The Citizen - 8-17-23

Charlotte selectboard votes no on moving to a town manager

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

During final interviews for a town administrator in Charlotte, four members of the selectboard have officially voted against the idea of moving to a town manager form of government — a looming conversation since a resident-led petition drive in March.

Although their vote does nothing to change the viability of the petition, the decision of the selectboard not to endorse the petition comes at no shock to those pushing for the change.

“There were no surprises at the meeting last night,” Lane Morrison, a resident advocating for the transition, said.

Although petitioners say they aren’t looking to dismantle the selectboard’s power, some board

members have said the petition felt “uncooperative” from the start, especially since it came at a time when the selectboard was attempting to pass a budget.

“Why take the route of the petition while we were in the midst of dealing with that significant challenge rather than coming to the selectboard before going forward with the petition?” board member Kelly Devine asked in May.

Other selectboard members were unhappy about the way residents have gone about promoting the petition. Instead of relying on guidance from the selectboard, residents have rallied their cause on social media and by word of mouth.

“I think this is a good discus-

See TOWN MANAGER on page 13

Hinesburg hires cop to assist ailing Richmond department

COREY MCDONALD

STAFF WRITER

Hinesburg is set to extend its existing contract with the Richmond Police Department to provide administrative services and other “chief services,” and is bringing on a sixth full-time officer on a temporary basis to assist

the neighboring department as it works to rebuild.

An addendum to the contract with the neighboring town that was up for discussion at Hinesburg’s Aug. 16 selectboard meeting — held after press deadline — would have Hinesburg chief Anthony Cambridge and the department perform administrative services

and other functions previously performed by Richmond’s chief of police at a rate of $100 an hour.

Since April, Hinesburg has been providing on-call police services to Richmond as part of an inter-municipal agreement. The rate remains $50 an hour for general coverage — responding to calls and leaving Hinesburg to

respond to them — and $70 an hour for time when officers are actively patrolling in Richmond.

But since the departure of Richmond’s interim police chief, Benjamin Herrick, the department now has zero police officers to patrol, take calls or even file paperwork. The only cop currently employed by the department is on

military leave.

“I see it as the neighborly thing to do — as long as we can do it and it makes sense for us and them, we’re happy to do it,” Hinesburg town manager Todd Odit said. “If we weren’t able to provide them

See POLICE on page 13

COURTESY PHOTO

Join Hank Kaestner and learn how to identify bird species and their habitats in Chittenden County on a birding expedition on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 9 a.m.-noon. The free Charlotte Senior Center program is limited to 20 participants. Register in person, by calling 802-425-6345 or online at charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

‘It’s a bird, it’s a ...’

CCV announces half-priced tuition for in-state students

LILLY KELLER STAFF WRITER

Vermont residents can now get a 50 percent discount on tuition for specific programs at the Community College of Vermont in the 2024 academic year through the Vermont Tuition Advantage Program.

The program, spearheaded by Gov. Phil Scott, aims to offer more education and training opportunities to Vermonters for in-demand jobs. The program offers seven associate degree programs and 14 certified programs, including STEM studies, clinical medical assisting and human services.

For the school’s president, Joyce Judy, the program has been a long time coming.

“It’s our responsibility to make sure that we’re offering the courses and the programs that Vermonters and Vermont businesses need because 95-96 percent of our students are Vermonters, they’re staying here, and they’re not going to move,” Judy said.

Scott proposed the program last December as an economic strategy to assist businesses and Vermonters. Judy said that the program will ensure that job vacancies throughout the state are filled.

“The incentive applies — or the half tuition applies — to those courses and programs that support businesses in high-demand fields,” Judy said. “It’s a win for Vermonters because they’re getting the education they need, and it’s a win for employers because we need (qualified workers) to stay in Vermont.”

As Vermont’s second-largest college, CCV educates more than 10,000 students annually. It provides 12 associate degree programs and 22 career certif-

icate programs. The college is known for being one of the most budget-friendly options in the state, charging $280 per credit for in-state students, compared to the University of Vermont’s $678 per credit.

Although it is surrounded by 21 other colleges within the state, Judy attributes the school’s prosperity to its part-time faculty and number of facilities across the state, including in Morrisville.

“We don’t have a central location, we have 12 different locations that are rooted in their communities, and they mirror their communities,”

Judy said. “One of the things that makes us unique is we have 100 percent part time faculty. The students always compliment and say the faculty is so strong because they have so much practical experience.”

Throughout her 14 years as the president of CCV, along with 26 years prior at the college, Judy has consistently advocated for improved access to higher education. With over 40 percent of CCV’s courses being offered online and at the 12 branches across the state, Judy highlighted the institution’s aim of nurturing committed and engaged learners rather than just focusing on success statistics.

While she can’t solely credit the school’s ongoing success and steady enrollment to its education model, given that community college enrollment has dropped almost 40 percent nationwide since 2010, Judy said that the pandemic and the state’s COVID19 relief fund have allowed many Vermonters to allocate time and funds toward their education.

“What happened during COVID-19 is that there was a lot

of federal money that came in and because it wasn’t necessarily related to employment, the government put a significant amount of money into providing people with the option to go to CCV,” Judy said.

Before the pandemic, Community College of Vermont had 5,104 students — a figure that leaves out students also attending classes at other institutions — enrolled for courses in the fall of 2019. In

2020, that number dropped by just two students. By fall 2022, the enrollment had increased to 5,544 students.

Following a 2021 survey of students who utilized COVID19 funding, Judy found that over 90 percent of those who enrolled during the pandemic did it because they now had the time and money to pursue higher education.

“The tuition advantage

program is in some ways a carryover of that relief fund,” Judy said. “It’s just one of those ways Vermont is continuing to address affordability.”

Current students in eligible programs can access the advantage program through course registration. New students can access the program by contacting their local CCV center and scheduling a new student advising program.

COURTESY PHOTO

Community College of Vermont president Joyce Judy.

“One of the things that makes us unique is we have 100 percent parttime faculty.”

— Joyce Judy

Attract pollinators to your garden with these great native shrubs

BONNIE KIRN DONAHUE

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXTENSION

Adding shrubs to your landscape can have many benefits. After being planted, they can live for many years. They visually ground gardens, adding structure throughout the year. Perhaps most importantly, they can provide food and shelter for small mammals, birds and insects.

Native flowering shrubs also can attract and support pollinators in your garden. There are many fantastic flowering shrubs that you can add that will appeal to pollinators and beneficial insects.

One of my favorites (which makes an appearance in almost every one of my planting plans) is red-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea). Growing over 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, red twig dogwood is a native shrub that thrives in wet and dry conditions and in full to part sun.

Dogwood’s red twigs bring color to the bland winter landscape and attract pollinators to its white flowers in spring. Fruits from this shrub are also attractive to birds. Red twig dogwood’s roots are strong and can help prevent erosion and stabilize slopes.

Willows such as pussy willow (Salix discolor) are great bank stabilization plants. They are one of the earliest shrubs to flower, so they provide a great service at a time with limited food options for pollinators.

Pussy willows can be trimmed as shrubs or allowed to grow into small multi-stem trees, growing 6 to 15 feet tall and 4 to 12 feet wide. Their wispy foliage provides a unique texture to the garden. They prefer medium to wet soils, and full to part sun.

Another excellent pollinator plant for the garden is viburnum.

American Cranberry Bush (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) has

showy, white flowers in the spring, growing 8 to 12 feet tall and wide. Its brilliant red berries are edible for birds and people alike. This pollinator shrub prefers full sun to part shade and medium soil moisture.

A native spiraea, steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa), has pink, upright plumes that grow up to 5 feet tall. Steeplebush prefers moist soils and full to part sun. Seen in the wild, this spiraea and its relatives (Spiraea alba and Spiraea tomentosa) are excellent pollinator plants that would be a unique addition to the home garden. There are many more wonderful, native shrubs that attract pollinators. Check out go.uvm.edu/ garden-resources for more plant ideas.

Bonnie Kirn Donahue is a UVM Extension master gardener and landscape architect from central Vermont.

PHOTO BY BONNIE KIRN DONAHUE

The American Cranberry Bush has showy, white flowers in the spring, and edible red berries in fall, making this an attractive pollinator plant for the garden.

Hinesburg Police Blotter: Aug. 1 - 14

Total incidents: 96

Traffic stops: 28

Arrests: 1

Aug. 1 at 11:50 a.m., officers attempted to serve court paperwork on Hollow Road.

Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m., a resident on Commerce Street was helped with their disabled vehicle.

Aug. 2 at 8:25 p.m., an officer investigated what turned out to be a fraudulent report of assault.

Aug. 2 at 8:53 p.m., officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Shelburne Falls Road.

Aug. 3 at 6:25 a.m., a 911 hangup was made from Hayden Hill West.

Aug. 3 at 10:25 a.m., police conduced a welfare check on Richmond Road.

Aug. 3 at 2:20 p.m., officers investigated suspicious activity on Richmond Road.

Aug. 3 at 5:45 p.m., a domestic dispute on Mountain Spring Court was investigated.

Aug. 5 at 9:45 a.m., officers responded to Green Street for the report of an intoxicated male causing a disturbance.

Aug. 5 at 11:58 a.m., officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Kailey’s Way.

Aug. 5 at 12:01 p.m., a possible home improvement fraud on Pond Road was investigated.

Aug. 7 at 2:35 p.m., an officer investigated the report of

damage to a motor vehicle on Route 116.

Aug. 8 at 9:45 a.m., officers responded to a single-vehicle crash on Pond Road.

Aug. 8 at 12:56 p.m., court orders were served to a resident on Burritt Road.

Aug. 9 at 9:05 a.m., police investigated suspicious activity on Richmond Road.

Aug. 10 at 8:00 a.m., a fraud report was investigated.

Aug. 11 at 9:50 a.m., police conducted a welfare check on North Road.

Aug. 11 at 9:20 p.m., officers responded to Shelburne Falls Road for a report of livestock in the roadway.

Aug. 12 at 12:15 p.m., someone reported an erratic driver on Route 116.

Aug. 13 at 1:15 p.m., an officer investigated a report of an earlier single-vehicle crash on Shelburne Falls Road.

Aug. 13 at 3:38 p.m., a tree fell on North Road. An officer removed the traffic hazard.

Aug. 14 at 5:01 p.m., someone reported a disabled vehicle on North Road.

Aug. 14 at 8:05 p.m., officers responded to a single-vehicle crash on Shelburne Falls Road. Vicki Good, 43 of Bristol, was arrested for driving under the influence, first offense.

Aug. 14 at 10 p.m., a fire alarm activated on Route 116.

Data breach compromises personal information for thousands in state

HANNAH CHO VTDIGGER

A large-scale data security breach has “compromised the personally identifiable information” of an estimated 42,000 Vermonters and over 38 million people across the country, the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation announced late last week.

The breach occurred when a threat actor known as CL0P Ransomware Gang infiltrated the commonly used MOVEit file-transfer software toward the end of May, according to a June 7 advisory issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI have offered a reward of up to $10 million for information about the hacker group.

The state Department of Financial Regulation issued a consumer alert related to the breach on July 19, warning that at least 7,000 Vermonters who held insurance policies with any Genworth North America Corp. affiliate had “certain personal information exposed.”

Since then, 42 more companies have reported data breaches related to the MOVEit file-transfer software, according to a press release. The department said the list is expected to grow as companies continue to report breaches.

Here’s a list of affected companies so far, according to the department:

• Ameriprise Financial

• Athene Annuity and Life Co.

• Bank of Burlington

• Darling Consulting Group

• Elips Life Insurance Co.

• CMFG Life Insurance Co.

• Continental General Insurance Co.

• Corebridge Financial Inc.

• Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Co.

• Fidelity Life Association

• Genworth North America Corp.

• Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Co.

• Illumifin Corp.

• Jackson National Life Insurance Co.

• Lombard International Life Assurance Co.

• Lumico Life Insurance Co.

• Mass Mutual Ascend

• Members Life Insurance Co.

• Manhattan National Life Insurance Co.

• Milliman

• New York Life Insurance Co.

• Northwestern Mutual

• PBI Research Services Inc.

• Progressive Software Services

• Prudential Insurance Co. of America

• RiverSource Life Insurance Co.

• Sovos Compliance LLC

• Starmount Life Insurance Co.

• Sun Life and Health Insurance Co. (U.S.)

• Sun Life and Health Insurance Co. of Canada (U.S.)

• Talcott Resolution Life and Annuity Insurance Co./Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Co.

• TIAA Kaspick LLC

• TIAA-CREF Life Insurance Co.

• Transamerica Life Insurance Co.

• Union Fidelity Life Insurance Co.

• Union Labor Life Insurance Co.

• Union Security Insurance Co.

• United Healthcare Student Resources

• Unum Insurance

• Wilton Reassurance Co.

According to the release, many of these affected companies work with a company called PBI Research Services Inc., which provides third-party services. They include several insurance companies that operate in Vermont.

On its website, PBI said the breach affected a small percentage of its clients who use the MOVEit administrative portal software, resulting in access to private records. No access was gained to PBI’s core systems or software, the company said.

Vermonters whose data was breached should receive a letter from PBI or one of the companies listed above, the release noted. That letter will provide more details about the breach and what personal information was exposed, as well as a code to sign up for identity and credit protection. For more information on the specifics of the breach, consumers can contact PBI or one of the impacted companies.

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

Aaron Calvin Corey McDonald Liberty Darr

Production Manager Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com

Editor/Publisher Gregory Popa gpopa@stowereporter.com

Billing inquiries Leslie Lafountain leslie@stowereporter.com (802) 253-2101

Advertising submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. advertising@thecitizenvt.com classifieds@thecitizenvt.com

Editorial submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. news@thecitizenvt.com

Calendar submission deadline: Friday at 12 p.m. news@thecitizenvt.com

Contact: 1340 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 985-3091

• American General Life Insurance Co.

• American National Group

• Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America

The department encouraged Vermont consumers to “remain vigilant” against identity theft and fraud, to review account statements and to monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity or errors.

Mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus

Mosquitoes collected in Alburgh and Vergennes in late July have tested positive for West Nile virus at the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory.

So far this season, 824 mosquito pools — groups of up to 50 mosquitoes of the same species collected from the same site — have been tested. These are the first detections of West Nile virus in Vermont this year, and there have been no reported human or animal cases of the virus disease this year.

West Nile is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Historically, the virus has been found in all counties of Vermont from June through October, but the risk is highest in late summer and early autumn. Most people who are infected do not have any symp-

toms. Some people will have fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash.

While far less common, few people infected will develop serious illnesses, such as encephalitis. People age 60 and older and those with certain medical conditions are at greater risk for serious illness.

Since 2002, there have been 17 human cases of West Nile virus in Vermont. There have been no human cases of the more deadly eastern equine encephalitis since 2012.

The health department offers these tips to prevent mosquito bites:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors.

• Limit your time outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are more likely to bite.

• Use insect repellent labelled as effective against mosquitoes. The EPA has a tool to help find the right repellent for you. These can also protect you from tick bites.

• Get rid of standing water in places like gutters, tires, play pools, flowerpots and bird baths.

• Mosquitoes breed in water that has been standing more than four days.

• Cover strollers and outdoor playpens with mosquito netting.

• Fix holes in screens and make sure they are tightly attached.

Horse owners should consult with their veterinarians and make sure their animals are up to date on vaccinations for this and other diseases spread by infected insects or ticks.

More at healthvermont.gov.

Letters to the Editor

Newspapers must keep police, officials accountable

To the Editor:

It’s hard to imagine a more important role for the local newspaper — any newspaper — than covering the police.

The police are gun-carrying enforcers of the law. They can be intimidating, even scary. More so nowadays. The days of Mayberry are long over. Abuses of law enforcement’s immense power are well established.

We all know that feeling when an officer pulls us over and comes up to the window of our vehicle. Things could go very, very wrong. Particularly if you’re poor, or Black, or, for some reason, the officer has a grudge against you or even if the officer is just having a bad day.

So, when the Stowe police chief dismissed an officer recently, and the Lamoille County state’s attorney indicated that the officer’s conduct had been questionable, the newspapers of the Vermont Community Newspaper Group, which publishes The Citizen, did exactly what it must. It sought to find out why.

When the newspaper was denied access to the information and appealed, the town sued the newspaper. The town lost.

It is a small but important victory. As it turns out, the officer in question was “untruthful” in a traffic stop. So, no wonder he was sent packing. And now, other communities where this police officer might seek employment have that valuable information at their disposal. No one else would have stepped up to advocate for openness. That role always falls on newspapers, despite the well-known economic difficulties they face.

The newspaper would have had plenty of reasons to just play along, kowtowing to the town’s obvious desire for secrecy. Tangling with the town’s bigwigs is expensive, might hurt a valuable working relationship, might even be bad for business as bigwigs talk to other bigwigs and use every leverage they have to punish their opponents.

But the newspaper fought for access and information, and it won. Well done.

Biddle Duke Springs, N.Y.

Duke was the former editor and publisher of The Stowe Reporter from 1998-2014.

Champlain Rightway, not Champlain Parkway

To the Editor: I don’t know about you, but I’ve been circling the new roundabout on Shelburne Road in Burlington with ease. Other folks say the same. Wouldn’t it make sense if we had more roundabouts like the ones around Montpelier?

Studies have shown that roundabouts are safer than traditional stop sign or traffic signal-controlled intersections. They also reduce delays and improve traffic flow. Contrary to many peoples’ perceptions, roundabouts move traffic through an intersection more quickly, and with less congestion on approaching roads.

Finally, they are credited with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Champlain Rightway has proposed three roundabouts along the Champlain Parkway plus wider bike lanes and walking paths. One of these roundabouts would occur just before Curtis Lumber on Pine Street and send cars over to Battery Street on the waterfront.

It’s called the Railyard Enterprise Project and has been in the works for years. This route would steer cars away from the densely settled King and Maple neighborhood, disproportionately harming low-income residents and people of color. This is one of the most densely racially diverse communities in the state.

The current project will result in a 37 percent increase in traffic in the MapleKing community. Plus, heavier traffic means higher risk to pedestrian safety. The Racial Justice Alliance opposes the current route through this neighborhood.

Another roundabout would be located in the south end of Burlington where City Market and Flynn Avenue meet. A third roundabout would be located where Pine Street ends at Queen City Park Road.

This dead end will have a major impact on people traveling to and from Burlington. Last summer, a group of residents who live in Queen City Park of South Burlington stood at the corner of Pine Street and Queen City Park Road with a road sign that read, “Pine Street Dead-Ends Here.”

We passed out flyers informing motorists about the plan to dead-end Pine Street to make way for the Champlain Parkway. The drivers said it would be a major disruption. Some didn’t know about the Champlain Parkway and others said, “What’s wrong with the city?”

The Pine Street Coalition supports the Champlain Rightway. They are opposed to the Champlain Parkway because of increased traffic congestion, speed, noise, light pollution, increased air pollution and multiple traffic lights.

Tony Reddington was the mover and shaker behind the Pine Street Coalition. Years earlier, Reddington worked to stop a major highway through Keene, N.H., by using roundabouts as an alternative and his organization won the battle. He died this past year, but his battle for safer highways continues.

The Racial Justice Alliance and the Pine Street Coalition need to continue to fight the good fight to make the Parkway a safer and saner alternative.

As bear, human conflicts rise, here are the bear facts

Guest Perspective

Brenna Galdenzi

It’s tempting to claim that bear populations are exploding in Vermont, but the uptick in bear sightings is largely due to the animals having learned, over time, that food is easily accessible in people’s trash cans, bird feeders and compost.

Bears are changing their home range, and mother bears have taught their young where to find easy pickings in neighborhoods. This knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. Bears have very low reproductive rates and undergo a unique reproductive process called delayed implantation. They don’t become sexually mature until between 3 and 4 years old and females give birth every other year. Cubs stay with their mother for about 16-17 months.

Despite recent research that reveals that hunting and killing bears does not reduce future human and bear conflicts, Vermont has one of the longest bear hunting seasons in the country, including the use of hounds. The official bear hunting season starts on Sept. 1 and runs through the day before the November regular deer season.

In addition to the official

Dog

hunting season, many people are surprised to learn that bears are terrorized by packs of hunting hounds for most of the year, beginning on June 1 — the start of bear hound training season, which runs right through the start of hunting season. Bear cubs are very small this time of year and are especially vulnerable, especially when they’re separated from their mothers by the hounds. The only difference between the bear hunting and training season is that bears may not be shot and killed during the training season.

Approximately 20 percent of Vermont’s bear population has been hunted and killed over the last couple of years. That does not include bears killed outside of the legal season for causing problems with landowners or bears that were mortally injured by hunters and not recovered, which is not uncommon when hunting bears.

This is from Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website: “If you make a poor shot, a wounded bear can run for considerable distances before dying. Heavy bones, hides and fat layers may prevent quick-clotting blood from dripping and leaving a good trail, making an injured bear hard to track.”

A bear was spotted a few

years ago in Waterbury with their jaw partially blown off trying to eat apples under a tree. About half of the bears killed each year are females, which means cubs are orphaned every year. Cubs themselves are also killed each hunting season as there’s no law prohibiting that.

There is also no law prohibiting a hunter from killing a mother bear with cubs. After witnessing a sow with cubs shot and killed last season, a Fayston man presented a petition to fish and wildlife that would prohibit intentionally killing a mother bear with cubs. His petition was met with a lukewarm response, and the department has yet to provide its position. We aren’t hopeful.

Hound hunters use powerful and tenacious breeds like Plott hounds who run miles away from the hounder as they pursue bears, and other wildlife, domestic animals and people for that matter. Bears are often chased from the woods — where we want them — into residential areas and roads, placing not only the animals in danger but also motorists.

Hounders are often miles away from their hounds in their trucks tracking the hounds’ location via handheld GPS devices. These uncontrolled hounds chase bears, sometimes for miles, across private property and into roads, until the desperate animal climbs a tree to escape, at which point the hunter shoots the bear from the tree.

This violent hobby often results in hounds being injured in these dangerous pursuits as well.

The hounds also violate private property rights and cause

disturbances with landowners every year in Vermont. A woman and her leashed puppy were attacked by hounds pursuing a bear on public land in Ripton a few years ago. The hounder didn’t show up to call off the hounds until about 30 minutes after the encounter.

Posting your land against hunting — per Vermont’s onerous posting requirements — offers you the best legal protection against this unwanted activity on your private property. You can post “hunting by permission only” signs if you wish to have control over who gets to hunt on your land. Some of you might’ve already seen this encounter between a well-known hounder and a landowner in Peacham (youtu.be/4LDqBfRmrtg).

The best thing we can do

LETTERS

continued from page 5

Unfortunately, federal judge Geoffrey Crawford recently gave the go-ahead for construction to continue on the Champlain Parkway for a project that has been in the works for five decades. I’m angry that we are building a highway to nowhere — where we’ve already cut down a forest, losing carbon in the process — and plan to run a highway through a poor neighborhood in a

for bears — and humans — is not offer them food, which will encourage them to move along. We see bears every year on our security and trail cameras on our property and never once have the bears caused a problem. They never stay long. We are diligent about bringing garbage to the transfer station and don’t offer the bears any tempting food sources.

Unlike grizzlies out West, black bears generally pose no threat to humans. They’re just trying to survive in a human-dominated landscape with houses being erected in travel corridors that they’ve traversed for years.

Brenna Galdenzi of Stowe is president of the animal advocacy group Protect Our Wildlife.

time when we should know better.

City leaders are complicit in allowing the current design of the Parkway to proceed. It’s as if we are living in the past rather imagining what the future could bring. What can you do? Get involved and support the Champlain Rightway.

Ron Krupp South Burlington

Pet estate planning: What will happen should you die?

Guest Perspective

Dr. Kathleen Shaw

Most pet owners are very aware of their furry friend’s dependence on them and worry about what will happen when they die. Others may be faced with the death of a pet-owning relative or family member who did not have a plan in place for their animals.

There are several options to find homes for these animals and, with some advance planning, you can make sure that your pets have loving forever homes after you die.

First, let’s explore what happens if a relative or close friend dies without a plan in place. Can you or a trusted friend or family member foster the pet while a new home is being found? Perhaps one of these trusted people can be an emergency caregiver for the animal if it is left in the former owner’s house.

Be aware that when an animal has lost its owner, it can be out of sorts and the disruption in routine can make it anxious and

depressed. It may not eat well or act normally, so take that into account when you or someone else is fostering or adopting. Be patient and give lots of tender-loving care. If there is any question, contact a veterinarian.

Consider keeping the pet. If you are determined but do not have experience with pets, your state or local veterinary medical association can provide all the necessary information. Bookstores, libraries and shelters also can point you in the right direction.

You may not want potential adopters to have to fill out a lengthy questionnaire about their ability to adopt, but asking some basic questions in advance will help ensure the pet has a new forever home, rather than being shuffled from place to place because folks did not think ahead.

Things to ask yourself or a potential adopter include whether they have other pets, enough space and the financial ability, time and resources to care for a pet.

A third option is to mention

the pet on the deceased’s memorial site, since many families and friends will visit the site and see that the pet is up for adoption.

Also, contact local veterinarians. Many keep lists of people looking for specific types of pets. Use sites like petfinder.com and adoptapet.com to post the pet and let the community know you have a pet up for adoption. Another suggestion would be to contact a breed-specific rescue group.

As a last resort, contact a local shelter. No one wants to take an animal to the shelter, but if you have exhausted all other avenues, it may be the best chance for the animal to find a home. Shelter workers want to find homes for animals just as badly as you do.

Planning for your own pet

How can you plan for your own animals in the event of your death? First, talk to your friends and family and line up at least one (preferably two or three) emergency caregivers who are responsible and capable of caring for your pets for a few days. They are not necessarily the

ones who will give your pets forever homes, but rather they will care for your pets while a foster or permanent home can be found.

Make sure these emergency caregivers have feeding and care instructions for your pets, contact information for your vet and a key to your house. You will want to make sure the rest of your family, friends and loved ones know how many pets you have, and that contact information for your emergency caregivers is available. Keep this information somewhere in your home that is easy to find, or even in your purse or wallet.

Consider setting up a trust for your pets in your will. A trust is a legal agreement providing for the care of your pet in the event of your death.

With a trust, you set aside money and assign a specific trust-

ee, who takes control of the trust if you die or become unable to care for your pets. Because this is a legally enforceable arrangement, you can rest assured that your directions regarding your pet will be followed.

And don’t forget to check in with your pet care team from time to time. Life situations may change, and you may need to find other people who can take on the responsibility.

With some planning ahead, you can make sure your pets — or the pets of loved ones — are provided for.

Dr. Kathleen Shaw services on the communications committee of the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association, a professional organization of 380 veterinarians dedicated to compassionate animal care and quality medicine.

With a trust, you can assign a specific trustee, who takes control of the trust if you die or become unable to care for your pets.

Young musicians join Potter, Sanders to talk arts in state

Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and singer-songwriter Grace Potter recently hosted a town meeting on the arts in South Burlington with young Vermont artists and Vermonters from across the state. The events featured performances by Potter, as well as up-and-coming Vermont artists Kingdom All Stars, Sound Check and Catherine Viner, a recent Rice High School graduate, pictured top right.

Following the performances, the musicians joined Sanders and Potter for a panel discussion about how to advance the arts in Vermont and create more opportunities for young Vermont artists.

“These are difficult times,” Sanders said. “School boards are being forced to face unacceptable decisions — whether they have enough funds for the arts, for a language teacher, for athletic programs. Some of them are choosing not to have the arts at all. But I think it is pretty clear to all of us — from today and from what we experience in our daily lives and in the daily lives of our children, our families, and our communities — not only should we not be cutting back on the arts, we should be expanding them.”

Added Potter: “It’s time to bring dignity to the teachers and professionals working tirelessly to inspire young generations to explore their creative force. It’s time to build arts programs centered around a purposeful, responsible, inspired society.”

“It’s such a great creative outlet for me,” musician Catherine Viner said. “When I can’t put things into words, I put them into songs. Having the opportunity

to share my music in front of a captivated audience who truly understood and supported the arts was an amazing experience. It gives me hope that as we continue to shed light on the importance of the arts in Vermont, others will feel the support I felt while performing in this event.”

COURTESY PHOTOS

Noted wildlife biologist offers insights into bears

Learn all the essentials about black bears with Ben Kilham, wildlife biologist, bear rehabber and author on Sunday, Aug. 20, 3 p.m., at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro.

Presented by the Greensboro Conservation Commission and the Vermont Wildlife Education Fund, the audience will learn about the lives and habits of the bruins that share our fields and forests. Questions such as mating habits, raising young, the greatest threats to bears, and how we can avoid conflicts.

Kilham has been rehabilitating and releasing injured, orphaned and abandoned black bear cubs brought to the Kilham Bear Center by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department since 1993. The Center receives cubs from New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.

Kilham and his nephew, Ethan Kilham, are the primary bear caregivers. His wife, Debbie helps with the very young cubs. Cubs brought in early spring of one year will be released by New Hampshire Fish

and Game the following spring. They begin their stay in the center’s indoor enclosure and graduate to one of the outside forested enclosures. Being in the forested enclosure provides the cubs with the opportunity to learn and to improve their climbing and foraging skills as they would in their natural environment.

There are natural and man-made dens in the forested enclosure for the cubs to use to hibernate for the winter. When spring arrives and they emerge from hibernation, the center supplements their natural foods so that when the time comes for them to leave, they will be healthy and strong and ready to return to the wild. It is not open to the public as all of the cubs will be returned to the wild and minimizing human contact is required.

Kilham recently collaborated on “Pandas,” an IMAX 3D film recently released featuring the partnership between Kilham and Chinese researchers, who are relying on his expertise to reintroduce rare giant pandas to the wild.

Shelburne Day 2023

Saturday • August 19 • 9-2 • Shelburne Parade Ground

Entertainment

• Local businesses displaying their wares, explaining their services and serving delicious food.

• All your favorite vendors from Shelburne Farmers Market.

• Fun for kids! Take home craft projects, face painting.

Brought to you by Shelburne Business & Professional Association

COURTESY PHOTO

Ben Kilham and an orphaned black bear cub at the Kilham Bear Center in New Hampshire. He will give a free talk to Vermonters on Sunday.

Birds of prey come to Shelburne Day Community Notes

Chamber musicians offer ‘New Sounds from Paris’

All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne hosts the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival

Thursday, Aug. 24, at noon, with a pre-concert talk at 10:30 a.m.

Musicians will perform a program of “New Sounds from Paris” featuring the works of Ravel, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Debussy, and featuring Soovin Kim, Paul Watkins, the Parker Quartet, and more.

All Souls is located at 419 Bostwick Road. More at lccmf.org

August programs at Charlotte Senior Center

The Charlotte Senior Center hosts a variety of special events in August. More information at charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

• Walking and gentle hiking group, Thursday, Aug. 17

Enjoy Button Bay State Park. Meet at 9 a.m. in the parking lot

at Charlotte Senior Center. Bring sunscreen, bug spray and water. Questions? Contact Penny Burman at 916-753-7279.

Registration required.

• Play reading, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2-4:30 p.m. With Sue Foley and Wally Gates. No tryouts, no rehearsals, no critical reviews. The group meets monthly and is for people who enjoy reading plays aloud or

See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 11

Le af Pe ep ers

GUIDE TO FOLIAGE & FUN

The roads are overflowing with peepers looking for great shopping, things to see and do, and places to dine in or take out. Let us help you reach the tens of thousands of visitors who come to play in the mountains surrounding Stowe, Cambridge and Morrisville and to explore the gorgeous Lake Champlain Valley and beyond.

COURTESY PHOTO

On Shelburne Day, Michael Clough will bring his birds of prey to the library, Saturday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. Meet hawks, owls and falcons. There is no registration necessary for this event. A scavenger hunt will also be held.

COURTESY PHOTO

Paul Watkins, cellist for the Emerson String Quartet, will perform.

continued from page 10

listening to others perform. Each month a play is selected, parts are assigned, and scripts are distributed. Contact Sue at ssnfoley@ icloud.com with questions.

Homestead offers ‘Writing Historic Fiction’ talk

Ethan Allen Homestead Museum hosts “Writing Historic Fiction” on Sunday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m. with local author Angela Moody.

Moody will provide insight into how one begins to write historic fiction, so the program is ideal for anyone considering writing historic fiction or for those who are curious about the writing process.

Admission is free but donations are appreciated.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, Aug.17, is from 10-11 a.m., Charlotte Senior Center, 212 Ferry Road, and features cavatappi with cheese and Canadian bacon, diced beets, broccoli florets, wheat roll, Craisin and date cookies and milk.

You must have pre-registered by the prior Monday at 802-4256345 or meals@charlotteseniorcentervt.org

The meal on Thursday, Aug. 24, features turkey vegetable burger with sauce, rice with lentils, Brussel sprouts, wheat bread, birthday pound cake and milk.

The meal on Thursday, Aug. 31, features pork loin with sauce, mashed potatoes, spinach, wheat biscuit, apple cake, and milk.

The meal on Thursday, Sept. 7, features chicken marsala with mushroom sauce, diced potatoes, peas and onions, potato roll with butter, pumpkin Craisin cookie and milk.

The suggested donation is $5. Check the website for last-minute cancellations at charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

Shelburne Age Well hosts Grab and Go meal

Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older on Tuesday, Sept. 12.

The meal will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. until noon and are available for anyone 60 or older. Suggested donation is $5.

The menu is Swedish steak with mushroom sauce, seasoned penne pasta, broccoli, wheat bread, vanilla fluff with blueberries and strawberries and milk.

To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com

or 802-503-1107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, Sept. 6. If this is a first-time order, provide your name, address, phone number and date of birth.

If you haven’t yet filled out a congregate meal registration form, bring a completed registration form with you or send one to: Age Well; 875 Roosevelt Highway, Ste. 210, Colchester VT 05446. Forms will be available at meal pick up.

Learn about restaurant tickets to dine at participating restaurants at agewellvt.org.

Shelburne church hosts Red Cross blood drive

Give the lifesaving gift of blood at the Shelburne community blood drive sponsored by St. Catherine of Siena Parish is holding a blood drive Tuesday, Sept. 19, noon-5 p.m., 72 Church St., Shelburne.

To sign up, call 800-733-2767 or visit redcrossblood.org and enter Shelburne to schedule an appointment. Appointments are strongly recommended as walk-ins cannot always be accommodated.

If you are an eligible type O, B - or A - donor, consider making a power red donation. Red blood cells are the most transfused blood component.

Contact Laureen with any questions at lmathon104@gmail.com.

Art from incarcerated artists on display at Rokeby Rokeby Museum’s new seasonal exhibition, “Finding Hope Within: Healing & Transformation through the Making of Art within the Carceral System,” features a gallery talk Sunday, Aug. 20, at 1 p.m., at the museum in Ferrisburgh.

The show displays artwork created by incarcerated artists through collaboration between an artist on the “inside” and an allied artist on the outside who may have access to a wider range of mediums and tools. Each piece speaks to the ideas of healing, forgiveness and growth.

The show runs through Oct. 14.

Munch is Monday at senior center lunch

The next Monday Munch at the Charlotte Senior Center is Aug. 21. 6, 212 Ferry Road, 11:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. The menu is Pizza, side salad and brownies with ice cream.

The munch on Aug. 28 features pulled chicken sliders, baked beans, cole slaw and ice cream. will be announced.

A $5 donation is appreciated.

Check the website in case of last-minute cancellations at charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

Waterfowl hunts

Hinesburg articulatesatitsarticlesMeetingTown

Votingforzero–andzeroopposed

Merrymac Farm: a sanctuary for all

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

“I don’t really half-ass anything and I don’t think my team does either,” Era MacDonald, owner and operator of Merrymac Farm Sanctuary, said as she leaned against a pile of hay, her warm voice and laughter lulling the nearby goats into a peaceful sleep.

The farm on Lime Kiln Road, a rural dirt road in Charlotte, is home to nearly 80 animals of all different varieties and breeds — pigs, sheep, horses, ducks, goats, chickens, donkeys and bunnies — each carrying with them their own unique story of how they reached the sanctuary.

For MacDonald, Merrymac Farm is an extension of her natural born instinct to help animals and her sixth sense ability to communicate with them. Wherever MacDonald goes, there is sure to be a long line of farm animals following behind her, weaving in and out of her legs, waiting for a loving pat on the head.

“I’ve always been a huge animal lover and I was always bringing animals home. I’m not really like Doctor Doolittle, but sort of,” she joked as she put out her hand toward a pig named Eli. “I really am a stray magnet.”

The mission of the animal sanctuary is to provide abandoned animals with permanent, healthy homes where they can live free of abuse or cruelty, while also providing education for the local and broader communities about the well-being of animals and to promote a culture of equity between animals, people and the planet.

“I’ve always at the heart come back to education,” she said. “The only way that I feel like we can make some change in the world is to educate, letting people see animals that they don’t usually get to see in a world where they’re not being raised for meat or being used for some purpose. They get to just live here.”

Although the farm has been running as a nonprofit sanctuary for less than a year, the group has been part of the rehabilitation process for two of the most widely recognized neglect cases seen this year.

The first situation concerned the deplorable living conditions for a group of baby goats at a farm in Charlotte last year.

“Our goats came in from the Charlotte case,” MacDonald said. “They have what’s called CAE (caprine arthritis encephalitis). These goats in the normal goat

world would be put to sleep.”

The goats that Merrymac Farm received were in such severe condition with foot rot and other diseases that they were forced to regularly walk on their knees.

“You’re only going to get that if you live in such deplorable, gross conditions,” she said.

The second case happened just last month when two severely starved horses, Honey and Romeo, were rescued from Leicester, a situation MacDonald and vets on site said was the worst starvation case they had ever seen.

“The ranking of starvation goes from one to nine and basically below one, you’re dead. Honey was a one. Realistically she probably was like a point three, but they don’t do that,” MacDonald said. “Romeo was a two and a half. They both had heart murmurs and they both were severely dehydrated.”

Even though the horses now remain in the farm’s care, the road to recovery is just as difficult and worrysome as the first day they arrived on the farm.

“You can kill them by rehydrating them too quickly,” she said. “You can kill them by giving them salt. You can kill them by feeding them too quickly. So your instinct is always to help things and feed them right away but the whole process is a very slow process.”

With the help of a vet and steady rehabilitation efforts, Honey and Romeo are both gaining weight, but MacDonald said they’re not out of the woods yet.

“The last few nights are the first nights I’ve actually almost slept through the night,” she said last week. “Yesterday morning was the first day I came out here and Honey had some shavings on her body and I think that she laid down and actually got up on her own.”

A sanctuary for everyone

The farm runs with the help of minimal staff and a whole lot of volunteers. It’s a true labor of love, not just from MacDonald but also those who help out with everyday maintenance.

With dozens of volunteers funneling in and out every month, MacDonald said that there are multiple times a week some volunteers come in just for their own mental health.

“It’s become not only a sanctuary for animals, but it’s sort of a sanctuary for people as well,” she said. “We have a lot of volunteers in their 60s and 70s, and I’m always

COURTESY PHOTOS

Honey, just days after being rescued, gets initial care from the team at Merrymac Farm Sanctuary.

continued from page 1

with coverage, they’d be really relying on the state police, and because of their staffing issues they just can’t provide the same level of coverage that we can.”

Hinesburg is hiring one of its part-time officers to a “temporary, full-time position” to give the department the bandwidth to cover both towns, Odit said.

Cambridge says they’re now covering Richmond the same hours they cover Hinesburg — 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. seven days a week — unless the department only has one officer working, which would limit the department to just Hinesburg.

Without any cops in-house, Richmond continues to search for a permanent or interim police chief “to help us through some current issues and help us rebuild the department,” Josh Arneson, Richmond’s town manager, said at the town’s Aug. 7 selectboard meeting.

Richmond has for the past several weeks been continuing its police chief hiring process by reaching out to previous candidates “that were either offered a second interview or offered a first interview but initially declined.”

One of the original candidates reached back out, Arneson said.

“I think it gives Richmond some options and we’ll surely ask in the interview process about rebuilding a department, but also

TOWN MANAGER

continued from page 1

sion about going to a town manager or not,” member Louise McCarren said in April. “But I am very unhappy with the way it has been brought forth.”

Although petitioners have had enough votes to force a town-wide vote since March, at the request of the selectboard the group agreed to hold off so the board could gather information through a series of meetings, the hiring of a consultant and by seeking legal advice. Members would then take a vote to support the petition or not.

On Monday night, board members Louise McCarren, Jim Faulkner, Frank Tenney and Lewis Mudge all voted to not hold a vote on the town manager question. Devine was not present at the meeting.

“I think this was a great initiative by this group,” Mudge said. “I look forward to seeing how it plays out and I’ve learned a lot, but right now, due to some unknown factors and things we just don’t know yet about how this process would unfold, I am not in favor of moving forward with a town manager.”

Just weeks ago, the group was

a potential merger and police sharing with Hinesburg,” he said.

The recent update to the contract reflects a deepening relationship between two towns and their police departments. Both sides have for the past year been

in discussion to merge into one — which would mark the first time two municipalities in Vermont created a shared department. That, however, has been put on hold for now, as Hinesburg awaits the release of its public

safety strategic plan — a roadmap for the town’s overall vision for its fire, police and possible ambulance services.

Town officials say that will be released later this month.

For now, the continued coop-

eration gives Hinesburg “an opportunity to see how one department covering two towns could work,” Odit said. “I think it’s beneficial to us (and) it’s beneficial to Richmond at this point.”

forced to revise its original petition after learning that state statute requires a town manager to also be the town’s road commissioner — an elected position that has been held by resident Hugh Lewis Jr. for more than 25 years.

Morrison told the selectboard Monday night that they have successfully gathered 170 signatures and plan to drop the new petition to the town clerk on Monday. Per state stature, with the creation of a charter, the town must hold a vote by Australian ballot at town meeting in March.

If approved, the charter would then need to move to the Legislature for approval — a process that Charlotte Rep. Chea Waters Evans said may not take as much time as previously thought.

“The best example I can come up with is Charlotte’s previous town charter,” she said at Monday’s meeting. “It was intro-

duced to the House on March 29, 2016, and it was signed by the governor on May 17, 2016.” Although the selectboard is required to warn multiple hearings prior to the town meeting vote, Morrison said the group is planning to develop its own marketing plans to educate the public.

“We, the committee, are going to develop a communication plan,” he said. “Over the next several months, they must have hearings and they could make some technical changes to our petition. But then our committee plans to have a couple of sessions where we invite the public to hear our side of it. We’re going to figure out in a couple of weeks how we want to market our position.”

Candidates being interviewed for the town administrator position are aware that Charlotte might switch to a town manag-

er, and the selectboard reassured petitioners and residents that it will work with the candidate to ensure a smooth transition.

“The good stuff is that this committee has been pretty flex-

Join

ible,” selectboard chair Jim Faulkner said. “They could have dropped this three months ago. You got seven months to do all due diligence to see if there’s something that really will work.”

SHELBURNE

Shelburne’s Highway Department has an immediate opening for a full-time Mechanic/Truck Driver. This position is responsible for the maintenance of all Town vehicles and other machinery and equipment. The successful candidate will also operate trucks and other equipment, in addition to plowing snow.

A high school diploma or equivalent and five years of experience; CDL or the ability to obtain a CDL; Vermont State Vehicle Inspection License; and background check are required. A full job description is available at http://www.shelburnevt.org/237/Human-Resources. Salary range $28-$30/hr., generous benefit package, vacation and sick time, and paid holidays.

Submit resume or application to: Susan Cannizzaro at scannizzaro@shelburnevt.org. Equal Opportunity Employer

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

A Monarch caterpillar travels down a stem on tree in Mt. Philo State Park.

“The good stuff is that this committee has been pretty flexible. They could have dropped this three months ago.”

— Jim Faulkner

zen center yard sale

RABIES BAIT

continued from page 2

The week-long bait drop is a coopera tive effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal disease.

saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost al ways fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after

So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their nor mal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild

RABIES BAIT

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its

continued from page 2

The week-long bait drop is a cooperative effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal disease.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its

saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost al ways fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal.

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

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According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

SHELBURNE DAY

continued from page 4 face burne-Hinesburg head the Golf depending land. Rotary’s

Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and

SHELBURNE DAY

continued from page 4 face burne-Hinesburg head the Golf depending land. Rotary’s

Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food ven dors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and

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ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Do not ght your emotions over the next few days, Aries. You need to embrace your feelings or you might not grow in your relationships. Show everyone the true you.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, capture all of your great ideas on paper or in digital form to refer to later on. You’re feeling creative right now, and soon you can turn this into projects that have legs.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Time isn’t on your side right now, Gemini. You may wonder how you can add hours to the day, but you must make due with the time you have.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

Cancer, you are seemingly more irresistible than ever before and you’re not quite sure what to do about this newfound attention. You may want to retreat, but enjoy the limelight.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Leo, roll with whatever energy you feel coming off of the people around you. If everyone is subdued, then take that cue. If others are revved up, then you will want to light your own re.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Hush your inner critic, Virgo. You are doing the best possible job you can at this time. You’re simply too hard on yourself and you need to cut yourself some slack.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

People do not operate as ef ciently when they are running on fumes caused by stress, Libra. It’s time to slow down and let others handle things for a change.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, lately you have taken on the role of project manager and it ts you perfectly. Even though you’re juggling multiple tasks and details, somehow things will work out ne.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

You’re usually content being the world explorer, Sagittarius. However, lately you nd the most comfort sticking closer to home. Do whatever makes you happy.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Capricorn, fantasy keeps moving closer to reality for you this week. Don’t count out any of those dreams you have been having as they may be inspiration for new plans.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

You cannot help being unusually focused on all of the little details, Aquarius. It could be a way to quiet your mind, which has been running nonstop for a few weeks.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

This could be your chance to indulge a little more, Pisces. Whether it’s a big purchase or a night out on the town, do not resist the opportunity to get out and have fun.

CLUES ACROSS

1. Civil rights organization

5. Calendar month (abbr.)

8. Monetary unit of Burma

11. Twyla __, US dancer

13. Everything included

14. “Antman” actor Rudd

15. Italian city

16. Nowhere to be found

17. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls

18. Turkish of cer

20. Perform on stage

21. Ribosomal ribonucleic acid

22. Canadian coastal provinces

25. Furnishes anew

30. Edible mollusk

31. No seats available

32. Garden gurine

33. Two-legged support

38. Rest here please (abbr.)

41. In a silly way

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

43. One from the Golden State

45. Photographers

48. Native religionn in parts of China

49. Dickens character

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 ll each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can gure 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!

50. Brodway actress Daisy

55. Ancient Greek sophist

56. Undivided

57. Daniel __, French composer

59. Nocturnal S. American rodent

60. Rusty

61. Jewish spiritual leader

62. Patti Hearst’s captors

63. Popular global holiday (abbr.)

64. Tall, slender plant

CLUES DOWN

1. Defunct US energy company

2. Fellow

3. It’s issued from volcanoes

4. Type of acid

5. Winged nut

6. Arouses

7. Things are served on it

8. San Diego ballplayer

9. Currency and a Chinese dynasty

10. __ mater, one’s school

12. Exclamation that denotes disgust

14. Hairstyle

19. Supreme ancient Egyptian god

23. They __

ANSWERS

24. Connecting line on a map

25. Mock

26. One point north of due east

27. Chinese philosophical principle

28. Type of tree

29. Persuade to do something

34. A place for travelers to rest

35. National Gallery of Art designer

36. Panamaniaan province

37. Field force unit (abbr.)

39. Whalers’ tool

40. Simply

41. Nigerian City

42. Not one

44. Obstruct

45. Political plot

46. Manila hemp plant

47. Dough made from corn our

48. Fishes by letting the bob y

51. Swiss river

Plant that makes gum

A French abbot

One point east of northeast

Get free of

MERRYMAC

continued from page 12

like, ‘Look, if you’re having an off day, or your body doesn’t feel like it, you can clean stalls, just come and bring your coffee and spend time.’”

She’s learned that although the animals on the farm need lots of care and attention, more often than not, people come in because they need the animals too.

“There were teenagers last year that were coming from Champlain Valley Union just to sit,” she said. “Life was telling them that they needed to come be with the goats and, of course, the goats needed them.”

State process

As far as the state process regarding animal neglect and cruelty, it is slightly more complicated, said MacDonald.

“The game wardens or the police cover it,” she said. “Basically, it comes down to calling 911.”

Each county or town has an animal control officer to investigate cases of neglect, but the posi-

tions are oftentimes on a volunteer basis and if they are paid, it is very minimal.

“It’s a dangerous job, honestly,” she said. “It’s not a sought-after job, because you’re literally knocking on someone’s house to like, ‘Do you have a dog license for your dogs?’ Or, ‘Are you feeding your dogs?’ You’re not a law enforcement person, you are a volunteer or minimally paid person that we should all be grateful that anyone wants to do.”

For MacDonald, she said the first steps to implementing change is statewide education, awareness and mustering support from residents. She said she is aware of multiple grassroots projects calling upon the Legislature to make needed changes.

“The Honey case has proven that people absolutely care about the welfare and the awareness of cruelty to an animal,” she said. “People have come out of the woodwork to support her.”

FARM

Each county or town has an animal control officer to investigate cases of neglect, but the positions are often volunteer or poorly paid.

PHOTO BY ERA MACDONALD

One of the many volunteers at Merrymac Farm Sanctuary monitors Honey’s eating during her first days at the sanctuary. This became a regular task for volunteers since too much food and water could have been detrimental to the horse’s health.