you points. At the end of the month, submit your sheet for fun prizes.
SPICE CLUB: LEMON PEEL
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 in a picture of your creation or a review of your recipe.
ADULT MEDITATION (ONLINE)
Fridays, Aug. 16 and 23, 1212:30 p.m. Get in touch with your peaceful body and breath.
MAH JONGG
Friday, Aug. 16, 1-3 p.m. Drop in to play this fun tile game. All levels.
BOOK CLUB BUFFET (ONLINE)
Tuesday, Aug. 20, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” by Muriel Spark. Available in print in the library or as an eBook in Libby (Overdrive).
COOK THE BOOK
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 12-1 p.m. Cook from your culinary bingo prize book from last month, or choose your own recipe to share at a potluck.
BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “Facing the Mountain” by Daniel James Brown. Available in print in the library or as an eBook in Libby (Overdrive).
CURRENT EVENTS
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Drop in to discuss timely topics with other community members.
For over 30 years, we’ve been your local, family-owned source for…
Hiring?
Reach potential employees in Williston, South Burlington, Stowe, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Waitsfield and more…
…with one phone call!
Contact Rick 802-373-2136 or email Rick@willistonobserver.com
Employment Opportunities
HVAC Specialist
This position is responsible for maintenance of city fountains, and assisting in the maintenance and care of public heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems within the public buildings and public park system. In addition, this position performs skilled and general maintenance in the repair, replacement, and installation of facility mechanical systems, including plumbing, and other mechanical equipment and assists in plan facility related maintenance and execution of daily, monthly, bi-annual, annual work order requests.
Our ideal candidate will have a high school diploma or equivalent required. Three (3) years trade experience in HVAC equipment and controls installation, repair and maintenance required, or equivalent combination of education and experience or currently enrolled in Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC) program.
This position pays hourly between $27.82 - $30.99 and comes with a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, life insurance, retirement plan, FSA, and much more!
To learn more about this role and to apply: governmentjobs.com/careers/burlingtonvt/ jobs/4531760/hvac-specialist? keywords=hvac&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs
The Town of Hinesburg, Vermont seeks qualified applicants for the following positions:
Highway Foreperson
This is a supervisory position that is responsible for overseeing and participating in the maintenance of the town’s highway infrastructure. A valid VT issued CDL Class B license is required. Required skills include proficient operation of a road grader, excavator, front-end loader, backhoe, and tandem plow truck. Starting pay is $34.00 - $40.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.
Highway Maintainer
This is a semi-skilled position of moderate complexity in highway maintenance and equipment operation. A Highway Maintainer performs a wide variety of manual and automotive equipment operation tasks involved in municipal road maintenance. Work extends to responsibility for maintenance and servicing of assigned automotive equipment, requiring strong mechanical and trouble shooting skills. A valid Vermont issued Class B CDL is required. Starting pay is $25.00 - $28.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.
Both positions provide health, dental, vision and disability insurance; paid time off; pension plan; and 13 paid holidays. Detailed information and an application form can be found at www.hinesburg.org under the employment tab. Applications can be mailed or delivered to Todd Odit, Town Manager, 10632 Route 116 or emailed to todit@hinesburg.org.
The Town of Hinesburg offers a comprehensive benefits package and very competitive pay. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed as received and accepted until the position is filled.
The City of Burlington’s Park, Recreation & Waterfront team is searching for an
YARD SALE
Park in back, not behind garage or on the street.
Thomas F. Haraden, Jr.
Thomas F. Haraden, Jr. of Williston Vermont, passed away at home in the early morning of August 5, 2024.
Tom was born in Amityville, New York on August 21, 1944 to Thomas and Helen (Rinesh) Haraden Sr. During his youth, Tom worked for his father at the family-owned Esso service station in Lindenhurst, Long Island where he learned the skills that made him an excellent car mechanic. He graduated from Farmingdale High School on Long Island.
Tom had many great stories from his days in Farmingdale with friends such as “Sal” and
OBITUARIES
“Ralph” among many others. Many of the stories involved hot cars and specifically drag racing, in which Tom participated and had very fond memories of.
Tom used his exceptional mechanical skills as a member of the Clutch Masters, a group of young men from Farmingdale who helped motorists who were broken down on the highway. His maroon and white Clutch Masters club coat was cherished and worn by family members long after he left the club.
Tom met the love of his life, Barbara Payette of South Burlington, Vermont in 1964 while Barbara was at Castleton State College. Tom proposed and they were married on April 3, 1965, at St. John Vianny Church in South Burlington, Vermont. Initially Barb & Tom lived on Long Island where Tom continued to help his father at the family service station. They eventually relocated to Vermont to raise their two beautiful children which were the pride of his life.
Tom said once he never thought Barb would say yes to marrying him but when she did, they truly became one as it was always “Barb & Tom” or “Tom & Barb” — rarely would one name be mentioned without the other.
travelling and camping, always willing to bring family members and friends along with them on their adventures.
Tom had a sense of humor rarely found and could tell life stories that would make a whole room laugh. Even after the third or fourth time hearing them, they were still funny. Many family gatherings included someone asking “Tom to, “Tell the one about ...” which he would share and leave everyone with a smile.
Tom lived from 1944-2024. The most important part of those dates is the little dash between the numbers. That little dash represents the time we had to enjoy Tom, but far too small to measure the impact Tom had on everyone who knew and now misses him.
Tom was an exceptional driver and could literally drive anything and drive it well. Whether it be heavy equipment, a foreign car that no one had heard of, a motorhome, or heavy truck, Tom could get in and drive it like that was the only thing he had ever driven. As a commercial truck driver, he took first in the Vermont Truck Driving Championships in 1988 and drove over two million accident-free miles over the span of fifty years.
Tom taught his children and many of his young relatives how to drive. You knew that when he told you how to do something behind the wheel, it was expert advice from someone who really knew what they were doing and had a love for driving.
Tom drove for the Vermont Reds semi-professional baseball team, Merrill Transport, Bouyea-Fassett’s Bakery, and DDA Transport among others. Tom rarely if ever took a sick day and could always be counted on if the company ever needed a last-minute driver.
In his later years, Tom and Barb enjoyed the RV world of
Life should be measured in “impact”, what a person means to others. If Tom’s life was measured by impact, that little dash would stretch further than his two million miles of safe driving. Tom would drop everything to help someone, and having him around when a problem arose just made things a little easier and more joyful. There will truly never be another person like Tom Haraden. Everyone who knew him was better for it and it is why losing him is so difficult for his family and friends.
Tom is survived by his wife of 59 years, Barbara of Williston, his daughter Melissa Daly and her husband Kevin of Milton, and his son Jonathan (Jay) and his wife Amy of Burlington. In his later years, Tom worked with Jay for DDA Transport, and they became the best of friends because of their many similar interests.
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Rick & Susan Cote
Tom also leaves his grandson Nathaniel Haraden of Essex, and several dear relatives. While the list of relatives is long, each one was special to Tom and each one possesses very fond memories of him.
Williston Observer
Length 12.5 TODAY’S DATE: 8/08/2024 NAME OF FILE: 08152024_WO DATE(S) TO RUN: 8/15/2024
Tom is survived by his only sibling, sister Carol Lilja of Long Island, NY.
Tom also leaves a dear family friend of over 50 years, Carol Pepin, with whom they had many laughs and camping adventures. A celebration of life will be held and announced at a later date.
SIZE OF AD: 1/16 page (2” x 5”) EMAILED TO: Rick@Willistonobserver.com Publishes in Williston Observer
SECTION: Auctions PO# 1609
In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage donations be made to the Williston Food Shelf: (802) 578 0586; https://www.willistonfoodshelf.com.
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.
Well prepared fans, right, enjoy BritishMania, above, a Beatles tribute band at the weekly concert series at Maple Tree Place on Thursday.
