Shelburne News - 1-19-23

Officer’s use of force violated Shelburne department policy

Internal review calls behavior ‘unreasonable’

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

The Shelburne Police Department’s internal investigation into Cpl. Jon Marcoux found that he violated four department policies following his use-of-force incident last year while arresting a teenager.

The internal investigation, conducted by Sgt. Josh Flore over several months last year, found he violated the following policies: abuse of authority, use of force, conduct unbecoming and failure to follow department rules.

The investigation stems from an incident that occurred Jan. 23, 2022, when Marcoux elbowed a teenage girl in the chin after she

had spit on him. Video footage of the incident was released this month following a public records request by the Shelburne News.

“De-escalation by Cpl. Marcoux in this case was non-existent and directly impacted the outcome of the situation leading to an unreasonable use of force,” Flore concludes in his report, which provides further details of the incident. “Both parties report the strike in the back of the cruiser as being reactionary in nature due to Cpl. Marcoux being spit on. While this may be the case, we, as police officers, have the responsibility and the training to overcome the urge to be reactionary.”

Racist TikTok post prompts two schools to protest CVU game

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Two Champlain Valley Union High School girls’ basketball games were postponed — one by Rice Memorial High School and another by Burlington High School — after students at the schools learned of a social media video that a CVU player posted last month that included racist language.

Champlain Valley Union High School principal Adam Bunting, in

an apology letter to students, said that in December, “a student-athlete on the CVU varsity girls’ basketball team made the terrible decision to follow a TikTok trend and post a video that was racially insensitive at best.”

The video has since been taken down. The student “made the video with a family member who is a person of color,” Bunting said, and “she wrongly believed it was okay to post something that used

PHOTO BY MIKE IRELAND

Mike Ireland of Shelburne recently captured this photograph of two bobcats in his yard. Reader submitted photos are always welcome

Shelburne woman sings with youth opera group

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Although she has been singing for most of her life, Lili Diemer of Shelburne never realized how important classical music is to learning technique until she joined the Youth Opera Company of Vermont.

The Rice Memorial High School sophomore has always had a passion for singing and theater performances and, according to her mother Jill Diemer, “she could literally sing before she could speak.”

She recounted a time when Lili was in kindergarten and “they were doing stations, and she was lost in the Legos just singing and singing. So, this is really in her deeply.”

Lili’s family lineage has strong roots in singing and performances, her mother said. Her grandfather was in the Philadelphia boys’ choir and her grandmother was in a choir with a high school that traveled all over Europe.

“I think she gets some of it from them,” she said.

Although she has been involved with musical performances since a young age, Lili Diemer only began singing classical music with the Youth Opera Company of Vermont last March.

“I just had never really done classical music before and I feel like that’s like the fundamental (part) of everything,” said Diemer. “I wanted to step out of my comfort zone.”

Youth Opera Company was

founded in 2019 by Sarah Cullins with a mission to help young singers in the multidisciplinary art form with training in language, vocals, music and acting, Cullins said.

“Part of the mission is really helping in training and giving opportunities to our participants,” she said. “But the other half of our mission is really reaching out to the community and offering our talents, music and joy to members of the community.”

Diemer explained that opera differed from other forms of music and the practice has broadened a variety of new skill sets. From learning voice vibrato to utilizing the appropriate muscles while singing, Diemer explained that the company — specifically Cullins — has brought her performances to new heights.

“It goes hand-in-hand with strength training because we use a lot of muscles that a lot of singers don’t realize we use and Sarah really tries to focus on that while we’re singing,” said Diemer. “Sometimes when I wake up the next day certain muscles around my ribcage are sore. That’s how you know you’re singing properly.”

On top of training from classes with Youth Opera Company, she also has solo lessons with Cullins to perfect technique and learn Italian.

“There’s a lot of work that each singer needs to do on their own to prepare their voice to memorize Italian,” said Cullins. “We spend the first couple of weeks really

focused on learning what’s called lyric diction in Italian. We learn the symbols for the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is really helpful for learning a symbol that represents a sound to help us remember how everything is pronounced.”

Although Diemer’s first performance was in kindergarten as a dragon in her class’s production of “Mulan,” she still feels the pressure before she performs in front of a big audience. One of her biggest opera performances was this year at the Burlington City Arts New

Year’s Eve celebration, one of the only fully classical programs of the day.

“Our production was called ‘Opera 101: A Day in the Life’ and it was a collection of opera scenes in Italian and in English that we organized together in a story of a day in the life of a typical teenager,” Cullins said. “We told the story of a day at school and daydreaming in class, going to debate, going to the nail salon after school, helping a friend in need with some love advice.”

Diemer sang in the salon scene

with a youthful twist to ‘Una donna a quindici anni, Così fan tutte’ by Mozart.

“I think one of the most rewarding things is when you’re so scared to do something,” she said. “You just feel so accomplished after, like, ‘wow, I did that.’”

Although opera is all about voice technique, it also encompasses acting skills in order to fully engage the audience. Diemer explained that opera can be hard for people to relate to, and it’s the job of the singer to portray emotions that make the audience feel the essence of the performance, even in another language.

“If you have emotion, people are like, ‘Oh, I get this. This makes sense. I can relate to this,’” she said. “You want to make it relatable, because opera can seem pretty daunting to some people, but we wanted to make it different. So, we made the songs our own.”

The high school student has big aspirations for college and plans to make music a large part of her future. “I definitely want to do it in college, and maybe pursue it as a career. I will definitely continue using the techniques that Sarah taught me. They just really have helped and have continued to make me a better singer,” she said.

The next Youth Opera Company performance will be “An American in Paris” on April 15 and 16 and will showcase opera scenes and songs in French and English.

For information visit youthoperavt.org.

Lili Diemer

COURTESY PHOTO

Lili Diemer performs at Spectacular Spectacular 2022 talent show for kids at Higher Ground.

Chittenden County regional emergency dispatch in limbo

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

The Chittenden County Public Safety Authority (CCPSA), and its efforts to create a regional emergency dispatch, are now in limbo after Colchester told the board they would not be contributing financially this year.

Now, with questions over whether the entity will be able to get a regional operation up and running, the city of South Burlington is mulling whether to continue regional efforts in-house.

“Whether it’s through CCPSA, or just our expert dispatchers providing regional support, we are exploring all of those models with all of our partners,” Jessie Baker, South Burlington’s city manager, said.

Colchester, a partner of the public safety authority since its inception in 2018, failed to authorize the annual funding for the municipal entity in November.

“This was not intended to be a dismissal of the vision of regional dispatch,” Pam Loranger, chair of the Colchester Selectboard, said in a memo to the group. “Rather, it was due to the increased cost which represented a 28 percent increase in our dispatch budget in a year where we are facing unprecedented cost increases due to inflation.”

The authority had requested an additional $463,000 from Burlington, $235,000 from South Burlington, $206,000 from Colchester, $114,000 from Winooski and $128,000 from Williston.

The financial trouble is a familiar one for municipalities involved in the effort: Attempting to generate the capital costs for a regional center, while maintaining their own local dispatch, is a heavy lift for towns relying mainly on prop-

erty taxes.

Burlington has also indicated that it may not be able to contribute financially to the Chittenden County Public Safety Authority.

“CCPSA was trying to get to a standalone regional dispatch center, which required a fair amount of initial capital investment, and which is really the financial hang up — how do you build a whole new system while you’re continuing to operate systems,” Baker said. “You can’t just shut down dispatch for three months while you build a new dispatch center.”

The issue has been considered for decades, but efforts to create a regional dispatch have been under way since at least 2016, when a joint survey committee with representatives from Burlington, Colchester, Essex, Milton, Shelburne, South Burlington, Williston and Winooski conducted a study that “focused on the implementation of studies completed in 1995 and 2000, both of which determined that regional public safety dispatch was possible and desirable,” according to the Chittenden Regional Planning Commission.

The public safety authority was formally launched in 2018 when voters in Burlington, Colchester, Milton, South Burlington, Williston and Winooski all passed the ballot item. It did not pass in Shelburne.

Now, only Burlington, South Burlington, Winooski and Williston remain financially contributing members of the entity.

However, South Burlington officials are committed to regional efforts — even if it begins within its own dispatch and “moves more incrementally” with more than one municipal partner, Baker said during the Chittenden County Public Safety Authority’s Dec. 19

meeting.

“If we are going to take a more incremental approach to providing regional services, the first step of that increment we believe we can provide locally in South Burlington through our existing center,” Baker told the newspaper in an interview. “The plan is to continue our excellent services to South Burlington residents ... and then work with our partners to see who may be interested in in joining us at some point in the future.”

The authority’s board will “not dissolve at this point,” she said. “We are staying connected to one another in the hopes of future plans.”

The entity still has $757,000 in federal money in reserve that has been awarded but not drawn, according to Steven Locke, chair of the Chittenden County Public Safety Authority and South Burlington’s fire chief.

“We have another year or so before we have to finalize, really spending that money,” he said.

Meanwhile, $252,000 in state money was used to purchase equipment. The regional dispatch authority has asked the state to “transfer ownership of that equipment to the city of South Burlington and the city of Burlington to share, and we are awaiting that answer,” he added.

South Burlington’s dispatch is fully staffed, according to police chief Shawn Burke, but still does not reach the city’s goal of having two people on 24/7.

“There’s several hours a day where there’s only one person in our center — but we’ve got we’ve got an eye on two pitches: Does regional actually come to fruition? Or are we doing more of a different arrangement with or without partner agencies here in the city of South Burlington?” Burke said.

District, teachers reach agreement on multi-year contract

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

The Champlain Valley School District has come to an agreement with the teachers union on a new contract, cementing pay increases for the district’s educators for the following two school years.

The agreement, announced on Jan. 13, comes after teachers in the district had been working for roughly six months without a contract.

The new contract retroactively covers the current 2022-23 school year, as well as the following two school years. The contract was ratified by the school board on Jan. 10, and was ratified by the Champlain Valley Education Association the following Wednesday evening.

“After working without a contract for six months, teachers represented by the Champlain Valley Education Association are relieved to finally settle and ratify a successor agreement,” said Lisa Bisbee, the chief negotiator for the Champlain Valley Education Association.

Increases include new money for teacher salaries in the amount

of 5 percent, 6 percent and 4.75 percent for the respective school years. The increase in funding to teacher salaries will go into a pool from which pay increases will be distributed to individual teachers.

The contract stipulates that raises will be based on their level of education and years of experience, according to Bonnie Birdsall, the director of digital learning and communication at Champlain Valley School District.

“Our board is grateful for the collaborative approach we were able to take with the union during the negotiation process,” said school board chair Angela Arsenault. “We thank our teachers for their patience as the two parties worked through the scheduling challenges inherent in planning multiple meetings and — mostly and always — for their unwavering dedication to the students of CVSD.”

Birdsall said the district was pleased with the new contract and “believe(s) it is in the best interest of the students, teachers, and communities of the Champlain Valley School District.”

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Bisbee said the contract will ensure that all teachers see “some increase” to their salaries and added that it “goes a long way toward attracting and retaining teachers in our district given the very tight labor market for educators.”

The district and the union had

previously approved one-year contracts, one in the summer of 2019 covering the 2019-20 school year and another for the following year, which provided a 3.25 percent increase for teacher’s salaries.

“I think both parties are happy that it’s a multi-year contract,”

Birdsall said.

The salary schedule for the newly signed school years has not been released yet, but, according to the 2021-22 contract, a teacher with less than four years of experience would be set to make anywhere from $45,492 to $56,410, depending on the level of education.

Shelburne Police Blotter

Total reported incidents: 54

Traffic stops: 36

Warnings: 24 Tickets: 18

Medical emergencies: 22 Mental health incidents: 1 Suspicious incidents: 8 Domestic incidents: 1 Agency assists: 6 Citizen assists: 9

Welfare check: 2

Automobile incidents: 1 Car crash: 1

Theft: 1 Fraud: 2 Harassment: 1 Alarms: 2 Pending investigations: 4

Jan. 9 at 8:43 a.m., a caller reported a domestic disturbance between a mother and daughter. Police helped to mediate the dispute.

Jan. 9 at 8:14 p.m., a man was yelling in the parking lot of

the T-Bird Motel. Officers found the man, who was injured, and called EMS. He was transported to the hospital.

Jan. 9 at 11:50 p.m., someone told police they were receiving threatening calls and text messages. The case is under investigation.

Jan. 10 at 2:44 p.m., a fraud complaint was taken for a Boulder Hill Drive resident, and the case is under investigation

Jan. 10 at 6:06 p.m., a two-car crash was reported on Shelburne and Lower Webster roads with injuries. All patients refused transport to the hospital.

Jan. 11 at 10:38 a.m., a retail theft was reported at Kinney Drugs. Officers could not find the individual involved and the case is under inves-

tigation

Jan. 11 at 3:58 p.m., another resident reported a fraud complaint. The case is pending further investigation.

Jan. 15 at 4:13 p.m., an erratic motorist was pulled over on Shelburne Road and Executive Drive.

Jan. 15 at 6:42 p.m., a guest refused to leave his room at Harbor Place, and there was reportedly another guest in the room with a knife and gun, a caller told police. Shelburne and South Burlington police eventually mediated the dispute, and no weapons were found in the room.

Jan. 15 at 10:22 p.m., gunshots were reported by a Sycamore Street resident, but police could not find the source of the noise.

“Teachers represented by the Champlain Valley Education Association are relieved to finally settle and ratify a successor agreement.”

— Lisa Bisbee

OPINION

Fair housing, economic justice: unfinished work of Dr. King

Senate Update

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

Our annual remembrance of the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. affords us many opportunities to reflect on the pursuit of equality as members of our communities, in our state, and across the nation. We often remember MLK’s unifying message in his famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech that our children ought to one day be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

In that speech, however, King began to articulate other dreams that we must still strive to make a reality. Among them was that Black Americans receive a fair shake at accessing housing and economic opportunity. As he states of the post-Emancipation era, “One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. … America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’”

Access to safe housing and stable homeownership remained an integral part of King’s work. In fact, the Fair Housing Act, which prohibited discrimination in the sale and rental of housing, was signed into law one week after his assassination. Today, 55 years later, the act is still in place, but we remain a long way off from

realizing King’s dream of housing for all. While we have achieved victories in equitable and affordable housing, we should remain steadfast in the fight for housing equality.

We are not immune from this fight here in Vermont.

Unfortunately, though often unintentionally, Vermont has the fifth- largest racial homeownership gap in the country. While homeownership for white Vermonters tracks the national average at around 72 percent of families, it is a deeply concerning 21 percent for Black families.

However we got here, this gap must be openly discussed and addressed, especially with 24,000 open jobs statewide and 90 percent of our population growth in the past decade coming from the increase in people of color.

The lack of affordable options like townhouses, duplexes and starter homes have worsened the prospects for young families and newcomers. Black Vermonters are actually worse off than they were 50 years ago, when their state’s homeownership rate was 38 percent. This speaks to an ongoing housing and demographic crisis that is trending in the wrong direction.

As the chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Housing, these figures weigh heavily on my mind. “The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein is prominently displayed and discussed in my committee this year as we write an affordable housing and homeownership bill. I encourage others to read it to better understand how we have

continually failed Black Americans and others in the pursuit of the centerpiece of the American Dream — a place to call home.

It is now up to all of us to make it right — for our Black neighbors, for our young families, for our rural communities and for all Vermonters. Every family deserves not just housing, but a home. Home is where we find warmth and safety, peace and sanctuary. Home is where we gather to celebrate life’s gains and losses, where our children can do their homework uninterrupted, where our grandparents can transmit wisdom.

This work will not be easy; the most meaningful change never is. I leave you with a quote from Dr. King that I return to most often: “Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But, conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one’s conscience tells one that it is right.”

Have a blessed and reflective Martin Luther King Day, and please join me and your other legislative leaders at the Pierson Library in Shelburne on Monday, Jan. 23, from 4-5 p.m. if you would like to continue the discussion.

Kesha Ram Hinsdale, a Democrat from Shelburne, serves the towns of South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Milton, Burlington, St. George, Westford, Underhill, Jericho, Richmond, Winooski, Williston, Essex and Bolton in the Legislature.

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

OPINION

We can do something about Vermont’s health care crisis

Guest Perspective

Deborah Richter, M.D.

Legislative leadership has already laid out their agenda for this session. Despite the dire state of health care for the almost half of Vermonters under the age of 65 who are underinsured, it is clear they have no intention of doing anything meaningful to address the state’s health care crisis.

Underinsured is an abstract idea that is easy to dismiss, but it has serious, potentially deadly real-life consequences. The underinsured have two alternatives when they are sick: Delay care and risk their health or pay for care and risk falling into debt.

Delaying care can cost people dearly. For example, a diabetic with a huge deductible fails to get routine checkups and ends up needing a foot amputation. Or a person with a high fever and shortness of breath waits days to seek care and dies of bacterial pneumonia.

The other alternative, paying for unaffordable care, also costs them dearly. That’s how around 30,000 Vermonters ended up with medical debt turned over to collection agencies, while tens of thousands more are paying down medical bills that have yet to be turned over to collections.

If you want to see what medical debt does to your life, read over some of the stories collected by the state’s health care advocate. Medical debt has dramatic effects on Vermonters’ lives, from ruined credit to skimping on food to postponing retirement. It goes without saying that they’re postponing future medical treatment for fear of running up even more debt.

This kind of choice between a rock and a hard place goes on every day in

Vermont. It amounts to the worst, most unfair kind of health care rationing. Why do we allow it? Here are the excuses we hear from some legislators:

• Excuse No. 1: Because Medicare and Medicaid are federally directed, we can’t change the rules they have in place.

This is simply not true. Waivers of federal rules are common in Vermont and other states. In Vermont, VHAP, Dr. Dynasaur and the all-payer model all operate under waivers of federal rules. Anyone watching the recent circus in Washington knows that we cannot expect a national universal health care system anytime soon.

• Excuse No. 2: We don’t have enough primary care clinicians and expanding coverage would just make this worse.

Again, not true. Implementing universal primary care would be a magnet drawing primary care clinicians to this state. Including all patients in one program — with one set of rules and regulations rather than the hundreds they now face — would vastly reduce the amount of time and effort they are forced to spend on administrative tasks. Few people outside the medical profession appreciate how heavy that burden is now: 15.9 hours a week for family medicine doctors according to a 2020 survey.

• Excuse No. 3: It is too expensive to expand coverage to everyone.

In fact, we already spend more than enough to provide comprehensive care to all Vermonters. That has been shown in study after study. Administrative costs eat up 34 percent of what we now spend and half of which is pure waste. Implementing a universal system would save massive amounts, as much as $1 billion (about $3 per person in the U.S.) according to some studies.

• Excuse No. 4: We need to address the

cost of care before expanding access.

The truth is that we will never be able to make health care affordable until we implement a universal access system. First, keeping people out of the current system is administratively very costly, as discussed above. Second, the current system encourages delayed care, which costs more as people grow sicker.

Note that these arguments against needed reforms are generalities while avoiding real reform inflicts specific and extensive damage on a large portion of Vermonters.

Everyone agrees that health care needs to be fixed. Admittedly it is a gargantuan task to try and fix the entire system at once. Health care is nearly 20 percent of the Vermont economy with big, entrenched stakeholders who exercise considerable influence over what legislation gets moved in the Legislature.

So why not start with a smaller piece:

Universal primary care. That makes primary care — including mental health and substance-use-disorder services — a public good like police protection and firefighting. Commercial insurers would no longer have to pay the cost of primary care and premiums would be reduced accordingly.

Universal primary care is a small but important piece of the answer. It comes with a small price tag for taxpayers — less than 6 percent of total spending — and that is offset by lower premiums. However, it would make an enormous difference. Everyone needs primary care, even healthy people.

Make no mistake, this legislation is within the power of the Legislature. Ask your legislators to support universal primary care.

Dr. Deborah Richter is a practicing family physician in Cambridge. She lives in Montpelier.

Guest

Perspective Jerry D’Amico

There have been many recent commentaries by opponents of regulated trapping in Vermont, in which the authors make numerous misstatements as well as unsubstantiated claims to make their point.

In their commentaries, they claim that 68 percent of Vermonters are opposed to trapping. They indicated that this was based on two surveys, one conducted by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (2018) and one by the Vermont Center for Rural Development (2017).

Their reading of these surveys is certainly suspect. Correctly reading the poll conducted for the fish and wildlife department by Responsive Management in 2018 indicates that 58 percent of Vermonters support trapping (32 percent strongly/26 percent moderately), while only 25 percent oppose trapping. (Refer to the graph on page 241 of the report.)

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, the Wildlife Society, and many other wildlife groups and societies support trapping, which is also supported by 71 percent of Americans.

One commentator cited a 2017 survey conducted by the Vermont Center for Rural Studies in which she claimed that 75 percent of Vermonters want trapping banned. This survey did not reflect Vermonters as a whole, since it was developed and paid for by a group adamantly opposed to trapping, and primarily involved responses from Chittenden County, which is more urban than the rest

of Vermont.

Other commentaries have claimed that beaver populations are in decline and trapping adults causes yearlings left in the lodge to freeze to death. Based on discussions with wildlife biologists, there is no documented evidence that either of these statements is true.

Recent surveys indicate approximately 1,200 to 1,400 beavers are trapped annually in Vermont — the same number that were trapped in 1950, the first year of trapping beavers in the 20th century.

These commentators also describe the use of the leghold trap as cruel. First the use of the term leghold is a misnomer. This device was designed to hold an animal by the foot, not the leg. Leghold is used by those proposing this bill to alarm the public.

I have heard numerous arguments for banning this device, almost all inaccurate. The foothold trap restrains an animal; it does not torture or unduly harm the animal. I have walked up to captured animals that were sleeping, not struggling against the device. Nontarget animals are released unharmed, with only a numb foot.

Captured animals are generally harvested by shooting with a small-caliber weapon, usually a .22 caliber, not by stomping or bludgeoning.

These commentaries were written by vocal adherents of an anti-trapping and anti-hunting group. It is obvious they do not support the regulated trapping of wildlife. Why do they feel the need to distort the truth?

Jerry D’Amico is a hunter and trapper who has lived in Roxbury for 50 years.

Trapping commentaries seldom right, most always distort truth

Obituary

Beth Ann Danon

On Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, Beth Ann Danon, 68, died in the arms of her sister, Mary, and best friend, Kate Mulgrew, succumbing to a recurrence of endometrial cancer.

Beth lived the last few months of her life, first in the warm and welcoming home of her dear friends, Susan Sussman and Scudder Parker, and then with her sister, Mary Kehoe, brother-in-law, Jeff Johnson, and niece, Libby Dysart.

In her last days, she was lovingly cared for by Kate, her best friend of 50 years.

Beth was born in Chicago on May 31, 1954, to William Kehoe and Joan Smith. As a young girl, Beth led her four siblings on endless exciting escapades throughout their Northside Chicago neighborhood; sneaking into hotel lobbies (Marlborough House), climbing on city statutes (Alexander Hamilton), swimming in the conservatory fountain (not allowed), and hunting for wounded turtles, birds and ducks in Lincoln Park and bringing them all home. One of her favorite activities was forming clubs with the sole purpose of setting admission requirements she knew her little sister could not fulfill, like riding a bike down a long flight of stairs.

Beth began high school in Mamaroneck, N.Y., after her family moved there in 1967 so her mother could pursue her doctorate at New York University. In January 1969, while in high school, Beth led a group of activists to Washington, D.C., to participate in a nationwide anti-war demonstration. Thus began Beth’s life-long pursuit of justice.

Beth finished high school in Hanover, N.H., and immediately returned to New York. Beth started college at NYU in 1972 and finished at Hunter College in 1984.

In the interim, she had a lot of fun, waiting tables in some of the classic folk and jazz clubs of Greenwich Village. Living in New York City enabled Beth to indulge her love of opera at the highest level. Beth went on to CUNY Law School at Queens College, graduating in 1987. During law school Beth provided legal services to victims of domestic violence. After graduation, she moved to Vermont to be close to her family, where she lovingly assumed the role of a third parent-figure to Mary’s children, Peter and Libby.

Beth began her legal career as a law clerk to Vermont Supreme Court Justice Frank G. Mahady. After her clerkship, she practiced law as a plaintiff’s attorney. She was a partner at three law firms, most recently at Kohn Rath Law in Hinesburg, and at one time worked as interim director and staff attorney for Vermont Protection & Advocacy.

In her 35 years of practice, Beth accepted cases simply because her client needed help. She was never interested in making money. She was only interested in helping people and was drawn to those most in need. Beth was a fierce advocate and highly successful attorney, with the highest of ethical stan-

dards. One of her many victories included winning equal health care benefits for samesex partners of University of Vermont faculty and staff, well before such rights became universal.

Practicing law was not enough to fulfill her ardent need to pursue justice. Beth was an early board member, and then president, of Vermont CARES. She served as president of the Vermont Bar Foundation and the Vermont Association for Justice. She was a long-standing member of Vermont American Civil Liberties Union. Her work with these organizations is evidence of Beth’s devotion to maintaining a fair and just Vermont community.

Beth was the least judgmental person anyone could hope to know. She always had time to listen to her friends’ and family’s problems and woes for as long as necessary, often providing profound and helpful insight. She was reliable and willing to help at the drop of a hat. She found great joy in her Birdland community in North Hero, making connections that were deep and dear. Hers was a life well lived.

Though Beth had no children of her own, she was a devoted aunt to her 10 nieces and nephews. But no remembrance would be complete without mention of her adorable dog, Lilly. Her constant and dear companion for more than 19 years, Lilly died in April 2022, leaving Beth bereft for some time.

Beth is survived by her sister, Mary Kehoe and husband, Jeff Johnson of Shelburne; her brother, Bill Kehoe and his wife, Kerstin Cmok of Belmont, Mass.; her brother, John Kehoe and his wife, Marina Kehoe of Statesville, N.C.; and her brother, Michael Smith Welch and his wife, Ami Yamasaki of Tokyo, Japan. She is also survived by her stepfather, U.S. Sen. Peter Welch and his wife, Margaret Cheney; nieces and nephews, Peter (wife Raechel) and Libby Dysart, Lucas and Liam Cmok Kehoe, Leo and Eji Conger, Max Kehoe, Whitney Johnson (wife Anubha Bhadauria), Kasey Murray (husband Osa Imadojemu), and Blake (wife Emily) and Steven Murray; and great nephew, Cassius Dysart, and great nieces, Sosey Dysart and Theodora Imadojemu.

Her family wishes to extend special thanks to Beth’s friends, too numerous to name, who supported her throughout her last months of life. They are also grateful for the support of UVM Home Health and Hospice, nurse Judy Johnson, whose help was both indispensable and kind, and Beth’s primary care provider, Dr. Susan Weinstein and oncologist, Dr. Elise Everett.

A service to celebrate Beth’s life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, at 4 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 152 Pearl St., Burlington.

Should anyone wish to honor Beth’s life with a gift, in addition to holding her memory close to heart, we suggest a donation to either the Vermont Bar Foundation or the Chittenden County Humane Society.

Beth Ann Danon

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, Feb. 14.

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.

The menu includes Swedish meatballs with sauce, rotini noodles, brussels sprouts, French green beans, wheat dinner roll with butter, pineapple tidbits and 1-percent milk

To order a meal contact Sheryl Oberding by Wednesday, Feb. 8 at soberding@yahoo.com or 802-825-8546. Deadline to order is Wednesday Feb. 8. If this is a first-time order, please provide your name, address, phone number

and date of birth.

If you haven’t yet filled out a 2022 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 may also be downloaded at bit.ly/3Xtebih

More information on this program can be found on agewellvt.org.

January programs

at Charlotte Senior Center

• Tuesday, Jan. 24: “Watercolor—Tips from British Artists,” 9 a.m.-noon. Lynn Cummings will lead a discussion about several of her favorite contemporary British artists. Short video clips will be shown and discussed. Explore how their techniques can be incorporated in your own personal paintings.

Community Notes

Registration is required for this free program.

• Tuesday, Jan. 24: Join audiologist Dr. Julie Bier for a short hearing loss presentation with free hearing tests and cleanings, 1 p.m. Learn about the first signs of hearing loss and dealing with tinnitus and balance issues to help prevent falls. Registration required.

• Wednesday, Jan. 25: COVID19 vaccine and flu clinics, 1-6 p.m. Get your COVID-19 vaccine, updated (bivalent) boosters and flu vaccine at this walk-in clinic. Vaccines and boosters are avail-

able for pediatric Pfizer (ages 5-11); adult Pfizer (12+) and Moderna (18+). Flu vaccines are only available for those under 65 years.

• Thursday, Jan. 26: potluck lunch followed by music and art, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Potluck in the cafe and then view the photography show and listen to the cello performance in the Great Room before the room is closed for the week while it is being painted. Sign-up at the host desk.

• Thursday, Jan. 26: solo cello performance, 1-1:45 p.m. Jonah

Hutchin, a young adult cellist from Charlotte, performs. Free. More at charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

ALZ in this Together’ held at Statehouse

Join Vermonters with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementias, family caregivers, and advocates for older Vermonters “We’re

Local students organize event for Holocaust Remembrance Day

Amid increasing antisemitism, hate and intolerance throughout the United States, Vermont students are taking on the responsibility of sharing lessons of the Holocaust with their schools and communities.

To mark United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the conclusion of the first Vermont Holocaust Education Week, Mount Abraham High School 11-grader students Eliza and Emma Doucet have scheduled their second annual Holocaust commemoration event for Friday, Jan. 27 in Bristol.

The Doucet sisters are inviting local families, educators and others to Bristol’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration which will take place Friday, Jan. 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Holley Hall, 1 South St., Bristol. All are welcome. Childcare will be provided.

The United Nations General Assembly has designated Jan. 7 — the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camps — as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The U.N. has urged every member state to honor the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

Eliza and Emma Doucet, twin sisters, became interested in activism following the 2016 election and the subsequent increase in hate that followed. After seeing the Addison County Jewish Congregation, an institution to which their family

Eliza and Emma Doucet

belongs, vandalized, the sisters realized that antisemitism exists even in their community.

“I began to get more involved in learning about my family’s history, heritage and culture. My Jewish identity began to mean a lot more to me than it ever did before and I realized how proud I was and still am, to be Jewish,” said Eliza.

Statewide, Vermont is not immune from antisemitism and racist attacks: reports of antisemitic fliers and swastikas have begun appearing throughout the state. The University of Vermont made national headlines as the institution was being

investigated by the Department of Education for allegations of campus antisemitism. Nationwide, antisemitism may be worse than acknowledged, as most incidents are never reported, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Vermont Holocaust Memorial is the state’s only group dedicated to facilitating Holocaust education as a means of preserving the memory of that genocide and using those lessons to combat bigotry, bullying and racism of all kinds.

More information can be found at holocaustmemorial-vt. org.

COURTESY PHOTO

‘We’re

Welcome sight News from Pierson Library

New card holders

What’s one card in your wallet that opens up worlds of possibility but costs nothing to use? Your library card, of course. We’re happy to celebrate the following children who’ve signed up for their very own card recently:

Age 5 — Remi McCorkel, Luna Casey, Charlee Young, Beckett Sadler-Jasmin, Wyatt Hammerschmidt, Theo Hinge, William Forsyth, Arthur George William Lewis and Laura Jangraw.

Age 6 — Isla Mulcahy, Isla Cluff, Emmie Lapierre, Sophie Hinge and Walter Hoy.

Age 7 — Graham DeMagistris, Harry Yeager, Hunter Taylor, Thomas Charles Reece Lewis, Grace Natvig and Max Ziino.

Age 8 — Benhamin Rowan, Katherine Gramer, Fin Kinnart and Fiona Taylor.

Age 9 — Ava Andersson.

Age 10 — Rory Higgins and Lilia Caloiero.

Did you know? When your child turns 5 years old they’re eligible for their own library card.

Staff are happy to help anyone who wants a library card or needs a new replacement card; just come to the circulation desk.

New cards have the Pierson logo and have a matching key fob for convenience.

Chapter Two

Chapter Two is a book resale area located in the main entrance area that’s run and managed by The Friends of the Pierson Library.

Children’s books and young adult titles are in the vestibule, and adult titles are just inside the building, with stock updated on a regular basis. Take a look on your next visit and enjoy browsing this selection of lightly used books. All proceeds benefit library programs and special projects.

Open mic night

Join the Pierson Library for an evening with friends and neighbors sharing songs, poems or a short reading on Friday, Jan. 27, at 6:30 p.m. at Pierson Library’s Town Hall. All are welcome.

COMMUNITY

NOTES continued from page 8

ALZ in this Together: Destigmatizing Dementia” at the Statehouse, 115 State St., Montpelier.

The meeting with legislators and others is Thursday, Feb. 2, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

For information, contact Meg Polyte at mmpolyte@alz.org or 802-316-3839. More at p2a.co/ VH7gzMF.

Free youth event explores engineering

On Feb. 18, students in grades five through 12 will have an opportunity to meet engineering professionals and explore several types of engineering and career options through networking and

skill-building workshops.

Discover Engineering, a free day-long event, will be held at the University of Vermont. Registration is required by Feb. 8.

Afternoon workshops will focus on a range of topics including Python coding, water rocket propulsion, robotics, nanotechnology, bridge design, aerodynamics, precision measurement and beam deflection and its relationship to motor and pump design. Students also can build a car with the university’s Alternative Energy Racing Organization or take part in an engineering design challenge with staff from GlobalFoundries.

For details or to register, go to bit.ly/3J4cFPR.

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

A trio walks along Church Street in newly fallen snow.

Marcoux has since returned to work and has not been charged with a crime, although it is unclear if he was given a demotion in rank or any other disciplinary measures. He could not be reached for comment.

“I’ve been searching for the answer ‘why was I uncharacteristic’ on that day. There are no easy answers, but I think it’s a combination of the types of calls we’re dealing with, (and) the long work hours,” he told Flore in a recorded interview conducted as part of the internal investigation. “But I can say that I recognized that that was out of character for me.”

On Jan. 23, 2022, after getting a call about a stolen vehicle, Marcoux pulled the teen over near Shelburne Village Cemetery on Falls Road. The teen, whose name has been redacted, had taken “(her mother’s) vehicle and left to go get coffee,” Flore said in the report.

The mother called the police on her, claiming that the vehicle had been stolen. At the time, the mother had indicated to Marcoux that “basically, she was being a bitch,” Marcoux told Flore in the audio recording.

After pulling her over, the teenager told him that her mother gave her permission and that characterizing the car as stolen was incorrect. She apparently asked to call her mother, but “(Marcoux’s) concern was if he had allowed her to make the call, the bullying behavior would continue,” Flore said in the report.

Marcoux later described it “as a domestic violence call.”

In later interviews with Flore, the teen said that Marcoux “knows

her family very well” and said she thought Marcoux did “not like her very well.”

“I’ve had conversations with mom in the past,” Marcoux said, according to an audio of an interview Flore conducted as part of the internal investigation. There had been behavioral issues in the past and officers with the department had worked with the mother and daughter before, according to the report.

“I get it,” the teen told Flore.

“I mean, I get anxious even walking into the house. So, I get it, (but) I feel that a lot of the issues that have been brought up to the police station regarding my house have been completely disregarded — what has been going on in my life.”

At the scene, Marcoux repeatedly tells her to get out of the car. She eventually says she’s going to call her mom. “Do whatever you got to do,” he said. “You wanted to be treated like an adult, you are going to be treated like an adult.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said.

“I didn’t ask you that, OK,” he replies. “At this point you are going to be charged as an adult. I can bring you back in handcuffs to the station, we can go from there. Because my concern is that if I bring you back to the house that you are going to be abusive toward your mother.”

He opens the door and she eventually exits the car. He then handcuffs her. She told him the handcuffs were “really, really tight,” according to a transcript of the interaction. Marcoux then reportedly tightened them further.

“You’re hurting me,” she said.

He put her in the backseat, and while he was buckling her in, she “became very angry and verbally abusive” to Marcoux, “yelling obscenities” until the seatbelt was fastened, Flore stated in the report.

The girl said she was frustrated because “it was the fact that ... a man put his hands on her,” Flore said the report.

“I believe that I am equal with

everybody around me whether or not society says they are above me ... he could have followed me home to make sure I returned (the car) and have a conversation with us,” she told Flore. “For driving my (mother’s) car to a coffee shop, you think you can put your hands on me? Absolutely not.”

While she was in the backseat, she began “yelling and screaming,

and then she spits in my face,” Marcoux said, adding he “was being called a Nazi, a fascist ... things along those lines.”

After the teen spit on him, Marcoux said he had a bodily reaction to being spit in the face, he said. “My arm swung out and I caught myself before doing any

State’s attorney George tried to retaliate against AG prosecutor, records show

MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT

While the Vermont Attorney General’s Office was fighting recently to convict a meat cleaver-wielding man for murdering his wife and trying to kill his motherin-law, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George was trying to get a car owned by a prosecutor towed from the Burlington courthouse.

And even after the attorney general’s office successfully prosecuted the murder case that George refused to tackle, she subsequently tried to get the office banned permanently from the parking garage under the courthouse.

That’s the finding of a more than six-week investigation by Vermont News First that included multiple interviews and almost 200 pages of documents provided by six state offices in response to requests for public records.

The towing incident is the latest in an ongoing spat that developed when George dismissed two murder charges and two attempted murder charges in Chittenden County on May 31, 2019. The three defendants each said they would use an insanity defense and George indicated she believed she

Shelburne Parks & Rec News

would be unable to successfully fight the insanity defense in each case.

Gov. Phil Scott asked then-Attorney General T.J. Donovan to make his own independent review of each of the three cases George dismissed. Donovan later refiled the charges against the three defendants.

The Vermont Attorney General’s office has now obtained convictions in two cases — Veronica Lewis and Aita Gurung. The third prosecution, which is pending, involved a brutal afternoon fatal stabbing on the Church Street Marketplace in March 2017. After the three dismissals by George, then-U.S. Attorney

Christina Nolan also secured a criminal conviction in one of the cases. Nolan overcame the insanity claim in a felony gun possession charge against Lewis.

George said at the time she took personal offense that Scott made the request, and she also was unhappy Donovan, whose office has the same jurisdiction to prosecute crimes, would even look at the cases.

George said she thought the actions of both Scott and Donovan were political.

The dismissals by George also came nine days after she and veteran deputy prosecutor Susan Hardin deflated an insanity defense used during the high-profile trial of Steven Bourgoin, 38, of Williston on five counts of second-degree murder for a wrong-way fiery crash that killed five teens on Interstate 89.

Repeated attempts to reach George in recent weeks for comments were unsuccessful. She finally responded Friday afternoon with a text message that she was tied up in court all afternoon. George said a timeline included in the public records disclosure told the story.

(To read the complete story, go to shelburnenews.com.)

Novice Yang 24 tai chi

Yang 24 is the most widely practiced tai chi in the world. The tai chi you see people doing in public parks? That’s Yang 24.

The form is elegant and flowing with large, sweeping movements, and is suitable for all ages. The goal of this class is to provide a basic familiarity with the Yang 24 form and to introduce the principles of tai chi. Previous experience is helpful but not necessary.

For further information contact the instructor, Lee Sheridan-Orr, at waliboonic@hotmail.com or

text/call 802-238-4067. Masks are not required for this class but are encouraged. Registration is required.

Bring indoor shoes.

Class dates, in the town center gym, are Mondays, Feb. 6 to May 8, 11 a.m.-noon. February 6 – May 8.

Free, but donations to parks and recreation would be accepted through the instructor.

Yang 24 tai chi refresher

The goal of this class is to renew and improve your knowl-

edge of Yang 24 and to get the form back into muscle memory. Once the choreography is restored, the class will go back to the beginning and focus on nuances of the form — balance, core work, pivoting, posture and flow. Requirements: Basic knowledge of this form is required for enrollment. If you are rusty and out of practice, this class is for you. If you are comfortable with the form and are simply looking for a group to practice with, this class is for you too.

For further information contact the instructor, Lee Sheridan-Orr,

at waliboonic@hotmail.com or text/call 802-238-4067. Masks are not required for this class but are encouraged. Registration is required.

Sessions are Wednesdays, Feb. 8 to May 10, 11 a.m.-noon. Bring indoor shoes.

Free, but donations to parks and recreation would be accepted through the instructor.

Valentine dance

Me & My Special Person Valentine Dance tickets are on sale. This popular annual event

is for kids kindergarten through fifth grade and their special adult person (dad, mom, grandpa, grandma, etc.).

Everyone will have fun with the photo booth, disco lights and great music by Top Hat entertainment. Treats, snacks and drinks will be served, and each child will get a memento to take home.

The dance is Friday, Feb. 10, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Through Feb. 9, the cost is $25 per couple, $5 per additional person (additional sibling or

Sarah George

Cpl. Jon Marcoux

CVU skiers schuss to first-place

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Alpine skiing

The Champlain Valley alpine ski teams headed to the hills at Cochran’s Ski Area, with both boys and girls coming out on top in the team competition.

Ella Lisle came in first for CVU in the girls’ race, with Dicey Manning coming in third, Carly Strobeck finished in fifth, Rachel Bialowoz was sixth and Addison Bartley rounded out the top finishers in 10th place.

For the boys, Ari Diamond came in third as the top finisher for CVU. George Francisco was fourth and Jake Strobeck came in fifth. Jackson Kany was seventh while Kyle Marvin finished 10th.

Boys’ basketball

Champlain Valley 56, Burr and Burton 21: Champlain Valley held Burr and Burton scoreless in the fourth quarter to get the win Saturday.

Sam Sweeney led all scorers with 15 points for CVU, while Logan Vaughn, Tucker Tharpe and Kyle Eaton each added eight.

With the win, CVU moves to 8-1.

Girls’ basketball

Champlain Valley 60, St. Johnsbury 37: The girls’ basketball team jumped out to a lead at halftime and cruised to a win over St. Johnsbury on Monday, Jan. 16.

Addi Hunter had a double-double for the Redhawks, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Shelby Companion led all scorers with 16 points.

With the win, CVU moves to 5-0.

The Redhawks also won Saturday, Jan.

140.50. CVU’s score was 58 for a 12th-place finish.

14, beating Burr and Burton 65-35. Merrill Jacobs had 16 points, while Hunter added 11 points.

Nordic skiing

The Champlain Valley Nordic ski team placed five skiers in the top 10 in the Tour de Chittenden.

For the boys, Matthew Servin was second overall. Owen Deale came in fifth, Jack Crum followed in eighth and Anders Johnson took the ninth spot.

On the girls’ side, Corinna Hobbs came in ninth place overall.

Girls’ hockey

Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield 3, Essex 3: Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield traded goals with Essex in the third period as the two teams battled to a 3-3 tie Saturday.

CougarHawks, who move to 9-1-1. Tess Everett added two assists and Grace Ferguson made 11 saves in goal.

The CougarHawks also won Wednesday, Jan. 11, beating Burr and Burton 6-1.

Everett and Tucker each had two goals and one assist, while Bushweller tallied twice. Riley Erdman dished out three assists and Ferguson earned the win in goal.

adult).

Tickets can be purchased at the recreation office during business hours. Get them early so as not to miss out on this special night at the Shelburne Town gym.

The cost is $30 for tickets sold day of event and at the door.

Crossfit for kids

Kids can join right after school to improve general conditioning, including a focus on core, strength, agility, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Based on the principle of movement mechanics, consistency, form and then intensity, Crossfit for kids pushes for quality movement through-

out childhood.

Consistent mechanics translates to higher sports performance and fewer sports injuries for kids. Research also indicates that exercise is beneficial to cognitive function, which means a consistent training program will have a positive impact on a child’s academic achievement. Participants of any fitness ability are welcome to join as workouts are adjusted to the individual fitness level in a non-competitive environment.

Session dates are Thursdays, Feb. 2 to 23, 3:15-4:15 p.m., for grades five to eight.

Cost is $70 per session ($80 for non-residents). With instructor Nick Mead and Shelburne Field House staff.

Karina Bushweller, Miles Brien and Samara Tucker each had a goal for the

PHOTO BY AL FREY

Tom Murphy (white/red singlet) from Champlain Valley Union High School defeats Caden Sanborn from Plymouth Regional High School in New Hampsire, to win the 182-pound class at the Michael J. Baker Wrestling Classic on Saturday, Jan. 14, in Essex. Spaulding won overall with 195, followed by Essex (174) and Plymouth with

SHELBURNE

Assessing & Finance

Administrative Assistant

The Town of Shelburne seeks a full-time Administrative Assistant to support the Assessing Office and provide customer service for the Finance Department. Responsibilities include maintaining the Grand List, providing support for the Town reappraisal, assisting the public with property tax and utility questions and receiving/ processing tax and utility payments.

A complete job description and list of qualifications can be found on the Town’s website: https://www.shelburnevt.org/237/Human-Resources.

Submit letter of interest and resume to: scannizzaro@shelburnevt.org.

Resumes accepted until the position is filled.

EOE

Why not have a job you love?

Positions include a sign on bonus, strong benefits package and the opportunity to work at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont”.

FOR SALE

CKC Goldendoodle Puppies. Low shedding, health guaranteed, vetted. Excellent dispositions for families and as working, service and retrieving dogs. For more information visit www. LewisCreekGoldendoodles.com or call 802-324-2761.

Service Coordinator: Continue your career in human services in a supportive environment by providing case management for individuals either for our Adult Family Care program or our Developmental Services program. The ideal candidate will have strong clinical, organizational & leadership skills and enjoy working in a team-oriented position. $47,000 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Residential Program Manager: Coordinate staffed residential and community supports for an individual in their home. The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a team-oriented position, have strong clinical skills, and demonstrated leadership. $45,900 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Direct Support Professional: Provide 1:1 supports to help individuals reach their goals in a variety of settings. This is a great position to start or continue your career in human services. Full and part time positions available starting at $19/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Residential Direct Support Professional: Provide supports to an individual in their home and in the community in 24h shifts including asleep overnights in a private, furnished bedroom. You can work two days, receive full benefits and have five days off each week! Other flexible schedules available, starting wage is $20/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Shared Living Provider: Move into someone’s home or have someone live with you to provide residential supports. There are a variety of opportunities available that could be the perfect match for you and your household. Salary varies dependent on individual care requirements. $1,000 sign on bonus.

Join our dedicated team and together we’ll build a community where everyone participates and belongs https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

Make a career making a difference and join our team today! https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

Champlain Community Services, Inc.

Be sure to visit our advertisers and tell them: “I saw your name in the Shelburne News.”

the N-word.”

“The student took down the video within an hour, but the damage was done as it was recorded and widely distributed by others,” he said.

The school was notified on Jan. 12 that Burlington High School students would not play CVU in protest of the video. Students at Rice Memorial High School did the same the week prior on Jan. 6.

“We as a team believe that racism is not a trend, nor is it any type of entertainment for social media,” the Burlington team said in an Instagram post on Jan. 12. “We dedicate this day to remind everyone that sadly, racism is still alive in our community.”

The CVU player in question has since been suspended from game play, has lost her captaincy, was removed from leadership clubs in the school, and “has begun restorative practices that follow this process: interviews, education, repair and growth,” Bunting said.

“Last but not least, this player has experienced significant consequences in her life outside of school, but this is not my story to tell,” he said.

Bunting and the CVU athletic director Ricky McCollum met with administrators

and students with the Burlington team shortly after to discuss “a path forward.”

“We agreed to play our next game after our restorative process has had a chance to be completed; after all, an apology without learning is hollow at best,” he said. “In addition, we agreed that the CVU administration would review our practices and consequences going forward.”

He continued that other players around the state were considering postponing games or were planning to forfeit games.

“Before you make this move, I’d ask for your trust and remind you that the review of our policies is my responsibility — not our players,” Bunting said in his letter. “I ask you to trust that this player has and is experiencing consequences about which you don’t know. I ask you to trust that she views the video as the worst mistake of her life — because she is learning how much she hurt others, in addition to the consequences of her actions.”

The CVU girls’ basketball played a game at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester on Jan. 14, and at St. Johnsbury Academy on Jan. 16. Their next scheduled game is Thursday, Jan. 19, at Mount Mansfield Union High School.

NOW HIRING

continued from page 10

harm.”

He described having the “typical adrenaline you would have taken someone into custody.”

Marcoux charged the teen with operating without owners’ consent and simple assault with fluids.

On the way to the station, she continued to spit in the backseat and said: “You bastard, you fucking assaulted me. You punched me in the face,” according to a transcript of the interaction.

After dropping her off at the station, Marcoux later went and picked up the teen’s mother, according to the report. He turned off his body camera and dashboard recordings and told Flore he did not have a reason when asked why.

When speaking with Flore, Marcoux said he thought “things could have been done different, and I think most people would agree that this is not characteristic of how I normally do things.”

“I can agree with you on that, that this really is not the characteristic Jon Marcoux that I’m used to seeing on the side of the road,” Flore said during his interview with

Marcoux. “Was there anything else going on that day that was in your head? Problems at home? Problems here? Was there anything that was clouding your judgment?”

“That is the million-dollar question,” he said. “I can say long hours ... it looks like I worked every day that week.”

Marcoux worked 100 hours over a 10-day period prior to the incident, according to the report.

“I’m not excusing it — who knows if that was a factor,” he said.

Following the incident, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George requested that Vermont State Police investigate Marcoux’s actions as an assault. However, after reviewing the incident, state police declined to charge Marcoux with a crime.

Since then, George has reasserted that there was “probable cause to charge officer Marcoux with simple assault. However, Vermont State Police disagree and have stated they will not issue a citation for the same.”

George said her only recourse to pursue charges against Marcoux would be to convene a grand jury.

AD TRAFFIC & GRAPHICS/PRODUCTION

Part-time & Full-Time options

Ad Traffic/General Office Support

• ad booking/data entry (display ads & line classifieds)

• liaison between sales and production departments

• running reports for sales reps to keep them on task

• processing tear sheets for advertisers

• general office support & customer service

• attention to detail is a MUST

• general computer skills - Microsoft Office: Word & Excel

• willingness to tackle tedious tasks when appropriate

• a team player with a positive attitude

Graphics/Production

• creating advertisements for print and web

• newspaper page layout

• loading web & social media content

• design/layout software (Adobe Creative Suite, Quark)

• attention to detail is a MUST

• willingness to tackle tedious tasks when appropriate

• a team player with a positive attitude

If one or both of these positions appeal to you, we want to hear from you.

Send a resume and cover letter to: Stowe Reporter, POB 489, Stowe VT 05672; katerina@stowereporter.com. No phone calls please.

MARCOUX

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

You may be in a meditative mood this week, Aries. You may think about mundane things or even complex issues. It’s an ideal time to stay indoors and relax with your thoughts.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Obligations to friends or family could interfere with other things you had intended, such as spending time with your partner. As more people call upon you, step back and consider.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

You have a strong desire to clean and organize your home this week, Gemini. Spring cleaning certainly comes early. Conquer that clutter.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

All of that extra work on the job will pay off in the days to come, Cancer. Expect an email or personal meeting from a supervisor to discuss.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Practical matters, such as the household budget, may need your attention this week, Leo. A big purchase is on the horizon, so get your nances sorted out.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Giving back to the community can boost your morale, Virgo. Think about offering to shop for an elderly neighbor or volunteer at a food pantry a few days a week.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Careful penny pinching may now result in a nice nest egg you can use any way you desire, Libra. Enjoy the fruits of your labor when you can loosen the pursestrings.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, a sense of duty to loved ones may have you taking on tasks that you otherwise may never consider. Your willingness to pitch in won’t go unnoticed.

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 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!

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Don’t be surprised if the people you help this week are willing to go to bat for you in the future. Consider any assistance you provide an investment in friendship.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Some people know exactly which buttons to push to get a rise out of you, Capricorn. Try to be the bigger person and turn the other cheek.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

A momentary loss of confidence may catch you off-guard, Aquarius. Brush these feelings aside and take on any task or challenge that comes your way.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Nostalgia could hit you hard this week Pisces. Enjoy an unexpected trip down Memory Lane. Contact others who might enjoy it as well.

Animal personalities reveal intricacies of forest life

Each of Vermont’s tens of thousands of native species fills an ecological niche, influencing its environment and the species around it in different ways. While an important component of managing for healthy, biologically-diverse forests includes managing for species diversity —different species of wildlife trees and plants — there are also differences in behavior between individuals of the same species.

The emergent study of intraspecific behavioral variation, also known as animal personality, has illuminated the behavioral diversity within individual species. Studies of animal personality focus largely on five traits: boldness/shyness, aggressiveness, activity, exploratory behavior and sociability. Across a growing body of scientific literature, species from birds and grizzly bears to worms and salamanders exhibit a range of personalities that influence the way that they forage, reproduce, rear their young and more.

A recent study by researchers from the University of Maine (detailed in the New York Times) examined animal personality by looking at synzoochory, the dispersal of seeds by seed-caching animals. Synzoochory is thought to be a mutually beneficial relationship between trees and the animals which cache their seeds.

This study found that some deer mice and red-backed voles were more mutualis-

tic — more likely to spread and cache viable acorns — while others were more antagonistic or more likely to consume acorns or to cache them in places where they would be unable to sprout.

Research into animal personality has given rise to another fascinating concept: the keystone individual. Many of us are aware of the idea of a keystone species — a species, like beaver, whose behavior supports an array of habitats and natural processes. A keystone individual is a single animal whose behavior is disproportionately valuable to the ecosystem that it inhabits, to other species, or to groups of their own species.

For instance, the mice and voles which were more likely to cache viable acorns could be called keystone individuals because they distributed and planted oaks across the forest, thus serving an invaluable ecological role. In social animals from birds to fish to spiders, keystone individuals have also been observed to change the personality and the behavior of colonies, flocks and schools of their own species.

While some animal personality traits may seem to be “better” than others, it is suspected that a behavioral diversity exists because different personality traits are beneficial at different times and in different situations, and because there are trade-offs associated with different traits. For example, a bolder deer may be more successful at eating backyard apples — a highly-valuable food resource — but more likely to be killed by a hunter. A shyer deer may be better at avoiding predators but less successful at

Different species play different roles in keeping forests ecologically diverse.

mating and foraging at times when boldness is necessary.

Biodiversity is key to forest resilience and adaptability, providing different pathways forward as ecosystems and species face both the harmful legacies of the past and an uncertain future. Researchers now suggest that behavioral diversity is important for the same reason: that a diversity of personalities affords a species more ways to respond to a changed and changing world.

In our relatively young and simple forests, we have skewed animal personalities toward certain traits which are adaptive under these conditions. To encourage behavioral diversity, we need to invoke many of the same practices that we also use for a variety of other objectives: from providing habitat for declining songbirds to improving the climate resilience of our forests. Managing forests to be more diverse and complex, with different species of trees, different sizes and ages of trees, some big old trees and lots of dead wood on the forest floor will help encourage a diversity of animal personalities.

We also need to encourage landscape-level diversity: a landscape which is a connected mosaic of forests of different ages and in different stages of development and which are managed in different ways. Managing for habitats which may be underrepresented across our landscape — such as early successional forest — is important, as is encouraging some areas of unmanaged forest.

Animal personality is yet another example of the many intricacies of forest communities, and another testament to the importance of managing them thoughtfully. As is the case with so many things, diversity is crucial both for protecting what we have and for moving into the future.

Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. See what he’s been up to, check out his YouTube channel, sign up for his enews and read articles he’s written at linktr.ee/chittendencountyforester.

Into the Woods

Ethan Tapper

PHOTO BY GARY STURGIS