The Citizen - 06-23-22

Skill set

Bog lemmings

CVU women honored for lacrosse play

Scientists struggle to track elusive rodent

Page 11

Page 12

June 23, 2022

Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg

Human Rights Watch director eyes Senate

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thecitizenvt.com

June beauty

Five candidates will battle for three seats COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Lewis Mudge describes himself as an optimist, an amazing feat of psychological resilience given the nature of his work in the last decade.

He’s been shot at, kidnapped, heard first-hand accounts of villages being burned out and raided and has seen the bodies from the aftermath, and he’s interviewed warlords and rebel leaders accused of committing these acts — coming face to face with horrific war crimes, some of

which have resulted in international criminal trials at the Hague.

“I’ve been in some sticky situations,” he said.

Now Mudge wants to bring that experience to the Statehouse as he runs for a seat in the newly created Chittenden Southeast Senate district.

His work with Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization that investigates and reports on abuses in dozens of countries across the globe, centers around See MUDGE on page 16

Charlotte warns vote for $1.5 million bond to build town garage Decision set for Aug. 9 primary election COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Charlotte voters will decide in August whether the town will build a new town garage, and whether they can borrow more than $1 million to finance it.

The selectboard on Monday warned a vote for Aug. 9, the state’s primary election, for two articles. The first would authorize the town to build a new town garage at the former flea market site on Route 7 on the southeastern-most portion of the Burns Woods, a 54-acre town-owned property between Route 7 and

Greenbush Road.

The second vote would authorize the town to procure a bond or bank note for “an amount not to exceed” $1.5 million, according to documents voted on by the selectboard on Monday.

“We can make this happen, but the bond or note will have to be $1.5 million,” selectboard chair Jim Faulkner said. “We want to make sure the taxpayer is aware of it and agrees to it.”

The town has been in a hurry to build a new town garage after the 100-year-old building on See TOWN GARAGE on page 10

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

A bearded iris peaks through a spilt rail fence.

Page 2 • June 23, 2022 • The Citizen

United Way gives out $880K to community organizations United Way of Northwest Vermont, which serves Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, will distribute $880,000 in 2022 to 33 organizations.

The partner funding will support organizations that address United Way’s key strategies: meeting basic needs (housing, food, transportation), supporting families, promoting mental health, reducing substance misuse and promoting financial stability.

“Community giving makes this funding possible. These are local dollars supporting local organizations improving the lives of our family, friends and neighbors,” said CEO Jesse Bridges.

“For every dollar raised through our annual workplace campaigns, United Way leverages additional investments and the power of volunteers to invest over three dollars back into the community.”

Some of the services this funding will support include: • Emergency shelter for people who are homeless and those flee-

Your honor, honored

ing domestic violence; housing retention services to help people not lose their homes; and alternative housing options for older adults, people with disabilities, and people with limited financial means.

• Services and resources to help people gain financial stability and to meet their basic needs, including food security.

• Support for parents and families, including home visits, early childhood services, parenting support and education.

• Accessible and appropriate mental health services and resources for people of all ages.

• Recovery and wellness support for individuals, parents and families to reduce impacts of substance misuse.

• A wide range of services and supports for all members of our community, including older adults, people with intellectual disabilities and autism, New Americans, people living with chronic conditions, and more.

EARLY DEADLINES OFFICES CLOSED Monday, July 4

COURTESY PHOTO

Supreme Court Associate Justice John A. Dooley of South Burlington was recognized for 30 years of service to the Vermont Supreme Court. The Chittenden County Bar Association commissioned photographer Gillian Randal to create his portrait and organized an unveiling ceremony on June 9, 2022, at the Chittenden County Courthouse, Main Street, Burlington. Dooley was appointed to the Supreme Court bench in 1987 by Gov. Madeline Kunin, shown here, unveils the portrait with him. Speakers at the unveiling ceremony included Chittenden County Bar Association president Mick Leddy, former Vermont Superior Court judge Michael Kupersmith, Vermont Supreme Court chief justice Paul Reiber, Federal Court of Appeals judge Beth Robinson, former Supreme Court justice Marilyn Skoglund and the guest of honor. Also in attendance were former Vermont Superior Court judges Matthew Katz, David Jenkins, Ben Joseph and Alden Bryan, retired Supreme Court justice James Morse, and William Sessions, senior judge, U.S. District Court.

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The Citizen • June 23, 2022 • Page 3

Protect grassland birds by mowing later Bobolinks, Savannah sparrows and eastern meadowlarks enrich our summers with their songs, but some of these species are in decline due to the loss of appropriate grassland habitat.

Landowners can make a difference by altering the times of year they mow fields.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is encouraging landowners to help these beloved species by waiting a little longer to mow to give these birds a chance to complete their nesting season.

“People maintain fields and meadows in Vermont for a variety of reasons, from commercial hayfields and grazing pastures to simple scenic beauty,” Doug Morin, biologist for the department, said. “Mowing is the most

common way to maintain grasses, but if mowed early in the summer, grassland birds will lose their nests and chicks.”

Bobolinks build nests among the grasses and wildflowers of fields and meadows. When bobolinks are present, other grassland bird species such as Savannah sparrows and grasshopper sparrows, may also be nesting among the grasses. Deer fawns, wild turkey chicks and other animals take refuge in the grass and are also at risk by mowing too early.

According to Morin, landowners who mow their fields for aesthetic reasons can maintain these fields and accommodate nesting birds simply by cutting later in the summer, preferably after Aug. 1.

Pediatricians will offer COVID-19 vaccines The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending COVID-19 vaccines for children 6 months through 5 years of age, paving the way for vaccinating the youngest Vermonters later this month.

“This is very welcome news for the parents and caregivers who have been waiting for more than a year now for their young children to benefit from a COVID-19 vaccine,” health commissioner Dr. Mark Levine, said. “Vaccines are the safer way to build protection against the virus and help prevent serious outcomes.”

Both the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been authorized for use. Providers will begin receiving the vaccines this week, but will have their own plans for administering them, so parents and caregivers should hear from their child’s pediatrician when they are ready to begin vaccinations.

“Pediatricians are a trusted resource for parents, and they can answer questions and provide a familiar, comfortable setting for children to be vaccinated,” Levine said.

There are about 26,000 children

between 6 months and 4 years old in Vermont who will now be eligible for vaccination.

The Vermont Department of Health will also offer the vaccines at a limited number of walk-in clinics, including at equity-focused clinics. Information about clinics with vaccines for this age group will be updated at healthvermont. gov/kidsvaccine as soon as it’s available. There is no registration for these clinics.

Families enrolled in WIC may also be able to get vaccinated through their local office. Some pharmacies will also carry the vaccine but can only vaccinate children ages 3 and older.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is authorized to be given to children ages 6 months through 4 years in two doses that are three weeks apart, followed by a third dose at least two months later. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is authorized to be given to children 6 months through 5 years in two doses four weeks apart.

Pfizer doses are one-tenth the dosage given to adults, while the Moderna doses are one-fourth the dosage.

Correction

In the photo June 9 accompanying “CVU track team sets state record,” Gabriel Nelson was misidentified. The caption should have read: CVU’s fearsome foursome of Gus Serinese, Gabriel Nelson, Hayden Berard and Gregory Seraus win the boy’s 4x100 meter relay at the Vermont Division I state track and field championships at Burlington High School on June 4.

PHOTO BY JOHN HALL

Landowners who have fields can help protect grassland birds such as bobolinks by delaying mowing until August. The male is shown here.

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Page 4 • June 23, 2022 • The Citizen

CRIME & COURTS

Judge orders evaluation for man who made threats findings that based on comments made in open court by counsel during a hearing last week Vermont’s chief federal judge there was reasonable cause to has ordered a competency evalu- believe Puma “may presently be suffering from a ation for a South mental disease Burlington man Doyle ordered Puma or defect,” that who is charged would render with making jailed on the federal him “mentally threats to kill a incompetent to state judge and charges based on the extent that defense lawyer he is unable and sexual assault the evidence, his to understand a prosecutor. the nature and Joshua P. criminal history, his consequences of Puma, 35, will be transported to an past use of violence the proceedings against him or to out-of-state federassist properly in al medical faciland weapons his defense.” ity by the U.S. Puma pleadMarshals Service, and his previous ed not guilty to Judge Geoffrey substance abuse. the three felony W. Crawford has charges during ruled.

He refused a request by his arraignment in May. Puma, formerly of Shelburne, Puma’s defense team to overturn a detention order imposed by U.S. was found incompetent in March Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle to stand trial on state charges in two criminal cases in Chittenden during a May 23 arraignment.

Crawford said in his written County. Vermont Superior Court MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT

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Judge A. Gregory Rainville on May 17 issued a pair of orders of hospitalization for 90 days to further check his mental status.

Crawford ordered the examination be conducted at the Federal Bureau of Prisons facility in Devens, Mass., as soon as practical.

The report should cover Puma’s history and present symptoms, a description of the tests used and their outcomes and whether he is mentally incompetent, Crawford said.

Doyle ordered Puma jailed on the federal charges based on the weight of the evidence, his criminal history, his past use of violence and weapons and his previous substance abuse.

Assistant Federal Defender Sara M. Puls, in a 10-page motion, argued Puma should be released from the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield on conditions, including he be sent to the state mental hospital.

Puma has been in custody on state charges since about September 2020, Puls wrote.

She noted the reported threats came into a complaint phone line maintained by the Vermont Corrections Department and he would never have been able to carry them out while detained.

None of the recorded threats were made directly to the targets, Puls said.

Puma is named in a threecount indictment that mentions three death threats to the judiciary and one to a defense lawyer. It also maintains Puma threatened to sexually assault a state prosecutor.

It is unclear how many state judges have been threatened and which judge or judges were the focus because of a gag order imposed by U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest of Shelburne on Vermont State Police, which investigated the case.

Kerest has declined various requests by multiple media outlets for interviews since he was elevated by President Joe Biden to the top job last December.

During the federal arraignment Chittenden County state’s attorney Sarah George was identified as the intended victim of the rape threat, while public defender Sarah Reed was identified as the

Hinesburg Police Blotter May 31 at 2:35 p.m., some people having a loud argument at a residence on North Road agreed to separate and calm down when police arrived.

May 31 at 6:20 p.m., police helped facilitate a dispute between a property owner of Hillview Terrace and an employee of the park association over a maintenance issue.

June 1 at 9:30 a.m., a student left the Hinesburg Community School to walk home, something they had done about once a week until school ended earlier this month. The youth was found safe and sound.

June 1 at 11 a.m., police responded to a residence on Baldwin Road for a reported family fight that was verbal only. The parties agreed to separate and cool down.

June 1 at 1 p.m., a manager at Kinney Drugs reported a theft from store that had happened a few days prior.

June 1 at 2:20 p.m., a resident came into the station to report they were being harassed by electronic communication so police advised them on what kind of protection they could seek through the courts.

June 2 at 8:45 a.m., some bovines were spotted in the middle of Silver Street but were gone upon police arrival.

June 5 at 7:45 a.m., a parent reported their teenager had not come home the night before, but the

aim of one death threat.

Puls and assistant U.S. attorney Wendy Fuller got into a debate on where state’s attorney George wants Puma.

Puls argued George was supportive in having Puma sent to the state hospital, but Puls countered that George remains very concerned for her safety and about his possible release.

Puls said she asked George to appear for the virtual hearing, but George had a court hearing. Sarah Reed, the state public defender and one of the victims, did attend

youth was found later that day.

June 7 at 4 p.m., a different parent called to report their teen had not come home. When it was determined the youth was at a friends house in another town, Hinesburg Police passed the case on to the local department.

June 8 at 9:50 a.m., another teenager was reported missing after having an argument with their family and not coming home, but the teen was found later that day.

June 8 at 4 p.m., police assisted a youth at Hillview Terrace who was having a medical emergency.

June 9 at 3 p.m., police checked on someone on Place Road who was having some mental health issues.

June 10 at 10:50 a.m., some neighbors were having a verbal argument on Jourdan Street. Police separated the parties, but no citations were issued.

June 10 at 1:45 p.m., someone reported they had been defrauded over the internet.

June 11 at 3:20 p.m., two cars crashed allegedly as a result of cell phone use while traveling on Route 116. Both cars were towed from the scene and at least one person involved was transported to the hospital.

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

the virtual hearing.

Puma punched Reed in the face while she was representing him in state court in September 2019, Fuller said. She said it caused Reed to fall to the ground and it took five security officers to restrain Puma.

Puma later pleaded guilty to assaulting his attorney and was sentenced to 4-12 months to serve, Fuller said.

South Burlington police have said they spent considerable time dealing with Puma, including an arrest for stalking.

The Citizen • June 23, 2022 • Page 5

OPINION

Make It A Vermont July 4th!

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Poor Elijah offers wisdom in commencement address Poor Elijah’s Almanack Peter N. Berger Every commencement season Poor Elijah waits in vain for an invitation to address a graduating class. In the meantime, he contents himself with delivering his remarks on my porch. This year he showed up dressed like a cross between the late Chief Justice Rehnquist and Sir Thomas More.

“Nice robes,” I conceded as he billowed by.

“I sewed the stripes on myself,” he acknowledged modestly.

If you’ve got a few minutes, I saved some seats over by the forsythia.

I didn’t attend my college graduation. I objected to the ceremony on moral grounds. This made sense since I’d majored in objecting to things on moral grounds. My own prevailing wisdom held that traditions like commencement and Mother’s Day distracted us from real life.

At 21 I was an expert on real life.

At 72 I still am.

I didn’t know much then, and I still don’t.

Given our respective ages, though, I probably know more than you do. I hope that doesn’t offend you. Lots of you have likely been fed the nonsense that a child’s perspective and opinion should count as much as an adult’s.

When it comes to ice cream flavors, that’s generally true. But in matters of good and evil, crime and punishment, courage, cowardice and compromise, experience tells.

I do know more than I did then. Regrettably, what I’ve done has too often fallen short of what I’ve known, so I can’t offer my conduct as an example.

Why then should you listen to me? It’s simple. I’m here to tell you to do as I say, not as I did.

In the old days I would’ve called me a hypocrite. That’s what you called people who expected others to live up to standards they didn’t meet themselves. I’ve learned since then that falling short of your hopes and expectations doesn’t make you a hypocrite.

Hypocrisy is pretending you

haven’t fallen short.

They also speak more carefulWhen I realized the world ly. And, more humbly. was full of people who didn’t live You’re coming of age when up to their own expectations, I careful speech is out of fashtook action. Churchgoers didn’t ion, and humility withers in the practice what they preached, so shadow of our epidemic narcisI discarded faith. Adversaries sism. We swallow whole what shook hands, so I abandoned we like to hear and reserve our courtesy. Those around me tallied skepticism for words that offend their possessions, so I disdained our sensitivities and frustrate our ambition. They lied, so I became appetites. brutally honest, except with Beneficiaries of affluence myself. glibly call for revolution without I overreacted. Lots of people the slightest understanding of did. The world became a darker, what revolution means or costs. ruder, less earnest place in our They rail against the establishwake. ment without the Now it’s your vaguest recogniPoliticians tweet, turn to overreact, tion that they are and I’m hoping you the establishment. and we call it won’t. I’m hoping Others you’ll consider that embrace a promotwisdom. the world isn’t as er who preaches simple as it seems. pseudo-populism Nazis march on I’m hoping you from the comfort won’t swallow the of his gilded tower American streets, perennial fiction and gated country that this is a new clubs. They wink and we call it age that demands at his deceits and new rules. chant his name, America First.

Love and hate, even as his impoltruth and deceit, loyalty, valor, itic words and self-absorbed, sediregret and forgiveness are as old tious deeds betray his contempt as the stones. for ordinary people, ordinary truth I’m also thinking ahead to the and ordinary morality. day when you’re where I am, and Televised narcissists disgrace I’m not. I’m thinking of when themselves in the spotlight, and your grandchildren are the gradwe call it reality. Politicians tweet, uates, when you’re supposed to and we call it wisdom. Children be wearing the mantle of wisdom stare blankly at silicon screens, and it doesn’t fit. and we laud the wonders of techI’m a teacher. My job is nology. Nazis march on American passing along what I know about streets, and we call it America reading, writing and history. But First. every day my students also get a We are living through troubled dose of me and the way I look at and troubling times. things.

There’s nothing new about Now think of all the people prophesying decline and disaswho get a dose of you. ter. It’s something Socrates and It’s enough to make you shut my grandfather had in common. your mouth.

“What’s the world coming to?”

That’s OK. Sometimes you they asked. probably should. Me too.

But this question isn’t only for Being a person is a lot like grandfathers. Above all others, it being a teacher. As a person I should be your question. have information, experience It is for each of you to say and insight to deliver. Some is with humility what you think. It misinformation and lamentable is for each of you to reflect with experience and myopic insight. careful skepticism on what you That’s why I need to be careful see and hear. with my words. It’s also why you I hope, as you do, that you’ll need to be careful with my words. remember this: Circumstances By all means, be a skeptic. change, but virtues don’t.

Nobody’s disagreed with me more than I have. But skeptics don’t Peter Berger has taught block their ears because what they English and history for 30 years hear may be false or ill-conceived. in Vermont. Address letters to him They just listen more carefully. in care of the editor.

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Page 6 • June 23, 2022 • The Citizen

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Merit of the messy moment except for that gorgeous cardinal that reminds me of my mom and that time she actually hugged me and now I’m crying.

Carole Vasta Folley Damn you, nature! I thought the forest I dreamt an alligator ate my dog was a safe space to feel nothing? whole. When I told my husband about I’m not naive. I know vulnerability my nightmare, he thought it was all about matters. Because authenticity matters. vulnerability. Or, more accurately, fear of The problem is you can’t get a degree vulnerability. in vulnerability and call it a day. I’ve I told him, “Nope, no way! checked. Instead, it’s an everI’m afraid of alligators, silly, lasting opportunity. Because not vulnerability,” adding, this ability to be real, even in “thanks a lot, Brené Brown!” the messy moments, is where My new nickname for said the gold is. It’s the profound husband. connection between people that I mean why risk emotionhappens when no one’s hiding al exposure when you can their soft spots. Perhaps humans dodge it, like the Road Runner are meant to share this inner, perpetually escaping Wile E. sometimes mushy, territory? Or Coyote as if he had an ACME else like a baby’s fontanelle, we vulnerability detection device? Carole Vasta Folley would have closed up permaWell, that and TNT. Take it nently, long ago. from me, it’s much easier to act The truth is, since I’m among like vulnerability doesn’t exist. Which the tribe of people who feel things deeply, is hysterical, of course, as it’s one of the I have a sublet in the mushy territory main traits we humans have in common. and visit often. The fences I built there Well, that and a love for French fries in childhood are now coming down as dipped in garlic aioli — oh wait a minute I begin to dare vulnerability. It’s like a — is that just me? foreign language I practice with those I Apparently, the remedy to such nighttrust, both the coyote and the long-legged mares is to feel your vulnerability. But bird. Because it doesn’t matter if others what about the decades I’ve spent honing understand what I’m sharing, it matters my craft of ignoring my soft underbelly? that I do.

Certainly, I’m not going to share out loud Maybe I’ll make flashcards.

— in the open — this very thing we’re all The conundrum is that it takes vulnerhiding? ability to be vulnerable. So, I figure, at Frankly, the machinations I have gone least when I practice being more vulnerthrough to conceal my sensitivities are able, then technically I am being vulnerboth Herculean and Daliesque in equal able. I haven’t checked the guidelines on proportions. I could be on fire, with this. Frankly, I’ve lost my “How to be flames shooting out of my ears, and I’d Human” instruction manual. I mean, we politely inquire, “How are you?” I could all get one of those at birth, don’t we? fall down a set of stairs only to apologize Instead, I’ll refer to the ultimate guru, — to anyone around to hear. I could be Brené Brown. Not my husband. Although, over-my-head-swamped with work and I think he has a handle on things. Maybe would never ever use that four-letterI’ll even admit that my dream wasn’t word. You know the one. Starts with an really about my (by the way, totally ratioH. Ends with a P. Rhymes with yelp. nal) fear of alligators.

I prefer self-help. Where better to As Brown writes, “Vulnerability is practice my vulnerability than with me? not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of Brené Brown, aka husband, pointed out courage.” that’s missing the point. In my vulnerability, I wanted to shout, “Take a hike!” But Carole Vasta Folley is a Vermont instead, I did. After all, no one in nature award-winning playwright and columnist. is telling me to have my feelings. Well, Contact her at carolevf.com.

In Musing

THURSDAYS BY THE LAKE A NEW TR ADITION

Start with a narrated tour of Lake Champlain at 2:30.

After, grab a cocktail by the harbor at the Burgee Bar. Then, stay for live music and our North Dock Dinner featuring seafood favorites.

BasinHarbor.com/dining Call 802-475-2311 for reservations.

The Citizen • June 23, 2022 • Page 7

COMMUNITY Tag sale draws a crowd

Community Notes Business groups hold state’s attorney forum

Sohyun Ahn

Shelburne church holds piano, organ concert Pianist Sohyun Ahn will play in concert Saturday, July 16, 1:30 p.m. at the Shelburne United Methodist Church, 30 Church St. The suggested donation is $10, and no reservations are needed.

Ahn will be joined in concert

by Eun Hee Park, organist and music director at Shelburne United Methodist.

Register ahead for Age Well meals The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, June 23, is from 10-11 a.m., Charlotte Senior Center, 212 Ferry Road, and features Italian chicken breast, duck sauce, rice with beans and vegetables, broccoli florets, cranberry sauce, wheat bread with butter, strawberry shortcake with cream and milk.

You must have pre-registered

by Monday, June 20, with Lori York, 802-425-6371 or lyork@ charlotteseniorcentervt.org The meal on Thursday, June 30 — register by June 27 — is beef stroganoff with mushroom sauce, rotini noodles, Brussels sprouts, wheat roll with butter, blueberry crisp with cream and milk.

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

As residents of Chittenden County debate issues of public safety and crime this election season, several business groups are holding a virtual candidate forum for county state’s attorney candidates Wednesday, July 6, noon.

Both the incumbent, Sarah George, and her challenger in the upcoming primary election, Ted Kenney, will be on hand.

The event is co-hosted by the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce, the Burlington Business Association, the South Burlington Business Association and the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association.

More information and registration can be found at lccvermont. org/event/sa-forum.

If you have questions for the candidates, use the form or send them to advocacy@vermont.org with the subject line “SA forum question.”

Kelly Brush Ride returns in September The Kelly Brush Ride returns Saturday, Sept. 10.

Registration for the 17th annual fundraising event to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and engaged lives is open at kellybrushfoundation.org/ride. Early bird registration ends June 30.

Riders who can’t make the in-person event can still partic-

COURTESY PHOTO

On June 11, more than 200 people waited anxiously for the infamous garage door opening to mark the start of the 26th Wake Robin tag and book sale. After a hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sale returned with artwork, furniture, linens, jewelry, books, golfing gear and much more. The sale helps fund programming for residents, who enjoy everything from silversmithing to sports.

ipate by riding anywhere on the road or trail of their choice.

In-person participants can ride 100-, 50-, 20- or 10-mile routes through the Champlain Valley with views of the Green Mountains, Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks.

In 2021, the event drew more than 942 in-person and virtual riders, including 47 handcyclists,

Summer Special!

Hinesburg Fire Department holds recruitment day The Hinesburg Fire Department will host a recruiting open house, Saturday, June 25, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hinesburg Fire Station.

The open house will include a vehicle extrication demonstration.

If you would like to learn more about the fire or emergency medical services, or are interested in joining, please stop by.

Sign by June 30th and stay the entire month of October free.

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and raised more than $825,000.

This year, the foundation is setting a goal to raise $975,000, which will allow it to give out over $1 million in adaptive sports equipment for the first time ever.

“We want to be able to give more people from the spinal cord community the opportunity to enjoy being active,” said Kelly Brush, whose family founded the

foundation following a racing accident that left her paralyzed in 2006.

Senior center hosts Monday Munch The next Monday Munch at the Charlotte Senior Center is June 27, 212 Ferry Road, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 10

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Page 8 • June 23, 2022 • The Citizen

30x40-style barns still dot Vermont’s landscape Connect the Dots Jane Dorney As I walked into the rebuilt 1790s barn, I paced it off and found it was 30 feet by 40 feet, just as I expected. Barns that age are usually English style barns, also called “30x40s” because of their standard size.

They were often the first barns built on early subsistence farms in Vermont and had been built in England since the 1600s.

I was preparing a field trip about this farm’s evolution for some University of Jane Dorney Vermont graduate students, and I decided I’d use this barn as a key piece in describing Vermont’s transition from mostly forests to mostly farms.

The old barn had recently blown down in a windstorm and had been rebuilt using some of the original pieces by Eliot Lothrop’s restoration company Building Heritage. I wasn’t surprised the pieces that survived were the wooden posts and beams.

The internal frame was hefty, with some of the timbers 10-to-11 inches square in cross-section. Most were beech, with a little ash and oak.

Because the timbers were hand hewn, the original trees had almost certainly been rooted within a stone’s throw of this spot.

This farm lot had been completely forested when settlers arrived, and it seems fitting that most of the barn’s timbers were from the most common tree: beech comprised 40 percent of this pre-settlement forest.

The transition from tree trunks into framing timbers can be read in the marks on the wood. After the standing trees were felled, shaping was done with an ax in two steps.

The first marks were made across the grain, scoring the tree trunk to the proper depth for the finished timber. The next marks were made along the grain where the ax hewed out the wood between the scored marks, creating the flat face. Finally, the mortise and tenon joints were shaped with hand tools, then pinned with wooden pegs.

The 30x40 barn was usually a farm’s’ largest building, providing shelter for animals and harvested crops. Their typical layout was in three sections or bays that served the farm’s multiple needs.

The barn’s main doors opened onto the center bay, which was the threshing floor, a feature later Vermont barns don’t have. Early farmers cleared a few acres around their house and barn to grow grain crops, especially wheat and oats, for themselves and their animals. In the fall, they were harvested, dried in the field, and then brought into the barn to be threshed and stored.

For threshing, farmers spread the grain stalks on the wooden floor and hit them repeatedly with handheld flails, separating the seeds from the stems and husks. Then, by tossing the mixed grain and chaff into the cross drafts from doors on either side of the barn, they separated the heavier grain from the lighter husks. Sometimes, farmers stood on a board across the bottom of the doorway

to hold in the grain being threshed — giving us the word threshold.

Grain not threshed immediately was stored in the loft over the threshing floor, accessed by a central wooden ladder. Once threshing machines were adopted by the 1830s, threshing floors no longer felt the repeated hits of the flails.

The barn’s main doors were a little off center, creating a smaller bay on one side and a larger one on the other. The smaller bay was usually for the livestock that could probably be counted on one hand. The larger bay was for hay storage. Hay was grown in small fields nearby, harvested with hand tools, dried in the field, forked into a wagon, driven into the barn’s center bay and then forked into this large bay for winter animal feed.

Including the hay and crop fields, a typical 100-acre subsistence farm had cleared about 10 acres by 1815, and most of those acres’ products flowed in and out of the barn with the seasons.

Later in the 1800s, as Vermont shifted into commercial farming with more livestock, the 30x40 barns were often adapted. Some were moved onto banks to add a lower floor, were lengthened, or had a newer, larger barn attached to it for housing more animals and winter feed. As dairy herds increased in the 20th and 21st centuries, the new dairy barns built for many hundreds of cows dwarfed the original 30x40s.

But many of the 30x40 barns remain as witnesses to an ever-evolving landscape. In our area, most of the 30x40s built before 1830 were framed with beech from the pre-settlement forest, preserving that wood as much as 230 years later. Like those in the 1790 barn I visited, the wooden beams had gone from being separate, tall trees anchoring the forest to becoming shaped timbers pegged together at many different angles, working as one unit to anchor the early farms.

Jane Dorney is a consulting geographer who does research and education projects to help people understand why the Vermont landscape looks like it does. See more at janedorney.com.

PHOTOS BY JANE DORNEY

Above: A classic 30-foot by 40-foot barn in the Champlain Valley, with an attached lean-to shed on the left.

Below: An interior corner of a 30-foot by 40-foot barn showing the posts, beams and joinery.

The Citizen • June 23, 2022 • Page 9

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

Hands and needles Mondays in June, 10 a.m.-noon Bring whatever project you are working on — quilting, knitting, embroidery, etc. No registration required.

Weekly storytime Tuesday, June 28, 9:30-10 a.m.

Stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts. Contact jen@carpentercarse.org to sign up.

Lake Champlain Waldorf School graduation

Summer reading club Wednesday, June 29, 10:30-11:45 a.m.

June 22: Super-Power Critters with Vermont Institute of Natural Science. June 29: Off-site adventure at Shelburne Pond.

Vermont Reads: ‘We Contain Multitudes’ Thursday, June 23, 7-8 p.m.

In conjunction with Charlotte Public Library, community members join in a facilitated book discussion of “We Contain Multitudes” by Sarah Henstra. Takes place on Zoom. Register on the library website.

News from Charlotte Library 115 Ferry Road, Charlotte.

802-425-3864. Register at charlottepubliclibrary.org or info@ charlottepubliclibrary.org.

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

Book chat Friday, June 24, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Join Margaret Friday on Zoom to discuss new books, old books and books missed.

Knitting drop-in Wednesday, June 29, 5:30-7 p.m.

Swing by for knitting night at the library. Jessica Card, a local knitting teacher at Shelburne Craft School, helps people both get started and with existing projects.

Book discussion: ‘We Contain Multitudes’ Thursday, June 23, 7-8 p.m.

Jonathan Hopkirk and Adam Kurlansky write letters to one another in a weekly pen pal assignment. With each letter, the two begin to develop a friendship that eventually grows into love. But with homophobia, bullying and devastating family secrets, both men struggle to overcome their conflicts and hold on to each other.

Build a biocube Tuesday, June 28, 10-11 a.m.

After constructing a biocube at the library, you will collect, identify and return the life that you find, getting a chance to investigate the question, “What kind of life can you find in one cubic foot of space?”

Summer reading gems with Genevieve Tuesday, June 28, 6:30-8 p.m.

Book blogger and reading

enthusiast Genevieve Trono will share her recommendations. Find out about new releases and some old favorites. See you on the porch. No registration required.

Four Winds nature walk Wednesday, June 29, 1-2 p.m.

Join teacher and naturalist Ellen Gawarkiewicz on a nature walk at Pease Mountain Natural Area.

Emergency preparedness workshop Wednesday, June 29, 1-2 p.m.

With Chris Davis and Karina Warshaw of Charlotte Emergency Management. Learn how you and your family can get ready for various situations, how to develop an emergency plan, put together a GO-bag, ID your property and what resources are available to help you. At the Charlotte Senior Center.

COURTESY PHOTO

The Lake Champlain Waldorf School Class of 2022 graduated June 13 in a tradition-filled ceremony. The ceremony began with a welcome by 11th grade student Jonas Natvig. Faculty and staff sang, and commencement speaker Garrett Kimberly gave an insightful acknowledgment of the class. Graduating students accepted diplomas and a rose from their teachers, Emily Fuchs and Aaron Darland.

Class of 2022 graduates, from left, Bevin Grace Villarreal Dean, Mackenzie Martin and Wren Van Deusen.

‘The Beginning of Spring’

by Penelope Fitzgerald Wednesday, June 29, 7:30-9 p.m.

March 1913. Moscow. English

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Page 10 • June 23, 2022 • The Citizen

TOWN GARAGE

continued from page 1

PHOTO COURTESY OF VERMONT FISH & WILDLIFE

Bird feeders, compost, unsecured garbage and other food sources left out during the warm months when bears have emerged from their dens are a serious source of risk to bears, potentially encouraging them to spend time in human dominated landscapes.

Help keep bears wild Black bears across the state are seeking food in yards, outbuildings and livestock enclosures this spring.

“Bears — and people —are at risk when bears spend time in human-dominated landscapes,” said Jaclyn Comeau, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s bear project leader. “Every time a bear finds an easy meal of birdseed, compost or unsecured garbage, they are learning a dangerous association between people and food. Coexisting with bears starts with Vermonters taking proactive steps to help keep bears wild.”

Vermont is home to a stable bear population estimated at 4,600 to 5,780, almost four times the state’s estimated population of 1,200 to 1,500 bears in 1975.

In Vermont, habitat loss, earlier spring weather due to climate change and increasing development and human encroachment into remote areas increase the odds of bears crossing paths with people.

In these situations, potential food sources for bears including birdfeeders, compost or unsecured

garbage can encourage bears to spend more time near homes or other development, bringing bears and people into conflict.

Many conflicts between bears and people can be prevented with easy, proactive steps. The department recommends Vermonters follow these strategies for safely coexisting with Vermont’s healthy black bear population: • Take down birdfeeders until December. Vermonters can attract birds by planting bird-friendly native plants instead, according to Audubon’s Native Plants for Birds Program.

• Make garbage inaccessible.

Store garbage in a secure structure and a bear proof container. The department’s website has instructions for bear-proofing a garbage container.

• Dispose of garbage frequently. Vermonters with pick-up services should wait until the morning of pick-up to put garbage out.

• Demand bear proof dumpsters for your community.

• Compost responsibly. Follow the steps for composting in bear

country on the department’s website. Compost needs to be three parts brown materials to one part kitchen scraps, turned frequently, and kept in a sturdy tumbler or bin.

• Use electric fencing to keep chickens and bees safe. Fences need to be 4,000-6,000 volts, tested regularly, and baited. The department’s website has guidance for bear-proofing chicken and bee enclosures.

• Clean your grill after every use.

• Make bears feel uncomfortable in your yard. Safe methods are yelling, banging pots and pans, or use other noise devices from inside your house. Never shoot a bear to scare it. Even BBs can seriously injure bears.

Report bear encounters to Vermont fish and wildlife at vtfishandwildlife.com. Use the black bear incident report tab on the department’s website or contact your local game warden.

“Following these steps can save bears’ lives, and help protect you, your neighbors and your property,” said Comeau. “Help keep Vermont’s bears wild.”

Church Hill Road was destroyed in a late-night fire in December, taking with it all the snowplows used to clear 80 miles or Charlotte Roads.

The town set a new location in April, and paid Russell Construction nearly $20,000 to come up with an estimated cost before going out to bid.

The original goal was to get the new garage built this year, but after getting a hefty price tag — more than $3.7 million — officials formed an advisory committee to work on ways to trim back the cost.

Getting the garage built this year “turned out to be a little unrealistic,” Faulkner said. “The economy doesn’t help, the supply chain didn’t help, you name it.”

They made dozens of possible cuts, and Russell Construction last week came back to the town with four proposals, one $600,000 less than the first estimate, and three options each roughly $700,000 less, according to cost estimates prepared by the company.

Each option varies in the type of materials and what type of roofing would be used, among other things. Aside from the various cuts, the building is set to be 150-feet by 60 feet with six garage bays. The estimates can be found at bit.ly/3OvtX7D. “I don’t think we’re missing anything” in the building, Faulkner said. “But it’s a pretty bare bones number.”

Town officials looked to Hinesburg’s and Ferrisburgh’s recent efforts to build new town garages, both of which had lower costs. But compounding cost issues are national and global

supply chain problems.

The four estimates serve as a rough blueprint for the town to plan the financing of the building.

“This number is just an estimate for the bond vote,” selectboard member Frank Tenney said.

The town has approximately $1.1 million from federal funds to use, as well as $500,000 from the capital reserve fund of the town’s highway budget, according to town clerk Mary Mead. The remaining costs will be financed through the $1.5 million bond or bank note.

The town took out a bond for the reconstruction of the fire and rescue station in 1999, as well as the town library addition in 2019.

For now, the town’s road commissioner, Hugh Junior Lewis, who has been in the position for 23 years, is contracted with the town for the use of his equipment.

If he or his son decide not to run for the position again — or if no one else runs for road commissioner — the town would be left without a roads crew and would have to create its own public works department, which could cost “an enormous amount of money” for the town, Faulkner said.

Lewis hasn’t addressed the issue yet. Officials will also have to work out a new memorandum of understanding between him and the town.

“The plan is that Lewis Excavating will be operating out of the town-owned building as long as Junior Lewis is the road commissioner,” town manager Dean Bloch said previously. “But this hasn’t been worked out yet.”

COMMUNITY NOTES continued from page 7

p.m. The meal vichyssoise, crusty bread, tabouli salad, rhubarb squares.

A $5 donation is appreciated. .

League of Women Voters holds Congressional forum The League of Women Voters of Vermont hosts a virtual candidates forum for the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, June 30, 7-9 p.m.

Eight major party candidates are vying for nomination of Vermont’s lone congressional seat, now open as Congressman Peter Welch runs to replace retiring U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy.

Participants confirmed for the forum are Sen. Becca Balint (Democrat-Windham District), Sianay Chase Clifford (Democrat), Lt. Gov. Molly Gray (Democrat), Liam Madden

(Republican), Louis Meyers MD (Democrat), Ericka Bundy Redic (Republican), and Anya Tynio (Republican).

Progressive candidate Barbara Nolfi has been invited. w Pre-register for the Zoom forum at bit.ly/3xVBUh2. The forum will also be livestreamed at bit.ly/3xzflgU.

Zoe’s Race returns along Lake Champlain Howard Center’s 12th Zoe’s Race is Sunday, Aug. 28, at Oakledge Park in Burlington.

Mark your calendars for this festive event which helps to make homes accessible and includes a 1K fun run, 5K run/walk, and a 10K run that takes participants out and back along the Lake Champlain bike path.

Register at howardcenter.org.

The Citizen • June 23, 2022 • Page 11

SPORTS

PHOTOS BY AL FREY

Above: CVU’s Maddie Bunting gets by her Rice opponent during the Redhawks’ game vs the Green Knights on Tuesday afternoon in Hinesburg. Right: CVU’s Chloe Snipes and South Burlington’s Miranda Hayes compete to control the draw during the Redhawks’ game vs the Wolves on Wednesday evening in South Burlington.

CVU women honored for lacrosse skills Three Champlain Valley Union high schoolers were recently recognized by USA Lacrosse for excellence.

Chloe Snipes was named a USA All-American. The award recognizes a player who exhibits superior skills and techniques and possesses exceptional game sense and knowledge. A USA Lacrosse All-American is one of the best players in the nation, while also embodying excellent sportsmanship.

Snipes is headed to the University of Utah.

Maddie Bunting, who will be a senior next fall, was named a USA All-Academic. These players exhibit “exemplary lacrosse skills,

good sportsmanship on the field and represents high standards of academic achievement in the classroom.”

The Jackie Pitts Award went to Neva Williams, who is headed to UCLA. This award recognizes high school seniors who go above and beyond in service to their team, school and community. These athletes are invested in the development of the game in their town, must be outstanding students and serve as role models within their school.

CVU girls’ lacrosse coach Tucker Pierson presented the awards at the team’s end of year banquet June 15.

Green Mountain bike club upcoming rides For rules of the road, liability waivers and other club information, visit thegmbc.com.

Saturday, June 25 Introductory ride for new riders: 12-20 miles at a leisurely pace.

Meet at 10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, South Burlington, Wheeler lot. Leader is John Bertelsen, jo.bertel@gmail.com.

Sunday, July 3 Rouse’s Point Rouser: Mostly flat 60-mile loop heads from Grand Isle over the Rouse’s Point bridge and down through scenic, low-traffic, lakeside roads in New York and returns via the Grand Isle Ferry.

Short, social ride option.

Meet at 8:45 a.m., Grand Isle Ferry parking lot. Leader is Kevin Batson, kevbvt@gmail.com.

Sunday, July 10 Willsboro Wanderer: 40- and 55-mile options of hilly terrain on low-traffic roads in New York.

The shorter version skips the big hill out of Willsboro.

Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Old Champlain Flyer parking lot, Ferry Road, Charlotte. Leader is Kevin Batson, kevbvt@gmail.com.

Sunday, July 17 Not Quite Quebec: 51- and 64-mile rides on low traffic roads

near the Canadian border. The route crosses the Missisquoi River twice and travels along the shore of Lake Carmi.

Meet at 8:45 a.m., Tractor Supply Company, exit 20 off I-89. Leader is Dave Merchant, dpierchand@comcast.net.

Sunday, July 24 Bound for Bristol Bakery: 40-mile ride takes low traffic roads

from Hinesburg to Bristol. Those doing the short loop (27 miles) can stop at the Bristol Bakery for an out and back but those on the longer loop will loop through New Haven and Bristol.

Meet at 8:45 a.m., Clifford Lumber, Route 116. Leader is Karl Garen, kgaren@gmavt.net.

Sunday, July 31 Covered Bridges of Franklin

and Lamoille County: The hilly 41-mile loop goes through Eden and Johnson, while the 55-mile ride passes more covered bridges in Montgomery Center, returning through Bakersfield.

Meet at 8:45 a.m., Jeffersonville Fish and Wildlife Access (just north of the route 15 and 108 intersection. Leader is Phyl Newbeck, phyl@together.net.

Page 12 • June 23, 2022 • The Citizen

Scientists struggle to track elusive southern bog lemmings The Outside Story Tiffany Soukup If you’ve never seen — or heard of — the southern bog lemming, you’re not alone.

Although this small mammal scurries through our landscape year-round, it is elusive by nature.

So elusive, in fact, that the southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) is listed as a species of greatest conservation need in both New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as in other northeastern states — mainly because scientists struggle to find and track these rodents.

Despite their name, southern bog lemmings are not purely southern, nor do they live only in bogs. They inhabit a large geographic range, from Manitoba east to the Atlantic Ocean and as far south as North Caroli-

na. Regional populations live in different types of habitats, from prairie grasslands to areas featuring more sedges.

In the Northeast, they have been documented living in tamarack-black spruce forests and dwarf shrub bogs.

The southern bog lemming closely resembles both the meadow vole and the northern bog lemming. Two key attributes that distinguish it from the meadow vole are the lemming’s orange, grooved upper incisors and a short tail that is typically no longer than the lemming’s hind foot.

Southern bog lemmings also have longer fur than voles, and their heads are bigger relative to body size. The northern edge of the southern bog lemmings’ geographic range overlaps with that of the northern bog lemming.

The two species are so similar that

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they can only be distinguished by the number of mammae and tooth structure.

In some areas, southern bog

lemmings create surface runways in grassy conditions. They use their sharp incisors to cut grasses, allowing adjacent stalks to fall

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over and form concealed corridors of safety. In northeastern forests, southern bog lemmings also utilize subterranean tunnels, as well as tunnels through sphagnum moss in boggy areas.

Within this network, southern bog lemmings construct chambers for raising young. They build nests of dry leaves and grasses and line these with soft material such as fur. Breeding can occur any time of year, although it is less common in extreme heat or very cold temperatures. Females produce two to three litters annuSee THE OUTSIDE STORY on page 13

If it’s important to you or your community look for it in The Citizen.

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The Citizen • June 23, 2022 • Page 13

THE OUTSIDE STORY continued from page 12

ally with an average of three young per lemmings. During population booms, litter. Born hairless and pink, neonates however, when more snowy owls push remain with their mothers for 21 days. south, they add southern bog lemmings Subsequent litters will be raised in the to the menu. Red and gray foxes, hawks, same nests. domestic dogs and cats, weasels, badgers, The lemmings’ diet is mostly vegetar- snakes, raccoons and bobcats also prey on ian, consisting of seeds, stems and leaves southern bog lemmings. Lemmings are of herbaceous plants and sedges, along adept swimmers and may take to the water with mosses, fungi, bark or roots. Their to both escape danger and travel to new grooved upper incisors and strong jaws feeding territories. allow southern bog lemmings to consume I was delighted to learn about this SHELBURNE DAY woodier tissues than other species, includ- charming little mammal, and I am keeping face painting. ing voles. They cut stems rare glimpse of the continued from page to 4 gain access my eyes peeled for aTowards the end, the Charlotte-Shelto the nutritious upper parts of the plants, southern bog lemming, then discard the stems in small, neat piles. burne-Hinesburg Rotary invites folks to One tell-tale sign of southern bog Tiffany Soukup is a writer, photogShelburne Historical Society have a head to manager the Little lemming presence is their bright green, will rapher, traveler and park with League field next to oval droppings, the animals depos- Penar Vermontwill State Parks. display andwhich president Dorothea the The Fireillustration Stationforfor the annual Rotary it in clusters. In contrast, the droppings of this column is by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food ven- Golf Ball Drop and a chance to win prizes other small mammals are generally black The Outside Story is assigned and edited round out the event with everything depending on where the numbered balls ordors brown.

by Northern Woodlands magazine and Many predators eat southern bog sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund from coffee and lemonade to burgers and land. Proceeds from ticket sales help fund lemmings. These include snowy owls, of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundacreemees.

Kids will largely enjoy ofmeeting animals whose Arctic diet consists true tion, nhcf.org. Rotary’s many projects through the year.

from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and

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Page 14 • June 23, 2022 • The Citizen

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The Citizen • June 23, 2022 • Page 15

CROSSWORD

ARIES

LEO

March 21 - April 20 Friendships are worth their weight in gold, Aries. That is good news considering you could make an important friend this week but only if you put yourself out there.

TAURUS

July 23 - Aug. 23 A particular person may play a key role in your life today, particularly as he or she interacts with forces at work.

There is a chance for this relationship to grow, Leo.

VIRGO

April 21 - May 21 You just may be at your best this week, Taurus. Others will take notice of this immediately. Work finally begins to pay off, and it’s a good time to begin a project.

GEMINI

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22 You have made a decision to get your life in order, Virgo. This week marks the first steps toward that goal.

Accept help when it is given for an additional leg up.

LIBRA

May 22 - June 21 There is something waiting for you in the great outdoors, Gemini. You have to gather the gumption to go out there and find it. You will have plenty of opportunities this week.

CANCER June 22 - July 22 Cancer, something impressive takes hold of your attention,and then you can’t get it out of your mind. This could be the inspiration you need to start something new.

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23 Let your artistic side out to play, Libra. It’s not something others play witness to that often, but you can be quite imaginative when you set your mind to it.

SCORPIO Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 Scorpio, family matters may not be cut and dried, but that doesn’t mean they have to be challenging. Enjoy things that are not run-of-the-mill, especially with the family.

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 An exchange that takes place this week could have long-lasting after effects, Sagittarius. You won’t know the particular event in advance, so enjoy the anticipation.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 Sometimes change only requires transforming the way you look at things, Capricorn.

Try to see your daily life in a new light and maybe you’ll be more satisfied with it.

AQUARIUS Jan. 21 - Feb. 18 Get in touch with your desires and goals this week, Aquarius. Your plan and focus may have changed and you might need to realign your approach in this new direction.

PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 Let go of some of the patterns in your life that simply aren’t working, Pisces.

You’ll free up plenty of time for new pursuits.

CLUES ACROSS 1. Half-conscious states 8. Unnatural 13. Deep regret 14. Rogue 15. Took without permission 19. An alternative 20. After B 21. Partner to “flowed” 22. The best day of the week (abbr.)

23. Helps you hear 24. Egyptian river 25. Lake __, one of the Great 26. Make free from bacteria 30. Indigenous peoples of central Canada 31. Sanctuaries in Greek temples 32. Most unclothed 33. NJ senator Booker 34. Tibetan lake 35. Desecrate something sacred 38. John __, English educator l467-l5l9 39. Obtains in return for labor

40. Views 44. Rugged cliff 45. Not quiet 46. Body part 47. Newt 48. German city 49. A way to save money 50. NBC’s Roker 51. Dire Straits frontman 55. Actress Lathan 57. Most meager 58. Poems 59. Companions

17. The skill to do something 18. Where golf games begin 22. Untethered 25. Print errors 27. The sport of engaging in contests of speed 28. Ones to look up to 29. Stringed instrument 30. Gives whippings 32. Type of tie 34. Make more CLUES DOWN concentrated 1. Draws over 35. Die 2. Recur 36. Part of a winter hat 3. Current unit 37. Young men’s club 4. Neither 38. Bathrooms need it 5. Certified Radio 40. U.S. president Operator (abbr.)

41. American novelist 6. Power of perception 42. Take into custody 7. Peace 43. Hurts 8. Supplemented with 45. Type of gibbon difficulty 48. American actor Lukas 9. The last section or part 51. Partner to cheese of anything 52. Some are covert 10. Dorm worker 53. Political action 11. Bones committee 12. Most unnatural 54. To and __ 16. Spanish island 56. Atomic #28

ANSWERS

Page 16 • June 23, 2022 • The Citizen

MUDGE

continued from page 1 central Africa, a region that has been mired in violent political conflict for decades.

For much of his professional career, his job has been “us with notebooks out in the field, documenting what group perpetrated what act against civilians ... to bear witness, to document and to follow a prescribed methodology in that documentation.”

So nowadays, when he has discussions with Charlotte voters on some of the state’s and the country’s most-talked-about issues, be it climate change, gun control or civil rights, he can’t help seeing a path forward.

If good work can be done in such a chaotic political climate, then surely progress can be made within relatively stable democratic institutions, he said.

He’s taken a step back from his work with Human Rights Watch in recent years.

He now oversees these teams instead of conducting field work — “young men’s work,” he said.

His teams operate in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Condo, Rwanda and Burundi.

These days, instead of documenting war crimes, he’s overseeing the parameters of new special event and food truck ordinances and working late nights as one of Charlotte’s selectboard members.

He hopes to expand that work this summer by making a run for one of the five new seats in the new Chittenden Southeast Senate district. The new district, along

COURTESY PHOTO

Lewis Mudge, right, conducts interviews on village attacks in the Ouaka Province, Central African Republic.

with Charlotte, includes Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George, Williston, Richmond, Bolton, Jericho, Underhill and South Burl-

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ington.

So he went back to Africa, this time to “Professionally, I can try this new the Congo, where he used his contacts in thing,” he said.

London to begin freelance work.

Mudge was born and raised in MassaHe worked as the field manager for chusetts but has familial ties to Vermont — Interactive Radio for Justice, an organihis grandfather lived in the Upper Valley zation dedicated to creating local radio and his father lived in Thetford. programs that concentrated on internationHe went to school at University of al criminal court proceedings, before joinNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill and worked ing Human Rights Watch. briefly with Habitat for Humanity. He It was in Africa where he met his wife, never envisioned himself working in the and where two of his three children were international sphere, let alone traveling to born. But he’s slowly started to shift Africa. toward a quieter life. He moved to Char“Then, 9/11 happened, and I felt a call lotte in 2016 and later won a seat on the to service,” he said. “But mine was never town’s selectboard. going to be in the military, although I’ve Chittenden County’s new district come to respect the miliprovides a unique opportary — I’ve worked a lot tunity for the smaller “If I lose, I lose. with (United Nations) towns in the area, Mudge peacekeeping missions said, giving a more promBut at least I took and I’ve been in a lot of inent voice to these towns live combat situations, so “who have been living in a crack at it.” nothing but respect.” the shadow of BurlingInstead, he joined the — Lewis Mudge, ton” under the previous Peace Corps at 23 and district layout. went to live in the small Chittenden County Senate candidate South African country of was forced to break up Lesotho in 2002, at the height of the HIV/ its six-seat at-large Senate district after AIDS pandemic when South Africa was this year’s redistricting. The other Senate one of the most afflicted countries in the districts include Chittenden Central with world. three senators and Chittenden North with There, he worked with a nun and helped one. build an HIV/AIDS center that still stands And with the historic turnover in the today. He’s on the center’s board of direc- Statehouse, he sees an opportunity to tors and still chats weekly with the nun. provide a “fresh perspective” in the LegisHe came back to Vermont for a bit, and lature, with more people who might be on then went to the University of London’s the “front end of their mortgages,” as the School of Oriental and African Studies housing and homeless crises continue to and earned a master’s degree in interna- grow. tional politics. After graduating, he lived He’s up against three incumbents, in Manhattan and worked in finance for an Thomas Chittenden, Virginia Lyons and Australian investment bank, the Macqua- Kesha Ram Hinsdale, as well as newcomer rie Group.

Steve May. “But I knew it wasn’t for me,” he said.

“If I lose, I lose,” he said. “But at least “My heart wasn’t into it.”

I took a crack at it.”