Shelburne News - 7-13-23

Selectboard campaigns ‘Shelburne Forward Together’

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Amid controversy over the past few weeks stemming from proposed changes to the Parade Ground, the Shelburne Selectboard announced a three-month community-building initiative in partnership with the Vermont Council on Rural Development under the tagline “Shelburne Forward Together.”

The Vermont Council on Rural Development is a neutral, independent, nonprofit organization that works with communities around the state to help them set priorities and connect to resources governing the future of their towns. The organization’s community visits program is a way for towns to engage and bring together residents, set common goals and directions in a neutral and facilitated structure

See SELECTBOARD on page 12

Champlain Valley school districts sue Monsanto

The Champlain Valley and South Burlington school districts have both signed on to a lawsuit against Monsanto that argues the company is directly responsible for PCB contamination now present in many schools across the state.

The two Chittenden County

districts are among more than 90 in Vermont that have signed on to the litigation against the agrochemical manufacturer “to recover past, present, and future costs, losses, damages and other relief relating to the presence of toxic PCBs manufactured by Monsanto.”

As part of a state-mandated program, schools throughout the state — including the Charlotte

Central School and Rick Marcotte School in South Burlington — had begun testing their facilities to find the chemicals, but many more will still need to conduct testing.

“We are certain that many districts are going to discover that there is PCB contamination in the air — there are action levels that will require remediation, and many communities will decide to

remediate even if the PCB levels are below the state mandated amounts,” said Pietro Lynn, an attorney with Lynn, Lynn, Blackman and Manitsky that filed the lawsuit.

“That’s going to be a very expensive undertaking. The question that we think this lawsuit answers is who should bear responsibility? Should it be the communities in Vermont? Or

should it be Monsanto?” he said. “We think it ought to be Monsanto.”

This lawsuit is one of several to be filed against Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.

Vermont’s attorney gener-

See LAWSUIT on page 12

COURTESY PHOTO

Brian Russell captured this lovely scene of Shelburne Bay.

Setting sun

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Relationship under ‘review’ Shelburne Museum architect accused of sexual assault

OLIVIA Q. PINTAIR VTDIGGER

The Shelburne Museum is reviewing its relationship with an acclaimed architect it hired to design a new Indigenous art center.

The architect, Sir David Adjaye, has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct, the Financial Times reported earlier this week, leading a host of organizations around the world to sever ties with him.

Three former employees accused Adjaye, 56, and his firm of various forms of exploitation, according to the Financial Times. The newspaper published graphic descriptions of the women’s accounts of sexual assault, harassment and manipulation that allegedly occurred in 2018 and 2019.

the museum has not yet decided on a path forward.

“In light of the serious and troubling allegations reported against David Adjaye, we are actively reviewing our engagement with the architect and his firm,” Denenberg said in the statement.

absolutely reject any claims of sexual misconduct, abuse or criminal wrongdoing.”

The Shelburne Museum announced in May that Adjaye would design the Perry Center, which would house a collection of Indigenous art. While other clients have been swift in their moves to cut ties with Adjaye, following the Financial Times report, museum director and CEO Tom Denenberg said in a written statement that

“Our evaluation places in the fore our immediate commitment to construction of a building and integrated landscape collaboratively designed to create a national resource for the study and care of Indigenous art,” Denenberg said. “Because we are in the earliest stages of design, we have time to consider our next steps to keep this important project on track and honor our commitment to the many partners and collaborators who have been involved in the conceptualization of this important project.”

The women who accused Adjaye — all single Black mothers from well-connected and influential families who were in their 40s at the time of the alleged abuse, the Financial Times reported — have said that the alleged abuse has severely disrupted their careers, finances and mental health.

“I felt overpowered, both emotionally and physically,” wrote one of the women to the Financial Times, which referred to her by the pseudonym “Maya.” “There was this domineering feeling of ‘I’m going to have my way with you, and that’s it.’”

Adjaye denied the allegations in a statement released by Kendal Advisory, a communications and crisis management firm.

“I absolutely reject any claims of sexual misconduct, abuse or criminal wrongdoing,” he said.

Adjaye added that he was “deeply sorry” and “ashamed to say that I entered into relationships which though entirely consensual, blurred the boundaries between my professional and personal lives.” He said he “will be immediately seeking professional help in order to learn from these mistakes to ensure that they never happen again.”

In the wake of the accusations, The New York Times reported that Adjaye has relinquished multiple ceremonial roles and trusteeships, resigning from his position as one of 42 architectural advisers to Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London.

Other patrons of Adjaye — including the Studio Museum in Harlem, a British Holocaust memorial and clients ranging from Princeton, New Jersey, to Liverpool, England — have begun to sever relationships with the architect.

The decisions stand in stark contrast to past headlines about Adjaye, who in 2017 knelt at London’s Buckingham Palace as he was awarded knighthood on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. Earlier that year, the architect — whose work includes cultural touchstones such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., Ghana’s national cathedral, an African art museum in Nigeria and a multifaith center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — told Dezeen that he was “embarrassed, as a male” that “women are still fighting for gender parity” in the field

of architecture.

As a Ghanaian-British architect, Adjaye has been viewed as a “champion of diversity in a very white profession,” the Financial Times wrote, often publicly voicing a commitment to the rights of underrepresented groups in architecture, including women.

But for the three women who have accused Adjaye of misconduct — which they say included demeaning comments Adjaye made based on their race — such comments are a facade.

“David has been able to hoodwink so many people into believing he is who he says he is. … He does whatever he wants, however he wants,” Maya told the Financial Times.

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PHOTO BY CHRIS SCHWAGGA

Sir David Adjaye

“I

— Sir David Adjaye

Wet weather brings slime mold

With all the recent wet weather, conspicuous neon yellow masses have appeared on bark mulches and lawns. These brightly colored blobs, called plasmodia, are unique organisms called slime molds.

The harmless, yellow, foamy slime molds (Fuligo septica), often called the dog vomit slime mold, were originally classified as fungi. They are now in the Kingdom Protista since they more closely resemble amoeba.

The size of slime molds can

vary from a few inches to several feet in diameter. They are not pathogenic to plants although some can grow over plants and briefly decrease their access to sunlight. The plasmodium is the feeding stage of the organism, engulfing bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms as it grows.

The plasmodial stage can appear to creep and can move several feet in a day, alarming homeowners and gardeners. However, slime molds are beneficial since they contribute to the decomposition of dead vegetation.

As the bright yellow slime

molds age, they fade from bright yellow to a crusty dull tan and release spores that can stay dormant until the next round of rainy weather. No control is necessary for slime molds.

They will disappear as soon as the weather dries. To hasten their breakdown, you can break apart the blob with a rake.

For more information, visit go.uvm.edu/slime-mold.

Dr. Ann Hazelrigg is the University of Vermont Extension plant pathologist and director of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic.

ANN HAZELRIGG UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXTENSION

PHOTO BY TODD CHRETIEN

As slime molds age, they fade from bright yellow to a crusty dull tan and release spores that can stay dormant until the next bout of rainy weather.

Line of duty Shelburne Police Blotter: June 19 - July 9

Total reported incidents: 206

Traffic stops: 95

Warnings: 68

Tickets: 45

Medical emergencies: 67

Mental health incidents: 2

Suspicious incidents: 35

Domestic incidents: 1

Agency assists: 19

Citizen assists: 23

Welfare check: 6

Motor vehicle complaints: 4

Car crash: 10

Animal problem: 7

Fire: 1

Theft: 7

Fraud: 2

Harassment: 2

Trespassing: 3

Burglary: 1

Alarms: 9

Pending investigations: 12

June 19 at 5:13 a.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their car on Falls Road.

June 19 at 12:12 p.m., items were stolen out of a resident’s car on Palmer Court.

June 20 at 10:59 a.m., another report of stolen items from a car on Falls Road.

June 20 at 8:21 p.m., a retail theft was reported at Barkeaters on Falls Road. Officers couldn’t find the people and are now investigating the matter.

June 21 at 5:11 a.m., Susan Little, 69, of Shelburne, died while in hospice care on Bostwick Road. Officers determined the death was not suspicious.

June 21 at 1:09 p.m., a two-car crash on Shelburne Road was reported with no injuries.

June 21 at 1:21 p.m., Isiah Huff, 58 was found unresponsive at Harbor Place. Police and EMS arrived and determined Huff had died at the scene. Officers said the death was not suspicious.

June 21 at 2:57 p.m., police got a call of a dog locked in a vehicle at the Shelburne Museum, but officers said that the pup was safe.

June 22 at 11:06 a.m., a caller reported an unpermitted burn near Shelburne Road. Shelburne police and fire were dispatched and extinguished the fire.

June 22 at 5:07 p.m., a Falls Road resident told police their bicycle had been taken from their home, police said. The matter is under investigation.

June 23 at 3:59 p.m., a two-car crash that occurred earlier in the day was reported to police for insurance purposes.

June 23 at 6:07 p.m., someone told police they had been receiving threatening messages on social media. The case is pending investigation.

June 26 at 3:51 p.m., a caller from Wake Robin Drive told police that items had been taken from their residence. Police are investigating.

June 28 at 12:29 a.m., police were alerted to by crisis text line that

Shelburne News

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an individual may have been threatening self-harm on Sycamore Street. Police contacted the occupants of the location and determined that everything was OK.

June 28 at 2:36 p.m., a two-car crash was reported on General Green Road with no injuries.

June 28 at 3:17 p.m., outreach responded to a report of a juvenile threatening other people.

June 29 at 1:17 a.m., a one-car crash on Shelburne Road with no injuries was reported.

June 29 at 8:26 a.m., a fraud complaint is under investigation.

June 30 at 9:09 a.m., a two-car

crash with no injuries was reported near Shelburne Road.

June 30 at 9:13 p.m., a caller told police they heard gunshots near Coyote Run but turns out it was fireworks being set off at a nearby party.

July 1 at 12:43 a.m., a man having mental health issues was refusing to leave the Countryside Motel. Police transported the individual to the hospital for evaluation.

July 1 at 9:55 p.m., several people were injured during a two-car crash on Shelburne and Marsett roads, but all patients refused transportation to the hospital, police said.

July 2 at 3:57 a.m., police mediated a domestic disturbance on Penny Lane.

July 2 at 4:48 p.m., residents on Harrington Avenue and Henry Street told police that a bear was hanging around eating from a birdfeeder.

July 3 at 1:03 p.m., a dog was reportedly locked in a car parked at the Pierson Library. Officers checked the area but could not find the vehicle.

July 3 at 2:58 p.m., a two-car crash with no injuries on Spear Street and Bishop Road was reported

See BLOTTER on page 13

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

The Shelburne Fire Department, Shelburne Rescue, Shelburne Police Department, Vermont State Police and Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services and all other first responder departments along Route 7 paid tribute to July 7 to Rutland police officer Jessica Ebbighausen who died in the line of duty in a car crash.

OPINION

What’s next in Shelburne: change and conversation

Guest Perspective

Michael Ashooh

As chair of the Shelburne Selectboard and with the start of new town manager Matt Lawless in June and other recent events, it seems to be a good time for an update. I am not speaking as the selectboard, but rather share my own perspective on where we are as a town and where we are headed.

When I took over as chair, I was struck by how much needed to be done. Our police department was in a freefall, our planning and zoning Department was

dysfunctional, and we are facing, as I hope all are aware, daunting capital and infrastructure needs, from the over $25 million wastewater treatment facility to a new $15 million fire and rescue facility, each within a five-year horizon.

We also have other capital needs — energy efficiency upgrades, a new roof for town offices, rescue facility needs, new cruisers, road crew vehicles, and more. Our town employees are overworked and underpaid, and there has been a lack of progress on pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, open-space protection, and many other items.

Letters to the Editor

Attorney general explains Monsanto lawsuit

To the Editor:

Like many Vermonters, I have a deep connection to Vermont’s forests, clean water and green landscape. I grew up hiking and skiing in our beautiful Green Mountains, swimming in our rivers and ponds and watching sunsets over Lake Champlain. I believe that when bad actors poison our natural resources, they are harming the soul of Vermont and they must be held accountable.

Monsanto manufactured, marketed, distributed and sold toxic and dangerous chemical compounds called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, from 1929 to 1977. PCB products were sold — including in Vermont — for use in household and business products like paints, caulks, inks, dyes, paper products, sealants, fireproofing and electrical equipment.

The result is that Vermont’s surface waters and aquatic wildlife have been contaminated with PCBs. Lake Champlain is severely contaminated with PCBs, and there are fish advisories for lake trout taken from Lake Champlain. Not only that, but our statewide PCB testing program has shown that many Vermont schools are also contaminated and will require remediation.

As Monsanto knew, PCBs inevitably volatize and leach, leak and escape from their intended applications and products, contaminating runoff during storm and rain events, and PCBs persist

I do not know how Shelburne found itself in this position, and I point no fingers at anyone past or present, for this situation. Maybe this is just to be expected for small-town Vermont. Maybe we were burned by the saltshed experience and are simply paralyzed. Maybe we have just been sitting on our laurels, in love with our town and all that it provides. I really don’t know, but we must get moving forward, not backwards.

I made it my job as chair to do something and have encouraged board members to take an activist approach to their job, and I believe this has paid dividends. Many people were rightly agitated by how the problems with the police department were addressed, but the board was convinced that the best path forward was the one we charted.

And I can confidently say the department is a good example of how change can benefit all of us.

The department is now fully staffed, operating 24 hours a day, and is again something for Shelburne to be proud of. In addition to an excellent new town manager, we have a great new director of planning and zoning, and we are rewriting our entire zoning regulations after confirming that the current code is a disaster. I could go on.

This board is trying to nudge, cajole, drag, but mostly persuade the town of Shelburne to get moving, because risk aversion equals opportunity costs. I believe that good things are happening because of this approach, from the local option tax to generate the revenues needed to accomplish the many necessary goals, to addressing

staffing needs so that we have a team in place that can help us create the town we want to live in.

Community participation in this process is increasing, which is essential. So, change is happening and that is a good thing. On that note, stay tuned for our Shelburne Forward Together community building events, with a Thursday, July 27, launch date.

Now, about the Parade Ground. I was honestly surprised this provoked a visceral response from some members of our community. The meeting at which this was discussed also included a 9 percent increase in our water rates which, by the way, is going to cost us much more than any upgrades to the

See ASHOOH on page 11

in the natural environment rather than break down over time.

This is why, as Vermont Attorney General, I have sued Monsanto on behalf of Vermont’s environment, schools, children and future generations. I am leveraging the full force of my office to hold Monsanto accountable for knowingly creating and distributing PCBs.

I’m proud that Vermont is the first state in the country to stand up a statewide school testing program. School testing will provide further insights into additional schools that will need to be remediated.

As Vermont’s school testing program continues, we expect the number of contaminated schools to grow. Vermonters should know that I intend to turn over every rock and search for every penny to get Vermont the most funding possible to help remediate. Vermont taxpayers should not have to bear the full cost of cleaning up someone else’s mess.

Of course, there are no guarantees in litigation, and this could be a long fight, but I am in this for the long haul. We know from past lawsuits against bad actors that the money we can recoup may not be enough. But we must hold Monsanto accountable for the harm that it has caused to this state we all love.

As a mother of a school-aged child, as a Vermonter and especially as your attorney general, I will always fight to protect Vermont’s environment.

Charity Clark Vermont Attorney General

Henry Sheldon Museum presents lunchtime talks

This summer, the Henry Sheldon Museum in Middlebury presents a series of six lunchtime gallery talks, held every other Wednesday through Aug. 23 highlighting its current exhibition, “Artists in the Archives: Unseen Neighbors.”

Each presentation will focus on a particular artist’s collage that explores themes with which communities have grappled historically, such as race, difference, sexuality and gender.

The Wednesday, July 12, noon gallery talk is “Making Sense of Representation: Rural Queer Life in and beyond the Archive” with Carly Thomsen, associate professor of gender, sexuality and feminist studies at Middlebury College.

On Wednesday, July 26, the gallery talk, also at noon, will be “Forecasts for a post-Roe America.”

Within hours of the end of Roe, state abortion bans began to take effect and clinics began to close, leaving would-be patients with little time to lose scrambling to figure out where to go next in a shifting and unstable landscape.

Professor Caitlin Knowles Myers will discuss a forecast for a post-Roe America covering changes in abortions and births and downstream effects on the economic lives of women and their families. She is the John G. McCullough Professor of Economics and co-director of the

COMMUNITY

Middlebury Initiative for Data and Digital Methods.

For more information, go to henrysheldonmuseum.org.

Holocaust survivors’ families give museum talk

On Sunday, July 16 at 2 p.m., the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum’s free monthly lecture series presents “Holocaust History and Its Connections in Vermont” by Vermont Holocaust Memorial members Miriam Rosenbloom and Tom Glaser.

Vermont Holocaust Memorial vice president and daughter of Holocaust survivors, Rosenbloom will share the background and efforts of the nonprofit organization, including its goals, mission and vision.

Glaser, a son of Holocaust survivors and a Vermont Holocaust Memorial speaker bureau member from Shelburne, will share a presentation of his family’s harrowing story of survival through the Holocaust. By imparting the lessons to be learned from these legacies Rosenbloom and Glaser hope that current and future generations of Vermonters will become respectful of all.

At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be invited to take part in the Leaf Project, a memorial to the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. A question-and-answer will follow.

In the Pocket headlines

Shelburne Rec concert

Shelburne Parks and Recreation’s Summer Concert Series on Wednesday, July 19, features In the Pocket, a 6-piece jazz band based in Burlington that plays jazz and blues standards from the 1930s to the modern era. With vocalist Taryn Noelle, the band covers a broad range of classics from Pink Martini

to songs made famous by Sinatra, Bennett, Ellington and other legends.

Set up a lawn chair and blanket, bring a picnic dinner or enjoy food for sale on site at the farm barn.

Kids love dancing on the lawn and visiting with the animals in the farmyard. The gate opens at 5:30 p.m. and the band will play from 6:30-8 p.m. No dogs.

Circus skills camp

We still have opening in our circus skills camp. Registration deadline is Monday, July 3. Camp dates are July 24-28 from 9-11:30 a.m. for kids ages 8 to 12 years old. Camp cost is $360.00, with instructor Rob Crites, a professional entertainer, circus performer and instructor.

Find all of our program and event details at shelburnevt.org.

COMMUNITY NOTES

continued from page 6

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta holds lobster bake, auction

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta holds its annual catered lobster and steak dinner on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 5 p.m. in South Hero. Guests will enjoy an evening of food and live music while supporting year-round programs for families impacted by childhood cancer.

Guests will have the option to bid on a curated collection of local and unique items in the silent auction. Items range from one of a kind works of art to gift cards for local restaurants and signed sports memorabilia.

This year participants also have the option to experience the lobster bake at home with the Bake in a Box. The box can be delivered anywhere and includes swag, a gift card for a lobster dinner or food of your choice, access to the virtual auction and other surprises.

To see auction ideas or to order a Bake in the Box, go to takumta. org/lobster-bake.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, July 13, is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center features cheese tortellini with alfredo, peas and carrots, spinach, wheat bread, watermelon and milk.

You must pre-register by the prior Monday at 802-425-6345 or meals@charlotteseniorcentervt. org.

The meal on Thursday, July 20 features beef steak with mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes, broccoli florets, wheat roll, pumpkin and white chocolate chip cookie and milk.

The suggested donation is $5. Check the website for last-minute cancellations at bit.ly/3FfyLMb.

Friends of the Hort Farm plant sale is Saturday

Empty spaces in your garden?

Bring your list to the annual Friends of the University of Vermont Hort Farm plant sale on Saturday, July 15, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

LOCALS ONLY.

Hi, neighbor. Want to come over? Basin Harbor now has special Vermonters-only lodging deals starting at $189/night. Book your escape at BasinHarbor.com/VT or call 802-475-2311.

at the UVM Horticulture Farm, 65 Green Mountain Drive, South Burlington.

The sale offers a wide variety of ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials donated by over 40 Vermont nurseries. Members-only preview is from 9-10 a.m. Members are able to view and purchase plants early. Become a member at friendsofthehortfarm. org or at the sale.

The sleepy town of Popcorn Falls has been forced into bankruptcy and their last chance is a large grant that can only be used if the town opens a theater and produces a play in a week. One big problem: no playhouse. Another problem: no play. Two actors play over twenty roles in a world of farce, love, and desperation, proving once and for all that art can save the world. July 12 – 22

saintmichaelsplayhouse.org

• 802.654.2281

GREATER BURLINGTON’S PROFESSIONAL SUMMER THEATER

PHOTO BY HAYLEY HORNUS

Plants from Vermont nurseries will be on sale at the annual Friends of the University of Vermont Hort Farm plant sale.

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

“This country really means a lot to me. I came with a dream and we’re really working toward that,” Klinton Zhegu said, reminiscing about what the Fourth of July means to him and his family, and even more so, what it means for their business, Green Valley Coconut Water.

The South Burlington couple, Kim Nguyen and Klinton Zhegu, are changing the way people think about coconut water while also paying homage to Nguyen’s home country of Vietnam in the process. Zhegu, an engineer by trade, is originally from Albania but came to the United States in 1996 to work for IBM. On business in Vietnam in 2004, he met his wife Nguyen, who would later introduce him to the magic of coconut water.

“When she first introduced me to coconut water, I knew nothing, to be honest, about what it was,” Zhegu said. “But maybe 14 years ago she was like, ‘Hey, let’s have this because this is healthy.’ To be honest, I didn’t like it at all.”

Coconuts and coconut water are a year-round delicacy in Vietnam, Nguyen said. But when she came to the U.S. in 2004, the coconut water she found was strikingly different than the taste she grew up loving.

It wasn’t until the duo went on a routine trip to Vietnam to visit Nguyen’s family in 2014 that Zhegu was introduced to Viet-

namese coconut water for the first time. The taste differed so drastically from what he had back in America — it’s much sweeter as opposed to the salty flavor that envelops many of the brands today on store shelves.

“My husband brought me to the U.S., and he knew my family had a coconut business in Vietnam,” she said. “So, when I came here, we saw so many people drinking coconut water and my husband said, ‘Why don’t we bring that water to Vermont?’”

The couple spent the first year creating a business plan and contracting with family and other

local farmers in the valley of Bén Tren in South Vietnam to source the freshest coconuts possible.

The region where the coconuts are harvested is surrounded by rivers and farmland, which Zhegu said is mostly why their product has sweeter undertones.

“Most coconut trees grow close to the sea or ocean in other places, even in Vietnam too. But this one is so inland that the soil is not saturated with salt water. It’s mostly the river, so that’s why it’s sweet,” explained Zhegu.

Most everything, includ-

COCONUT WATER

continued from page 8

ing packaging, is done in Vietnam before the product takes the two-month haul to the States and its eventual arrival to a warehouse in South Burlington. But Nguyen and Zhegu oversee the entire process and visit Vietnam frequently throughout the year to ensure consistency, their biggest concern.

“Our vision is centered on these two things: First to be healthy, and second to be affordable because we don’t need to be greedy,” Zhegu said. “There’s no need for pesticides. If we were to apply pesticides, it’s money wasted because there’s always flowing water; it’s a delta with so many rivers.”

The duo sold their first case to Healthy Living shortly after the business plan was developed — before the product was even in their hands — and interest from surrounding stores has never stopped.

“I was honest that we didn’t have the product yet,” explained Zhegu. “I just wanted to measure how much interest there was

Shelburne volunteers from Zen Center, Trinity church meet on common ground

MARGERY SHARP CONTRIBUTOR

The Zen Center and Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne recently formed a unique partnership to combine volunteers from each community to work together and assist in planting, grooming and weeding the vegetables and fruit grown in the Zen Center’s garden on Thomas Road in Shelburne.

The Zen Center has run this project for several years alone. Its prime mission always has been to

offer produce to individuals and families in dire need of fresh food.

Zen Center priest Jhana Piche and Diane Rooney, who represents Trinity’s outreach committee, lead the two groups.

Piche supervises the original garden, the planning and planting and she assigns work stations to all volunteers. She heartily welcomes this partnership, which adds many more hands to do the work.

Volunteers less able to tend the plant rows still are needed to pick and pack the produce as it ripens. Others help load the food

News from Pierson Library

into waiting cars for delivery to drop-off sites, which include the Burlington and Shelburne food shelves, the Salvation Army, the Boys and Girls Club in Burlington, regular Winooski families as well as those new to Vermont.

In addition, several local women meet Fridays to prepare and cook hot meals for persons living at Harbor Place in Shelburne. The women make good use of any of the surplus produce delivered to them to add to their creative salads, casseroles and desserts. No food ever is wasted.

On Thursday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m., the Pierson Library hosts the Shelburne Acoustic Jam. What could be better than a free evening of singing and playing music? Come join like-minded musicians and music listeners

for an evening of bluegrass, country and folk music played by local musicians.

Bring your instrument if you want to play and pick, pluck and strum. All playing levels welcome.

Very Merry Theatre presents “Alice in Wonderland” on Friday, July 21, at 1:30 p.m.

Come travel down the rabbit hole for a cup of tea and jam in the Shelburne Town Hall. No registration needed.

in coconut water. We met with Healthy Living in November, and they were like, ‘Yes, we’ll buy your coconut water.’ Then we went to another place, and they were like, ‘Yes, we’ll buy your coconut water.’ And then another place and another place.”

Zhegu said that the dream the couple started with continues to grow as the company grows larger and reaches more areas outside of Vermont and the Northeast.

“We are close now to actually signing a contract with a company in California that would like to bring our product to California, Arizona and Texas,” Zhegu said.

For Nguyen, the business has held a much deeper meaning, that of melding together two places she calls home.

“My husband made the name because Vermont has the Green Mountains and then Vietnam is like the Valley of Coconut, so that’s where the Green Valley comes from — combining two worlds together,” she said.

PHOTO BY SCOTT MCCREARY

This fox regularly visits the home of the McCrearys in Shelburne.

Vermont psychologist seeks decriminalization of magic mushrooms

AARON CALVIN STAFF WRITER

“I think there’s plenty of evidence to show that psychedelics have the potential for a very positive impact on improving peoples’ lives, including people who struggle with addiction.”

Rick Barnett, a Stowe psychologist with specialization in addiction, provided this synopsis of his support for the decriminalization of psychedelics, that family of drugs that provoke hallucinations and other mind-altering effects in their users, for recreational purposes but also for their unique usefulness in treating a myriad of ailments of the mind, from addiction to eating disorders.

Sitting in his sun-dappled office on Old Farm Road with his soot-colored poodle Jessie asleep in her kennel, Barnett was fresh from Denver, where he had attended Psychedelic Science 2023, a conference where the most prominent researchers and practitioners in the world of psychedelic medicine gathered to share their findings.

Barnett, with his salt and pepper beard and clean-shaven head, speaks with the kind of precision endemic to therapists, a sort of patient exactness with which he

seeks a certain level of specificity in his own language that he then requires from the other side of the conversation.

Having run a general practice in Stowe since 2005, Barnett has lately lent his expertise to a movement in the Green Mountain State to legalize psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in a wide variety of mushrooms colloquially referred to as magic mushrooms.

Although he hopes to eventually see a variety of psychoactive drugs decriminalized, Barnett said that lawmakers and activists in Vermont have singled out mushrooms as the low-hanging fungi that will open the door for accessibility to psychedelics in the North Country.

That’s because it’s naturally accessible. The spore can be relatively easily grown and once decriminalized at the state level could be produced for personal consumption or sale, unlike other hallucinogenic staples like ketamine, ayahuasca, LSD and MDMA, a drug also known as ecstasy that’s nearing federal approval for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Barnett testified before the Vermont Legislature during the most recent biennium regarding the efficacy of psilocybin in treat-

ing his own substance-disorder and its uses treating conditions like bipolar disorder, migraines and other maladies.

Barnett said he lent his expertise to Rep. Chip Troiano, D-Stannard, as he crafted the House bill proposing the decriminalization and regulated sale of psilocybin in Vermont, which has joined a similar bill on the Senate side. Both bills propose the creation of a Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group.

Though the bill didn’t see much traction in the busy 2023 biennium, chair of the Joint Legislative Justice Oversight Committee Martin LaLonde, a Democrat from South Burlington, directed its members to return to the matter next year, according to VTDigger.

Psilocybin and other psychedelics have been severely criminalized at the federal level since President Richard Nixon passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 despite their long-established use in religious ceremonies and rituals across cultures. Mounting research establishing its therapeutic efficacy and general harmlessness has led to its decriminalization in states like Oregon, Colorado and Connecticut

While the trend of micro-dosing — taking small, incremental doses of psychedelics over a set period of time — has grown in popularity in recent years, Barnett said that, in the therapeutic setting, a large dose of psilocybin or another psychedelic, with several sessions of therapy leading up to the dose, is most effective.

Inducing a powerful psychedelic experience can be particularly effective in addiction treatment as the drug’s use lies in its potential to manufacture moments of realization or self-awareness that are typically only organically produced when an addict reaches rock bottom.

“What can happen for people is that they have some kind of experience under the influence of the psilocybin that shifts their understanding of how they relate to that drug or that pattern of behavior that’s not serving them anymore,” Barnett said.

“They could have a mystical experience, they could have a spiritual experience, they could have just a deep, meaningful insight into their behaviors or the relationship to the drug or to alcohol.”

wants to avoid the crass commercialization of its use that could result.

While anyone familiar with psychedelics knows there are “good” and “bad” trips, and which path taken can often be influenced by outside factors, he asserted that truly impactful negative reactions to psychedelics are rare, and while there are some risks, it doesn’t make them nearly as potentially dangerous as the much more commonly prescribed antidepressant medication.

Rick Barnett has pushed for full decriminalization of psilocybin without the qualifier that it only be available in therapeutic settings or used under the guidance of a licensed professional.

“There isn’t a whole lot that a guide or a therapist needs to do other than to be a trusting, safe, quiet resource who creates an experience and sits there if you need anything,” Barnett said.

According to Barnett, research has also shown that psychedelics can help reduce the addicted person’s susceptibility to falling back into addiction after even just a brief relapse.

Barnett has pushed for full decriminalization of psilocybin without the qualifier that it only be available in therapeutic settings or used under the guidance of a licensed professional because he

While the Legislature continues to consider decriminalizing mushrooms, Barnett is busy making a name for Stowe in the psychedelics community. Last year, he hosted a scientific conference on psychedelics at Trapp Family Lodge attended by 150 experts and researchers from around the globe. This fall, he’s hoping to double attendance with another conference at The Lodge at Spruce Peak.

PHOTO BY AARON CALVIN

Psychologist Rick Barnett in his office.

Rachel Collins Eby

Rachel Eby, 89, died in her sleep at the Wake Robin retirement community in Shelburne on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

She was born on July 28, 1933, in North Adams, Mass., to Edward Morris Collins and Francis Fairley Collins. She was the middle of three daughters who were followed by a son. Her father was a college professor who built a camp on Crescent Beach at Lake Willoughby the year she was born.

Rachel was predeceased by her parents; her older sister, Ann; and Ann’s daughter, Susan.

She is survived by her husband, John Eby; her younger sister, Mary Collins Eby (married to one of John’s brothers); her brother, Donald Collins; her five children, Kenneth Mitchell-Eby of Barton; Eileen Eby of Daventry, United Kingdom, Paul Eby of Powhatan, Va., Eric Eby of Amesbury, Mass., and Brian Eby of Haverhill, Mass.; five grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Rachel graduated from high school in Granville, Ohio, where her father was teaching at Denison University, and then entered Wooster College in Wooster in the Class of 1954. There she majored in biology and played French horn in the marching band where she met John Eby.

They were married at the end of their junior year, taking advantage of married student quarters on campus, which were no longer in use by students in the GI Bill of Rights. The next year she was invited to the Phi Beta Kappa Society and graduated with high honors. Her graduation gown served well as a maternity outfit, and Kenneth was born in July.

The next five years were spent in Rochester, N.Y., where John worked on a doctorate in physics and Rachel produced two more children. Then they rented a house in Marblehead, Mass., for a year while John went to work for Sylvania Lighting Products. They bought a house in Ipswich, Mass., the next year where they lived for 37 years. Two more children were born, the last on New Year’s Day in 1965.

Rachel joined the church choir in Ipswich and started taking singing lessons from a local teacher.

A little while later she joined the Tanglewood Chorus, the vocal music branch of the Boston Symphony. She was dropped after three years because her voice didn’t blend well with the other singers and was advised to study with a professional singer.

So, she did, and she joined the Newburyport Choral Society, a large local community chorus, and Cantemus, a serious vocal ensemble. For the rest of her life singing was a passion and she was an outstanding member of community choruses and church choirs wherever the family lived. In Ipswich she also served as a Sunday school teacher and a group leader for Brownies as well as knitting and taking up quilting in a serious way.

After enjoying the Collins family camp on Lake Willoughby almost every year of her life, in 1991 she fulfilled a long-time desire to own property in Vermont when a renovated farmhouse from the 1840s came on the market in Irasburg. This was used for weekends and vacations, particularly when Rachel joined the annual celebration of music at the Barton United Church. When John retired from Sylvania in 1997, the couple moved to Irasburg house, and in 1998 the house in Ipswich was sold.

In 2006 the decision was made move to Wake Robin in Shelburne. The pattern for the next 12 years was six summer months spent in Irasburg, followed by six months as snowbirds in Wake Robin.

In Irasburg, Rachel continued to participate in church work and choir at the Barton Community Church. She also worked with the Northeast Kingdom Chorus and the Old Stone House Museum as

well as creating a torrent of knitting, quilt design and construction projects.

At Wake Robin she joined the chorus, enjoyed English country dancing, took oil painting classes and worked with the fiber arts committee on knitting and quilting projects. On two occasions she had a show of her quilts on the walls of the Gentry Gallery. She also sang in the Shelburne Methodist Church choir and participated in worship and study there.

The loss of her memory was a decades-long process and testing showed no medical causes other than senile dementia, with no path to recovery. Gradually she was stripped of the experiences of a lifetime and of her artistic outlets until all she had left was her voice and her memory of tunes that let her participate in singalongs.

For the last four years of her life, she was confined to Wake Robin’s memory care unit where the constant care and attention of the staff was marvelous, particularly through the time of the COVID-19 epidemic. She died just three days before her 70th wedding anniversary and now is waiting, with her personality restored, for the remainder of the family to join her.

Celebrations of her life will be held on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at 1 p.m. in the Barton United Church, as well as on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, at 2 p.m. in the meeting room at the community center of Wake Robin in Shelburne.

All are welcome, and donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Doctors Without Borders.

Kenneth Wooden

Kenneth Wooden, 87, of Bolton and Kissimmee, Fla., died during a majestic sunset in Colchester on Monday, July 3, 2023, surrounded by his loving family, following a fiercely valiant 22-year battle with prostate cancer.

Born Oct. 18, 1935, in Burlington, N.J., Ken overcame a childhood of poverty, severe learning disabilities and a speech impediment to become his family’s first college graduate, a celebrated writer, educator, speaker,

See OBITUARIES on page 16

Howard Center staff recognized for service

Howard Center recently honored its employees for their service.

Shelburne resident Beth Holden was honored for reaching 30 years. Holden, chief client services officer, was among 130 employees reaching their respective anniversaries, joining over 600 of their colleagues who have been with the organization for at least five years.

Bob Bick, Howard Center CEO says, “The commitment of our team provides crucial help and support to the children, adults, and families we serve each day. I extend my

ASHOOH continued from page 5

Parade Ground, and I anticipated a lot of concern about that. But it was the Parade Ground project — we began discussions about the grant for it in April — that provoked a reaction. But what surprised me — and still does — is the lack of any clear argument for why this is a bad idea. What I have heard essentially comes down to this: it is about change.

At our last meeting, the selectboard agreed to allow the process for reviewing the proposed changes to move forward, which I personally very much support. I support it for several reasons, but one is simply to exercise our grassroots democracy. We need to learn as a community how to have these kinds of conversations in a productive, constructive and respectful way.

I have read and heard a lot of hyperbole, rhetoric and indignation, but I have not heard many good reasons for not moving forward. I will say that I love the suggestion of a community yoga space. I can picture all of us on the town green in a calm, peaceful, therapeutic moment of downward facing dog!

sincere gratitude to every staff member for their ongoing work in shaping a brighter future for our community.”

Those honored for 25 years include Deborah DeLadurantaye, Lenora Meyers-Nelson, Anne Paradiso and Prudence Trombly. Cindy Phenix, Chris Gillespie, Beth Holden, Shelly McGinnis, and Darlene Sherman were recognized for 30 years of service.

Linda Quinn and Elaine Soto were honored for 35 years. Two Howard Center employees, Peter Burns and Karen Hussey, celebrated 40 years of service to the organization.

But the proposed changes would, I believe, enhance the Parade Ground, and not detract from it. Each of its elements advances Shelburne’s stated goals in the town plan to increase pedestrian accessibility, enhance the town center and our sense of place and community. It is also very cost effective: for a $40,000 contribution from the town, we could reap an $80,000 grant-funded project.

So, I welcome this discussion, not because the Parade Ground is the most important issue in Shelburne, but rather because we have many much more important issues coming that we need to address, and we need to learn to address them well. We cannot protect and preserve our town by opposing change just because it is change.

We must get unstuck, get moving and take proactive steps toward gaining agency and control over the progress we make together. Doing nothing is not an option. And we need to do this in a civil, forward-looking, thoughtful and constructive way.

Michael Ashooh is chair of the Shelburne Selectboard.

Rachel Collins Eby

continued from page 1

al, Charity Clark, filed a lawsuit against the company; the Burlington School District is in a suit of its own against Monsanto after PCB contamination forced it to build a new high school; and two former Burlington High School educators also filed suit, claiming they were harmed by exposure to the chemicals.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, Lynn’s lawsuit says, are “toxic and dangerous” chemicals that were almost exclusively manufactured, marketed, sold and distributed by Monsanto throughout the 20th century in construction materials such as caulk, sealants and adhesives. Children

and adolescents are particularly sensitive to the neurodevelopment impacts of PCBs.

“Certain Plaintiffs’ districts will have no choice but to raze the buildings of the campus and replace them with an entirely new set of safe, PCB-free buildings,” the lawsuit reads.

Monsanto, the lawsuit alleges, “intentionally misled the public about the dangers posed by its PCB products” and knew the chemical compounds were toxic “as early as 1937.”

“Monsanto also knew well before 1970 that a number of studies, both internal and external, had demonstrated human

Town of Shelburne Notice of Selectboard Public Hearings

7:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

Shelburne Town Office Meeting Room 1, 5420 Shelburne Road

This Selectboard meeting will include multiple public hearings. A complete copy of all new ordinances can be viewed on the Town of Shelburne’s website at shelburnevt.org or at the Town Manager’s office during business hours. Call the Town Office at 802-985-5111 with any questions.

All are welcome. Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request to ensure that public meetings are accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.

Wastewater and Stormwater Budgets

The Wastewater and Stormwater budgets are two separate enterprise funds, each approved and managed independently from the Town’s general fund. For Fiscal Year 2023-2024, the Town staff propose the following budgets for public review and Selectboard adoption. The Wastewater budget is balanced at $2,478,308. Total expenses increase 8.7% over the previous year, mainly related to engineering and future construction costs of the new consolidated treatment plant. Revenues come primarily from user fees, and the rate increase is 9.1%, from $14.91 to $16.27 per 1,000 gallons used.

The Stormwater budget is balanced at $899,073. Revenues come primarily from user fees, and the rate increase is 52%, from $3.43 to $5.20 per month per Equivalent Residential Unit (3,801 square feet). This increase finishes the planned, gradual phasing in of the new rate program. The majority of stormwater expenses are capital construction, and there is also a new coordinator position in the budget.

Proposed Amendment to the Water Ordinance

Pursuant to the Town of Shelburne Charter, the Selectboard will hold a public hearing to consider amending the water ordinance. The amendment empowers staff to disconnect water service if customers fail to comply with certain operating policies, such as timely access to property for repair and maintenance work. This ordinance text is identical to that of the Champlain Water District, and the Water Commission recommended it to the Selectboard.

Proposed Amendment to the Stop Sign Ordinance

Pursuant to the Town of Shelburne Charter, the Selectboard will hold a public hearing to consider amending the stop sign ordinance. The ordinance lists the locations of every stop sign on Town-maintained roads. The amendment adds a 3-way stop at Barstow Road and Spear Street, and a 4-way stop at Hillside Terrace and Meadow Lane. This change comes at the recommendation of neighboring residents and the Town’s Highways Superintendent.

and animal toxicity,” the lawsuit reads.

Bayer, in a statement, said that the case “has no merit.”

“Monsanto never manufactured, used or disposed of PCBs in Vermont and has not manufactured these products for more than 45 years,” the statement reads. “The PCB-containing products that likely are alleged to be the source of any impairment claims were produced by third party companies, not Monsanto.”

“We believe the evidence in this case will show that the school districts’ inaction combined with the state’s unprecedented and scientifically unsupported PCB screening levels has cost the state and its taxpayers millions of dollars that they are now trying to recoup by shifting blame to Monsanto,” the statement read.

Among the Champlain Valley and South Burlington district schools, only the Rick Marcotte Central School and the Charlotte Central School have taken part in testing since Vermont’s PCB testing began. The state is testing all schools built before 1980.

SELECTBOARD

continued from page 1

all while accessing resources that will help turn goals into action.

“We’ve worked with almost 90 communities in the last 25 years with this same process. The idea is to really go from full community brainstorming to prioritization and then to action planning and resource connection,” Jenna Koloski, the organization’s community engagement and policy director, said. “We have staff that help with followup and support in the long term as well.”

For Shelburne Selectboard members, the hope is to hear from a broader range of residents regarding what they feel is important as the town anticipates big changes within the coming months.

“We have new town leadership and — in this political climate where people can be very separated in terms of their viewpoints — to come together as a town and decide on a direction really seems like something that will strengthen the community,” selectboard member Cate Cross said. (See related, page 5)

The initial meeting with various community leaders in town forged the name “Shelburne Forward Together” while also narrowing down a few discussion points for the following community forums: infrastructure; housing; family and community connections; climate resilience

An indoor air sampling review by the Vermont Departments of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation found PCB levels under state limits at the Rick Marcotte Central School in South Burlington.

“No levels of PCBs at (Rick Marcotte Central School) are determined or considered to be harmful at this time,” Julia Maguire, a communications person for the South Burlington School District, said. Testing had been done at the South Burlington High School in 2016 and at the Chamberlin School in 2018, Maguire said.

“PCBs were found after those tests and remediation took place,” she said.

The Charlotte Central School in February discovered PCBs

above state action levels and was forced to shut down the school’s kitchen — moving the staff there out into the cafeteria to serve meals.

The district ordered and installed carbon filters in the Charlotte school kitchen, and later removed the source from the kitchen, according to Gary Marckres, the district’s chief operations officer. No PCB detection has been found in subsequent testing. A second source of PCB was found in the boiler room of the school, Marckres said, but he noted that those are at low levels and kids are not exposed.

“We will end up mitigating that down the road, but it’s nothing that requires immediate action,” he said.

and natural resources; local economy; and accessibility and transportation.

“So that committee has no official say or control over the outcomes of the process. They just helped to frame the conversation with those topics. They help us to build an effective outreach strategy,” said Koloski.

The kick-off event will be Thursday, July 27, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Breakout groups will meet at the town offices, town hall or town gym to discuss the given topics before convening all together at the fire station at 6 p.m. for a free community dinner and live music. Breakout groups will split again from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

ber serves as like a first action planning meeting,” Koloski said. “People sign up for task forces, they break out into those groups, and we facilitate a conversation to help them plan action steps. We also bring in a resource team of people that can bring funding and technical assistance expertise that can help them think about action and resources.”

— Michael Ashooh Chair, Shelburne Selectboard

The community visits initiative was spearheaded over a year ago by the town’s former town manager Lee Krohn after questions of development, expensive capital improvements and other changes to the town began to take shape.

“I would love to see 300 people there,” selectboard chair Michael Ashooh. “I want to see this thing packed.”

This will be the first community meeting in a series of three, followed by events in August and September that focus more on priority setting and action planning.

“August will be that priority setting meeting and then Septem-

“There’s been a lot of talk just generally on the board about trying to cast our gaze a little further down the road to think and plan for some of these longer-term issues that we know we have,” Ashooh said. “I think the general consensus has been we need to get off our butts basically and start preparing for what we know is coming. From very general things like climate change to the wastewater treatment facility and growth.”

“Certain Plaintiffs’ districts will have no choice but to raze the buildings of the campus and replace them with an entirely new set of safe, PCB-free buildings.”

“I would love to see 300 people there.

I want to see this thing packed.”

BLOTTER continued from page 4

to police.

July 4 at 4:29 a.m., a commercial burglary was reported from the Dutch Mill Diner on Shelburne Road. The case is under investigation.

July 4 at 8:21 a.m., a two-car crash was reported on Harbor Road with no injuries.

July 4 at 6:50 p.m., an unwanted guest at the Countryside Motel was refusing to leave. Police escorted the individual off the property.

July 5 at 11:06 a.m., a two-car

crash with no injuries was reported on Shelburne and Pine Haven Shores roads.

July 7 at 12:37 p.m., a fraud was reported to police.

July 8 at 8:07 a.m., a vehicle stolen

in Winooski was found parked in the area of Morse Drive and Spear Street.

July 9 at 7:57 a.m., a retail theft was reported from the Route 7 Deli.

TOWN OF SHELBURNE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

Notice of Public Hearings to be held August 2, 2023, 7:00 PM Town Center Meeting Room #1 and Remote Meeting Via Zoom

SUB 22-03R1 – Final Plan application by Lowell and Erika Bailey for a 3 lot subdivision at 395 Bostwick Road. Subject property is in the Residential District and Stormwater Overlay District.

SUB 00-07R1 – Application by Adam Hergenrother and Robert Clark to remove a previous Condition of Approval to remove an agricultural easement across Lot 3 for the benefit of Lot 1. Subject property is in the Rural District and the Stormwater Overlay District.

Join Zoom Meeting

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July 13, 2023

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is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

PLEASANT VALLEY, INC.

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Aries, there are tips and tricks to learn through observation of others, particularly if those people are doing something with style. Keep your eyes peeled for inspiration.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, let other people know what you are feeling by wearing your heart on your sleeve a little more often. You don’t have to be stoic all of the time. It is alright to ask for help as well.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

It may seem like the days this week will trickle by at a snail’s pace, Gemini. It is perfectly ne to enjoy some slow-moving days for a change to help you recharge.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

Cancer, kick up your irtatious nature, particularly if you have your eye on someone and are eager to start a relationship. Those who are attached can rekindle the passion.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Leo, share your optimism and level-headedness with someone who could use your support right now. You have an uncanny way of making others feel relaxed just by being in your company.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

An interesting travel opportunity comes your way, Virgo. However, at rst glance it might not seem like the type of trip you would normally take. Keep an open mind and be surprised.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Libra, if you do not like the way things are going in one of your relationships, it is alright to speak up and encourage change. You are an equal partner and compromise is necessary.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, you have to jump on every opportunity to get ahead that is presented to you, even if it may temporarily upset your schedule and life. The investment will be worth it.

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!

CROSSWORD

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Get involved with helping others as much as possible, Sagittarius. This way you will be in the unique position to help someone close to you who needs it soon enough.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Capricorn, there is nothing that you cannot accomplish when you lay on the charm. Others will ock to you this week and want to hear what you have to say.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Enjoy every meeting of minds that you encounter, Aquarius. Each relationship and discussion can help broaden your horizons, and you can use that information wisely.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Pisces, no matter how good a partnership looks on paper, if you are not meshing with this individual then it is not a partnership worth pursuing. Focus your attention elsewhere.

CLUES ACROSS

1. Database management system

5. Medical procedures

11. __ Clapton, musician

12. Defender

16. Exert oneself

17. Indicates position

18. Prevents river over ow

19. Atrocities

24. Mister

25. Ends

26. Slope or tilt

27. Taxi

28. The very ends

29. Actor Sean 30. Japanese persimmon

31. Sours 33. Bene ciary 34. Baseball of cial 38. Muddy, boggy ground

56. Local jurisdictions

58. It cools your home

59. Dismounted from a horse

60. Charge with a crime

63. Close in 64. Spoke

65. Famed garden

CLUES DOWN

1. Draw a scene

2. Its sultan is famous

3. Unlucky accident

4. A way to ski

5. Abba __, Israeli politician

6. Saw

7. “Westworld” actor Harris

8. Belonging to me

9. Shoelace tube

10. Takes to court

13. Early multimedia

14. In a way, produces

15. Bowlers

20. Of I

21. Equally

22. Gets some sun

23. A place to stay

27. Town in Galilee

29. Aronofsky lm

30. Klingon character, “Star Trek”

ANSWERS

31. Equal to 100 square meters

32. Atomic #58

33. Arrived extinct 34. Loosen grip

35. A distinctive odor that is unpleasant 36. Membranes

37. Some is poisonous 38. Partner to Pa 40. Small brown gray rail 41. A salt or ester of acetic acid

42. Sodium 44. Military of cial (abbr.)

45. Lighted 46. Took off 47. All 48. Ohio city 50. More abject 51. A radio band 52. Controversial tech product (abbr.) 54. Monetary unit 55. Passed with ying colors 57. A way to win a boxing match

OBITUARIES

continued from page 11

investigative reporter, TV news producer and world-renowned child advocate. Ken credited his amazing wife, editor and lifelong partner Martha for making all his successes possible.

A proud veteran of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, Ken lived his life with zeal, reveling in the company of his large and adoring family, as well as thousands of friends from all walks of life. His many passions included his County Donegal Irish heritage, American history, the poetry of Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost, the New York Yankees, restoring antiques, Italian opera, winemaking, playing pinochle, cultivating flowers, Mediterranean cooking, entertaining in his “Kenny’s Irish Pub” woodshed, and most especially “polishing the jewel” — gardening, mowing and landscaping the breathtaking acreage of his remote cabin property nestled within Camel’s Hump State Park.

Ken and Martha first visited Vermont in the summer of 1970, and were instantly smitten with the beauty of the Green Mountains, the serenity of a culture in tune with nature, and the honesty, grit and generosity of its residents. In 1974, they bought the historic Honey Hollow Camp in Bolton, and spent summers and holidays

there for a decade before moving to Vermont year-round, dividing their time between camp and their longtime residence in the heart of Shelburne village.

As the author of multiple juvenile justice books, including the Pulitzer-nominated “Weeping in the Playtime of Others,” which exposed corruption within America’s juvenile prison system, Ken delivered expert testimony to Congress on 16 occasions, and contributed groundbreaking child welfare reporting to dozens of major media outlets including The New York Times, CBS “60 Minutes,” Reader’s Digest and The Chicago Sun Times.

Ken researched, wrote and created the “Child Lures Prevention” education program, which teaches youngsters vital personal safety strategies to protect against abuse. Through this program — continuously published without philanthropic or public sector support for more than 40 years — Ken helped safeguard generations of children and families around the world, earning scores of accolades including an Emmy Award, U.S. Department of Justice Award for Public Service, American Legion Public Spirit Award, and his favorite, the Giraffe Award “for sticking one’s neck out.”

Ken was a remarkable fighter possessed of undying determination. Whether fighting for justice for children, fighting a speeding ticket all the way to the Vermont Supreme Court, or bravely fighting his cruelly tenacious cancer, he always maintained his resolve, positivity and good humor. To symbolize his determination, at the age of 75 he got his first tattoo: the word “NUTS” on his right forearm, a reference to Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe’s famous 1944 response to the Nazis demanding the U.S.A. surrender at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Ken loved showing his tattoo whenever he met someone new, always giving an impromptu

history lesson, and urging them to join him in declaring “NUTS” to all life’s setbacks.

A romantic and poet until the end, when all treatment options for battling his cancer were depleted, Ken took the opportunity to pen a poignant farewell Christmas letter to his friends and loved ones, closing with the words, “As I now realize — and accept — that my ‘Sun’ is setting, there is no fear, only joy for life and the chance it gave this poor Depression kid of the 1930s. It’s been a creative, exciting journey with no regrets. With a big smile, I wish you one and all the best in life. Cherish it and continue to enjoy its many wonderful gifts. I love you.”

Ken is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Martha Braun Wooden; adoring children, Grace Gilbert-Davis of Essex Junction, Rosemary Webb of Hinesburg, Jennifer Mitchell of Williston and John Allen Wooden of Studio City, Calif.; in-laws Jeff Davis, Scott Webb, Carl Mitchell, Anna Liza Bella and Tess Barbach; grandchildren, Calvin and Sarah Gilbert, Sophia and Preston Webb, Chase and Grant Mitchell, Simone and Ward Wooden; and great-grandson, Finn Gilbert. He was predeceased by his

mother, Grace Theresa Ward; father, Edward F. Wooden; and brothers, Carl, Edward and Richard Wooden.

For friends wishing to celebrate Ken’s remarkable life, the family invites you to walk among the noble stone walls, burbling streams and rolling meadows of his cherished Honey Hollow, and remember Ken as you knew him, there within the “sublime tapestry of nature” where his gentle spirit will linger forever.

Ken’s favorite quote was from George Bernard Shaw: “I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.”

An informal celebration of life for family and close friends will be held at Ken and Martha’s Honey Hollow Camp from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2023. Condolences and memories may be shared by visiting awrfh. com. In lieu of flower arrangements, direct donations to Holly’s House Child & Adult Victim Advocacy Center, P.O. Box 4125, Evansville IN 47724.

Kenneth Wooden