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WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
A lookback at the happenings of 2025 BY JASON STARR Observer staff
W
ithout precedent, at least in our lifetimes — many of the events of 2025 could be described that way. National and international news seemed to herald new social contracts, a breaking point for institutions, attempts at impunity, and a stress test for justice. These shifting currents washed through Williston in a few ways. One resident’s detention without cause by federal agents at a Texas airport thrust him into a position to lead a legal battle against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Our local library trustee, Charity Clark, Vermont’s Attorney General, is at the forefront of numerous judicial fights against the expanding use of executive power under the president. And our streets remain an epicenter of citizen protests against federal immigration policy because we host two Immigration and Customs Enforcement office buildings that support federal agents as they carry out deportations. Yet, the “old town charm” and “new town spirit”
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WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM rethink its relationship with the company, although it remains an essential portal for families and students. According to CVSD Information Technology Director Matt Vile, PowerSchool previously had unfettered access to CVSD data, but now can only access the information if the district reaches out for customer support. “They can only access our database by us initiating it,” Vile said. “It’s not an open login anymore … We believe that they’ve taken the necessary steps to keep our data secure.”
FEBRUARY TRUSTEES ENDORSE LIBRARY EXPANSION; BOND QUESTION SET FOR TOWN MEETING
The Village Green bandstand is alight under a blanket of snow Dec. 23 outside the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. ‘It felt like walking into a postcard,’ said Williston resident Courtney Matthews, who captured the evening scene.
described in our town motto continue their unique interplay at the foot of the Green Mountains, making Williston the welcoming, livable, resilient community its residents envision and manifest in their daily lives. Presented here, a lookback at the local happenings of the
past year shows the ups and downs of a democratic community in 2025, one that endures through unprecedented winds of change. JANUARY STUDENT, STAFF DATA EXPOSED IN POWERSCHOOL BREACH
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District administrators were alerted that student and staff data was exposed in a hack of PowerSchool, a nationwide software company that school districts use to manage student records, grades, attendance and enrollment. Student and staff names, addresses, email addresses and birth dates were exposed in the hack, CVSD officials acknowledged. The breach caused the district to
The Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Trustees released detailed plans for a library expansion and urged the Williston Selectboard to pursue funding for the project. Developed in conjunction with Black River Design, the plans show a roughly doubling of the library’s size, with a twostory addition facing Williston Central School that would become the library’s main entrance. The project also comes with reconfigured parking and traffic patterns around Library Lane, the Town Green and Central School Drive, as well as landscape upgrades to the green itself. “This is the library we need and deserve,” library trustee chair Charity Clark said. The selectboard later initiated a private donation campaign and announced plans to place a bond question on the upcoming Town Meeting Day ballot asking voters for borrowing authority of up to $15 million for the project. see 2025 page 2
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Williston Observer • December 30, 2025
2025
MARCH
on its website. Voters in the 18-municipality district approved a $22 million bond in 2022 to help fund the new facility.
CSWD SETTLES ON RECYCLING CENTER SITE
APRIL
continued from page 1
The Chittenden Solid Waste District found a home for its longplanned new recycling center with an agreement to purchase 38 acres near its headquarters on Redmond Road. The district’s first site plan, on a different Redmond Road parcel, was abandoned in 2024 after state regulators flagged the parcel as unbuildable wetland. The new parcel was purchased for $3 million from the Hinesburg Sand and Gravel company, and the project broke ground in the fall. The recycling center is on pace to open in January 2027. The center will replace the district’s Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) off Industrial Avenue and will be built with automated sorting technology and space enough to significantly increase the district’s recycling capacity. “The new MRF will (ensure) affordable, in-state processing of recyclables for Vermonters for years to come,” the district states
CONSTRUCTION MAKES HEADWAY, SNARLS TRAFFIC AT INDUSTRIAL AVE.
Construction began on a twoyear road widening and intersection improvement project on Route 2A and Industrial Avenue. While it promises to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety, it also caused construction-related traffic jams that occasionally stretched into Essex Junction throughout the spring and summer. The focal point of the project is the intersection at Industrial Avenue and Mountain View Road. There, new pedestrian crosswalks and bike lanes, improved lighting, new traffic lights and new turning lanes are in the works. Road widening is planned along Route 2A from Industrial Avenue to River Cove Road for a center turning lane that will link up with similar work completed in 2022. “It’s a very high volume intersection so there is just a lot of traffic to manage, especially
Traffic on Route 2A backs up toward the Williston town line with Essex Junction as crews struggle to maintain traffic flow during construction at the intersection with Industrial Avenue. OBSERVER FILE PHOTO BY JASON STARR
during some of the busier times of day,” Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) engineer Kara Yelinek said. Once construction wrapped for the season in November, VTrans conducted a public input survey with aims to minimize disruptions for next year. The project is expected to be complete by the fall of 2026.
MAY TOWN LOSES FARMERS MARKET, FOOD TRUCK SERIES
Summer began without two weekly events that brought community members together over food and music on summer evenings. The Isham Family Farm decided to discontinue its weekly Tuesday farmers market, and the
Adams Farm Market shuttered its weekly Truckin’ Tuesdays food truck festival. Both had been summer staples since 2020. Rainy Julys combined with flagging vendor interest to convince both businesses that the events had run their course. “I’m very sad because having the music (and) seeing the families see 2025 page 3
December 30, 2025 • Williston Observer •
2025
continued from page 2
playing out in the yard and having a good summer night here was just really special,” Adams Farm Market owner Kim Antonioli said. Farmers markets have come and gone in Williston over the past decade, including one at Catamount Outdoor Family Center, the former New England Federal Credit Union (now EastRise) parking lot and outside the Kismet building on Route 2A. The Williston Energy Committee had informal discussions later in the year about future farmers market location possibilities.
JUNE
24-7 support center for law enforcement agencies prosecuting immigration cases remained the same. That function has made the building the site of recurring street protests as residents decry the immigration policies of the Trump administration. Pizzagalli built the building in 1999 after winning a U.S. government bid to provide office space to what was then the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It was a deal facilitated by longtime Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy in an effort to bring federal jobs to the area. Pizzagalli Development Manager Bob Bouchard said the protests had no impact on the company’s decision to sell.
JULY
PIZZAGALLI SELLS ICE BUILDING — A SITE OF RECURRING CITIZEN PROTESTS
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center on Harvest Lane was sold by local real estate developer Pizzagalli Properties to a Washington D.C. company that specializes in leasing property to government agencies. The building’s function as a
VERIZON PROPOSES POLICE HEADQUARTERS FOR CELL TOWER
Verizon turned its sights away from the Old Brick Church and toward the top of the Williston Police Department as a proposed location for new cellular antennas to improve phone service in Williston Village. A prior plan to place antennas
Page 3
during a July meeting on the subject. “It’s a serious issue not to be able to maintain a call.” The selectboard followed up in September, authorizing Town Manager Erik Wells to negotiate a lease with Verizon.
AUGUST TURF FIELD PROPOSAL RAISES QUESTIONS OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION
Local business leader Eli Lesser-Goldsmith organized a private funding group to gift a turf field to Champlain Valley Union High School. While school administrators praised the plan — excited by the prospect of outdoor gatherings and consistent field conditions for fall and spring sports — a group of Hinesburg residents who serve on the town’s conservation commission voiced their A protester demonstrates in Williston in July against federal immigration policy. opposition. OBSERVER FILE PHOTO BY AL FREY In a letter to school officials, conservation commission memin the steeple of the historic church by the lack of cell coverage in the bers claimed microplastics and was abandoned amid public criti- Village. chemicals in the turf would have cism. Verizon’s police department “It’s been very concerning for harmful effects on human health roof proposal garnered no such our safety committee not to have and the environment. criticism — only excitement and cell coverage,” Williston Schools Voters in the school district relief from residents frustrated Lead Principal Greg Marino said see 2025 page 4
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Page 4 •
Williston Observer • December 30, 2025
2025
continued from page 3
defeated a bond question to fund a turf field about a decade earlier.
AUGUST
williston2050.com. “This is about the direction the town wants to move in,” selectboard member Jeanne Jensen said. “It’s a really excellent document, and I appreciate all the hard work that went into it.”
SELECTBOARD APPROVES NEW TOWN PLAN
SEPTEMBER
The Williston Selectboard adopted a new Comprehensive Town Plan for Williston that will guide land use regulations and the town’s direction in housing, transportation, recreation and conservation — among other sectors — through 2033. The approval culminated more than two years of work by town staff, planning commission members and residents. The plan is available in its entirety at www.
STATE PREPARES TO CLOSE SHELTER AT FORMER VSP BARRACKS
The Vermont Department of Children and Families prepared to wind down its use of the former Vermont State Police Williston barracks as a homeless family shelter. The former police headquarters was converted into a shelter in 2024 and housed up to seven families, managed first by an out-of-state contractor then by the Champlain Valley Office of
Economic Opportunity. Families are preparing for a transition to a new, larger shelter in Burlington after the new year. The state Department of Buildings & General Services plans to “evaluate the future for the building, which could include sale or another state use of the site,” said department spokesman Cole Barney. The Town of Williston, once interested in the site as a potential community center, has signaled it is no longer interested in acquiring the property.
OCTOBER NATIONAL ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST COMES TO WILLISTON
Williston residents turned out against federal government policies as part of nationwide “No Kings” protests organized by 50501 and Indivisible — national organizations with Vermont chapters. Protests in Williston happened simultaneously with events across the state and nation. The protests came in the wake of news that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to use an Industrial Avenue office building as a digital surveillance hub in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations. Williston has long had a role in immigration enforcement with another ICE office on Harvest Lane.
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
A RACE FOR INDOOR SPORTS SPACE
TOWN ACCEPTS GLASER PARCEL DONATION
One entrepreneur f loated the idea for an indoor field house, and another actually opened one. Plans presented to the Williston Planning Commission showed an inf latable dome-like structure near Home Depot, housing indoor turf for yearround field sports. Stowe-based developer Adam Hergenrother said the Williston location is ideal because of its proximity to hotels and restaurants that visiting families could avail themselves of. But town planners said the lot is not currently zoned to accommodate the dome-style construction. Meanwhile, in another part of town, entrepreneurs Shay DiCocco and Matt Edson were in a soft opening phase of Forever Summer, a field house built in the former Williston location of The Edge fitness center. Forever Summer has 26,000-square-feet of turf with a café and spectator balcony under construction. Teams are already taking to the turf, with soccer, lacrosse and ultimate Frisbee games being played. “We’ve just been f looded with interest,” DiCocco said. “We’re basically full in the evenings and weekends.”
The Williston Selectboard agreed to accept 48 acres of land into town ownership as part of the Glaser Specific Plan on Mountain View Road. The town manager expects to close on the property acquisition after the new year. The donation is part of a subdivision agreement that paves the way for construction of 107 homes near the intersection of Old Stage Road. It will allow for the continuation of operations for neighboring Windswept Farm, an equestrian business that uses some of the land for horse pasture. The town anticipates entering a long-term agreement for Windswept’s continued use of the land. A smaller portion of the donated land — 11 acres along Mountain View Road — was preserved primarily to protect easterly views of the Green Mountains, but may also become home to a town park. “Land is just so precious, and I think it will be a great resource for the town to have into the future,” said Jack Glaser, the landowner who pursued the subdivision and donation. Glaser expects homebuilding to begin in the coming months.
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December 30, 2025 • Williston Observer •
BlueCross: Avoid Vermont’s largest hospitals
Health insurer launches marketing campaign aimed at lowering costs BY OLIVIA GIEGER VTDigger
In a new public awareness campaign, BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont has joined four independent Chittenden County healthcare facilities in urging clients to seek less expensive care outside of Vermont’s large academic medical centers. The newly launched website, VT Affordable Care, offers a simple cost comparison for common medical procedures in different settings across Vermont. An MRI, for instance, costs the insurer $6,520 at UVM Medical Center in Burlington, while Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans charges $2,785. At an independent facility, that same service would be $1,799. A laboratory test at UVM costs almost $100 more than it would from an independent facility, where a test
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could be just $18. By highlighting wide price gaps between hospital systems and independent providers, BlueCross BlueShield is urging Vermonters to see how the underlying cost of care shapes what they ultimately pay in premiums and frames patient choice as a key lever in keeping costs low. “It should start people asking the question, ‘why?’ And when you start asking yourself the question of why, then you can start asking yourself other questions about, well, what can we do about it, and who is responsible? And is there a role I can play?” said Teresa Anderson, the insurer’s director of brand and engagement strategies. The effort is part of a larger push by the insurer to bring more attention to what it sees as the roots of the state’s healthcare affordability challenge. The insurer has faced solvency risks as the cost of claims has soared beyond the revenue it brings in through premiums. In 2024, the insurer paid out an average $35 million a
The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
week in claims; it left them $62.1 million in the red that year. Vermonters spend a higher percentage of income on health insurance than any residents of any
other state, according to a report published this summer. Vermont residents spent 19.6 percent of their income on insurance premiums in 2025; in New Hampshire
Page 5
that number is the lowest in the country, at 4 percent. The national average is 7.9 percent of income. BlueCross wants people to better understand the cost of these premiums — and it is asking for Vermonters’ help in keeping them down. “I think it’s important for people to understand that we’re all part of a pool, and the more responsibly we use resources ourselves, the better off the pool is,” said Andrew Garland, BlueCross BlueShield’s vice president of external affairs. Often, the true cost of care becomes obscured in this pool, explained Alex Garlick, a professor of policy at the University of Vermont. “Because insurance ends up picking up the bulk of the tab, consumers don’t really feel that cost, at least at the point of sale. It’s only later, in an aggregate sense, when premiums are going up and costs are going up, that patients feel this,” he said. Garlick sees this effort as the see BLUECROSS page 8
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Williston Observer • December 30, 2025
GUEST COLUMN
Overcoming fear of change in education BY ZOIE SAUNDERS Education Transformation in Vermont is not just about property taxes. It is about building and sustaining the best education system in America. At a moment when nearly every other state is diverting dollars away from public education, Vermont has chosen a different path. Last spring, a bipartisan coalition passed Act 73 — a bill that doubles down on public education as the great equalizer, the pathway out of poverty, and the engine that fuels our economy. Having the best education system in America is not just about test scores. It is about giving every student the opportunity to succeed, regardless of economic disadvantage, language status, or the town they call home. Giving every student in Vermont the opportunity to succeed requires us to ask why these opportunities remain so uneven. Why do some students not have access to the same course offerings as their peers in other districts? Why do some students
attend districts with nearly half the per pupil spending as others? Why do rural and economically disadvantaged areas struggle to offer competitive teacher salaries on par with wealthier pockets of the state? Why are there persistent achievement gaps between students from historically marginalized backgrounds and their peers? The root cause of our inequities is a simple but hard truth: We are not organizing or operating our statewide education system well. Because of that, we are not directing resources to the places where they can make the greatest difference — supporting students and paying teachers competitively. The good news is that we have a plan. During the 2025 legislative session, the governor, the Agency of Education, and the General Assembly worked together to develop a roadmap that positions Vermont as a national leader in education. Given the magnitude of the change proposed, Vermonters have questions, as they should.
Why do some students not have access to the same course offerings as their peers in other districts? Why do some students attend districts with nearly half the per pupil spending as others? Why do rural and economically disadvantaged areas struggle to offer competitive teacher salaries on par with wealthier pockets of the state? Will this plan save money? Will this plan actually give kids more opportunities? Will this plan better support teachers? Will this plan result in a more predictable and equitable approach to funding our education system? We did our homework, and the answer is yes. Extensive cost modeling was conducted throughout the legislative process. We built budgets,
we adapted the plan based on educator input, and we engaged independent school finance experts. Their review, based on research, data and best practices, confirmed that the plan does what Vermonters expect: It puts teaching and learning first, it aligns with education and management best practices, it directs more resources to students and staff, and it strengthens Vermont’s
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www.willistonobserver.com P.O. Box 1401, Williston, VT 05495 | 802-489-5499 ADVERTISING Rick Cote, Associate Publisher rick@willistonobserver.com 802-373-2136 EDITOR Jason Starr editor@willistonobserver.com PRODUCTION & DESIGN Jan Kenney jan@willistonobserver.com
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statewide commitment to equity. The resulting bipartisan bill, Act 73, represents one of the largest education investments in the country. Vermont is on the cusp of something special. A generational investment combined with generational change means that we can maintain smaller elementary schools through thoughtful staffing while shifting resources to create more robust middle and high schools. We can expand mental health and behavior supports, we can enhance electives and special programs, and we can even create new, innovative pathways for high school students. It all sounds good, right? Yes, and it is possible — but only if we are willing to change. That change requires moving to larger districts for Vermont to ensure the generational investment of Act 73 reaches all see SAUNDERS page 7
December 30, 2025 • Williston Observer •
Saunders
continued from page 6
students. Let’s be clear: Larger districts create economies of scale that can determine whether a school can offer advanced courses, hire a reading coach, or afford a strong continuum of supports. Ultimately, education transformation is about Vermonters coming together to acknowledge our challenges and tackle them collectively. Right now, local communities are fending for themselves. The status quo has put local school boards and districts in a difficult position where staffing and programming cuts are being made and schools are being closed, all while property taxes continue to rise and families continue to be priced out of local communities. We cannot ask local communities to fend for themselves. We cannot ask local communities — on their own — to boost educational outcomes while bending the cost curve of funding education. We cannot ask a fragmented structure to deliver world-class results. We have to do this together. Change is hard, but Vermonters have shown we can do hard things by coming together. Let’s come together to follow through on the bipartisan plan to build the best education system in America — a plan that puts students before politics, raises teacher pay, and creates opportunities and programs that rival every other state in the country. Our kids deserve nothing less. Zoie Saunders is secretary of the Vermont Agency of Education.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Abolish the property tax The forecast of a 12 percent property tax increase next year and once again using $75 million to buy down property tax rates is ridiculous. What happens the year after that? The 12 percent increase is still there, and now there is no $75 million to buy it down. So you’ll be paying the full 12 percent. Vermont is one of the highest taxed states in the United States with property tax increases over 40 percent over the past five years. Affordable housing is not a solution, having an affordable state is. Even an affordable home today won’t be affordable tomorrow if taxes keep going up.
Vermont is bleeding money on state programs. Vermont needs to audit programs and evaluate participants to make sure they qualify to protect against fraud and waste and eliminate programs that don’t benefit Vermonters. It’s shear incompetence to keep spending money out of control expecting Vermonters to pay these ridiculous taxes. The power and responsibility is your vote on local and state funding. You think there are no financial repercussions for voting “YES” because you don’t pay property taxes? Well think again. The increase in taxes on businesses and property rentals/ apartments is pushed onto the consumers in increased rent and food — just about everything you buy goes up.
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Businesses can pass that added tax onto consumers, but homeowners don’t. Homeowners have no relief. Here is an idea: Property tax should be eliminated and every person over the age of 18 has an added tax taken out of their paycheck to replace revenue taken by property taxes. This way, when voting day comes, people will think twice before they vote yes, when they see that tax money coming out of their paychecks. Next election, vote for only candidates with common sense and fiscal responsibility. We need to put Vermonters first. David Martel Williston
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Williston Observer • December 30, 2025
BlueCross
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insurer’s way to better communicate what’s behind such high premiums, the point where people do ultimately face the costs of healthcare. “This is an effort to distance themselves from some accountability and saying, ‘you know, this is not a result of our profit margin,” Garlick said. The fact that the company has been facing such financial precarity adds some credibility to the fact that they are probably not the primary driver of this trend, he added. The insurer instead points to the sheer cost of services as a driver of why healthcare does become so expensive here. For Garland, a recent example hit close to home. While working on this project, he encountered a health challenge and needed to schedule an MRI. “I already met my deductible, so there’s no financial incentive for me to go to one place or another,” he said. Nevertheless, he said he made an appointment at an independent
facility, which was able to see him a week later. “I saved my employer plan $3-4,000. That money, not being spent on this MRI, is now available for some other care. Every dollar we spend is going to end up impacting the rates next year,” he said. But, at the same time, it’s not something he’d advise everyone to do. “It’s not right for everyone to get in the car and drive across the state,” he said. “I don’t want to discourage anybody from getting the care they need where they need to get it.” UVM Heath has taken notice but is keeping its head down. “We can’t really comment on BCBSVT’s marketing and advertising practices,” UVM Health spokesperson Annie Mackin wrote in an emailed statement. “We do support patients going to the lowest-cost setting that meets their care needs. And we believe that hospitals and insurance companies have the responsibility to work together to bring costs down for patients.” The state’s largest hospital and the state’s largest insurer have
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long had a “simmering and ongoing adversarial relationship,” as the state-appointed independent healthcare liaison Mike Smith put it in an August letter to the Green Mountain Care Board and the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, which regulate hospitals and insurers, respectively. Smith sat in on discussions between the two healthcare entities, during which they were meant to come to an agreement on lower commercial health insurance rates. In that letter, Smith describes that BlueCross BlueShield has been reluctant to push back on the hospital network and negotiate lower prices out of fear that the hospital will refuse to see BlueCross BlueShield patients. “Not providing care to BCBSVT patients would be a disastrous situation for the insurance company, and it would be an equally disastrous situation for the (UVM Health network),” Smith wrote. The hospital network, for its part, denied the allegation that it threatened to drop BlueCross patients. Part of the reason UVM Medical Center can have such
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reaffirmed the network’s commitment to keeping costs low, while maintaining high quality care. Many of the hospital’s rates reflect the range of more complicated care it provides, some of which are reimbursed below their cost, according to Burns. It’s unlikely, Garlick thinks, that UVM Health or Dartmouth Health will bring their costs down. “So, how do you get out of this economic situation?” he asked. One pathway, he says, is through increasing competition and spreading some reliance onto other providers — exactly what BlueCross BlueShield is now pushing its beneficiaries to consider. Still, the insurer insists that truly pulling costs down will be a collective effort. “This is a problem that has been building for many, many years, and it’s not going to get fixed overnight,” Anderson said, citing needed action from within the health system, legislators and consumers. “It’s going to take all of those groups coming together to actually make a shift in what’s going on here in Vermont.”
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leverage, explained Garlick, the UVM professor, is that it has a near monopoly on healthcare in the Burlington area. The three Vermont hospitals in the UVM Health network take in almost two-thirds of the total Vermonters spend at the state’s 14 hospitals, according to data from the Green Mountain Care Board. Dartmouth Hitchcock has its own relative monopoly for its service area, he added. “It’s kind of shocking to see the major academic medical centers charging multiples of what smaller facilities are charging, but in many cases, the major hospitals charge what the market will bear,” he said. “There are very few restraints on them charging such high prices, because the patients are going to come either way.” On the other side of the state, Dartmouth Health had yet to even learn of BlueCross BlueShield’s campaign. “We were not aware of this campaign and have not spoken with VT BCBS specifically about it,” the hospital network’s spokesperson Audra Burns wrote in an email to VTDigger. She
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CROSSWORD • SOLUTION ON PAGE 13
TODAY’S HISTORY: • In 1853, the United States completed the Gadsden Purchase, establishing the border with Mexico. • In 1916, a group of Russian aristocrats carried out the murder of Rasputin, private adviser to the ruling Romanov family. • In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was officially established. • In 2006, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was executed.
TODAY’S FACT: • Though historically known as “The Mad Monk,” infamous Russian mystic Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin had left Verkhoturye Monastery and returned to his home village by age 19, well before completing his training.
SOLUTION FOUND ON PAGE 13
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Page 10
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Williston Observer •
December 30, 2025
release dates: Jan. 3-9, 2026
01 (26)
Next Week: How do phones work?
Issue 01, 2026
Founded by Betty Debnam
A 2026 Calendar for Kids JANUARY
SU MO TU
WE
4 11 18 25
7 14 21 28
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
TH 1 8 15 22 29
Mini Fact:
The 2026 Olympics will feature ski mountaineering for the first time.
FR 2 9 16 23 30
SA 3 10 17 24 31
SU MO TU 5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
WE 1 8 15 22 29
TH 2 9 16 23 30
FR 3 10 17 24
SU MO TU 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24
WE 4 11 18 25
TH 5 12 19 26
FR 6 13 20 27
SA 7 14 21 28
6 — Winter Olympics Begin 16 — Presidents Day
1 — New Year’s Day 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
APRIL
FEBRUARY
SA 4 11 18 25
1 — Passover begins 5 — Easter Sunday 22 — Earth Day
SU MO TU 3 10 17 24 31
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
MAY WE
TH
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
Winter Olympics Ahead
The XXV Winter Olympic Games will heat up our winter in February, taking place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. More than 3,500 athletes are expected to compete from over 90 countries around the world. Will you be watching?
SU MO TU 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24 29 30 31
MARCH WE 4 11 18 25
TH 5 12 19 26
FR 6 13 20 27
SA 7 14 21 28
8 — Daylight Saving Time starts 17 — St. Patrick’s Day
FR 1 8 15 22 29
10 — Mother’s Day 25 — Memorial Day
SA 2 9 16 23 30
SU MO TU 1 2 8 9 7 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30
JUNE WE 3 10 17 24
TH 4 11 18 25
FR 5 12 19 26
SA 6 13 20 27
14 — Flag Day 16 — Islamic New Year 19 — Juneteenth 21 — Father’s Day
The Mini Page® © 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication
SU MO TU
JULY
Observer rack locations AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
WE TH FR SA SU MO TU WE TH FR SA SU MO TU WE TH FR SA Shell Gas Station (Essex Rd) Essex/Essex Jct. Hannaford Williston 1 1 2 Price 2 3 Chopper 4 1 5 3 4 Simon’s Mobil Williston Healthy Living Williston Adams Farm Market Essex Automotive Quality Bake Shop 5 6 Corner 6 7 Variety 3 7 Aromas 8 4 8 of India 5Simply6Divine Café 9 River 9 7 10 Road11 8 12 2 10 11 Home2Suites Five Beverage Hannaford 12 13 14 Chef’s 13 14 15 16 Richmond 11Cream12Sonesta 15 Corner 13 14 15 16 17 18 Island Homemade 17 18 19 9 10 Ice Sunoco Station Korner Kwik Stop Dorothy Alling Memorial Inn at Essex Cumberland Farms 19 20 21 Library 20 Market 21 22 23 Richmond 17 18 19Town 20 22 23 24 25 Marriott 21Offices 24 25 22 26 16Courtyard of Williston Mac’s Free Library Men At23 Wok 24 25 26UPS Store Martone’s Deli 29 30 Richmond Market 26 27 27 28 28 Fairfield 29 Inn 27 28 29 30 31 Call Rick Cote at ail Vermont Meat & Seafood M&T Bank Folino’s Pizza em 30 31 (802) 373-2136 orerver.com Williston
Gardener’s Supply bs Rick@WillistonOlike copies 4 — Independence ld ou w GreenDay Mountain Bagel u yo if location 19 —urNational Ice Cream Day for yo
OCTOBER
Williston Coffee Shop Ramunto’s — National Book Lovers Day Rehab9Gym 24 — National Waffle Day
NOVEMBER
7 — Labor Day 17 — Constitution Day 19 — National Dance Day
DECEMBER
1 — Passover begins 5 — Easter Sunday 22 — Earth Day
10 — Mother’s Day 25 — Memorial Day
14 — Flag Day 16 — Islamic New Year 19 — Juneteenth 21 — Father’s Day December 30, 2025 • Williston Observer •
Page 11
The Mini Page® © 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
WE 1 8 15 22 29
TH 2 9 16 23 30
FR 3 10 17 24 31
SA 4 11 18 25
4 — Independence Day 19 — National Ice Cream Day
OCTOBER
SU MO TU
WE
4 11 18 25
7 14 21 28
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
TH 1 8 15 22 29
AUGUST
SU MO TU
WE
TH
FR
3 10 17 24 31
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
2 9 16 23 30
4 11 18 25
SEPTEMBER
SA 1 8 15 22 29
SU MO TU 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
9 — National Book Lovers Day 24 — National Waffle Day
FR 2 9 16 23 30
SA 3 10 17 24 31
12 — Indigenous Peoples Day 31 — Halloween
NOVEMBER
SU MO TU 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24 29 30
WE 4 11 18 25
TH 5 12 19 26
FR 6 13 20 27
WE 2 9 16 23 30
TH 3 10 17 24
SA 7 14 21 28
11 — Veterans Day 26 — Thanksgiving Day
DECEMBER
SU MO TU 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
WE 2 9 16 23 30
TH 3 10 17 24 31
1. pastry with a hole in it (5) 2. window coverings (6) 3. well-liked (6) 4. cold-blooded animals (8) 5. plant that grows on rocks (4) 6. very large (8) 7. ancient tombs in Egypt (8)
MO
IDS
DO
REP
POP
GIGA
AM
NTIC
BLI
PYR
ULAR NUT
TIL
SS
NDS
ES
©2025 Blue Ox Technologies Ltd. Download the app on Apple and Amazon devices.
Use the letters in the boxes to make a word with the same meaning as the clue. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of letters in the solution. Each letter combination can be used only once, but all letter combinations will be necessary to complete the puzzle.
Answers: donut, blinds, popular, reptiles, moss, gigantic, pyramids.
Photos from the Williston Observer are available for purchase! Visit willistonobserver.com to see current and past photos of events, school sports, nature shots and more!
AlFreyPhotography.com
SA 5 12 19 26
FR 4 11 18 25
SA 5 12 19 26
4 — Hanukkah begins 25 — Christmas 26 — Kwanzaa begins 31 — New Year’s Eve
What big events are happening in your family, school or city this year? Make a note of them here:
7 Little Words for Kids
FR 4 11 18 25
7 — Labor Day 17 — Constitution Day 19 — National Dance Day
The Mini Page® © 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication
SU MO TU
JULY
Place your order online or email afrey202@gmail.com
AL
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Williston Observer •
December 30, 2025
FAMILY PAGE FamilyCOLORING Fun Page
December 30, 2025 •
Williston Observer •
Page 13
SAVVY SENIOR
How to appeal a Medicare coverage denial
By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, What steps do I need to take to appeal a denied Medicare claim? Frustrated Retiree
Dear Frustrated, If you disagree with a coverage or payment decision made by Medicare, you can appeal. And you’ll be happy to know that many appeals are successful, so it’s definitely worth your time. But before going that route, talk with the doctor, hospital and Medicare to see if you can spot the problem and resubmit the claim. Many denials are caused by simple billing code errors by the doctor’s office or hospital.
FOUR SEASONS DERMATOLOGY is pleased to announce we now have the capacity to see new patients typically within two weeks or less! Please scan the QR code to schedule. We look forward to taking care of all your skincare needs. www.skinvt.com
Call for an appointment today! 802-864-0192 Colchester, VT. | Waterbury, VT. | Rutland, VT.
If, however, that doesn’t fix the problem, here’s how you appeal. ORIGINAL MEDICARE APPEALS
If you have original Medicare, start with your quarterly Medicare Summary Notice (MSN). This statement will list all the services, supplies and equipment billed to Medicare for your medical treatment and will tell you why a claim was denied. You can also check your Medicare claims early online at MyMedicare.gov, or by calling Medicare at 800-633-4227. There are five levels of appeals for original Medicare, although you can initiate a “fast appeal” if you’re getting services from a hospital, skilled nursing facility, home health agency, outpatient rehabilitation facility or hospice, and the service is ending. You have 120 days after receiving the MSN to request a “redetermination” by a Medicare contractor, who reviews the claim. Circle the items you’re disputing on the MSN, provide a written explanation of why you believe the denial should be reversed, and include any supporting documents like a letter from the doctor or hospital explaining why the charge should be covered. Then send it to the address on the form. You can also use the Medicare Redetermination Form. See CMS.gov/Medicare/
C MS -For m s /C MS -For m s / downloads/CMS20027.pdf to download it, or call 800-6334227 to request a copy by mail. The contractor will usually decide within 60 days after receiving your request. If your request is denied, you can request “reconsideration” from a different claims reviewer and submit additional evidence. A denial at this level ends the matter, unless the charges in dispute are at least $190. In that case, you can request a hearing with an administrative law judge. The hearing is usually held by videoconference or teleconference. If you have to go to the next level, you can appeal to the Medicare Appeals Council. Then, for claims of at least $1,900, the final level of appeals is judicial review in U.S. District Court. ADVANTAGE AND PART D APPEALS
If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage health plan or Part D prescription drug plan, the appeals process is slightly different. With these plans, you have only 65 days to initiate an appeal. And in both cases, you must start by appealing directly to the private insurance plan, rather than to Medicare. If you think that your plan’s refusal is jeopardizing your health, you can ask for an
expedited request, where a Part D insurer must respond within 24 hours, and the Medicare Advantage health plan must provide an answer within 72 hours. If you disagree with your plan’s decision, you can file an appeal, which, like original Medicare, has five levels. If you disagree with a decision made at any level, you can appeal to the next level. For more information, along with step-by-step procedures on how to appeal Medicare, go to Medicare.gov/claims-appeals and click on “File an appeal.” Also, make sure to keep photocopies and records of all communication with Medicare, whether written or oral, concerning your denial. NEED HELP?
If you need help filing an appeal, you can appoint a representative (a relative, friend, advocate, attorney or someone else you trust) to help you. Or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which has counselors that can file your appeal for you for free. To locate your local SHIP, go to ShipHelp.org or call 877-839-2675. Send your questions or comments to questions@ savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.
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Puzzle found on page 9
SUDOKU SOLUTION Puzzle found on page 9
Page 14
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Williston Observer •
Charles Reagan
December 30, 2025
Charles Reagan (98) of Williston, VT died peacefully Dec. 22, 2025 at McClure-Miller Respite House in Colchester, surrounded by his family. Charlie was born in 1927 in Kearny, NJ, the eighth of twelve children born to James and Catherine Reagan. He grew up in Harrison, NJ and attended St Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, NJ where he lettered in baseball, basketball and football, graduating in 1945. He continued his education at The College of the Holy Cross in
CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION STATE OF VERMONT, CHITTENDEN COUNTY In the General Court of Justice District Court Division In and for Mitchell County, North Carolina 25 CV 001237-600 EMMALINE JACKSON STIER v. LEWIS NEIL STIER To: LEWIS NEIL STIER, Defendant Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the aboveentitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: ABSOLUTE DIVORCE.
You are required to make defense to such pleading no later than January 27, 2026, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This the 11th day of December, 2025. Michael Puterbaugh Attorney for Plaintiff NC Bar No. 60519 Pisgah Legal Services P.O. Box 2276 Asheville, NC 28802
LEGAL
Attention Town of St. George Property Owners The Town of St. George, Vermont, has started the Townwide Reappraisal Process for the 2026 Grand List. All properties in St. George will be visited by spring 2026 for assessment purposes. If you would like an appointment, please email the Assessor at assessor@stgeorgevt.com. Additional information is available at www.stgeorgevt.com/reappraisal.
As the Mt. Norris Scout Reservation in Eden, Vermont prepares for our 77th summer, we are assembling our
2026 Summer Staff and currently have several openings.
Summer Camp Job Fair January 7th - 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Williston National Guard Armory, 7856 Williston Road, Hosted by Troop 692
Recruiting Camp Staff (Ages 16-21), and Counselor-in Training (Age 15) positions. Meet Camp Director Randy Gates, questions answered; job descriptions and salary range available. Randy Gates, Camp Director | 802-373-3340
OBITUARIES
Worchester, MA, which was interrupted in November 1945 when he was drafted into the Army to serve in World War II. He completed his basic training at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. He was then stationed in Butzbach, Germany where he inventoried and scheduled large equipment repair and return to the U.S. of tanks, trucks and jeeps. After his discharge in 1947, he returned to Holy Cross on the GI Bill and graduated in 1951. He was an athlete well into his adult life, playing softball, bowling and golf. His final recorded swing was at age 96 at the driving range. He was a devoted fan of the NY Giants, Boston Red Sox, and the UCONN Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams. But without a doubt, his favorite fan experience was rooting for his children and grandchildren during their sporting events. Charlie met Cathy Cole, and after a three-month courtship, they just knew, and married in May 1965 in Burlington, CT. Charlie began a long and illustrious 37-year career with Allstate Insurance Co. beginning in New Jersey in 1952. He was one of the original people to begin operation of the New England Regional Office in Farmington, CT working many of his 37 years in the Underwriting Department. He was later instrumental in laying the groundwork and the installation of the Independent Agency Program. Toward his final years with Allstate, he and his family moved to Vermont where he was called upon to manage
Patricia O. Read Patricia O. Read (née Patricia Anne O’Neill), age 94, of Shelburne, VT died peacefully Dec. 17. Pat was born March 5, 1931 in Niagara Falls, NY, to Francis and Mary (Whalen) O’Neill. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be a schoolteacher, but her parents had other ideas, and she was placed on the business track in high school, where she learned secretarial skills including shorthand
the Independent Agency Force for the Northeast Region. Charlie and Cathy spent many summers camping with their daughters up and down the east coast and into Canada. In 1989, after Charlie’s retirement from Allstate, he and Cathy moved back to CT where they were surrounded by family and many friends. They enjoyed bowling, golfing and dancing and traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Charlie volunteered on the Town Insurance Commission, church parish council, as a catechism teacher, and delivering food to those in need. In 2014 Charlie and Cathy moved back to Vermont to be closer to their three daughters and their families. They attended many of their grandchildren’s sporting events, plays and concerts. They made many new friends in Williston and thoroughly enjoyed living so close to the entire family. He took great pride in teaching most of our family how to play cribbage which quickly became a weekly game night. Charlie was genuinely kind and taught his girls and grandchildren about integrity, the value of hard work and family values through his example. Charlie is deeply loved by family and the void his loss creates will be felt always. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 60 years, Cathy, his three daughters and their children, Amy Rodjenski, Raegan, Robyn and Charlie Rodjenski, Holly Thweatt (Brian), Kyle and Jenna (Allie) Thweatt, and Lynn
Reagan (Kathleen Ray), Madison, Katelyn and Amber Reagan; brother Laurance Reagan (Joan), sister Violetta (“Letty”) French and sister-in-law Carole Reagan (Robert), as well as many cherished nieces, nephews and their children. Charlie was predeceased by his parents James and Catherine Reagan, brothers James (Marie), Thomas (Sonia), John and Robert, sisters Catherine, Claire, Eileen, Mary (Thomas) Price, and Eleanor (James) McGarril; brother-in-law Thomas French; his parents-in-law Robert and Myrtle Cole, sisters-inlaw Marilyn (Michael) Kaminsky, and Patricia (Arnold) Blad. As well as his close friend Ed Thompson. Our family would like to give special thanks to the University of Vermont Home Health and Hospice, and especially the McClure-Miller Respite House, for all of the attentive and gentle care Charlie received in his last days, including Jim, his home hospice nurse and Julie our home hospice social worker. Calling hours will be held at the Ready Funeral Home Mountain View Chapel 68 Pinecrest Rd., Essex Junction on Sunday, Jan.4, from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. A Mass of Chrisitian Burial will be celebrated at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 74 Williston Road Williston, Jan. 5 at 11 a.m. Burial will take place at Riverbank Cemetery in Stowe, VT at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations to McClure-Miller Respite House, 3113 Roosevelt Highway, Colchester, VT 05446
and typing. After graduating from high school in 1948, she worked for seven years as an administrative assistant for the general manager of the Nabisco Shredded Wheat plant in Niagara Falls. It was there that she met the manager’s son, John Charles (“Charlie”) Read. Pat and Charlie were married in 1955, and together they spent a year in Toledo, Ohio, followed by a year in Houston, Texas, before returning with their growing family to Western New York. Pat enjoyed drawing and painting, and often took her kids to art museums when they were growing up. She had tremendous empathy for others, and while busy raising her own five children, she took in several foster babies awaiting adoption. After her kids were grown, Pat worked as a receptionist at a doctor’s office, and took courses at the local community college. In 2001,
she relocated with her husband to Williston, and before her health declined in later years, she kept busy with activities at the Essex Junction Senior Center and volunteering at the local public library. Throughout her long life she loved to keep in touch with family and friends with letters, and later, through email. Pat is survived by her children Mary Catherine, Robert, Philip, Helen, and Jim; and by four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Charlie, in 2025; and by her brother Edward and her sister Mildred. The family would like to thank Bayada Hospice and the caregivers of The Arbors at Shelburne for taking such good care of Pat in her final days. While Pat was only at The Arbors for a short time, she loved it there.
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December 30, 2025 • Williston Observer •
Page 15
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RABIES saliva. If left BAIT untreated, rabiesSince is almost Experience 1977 alcontinued from page 2 ways fatal in humans and animals. However, Tom Tavares treatment with the rabies vaccine nearly South Burlington,isVT week-long drop is asoon coopera802-864-9082 100The percent effectivebait when given after tavares.tom56@gmail.com effortis between and the U.S. ative person bitten byVermont a rabid animal. Department Agriculture Wildlife Services So far thisofyear, 23 animals in Vermont to stop the positive spread offortherabies, potentially have tested and 14fatal of BARBERSHOP disease. those have been raccoons. ☛ MIKE’S CLASSIC BARBERSHOP LLC Rabies is a to deadly viralofficials, disease of the According wildlife rabid brain that infects mammals. It is animals often show a change inmost theiroften norseenbehavior, in raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, mal but you cannot telland whether butanimal unvaccinated petssimply and livestock can also an has rabies by looking at BY APPOINTMENT ONLY getPeople rabies.should The is spread through the it. not touch or pick up wild MON/WED/THURS/FRI: 8AM -virus 6PM SAT: 8AM 1PM bite of anorinfected or contact with its animals strays –animal even baby animals.
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Page 16 •
Williston Observer •
December 30, 2025
k n y a o h u ! T To our… readers advertisers contributors writers photographer printers post office and mail deliverers,
We at the Williston Observer are grateful for the support you’ve shown your local paper. We look forward to reporting the news of Williston and celebrating our community in the year ahead. Williston
Serving our community since 1985