Shelburne News - 6-8-23

Connect the Dots

Rehawk recap

Standing at the Crossroads

Shelburne welcomes new town manager

Shelburne residents filled the Pierson Library community room on Monday evening to welcome the new town manager, Matt Lawless, to his first day on the job.

“We saw a lot of great qualities in Matt,” selectboard chair and member of the town manager

search committee, Mike Ashooh. “He’s very community oriented. That was one of the things that stuck out. And those of you who were paying attention to the process know that Matt did his homework on Shelburne, and presented a vision of Shelburne

See TOWN MANAGER on page 16

Fine art photographer releases first film

Documentary stands as call to preserve rural history

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Jim Westphalen is up on a wintry Saturday morning, driving through Sheldon, Vermont to photograph an old 19th-century cow barn — all that’s left of a once-thriving farmland built along the old Missisquoi railroad line that was destroyed by a fire.

The camera pans over him as he sets his tripod up in the middle of a snowy expanse to capture a still image of the weather-worn building. In the freezing cold, he takes as much time gazing at the structure as he does staring through his camera lens.

This is what Westphalen has been doing for the past four years: driving endlessly to find the old

prairie churches, the paint-peeled barns, the old ranch homes with sagging porches and concaving, weather-battered roofs, and the one-room schoolhouses.

“It’s impossible not to see the beauty in decay,” he said.

Now, in his first foray into filmmaking, Westphalen, a Shelburne resident since 1996, has taken what began as a curiosity — photographing those old rural structures just off in the distance — and turned it into a call to action.

His film — “Vanish: Disappearing Icons of a Rural America” — chronicles his journey of discovery and reportage on

See FILM on page 11

COURTESY PHOTO

Killeen Crossroads Farm owners Kieran and Breana Killeen, with flower manager Zoe Nicholson and farm manager Kara Winslow, serve adventurous ag-centric dinners at the Shelburne spread. See story on page 2.

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

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Killeen Crossroads Farm focuses on bringing people together

the potential.

“Do you have any eggs today, Breana?”

This is a question that Breana Killeen, co-owner and operator of Killeen Crossroads Farm, is asked on a regular basis.

On any given day of the week, the one-and-a-half-acre farm located at the bustling corner of Cheesefactory Road and Dorset Street in Shelburne can be seen lined with cars as residents funnel in and out of the farmstand for a dozen farm fresh eggs, a CSA share or other locally made goods.

“We also do flowers and meat,” Killeen said. “We beef one or two cows a year. Then we do poultry, so we have 150 egg layers. We also do Cornish hens, which are basically young chickens. And, I just counted this morning, we have 40 CSA shares.”

To honor her Chinese roots, Breana explained that in addition to growing vegetables like peppers and tomatoes, the farm also grows a slew of Asian vegetables like Carlton, Koji, and Asian eggplant.

“There are a few local Asian markets, but they all get their produce from Boston; They drive it up every day,” she said.

Surprisingly, when she moved to Vermont ten years ago to be a food editor and test kitchen manager for Eating Well magazine, owning a farm was never in the playing cards. But, when she met her husband, Kieran Killeen, who passed the property where the farm now sits on his way to work at the University of Vermont every day, the duo immediately saw

However, like any great story, the onslaught of a worldwide, catastrophic pandemic stopped them dead in their tracks.

“We had been looking for years for something that was a little different,” Killeen said. “We didn’t just want to live in a neighborhood and (this property) came up. That was in August of 2019. And all of a sudden, the pandemic hits and the world’s ending, and we’re like, ‘What do we do now?’ I’m a public health dietician by training. All I really want to do is feed people.”

She explained that her background with Eating Well allowed her to master sharing information about how to eat better by creating specialized recipes and facilitating tons of cooking classes, but farming was one piece of the puzzle she had never tried.

“I grew up in North Carolina and I had 18 chickens and a garden that was about an eighth of an acre, but I never did it on a scale of this capacity,” she said. “But we now had this lovely piece of land on this corner and we thought, you know what? Let’s, give it a go.”

The first step was hiring a crew that could help execute the vision that both Breana and Kieran had. The couple put out their first job description in the fall of 2020 and began interviewing people from all over the world: Hawaii, California, and Boston. But, it turns out the perfect person for the job was right in their backyard — 25-year-old University of Vermont graduate, Kara Winslow.

“Kara actually applied for the assistant position,” Killeen said. “And both Kieran and I decided

that we were going to ask Kara to take the farm manager job because we wanted somebody that would grow with us, and we needed somebody that had the foresight to be able to say, ‘OK, it’s not all in place right now. Yes, it’s going to be hard, but we’ll figure it out.’”

“(Kara) has a touch of the same kind of crazy as we do,” she continued.

Winslow explained that she had no real farming experience before going to college, but soon after her time at the University of Vermont, she fell in love with agriculture.

“I worked on small farms around Vermont and learned and did things there. Then I went into the wine industry, and I farmed there and I did love that,” she explained. “But during that time, they were doing a hoop house project and they put me in charge of it and I just fell in love with vegetables.”

“I feel like a mad woman every single day because I love what I do,” she continued.

Zoe Nicholson, who moved to Vermont in 2016 to attend Champlain College, joined the team a few months later as the assistant farm manager and now runs the flower production.

“We’re really like partners in crime,” Winslow said.

Although Breana and Kieran — who has a degree in city and regional planning — had concrete plans for how the farm should look and operate, she said, “We told Kara, this is yours to do with whatever, obviously yes, we’re going to

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY PHOTO

A view of Killeen Crossroads Farm.

FARM

continued from page 2

dictate a little bit of what we want to grow, but not really. Honestly, we can’t do this without Kara and Zoe.”

Adventure Dinners

On top of the everyday duties, the farm has partnered with Adventure Dinner — a collaborative event company that hosts unique food and drink experiences in unexpected places — to bring guests on a journey through the innovative and sustainable agricultural practices the Killeens use in farming.

Chef James Kitchens with Adventure Dinner, alongside Chef Breana, host a four-course ode to their resective heritages using the Asian vegetables, eggs, and chickens raised on the farm.

“The chef at Adventure Dinner is half Filipino and I’m half Chinese and so we always do a completely Southeast Asianthemed menu. And it’s been so neat to see that people are so into it,” Killeen explained.

The 60-seat table is placed in a grassy section of the property lined with lights and tikki torches, alongside a newly built patio — done by Church Hill Landscapes in Charlotte — where the open-air kitchen sits.

“We set up this Uruguayan grill, which (Kieran) built, and (Adventure Dinner) sets up another grill, and all the food is coming out of here,” Killeen said.

“Our first adventure dinner, we served something called Kanji, which every Southeast Asian culture has some version of it, but it’s a rice porridge and (Kitchens’) is slightly different than mine and people loved it,” she continued. “This is a dish that my dad eats for breakfast, but we really amped it up. Ninety-five percent of every-

thing but the condiments that went into the dinners comes off of our farm.”

The next dinner will be on the summer solstice, June 21, and will feature an array of food varieties including chicken dumplings, beef braised in peanut sauce with sesame noodles, vegetables and rice, a root vegetable salad, and more, all paired with four specialty made cocktails.

Community Effort

While still maintaining fulltime jobs, the Killeens lean heavily on support from each other, their dedicated farm staff and members of the surrounding community who are always willing to lend a helping hand.

“We joke that it’s our gift to the community that we’re able to do this,” she said as somebody passed by in their car yelling out the window, “Hi, Breana!”

The future goal is to convert part of the barn into a full, industrial sized kitchen to teach cooking classes.

“That’s really what I ultimately want to do, is cooking classes,” Killeen said. “My husband and I are teachers. Before I came here, I was working at a cooking school. I learned how to write and I learned how to edit (at the magazine), but really it was to write recipes so people could know how to eat better.”

At its core, the whole endeavor has always been about good food bringing people together.

“It’s about food, yes,” she said. “But food is so much more than that. It’s a joiner for people. I love working in kitchens because you just learn about who people are. We’re so lucky to be able to do that. I really recognize how incredibly lucky we are that we get to choose to farm.”

COURTESY PHOTOS

Above: An intimate Adventure Dinner set-up at Killeen Crossroads Farm.

Below: Some of the farm-fresh produce diners can expect.

Hazy shades

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National Guard colonel speaks at Shelburne Memorial Day event

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Approximately 120 people gathered at the Veterans Memorial in Shelburne this past Monday to observe Memorial Day with a ceremony conducted by the Shelburne Veterans Committee.

Committee Chair, Ret. Colonel Bud Ockert welcomed everyone with remarks focused on the solemnity and importance of the day. He recognized WWII veteran Arthur Kunin and Korean War veteran Loriman Brigham for their heroism.

Master of Ceremonies Tom Little introduced guest speaker, Col. Laura P. Caputo, commander of the 158th Maintenance Group, 158th Flight Wing Vermont Air

National Guard, whose address shared her own deepening appreciation for the importance of honoring those veterans who gave their lives in service to their country. Col. Caputo reflected on her own impressive military career with great humility.

The Shelburne Community School Brass Quintet, led by Tim Buckingham, provided beautiful renditions of the Star-Spangled Banner, Finlandia Song of Peace, and Taps. Rev. Greg Smith gave both the Invocation and the Benediction for the ceremony.

Boy Scout Troop No. 602 played an integral role in the ceremony with the announcement of

the new veterans’ bricks installed at the monument this year, as well as the presentation of the flag and the memorial wreath.

The beautiful wreath was once again donated by In Full Bloom of Shelburne. Quilts of Valor, a national organization, presented eight handmade, donated quilts made by volunteers to the following Shelburne Veterans: Angelo Pizzagalli, Charles Bissonnette, Roger Arel, Fritz Horton, Loriman Brigham, John Mercure, Roland Limoge and John Hammer. The ceremony ended with the veterans in attendance lining up and being thanked individually by the rest of those gathered.

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

Hazy skies this week were the result of wildfires in Quebec and Northern Ontario. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the odor of burning wood was also likely, and the agency recommended people with pre-existing medical conditions stay inside. Except, perhaps, to watch the sunset, like this one over Shelburne Beach.

Impeachment committee, don’t act behind closed doors

Guest Perspective

Matthew B. Byrne

Editor’s note: Matthew Byrne, a lawyer from the firm of Gravel & Shea representing the Vermont Press Association, wrote a letter to the lawmakers heading up the Legislature’s Special Committee on Impeachment Inquiry, Rep. Martin LaLonde, D-Montpelier, and Rep. Michael McCarthy, D-St. Albans. The committee was was established last month to determine whether or not to impeach two of Franklin County’s top elected law enforcement officials — state’s attorney John Lavoie and sheriff John Grinsmore. Here is Byrne’s letter, in full.

Dear Rep. Lalonde and Rep. McCarthy:

One of the most important Constitutional issues that the General Assembly can decide is whether to impeach an independently elected official. Because of the nature of this responsibility, every step of the process should be open and transparent.

On behalf of the Vermont Press Association and its statewide membership, I am writing you today to please reconsider your decision to provide possible sweeping secrecy as your committee investigates if an impeachment proceeding should be undertaken. The Committee adopted its proposed secrecy rules without a chance for public comment at a hearing as requested by the VPA before your first meeting. Most of your adopted rules would never pass muster in Vermont courts. Witnesses, even child victims in sex crimes, testify in open court.

In a democracy, the public are the ultimate authority. The Vermont Constitution recognizes both the people’s central role and the need of the General Assembly to conduct its business in the open. Our Constitution recognizes that the people are the ultimate holders of governmental power.

Chapter I, Article 6 says: “That all power being originally inherent in and (consequently) derived from the people, therefore, all officers of government, whether legislative or executive, are their trustees and servants; and at all times, in a legal way, accountable to them.”

The General Assembly can only be accountable to the people if the General Assembly’s actions are public. There is not only a long tradition of requiring the General Assembly to conduct its business in the open, but the Constitution explicitly requires it. Chapter II, Section 8 says, “The doors of the House in which the General Assembly of this Commonwealth shall sit, shall be open for the admission of all persons who behave decently, except only when the welfare of the State may require them to be shut.”

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution also provides strong protection for open proceedings in

criminal and civil court. In Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia, the United States Supreme Court held that: “Plainly it would be difficult to single out any aspect of government of higher concern and importance to the people than the manner in which criminal trials are conducted; as we have shown, recognition of this pervades the centuries-old history of open trials and the opinions of this Court.” 448 U.S. 555, 575 (1980).

The Court recognized that “in guaranteeing freedoms such as those of speech and press, the First Amendment can be read as protecting the right of everyone to attend trials so as to give meaning to those explicit guarantees.” Id. Criminal trials are not private: “A trial is a public event. What transpires in the court room is public property…Those who see and hear what transpired can report it with impunity.” Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. Cohn, 420 U.S. 469, 492-93 (1975) quoting Craig v. Harney, 331 U.S. 367, 374 (1947).

The United States Supreme Court extended the holding of Richmond Newspapers to criminal pretrial proceedings in Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court, 478 U.S. 1, 13 (1986).

The Court held that these proceedings could only be closed in narrow circumstances. Id. “Since a qualified First Amendment right of access attaches to preliminary hearings in California, the proceedings cannot be closed unless specific, on the record findings are made demonstrating that ‘closure is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.’” Id. at 13-14 (citations omitted). The interests of witnesses was one of the arguments in favor of closing the hearings that the Court rejected.

The First Amendment also extends that openness to civil judicial proceedings. “It is well established that the public and the press have a ‘qualified First Amendment right to attend judicial proceedings and to access certain judicial documents.’”

Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 120 (2d Cir. 2006) (citation omitted); see also Hartford Courant Co. v. Pellegrino, 380 F.3d 83, 91 (2d Cir. 2004) (qualified First Amendment right to docket sheets). “Judicial documents” include not just the opinion of the court, but documents that the court considers in reaching its decision. In Lugosch, the issue involved summary judgment briefing. 435 F.3d at 120-21. The Second Circuit held that the First Amendment right of access attached to those documents. “Our precedents indicate that documents submitted to a court for its consideration in a summary judgment motion are—as a matter of law—judicial documents to which a strong presumption of access attaches, under both the common law and the First Amendment.”

Id. at 121.

That reasons that the Committee has given to close its proceedings do not hold up to scrutiny. In our judicial system,

witnesses are asked to testify routinely in criminal trials, civil trials, and various pre-trial proceedings. Rather than conceal testimony, the courts have long supported the use of cross examination to promote truthful testimony. Indeed, the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the rights of a criminal defendant to confront his or her accuser(s).

Likewise, the concern for retaliation against witnesses is unfounded. Significant protections already exist under the law to protect witnesses from intimidation or retaliation. See, e.g., 13 V.S.A. § 3015. If the General Assembly felt that these protections were insufficient, it could have and should have enacted stronger protections like a whistleblower protection law.

What is equally concerning is that the “Special Committee on Impeachment” is attempting to give itself limitless power to exclude the public and press based on vague and unreviewable bases. For example, the Committee is apparently giving itself the authority to make things secret when it is “otherwise necessary to enable the Special Committee to conduct its inquiries.”

With respect, this savings clause grants

the Committee an excessive amount of discretion to close its proceedings for little or no reason. Moreover, the Committee has no requirement to record the reasons for concealing witness testimony or its deliberations, effectively insulating itself from any sort of accountability for its investigatory conduct. Prosecutors in the judicial system are accountable to the Judiciary for their conduct even in the investigatory stage of a case.

We appreciate the Committee’s commitment that it “will conduct our work in open session whenever possible.” In addition, the press appreciates your commitment that “The Final Report of the Special Committee on Impeachment Inquiry will be available to the public. Any evidence presented to the House, in the event that Articles of Impeachment are recommended by the Special Committee, would also be public, as well as the testimony and evidence in any trial in the Senate.”

However, that disclosure comes too late to ensure that the General Assembly is doing its job. The deliberations of the Committee and all evidence given to the Committee should be available for public review immediately.

Costly approach: Arrogant supermajority in the Legislature

Guest Perspective

John LaBarge

I grew up in Burlington as a third-generation Vermonter. I became aware of politics at an early stage in my life and I served in the Legislature for 10 years. During my tenure

I was minority whip for four years and majority leader for two years before retiring my seat.

I can honestly say the supermajority currently in Montpelier is by far the most arrogant group of elected officials I have ever seen. They have made it clear that they are not there to listen to Vermont residents; they are not there to help the lower- and middle-income Vermonters or seniors on fixed incomes. They are not there to try to make Vermont affordable for everyone.

power and to hell with anyone else.

They passed a free school lunch program that provides free breakfast and lunch to all students, even though many parents can afford to pay for their children’s meals. They say free lunches for all won’t cost taxpayers that much, though.

Vermont voters need to wake up, and fast. We can’t afford these arrogant people who have taken over our state capital and call themselves representatives. Who are they representing?

They passed a family leave act that will require funding from now on, but it will tax employers and employees only a small amount. It won’t cost much.

They passed $20 million in new transportation fees, even though the agency did not request fee increases, and as of this March, the state revenue report shows the transportation fund is 23.1 percent higher than last year at this time. So why do we need a fee increase? Don’t worry, it won’t cost Vermonters much.

tures of large amounts to comply with the bill. It requires large programs to fund, more full-time state employees, more oversight committees and the expenses they are paid.

They are so arrogant that the Speaker of the House’s chief of staff just said in an interview with VTDigger, “The House will override the veto, full stop. There’s not a question in my mind.” Translated, this means the supermajority will all fall in line and vote lockstep to override.

The heck with their constituents; it won’t cost them much and it’s for their own good.

Demise of the Shelburne Parade as we know it

To the Editor:

If you have not read the article “Shelburne may revamp historic Parade Ground” from June 1, you might want to do so. I would also recommend that you look at a copy of the proposed plan for the changes to The Parade.

The kicker is now the supermajority has approved a major legislative pay increase that will include a stipend during the months they are not in session, along with benefits. Full-time professional Legislature, here we come. Don’t worry, though, it won’t cost Vermonter taxpayers much. Besides, it will be worth it to have us here all year and well paid.

Vermont voters need to wake up, and fast. We can’t afford these arrogant people who have taken over our state capital and call themselves representatives. Who are they representing?

Letters to the Editor

continue to expand housing developments.

The supermajority listens to no one other than special interest groups and their lobbyists. They negotiate with no one and ignore a governor elected by nearly 70 percent of Vermonters, treating him like he is just an irritating rash.

This arrogant we-know-best attitude that has now consumed the Legislature is by far the worst in Vermont’s history and will sadly remain if Vermont voters continue to vote the way they have.

John LaBarge is a former Republican state legislator who lives in Grand Isle.

It’s clearly obvious they are there to pass their big-government, cradle-to-grave agenda for the special interest groups that provide them with funding and political

Now they have overridden Gov. Scott’s veto of S.5, the Affordable (wink-wink) Heat Act that will cost Vermonters higher fuel cost and personal expendi-

SHELBURNE

Once again, it smacks of the lack of transparency by our leadership. An article in the local paper does not allow for proper input from the residents of the community as to their thoughts about the project. What is the hurry that we can’t get this input?

I am not in favor of the proposed changes to The Parade. It is the last — and only — open green space in Shelburne Village. Is it necessary to take this last open space and clutter it with a sidewalk and structures of various types, etc.? Is nothing sacred anymore from the sprawl and the desire of individuals new to town to use what little open space that remains in Shelburne as originally envisioned?

Bud Ockert Shelburne

catered to the Fish and Wildlife Commissioner on S.281 — to ban coyote hounding — with a closed meeting that continued to allow hounding of coyotes, but mandated ‘shock’ collars be placed on dogs. News flash: GPS collars for hunting dogs already have a shock option.

This accommodation for hounders came after hours of testimony from people who were traumatized and taunted by hounders on their property and from a myriad of biologists, scientists, and homeowners who explained how hounding was a public safety risk, harmful to wildlife, cruel to animals, and irresponsible.

QUARTERLY

WATER & SEWER PAYMENT

D ue Thursday, June 15, 2023

Payments must be RECEIVED or POSTMARKED by MIDNIGHT, June 15, 2023.

Late payments are subject to penalty and interest. Payments can be left in lock box at Police Department Dispatch until Midnight, June 15, 2023.

PLEASE NOTE: The Police Department cannot provide any information regarding accounts or receipts for payments.

If any questions please call 985-5120 Office hours for payment in person are Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Police Department is open 24/7

This project appears to be similar to others over the years — he who squawks first, is the loudest and does so the longest goes to the top of the heap. The Pierson Library is a good example of what happened when a special election was held in November, rather than in March, a mere four months later. Where or what is our system or procedure for the prioritization of projects or proposals submitted to the selectboard?

There are many projects that are more important than The Parade and are going to have a huge financial impact on the town and its residents in the future, even though some projects have been funded or partially funded in various ways. This includes the stormwater project and the wastewater treatment project, which will be several million dollars; the replacement of the bridge over the LaPlatte River, which may not be fully funded by the federal government, and the Beach House project, to name a few.

Other things that need to be considered in the near future include the establishment of full-time fire and rescue department staffs and additional staff and equipment for the Shelburne Highway Department as we

Stronger regulations needed for those hunting with hounds

To the Editor: Raccoon hounders can run their hounds in the middle of the night during “training” season, which started June 1, but the torment of animals by uncontrolled hounds lasts throughout much of the year.

Summer is also a time when people and dogs are using these woods. Hounds are loud and routinely wake up homeowners who have no control of the dogs or hounders running on their property, often treeing and killing animals with no consequences on other people’s “protected” and “posted” land.

This is also baby season. Raccoon, bear, bobcat, and fox cubs are regularly mauled by hounds since they cannot outrun them. The argument that hounds only surround the animal but don’t kill or maul it to death is fictitious and anyone who believes it is naïve.

H. 323, a bill that would ban bear and coyote hounding, will be coming up in 2024. The Senate Committee on Natural Resources

There has been no justice for the couple and their pup who were attacked in Ripton in 2019 by hounds or for the woman whose dog was attacked by hounds on a walk (revealed only upon a public records request). This woman and her dog were chased for two miles in Fairlee. Her dog was viciously attacked over ten times and seriously injured. The hounder did not appear until well after the ordeal. The hounder was not fined, nor were there any consequences imposed on him by Fish and Wildlife.

Remarkably, there appear to be no rules, consequences or repercussions when it comes to attacking people and dogs with hunting hounds.When hounding is allowed at night, hounders have even less control. Hounders have no control over multiple dogs, in a frenzy, running off leash and chasing animals in the dark.

Enough. Regulations need to be enacted and there need to be consequences for irresponsible, outrageous behavior.

Alana Stevenson Charlotte

Packing materials can be made from Vermont’s bountiful softwoods

Connect the Dots

Jane Dorney

As soon as I opened my car door, I could hear rushing water. The sound drew me through the wooded ravine, getting louder and louder until I could finally see the water racing and tumbling down its rocky course. The brook drops 300 feet in elevation in a little over a mile, and the energy in the falling water had powered a string of mills that had operated for more than a century in this Chittenden County town.

Jane Dorney

I had come to see what remained of those mills, and especially one of a type I’d never seen before — an excelsior mill built in the 1870s.

As I stood at the top of the steep bank, I could see a long stretch of the

Cool Temps and Rain!

TIME TO PLANT!

Quality Plants

Vermont grown right here!

Perennials Annuals

Hanging Baskets

Patio Planters

Vegetables & Herbs

Fruit Trees

Blueberries

valley below me crisscrossed with stonework. I tried to match what I was seeing on the ground to what my historic maps and photos were showing had once been there. Far upstream I could see a partially breached stone dam crossing the brook, and further downstream were the remains of two other dams.

I was also able to match three rectangular stone foundations on one side of the brook with the sites of an old woolen mill, sawmill and gristmill shown on an old map. These mills would have been kept humming by the local 19th-century farmers, as they brought their wool, logs and grain in to be processed by the water-powered machinery in these buildings.

The excelsior mill had been down-

PHOTO BY JANE DORNEY

Two basswood trees before leaf-out near the site of the 19-century excelsior mill. If you look closely, you can see several holes in the trunks made by animals.

Family owned since 1967

CONNECT THE DOTS

continued from page 7

stream of the gristmill, below the third dam and just out of sight. I pushed through the trees and worked my way downstream, keeping my eyes peeled for any stone remnants. Near the bottom of the long cascades, I spotted the rectangular stone foundation walls that matched the location, shape and size of the excelsior mill. Although the sound of the running water dominated the site now, I knew it had once been even louder with the machinery that had been working there.

Excelsior is finely curled wood shavings that are soft when compressed but spring back when released. In the 19th century, these qualities meant it could be used for upholstery stuffing and mattresses, and for packaging and shipping (the equivalent of today’s foam rubber, packing peanuts and bubble wrap). The highest quality excelsior was made of the soft wood of basswood and poplar trees, which are both native to Vermont.

At its peak in the later 1800s, this mill was making 1,000 pounds of excelsior per day. The multi-step process started with debarking and cutting the wood into short lengths and splitting it into halves or quarters. The wood chunks were then fed into specialized shaving machines. The brook’s running water turned a waterwheel that ran the shaving tools to make the slender, curly slivers of wood.

The final step for most excelsior mills was to bale the excelsior to make it easier to transport. Local historical accounts

note that this mill’s excelsior was used primarily for mattresses and to line coffins made at a manufacturing plant in Bristol.

Having successfully explored the excelsior mill site, I started back to my car and turned my attention to the trees I was walking through. The ravine was filled with basswoods! Their very large, asymmetrical, heart-shaped leaves were unmistakable. Their flower buds were forming and would open in the early summer. Their flowers are known for their strong fragrance and copious nectar, attracting many bees and giving the tree its alternative name: bee tree.

Many of the basswoods were very large — some two feet or more in diameter. The larger ones had holes in their trunks, since the heartwood of basswood trees rots easily. The hollows are often made by woodpeckers, and used as dens by squirrels, raccoons, porcupines and owls.

As I walked past one basswood tree hollow, I saw a squirrel poke its head out of the hole. I thought how fitting it was that this site and this tree species that had made soft mattresses for people in the past were now making bedding places for small mammals.

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

PHOTO BY JANE DORNEY

Basswood leaves are distinctive and easy to identify. They are very large — the size of a human hand or larger — asymmetrically heart shaped and have a coarsely toothed edge.

Community Notes

Girls on the run

Shelburne bike, path committee seeks input

The Shelburne Bike & Pedestrian Paths Committee is developing a 3-year strategic plan which will define key goals and objectives and guide project selection and advocacy. A final draft is expected by September to help inform the Town of Shelburne budget and project priorities.

A draft is now ready for review and comment. The document can be found on the Town of Shelburne Bike & Pedestrian Paths Committee webpage at tinyurl.com/ m3pjx8bu.

Shelburne residents are encouraged to review the document and attend an upcoming public listening session. Public listening sessions are:

• June 13, 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Village Wine and Coffee

• July 12, 10 a.m. to noon at Pierson Library Community Room

• Aug. 13, 10 to noon at Shelburne Farmers Market, during Shelburne Days.

Contact Charlie Jones, Strategic Plan facilitator (CWJonesVT@gmail.com) with any questions.

Bread and Butter Farm hosts model boat memorial

A pop-up exhibit featuring hand-made wooden model boats will honor their inventor.

The exhibit, June 24-25 at Bread and Butter Farm in Shelburne, celebrates the creative life of former Hinesburg resident Jerry DeGraff. It runs from 9-5 each day.

DeGraff grew up in Essex Junction, served four years in the Navy and then spent almost 40 years in the local building trades. It was there that his craftsmanship and attention to detail developed.

DeGraff created scale model wooden boats for nearly 25 years, most of them replicas of existing boats. Each was built from scratch, most often with nothing more than a photo as reference. They were meticulously constructed board by board from carving a hull to the final details. The serial numbers on them usually represented the date that it was completed.

DeGraff spent many creative hours on each boat and was proud of every one of them. He exhibited them a few times, gave some to family members and sold several of them. His hope was that whoever received one enjoyed it as much as he enjoyed making it.

Pierson Library holds weekend book sale

The Pierson Library, located at 5376 Shelburne Rd., is holding a book sale this weekend, and Friends of the library can get a sneak peek before everyone else.

On Friday, June 9, from 5-8 p.m. it’s the Friends Preview. The public is invited on Saturday, June 10, from 9-5 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00-3 p.m.

Saturday will also feature a pie sale.

The library also extends its congratula-

tions to its young patrons who were recently issued their first library card.

Riley Tope, age 10; Marian Lively, 5; Lily Sturgeon, 9; Jojo Near, 6; Paige Buckle, 5; Saoirse Vogel, 5; Gray Tota, 8; Molly and Beau McFarlane, 5; Lars Denice; 6; Julien Denice, age 9; Ty Tota, 12; Parker McBride, 7; Aliceson Williams, 11; Felix Simmons, 6; Evie Caloiero, 7; Lorelei Colton, 8; Clara Tallman-Richland, 6.

Pueblo pottery populates new museum exhibit

Shelburne Museum presents its major summer exhibition, “Built from the Earth: Pueblo Pottery” from the Anthony and Teressa Perry Collection. This exhibition highlights significant items from the Perry collection of Native American art, offering an exploration of the masterworks of Pueblo pottery. The exhibition will be on view through Oct. 22.

Shelburne fall youth soccer registration is next week

Shelburne Parks and Recreation’s fall youth soccer registration deadline is Friday, June 16.

The Shelburne Recreation Soccer League is for students entering grades 1-6 next fall. All teams will be assigned one practice night during the week and will compete in games on Saturdays.

Teams in grades 1-4 will stay “in-house” and play all games at Shelburne Community School on Saturday mornings. Teams in grades 5 and 6 will play other towns’ recreation teams, home and away.

Travel in the area is required. Games may be any time on Saturdays, morning or afternoon. Register by June 16 and pay $40; register and pay $55.

Uniform Fee: $25.00 — a uniform shirt is required, and the same reversible jersey as past years will be used.

Please order your uniform shirt when registering if your child does not already have one. Uniform orders must be placed by June 16th in order to guarantee a preferred size. No registrations will be accepted after Aug. 4. Kids will be placed on a wait list and put on a team only if space allows after this date.

Abenaki Heritage Weekend at Champlain Maritime Museum

Join Vermont’s Native American community for Abenaki Heritage Weekend and Arts Marketplace on June 17-18 at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, located at 4472 Basin Harbor Rd., to explore Abenaki perspectives on life in the Champlain Valley. Activities include storytelling, craft demonstrations, drumming, singing, and more. Bring a picnic basket and lunch while you listen. Presented by Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, this event brings together citizens of the Elnu, Nulhegan, Koasek, and Missisquoi Abenaki Tribes. For access questions, contact Elisa programassociate@ abenakiart.org or (802) 265-0092.

New Special Occasion Dresses

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

The Shelburne branch of the nationwide running program Girls on the Run boasts 20 girls in grades who have practiced twice a week. All that training paid off in a 5K race at the Essex Fairgrounds this past Saturday, where thousands of other girls from across the state participated. The organization’s mission is to build social, emotional, and physical skills through running.

With playoffs, plenty of ‘Hawks still in the hunt

in the Division I semifinals. The Redhawks boys’ lacrosse team beat the Bobwhites 11-6 behind a balanced offensive effort.

Baseball

No. 1 Champlain Valley 13, No. 8 Colchester 0: A six-run third inning set the Champlain Valley baseball team on a winning track as the squad cruised to a win over Colchester on Friday in the Division I quarterfinals.

Stephen Ricket got the win for the Redhawks, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out five.

Zach Santos paced the offense with three RBIs. Kyle Tivnan went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Robbie Fragola drove in two runs for CVU.

Top-seeded CVU now faced No. 4 Mount Mansfield in the D-I semifinals on Tuesday, after press deadline. The 14-2 Redhawks lost only twice in the regular season, but one of those losses came against the Cougars (13-4). CVU won the first matchup with MMU but dropped the second, setting up a showdown on Tuesday.

If the Redhawks advanced, they would go to the D-I championship game for the third time in four years. There they would play the winner of No. 2 South Burlington vs. No. 3 Mount Anthony.

Girls’ lacrosse

No. 2 Champlain Valley 19, No. 7 Burlington 4: The Champlain Valley girls’ lacrosse team advanced to its second straight Division I semifinal after a win over Burlington on Friday.

The quarterfinal victory set up a matchup with No. 3 South Burlington on Tuesday, which was played after press time.

Stella Dooley led the way for the Redhawks with three goals and two assists, while Amelie Scharf had four goals and one assist. Bibi Frechette and Tess Everett each tallied twice, while Clare Stackpole-McGrath and Ava Medici combined to get the win in goal.

CVU was looking to beat the Wolves for the third time this season and advance to its first ever D-I title game.

The winner of No. 5 Essex (10-6) vs No. 1 Burr and Burton (16-1) will take on the winner of CVU and South Burlington.

Boys’ lacrosse

No. 2 Champlain Valley 11, No. 7 BFA-St. Albans 6: Champlain Valley beat BFA-St. Albans on Friday to secure a spot

Trevor Stumpf, Max Brumsted, Calvin Malaney, Connor Malaney and Jacob Bose each tallied twice for CVU, while Harper Anderson made eight saves in goal.

CVU faced No. 3 Middlebury (13-4) in the Division I semifinals on Tuesday, facing off against one of the three teams to hand them a loss during the regular season. The game was played after press deadline. The Tigers and Redhawks split their previous two matchups, with CVU winning the first and Middlebury the second.

If the Redhawks could get the win and advance to their 10th straight championship, they would face the winner of No. 1 South Burlington vs. No. 4 Burr and Burton.

Girls’ tennis

No. 4 Champlain Valley 7, No. 5 South Burlington 0: The Champlain Valley girls’ tennis team got straight set wins in all seven matches to beat South Burlington on Friday in the Division I quarterfinals.

Anna Dauerman, Cassie Bastress, Tabitha Bastress, Sage Peterson and Erin Fina all got wins in singles for CVU, while the teams of Addison Maurer and Ariel Toohey and Victoria Chyra and Eliza Willoughby got wins in doubles.

The Redhawks played top-seeded Burlington (14-0) on Tuesday in the semifinals, looking to advance to the final. CVU faced an uphill battle after dropping both matchups with the Seahorses this season, one 4-3 and the other 5-2.

The winner of the matchup will go on to face the winner of No. 3 Stowe (11-2) and No. 2 Rutland (13-2) in the final.

Girls’ Ultimate

(4) Champlain Valley 15, (5) Middlebury 2: The Champlain Valley girls’ Ultimate team beat Middlebury on Wednesday in the Division I quarterfinals.

Grace Thompson led the Redhawks with three goals and five assists, while Abby Bunting scored five goals. Ella Polli chipped in two goals and one assist, while Anna Garvey,

CVU

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Softball

softball, boys’ tennis teams bow out

Baylee Yandow was 1-for-1 with a walk for the Redhawks.

CVU finished the regular season with a 4-13 record.

Boys’ tennis

No. 6 Colchester 13, No. 11 Champlain Valley 1: Juliette Chant gave up 13 runs on 17 hits to take the loss and Champlain Valley fell to Colchester in the Division I softball playdowns on Tuesday.

No. 1 Middlebury 7, No. 9 Champlain Valley 0: Champlain Valley fell to Middlebury 7-0 in the Division I quarterfinals on Friday.

Fernando Tejeva and Zach

Vincent lost in three sets in the doubles matchups, and Nolan Sandage fell in three sets in singles for the Redhawks, giving Middlebury the sweep.

Oscar Andersson, Ziggy Babbott, Silas Cohen and Kyle Krieger also lost in singles, while Rustum Zia and Zach Garvey lost the second doubles match. With the loss, CVU finished the season with an 8-7-1 record.

Redhawk girls second in state track meet

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Harper Danforth came in first place in the javelin and the Champlain Valley girls track and field team earned a second place finish at the Division I Vermont state championships on Saturday.

Danforth won the individual title in the javelin and teammate Kate Bostwick was sixth in the same event.

Amelie Scharf came in second in the 200-meter race, while Grace McNally finished in second place in the 800-meter race and third in the 400-meter race.

Estella Laird came in second place in the 3000-meter race and third in the 1500-meter race, while Alice Kredell was second in the 1500 and third in the 3000.

Maddie Connery also finished in the top six in the 1500-meter race, coming in sixth.

Isabella Gravina-Bidis was fourth in the high jump, Amelia Novak was sixth in the long jump and Zoe Jenkins-Mui and Kate Kogut tied for fourth in the pole vault.

Boys’ track and field

The Champlain Valley boys team came in sixth place overall,

paced by Matthew Servin and Avery Rogers’ performances.

Servin won the individual title in the 1,500-meter race and came in second place in the 800-meter race.

Rogers won the title by coming in first in the long jump and then finished fourth in the 100-meter dash.

Jack Crum also had two top six finishes, coming in fourth place in the 3000-meter race and sixth in the 1500-meter race. Anders Johnson rounded out the top CVU finishes with a sixth place performance in the pole vault.

PHOTO BY AL FREY

CVU’s Russell Willoughby dives into third to take advantage of a Colchester miscue during the Redhawks’ quarterfinal win over the Lakers on Friday afternoon in Hinesburg.

FILM

continued from page 1

the slow decay of America’s history. Part wistful tribute, part sobering reflection of the country’s rural past, it features beautiful, wide-angle shots of rolling clouds over expansive landscapes, of wintery landscapes and thunderstorms off in the distance.

A former commercial photographer by trade, Westphalen began seeing “a disturbing trend” as his curiosity grew — the long-forgotten structures of time gone by. So, he set out to document these places, first through the still images of his camera, and then, as the vision for his self-funded documentary evolved, through stories of the families who once lived on these properties.

He hopes it serves as a call to identify and preserve these places, and to preserve local history.

“I loosely started documenting them not really intentionally knowing that, okay, this is a body of work that I’m going to make into an entity in and of itself,” he said. “But as the body of work grew, I realized that there was a mission statement here, and there was a mission in general.”

‘That’s our rural heritage’

There were a handful of run-ins with the police during the making of the film, Westphalen says — with at least one caught on camera. It was something he had to prepare for, since what he often found himself doing was technically trespassing.

Whatever it took to get him a great shot — or, he said, one step closer to interviewing the people who could give him a glimpse into the history behind an old structure.

Westphalen’s documentary was originally supposed to be short — 20 minutes to a half an hour.

“But I kept on gathering more and more stories and things that I felt like I’ve got to include,” he said.

It features several interviews with

At a glance

Jim Westphalen’s documentary, “Vanish: Disappearing Icons of a Rural America,” will screen June 17 at 7 p.m. at the Middlebury Town Hall Theatre. It is also scheduled to screen during the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, Wednesday, Aug. 23 through Sunday Aug. 27.

current and former property owners throughout the state — the Glendale Farm in Cornwall; the Mansfield Valley Poultry Farm in Stowe; and the Myrick Farm in Bridport, for example — each sharing stories of the life and spirit that surrounded and filled the properties.

The documentary “reminds us that we’re living in a dynamic landscape and there are buildings that are here for a generation or generations which are no longer here and provide a sense of the bones in the landscape,” Thomas Denenberg, the director of the Shelburne Museum, said in the film.

“This idea has a kind of ghost-like quality — we know there was a building there and know it’s gone. We know there’s a building that has the potential to be gone. It reminds me of the small town I grew up in (where) people always used to say, ‘Oh, you make a right turn where the barn used to be.’”

It’s hard not to feel dispirited through the film. Westphalen admits there’s “this sadness I feel, not only for yet another piece of American history that gave way to time, but for the people themselves, the people and families that built their lives around these structures, for their hopes and for their dreams.”

“I’d shake my head and wonder — am I the only one who cares about this?” he says in the film.

The film, in part, shows the decimation of the economic viability of local farming in the state and country. In 1969, there were more than 4,000 dairy farms in Vermont.

Now there are fewer than 600.

“These small family farms are sadly becoming a thing of the past,” Westphalen says in the documentary. “The simple fact is either they have to figure out innovative ways to compete with the big guys or abandon what might have been generations of farming.”

But it also features hopeful efforts to preserve this history, including the rehabilitation work of the Hathorne School in Bridport, part of the land purchased by Erin Connor and her family, who worked thousands of hours to restore the historical site that was first built in the 1860s, as well as relocate New Haven’s historic train depot.

In April, the Middlebury Town Hall Theater and Edgewater Gallery hosted the Vermont premier of the film, playing to a sold-out house.

A second showing has since been added for June 17, and the film was selected for the Middlebury New Filmmakers Film Festival set for Aug. 23-27. Westphalen plans to continue submitting his documentary to film festivals.

His film “is not only a call to action to preserve (these buildings), but for people to kind of sit up and take notice of what we have right now. Because it’s not going to be here long.”

“That’s our history, and that’s our rural heritage as Americans, in Vermont and across the country,” he said. “Some of that is recorded, but it’s the local stuff that you lose, and the local stuff that nobody will know was ever there.”

He paused, adding, “You’ll just see an empty field and not even wonder what was there.”

COURTESY / JIM WESTPHALEN PHOTOS

Above: Jim Westphalen

Right: Jim Westphalen photographing an old structure. His documentary, “Vanish: Disappearing Icons of a Rural America,” is scheduled to screen during the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival.

Below: A photo, taken by Jim Westphalen, of a barn in Orwll, Vermont.

James Spadaccini

A celebration of life, in loving memory for James A. Spadaccini will be held at the Charlotte Congregational Church in Charlotte, VT on Saturday July 15th at 11:00 am. Please join us to honor Jim’s life with stories and memories.

Brenda Bradley Bisbee

Brenda Bradley Bisbee (affectionately known as “B” or “B-cube”) died peacefully May 27, 2023, at age 92, with her husband of 53 years, John, by her side.

Born in Boston on Aug. 26, 1930, Brenda grew up in Belmont, Mass., daughter of Ruth Earl Bradley and Robert Ivan Bradley, with younger sister Sandra Bradley Clark, predeceased.

She graduated from Boston University and was a lifelong educator, volunteer, advocate, and philanthropist. She held several teaching positions at Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, Mass., happily culminating in a position as school librarian, where she discovered and championed many young authors of children’s books.

Later she enjoyed continuing education courses and seminars at Radcliffe and Simmons College, where she furthered her knowledge of psychology and women’s rights. She particularly enjoyed

a Radcliffe course with Sophie Freud. She also worked in development at her alma mater, Brimmer and May School, where she learned to assist with fundraisers for nonprofit and charitable organizations.

Before “retiring” from Massachusetts to Burlington and Fayston in the late 1980s, she met Rev. Dr. Jill Rierdan at Wellesley College, who became a longtime friend and Wake Robin resident. At Wellesley College’s Center for Research on Women, Brenda assisted Jill as a research assistant on various projects including gender identity, depression, and body image. This work inspired her focus on championing the rights and wellbeing of girls and women.

Once in Vermont, Brenda helped found the Vermont Women’s Fund. She also advo-

Highway Positions Available

Highway Foreperson

This is a supervisory position that is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the town’s highway infrastructure. A valid VT issued CDL Class A license is required. Required skills include proficient operation of a road grader, excavator, front-end loader, backhoe, and tandem plow truck. Starting pay is $32.00 - $38.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.

Highway Maintainer

This is a semi-skilled position of moderate complexity in highway maintenance and equipment operation. The Highway Maintainer II performs a wide variety of manual and automotive equipment operation tasks involved in municipal road maintenance. Work extends to responsibility for maintenance and servicing of assigned automotive equipment, requiring strong mechanical and trouble shooting skills. A valid Vermont issued Class B CDL is required. Starting pay is $22.00 - $25.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.

Both positions provide health, dental, vision and disability insurance; paid time off; pension plan; and 13 paid holidays.

A highway application can be found on the town’s website www. hinesburg.org under “employement.” Applications can be emailed to Todd Odit, Town Manager at todit@hinesburg.org.

Obituaries

cated for and succeeded in bringing forward an amendment to the Vermont Constitution, approved by the voters on Nov. 8, 1994, to revise its language to be gender inclusive. Governor Howard Dean recognized Brenda in 1995 with an award for outstanding volunteer community service with the Governor’s Commission on Women.

She also volunteered relentlessly for multiple nonprofit organizations and commissions, including Planned Parenthood, Vermont Public, Pro-Choice Vermont, Vermont Stage Company, Vermont Council on the Humanities, Vermont Works for Women (Rosie’s Girls) and the Green Mountain Cultural Center, benefiting a large swath of Vermonters.

Brenda was pleased that her birthday fell on the anniversary of Women’s Suffrage, and she celebrated her 80th birthday by hosting a fundraising event at Lareau Farm in Waitsfield that benefited the Vermont Women’s Fund. Her family and friends are proud that her legacy includes the long-lasting impact of her tireless efforts to give back to her community and empower each person to live as themselves.

Brenda and John moved to Wake Robin and found a home with great friends and support and dogs for patting on daily walks on the beautiful campus. She initiated the Sages and Seekers program that brought Waldorf School students in Shelburne to the residents of Wake Robin.

She is survived by her husband, sons Captain Brad Simonds of Sugarloaf Key, Florida and Joshua Simonds of Shelburne, and their families; Michael Bisbee of Magdalena, New Mexico, Daniel Bisbee of Crestview, Florida, Alice Bisbee of Hull, Mass., and Janet Bisbee of Duxbury, and their families. They express special thanks for the extraordinary care and loving support of the Cedar staff at Wake Robin.

A Circle of Remembrance will be held at Wake Robin, and the family will have a private memo-

bounty with neighbors and food banks.

Norm spent his free time camping, trout fishing, and scouring the countryside for morel mushrooms. From his early childhood, he and his lifelong friend, Pete, developed a keen interest in butterflies, collecting and mounting prized specimens from all over North America, culminating in a highly valued private collection. His collection will be donated to Harvard’s Department of Entomology later this year.

rial later in the summer.

In lieu of flowers, make Brenda proud and give support to something that means the most to you. If you need inspiration, pick the Vermont Women’s Fund or Vermont Works for Women.

Norman Riggs

Norman Riggs died peacefully at the University of Vermont Medical Center on Monday, May 22, 2023 shortly after his 80th birthday. His family grieves the loss but is grateful he is at peace after battling several maladies that impacted his quality of life.

Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1943, Norm grew up in Des Moines, Iowa and later settled in Vermont with his wife, Sandy, following their retirement. He was an accomplished athlete at Roosevelt High School and graduated with top honors from Drake University.

Throughout his more than 30-year career as Community Development Specialist at Iowa State University, Norm was respected and beloved for his acumen in supporting Iowa’s small towns and agricultural and urban communities in adapting to socioeconomic change.

Norm had a strong moral compass and spent time volunteering to help people who were homeless. He would often rise at 5 a.m. to hit the streets of Des Moines in a support van to feed and assist people in need, and in his retirement in Vermont he was a regular volunteer in a similar capacity. He was quiet and humble about his service, rarely mentioning it to others.

Norm was an outdoorsman and naturalist, as well as an esteemed gardener and backyard horticulturist. He holds the distinguished honor of being the first person to grow artichokes in Iowa after his university colleagues concluded it was futile and abandoned the project. He delighted in sharing his homemade preserves from his prized gooseberry and black currant patches and donating wagonfuls of excess garden

“Stormin’ Norman” ran his first marathon with a very respectable time, crossing the finish line holding the second of two beers that he claimed were necessary to keep hydrated. He was a voracious reader, student of the English language, possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of sports and music trivia, and was a prankster extraordinaire.

While he was often content to linger in the background, always affable, people gravitated to his intellect, offbeat humor, and gift for storytelling. His yen for adventure, combined with a healthy distrust of authority, was chronicled in his memoir “Curbing Across America,” which detailed his summer adventures bouncing from city to city in the Western states, painting house addresses on curbs for donations to his college fund (often one step ahead of the municipal police).

He regaled his kids and grandkids with tales of his service as a mess cook in the Army, instigating mischief at every opportunity. Handsomely grizzled and cantankerous with a soft underbelly, Norm lived life on his own terms. He had little regard for material possessions, social formality, or conservative politics. His greatest pleasure was sitting quietly outside in the yard, surveying his gardens and the natural world.

He saved his greatest affection for his family, including his dogs, and is survived by his wife Sandy Meuwissen Riggs, brother Art Riggs of Oakland, California, son Chris Riggs (wife Elizabeth) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, daughter Katrina Riggs Webster (husband Dan) of Shelburne, and his four beloved grandchildren: Hannah, Lucie, Hollis, and Colette.

Please honor him by stopping to pet a dog (the sillier looking the better) and quietly and without fanfare, help someone who is down on their luck.

Donations in his honor will be gratefully received at the Charlotte Congregational Church, the Committee on Temporary Shelter in Burlington, or the Xerces Society.

A celebration of life is forthcoming later this summer.

Brenda Bradley Bisbee

Norman Riggs

James Spadaccini

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Aries, things may not progress the way you want them to unless you become a little more persistent. Figure out how to walk the line to achieve your goals.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, many things are going right with your life. But now it’s time to get a handle on your love life. You may have to put in some extra effort, especially this week.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Gemini, keep things on the lighter side when conversing with coworkers this week. Now is not the time to delve into controversial discussions in the workplace.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

Cancer, as you try to become more organized, try not to get too overwhelmed by the scope of the task at hand. Tackle one thing at a time and keep making progress.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Leo, situations may seem like they are a matter of life or death this week, but there’s a good chance you’re just being overly dramatic. Try to go with the flow.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Emotions are running wild and you’re worried about what others think of you, Virgo. Embrace a point of view that relies more on the rational than the emotional.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Be careful about speaking before thinking through your words, Sagittarius. Kneejerk responses can have unexpected consequences. Take time to form your opinion.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

This week is bound to be pretty intense, Capricorn. But you’ll find a way to skirt through it relatively unscathed. Rely on a few friends as sounding boards.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Libra, after a few stops and starts, you and your romantic partner are on quite a roll. Enjoy that you both are in tune and aspiring toward shared goals.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, it’s possible you feel blocked on all sides regarding your employment. While you can’t get ahead right now, there are some opportunities coming.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Aquarius, try not to cut off channels of communication with loved ones as you deal with a few difficult issues. Others are willing to step up and help as needed.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Pisces, others will not always see the world the way you do. Interactions this week can be a little stilted or even frustrating.

CLUES ACROSS

1. Flat tableland with steep edges

5. Where there’s __, there’s fire

10. Talked incessantly

12. Skill

14. Without shame

16. Where teens spend their days (abbr.)

18. Boxing’s GOAT

19. Used to anoint

20. Cluster cups

22. Footballer Newton

23. They make up a forest 25. Split pulses

26. Self

27. Post-office box

28. Test for high schoolers

30. Large, flightless bird 31. Expectorated 33. Falsehood

35. Prickly, scrambling shrub

37. French river 38. Told on 40. Hillside

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

50. Yellowish-brown

52. Arctic explorers, abbr.

53. Mexican agave

55. A type of “cast”

56. Encourage

57. Atomic #52

58. Relating to position north of south of equator

63. Gadget whose name you forget

65. Another recording

66. Small blisters

67. Dark brown or black

CLUES DOWN

1. Licensed for Wall Street

2. “__ and flow”

3. A very large body of water

4. Accumulate on the surface of

5. Central cores of the stem

6. Angry

7. Ceramic jar

8. Scraped a car

Here’s How It Works:

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

41. Peyton’s little brother

42. Soviet Socialist Republic

44. Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire

45. Witness

48. Brews

9. __ route

10. Soviet labor camp system

11. Strong hostilities

13. Vitamin of the B complex

15. Go quickly

ANSWERS

17. Toast

18. A team’s best pitcher

21. A Philly culinary specialty

23. Small child

24. Unhappy

27. Trims away

29. Characterized by crying eyes

32. Soft touch

34. American spy organization

35. A person’s chest

36. Came from behind to win

39. Fall back

40. Nellie __, journalist

43. Great places to kayak

44. Suffer patiently

46. Majestic bird

47. Electroencephalograph

49. Organic compound used as an antiseptic

51. Objects connected to the web (abbr.) 54. Ship as cargo 59. The bill in a restaurant 60. Upper-class young woman (abbr.)

61. Judge in OJ Simpson trial

62. One’s grandmother 64. Siberian river

RABIES

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

ways

a have those

TOWN MANAGER

continued from page 1

that was extremely exciting and very much aligned with our values.”

Lawless comes to the position with 12 years of local government experience in his home state of Virginia and most recently five years as town administrator in Scottsville — near Charlottesville and the University of Virginia — focusing on community planning, diverse small business development, public art and infrastructure upgrades.

After a welcoming word from the selectboard, Lawless was officially sworn in by town clerk, Diana Vachon.

“This is the first out-of-state move that I’ve made in my career,” said Lawless. “I did not imagine that I could land in a community like this. This was the dream job and the stretch goal. I look forward to so much good work with you all

PLAYOFFS

continued from page 10

Samara Ashooh, Neveah Parrish and Ella O’Neil all scored a goal.

CVU advanced to the semifinals on Tuesday, where they played undefeated Burlington,

supporting your volunteerism and supporting staff. Today has been full of good introductions and learning the ropes meeting folks with years and decades of experience in community service and there’s so much good we can do together.”

after press time. The Redhawks fell to the Seahorses in both regular season matchups, losing the first 14-7 and the second 10-8.

PHOTO BY LIBERTY DARR Shelburne town clerk Diana Vachon swears in new town manager Matt Lawless.

Matt Lawless