The Citizen - 02-24-22

The black crows

‘It is what it is’

Communal roosts protect winter flocks

Yvan Plouffe, friend to everybody, dies

Page 10

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February 24, 2022

The Hinesburg selectboard last week voted to postpone the town’s ambulance service, after recommendations from fire department Chief Nicholas Baker due to a lack of staff within the department.

Baker, in a memo to the selectboard, said that the “unfortunate reality” is that the town does not have enough staff to support a 24/7 ambulance service, and that proceeding with the round-theclock service would no longer be feasible given the low staffing levels.

“We have stayed optimistic throughout this process that we would be able to maintain adequate coverage between our full-time staff and call staff, while gaining new members along the way,” Baker said, “but my concern and realization is it will

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Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg

Hinesburg postpones ambulance service, citing lack of staff COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

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be unfair to our membership, our citizens and our mutual aid partners for us to continue this venture at this time.”

The town has been working to establish its own ambulance service for some time. It previously contracted with Saint Michael’s Fire and Rescue in Colchester, but they notified the town last year that they would be unable to continue to offer service in Hinesburg.

Baker, who has led the town’s fire department as chief for eight months, spearheaded the initiative to launch the service and had originally set a July 1, 2021, target date. That was later pushed to July 1 this year.

The town later contracted with Richmond Rescue to provide EMS services for the town beginning Oct. 1 on an interim basis while the town worked toward See AMBULANCE on page 11

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House honors Tuskeegee airman, WWII vet

PHOTO BY REP. MIKE YANTACHKA

Lt. Col. Enoch Woodhouse II, retired, visited the Vermont Statehouse Thursday, Feb 10. He was introduced to the House in assembly by Rep. Bill Canfield, R-Fair Haven, and got a standing ovation. He visited the Vermont General Assembly as part of his visit to Norwich University to speak to the cadets. Woodhouse, an attorney, is also a World War II veteran and a Tuskegee airman. Woodhouse is pictured with legislative pages, from left, Abe Dunne (Hartland), Grady Hagenbuch (Waterbury), Mia Dolan (Barre), Camden Buckley (Montpelier), Ameila Barley (South Burlington), Cecilia Marino (Williston) and Emma Shaffer (Morrisville).

What you need to know about Town Meeting Day AVALON STYLES-ASHLEY STAFF WRITER

After the dregs of frigid February days, as the sugaring season hits its stride, comes one of Vermont’s oldest civic traditions: Town Meeting Day. Here’s what voters in Hinesburg and Charlotte should know:

Voting in Hinesburg For those casting ballots in person, the first-floor conference room at town hall will be open on Town Meeting Day, March 1, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If voting early, absentee

ballots may be returned by snail mail to Hinesburg Town Hall, by using the drop-box outside the main entrance, or by dropoff inside. Absentee ballots can still be requested from the clerk’s office up until the day before Town Meeting Day but town clerk Melissa Ross is encouraging folks to request one by Friday.

For more information, call the clerk’s office at 802-482-2281.

Residents voting in person are required to wear a face mask at the polls.

As for ballot items, voters will be asked to approve articles, including a general town

budget of almost $1.7 million, a highway department budget of almost $729,000, a police department budget of $815,000, a fire department budget of $426,000, an ambulance budget of almost $40,000 and the Carpenter-Carse Library budget of $235,000, Voters will be asked to OK $51,000 for nonprofit organizations the town supports financially, including Hinesburg Community Resource Center ($23,000), Lake Iroquois Association ($7,500), University of Vermont Home Care and Hospice ($7,000), Agency on Aging ($4,000) and Lake Iroquois Recreation District

($3,000).

In elections this year, every race is unopposed. Incumbent selectboard members Michael Loner and Phil Pouech are both running for reelection, Loner for the three-year term, and Pouech for a two-year term.

Three candidates are running for library trustee positions, Brian Dunlop, Marianna Holzer and James Jarvis.

Keith Roberts is running for reelection to the Champlain Valley School District board, Frank Twarog is running for town moderator, Tom Giroux for cemetery trustee and Heather Roberts

for Peck Estate trustee, all unopposed.

Voting in Charlotte In Charlotte, in-person voting will take place at Charlotte Town Hall on March 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Masks will be required for those who are unvaccinated.

Absentee ballots can be requested from the clerk’s office up until 4 p.m. the day before Town Meeting Day and are due back by the close of polls March 1, via snail mail, drop off at town hall or in the outside drop-box.

See TOWN MEETING DAY on page 3

Page 2 • February 24, 2022 • The Citizen

DRB chair resigns

Green Up Day winners

After a controversial week, said not a good fit CHEA WATERS EVANS CHARLOTTE BRIDGE

Not quite two months into his tenure as chair of the newly formed Charlotte Development Review Board, Lane Morrison has resigned.

In an email to the selectboard, Morrison wrote, “Effective immediately I am resigning from the development review board. The reconfiguration to the development review board process from the zoning board of adjustment and the planning commission adds an extraordinary amount of work based on judging the current applications. I felt fully supported by the office staff but realize this assignment is not a good fit for me.

Thank you for your confidence in selecting me to serve as a volunteer.”

Though it’s only met a handful of times, the development review board hasn’t been without its struggles, though Morrison did not cite them as a reason for his departure. During the Feb. 9 meeting, the board deliberated on the Donovan-O’Donnell application for a development on the corner of Greenbush Road and Lake Road.

The purpose of the deliberation was to reconsider requirements for application approval that had been previously set by the zoning board.

Prior to the meeting, Morrison telephoned fellow development review board member Christina Asquith and asked her to recuse

herself from the deliberations based on a public letter she had written as a private citizen prior to her appointment to the board.

In it, she voiced her opposition to the Donovan-O’Donnell development.

Asquith told The Charlotte Bridge that Morrison said he felt that her pre-stated opinion on the project would prevent her from fulfilling her role as an impartial judge in the matter.

“I tried to share my points of view on that phone call,” she said.

“He brushed them aside.”

Asquith said her opinions as a concerned citizen didn’t necessarily preclude her from fairly considering the matter as a member of the development review board, and that she wasn’t given the opportunity to disclose a potential conflict and then explain why she could still be impartial — a process that is clearly laid out in the development review board’s rules of procedure and conflict of interest policy.

Asquith recused herself from the matter via an email to the development review board, saying she was doing so “under pressure from Lane.”

Morrison said, “the development review board followed all local and state regulations without exception. There was extensive process review by staff and attorneys prior to the start of the last several development review board meetings.”

COURTESY PHOTO

Marina Hallisey, a seventh grader at Shelburne Community School, won Armand Poulin Memorial Green Up Day Poster Art Contest for 2022. Her artwork will be used to market the annual Green Up Day in Vermont, where volunteers take to the state’s roadways and pick up litter and trash of others. The kindergarten through grade 4 winner was JoJo Seagraves, grade three-four from Underhill Central School. The fifth through eighth grade winner was Canute Hoehn, grade 8, from Shelburne Community School. The high school winner was Shterna Gordon, grade 11, from Burr & Burton Academy.

Based on information provided to town attorney David Rugh by selectboard chair Jim Faulkner, Rugh recommended to Faulkner and town administrator Dean

Bloch that Asquith recuse herself.

Asquith said she had not been given access to the town attorney regarding this matter.

After the Feb. 9 meeting, plan-

Winter Open House Sunday, March 6th 2pm Vermont Commons School GRADES 6-12 | VERMONTCOMMONS.ORG

ning commission member Kyra Wegman expressed concern about the development review board’s 4-0 vote that evening granting a reconsideration of conditions set forth by the planning commission last fall during their last deliberation on the Donovan-O’Donnell matter.

“Ideally, this meeting could have been a joint effort between the entire planning commission and the development review board so that we could have discussed the choices and considerations the planning commission took in crafting the Donovan conditions,” she wrote. “Instead, I and Bill Stuono sat there listening, given no opportunity to speak on behalf of our work or to correct the record, while the development review board disparaged or dismissed an extremely detailed document as mistaken or incomplete; or claimed wrongly that our conclusions had ‘no findings’; or that we were operating outside our purview. In fact, our choices were not taken lightly, and were made over a collective five hours of meetings.”

As reported in The Citizen last fall, the planning commission approved the preliminary application from Patricia O’Donnell and See MORRISON on page 3

The Citizen • February 24, 2022 • Page 3

Stop by after voting Tuesday, food shelf organizers say RUTH HAGERMAN SHELBURNE FOOD SHELF

After you vote on March 1, come visit the Shelburne Food Shelf to see what we’ve been up to. We are located in the activity room across from the gymnasium.

In 2021, we expanded permanent shelving in the activity room to allow better service to our food-insecure neighbors, with increased space and changes in layout allowing for an improved shopping experience. For example, we added a glass-front refrigerator for cold items and enlarged our produce display.

This expansion also allowed us to dedicate the old shopping space to storage and to increase frozen storage with a second freezer. These changes allow the purchase of more food in bulk at lower cost.

The food shelf’s efforts depend heavily

on the support of the Shelburne community.

Stop by and talk to us to find out how you can help.

We need volunteers. Tasks include shopping at local grocers, helping to stock shelves, helping shoppers at specific times, and delivering pre-packed orders to shoppers who are unable to get to the food shelf.

Donations of food are always appreciated. Green bins for food donations will be placed near the stanchions as you enter the gym on Town Meeting Day. If you would like to donate food, we encourage you to review our list of current needs at: shelburnefoodshelf.org/current-needs.html Financial donations help us to purchase bulk items from the Vermont Food Bank and can be made via check to: Shelburne Food Shelf, PO Box 763, Shelburne or through our PayPal link at shelburnefoodshelf.org.

MORRISON

continued from page 2 Jim Donovan for their Lake Road subdivision, with one major condition — how much of the land should be kept open and where. Wegman voted no.

The property is an open landscape of pasture, forest and wetlands surrounding Holmes Brook.

The project proposes nine lots for the 124-acre parcel, with seven homesites on lots of an acre or less and an eighth lot on 44 acres of agricultural land with a building site for a farmstead (house, barn, other farm structures) to accommodate a farmer-in-residence. The owners propose that the rest of the property would be used for farming or remain pasture.

Lewack said much of the opposition to the project stems from residents’ worry that the land could be subdivided in the future. The planning commission’s approval is contingent upon it being permanently preserved as open land.

O’Donnell and Donovan’s preliminary plan keeps 74 acres as open land but planning officials want the majority of the

44-acre lot, which many regard as iconic Charlotte farmland, to be forever protected from being subdivided and to be kept open.

Asquith said she would have been the lone dissenting vote in the Donovan-O’Donnell matter at the development review board meeting last week, and that she thought Morrison did not want her voice at the table.

“I felt very much that his intent was to have me not be part of this discussion,” she said.

The selectboard now must choose a replacement member. Charles Russell is currently vice chair.

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Editor’s note: Christina Asquith was a founding member of The Charlotte Bridge and former editorial advisor and board member, though she resigned when she joined the development review board. Kyra Wegman is the spouse of Jesse Wegman, who is a founding member of The Charlotte Bridge and a current editorial advisor. The Bridge’s proofreader/copy editor, Damaris Herlihy, is married to development review board member JD Herlihy.

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TOWN MEETING DAY continued from page 1

For more information, call the clerk’s office at 802-425-3071.

The Charlotte public information meeting ahead of Town Meeting Day will take place Feb. 26 at 9 a.m.

In the selectboard race, incumbent Louise McCarren is seeking another two-year term and current board chair Jim Faulkner is running for the three-year seat.

Among the articles on the Charlotte ballot, voters are asked to approve a town budget of $2.6 million, an allocation of $890,000 for the Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue, $283,000 for the Charlotte Library and $50,000 for a feasibility study to build a community center.

Selectboard member Matt Krasnow is

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running unopposed for one of three trustee of public funds positions to fill the last year of a vacant three-year term, while he serves the last year of his selectboard term.

Hugh “Junior” Lewis, who has been road commissioner for 23 years, is running again this year for reelection to the one-year term.

Janice Heilmann is running for a fiveyear term on the Charlotte Library board of trustees.

Also running unopposed for reelection are Mary Mead for a one-year term as delinquent tax collector, Charlie Russell for a one-year term as town moderator and Richard E. Mintzer for a three-year term as auditor.

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Page 4 • February 24, 2022 • The Citizen

CRIME & COURTS Hinesburg Police Blotter Feb. 7 at 6:30 a.m., a car slid off Charlotte Road, but didn’t cause any injury.

Feb. 7 at 4:18 p.m., police officers picked up and disposed of drug paraphernalia scattered off the side of Route 116.

Feb. 7 at 5:47 p.m., officers directed traffic while a broken-down car was moved out of Silver Street.

Feb. 8 at 8:22 a.m., some bovine beauties were caught hanging out in the middle of Hollow Road, but the herd had moved on by the time officers arrived.

Feb. 8 at 1:34 p.m., officers mediated a dispute between citizens on Richmond Road.

Feb. 8 at 7:22 a.m., someone at Hillview Terrace accidentally dialed 911.

Feb. 8 at 11:48 p.m., officers assisted with a possible mental health call at Hillview Terrace.

Feb. 9 at 12:04 p.m., officers worked on an active fraud investigation on Jourdan

Street.

Feb. 9 at 11:39 p.m., an officer assisted Champlain Valley Union High School with a student issue.

Feb. 9 at noon, someone reported a car driving erratically, but officers couldn’t locate it.

Feb. 9 at 2:59 p.m., two cars crashed on Route 116, causing possible injuries to occupants.

Feb. 9 at 3:09 p.m., police assisted with a landlord tenant issue on Route 116.

Feb. 9 at 4:55 p.m., some items were stolen from a vehicle on Route 116.

Feb. 9 at 5:52 p.m., police checked on the well-being of a resident on Silver Street, and all was well.

Feb. 9 at 6:04 p.m., someone reported a car broken-down in Hollow Road, but it had chugged along and was gone by the time police checked the area.

Feb. 10 at 7:44 a.m., a false alarm

tripped on CVU Road.

Feb 10 at 8:15 a.m., police worked on an active retail theft investigation at the Kinney Drugs on Route 116.

Feb 10 at 12:57 p.m., police assisted Hinesburg Community School with a student.

Feb. 10 at 5:35 p.m., officers mediated a domestic dispute at Hillview Terrace.

Feb. 10 at 9:37 p.m., a car crashed on Silver Street, but no one was harmed.

Feb. 11 at 10:25 a.m., police found the driver of a car that had dropped some scrap metal while driving on Route 116 and made sure the forgotten detritus was cleaned up.

Feb 11 at 2:51 p.m., an officer unlocked someone’s car for them, after their keys were locked inside, on Route 116.

Feb. 12 at 3:44 p.m., again on Route 116, an officer unlocked someone else’s car for them.

Feb. 12 at 4:20 p.m., some resi-

dents on Baldwin Road complained that cars were driving wildly in the area, so officers patrolled around.

Feb. 12 at 7:40 p.m., a resident reported a suspicious person around the Jourdan Street neighborhood, but officers checked and didn’t find anything.

Feb. 14, happy day to all celebrating Saint Valentine, patron saint of epilepsy and beekeepers.

Feb. 14 at 10:47 p.m., police worked on an active investigation into some phone harassment on Route 116.

Feb. 15 at 1:51 p.m., police conducted traffic control until some fallen power lines were moved out of the road on Route 116.

Feb. 15 at 12:16 p.m., an officer unlocked another vehicle for someone on Route 116.

Feb. 15 at 4 p.m., police mediated a domestic dispute at Hillview Terrace.

Feb. 15 at 6:35 p.m., an officer delivered a message to someone on Farmall Drive on behalf of an out-of-town

agency.

Feb. 15 at 7:55 p.m., police mediated a domestic dispute on Richmond Road.

Feb. 16 at 2:09 p.m., officers assisted with a juvenile issue at Village Heights.

Feb. 16 at 11:10 p.m., Hinesburg officers secured the scene at a rescue call for an injured man in neighboring Starksboro on behalf of state police, who were unable to respond.

Feb. 17 at 10:45 a.m., someone on Route 116 was nervous their home had been burglarized after finding suspicious items around, but no more proof was found.

Feb. 17 at 3:55 p.m., a report of a dog in the middle of Silver Street was handled by the owner.

Feb. 17 at 8:07 p.m., Hinesburg police delivered a message to someone on Hollow Road on behalf of an out-of-town law enforcement agency.

Note: The incidents above are not a full recount of police activity, rather a highlight of some of the events that occurred.

The Citizen Serving the community of Charlotte & Hinesburg A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC thecitizenvt.com Advertising Wendy Ewing wendy@shelburnenews.com (802) 985-3091 x12 Advertising Director Judy Kearns judy@otherpapersbvt.com (802) 864-6670 x21 News Editor Tommy Gardner Staff Writers Avalon Styles-Ashley Aaron Calvin Corey McDonald Production Manager Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com Publisher Gregory Popa gpopa@stowereporter.com

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The Citizen is published weekly and mailed free to residents and businesses in Charlotte and Hinesburg and rack distributed at select high traffic locations. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC assumes no responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements and reserves the right to refuse advertising and editorial copy.

The Citizen • February 24, 2022 • Page 5

OPINION Schools must make schools safer for all students Guest Perspective Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network Schools shape everything in society, so there is no doubt that education is the key to societal change. However, schools are so cemented in systems, traditions and bureaucracy which makes that change an incredibly slow and painful process.

Schools should be places where all students can flourish, and where everybody has equal opportunity and access to resources. Across Vermont, and across the nation, we are seeing how we haven’t yet reached that reality. Here are just a few stories from Vermont schools that emphasize the climate of injustice and racial inequity that exists.

A Black Lives Matter flier, hung by Stowe High School’s Racial Equity Alliance, was recently vandalized. The word “Black” was folded over, replaced with a sticky note that read “All,” making the flier read “All Lives Matter,” a common and dehumanizing slogan used to undermine Black empowerment movements.

After the flier was fixed, it was vandalized a second time within the same week.

The “Black” was completely torn off, leaving the sign to read “Lives Matter.”

Following the vandalism, hate spread on social media, applauding the act of vandalism and perpetuating the ideology of “All Lives Matter.”

The act of harm against the Black Lives Matter flier symbolized something larger for many students, especially those a part of the Racial Equity Alliance who hung the sign.

It showed that ignorance and hate still thrive in school communities, and students of color are continuously made to feel unsafe.

As a result, the Stowe Racial Equity Alliance had to move the bulletin board to a location with cameras and temporarily take down the fliers until the board could be rehung.

The response to these acts of vandalism included a school-wide assembly and discussions about dehumanizing language and racism in schools. This activity brought to light expressions of ignorance already stewing among students, and it also showed the school’s lack of experience when it comes to crisis management for acts of racially motivated vandalism.

Because of the school’s high white population, many students can ignore racial

Letters to the Editor Please vote to support Charlotte Library To the Editor: For more than 30 years, the Charlotte Library has helped to engage, inspire, educate and entertain the community with its collection of books, publications, activities and programs as well as through broad community outreach. The past two years have been difficult for everyone.

Fortunately, the Charlotte Library has remained committed to ensuring continued access to all its offerings while prioritizing the health and safety of patrons and staff. The librarians have found new and creative ways to provide materials and programs “to go” through porch pickup and extensive online offerings. The public’s growing demand for these new offerings reflects increased need and responsiveness during these challenging times.

We are reminding our wonderful community to vote on Town Meeting Day, March 1.

Article 5 is a line item pertaining to the Charlotte Library budget. For the first time ever, this will be a separate line item requiring a vote apart from your town budget vote. So, it is very important that all our supporters use their voice and vote.

We emphasize that there are no new items in the library budget for 2022-2023. The budget increase reflects the new salaries approved by the selectboard.

Despite doubling the size of the library

during the recent renovation, the operating budget — all line items except salaries — remains unchanged. This is largely due to the installation of energy-saving heat pumps and retrofits to increase energy efficiency during the renovation. Additionally, state and federal grants, volunteers of all ages and fundraising events have helped to defray operating costs. Also, as promised, no new employees were hired to staff the larger building.

The Charlotte Selectboard initiated an overdue survey of the salaries of all town employees. The survey recommended an increase in the salaries of all long-term town personnel, including library staff.

The independent evaluators also found the library staff “exceptional” in all five of the study’s performance criteria.

In the absence of town meeting, it is crucial that as many citizens as possible get out and vote. If you have any questions or concerns about your library, contact a board member directly, and thank you for the ongoing encouragement and support.

AnneMarie Andriola (annemarieandriola@gmail.com) Katharine Cohen (katharinecohen@hotmail.com) Nan Mason (amason@uvm.edu) Jonathan Silverman (jsilverman@smcvt.edu) Robert Smith (rmsmith1971@hotmail.com) Charlotte Library board of trustees

inequity and ignorance at their leisure. This has the power to form a dangerous environment that feeds into and supports harmful racial rhetoric, such as the vandalism the alliance was targeted with.

While there has been outpouring support for the racial alliance by many students, there is a systemic issue of ignorance present at the high school that can only be addressed through systemic educational practices that reinforce and highlight perspectives of color.

In the past month, the boys’ bathroom at Milton high school was vandalized with hate speech. These messages ranged from homophobic and racist slurs to a chart comparing and objectifying female body parts. This event has reverberated throughout the high school’s community and left many feeling angry and discouraged — but

not surprised.

Most students interviewed contend that acts of hate have been prevalent throughout the school year: slurs float throughout the hallways, confederate flag sweatshirts proudly paraded from classroom to classroom, and toxic masculinity as rampant as it’s ever been. You might be wondering, what was the punishment?

At this point in time, administrative action against individual students has not been publicized. Nevertheless, teachers and faculty have created restorative spaces for conversations and questions surrounding the incident.

Even after engaging in restorative circles many students still seek closure.

When asked if they thought the school See SCHOOLS on page 6

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Page 6 • February 24, 2022 • The Citizen

Good trouble: Vermont must ‘stop racist indoctrination’ Guest Perspective Deborah Bucknam In 1857, Justice Taney, in the notorious Dred Scott case, opined that Black Americans were “considered as a subordinate and inferior class of beings, who had been subjugated by the dominant race.”

In 2021, Vermont’s state employees, in mandated trainings as part of statewide indoctrination, were told the following: “White supremacist ideology really infiltrates in every nook and cranny of our society … The ideology of white supremacy … is the belief system that rationalizes, reproduces, and normalizes white racial advantage … There’s a definite sense of subjugation … whether or not it’s in the fabric of a workplace, or a government institution.”

This message was intended to shame and denigrate white Vermonters. It did the opposite. It was based on the same belief as Taney’s: that Black Americans are incapable of taking on the full rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and of living successful

lives, because of subjugation by the all-powerful white race.

It is a monstrous, barbaric belief, based on the endemic racism of the progressive left.

This message permeated the entire trainings. In the 15 hours of training, the only Black Americans the trainer exemplified were Black Americans who were “murdered” in encounters with police. No mention was made of Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Thurgood Marshall, President Barack Obama, secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, Black intellectuals like Dr. Thomas Sowell, Dr. Glenn Loury, Dr. John McWhorter or U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary and pediatric brain surgeon Dr. Ben Carson, or any of the tens of millions of Black Americans whose intelligence, talent, courage, compassion and perseverance have enriched our nation.

According to the trainer, Blacks who dissent from the progressive orthodoxy that they are powerless victims of white supremacy are guilty of internalized racism. The

trainer also made clear that, according to her, Black Americans are exceedingly fragile.

White Americans must, according to the trainer, refrain from remarks she termed micro- aggressions, which, according to her, include compliments. Whites need to monitor their speech when speaking with Black Americans, like adults do with small children.

The trainer also did not mention Martin Luther King Jr. Instead, she said that King’s dream that his children would be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character was “racist,” saying that “colorblindness perpetuates and keeps cycling racism into our lives.”

Worse, the trainings emphasized that for Blacks, hard work and perseverance are futile, that “pulling up by the bootstraps” and stable marriages are white supremacist, and that advice to maintain a healthy weight is a form of “eugenics” imposed by the medical profession. Taney and other white supremacists would approve.

These 2021 trainings are not the only indoctrination imposed on Vermont state employees. Similar trainings and messaging constantly permeate throughout state government. Our children are also hearing comparable racist messages in our public schools.

Just as disturbing as the racism delivered during the trainings is the violation of employees’ First Amendment rights. Dr. David Moshman, an expert in the nature and

development of human reasoning and rationality, after reviewing the transcript of the trainings, said that they constituted classic indoctrination.

“The training is curricular indoctrination in that much of it is highly ideological and cannot be justified academically,” he said.

“The training is also instructional indoctrination in that the manner of presentation suppresses critical discussion and dissent.”

State employees have been informed that they must accept this racist doctrine, or risk adverse employment actions. Such requirements violate employees’ First Amendment rights.

As the U.S. Supreme Court has said, “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.”

It is time for Vermonters to stop this racist indoctrination. It will take courage and perseverance, including voting, running for office and petitioning elected representatives.

But we can gain inspiration from our Black compatriots, who have endured far worse, making good trouble to achieve their rightful place in American society.

Lawyer Deborah Bucknam of Walden is treasurer of the Vermont Republican Party.

SCHOOLS

continued from page 5 handled the incident appropriately, opinions were split. One student argued on behalf of the school administration, claiming that even though past incidents were not dealt with accordingly, this time around school administrators are working to do better.

In contrast, another called school officials “hypocrites that only care when it suits their public image.”

This notion that school administrators cherry-pick which events to handle and which ones to let slide anger many community members, especially those who the oppressive language directly harms.

Although there is no justification for white supremacist behavior, there are reasons why it was able to escalate. Everyone interviewed at the school agreed that the culture among the student body is a principal factor why racist, homophobic and sexist rhetoric prevails. One student claimed that there are three realms of thought that fuel the culture: the overt perpetrators that support oppressive behavior, those who actively work to disrupt systematic oppression, and the ambiguous majority in between.

This spectrum is not secluded to the vandalism incident in the boys’ bathroom nor is it unique to Milton High School.

Nonetheless, to truly dismantle expressions of hate, widespread acknowledgment of the problem is not enough. Everyone, whether educators or students, needs to be committed to the work.

These incidents are not isolated. The reason we have shared these them together is to show how this is a system that spans counties and towns and high schools.

Vermont is a part of a national system. Just because we have progressive legislation doesn’t mean we are exempt or immune from a problem.

The bottom line is that students of color are still made to feel unsafe at school, and we need change. People who don’t experience this injustice directly have the blissful opportunity to ignore it. We need to face this problem, engage in uncomfortable conversations and work together to change the system.

Here is one way that you can get involved in shaking up the status quo. The Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network is holding a student affinity space. One set of meetings will be a multicultural affinity space where we hold open discussions about racism and social justice. The second set of meetings will be a safe, education-focused space for students involved in racist incidents at their school.

We want to stress that these meetings would be non-judgmental for students with the hope and focus of educating them as to why what they did was harmful.

To learn more, the antiracism network is holding an informational session on Tuesday, March 1, at 5 p.m. The link is bit.ly/34RlAlN. The Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network is comprised of students from about a dozen high schools. This commentary was written by Addie Lentzner of Arlington Memorial High School, Lydia Beaulieu of Milton High School, and Astrid Young of Stowe High School.

The Citizen • February 24, 2022 • Page 7

COMMUNITY Community Notes A community conversation on masks, tests, vaccines The Charlotte Senior Center Wednesday lecture on March 2 is “Masking, Testing, Vaxxing,” a community conversation on COVID-19. Co-sponsored by The Charlotte Library.

The free, in-person lectures start at 1 p.m. Questions? Leave a message at (802) 425-6345 or visit charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

There will also be an evening panel on Tuesday, March 8, 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Library. Both sessions will be offered in person and on Zoom.

Register ahead for Age Well means The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, Feb. 24 is from 11 a.m. to noon, Charlotte Senior Center is Feb. 14, 212 Ferry Road, and features oven-fried chicken breast, red mashed potatoes, Capri vegetables, dinner roll, pumpkin pudding with cream, and milk.

You must have pre-registered

by Monday, Feb. 21, with Lori York, 802-425-6371 or lyork@ charlotteseniorcentervt.org The meal on March 3 — register by Feb. 28 — is beef stroganoff with sour cream, egg noodles, broccoli florets, cauliflower, dinner roll, strawberry shortcake, and milk.

Check the website for last-minute cancellations at charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

The meal on March 10 — register by March 7 — is barbecue chicken breast, O’Brien red potatoes, spinach, wheat bread, pumpkin bar with raisins, and milk.

The meal on March 17 — register by March 14 — is beef round, boiled potatoes, cabbage and carrots in beef stock, dinner roll, leprechaun cake with frosting and milk.

Master gardeners get new program manager Deb Heleba is the new statewide outreach and education program manager for community horticulture programs for University of Vermont Extension.

She will lead the extension master gardener and Vermont master composter programs and support more than 500 volunteers who provide gardening and composting education in their local communities around the state.

Heleba brings in-depth experience in online educational programs for adults, public communications and social media, program evaluation and web management to the program.

She grew up in southern Vermont and has a master’s degree in community development and applied economics from UVM. To learn more about community horticulture programs, visit uvm.edu/extension/mastergardener.

Upcoming blood drives Saturday, March 5, 7:15 a.m.-4 p.m., University Mall, 155 Dorset St., South Burlington.

Tuesday, March 8, noon-5 p.m., St. Catherine of Siena, 72 Church St., Shelburne.

Shelburne church hosts Age Well March meal St. Catherine of Siena, 72 Church St., Shelburne hosts a senior meal Tuesday, March 8, 11 a.m.-noon. There will be no delivery available.

The menu features barbecue chicken breast, O’Brien red potatoes, spinach, wheat bread, pumpkin bar with raisins and milk.

Register by March 3 via email at soberding@yahoo.com or call 802-825-8546 Age Well serves Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties and is the largest Meals on Wheels provider in Vermont.

Learn about water quality in LaPlatte watershed Join Lewis Creek Association and the Hinesburg Conservation Commission for a 45-minute Zoom presentation Monday, March 7, 7 p.m., to learn about water quality in Hinesburg and how it affects the health of Lake Champlain.

What causes streams and the lake’s poor water quality? What can you do as a landowner to help improve water quality? How can we collaborate as landowners and town committee members in the Lake Champlain watershed to take better charge of the lake’s future?

Hear from Robert Hyams of the Hinesburg Conservation Commission about a stream restoration tool and learn more about how beavers benefit water quality, including at Geprags Park in Hinesburg. LCA’s portion of this presentation is brought to you by Tactical Basin Planning funding from the Vermont Department of

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID HOLMES

Cover of David Holmes’s book, an orchard scene with a Holmes family member holding two horses. See note below.

Environmental Conservation.

The meeting link is bit. ly/3rZdX5t. The meeting ID is 837 1441 1561, with a passcode of 641483.

Historical society holds talk on Holmes Farm David Holmes will discuss his new book about the 101-year history of the Holmes farm in Charlotte, “On Being a Vermonter and the Rise and Fall of the Holmes Farm, 1822-1923,” Sunday, March 6, 1-2:30 p.m.

This is the only case study of a Vermont farm during this era. The farm, located just south of the Charlotte covered bridge on Lake Champlain, had a leading-edge apple orchard with apple sales to U.S. cities and Europe. The family also bred, raced and sold Morgan horses.

Building on the experience of the family and the farm, Holmes will ponder what it means to be a Vermonter, then and now. The presentation will also include old pictures from the early 1900s.

For the Zoom meeting log-in go the Chittenden County Historical Society website at cchsvt.org.

Girls on the Run needs coaches Girls on the Run Vermont, a physical activity-based, positive youth development program for students in third through eighth grades, still needs coaches.

The eight-week program incorporates movement to empower participants to develop critical life skills, build confidence, cultivate positive connections with peers, manage emotions and stand up for themselves and others.

Volunteer coaches utilize a curriculum to engage teams of

girls in fun, interactive lessons.

Locations in need of coaches in Chittenden County include Chamberlin School, Charlotte Central School, Edmunds Elementary School, Hinesburg Community School, Orchard School, Rick Marcotte Central School and Shelburne Community School.

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Page 8 • February 24, 2022 • The Citizen

Rice Memorial High School drops mask requirement Rice Memorial High School is the first school in Chittenden County to make masks optional for students and staff, principal Lisa Lorenz said in a Feb. 17 statement.

Masks become optional Monday, Feb. 28.

“After two years of the pandemic, we are excited to take this important first step in our path to normalcy. We feel confident in this decision because the school has over a 90 percent vaccination rate, and we believe that the freedom of not wearing masks is beneficial for students on many levels,” she said.

“All the joys of youth require being close to people. They require seeing faces.

They require expression. Those years cannot be rewound. Those memories of proms, concert festivals, the goofy expressions in math class, the tears at graduation — those are the strongest memories of our lives, and there are no redos. They are more valuable than our years as adults.

Instead of children enjoying these things, and instead of seeing faces, today they

see perpetual symbols of fear covering the lower half of people’s heads,” Lorenz said.

Dr. Alicia Cunningham, a Rice parent and member of the University of Vermont health network, added, “There are many downsides to masks, especially in the realm of education. Masks inhibit clear communication, expression, social interaction, recognition of faces and neurodevelopment. In doing so, rob us of other vital components of health.”

Cunningham allows that some parents might be concerned about potential risk to their children.

“Consider that for unvaccinated children, the risk of dying in a motor vehicle crash is 10 times that of COVID-19.

For vaccinated children, a recent study from the United Kingdom showed zero COVID-19 deaths. For vaccinated adults over 65, the risk of dying from a heart attack is 14 times that of COVID-19,” she said, pointing out that as more children are vaccinated, risk for severe illness drops even lower.

“There will always be uncertainty and risk in everything we do in our daily lives,” Cunningham said, noting that COVID-19 now fits squarely into the realm of risks taken daily.

Lorenz said that “the positive impacts of allowing students and staff to show their

faces and to live their lives free of fear and anxiety far outweigh the perceived benefit of continuing to wear a mask. We recognize that this is a process and, in every matter where there are different opinions, we encourage an environment of mutual respect.”

News from Carpenter-Carse Library To register, reserve books or for more information, contact Meg Malone at meg@ carpentercarse.org. Masks required indoors.

Zoom trivia Thursday, March 24, 7-8 p.m.

Enjoy three rounds of trivia on an array of topics and take advantage of a chance to impress your neighbors with your knowledge.. Prize for the winning individual or team.

‘The Blackbird Season’ Wednesday, March 9, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

This month’s mystery is “The Blackbird Season” by Kate Moretti. Contact library for Zoom link.

Writing workshop Wednesday, March 9, 7-8:30 p.m.

Interested in flexing your writing muscles a bit? Come to a workshop organized by Carpenter-Carse Library and led by Geoffrey Gevalt, writer, editor and founder of the Young Writers Project. Contact library for Zoom link.

‘The Woman Who Smashed Codes’ Tuesday, March 29, 7-8 p.m.

Jason Fagone’s “The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies,” a biography of Elizabeth Smith Friedman. Contact library for Zoom link.

News from Charlotte Library All programs will take place via Zoom unless noted until further notice. Links can be found on the library website.

115 Ferry Road, Charlotte. 802-4253864. Register at charlottepubliclibrary.org or info@charlottepubliclibrary.org.

way to manage risks related to coronavirus.

Presented by Jim Hyde, professor of public health (emeritus) and Rev. Kevin Goldenbogen, senior pastor of Charlotte Congregational Church. Offered in-person and on Zoom. Register at 425-6345

Regeneration book discussion

Short story selections

Monday, Feb. 28 and Tuesdays, March 1, 8, 15 and 22, 7-8 p.m.

Sustainable Charlotte and the library host a discussion of Paul Hawken’s “Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation.”

Thursdays, March 3, 17 and 31, 1-2 p.m.

Join library director Margaret Woodruff for a three-part discussion series, featuring short stories old and new. Join the discussion at bit.ly/3HFIuuo.

Short story selections Thursday, March 3, 17 and 31, 1-2 p.m.

Join director Margaret Woodruff for a three-part discussion series, featuring short stories old and new. The reading list will include a variety of authors, and one or two stories will be featured each session. Join at bit.ly/3HFIuuo.

Kids’ snowshoe at the park Sunday, Feb. 27, 10 a.m.-noon Bill Fraser-Harris from Charlotte Recreation leads a snowshoe trek for all ages, looking for signs of wildlife in winter. Bring your own snowshoes or borrow children’s snowshoes on site. Register at bit.ly/34UajRw.

Masking, testing, vaxxing Wednesday, March 2, 1-2 p.m., and Tuesday, March 8, 7-8 p.m.

A community COVID-19 conversation about vaccines, tests and masks as the best

Recycling right Saturday, March 12, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Join Chittenden Solid Waste District staff for a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to your household recycling after it leaves your house — and find out why it’s so important to recycle right

Media literacy take 2 Thursday, March 17, 7-8 p.m.

Disinformation, declining trust in established news organizations and increasing popularity of conspiracy theorists. Join the conversation with Adam Davidson, Chea Waters-Evans, and Jesse Wegman. Register in advance.

Re-use workshop Saturday, March 19, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Do you have a favorite T-shirt stuffed in your dresser that you never wear but you just can’t part with? Give it a new life by turning it into a T-shirt bag.

The Citizen • February 24, 2022 • Page 9

SPORTS CVU downhillers capture state titles LAUREN REED CORRESPONDENT

Boys’ basketball Champlain Valley 50, Burlington 40: After trailing in the first quarter, the boys clamped down on defense and defeated Burlington 50-40 on Feb. 21 Alex Provost had 13 points to pace the Redhawks (14-3), while Patrick Ricca added 10.

Ethan Murphy chipped in nine for CVU. It was a rebound for CVU, which lost to Rice 65-50 on Saturday, Feb. 19.

Ethan Murphy and Kyle Eaton each had nine points for the Redhawks in the loss.

Girls’ hockey Rutland 4, Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield 4: The Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield combined team battled to a 4-4 tie with Rutland Jan. 21.

Tess Everett led the CougarHawks with two goals and an assist, while Karina Bushweller tallied twice. Grace Ferguson stopped 33 shots in goal.

With the tie, the CougarHawks move to a 9-9-1 record.

On Saturday, CVU-MMU lost to BFA-St. Albans 3-1. Karina Bushweller had the lone goal for the CougarHawks, and Ferguson made 37 saves.

Boys’ hockey Champlain Valley 0, Colchester 0: Champlain Valley and Colchester skated to a scoreless tie on Feb. 19 in high school boys’ hockey.

Jason Douglas made 39 saves.

Girls’ basketball Champlain Valley 47, Essex 25: The Champlain Valley girls’ basketball team wrapped up the regular season with a win over Essex on Saturday.

Sheby Companion led all scorers with 17 points for CVU, which wraps up the season with a 15-3 record.

The win was a measure of revenge for CVU, which lost to Essex as one of its three losses during the regular season.

Alpine skiing The Champlain Valley boys’ and girls’ alpine ski teams got themselves ready for the upcom-

CVU girls’ basketball on its way to playoffs After winning eight of their last nine games of the regular season, the Champlain Valley girls’ basketball team is set for the Div. 1 postseason.

The Redhawks earned the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and a bye in the first round.

CVU (15-3) will take on the winner of No. 7 Colchester and No. 10 Brattleboro on Thursday, Feb. 24, in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. The two teams will face off on Town Meeting Day, Tuesday, March 1.

The Redhawks did not face Colchester during the regular season but faced off against Brattleboro in the first weeks of the year, beating the Colonels 67-29.

Champlain Valley enters the postseason in a bit of a different position.

After earning the top seed for the last three years, the Redhawks will be the No. 2 seed this year. Rice (16-1) is the No. 1 seed and would only face CVU if the two teams advance to the state finals. ing Vermont state championships with wins at the NVAC Northern Districts at Middlebury Snow Bowl Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 21-22 CVU will look to capture two state titles Monday, Feb. 28, and Tuesday, March 1, at the state championships at Burke Mountain.

The Redhawks girls finished first behind Ella Lisle’s firstplace performance in the slalom and fifth in giant slalom.

Kate Kogut was 10th in the slalom and Carlynn Strobeck came in eighth in the giant

PHOTO BY AL FREY

Mt. Mansfield Union’s Meadow Worthley makes a pass around CVU’s Shelby Companion during a game Feb. 15 in Hinesburg.

slalom.

On the boys’ side, Ari Diamond was second in the slalom and third in the giant slalom to pace the Redhawks

in their first-place team performance.

Remy Schulz was sixth, Ray Hagois came in seventh and George Francisco was eighth in

the slalom for CVU. In the giant slalom, Jake Strobeck came in fifth, Francisco was eighth and Kyle Martin rounded it out in tenth for the Redhawks.

Page 10 • February 24, 2022 • The Citizen

Crows use communal roosts for winter safety The Outside Story Susan Shea

ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL

During winter, I catch glimpses of crows as they fly swiftly over our valley, cawing, or gather in small groups to feed on roadkill along the highway. Sometimes I find their wandering tracks leading to holes in the snow where a crow probed for food. These sightings have made me curious about how these large birds survive the winter.

Most crows that breed in Canada and far northern Maine migrate south, some stopping in other areas of the Northeast to join local flocks. Crows that nest in our region often travel short distances to spend the winter. A 2018 study led by Andrea Townsend of Hamilton College fitted crows in New York State with satellite transmitters to track their movements.

Crows in the study migrated an average distance of 310 miles and returned to their breeding territories in spring. Some remained on their territories year-round. The migratory crows were flexible from year to year about where they spent the winter.

Crows use a wide variety of habitats but prefer open landscapes for ground-feeding with nearby woods for perching and roosting. They frequent garbage dumps in towns and cities. Crows tend to stay away from large forested areas and high elevations where their larger cousin, the raven, is common.

Omnivorous and opportunistic, crows feed on a diversity of plants and small animals. In winter, crows consume grain, seeds, nuts, and fruit, supplemented by carrion and garbage. Like hawks and owls, crows regurgitate indigestible materials such as bones in pellets. Intelligent and

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alert, they will steal food from other crows and other animals.

Crows have even been seen pulling a cat’s tail to distract it from its food. When they happen upon a bonanza of food, these birds will cache some of it for later, concealing it from others. In his book “Ravens in Winter,” biologist Bernd Heinrich writes that he spent two hours watching a pair of crows make 44 trips to cache fat from a piece of meat he had placed outside his cabin in the Maine woods.

Crows have also been observed using and even fashioning tools to obtain food, for example, shaping a stick to poke into a hole and pulling out insects.

Crows are highly social birds, and families live together year-round. The young remain with their parents for a few years and help raise the new nestlings. Heinrich observed groups of crows feeding amicably together on his meat baits in Maine.

In winter, large flocks of both resident and migratory crows may roost together at night. Biologists Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies followed thousands of crows to a night roost in pines near West Lebanon, N.H., in the winter of 2017. The crows began gathering in small groups a couple of hours before sunset in pre-roost trees, then streamed towards the roost like a black river.

Communal roosts provide more eyes and ears to detect predators such as great horned owls, known to swoop through crow roosts at night. The body heat generated by multitudes of birds makes temperatures in the roost warmer. Communal roosts may also serve as information centers for finding food and mates. Around dawn, crows leave their roosts, flying in many directions to forage.

Crows may use the same winter roost for many years. A survey of communal roosts in New York State discovered six roosts that had been used for more than 40 years and one roost in use for more than 125 years.

The number of birds in the roosts surveyed ranged from a few hundred to two million.

The massive roosts were located in areas with abundant food. In recent decades, more crows have been roosting in urban areas, including spots with artificial lights, which predators tend to avoid. In Vermont, communal roosts have been reported in Burlington and Middlebury.

Crows have long been viewed as a nuisance because of the crop damage they can cause, their habit of preying on the eggs and young of other birds, and the noise and mess of large roosts. Today, however, there is recognition of their role in insect control and more appreciation for their intelligence and adaptability, although crow hunting is still permitted in many states.

Susan Shea is a naturalist, writer, and conservationist based in Vermont. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.

The Citizen • February 24, 2022 • Page 11

AMBULANCE

Go Cupids

continued from page 1 creating its own service. That cost the town $12,000 per financial quarter, or about $10 per person in Hinesburg, according to town manger Todd Odit.

Richmond Rescue, which operates primarily in Richmond and Jericho, “employs three full time positions, one part time position and 50 volunteers to staff one ambulance, relying on volunteer members to respond from home to cover the second ambulance for additional calls,” Baker said.

“The intention when we started with them in October was to bridge between Saint Michael’s wanting to be done and us starting our service,” Odit said. But then “we decided it wasn’t feasible to start the service at this time.”

Baker and Odit said they had had a meeting with Will Moran, emergency medical services chief at the Vermont Department of Health, earlier this month to “pointedly ask about the reality of receiving an ambulance transport license at our current staffing level.”

“Chief Moran relayed that the state of Vermont would not recommend us for an AEMT ambulance license at this time,” Baker said.

Odit said that the town is contacting other agencies “to see if they are interested in serving Hinesburg and if so, at what cost,” but added that continuing with Richmond Rescue “is the best option for Hinesburg residents.”

He told the Shelburne News that the town had reached out to

the Williston Fire Department for emergency services, as well as the Shelburne EMS service but both had said it was unlikely they could serve the town.

If Hinesburg was to continue with permanent service with Richmond Rescue, the price for the service would increase to $66,000 annually, or $14 per person, which “for us is a good deal,” Odit said.

“The main concern of the fire chief is the quality of service.

That’s the most important thing,” he said.

Now, residents will have to approve the budget on town meeting day, Tuesday, March 1, which already has $40,000 allocated toward Hinesburg’s now postponed ambulance service. If voters approve the budget, Odit and Baker will have to move budgetary items around to make things work, Odit said.

If it gets voted down, it will then have to be revised.

“Hopefully the budget passes and we can just make it work,” he said.

Nonetheless, Baker, in his memo to the selectboard, remained optimistic that the town could eventually maintain its own EMS service.

“I strongly believe the growth of Hinesburg and the growing demand for service will require a fire department-based ambulance service,” he said. “We will continue to analyze data moving forward to keep the board and the public updated on our recommendation.”

PHOTO BY MADELINE WATERMAN

Runners laugh together as they prepare for takeoff at the starting line of the recent Cupid 5K in Shelburne.

Page 12 • February 24, 2022 • The Citizen

‘It is what it is’

Yvan Plouffe, friend to everybody, dies CHEA WATERS EVANS CHARLOTTE BRIDGE

His intelligence and curiosity were unmatched, even though he never finished middle school. He was famous for his greenhouse full of richly colored roses, yet he was color blind. He struggled with dyslexia but had a wildly diverse and full library. He never married or had children, but his family — and friends who considered him family — was vast and varied.

Yvan Plouffe, Canadian by birth and Charlotter at heart, died last week after complications from a fall. He was a treasure to many.

Yvan’s nephew, Lambert Lussier, lived right near his uncle on Carpenter Road and said they were not only close geographically, but emotionally, as well.

“He was basically my second dad,” Lambert said. His parents, Agnes and Renald Lussier, also lived nearby, and Lambert said you wouldn’t often find Yvan and Renald without each other.

“My father and uncle were like brothers,” Lambert said, “even though they were brothers-in-law.

They were like Tweedledee and Tweedledum. You couldn’t separate them. They were always doing things together.”

Doing things was Yvan’s specialty. A former dairy farmer, he was also a beekeeper, a gardener, a builder, a fixer, a small-talker and a

literal man-about-town.

His friend David Miskell said, “He was everybody’s friend.”

Part of being Yvan’s friend was getting gifts. David said that mothers in Yvan’s circle always received lovely handmade wooden gifts for their children. He remembers a wooden sled given to his youngest daughter when she was small that his grandchildren now enjoy.

One of those grandchildren also received a kid-sized table crafted

by Yvan. He sourced all the wood from his own farm.

Even if you weren’t Yvan’s friend, he would probably still give you presents. Lambert said that last summer, someone posted on social media looking for “the tomato man,” someone who had randomly handed them a plant that turned out the best tomatoes they’d ever had.

“That’s what he would do,” Lambert said. “He’d start 400 plants in the middle of March, and he wouldn’t know who was going to own them, because he only needed 30. He always regrew his seeds from his mother’s, from 50 years ago, that he grew over and over and over. He’d just start driving and drop them here, drop them there. That’s just what Yvan did.

Just an incredible soul.”

It was the same with the roses he grew in his greenhouse.

“He would just start driving and dropping roses off here, and there and everywhere,” Lambert said.

The impromptu gifts also included honey or vegetables or really anything at all.

David Miskell said, “Any time you ever went to the farm or house, he always had something to give you: those tomato plants, or maple syrup, or just some encouraging words.”

Lambert said Yvan was an influence on him in many ways, the most remarkable being his easy-going manner. “I’d just love to be as humble and generous as he was. I did learn a lot from him. And I need to learn more,” he said.

He said their family joked about how Yvan was the mayor of East Charlotte, and that Yvan took it in stride, but didn’t say much about it.

“We never said much about that outside the family, but we joked about it,” Lambert said. “He’d just smile, and it wasn’t a big deal to him.”

Part of his mayoral duties was hanging out in the shop at Lambert’s business, Spear Street Mowers. Lambert remembered with a laugh that Yvan was always an enthusiastic conversationalist with anyone who came through.

“I don’t know how to explain him because he was just … he was a magnet for people,” he said. “He’d sit in front of my counter, I’ve seen it time and time again, he would just sit there, and people would come in, and he’d start a conversation for half an hour, and I’d go to

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V. WILLIAM FULLER, ET AL. Civil No. 2:21-cv-143-cr NOTICE OF JUDICIAL SALE In obedience to a Judgment Order, Decree of Foreclosure and Order for Judicial Sale entered on January 7, 2022, and recorded in the Town of Hinesburg, Vermont, for breach of the mortgage as stated therein, and for the purpose of foreclosing the same, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the 11th day of March, 2022 at 2:00 p.m., at the land and premises known as 70 Birchwood Drive, Hinesburg, VT 05461, the said real property and improvements thereon, as further described in said mortgage (the “Property”), will be auctioned, “AS IS, WHERE IS” with no representations or warranties, express or implied, of any kind, subject to all superior liens, if any, to the highest and best bidder for cash.

The legal description of the property foreclosed upon can be found in the mortgage filed in the Town of Hinesburg Land Records and all deeds and instruments of record. The physical address of the property is 70 Birchwood Drive, Hinesburg, VT 05461.

The mortgagor is entitled to redeem the property at any time prior to the auction by paying the full amount due under the Judgment Order and Decree of Foreclosure, including the costs and expenses of auction.

An OPEN HOUSE will be held at the property on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

The United States reserves the right to cancel or postpone the auction at any time.

PHOTO BY NATALIE STULTZ

Yvan Plouffe, a legendary resident of Charlotte since he was 17, died Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. He was 84.

him and say, ‘Who was that?’ and he’d say, ‘I don’t know, but he was nice to talk to.’ That’s Yvan.”

If a stranger could pass a pleasant afternoon with him, his friends valued his company even more.

Miskell remembers how warm and generous Yvan was with not only his time but his energy and expertise.

“Farming is not easy,” Miskell said. “He certainly understood that.

He also understood that there were different times on the farm that you really needed extra help. Always, with my greenhouses, when it came time to change plastic, improve trellis systems or whatever it was, it required an extra skill. He was always there. He always kind of had a group of people working

together on some major project.”

“The other part that was really fantastic was that he could make anything out of wood,” Miskell said. “And so, fixing tools, normally these days, if something breaks you throw it away. If you had something for him to repair, it always came back much better than it was before you brought it.”

Lambert said that though Yvan’s interests were many, his heart was in the sugarhouse, and his fondest memories of his uncle are from spending time together making syrup.

“Sugaring was definitely his passion,” he said. “For me, it was just being with him at the sugarSee PLOUFFE on page 13

South Burlington School District

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS

IT Systems Engineer: Develops and maintains district computer systems network. Provides technology support to students and staff. Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years experience with computers and networking concepts. MCSE, RHCE, CCNA,VCP, or equivalent licensures/experience preferred.

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“BUILDING A PROUD TRADITION”

The Citizen • February 24, 2022 • Page 13

SALES SUPPORT

PLOUFFE

continued from page 12 house. Just shooting the shit with him, him showing me how to do it when I was 13 or 14. I can still remember that. He bought me a sugar rake and he said ‘Here, you can do it now,’ and I still remember that.”

Yvan’s dedication to his family was a constant in his life. Lambert said that Yvan had a brother who died at the age of six months, and that it left an imprint on him that never went away. Yvan carried a special keepsake to remind him of his brother everywhere he went for 70 years, Lambert said.

“He was always so sad about that; it always affected him.”

A big heart, a big smile, and a twinkle in his eye were Yvan’s trademarks.

“Oh god, he was just full of mischief,” Lambert said. “When he was younger, he must have been something else. He had his own moonshine way back, his own still, and he still had three gallons of it in his house that we found last week.

It was 40 years old, but he loved to give people shots of his moonshine and see how they’d react after 40 years.”

“He was definitely fun,” Miskell agreed, saying that he thought Yvan’s unique nature is a vanishing quality. “There are all kinds of fancy houses in the town of Charlotte, but you’d walk into his house, with all the different types of wood that he farmed off his land, and it was like a sculpture.

Money couldn’t buy it.”

Lambert said a favorite expression of his uncle’s was, “It is what

it is.”

He said he will keep in mind his uncle’s can-do spirit and accepting nature as time moves on. “We have to pass along what he taught us,” Lambert said. “Just be humble, and love everybody no matter what. That’s just what he taught us.

Sometimes you don’t realize it until the last.”

He said the many letters and cards from people from all walks of life have been astounding and gratifying.

“It kind of makes it not so hard,” he said. “It is what it is.”

This story first appeared in the Charlotte Bridge. More at thecharlottebridge.org.

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CHARLOTTE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD Will hold a public hearing on the following application during the Board’s regular meeting of Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at Town Hall, 159 Ferry Rd.: 7:10 PM DRB-21-311-BA Franceschetti-Hamilton – Boundary Adjustment between two parcels at 899 Bean Rd. and 342 Bittersweet Ln. Project information available at: https://bit.ly/ Franceschetti_Hamilton_BA Details & how to join this meeting will be posted at: https://is.gd/ Meeting_Calendar_Agendas by March 4. For more info, contact the Planning and Zoning Office at 802.425.3533 ext. 206, or by email at: townplanner@townofcharlotte.com.

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The Citizen • February 24, 2022 • Page 15

CROSSWORD

ARIES

LEO

March 21 - April 20 A sense of adventure compels you to travel to a new destination, Aries. You may have something in mind or you can throw a dart at the map and enjoy the trip.

TAURUS April 21 - May 21 Don’t be surprised if relationships seem a little more intense than normal, Taurus. Everyone is a little keyed up and the extra energy is on display in daily interactions.

GEMINI May 22 - June 21 People could play important roles in your life right now, Gemini. Partnerships are especially fortuitous. After all, two minds are better than one for problem-solving.

CANCER June 22 - July 22 Cancer, there’s much productivity this week as you find yourself thrust into yet another project. Once you sail through it, things will calm down.

July 23 - Aug. 23 Leo, this week you are invited to enjoy yourself. Feel free to live life as much as you can for as long as you can. Plan a retreat with a special someone.

VIRGO Aug. 24 - Sept. 22 Try to be as efficient as possible to save time and money in the days ahead, Virgo. See where you can streamline things and find ways to conserve your resources.

LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 23 Libra, this may be a busy week for you, so take a few moments each morning to center yourself and focus your energy before you dive in to your list of tasks.

SCORPIO Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 Money has been on your mind for some time, Scorpio. Figure out ways that you can increase your income if only temporarily. Once you catch up on bills, you can relax.

SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 23 - Dec. 21 Sagittarius, you will likely be deep in your feelings this week, exploring many different emotions. It can be tiring, so find some activities to give your brain a break.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 Life may seem surreal this week as your subconscious seems to be guiding many of your decisions, Capricorn.

Go with the flow for the time being.

AQUARIUS Jan. 21 - Feb. 18 It is a good idea to connect with your friends while you can, Aquarius. You may not have an opportunity for some time, so reach out and make a plan to get together.

PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 Pisces, certain personal goals may need your attention at this time. Rearrange your priorities for the next few days.

CLUES ACROSS 1. Constrictors 5. Abounding in rocks 11. Speed 14. German city 15. Lacking sympathy 18. Visionaries 19. Wastes away 21. One precursor to the EU 23. Nursemaid 24. Unconsciousnesses 28. Baby’s word for father 29. Equal to 64 US pints (abbr.)

30. Senses of selfimportance 32. Midway between south and southwest 33. When you hope to get there 35. Electronic data processing 36. Passports and drivers’ licences are two 39. Fishes 41. Air Force 42. Personal computers 44. Ecological community 46. Wings

47. Halfway 49. Cool, calm and collected 52. Jewelled headdress 56. Musical composition 58. __ Falls 60. Repeating remarks 62. Periods in one’s life 63. Hyphen CLUES DOWN 1. __ Humbug!

2. Devices that alert pilots (abbr.)

3. Grocer 4. One point east of southeast 5. Subjects to hostility 6. Work unit 7. Atomic #56 8. British thermal unit 9. “Elusive Butterfly” singer 10. Fastened over animal’s neck 12. Device 13. Rechargeable power source 16. Ancient sage 17. Consist of two elements

ANSWERS

20. “Pygmalion” writer 22. “The Centennial State” (abbr.)

25. Of I 26. Get older 27. Brotherhoods 29. Buzzing insect 31. Sunscreen rating 34. Brew 36. Leader 37. Indigo bush 38. Burn with a hot liquid 40. Junior’s dad 43. Horse mackerels genus 45. Morning 48. Unit of linear measurement (abbr.)

50. Double curve 51. Small, twisted bunch 53. Developed 54. Mars crater 55. Humanistic discipline 57. Word element meaning ear 58. Last or greatest in an indefinitely large series 59. Wood residue 61. It cools your home

Page 16 • February 24, 2022 • The Citizen