Long-term Shelburne rep announces departure
U.S. Senator Peter Welch visited Shelburne Farms April 24 to discuss Vermont’s maple industry and its many agricultural, cultural and economic benefits. He toured both the farm’s education sugarhouse and its production sugarhouse to hear about programs that are helping students learn about maple sugaring and how important healthy forest ecosystems are to the industry and our lives.
After voters approved the Champlain Valley School District’s revised budget this month, the district will have to grapple with staffing reductions and deferred facility maintenance going into the next school year.
The revised $101.8 million budget, which passed by around 1,400 votes on April 16, represents about $5 million in spending cuts from the initial version voters rejected on Town Meeting Day, while still amounting to an almost 6 percent increase from this year’s budget. Despite that increase, the district will have to tighten its belt dramatically next year due to rising staffing and facility costs that have led to a chaotic budget year statewide.
With the revised budget passed, the district has to scrap 42 full-time equivalent (FTE)
positions for next year, including about 18 paraprofessional positions and just under 15 teaching positions. The district will also be making reductions in a variety of teacher coaching roles, library staff, central administrative positions, as well as custodial and IT support positions.
“Overall, 42 FTEs — it’s a big number. It’s certainly impactful for students and staff,” Gary Marckres, the district’s director of operations, said.
Marckres emphasized that not all those positions necessarily represent layoffs, however. According to a breakdown of the positions shared on the district’s website, many of the reductions included in this year’s budget and in the first iteration of next year’s budget were never actually filled. Other reduced positions represent
For years, Shelburne residents and officials have been asking themselves how to make roads safer for walkers and bikers. Now the town’s Village Pedes-
trian Safety Group is asking the selectboard to consider a uniform policy to narrow the lanes on any road with a speed limit of 35 mph or less to 10 feet.
The group, although not an official town committee, has worked since 2016 with Local
Motion and town and regional partners to shape a village that accommodates the needs of all: pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles.
The petition, said member Tom Zenaty at a meeting last week, is also endorsed by the
town’s official Bike and Pedestrian Safety Group, along with other resident-led safety groups in town.
“The foundation for this really lies in language put forward in a variety of town plans, and studies over literally the decades,”
Zenaty said, adding that the idea dates back to the 1988 town plan.
“Additionally, research supports the narrowing of travel lanes where speed limits are 35
See LANES on page 16
in the Beautiful Four-Story Atrium Restaurant and Veranda at the DoubleTree Hotel Burlington
SUNDAY, MAY 12
TWO SEATINGS STARTING AT 11:00 AM (11:00-11:30 AM - 1:30-2:00 PM )
ADULTS
$49.95 | AGES 5-12 $24.95 | UNDER 5 FREE
Prices do not include taxes and gratuity. (18% gratuity will be added for parties with more than 6 people.)
Chef Carved
Maple Glazed Ham
Prime Rib Au Jus
Egg and Omelet Station
—
Muffins, Pastries and Croissants
Sliced Fruit Display
Yogurt Parfait
— Traditional Eggs Benedict
Breakfast Potatoes
Scrambled Eggs
French Toast with Vermont Maple Syrup
MUSIC/LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Guitarist and Vocalist
Bacon and Sausage
Vermont Cheese Display
Cold Poached Salmon
Shrimp Cocktail
Mixed Green Salad Bar
Pesto Pasta Salad
Fresh Roasted Vegetables
Cellentani Pasta with Garlic
Olive Oil and
Fresh Julienne Vegetables
Tuscan Chicken
— Chef’s Dessert Display and More
RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION
802-865-6600
As interest has grown in ranked choice voting in the Legislature, towns, interest groups and voters, the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office and the League of Women Voters of Vermont is hosting a two-part virtual to “inform debate and raise the profile of this system of voting.”
Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas.
“Ranked Choice Voting is a new and powerful way of choosing our leaders, and we know that Vermont legislators will be considering RCV legislation next session,” said
Political Notebook
Dr. Louis Meyers
Dr. Louis Meyers has announced his candidacy for the Senate in Chittenden Southeast.
Meyers hopes to use his many years of experience as a physician to help repair Vermont’s broken health care system and help patients and providers receive the care and support they need.
Whether in health care, housing, education and other areas controlling costs while continuing to maintain high standards will be Meyers’ focus if elected.
Learn more at louismeyers.com.
Dr. Louis Meyers
The first forum is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, 7-8:30 p.m., with Ryan Kirby of the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center. He will present an overview of ranked choice voting, covering key concepts and presenting a simulation for participants to better understand what it is and how it works.
The second forum takes place Wednesday, May 8, 7-8:30 p.m., and will dive into the details of administering ranked elections in Vermont, featuring Brattleboro town clerk Hilary Francis and Burlington assistant city clerk Sarah Montgomery.
Register at bit.ly/3U7tMnE. Questions for the panelists can be submitted in advance to bkeller@ lwvofvt.org.
The Howard Center series on substance use is on Thursday, May 2, not Monday, May 2, as noted in an item last week.
The Champlain Valley School District is helping families bridge the food gap during the summer by providing seven days of meals for free to any child 18 or under.
The boxes include everything needed to make seven breakfasts and lunches for one child and are made available due to recent changes in U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations for summer food service programs.
Feeding children is a main priority in the district and helps in several ways. It keeps a few food service staffers employed during the summer. The revenues from federal reimbursements can also help to offset costs incurred in the food service department when school begins, and the more meal boxes served, the better it will
be for families in the district.
Meal boxes must be picked up in Hinesburg at the St. Jude Catholic Church on the scheduled distribution day — Mondays starting June 24 and through Aug. 19. There will be two distribution times on those Mondays, 7:30-9 a.m. and 2:30-4 p.m., or until all the boxes are gone. There is no delivery.
To be as prepared as possible, the district is asking that families complete a survey to express their interest in participating in the program. Please complete the survey by Monday, May 6, at bit.ly/49WF18i.
Families will need to order meals for their children each week on a special meal order form that will be on the district website during the summer. If you have questions, go to cvsdvt.org/page/268.
Jewish community center presents ‘And Then They Came for Me’
The iconic, tragic tale of a young girl confronting the horrors of the Holocaust has been reimagined as a multimedia stage reading that is being brought to the Stowe area next month.
The Vermont Holocaust Memorial, a nonprofit working to advance Holocaust education in Vermont, in partnership with the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, are sponsoring “And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank,” a performance that is part oral history, part dramatic action, part direct address and part remembrance.
“Audiences who have witnessed —and participated — in this production are moved by its power, novelty and clear meaning for these times in our country,” Debora Steinerman, president of Vermont Holocaust Memorial, said. “The story of Anne Frank transcends nationalities and time and illustrates the destruction indifference and prejudice can have and how a hopeful voice can shine through.”
“And Then They Came for Me” is a unique theatrical experience: a multimedia play that combines videotaped interviews with Holocaust survivors Ed Silverberg and Eva Schloss with live actors recreating scenes from their lives during World War II.
Silverberg was Frank’s first boyfriend, and she wrote about him in the beginning of her now-famous diary. Schloss was the same age as Frank and lived in the same apartment building in Amsterdam. Her family went into hiding the same day as the Frank family.
And, like the Frank family, they were betrayed. On Schloss’ 15th birthday, her family was arrested by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps. Eva and her mother survived, and after the war her
mother married Otto Frank, Anne’s father. This production is like a historic newsreel brought to life on the stage.
The Stowe performance is Sunday, May 5, from 4-6:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, 1189 Cape Cod Road, and will include traditional memorial prayers and a candle lighting ceremony.
An interactive, optional talk back discussion about the rise of antisemitism, facilitated by Rabbi David Fainsilber of Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, will follow the performance.
The program is free, but registration is required at bit.ly/4aKDYtn.
Additional support is being provided in part by Vermont Humanities and the Greater Stowe Interfaith Coalition. The production is part of South Burlington Temple Sinai’s “HALT (((H8)))” initiative.
Be sure to visit our advertisers and tell them: “I saw your name in the Shelburne News.”
Total reported incidents: 53
Traffic stops: 28
Warnings: 29
Tickets: 0
Arrests: 1
Medical emergencies: 20
Mental health incidents: 1
Suspicious incidents: 4
Domestic incidents: 4
Directed patrols: 5
Citizen assists: 5
Welfare check:
Motor vehicle complaints: 2
Car crash: 3
Animal problem: 1
Noise disturbance: 1
Unlawful Mischief: 0
Theft: 2
Harassment: 1
Vandalism: 1
Fraud: 1
Alarms: 6
Pending investigations: 6
911 Hang-up calls: 0
April 22 at 6:47 p.m., a vehicle on Shelburne was stolen and later found in Burlington and returned to the owner.
April 23 at 1:28 p.m., police mediated a verbal dispute on Addie Lane.
April 23 at 2:24 p.m., police were called to the same Addie Lane home to mediate another dispute between
family members.
April 23 at 6:19 p.m., a caller reported a woman was at the intersection of Dorset Street and Irish Hill Road. Police located a vehicle off the road in a small pond but not its driver. The vehicle was removed by a wrecker and its owner found in South Burlington.
April 24 at 10:04 a.m., a caller on Wake Robin Drive reported receiving threatening calls. The case is under investigation.
April 24 at 12:56 p.m., an erratic driver was reported on Birch Road.
April 24 at 5:01 p.m., a two-car crash that happened earlier in the day was reported on Governor’s Lane.
April 25 at 2:41 p.m., Eduardo Mayorga, 39, of Providence, R.I., was arrested for driving under the influence, first offense, on Shelburne Road.
April 25 at 8:47 a.m., a caller reported vandalism to the walking path bridge at the Laplatte River Nature Park. The case is pending.
April 25 at 5:52 p.m., a two-vehicle crash on Shelburne Road
See BLOTTER on page 16
Serving the community of Shelburne A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC shelburnenews.com
Advertising Wendy Ewing wendy@shelburnenews.com (802) 985-3091 x12
Advertising Director Judy Kearns judy@otherpapersbvt.com (802) 864-6670 x21
News Editor Tommy Gardner
Staff Writers
Aaron Calvin Liberty Darr
Production Manager Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com
Editor/Publisher Gregory Popa gpopa@stowereporter.com
Billing inquiries Leslie Lafountain leslie@stowereporter.com (802) 253-2101
Advertising submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. advertising@shelburnenews.com classifieds@shelburnenews.com
Editorial submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com
Calendar submission deadline: Friday at 12 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com
Contact: 1340 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 985-3091
A former Monkton man has been sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his stepfather in Hinesburg in 2019.
Kory Lee George, 36, and his mother Angela M. Auclair, 52, formerly of Williston, have been implicated in orchestrating the nighttime ambush killing of David Auclair, 45, of Williston almost five years ago.
They were both headed to trial when George entered a last-minute plea agreement in September 2023 that required him to enter a guilty plea and promise to testify against his mother.
David Auclair was shot 11 times, and no shell casings were left behind from the shooting, Vermont State Police said.
He was the son of a well-known South Burlington family that operated a large farm on Vermont 116 near the Shelburne line.
George said at his change of plea hearing that his mother was
the person who fired all the shots into her estranged husband. It marked the first time she had been identified in public as the shooter.
Initial reports said Auclair was home when her husband was gunned down.
George and his mother were initially scheduled for a rare joint homicide trial in Vermont starting last October. Up to five weeks had been set aside for the trial.
David Auclair tried to crawl under his 2017 GMC pickup truck to get away from the shooting by
his wife, deputy state’s attorney Susan G. Hardin said in court when George pleaded guilty last fall.
The bullet-riddled body of the victim was found July 11, 2019, at the LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest trailhead parking lot off Gilman Road in Hinesburg. The victim was lured to the scene for his execution through a pre-paid burner cellphone that was traced to a Milton store where George bought it, state police said. Auclair later pleaded guilty to accessory to first degree murder in January. She was scheduled to get the same sentence of 18 years to life as her son, but in April she petitioned a judge to allow her to withdraw her guilty plea. She also wants to fire her lawyer.
Judge Kevin Griffin had initially said he would try to schedule the sentencings for George and his mother on the same day so family members of the victim would need to travel only once from out-ofstate for the hearings.
See GEORGE on page 17
Recent arguments against increased density in population centers have used the tired refrain of “Vermont is not for sale.” This rhetoric and political opportunism are unworthy of one of the most serious policy issues of our time and creates false enemies out of those trying to build housing that is affordable and accessible for Vermont families.
It is true that Vermont is not for sale, and that is largely because there are no homes to purchase — less than 600 in the entire state — and certainly none that low- and moderate-income Vermonters can afford. That is not something to celebrate or politicize, and it does not create a welcoming environment to keep repeating this refrain.
Shrouded in virtuous pretense, saying Vermont is not for sale is akin to harkening back to a nostalgia for large land holdings and housing exclusivity that has left its legacy in Vermont’s vast racial and generational homeownership gap and homelessness crisis.
Owning a home has long been at the center of closing wealth disparities and building the stability of neighborhoods. With false constraints on the number of houses available on the market
nationwide, we have seen the largest increase in the purchase price of homeownership in modern history. This has widened the wealth gap and destabilized communities. Vermont is not only swept up in this trend but is at the forefront in unfortunate ways: We have the highest rate of second homes, the highest number of acres per dwelling, and the largest share of households of two people or less in the entire nation.
What’s more, Vermont is not immune to the political, classbased and racial housing segregation that is leading to the decline of our democracy. During the Great Migration of southern Black farmers who sought greater freedom in the north, Vermont actively recruited Swedish farmers to ensure the vast working landscape remained in white ownership. This was on top of a foundation of anti-Black and antisemitic housing covenants, real estate promotions exclusively welcoming white families and intellectual leadership in the eugenics movement.
Vermont is not among the whitest states in the country by accident, and allowing ownership opportunities in dense, multi-family housing projects is one of the best paths we have to break the shameful trend of reducing Black homeownership down to a mere 22 percent. Fifty years
ago, when Act 250 was just being implemented, it was at 40 percent. White homeownership in Vermont reflects the national average at 72 percent, a 50-point difference.
This is not to blame Act 250, but to point out that its intent of creating “compact village settlements” with working lands in between has been perverted into creating exclusive communities that result in sprawl and a lack of affordability. We also have a tremendous homelessness crisis, and the research consensus is clear: More housing units slow rent increases, and lower rent prices drive down homelessness while also giving people choice at different stages of life.
Finally, as we look to the growing threat of climate change, we cannot turn our backs on climate refugees, and saying we are “not for sale” is akin to saying we are closing our borders as coastal sea levels rise — even as low-lying areas in Vermont become more flood prone. We need to build units densely on higher ground in anticipation of the uncertainty and destruction to come, and there is no amount of money that can do that without the appropriate regulatory reform to get people to safety.
The Senate’s proposed BE Home Bill, S.311, responsibly balances targeted investment within our limited means and reduces the cost of building
Eight years ago, when I made the decision to run for the Vermont House of Representatives, I asked for input and support from my constituents in Shelburne and St. George, and I also asked for your vote at the polls in 2016 and again in 2018, 2020, and 2022. I thank so many of you who, over the past eight years, have given me invaluable input, incalculable support and strong votes on all those election days.
Independent Lifestyle in a
Prepared Meals • Daily Activities • Private Rooms/Suites • Medicaid Accepted 24/7 Nursing Oversight and Medication Management
make it out of committee but in a very altered or amended form.
But many pass, and I am proud of the work I did both within my committee and within the larger bodies of the House and Senate, on several pieces of legislation over the last eight years.
Foremost for me was working on access to quality, affordable child care while supporting early childhood educators; preservation of reproductive freedom; expansion of clean energy initiatives; keeping our lakes and waterways clean and accessible; and reducing access to nicotine by children.
Today, I am letting you know that I have made the decision not to seek reelection in 2024, but also to let you all know how grateful I am to each of you for the opportunity to serve the past eight years.
During my first campaign, I said that I would work hard to be a strong voice for Shelburne and St. George in the Statehouse, and I have worked every day to do just that. It is fair to say that I did not go into my first race or my first term in the Vermont House a complete neophyte. I had worked 12 years for Vermont’s beloved senator, Jim Jeffords, absorbing the politics of his office and learning the importance of strong constituency relations and service.
I believe Vermont, with the help of the Legislature, has made real progress on these issues, and I am proud of what I was able to contribute in seeing those issues move forward.
legislative action, there will be a system in place that supports this kind of accountability and oversight.
I believe change is healthy in all areas of our lives, and carry that belief, for both me and my constituents, to my service in our legislative district. Being part of a citizen legislature, charged with improving all lives, has been an incredible honor. I have learned so much over the past eight years both under the Golden Dome and from you, my constituents. One of my greatest pleasures has been meeting many of you throughout my service.
Leaving is bittersweet. I have had the pleasure of getting to know many of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle and in both bodies working together to find compromise, staying late into the evening to hammer out final reports, coming in early to meet in various caucuses, and preparing (obsessively!) for work on the House floor, including being ready to be interrogated by my colleagues.
I appreciate the guidance from the speaker’s office and her staff. It has also been my pleasure to get to know and work with all the people in the Statehouse who are never in the news, who do not work for recognition, but for the honor of serving those who make laws.
As my family grew and transformed, I spent countless hours volunteering in school activities, serving on boards and commissions, and continuing to be involved in Vermont’s political landscape. Armed with real-life experiences, I knew that if I worked my hardest, I would be able to follow through on my pledge to be a strong voice for Shelburne and St. George.
Since being elected in 2016, I served on two House standing committees, the House Committee on Government Operations Committee and the House Committee on Human Services, where I spent the last two years as vice chair. In 2016, I was appointed by the Speaker of the House to a joint, off-session Committee on Government Accountability. This past summer, I was honored to be asked to co-chair this committee with Sen. Randy Brock from the Franklin district. Our committee met throughout the summer and fall with a goal to recommend change that would help bring more transparency and accountability within government at all levels — systemic changes that will be simple, clear, independent, objective and fact-based. I believe the work we did will bring significant changes in how we measure accountability.
I will miss this work. I will miss the sense of pride I have had each day, walking into the Statehouse, this beautiful building with the Golden Dome, this museum that belongs to all Vermonters and holds the stories of how government works. I look up at that Dome and think how lucky I am to have had this time here in our Capitol, and I cannot thank you enough for putting your faith in me.
Nevertheless, no job, no volunteer activity, no educational experiences can fully prepare a person for serving in the General Assembly. It is a privilege. It is, at times, all-consuming and challenging. It is an unparalleled opportunity that I will value for the rest of my life.
It is often said that, in the legislative process, outcomes are not always exactly as initially hoped. Ideas become bills that are introduced and go to committees. Those bills (nearly 900 in the House this past session) do not all become laws. Some are never addressed; some cannot make it out of committee; and others
In the future, with many of the changes our committee recommended, it will be possible to look back to determine if the laws that have been passed are having the intended impact on the state and, if they are not, why not? The intent of these common-sense recommendations was to reexamine the principle of government accountability by focusing on how evidence is used to inform policy, how state laws are carried out according to legislative intent, and how laws can best be written going forward to achieve their intended outcomes. The value of government is proven through its accountability to the people and now, due to our
I am not seeking reelection, but I am not going away, at least right away. My current term continues through the November elections. I will be active, continuing to represent my Shelburne and St. George constituents until another person is elected. Several residents have already expressed interest in seeking election to the House from our district. I wish them well and know that whoever is the next representative, that person will go to work in the Statehouse with the backing of the best constituents anyone could ever have.
Rep. Jessica Brumsted, a Democrat, represents voters in St. George and Shelburne in the Chittenden 5-2 district.
To the Editor:
Many Vermont school districts start spring vacation on April 22 in lockstep with the observation and celebration of Passover, which began that day.
Every teacher in this state should be protesting openly in public against the blatant terrorist hatred, anti-Israel and antisemitism being displayed in this great country. That includes demanding resignations of those who have been elected to seats in Congress, and those leaders of our higher education institutions who will not openly denounce this travesty against the Jewish nation. Hypocrisy should not be rewarded.
Timothy Dudley ShelburneBe wary of reinstating spending threshold
To the Editor:
As the chair of the Burlington School District School Board, I am fortunate to witness firsthand the profound impact of educational policies on our diverse community. Among these policies, Act 127 stands out as a beacon of progress in the continuous effort to achieve equity and finally address the inequity across Vermont’s schools.
However, while we navigate the benefits of such transformative legislation, we also face potential challenges that could undermine those efforts, such as the discussions around the excess spending threshold.
Act 127 was a significant milestone passed to rectify the
Do you have photos you would like to share with the community? Send them to us: news@ shelburnenews.com
longstanding educational funding disparities. By recalibrating the funding formula to reflect the needs of today’s students more accurately — particularly those in economically disadvantaged or culturally diverse districts like Burlington — it promises to level the playing field.
This act is crucial for Burlington, where the student population is incredibly diverse, with 63 percent of students facing basic needs challenges, as well as New Americans who bring a wealth of culture but also face unique educational challenges.
The success of Act 127 in promoting equity is something to be celebrated and protected. As such, while there is talk of reinstating the excess spending threshold — a policy that could restrict the ability of districts to spend beyond a certain limit — I urge caution. It is essential that any modifications to financial policies are considered through the lens of their long-term impact on educational equity. (Editor’s note: Districts with per-pupil spending that is greater than the excess spending threshold incur “an additional tax for the amount over the threshold.”
The excess spending threshold, if not handled carefully, could potentially penalize those it was designed to protect by capping necessary funding in districts that are just beginning to find their footing with the passage of Act 127.
Indeed, financial prudence is vital, and we must ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. However, we must also recognize that the path to equity is multifaceted. It involves understanding the unique needs of each district and ensuring that they have the
A crash course in sculpture might help To the Editor:
In consideration of the recent
resources to meet these needs. As we discuss the excess spending threshold, let’s ensure that our decisions do not inadvertently halt the progress we are making toward a more equitable educational landscape.
I believe in a Vermont where every child has access to quality education that meets their specific needs, regardless of their back-
rash of out-of-control autos driving into the Shelburne Post Office, I would like to suggest that about five or six of these interesting sculptures be placed
ground or where they live. Act 127 has started us on this path with modernized pupil weights and an equitable funding formula. As we move forward, let’s continue to champion policies that uphold this vision and approach changes like the excess spending threshold with a careful, equity-focused perspective.
Let’s work together — legisla-
between the building and the parking lot. That ought to do it.
Gary Brown Liverpool, N.Y.
tors, educators and communities — to maintain the momentum toward true educational equity. It’s a goal worth pursuing with both passion and caution, ensuring that all Vermont students can succeed in a supportive and fair learning environment.
Clare K. Wool Chair, Burlington School Board
$35,000
The Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg Interfaith Project (SCHIP) has announced its spring 2024 grant awards.
Grants in the amount of $35,020 were awarded to 13 nonprofits in the three towns that met the criteria of serving the people of the community. Recipients included Boy Scout Troop 6110, Charlotte Senior Center, Hinesburg Nursery School, New Village Farm, Pierson Library, Shelburne Nursery School, Shelburne Parks and Recreation, St. Catherine of Siena Church, Vermont Cancer Support Network, Vermont Parks Forever, Hinesburg Community Resource Center, Charlotte Food Shelf and Shelburne Food Shelf.
The award to New Village Farm came from the newly established major grants category. Grants funded in this category are designed to provide seed money for future self-sustaining projects.
These awards are made possible because of SCHIP’s mission to raise funds through the sale of donated, gently used clothing, household items, accessories, art and collectibles at its upscale resale shop on Route 7 in Shelburne next to the town offices. Since April 2005, more than $902,600 has been distributed.
SCHIP accepts grant applications twice a year. The deadlines are March 15 and Sept. 15. The maximum grant size is $3,000 for routine grants and $15,000 for major grants. Application forms are available at theschip.org.
Call the shop at 802-985-3595 or check the shop’s Facebook page for information about shopping, donating, volunteering or to help in other ways.
Participating faith communi-
ties are Charlotte Congregational Church; Hinesburg United Church; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, Charlotte; Shelburne United Methodist Church; St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Shelburne; St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Hinesburg; and Trinity Episcopal Church, Shelburne.
Dairy day at Shelburne Farms is Sunday, May 5, 1-4 p.m.
Head down to the Shelburne Farms dairy barn and meet the spring calves and Brown Swiss cows. Take a wagon ride to the pastures, watch the calves get their afternoon milk, explore the dairy barns, see the cows come down the lane for afternoon milking in “cow parade” style, and view them getting milked in the parlor.
The cost is $5 per car; walkers get in free. No registration is required.
Shelburne
Grab your bike or walking shoes and come share the joy of getting around car-free in Shelburne Village.
Shelburne Community Walk & Roll will be held on Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m. It starts at the Parade Ground and participants will bike or walk the same loop as the Halloween parade. Everyone is welcome, and for more fun, festively decorate your bike, helmet or hat.
This free event is organized by the Shelburne Forward Together Bike and Pedestrian Task Force. The purpose of the event is to promote getting around Shelburne Village car-free. This event will happen in rain or shine.
After riding or walking the loop, enjoy live music and free cookies, face-painting, free helmets, and a mobile bike repair unit at the Parade Ground. Bring your own water bottles and please the dogs at home.
Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older on Tuesday, May 14.
Meals will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. until noon and are available for anyone 60 or older. Suggested donation is $5.
The menu is chicken breast with sweet and sour sauce, brown rice pilaf with veggies and cannellini beans, brussels sprouts, wheat roll, cookie and milk.
To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-503-1107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, May 8. If this is a first-time order, provide your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
If you haven’t yet filled out a congregate meal registration form, bring a completed registration form with you or send one to: Age Well; 875 Roosevelt Highway, Ste. 210, Colchester VT 05446. Forms will be available at meal pick up.
Learn about restaurant tickets to dine at participating restaurants at agewellvt.org.
well host March luncheon
Age Well is offering a luncheon on Wednesday, May 22, in the St Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St. in Shelburne.
The menu is stuffed chicken breast, mashed potatoes, sliced carrots, dinner roll, pumpkin cookie with raisins and milk.
You must register by Thursday, May 16, 2024.
Check-in time is 11:30 a.m. and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
Diners must register by May 16 to Kerry Batres, nutrition coordinator, 802-662-5283 or email kbatres@agewellvt.org. Tickets are also available at the Age Well Office, 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210, Colchester.
Shelburne Town Hall hosts contra dance
Calling all contra dancers. Queen City Contras is holding a dance at Shelburne Town Hall on Friday, May 24.
Mary Wesley will call to the sounds of Red Dog Riley. All are welcome, all dances are taught, and no partner or experience are necessary.
The cost is $12 adults over 18, $5 kids 12-18 or low-income, and those under 12 get in free.
Dancers should bring a pair of clean, soft-soled shoes.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., beginner lesson at 6:45 p.m. and dancing goes from 7 to 10.
Howard Center panel addresses substance use
The education session, “Substance Use and Our Community, takes place Thursday, May 2, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at dealer.com, 1 Howard St., Burlington. Both in-person and virtual attendance options are available. (Please note the correct day of the week)
The session is part of Howard Center’s spring community educa-
Admission is free all day. Join us!
Celebrate the exciting new season!
Experience inspiring new exhibitions and visit the beloved galleries, buildings, and gardens that make Shelburne Museum a place like no other.
Saturday. May 11, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Free admission, live music, art making activities, garden and gallery tours, and more.
tion series.
A panel of experienced clinicians will provide an overview of substance, including programs and services that provide treatment and efforts to create a bridge between people who use drugs and recovery, followed by a question-and-answer period.
This event is free, and attendees are encouraged to share their experiences and contribute to a discussion on how to work together to create a safer, healthier community.
The moderator is Beth Holden, chief client services officer at the Howard Center. Participants are encouraged to register early as spaces are limited. Contact pdetzer@howardcenter.org.
The 35th COTS Walk will take place on Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in Battery Park in Burlington. It’s the nonprofit’s largest annual event and fundraiser to provide shelter, services and housing to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in Vermont.
Registration kicks off at 1 p.m. and the walk begins at 2 p.m. The walk takes participants on a tour of eight shelters and facilities that the Committee on Temporary Shelter operates in Burlington. Each stop will provide music, snacks, crafts and education about the services provided there.
The majority of COTS’s annual budget comes from private donations and the walk is one of its largest fundraising events of the year. This year, COTS aims to raise $210,000.
Those interested can register, sign up to volunteer or donate now at cotsonline.org or by calling 802-864-7402.
We can put the ways that forests benefit our lives and our quality of life into three general categories: ecological, economic and cultural. The ecological benefits of forests include how they clean air and water, regulate climate and provide the means for humans and so many other species to exist.
Forests also provide economic benefits: They add billions of dollars to Vermont’s economy, and grow local, renewable resources like wood that enrich our lives and lower reliance on more harmful resources produced elsewhere.
Finally, forests provide cultural benefits: They are inarguably essential to our identities as Vermonters, to so many of the things that we do and value and love. As we envision a future for ourselves and our forests, balancing all these benefits is key: How can we care for forests in a way that creates and sustains an ecologically, economically and culturally functional landscape?
Almost anywhere that there are forests, they can be placed into one of three broad categories — production forests, working forests and reserves — a triad of forest management approaches with different objectives that employ different strategies and have different strengths and weaknesses.
The first leg of the triad is production forests, where trees are managed essentially as crops, often grown and harvested on relatively short rotations and using intensive management techniques. Production forests may be more diverse forests of naturally regenerating trees, but (globally) often take the form of monoculture plantations.
Production forests provide some of the ecological benefits of a natural forest, but their main strengths are economic; they provide huge amounts of renewable resources, jobs and local economic benefits. It should also be said that the fact that production forests produce so many renewable resources is itself a powerful global ecological and cultural benefit and lowers reliance on resources that cause significant harm to ecosystems and people.
Working forests include nearly all forests in Vermont. These are forests that are periodically managed for wood and other resources, but also for a wide range of other values such as biodiversity protection, carbon, wildlife habitat and recreation. The economic benefits of working forests are not as concentrated as production forests — you need a much greater acreage to produce the same quantity of resources — but they provide periodic economic benefits, as well as more ecological and cultural benefits than production forests.
The third leg of the triad is reserves. Reserves are forests that are essentially unmanaged, although we use the term passive management, that are allowed to develop largely without human intervention. Reserves may provide some economic benefits from tourism and forest-based recreation, but their primary benefits are
ecological and cultural.
While you may be biased toward one leg of the triad or another, production forests, working forests and reserves are likely all necessary to meet our ecological, economic and cultural needs. The three legs of the triad exist in a dynamic relationship with one another: If we want more reserves, we will also need more production forests to produce the resources that we need to sustain us; if we want fewer production forests, we will need far more working forests and fewer reserves; and if we say “not in my backyard” to working forests in Vermont, we are likely saying “yes” to production forests somewhere else.
Of these three forest types, working forests are by far the most radical and beneficial. They are the only forests that we have a real relationship with; the only ones that truly balance all the things that we ask, and require, from our forests. In working forests, we can recognize our responsibility to protect forests for their own sake (like a reserve), and to produce renewable resources (like a production forest), while also acknowledging that we can play a positive and even regenerative role in these ecosystems — not as a farmer of a crop and not as a bystander, but as the steward of a complex and precious living system.
While we need some production forests and reserves, I believe that working forests are the place where we can maximize the ecological, economic and cultural values of forests.
Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Learn more at linktr.ee/chittendencountyforester.
Hanging baskets, rose bushes or can’t decide? Surprise her with a Gift Certificate!
Quality Plants
Vermont grown right here!
• Hanging Baskets
• Rose Bushes
• Perennials • Vegetables • Herbs • Trees
Shrubs • Mulch
Compost
Seeds
Proven Winners
‘Going with the Flow’
Works by Castleton artist Richard Weis, art professor emeritus at Green Mountain College and Fulbright award winner, are on display at the Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne through May. “Going with the Flow: Works on Paper” features bold images in ink and watercolor where the brushwork is informed by Weis’ lifelong admiration and study of East Asian arts. While visiting and observing South Korean artists creating stylistically various artwork, Weis “began to see that there was a cultural underpinning or foundation in their work that was reflected in their heightened sensitivity to the qualities of the materials they were using. I came back with a renewed sense of the important relationship between craftsmanship and expressive form.” The show runs through May 31. Above, “In Flux” by Richard Weis
The Hinesburg Artist Series celebrates spring and Mother’s Day with a concert on Sunday, May 12, at 4 p.m. in the Champlain Valley Union High School auditorium.
The Winds of Time” by Larry Neeck.
The concert will feature the Hinesburg Community Band and South County Chorus, both directed by Rufus Patrick.
“We have put together a lovely mix of music that families are sure to enjoy,” Patrick, Hinesburg Artist Series music director, said. “This concert will be a wonderful way to celebrate spring and mothers.”
The Hinesburg Community Band will present selections by James Swearingen, Randall Standridge, Robert Longfield and a rousing piece entitled “Dragons Fly on
The South County Chorus will sing selections by Michael Engelhardt, Howard Helvey and David Waggoner. Other featured selections will be “Turn the World Around” by Harry Belafonte, arranged by Mark Hayes, and “A Million Dreams” from the “Greatest Showman” arranged by Mark Brymer.
“Performing for our local community for more than 25 years has been so inspiring,” Patrick said. “Come hear ‘Dragons Flying’ and listen to the Earth’s spirit as we ‘Turn the World Around’ through music.” The concert is free; donations are accepted.
Go to hinesburgartistseries.org for more information.
Pauline T. Albee
Pauline Tacey Albee, 97, died peacefully in the presence of her loving, devoted son, Kyle and daughter-in-law, Starr on the evening of Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2024.
She was born in Montpelier on Dec. 20, 1926, to Willard and Grace Tacey, the youngest of six children. Pauli grew up in Barre playing sports with her five older brothers.
After graduation from Spaulding High School in 1944, Pauli worked as a telephone operator for 15 years. Her brothers all served in World War II and came home without a scratch.
She married Winston “Larry” Albee in 1959 then moved to Waterbury Center, where their son, Kyle was born. While raising her son, Pauli also took great care of her own mother who lived with them until her death in 1976 at the age of 93.
Larry died in January 1979, leaving her to raise her only child with a combination of love, thoughtfulness, generosity and respect for others.
Pauli moved to The Terraces in Shelburne in 2005, where she instantly gained a wonderful group of friends that she enjoyed socializing with and took part in all their activities. In addition, she enjoyed flower gardening, watching her beloved Red Sox and golf, which she played in her younger years.
Pauli always had a wonderful
zest for life. You could always count on her for a quick one liner, and a smile on her face. She was always optimistic, laughed easily and saw the good in others. She was meticulous in her appearance and took great care to coordinate her daily outfits.
Pauli is survived by her son, Kyle and daughter-in-law, Starr of South Burlington, along with Starr’s parents, John and Judy Nailor of Shelburne; and the Hoyt family of Florida and North Carolina, to whom she was always known as “Aunt Pauli.”
Thanks go out to Dorothy Micklas and the wonderful staff at The Terraces, and the caring staff at The Gazebo, which made her final months very meaningful.
A special thank you to Katherine Yantz, her friend and caregiver, because “Kathy always makes everything better.”
A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 18, 2024, 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Congregational Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Pope Memorial Frontier Animal Society in Orleans where her beloved feline, Bootsy was adopted. Pauli adored cats and they loved her.
Pauli will be greatly missed. She will always remain our “Sunshine,” who forever will be loved to the “the moon and back.”
David “Dave” Jordan, a resident of Wake Robin in Shelburne, died peacefully on Friday, April 19, 2024, after complications from a fall.
Dave is survived by his wife of 62 years, Nicola H. Jordan; and sons Dean Jordan and his spouse, Adriana and grandson, Ryan, and Bret Jordan and his spouse, Jennifer and grandchildren, Madeleine, Charlotte and William.
Dave was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, on Aug. 19, 1937. He attended grade schools in 10 cities across the country from Chicago to Richland, Wash., because of his father’s work on the Manhattan
Project. He finished high school in Wilmington, Del., and in 1959 graduated from the College of Wooster in Ohio before earning a doctorate from Ohio State in 1965.
After college Dave became an organic chemistry professor at SUNY Potsdam in Potsdam, N.Y., where he lived and taught for over 30 years before retiring in 1996 to devote more time to his passion for building, fixing and painting, as he was skilled in both woodworking and watercolors.
He also spent many hours researching genealogy and set up a website focused on specific parishes in Finland, through which he maintained contact with relatives and friends.
Dave was enthusiastic about tennis and golf throughout his life and had a lifelong love of the Adirondacks that began with family vacations in his youth and continued with support for environmental causes as a resident of northern New York for many years.
Known for his sharp mind and dry wit, Dave will be dearly missed by his family and friends.
Natalie Ann Marden, 92, of Shelburne, died Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Shelburne with family members by her side. She was born July 24, 1931, in Worcester, Mass., to E. David and Ethel Pemstein. She had an
older sister, Hannah, and younger brother, Bernard. Growing up she enjoyed a large extended family that was close knit and nearby. After graduating Central High School in Worcester in 1948, she briefly attended Syracuse University and then transferred to Boston University from which she graduated in 1952 with a degree in sociology. Subsequently, she began her career as a teacher that lasted into the 1980s as well as being involved with local school governance.
Natalie married Edward R. Marden in 1957. They were each other’s devoted lifelong companions and had three children, moving the family from Boston to Weston, Mass. in 1960. They were avid tennis players who played well together in mixed doubles or very competitively when on opposite sides of the net, excellent skiers and world travelers, taking trips to China, Russia, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and throughout the United States.
Natalie read extensively and was a great appreciator of the arts. She collected Japanese woodblock prints, Chinese porcelain and mid-century furnishings, all of which informed her travels, and travels informing her interests. After Edward completed a project on Nantucket, they summered there with their young family throughout the 1960s.
Natalie enjoyed a wide circle of friends, sports, gardening, cards, reading, news, cooking and the symphony. She was an educator at heart and was beloved by so many for her wit and sense of fun, and devotion to her children and grandchildren.
Natalie is survived by her children, Steven (Susan) Marden of Boston, Douglas (Barbra) Marden of Shelburne and Lily Ann Marden (Sassan Ghahramani) of Greenwich, Conn.; five grandchildren, Miles, Kim, Greg, Eli and Emma; brother, Bernard and sister-in-law, Raylea; and many nieces and nephews.
She adored her late granddaughter, Julia.
A funeral service will be held in Natalie’s honor at noon on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at Linwood Cemetery, Weston, Mass. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Julia Ghahramani Foundation (thejuliaghahramanifoundation.org).
The family wants to thank the staff at Wake Robin, Synergy Home Care and Bayada Home Health Care for their wonderful care of our mother during hospice.
To send online condolences please visit readyfuneral.com.
Sally Ginsberg Tannen died on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at the University of Vermont Medical Center due to lung cancer. She was 69.
Sally was a beloved spouse, mother, grandmother and early childhood educator.
Born in Manhattan and educated at Washington University in St. Louis and Bank Street College of Education in New York, Sally spent her career in education, including 20 years leading the 92Y Parenting Center.
After moving to Vermont in 2021, she found her second dream job arranging flowers at the Inn at Shelburne Farms.
She is survived by her husband, Arnie; sister, Anne; children, Michael, Robert, Jonathan and Elizabeth; and grandchildren, Grace, Stella, Nora, Cedar, Shepard, Ralph and Shirley.
There’s more to consider than fresh eggs when raising chickens at home. For gardeners, that includes keeping both chickens and plants safe and productive.
Chickens love to dig in the dirt and that can be a problem. Take advantage of their natural tendencies by allowing access to the
garden when they can do the most good and denying access when they can do the most harm.
Concerned about bugs, ticks and other pests? Chickens devour them. In the spring they’ll happily aerate the soil hunting for tasty treats.
continued from page 12
They leave behind droppings high in nitrogen and work them into the soil. They’ll scratch up or pull out young weeds and incorporate compost to help prepare your garden for the coming growing season.
If you plan to add a new garden bed in a grassy, weedy area, chickens confined in a fenced enclosure or chicken tractor will clear the area completely.
Once you’re ready to plant, ban them from the garden. They’ll eat newly sown seeds and emerging seedlings. Their scratching in the soil can damage tender roots.
In the blink of an eye, they’ll defoliate young plants, dooming your planned crop before it’s had a chance to grow. More mature plants may not suffer significant harm from allowing chickens access to the garden, but chickens won’t hesitate to peck at an interesting looking cucumber or vine-ripening tomato.
While protecting crops from chickens’ mischief is important, so is protecting chickens from the dangers the garden can present. If you’ll be treating the garden with fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides or other chemicals (organic or otherwise), they may be harmful to the chickens, so it’s best to keep the birds at a safe distance.
In addition, be sure to practice good biosecurity by keeping your chickens away from areas where wild birds gather, such as bird feeding stations and duck ponds, to avoid transmission of avian influenza and other diseases.
Food crops such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplant are all part of the nightshade family and eating them can be harmful to chickens. Other crops unsafe for chickens to consume include rhubarb, onions and dried beans. At the end of the growing season, after
you pull up the plants that aren’t chicken-friendly, let the flock loose in the garden to clean up remaining plant material.
If you grow berry bushes or fruit trees, chickens can help clean up fallen fruit and insect pests. Of course, like other birds, chickens love blueberries and similar fruit. Watching a chicken eyeing a ripening berry on an overhead branch and jumping straight up to grab a beak full is sure to bring out a laugh — and thoughts of how to preserve the berry harvest.
Portable fences can discourage chickens, and row covers or bird netting can provide a barrier between chickens and a forbidden feast. Wire cloches can protect small plants.
If you prefer to keep all your plants safe and chickens out of the garden but would still like to use chickens for pest control, consider a double fence spaced about four feet apart around the garden. The flock can patrol the area between the fences and intercept any pest crossing their path on its way to the garden. Bird netting across the top will keep chickens contained and on patrol.
Chicken manure is a great benefit for gardeners who own chickens. Because chicken manure is considered “hot” and can damage plants, coop litter and manure need to be composted before use.
It makes a good addition to your compost pile, or it can be applied to the garden in the fall and allowed to compost over the intervening months until spring. For more information on composting chicken manure, see go.uvm.edu/poo.
Soil amendment, pest control, fresh eggs and a touch of humor. What more could a gardener ask?
Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension master gardener.
A prominent figure in the history of American landscape design, Beatrix Farrand née Jones (1872-1959) was the mastermind behind the idyllic grounds of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden on Mount Desert Island in Maine and Dumbarton Oaks Gardens in Washington, D.C., among numerous others.
Farrand was born into a wealthy, well-connected family of the Gilded Age society of New York City. She was close to her paternal aunt, the famous novelist Edith Wharton, and grew up exposed to her mother’s elite social circle, which included Henry James, a wealthy American-British writer.
As a child, Farrand enjoyed gardening alongside her mother at Reef Point, the family’s summer
home in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her interest in gardening grew, and despite the lack of formal training in landscape architecture in the 1890s, she forged ahead on her own, enrolling in a drafting course with a private tutor at Columbia University’s School of Mines.
In 1893, she studied horticulture and garden design as an apprentice of Charles Sprague Sargent, then director of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University.
She undertook a grand tour of European gardens in 1895, further soaking up valuable information. There, she met with renowned landscape designers, including William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll, leading advocates for wild gardening and cottage gardens. She returned home at the age of 23 emboldened and opened her own practice as a self-titled
“landscape gardener,” which she ran from a room in her mother’s house in New York City.
By 1899, her practice was flourishing and her social connections with the elite led to commissions for major luxury estates such as that of the Rockefellers. Her style was described as elegant and restrained with rich architectural details.
That same year, at the age of 27, decades before women gained the right to vote, Farrand was the only woman among 11 professionals who founded the American Society of Landscape Architects.
At the turn of the 20th century, landscape architecture was a field long dominated by men, especially in the design of public places. Self-trained, yet equally competent, Farrand defied the odds and was hired as the first consulting landscape architect at Princeton University (1912-1943), hired to
design the campus’s landscape. Other prestigious institutions, namely Yale, Harvard, Oberlin College and the University of Chicago, followed suit, hiring her to design their grounds.
If you visit the Ivy Leagues, look for Farrand’s legacy in the form of vine-covered wall gardens and native plants and trees that bloom in spring or fall when the university is in session. She favored sugar maples, sweet gums, beech and tulip poplars, seamlessly blending the elements of European formal gardens with the naturalistic beauty of the American landscape. Her goal was to offer an aesthetically pleasing environment for students to thrive.
In 1913, she met her husband, Max Farrand, at a dinner engagement with the Yale University president. A graduate of Princeton’s Class of 1892, he was then chairman of Yale’s history
department.
The couple moved to California in 1927 when her husband was appointed director of the Huntington Library. There, Farrand expanded her client-base, taking on new design projects, such as the courtyard of Dabney Hall at the California Institute of Technology, parts of Occidental College and the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, among others. Meanwhile, she commuted to the East coast to attend to her existing clients.
Recognized as America’s first female landscape architect, her prolific 50-year career led to more than 200 commissions. Her iconic and artful landscapes inspired future generations of women to pursue studies in the field of landscape architecture and design.
Her most famous design is reflected in the Dumbarton Oaks gardens where she transformed, and spent 30 perfecting, the grounds of a Georgian Revival mansion in Washington, D.C.
Some say that her most significant project was the preservation and beautification of the carriage roads in Acadia National Park, commissioned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. However, the extensive and exquisite Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden on Mount Desert Island, an Englishstyle garden with an Asian-inspired landscape designed for the Rockefellers, could certainly rival that as her masterpiece. Farrand drew inspiration from visiting numerous gardens. Gardeners can do the same by visiting University of Vermont Extension Master Gardener Program demonstration gardens throughout the state. More at go.uvm.edu/emgprojects.
VanZandt is a UVM Extension master gardener.
The shift begins around the time we turn the clocks ahead, a gradual transition from winter’s steady chorus of chickadees, squawking jays and crows cawing over the compost pile to — well, more. On an afternoon walk along back roads, I’ll hear an avian uprising and look up to find a large flock of red-winged blackbirds gathered in the still-bare branches overhead.
A week later, the trill-to-mechanical buzz of a song sparrow sounds from a hedge in the yard. Then, one early morning, the flutelike melody of a hermit thrush sifts through the cacophony of robins and juncos and pine warblers. By May, there will be a whole cast of birds hopping, chittering and flying about, as summer songbirds return in waves.
For veteran birders, the spring migration season is a delight, with new bird species arriving — or passing through — daily, in yards and forests, fields and wetlands. For newer birders or casual backyard bird watchers, this influx can be overwhelming. What’s the best way to distinguish the song of a wood thrush from that of a hermit thrush? How do you identify a bird you can hear, but not see? And is there an easy way to differentiate one little brown bird from another?
The key, according to Pamela Hunt, an avian conservation biologist with New Hampshire Audubon, is to learn in small, manageable steps over time. “Birding is like learning a language,” Hunt said. “Every little bit makes the next bit easier.”
I’ve found this to be true in my haphazard approach to bird watching. I’m far too casual about it to call myself a true birder, although every species I learn brings a little more joy. As the spring mornings grow brighter and warmer, I take to sipping my coffee on the porch, enjoying the company of the birds
as the sun rises over the mountains. I bring my small camera with a mid-range zoom, my binoculars and my bird-call-apploaded smartphone with me.
“There’s really no easy answer to picking through the cacophony of the dawn chorus other than knowing all the instruments,” Hunt said. “It’s a matter of learning the songs, and when there are a bunch of them, sometimes they overlap. But the more you know the little nuances of each individual song, the more songs you can pick out.”
I’ve found Cornell Lab’s Merlin app to be helpful in identifying different birdsongs. During peak spring migration, the Sound
“Now we’re in the middle of a migration with hermit thrush and a lot of sparrows and the first wave of warblers. Each day there are more species here. In the middle of May, the floodgates open, with the warblers, the tanagers, grosbeaks, orioles and flycatchers.”
ID feature on Merlin might identify a dozen species in a minute of recording from my front porch.
“A lot of birding is what we call GISS — general impression of size and shape,” Hunt said. “The first step is looking at the shape of the bird, the behavior of the bird. Does it have a pointy bill or a short bill? Does it hop around the ground or is it up in a tree? None of those are going to definitively tell you what specific species it is, but it starts narrowing things down. Once you narrow it down to a couple of species, you can home in on specific field marks. It’s a continual process.”
Hunt recommends using a variety of tools to help learn the birds, from Merlin to printed field guides — Sibley and Peterson are two good options — to going on bird walks with a local Audubon chapter, extension agency or other birding group. Whether birding alone or in a group, etiquette calls for keeping dogs on leash or leaving them home altogether, minimizing talking, and not overusing playbacks of birdsong, which can be detrimental to birds who think the recordings are territorial interlopers.
Hunt often records the birds she sees on (ebird.org. This and other birding sites will be especially busy in the coming weeks.
Later, I can look up information online and in my field guides about the birds on that list that are unfamiliar to me, starting with confirming that the song I heard matches the ID Merlin suggests but also what the bird looks like, its behaviors and its habitat.
I find it helpful to snap a photo of an unfamiliar bird, when possible, to allow a more careful look at field markings —–lines around the eye, say, or streaks on the breast, the presence of wing bars the shape of its tail.
Shape the community’s character
“Now we’re in the middle of a migration with hermit thrush and a lot of sparrows and the first wave of warblers. Each day there are more species here,” she said. “In the middle of May, the floodgates open, with the warblers, the tanagers, grosbeaks, orioles and flycatchers.”
I guess it’s time to brew the coffee, grab my binoculars, break out the field guides and see what birds I can learn this season.
Meghan McCarthy McPhaul is the associate editor of Northern Woodlands. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.
The business next door donates nearly twice as much as big-box stores and online retailers to local non-profits, events and teams.
continued from page 1
miles per hour or less, which is known to result in an increase in safety and mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists,” he said. “Wider travel lanes and factors are associated with an increase in accidents.”
In a memo given to the selectboard last week, the group cites six research studies focused solely on the width of streets as a mechanism for traffic calming. Painting narrower lanes should be part of a broader range of infrastructure changes to further the safety goals in town, they said.
The conversation, however, is not precedent setting, since the selectboard has ordered specific projects in the past to narrow lane widths to 10 feet, notably on Falls, Barstow and Bay roads.
“This is an issue about quality of life in our town,” Zenaty said. “We’re looking for as much pedestrian and bike safety in this car-centric town that we live in.”
A pilot project spearheaded by the group last summer temporarily restriped Spear Street to about 10.5 feet wide, among other things, to trial different traffic calming measures. However, responses to the demonstration were not unanimously supportive.
Selectboard member Matt Wormser said, “The feedback we got from the pilot project was that it felt a little too constricted. My concern, when we have a lot of adverse feedback from people who do not participate in biking and pedestrian activities is that it ultimately reduces support for that.”
Paul Goodrich, who has maintained Shelburne’s roads for more than 50 years, said some in the highway department expressed concern that lane narrowing would make taking care of the roads more difficult.
“They will narrow these roads up to nine feet and 10 feet wide because they’ve never driven a truck or anything that moves heavy equipment,” he said. “The poor truck driver that’s going to be sitting in that driver’s seat, if he hits anybody, he’s involved.”
Speaking of traffic calming and managing speeds on town roads, he pointed to the often-disregarded work zones set up in town by his crews.
“I’d like to take the whole handful of this Village Safety Committee and see how many people slow down for our work. We got the work zone with every sign, and they still go by us at 50 mph. I got a pretty
continued from page 4
was reported with no injuries.
April 25 at 11:10 p.m., police told revelers playing load music in Hullcrest Park to leave.
April 26 at 7:44 a.m., police responded to a 911 call of a domestic disturbance on Shelburne Road. The incident is under investigation.
April 27 at 9:26 a.m., a caller reported a dispute between family members on Bay Road, and police helped to mediate.
April 27 at 8:32 a.m., someone at the intersection of Shelburne and Martindale roads was reportedly trying to help an
good memory who drives what and where and they don’t slow down a bit,” Goodrich said.
Adding to Goodrich’s sentiments was business owner Brian Precourt, whose family owns the shopping plaza on Falls Road. The discussion, he said, is “scaring the hell” out of some of his tenants since some of them own restaurants that regularly rely on food delivery trucks.
Both pedestrian groups in town have sought feedback from local business owners, they said, and since more pilot projects are planned this summer, they say they plan to keep property owners informed about any expected changes.
The town has already shown commitment to improving safety for walkers and bikers throughout the years, and residents ranked it as one of their top three priorities during Shelburne Forward Together, a community-building initiative that happened last summer.
While the town doesn’t have an exact budget dedicated to just bike and pedestrian infrastructure, the highway department budget for sidewalk maintenance increased from $50,000 this year to $75,000 next year.
“Between capital construction, routine maintenance, contract planning and volunteer efforts, Shelburne is doing over $1 million of work on bike and pedestrian action in the next year. Most of that effort is grant, partner and volunteer commitment, not local tax dollars,” town manager Matt Lawless said.
He explained that public works standards are in review in connection with the zoning bylaw update currently underway in town. New neighborhoods, he said, will have clear standards for construction, including street width. Once complete, maintenance standards can be adopted to match, and older streets can gradually be brought to match the new ones.
The selectboard took no action at its meeting last week as it looks to build more consensus.
“I have no problem with the 10-foot travel lane concept,” selectboard chair Mike Ashooh said. “I don’t know if I like the blanket recommendation, but I do think we should wait to see how our zoning rewrite unfolds and see if we can design a consistent policy. Doing this systemically seems like the right way to go forward.”
continued from page 1
the pruning of partial responsibilities for several individuals rather than the elimination of a whole job.
Moreover, most of the staffing reductions are being distributed across the various schools in the district, so no one school is bearing the brunt of staffing reductions.
“We made these decisions together as a leadership team,” Marckres said.
opportunities for students to study Latin and music, among other subjects.
injured bird. Officers checked the area but couldn’t locate the individual or injured bird.
April 28 at 7:30 a.m., a stray dog was running loose near the Shelburne Shopping Park. The pup was located and reunited with the owner.
April 28 at 4:21 p.m., Aubuchon Hardware reported a retail theft, and the incident remains under investigation.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Office and can be amended or dropped.
“We used a weighted student count in each building to equalize the proportion of reduction across all our schools and the central office.”
Still, fewer resources all around will have an impact on student learning. Among the positions that will be scrapped for the next school year are a handful of math and literacy interventionist positions, limiting the amount of extra support available for students. The district is also eliminating two essential arts and world language positions across the district, reducing
The revised budget also excludes approximately $1.5 million that had been earmarked in the initial budget proposal for school facility maintenance needs. That money was expected to fund crucial HVAC system upgrades in school buildings across the district that have aging heating and cooling infrastructure.
According to Marckres, a number of schools in the district have HVAC systems that are around 20 years old and beginning to fail.
“These were improvements that we thought were important for students and staff to really have a good learning environment in those buildings,” Marckres said. “We are not going to be able to do them right away. We’ll have to get them into our capital improvement plan and look to do those projects in the future.”
continued from page 4
That plan fell through when Auclair pulled the plug on her plea deal.
“It’s about as bad as it gets,” Griffin told George on Monday about the execution-style murder of a family member.
George, a five-time felon, also was convicted separately in federal court for illegal possession of a firearm in connection with the homicide.
During the investigation, Vermont State Police detectives said they determined George was in illegal possession of two firearms — the stolen 9-mm Beretta used in the homicide and a stolen 12-gauge shotgun, records show.
George pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing the stolen shotgun at his Monkton
home where he was living in August 2019. It had been stolen with several other firearms from a camp in St. Lawrence County in upstate New York that April, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported. Evidence indicated George rented a truck before heading to the New York camp for a burglary.
Federal Judge Christina Reiss sentenced George to 89 months in federal prison on the gun count in November 2021. As part of the plea agreement, he is serving his federal sentence in a Vermont prison, and it is likely to run concurrently with his state time.
George and his mother were initially scheduled for a rare joint homicide trial in Vermont starting last October. Up to five weeks had
New session. Find some calm in your body and your mind. Join Jane Taylor for an accessible, fun, energizing yoga flow that brings students out of their daily grind and into their true nature of goodness. Get the heart rate up with vigor, and then wind down and relax in a balanced class designed to make you feel better than when you came in the door.
Taylor teaches with alignment, humor and ease. All levels welcome. Bring your own yoga mat and whatever props you need.
Sessions are on Tuesdays, May 7 to June 4, 9-10 a.m., Shelburne town gym. Cost is $90.
The early registration deadline is Friday, June 14, to secure the early bird price and uniform guarantee.
The Shelburne Recreation Soccer League is for students entering grades one to six next fall. All teams will be assigned one practice night during the week and will compete in games on Saturdays. Register by June 14, the cost is $40; $55 after that date. The uniform fee is $25; a uniform
shirt is required. It’s the same reversible jersey as past years. Order when registering if your child does not already have one. Uniform orders must be placed by June 14 to guarantee the preferred size.
Located next to the natural playground at Davis Park on School Street, these raised bed gardens are designed to provide better accessibility for those that may need it.
The plots are small, and few are available. Water is available on site. Gardening is organic only; no pesticide or chemical use. Plots will be assigned in April with planting starting in early May.
Plot size and cost is 8-feet by 3-feet, 30 inches high, $20; and 8-feet by 4-feet, 24 inches high, $25.
Some camps are already full and have a waitlist and others have limited space. Visit shelburnevt.org/160/parks-recreation for online registration and complete details.
been set aside for the trial.
A nearby doorbell camera at a Hinesburg home captured the sound of 14 shots. George’s defense lawyer Daniel M. Sedon said evidence showed only one gun was used at the scene.
The homicide investigation pointed to George as the apparent shooter after he stole firearms from a Colchester home of James Synott the night before the shooting. George broke into the unattended home on Arbor Lane while his mother fulfilled plans to meet the homeowner and David Auclair for dinner at the Lighthouse restaurant in Colchester. Synott was a mutual friend.
The Auclairs were in a rocky marriage, and police said Angela Auclair had a romantic interest in another man who would visit their home on Vermont 116 in Williston.
That man drove George to Colchester for the home burglary to steal guns, state police said.
Arbor Day tree walk
Friday, May 3: 1-2 p.m.
It’s Vermont Arbor Day and to celebrate join members of the Shelburne Tree Committee on a stroll through the neighborhood sharing information about the tree species at hand and shuddering tales of the emerald ash borer. It’s a great way to learn tree identification and share community in the village.
Masterworks of animation: Pinocchio
Tuesday, May 7: 6:30 p.m.
This May the library celebrates the art of animation in a new film series. First up is Walt Disney’s “Pinocchio,” a groundbreaking achievement in animation in 1940 and a still
unrivaled masterpiece of the form. This enduring fantasy classic has transported viewers of all ages for generations. Just watch out for that whale. Runtime is 88 minutes, rated G.
Thursday, May 9: 7-8 p.m.
This Second Thursday Lecture we’re reprising a hands-on-earth talk from last month, so if you missed it then check it out now. Learn how to create your own compost pile, the difference between backyard and industrial composting and how to avoid the various pitfalls in this informative presentation with Kat Moody from the Chittenden Solid Waste District.
For Bernie Cieplicki Jr., being named to Vermont’s high school sports hall of fame means more than the wood-framed parchment he’ll receive next month.
The honor caps off his time as the youngest son in the state’s most-storied basketball family — a weight he carried through his standout career at Rice Memorial in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It also comes in a year that marks the 25th anniversary of his father’s death.
Bernie Cieplicki Sr., himself a member of the Vermont Principals’ Association Hall of Fame, grew up playing basketball in Jersey City and attended St. Michael’s College on a basketball scholarship. After college, he started the perennial powerhouse boys’ basketball program at Rice nearly 60 years ago, winning three state championships and over 300 games in his 18-year tenure, topping an 80 percent win rate. The program has since evolved into a dynasty the younger Bernie Cieplicki compared to the New York Yankees.
“If you like the Yankees, you want the Yankees to win or the Red Sox to lose,” he said. “With Rice, it doesn’t matter who you are, the first question you ask is did Rice win or did they lose? And you’re either happy or sad. This has been going on for 60 years since he started the program.”
When Bernie Jr. first picked up a basketball, his dad was right there to coach him, from first through seventh grade. “The only years I never played for a family member (were) eighth grade and college,” he said.
That afforded young Cieplicki certain privileges. “He had keys to a gym, and he had somebody to coach him, so it worked out well for him from that perspective,” said Kevin Cieplicki, one of Bernie’s older brothers who coached him in high school and is a member of the Hall of Fame himself.
The Cieplicki patriarch demanded excellence from his namesake. “The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement,” went a favorite saying. Whenever the younger Cieplicki struggled, his dad was on him.
“I had to be in third grade, going into halftime I missed like four free throws in a row. We’re walking into halftime, and he looks at me and goes, ‘Why don’t you give me your uniform? We should burn your uniform ‘cause you stink right now,’” Bernie Jr. said.
Tough as those early lessons may have been, the youngest Cieplicki appreciated them come high school. He played for Kevin and another older brother, Keith. The two drilled him into discipline. “Keith and I coached him for four years in high school,” Kevin said. “We’d coach him during the game, we’d be
See CIEPLICKI on page 19
continued from page 18
on his case all night, we’d go home — then my dad would have his turn.”
“I think it was a lot harder for him than it was for us,” said Keith, who like his brothers and father belongs to the principals’ association’s hall of fame. “He worked at it, he was humble, and for having your brother as a coach, he actually listened.”
Bernie Jr. turned star the moment he put on his Rice uniform, excelling in part thanks to the addition of the three-point line in high school basketball during the late ‘80s. He never won a championship, but he showed up on the biggest stages, dropping 35 points in Rice’s semifinal berths in both 1990 and 1991. By the time he graduated in 1991, winning the inaugural Burlington Free Press Mr. Basketball en route, he was the program’s all-time leading scorer with more than 2,000 points, surpassing Keith, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985 and is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever come out of Vermont.
Bernie Jr. started his college career at Fairfield University before transferring to the University of Vermont to play under Tom Brennan, the only coach to have ever brought the Cats past the first round in March Madness.
Cieplicki’s precocious athleticism from an early age stood out to Brennan, a close family friend. Brennan first saw it while visiting the Cieplickis’ home in 1977 to recruit Keith to the College of William & Mary, where he was coaching at the time. “(Bernie was) the best third-grade athlete I ever saw,” Brennan said. “For a third grader, he can catch, run and throw.”
Soon the two would grow close playing catch and wiffle ball in Bernie Jr.’s backyard. Occasionally Brennan would drive the boy over to Winooski for milkshakes.
When it came time for Cieplicki to decide on where he’d play in college, Brennan was all in on him coming to Vermont. But Cieplicki shocked him by choosing to go away to Fairfield. But a year later, Cieplicki asked to come home.
“In my heart of hearts, I knew he would come back,” Brennan said. “He came back, and it was like he never left.”
Brennan became a mentor to Cieplicki, who described the coach as “one of the greatest influences I’ve ever had that’s not a family member in terms of teaching me about life and about fortitude.”
Fortitude was a recurring theme in Cieplicki’s UVM days in the mid-1990s. The program was far from the established regional juggernaut it is now, and it grappled with more difficult competition than the team’s current America East Conference provides.
Back then, UVM played in the North Atlantic Conference, an earlier iteration of America East. The league featured teams such as Delaware, Drexel, Boston University and Hofstra, and it was populated by figures like player Malik Rose, who would go on to win two NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs, and Jay Wright, who coached at Hofstra before embarking on a dazzling career at Villanova.
“We were the foundation because we had to survive the struggles,” Cieplicki said.
Cieplicki honed his craft in college, becoming an elite three-point specialist — shooting around 40 percent from beyond the arc during his time at UVM. “I just knew I had to be good at something because I wasn’t
very athletic,” he said. “If you don’t make shots, what good are you if you’re not athletic? So, you have to find one trait that you are really good at, and that was shooting the basketball.”
Said Kevin: “Bernie was a great shooter, there’s absolutely no doubt about that. He could shoot the lights out, and he worked hard.”
Scores of dedicated basketball players will go out each day and shoot a bunch of shots. The distinction for Cieplicki? “My brothers would tell me to go out and make 500 shots,” he said.
By sinking 3,000 shots per week, Bernie Jr. shifted from a shot taker to a shot maker. He made 228 career threes for the Cats, good for sixth all time. “(My brothers) were always there for a word of encouragement, and there to keep it real too,” he said.
The Cieplicki brothers bonded by being outside and shooting together in the driveway. “He was in a tough spot because being 10 years younger, for a long time I made him my rebounder,” said Keith. “And then all of a sudden the tables turned, and he got better than me.”
Even when the shots weren’t falling, Cieplicki’s toughness stood out. Brennan recalled one game at the University of New Hampshire when the Catamounts were down by 27 with 10 minutes to go. Brennan had already given up. “I was planning for the next game,” he said.
But Cieplicki led the Cats on an inspired comeback, aggressively attacking the basket and getting to the free-throw line. “It was funny because he didn’t make a three,” Brennan said. “I thought he had to make some shots (for us) to come back.”
As a broadcast analyst in recent years, Cieplicki has continued to cover the Catamounts, an opportunity he cherishes. “I get to be the biggest fan for a program that I love,” he said. “It’s so much fun to stay around and be involved and have contact with the coaches and players.”
The program has flourished under current coach John Becker, nationally recognized as one of college basketball’s best-kept secrets. “Now the expectation is you gotta get to the round of 32 or the round of 16 and you gotta win the league,” Cieplicki said.
“What frustrates me is when people complain about one game,” he said, citing the impulsive reactions of a fanbase that has grown accustomed to winning. He added, however, that this instant-gratification environment is a credit to what Becker and Brennan worked so hard to build. “It’s fun to be that voice of reason,” he said.
With his playing days behind him, Cieplicki, now 51 and living in Colchester, remains an avid fan and student of the game. He still cheers for UVM and his high school alma mater, where he served for over a decade as an athletic director.
“There is nothing more prideful than what Rice has done in the last two decades,” he said.
It helps that his family legacy has kept going along the way: Each of his kids won a championship with Rice, too.
The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Baseball
Champlain Valley 10, Middlebury 2: Travis Stroh went 2-for-2 at the plate to help Champlain Valley beat Middlebury Monday, April 29.
Stroh also drove in a run, while Andrew Nunziata threw for four innings and gave up one unearned run on two hits.
CVU moved to 4-0.
The Redhawks also won Saturday, beating Burr and Burton 5-1.
Stephen Rickert threw a complete game, giving up just four hits and one run and striking out 12. Russell Willoughby, Riley McDade and Stroh each had an RBI.
Champlain Valley 5, Mount Mansfield 2: Champlain Valley got some key wins in singles to clinch a win over Mount Mansfield Monday.
Anna Dauerman, Cassie Bastress, Sage Peterson and Addie Maurer got straight set wins in singles for the Redhawks.
Millie Boardman and Leonie Schwetlick combined for a win in doubles.
Champlain Valley 7, Mount Mansfield 0: Champlain Valley swept Mount Mansfield in straight sets in all seven matches on Monday.
Oscar Andersson, Ziggy Babbott, Jacob Graham, Nolan Sandage, and Luke Sampson all won their singles’ matches for the Redhawks (2-1).
Dash Tota and Nick Blasious won in
doubles, while Henry Frost and Charlie Jennings got the other.
Girls’ lacrosse
Champlain Valley 17, Mount Anthony 8: Marlie Cartwright had an eight-point effort to lead Champlain Valley over Mount Mansfield Saturday, April 27.
Cartwright scored four goals and dished out four assists for CVU, which moved to 2-1.
Stella Dooley added four goals of her own, while Bibe Frechette had a hat trick. Emerson Rice and Claire Marcoe each tallied twice for the Redhawks, and Carly Strobeck and Lulu Sarandos also scored.
Goalie Clare Stackpole-McGrath earned the win.
Boys’
Champlain Valley 11, Mount Anthony 3: Champlain Valley remained undefeated after beating Mount Anthony Saturday.
Matias Williams had four goals and an assist to pace the Redhawks (5-0), while Peter Gilliam chipped in with two goals and an assist. Alden Endres also tallied two, while Jacob Bose (two assists), Anderson McEnaney (one assist) and Jacob Whitcomb each added a goal.
Will Kearney stopped six shots.
Lyndon 20, Champlain Valley 5: Hannah Blanchard went 2-for-4 for Champlain Valley but it was not enough as the Redhawks fell to Lyndon Saturday.
Blanchard had a double and two RBIs for CVU (0-4), while Baylee Yandow went 3-for-4 with an RBI.
This is a supervisory position that is responsible for overseeing and participating in 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. The starting pay rage is $33.00-$36.00/hr and is dependent on qualifications and experience. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: snowplowing, heavy equipment operation, scheduling and oversight of contractors, heavy equipment maintenance.
This position provides health, dental, vision and disability insurance; paid time off; pension plan; and 13 paid holidays. For more information visit https://www.hinesburg.org/home/townmanager/pages/employment-opportunities or contact Todd Odit, Town Manager at todit@hinesburg.org or 482-4206
That’s it. The truth is unavoidable. I’m officially old. Truly, I am not ageist, nor do I have anything against aging. Who wouldn’t prefer it to the alternative?
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m still a kid inside or at least in my 20s. Even though I’ve spent the entirety of my life aging, I don’t think I recognized it until I looked in the mirror and saw my mother staring back at me. By the way, get that woman a vacation or at least some retinol cream.
mesmerized by a little titmouse flitting about. The fact that I even know the word titmouse is damning. I can’t imagine what I would’ve thought that word meant in my youth.
Carole Vasta Folley
I have tissues in my purse. OK, let me fess up. The truth is, they’re in my fanny pack. In admitting that, I want to tell you I could die from embarrassment. But really, that could happen anyways. Any minute.
so, our own and other people’s quirks. That instead, we have more practice focusing on what matters.
| MAKERS | DOERS®
BUILDERS | MAKERS | DOERS®
BUILDERS | MAKERS | DOERS®
There is no better time to join our Team!
There is no better time to join our Team!
BUILDERS | MAKERS | DOERS®
There is no better time to join our Team!
There is no better time to join our Team!
BUILDERS | MAKERS | DOERS®
There is no better time to join our Team!
North eld Savings Bank, founded in 1867, is the largest LOCAL BANK in Vermont. We are committed to providing a welcoming work environment for all.
I think there are elements of aging that may require recalibrating our sense of self. Face it, until now, there are things I never had to think about. Like how to get up off the floor. Or figure out how I got there in the first place. It appears I’m finally old enough to know that beta blockers aren’t board games and AARP isn’t a sound a character makes in a comic book.
Northfield Savings Bank, founded in 1867, is the largest LOCAL BANK in Vermont. We are committed to providing a welcoming work environment for all
Northfield Savings Bank, founded in 1867, is the largest LOCAL BANK in Vermont. We are committed to providing a welcoming work environment for all
Northfield Savings Bank, founded in 1867, is the largest LOCAL BANK in Vermont. We are committed to providing a welcoming work environment for all
Consider joining our team as a Community Banker at our Taft Corners or Richmond location!
Northfield Savings Bank, founded in 1867, is the largest LOCAL BANK in Vermont. We are committed to providing a welcoming work environment for all
Consider joining our team as a Community Banker at our Taft Corners or Richmond location!
Consider joining our team as a Community Banker at our Taft Corners or Richmond location!
Relevant Skills: Customer Service, Cash Handling (we’ll train you!) Even better… if you have prior banking experience, we encourage you to apply!
Consider joining our team as a Community Banker at our Taft Corners or Richmond location!
Relevant Skills: Customer Service, Cash Handling (we’ll train you!) Even better… if you have prior banking experience, we encourage you to apply!
Relevant Skills: Customer Service, Cash Handling (we’ll train you!) Even better… if you have prior banking experience, we encourage you to apply!
Relevant Skills: Customer Service, Cash Handling (we’ll train you!) Even better… if you have prior banking experience, we encourage you to apply!
If you are 18 or older and have a high school diploma, general education (GED) degree, or equivalent, consider joining the NSB Team!
If you are 18 or older and have a high school diploma, general education (GED) degree, or equivalent, consider joining the NSB Team!
Opportunity for Growth
If you are 18 or older and have a high school diploma, general education (GED) degree, or equivalent, consider joining the NSB Team!
Opportunity for Growth
If you are 18 or older and have a high school diploma, general education (GED) degree, or equivalent, consider joining the NSB Team!
Opportunity for Growth
Opportunity for Growth
Lately, this aging evidence has been piling up. Unavoidable, irrefutable clinchers that only mean one thing. I’m older. I have crossed some invisible line and there’s no going back. And if I did, who knows, I might trip on it. Apparently, nowadays, I also have to worry about breaking a hip. As if that was ever a good idea.
Here’s a few things that alerted me to my aging:
I like birds. When did that happen? No, seriously, I’m now a super fan. The other day I stood
I can’t open my prescription bottles. Nothing makes you look more like an oldster than flailing about the kitchen trying to open something. That along with texting with one finger, reusing paper towels, sporting comfy shoes, arguing with my husband about his cassette tape collection, and actually enjoying Ricola cough drops. The very same ones my 92-year-old mother-in-law keeps in her fanny pack. Alongside her tissues. Oh my god.
At restaurants, I’m flummoxed when they hand me the early bird menu and inform me it’s 5 p.m.
That’s when I used to eat lunch!
At restaurants, I’m flummoxed when they hand me the early bird menu and inform me it’s 5 p.m.
That’s when I used to eat lunch! I’m dumbstruck until I get excited that they have rice pudding. Thank goodness many people get better with age. You hope we all become more our true selves, wiser, with broader perspectives. That we freak out less about life’s quirks and, more challengingly
Like fine wine, aging causes us to be smoother, gentler. Sometimes increasingly more valuable. I like the wine analogy way better than cheese. Although it does seem to apply to some people I know. Like aged cheese, they’re harder, sharper and quite crumbly. Worse, some are moldy. Trust me, stick with the fermented grapes. Back to birds — can’t help it — the other day I spied the most brilliant cardinal. He was perched on an evergreen, plump in scarlet vibrance. Instantly, I was reminded of my friend’s parents who passed. Cardinals make her think of them. So, whenever I see one, I think of her mom and dad too. Because that’s the other thing about getting older, we lose many we love. Maybe it’s why I’ve fallen in love with birds later in life. There’s something about their flight that harkens to feelings of passage and transition. Just like aging. My past selves have flit away, uncatchable, and yet they’re in the ether too. Like the flock of redwing blackbirds I watch from my desk when they flutter away in the evening as the sun gracefully descends towards the horizon.
Carole Vasta Folley is an award-winning columnist and playwright. Visit carolevf.com for more info.
NSB has training opportunities to engage employees and assist with professional development within our company. The average years of service for an NSB employee is 9! If you’re looking for a career in an environment that promotes growth, join our team!
NSB has training opportunities to engage employees and assist with professionaldevelopment within our company.
HINSDALE continued from page 5
The average years of service for an NSB employee is 9! If you’re looking for a careerin an environment that promotes growth, join our team!
What NSB Can Offer You
What NSB Can Offer You
NSB has training opportunities to engage employees and assist with professional development within our company. The average years of service for an NSB employee is 9! If you’re looking for a career in an environment that promotes growth, join our team!
What NSB Can Offer You
NSB has training opportunities to engage employees and assist with professional development within our company. The average years of service for an NSB employee is 9! If you’re looking for a career in an environment that promotes growth, join our team!
What NSB Can Offer You
Competitive compensation based on experience. Wellrounded benefits package. Profit-Sharing opportunity. Excellent 401(k) matching retirement program. Commitment to professional development. Opportunities to volunteer and support our communities. Work -Life balance!
Competitive compensation based on experience. Wellrounded benefits package. Profit-Sharing opportunity. Excellent 401(k) matching retirement program. Commitment to professional development. Opportunities to volunteer and support our communities. Work -Life balance!
Please send an NSB Application & your resume in confidence to: Careers@nsbvt.com
Competitive compensation based on experience. Wellrounded benefits package. Profit-Sharing opportunity. Excellent 401(k) matching retirement program. Commitment to professional development. Opportunities to volunteer and support our communities. Work -Life balance!
Competitive compensation based on experience. Wellrounded benefits package. Profit-Sharing opportunity. Excellent 401(k) matching retirement program. Commitment to professional development. Opportunities to volunteer and support our communities. Work -Life balance!
Please send an NSB Application & your resume in confidence to: Careers@nsbvt.com
Please send an NSB Application & your resume in confidence to: Careers@nsbvt.com
Please send an NSB Application & your resume in confidence to: Careers@nsbvt.com
Equal Opportunity Employer / Member FDIC
housing to make it affordable for everyone. In fact, we have put more money into supporting affordable housing in the fiscal year 2025 budget proposal than the House, and we have done so while trying to encourage much-needed, climate-friendly
density in population centers and along transit corridors, as well as choice and clustered affordable housing in rural areas.
The final product will have the agreement of economic and environmental stakeholders alike because they are not mutually exclusive.
So, I ask you, before simply buying into this divisive rhetoric that some are trying to profit while others suffer, what is the alternative to a Vermont that is for sale? It is a Vermont that is foreclosed to the many who want to call it home at a rate they can afford. That is not a future I want for our beloved state, and neither should you.
Equal Opportunity Employer / Member FDIC
Equal Opportunity Employer / Member FDIC
The Town of Shelburne Rescue Department has identified the need to change its license level from Advanced EMT to Paramedic to operate in the Town of Shelburne. This agency proposes to begin operation at the new license level on May 22, 2024 within the geographic boundaries of the Town of Shelburne. In accordance with 24 V.S.A. Emergency Medical Services Statute, public comments are invited to be received by the department by May 17, 2024. Jacob Leopold • Rescue Chief • Town of Shelburne, VT rescuechief@shelburnevt.org • 802.985.5125
Kesha Ram Hinsdale, a Democrat from Shelburne, serves the towns of South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Milton, Burlington, St. George, Westford, Underhill, Jericho, Richmond, Winooski, Williston, Essex and Bolton in the Legislature.
If it’s important to you or your community look for it in the Shelburne News.
Pursuant to the Charter for the Town of Shelburne, the Shelburne Selectboard will hold public hearings on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 as a part of its regular meeting that begins at 7:00 P.M. via Zoom to consider adopting amendments to the Town’s Wastewater Allocation Ordinance.
To participate in the hearing, the Zoom details follow: Join SELECTBOARD Zoom Meeting TUESDAY, MAY 14, 7:00 P.M.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81288336683? pwd=b0l3UGJ4NXM1WHd0SjdubkgyL0RsUT09
Meeting ID: 812 8833 6683 Passcode: 1763
Dial by your location
+ 1 929-205-6099 US (New York) + 1 301-715-8592 US (Washington DC) + 1 312-626-6799 US (Chicago)
The proposed ordinances are available for review in the Shelburne Town Manager’s Office at 5420 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, Vermont 05482 and on the Town’s website at www.shelburnevt. org. Please contact the Town Manager with any questions at 802.985.5111 or mlawless@shelburnevt.org.
OF HEARING AND ORDER FOR PUBLICATION
Estate of: Barbara Ann Donnelly
TO: Jessica S. Atwood, Jennifer M. Atwood, and David Atwood, children of the late Patricia Atwood, who was a child of the decedent herein, Barbara Donnelly, or their heirs:
A petition to open an estate, allow a will, and appoint a fiduciary, together with a list of interested parties, and other matters were filed with the Probate Division of the Superior Court on October 13, 2023. A hearing on a motion to allow the will of the decedent will be held remotely on May 29, 2024 at 9:00am-9:45am. In order to appear, you must notify the Court at least three days in advance of the hearing to obtain Remote Hearing Instructions.
If no one appears at the hearing to object, the relief requested may be granted. If you wish to receive notice of future events in this proceeding, you must notify the Court by filing a Notice of Appearance form that can be found on the Vermont Judiciary website at http://www.vermontjudiciary.org.
This Notice of Hearing must be published no less than 14 days prior to the hearing date.
RABIES BAIT
It is hereby ORDERED that this Notice of Hearing and Order be published in the Shelburne News a newspaper of general circulation in the County of Chittenden, Vermont.
Publication date: May 2, 2024
/s/ Judge Jeffrey Kilgore
Electronically signed on Monday, April 22, 2024 at 11:45 AM pursuant to V.R.E.F. 9(d)
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.
your service here! call 985-3091 for
Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its
continued from page 2 saliva. ways fatal treatment 100 percent a person So far have tested those have According animals mal behavior, an animal it. People animals
•
