Sisters of Anarchy ice cream makers add fruit pies to dessert menu
Shelburne passes its town budget, elects incumbents
STAFF WRITER
Shelburne voters on Tuesday approved a $12.5 million town budget with 75 percent of the 1,816 residents who cast their ballots yesterday voting in favor of the spending.
The vote was 1,373-418.
In addition to budget and elections that saw a slate of incumbents re-elected, there were also two ballot measures up for a vote yesterday, and voters passed both.
One measure, approved 1553-245, allows the town to bond for $1.4 million to repair the HVAC system and the roof at the town offices. With the other, voters agreed 1347-451 to raise $100,000 in property
taxes for the town to purchase or acquire rights for land for the purpose of conservation or open space. Any unused funds will go into an Open Space Fund.
As far as what was considered via Australian ballot, there weren’t a lot of unknowns going into town meeting in Shelburne. All of the candidates running for election were unopposed incumbents. The town budget, while prompting a 3.75 percent raise in town property taxes, had been received well at selectboard meetings as the town manager, Matt Lawless, explained the needs of each department and
See BUDGET on page 12
Champlain school budget gets passing grade in vote
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
The Champlain Valley School District did something this year few districts do: cut property taxes. Voters seemed to like that, approving the $102.7 million school budget 4494-1843.
The budget will cut property taxes by approximately four percent in most of its towns. That amounts to a savings of about $80 per $100,000 of assessed property value for most taxpayers. Respectively, taxpayers in Charlotte and Hinesburg will see a decrease of about $30 and $100 per $100,000 of assessed value.
Voters also authorized the school board to allocate its fund balance of $1.7 million as revenue for future budgets, 5155-1148.
Throughout the budget process, superintendent Adam Bunting and school board members have reiterated the responsibility that they feel towards their taxpayers. After the state’s school funding formula changed last year and the district saw its first budget fail, school officials entered this budget season trying to balance the needs of the students with the means of the taxpayers.
The budget cuts made this year in order
See SCHOOL BUDGET on page 13
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
Voting was a family affair in Shelburne on Town Meeting Day Tuesday.
BRIANA BRADY
Sisters of Anarchy expands into some berry good pies
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream, located on Fisher Brother’s Farm in Shelburne, has always been farm-to-cone, using the berries from the farm to make flavors that swirl through the ice cream.
Now, the Sisters have gone farm-to-tin.
Last month, Sisters of Anarchy started experimenting with pies. At first, the company started offering the pies for pre-order to their email list, but next week, it will expand a little more in honor of Pi Day, selling more pre-orders of small personal pies, larger 9-inch pies, and a special flavor of ice cream with chunks of their house-made pie called “3.1415”. According to Becky Castle, one of the owners, expanding into pies is part of the business’s plans to open a
dedicated retail space on the farm.
“Historically, we’ve just had the trailer in the field for three months,” she said.
The retail space, a cheery red room on the side of the barn, will make all the products, including the pies, available on-site all year long.
Sisters of Anarchy, which opened in 2016, has been growing in leaps in bounds. According to Castle, the first year the company opened, employees hand-cranked about 30 gallons of ice cream a week. Now, with some upgraded machinery (but still lots of human-power) they can produce 30 gallons in a couple of hours.
They’ve also started shipping their ice cream — Sisters of Anarchy has made it
See PIES on page 5
PHOTOS BY BRIANA BRADY
Above: A small Sisters of Anarchy blueberry pie, featuring fruit raised locally.
Right: Putting together Sisters of Anarchy’s ice cream sandwiches.
Scott’s ‘education transformation’ bill hits the Legislature
ETHAN WEINSTEIN VTDIGGER
For the first time last week, Gov. Phil Scott and his team released their education reform proposal in bill form, all 176 pages of it, for lawmakers’ consideration.
Among the key takeaways: significant restrictions on private schools eligible for public money, class size minimums and a mandated 3 percent spending cap for school districts next year.
The plan, dubbed by Scott as the “education transformation proposal,” charts a colossal restructuring of Vermont’s education governance and finance systems. Scott and Education Secretary Zoie Saunders have already announced some of the package’s boldest ideas, like consolidating Vermont’s 52 supervisory unions into only five regional school districts, paying for education using a foundation formula and stripping the State Board of Education of many of its powers.
“We can’t just make small tweaks,” Saunders told lawmakers in the House and Senate education committees last week. “We must redesign our system.”
The proposal arrives following last year’s tumultuous school budget season, as voters faced double-digit education property tax increases and rejected about a third of all school spending plans. The cost of education defined 2024’s legislative elections, fueling a Republican wave in Vermont’s House and Senate.
As pitched, the governor’s proposal seeks to save money by consolidating school districts and reducing the number of staff, all while increasing educational opportunities, according to its proponents. Scott has proposed using more than $70 million in state revenue to buy down property tax rates as the state begins transitioning to his new system. Currently, state analysts expect that without a buy down, education taxes will rise just under 6 percent next year given preliminary school budget information.
Now written as legislative language, the proposal’s more complete form may ease lawmakers growing impatience. As Saunders and Scott released details bit by bit in January and February, some lawmakers had become frustrated with the slow pace.
Still, two months into the legislative session, time is critical, with
key deadlines fast approaching.
Some previously shared details, like the creation of an optional school choice lottery system in every district, have drawn ire, particularly from Democrats and the state’s teachers union. But last week’s revelations appear to offer some conciliation to those concerned about an expansion of school choice.
In the imagined future system, every student would be assigned to a public school. High school students would have the option to enter a lottery to attend a “school choice school,” and every district would need at least one of these special public or private options.
The bill proposes more limits on independent schools than previously revealed. To become one of the proposed “school choice schools,” more than half of the school’s student body would need to already be publicly funded as of this summer. In practice, that means the vast majority of existing private schools would be excluded from public funding in Scott’s system. Instead, only independent schools serving a large number of local students, such as Burr and Burton Academy, would be eligible to still receive public funds.
The legislation also restricts private school choice to only grades 9-12.
Those are huge changes from Vermont’s existing system, which allows students of all grades whose districts don’t operate public schools to attend a variety of private options both near and far. Many of those schools accept only a handful of public students.
As written, Scott’s plan would move the state to a foundation formula by fiscal year 2028, two budget cycles from now. Used in most states across the country, a foundation formula gives school districts money based on the number of students they educate. Additional money is provided for students who are more expensive to teach, like English learners and those from lower income households, a process known as “weighting.”
Next budget cycle, school spending increases would be capped at 3 percent, according to the bill.
Class size minimums, according to Saunders, would take effect in the 2026-2027 school year. Grades 4-12 would need average class size minimums of 25, and grades K-3 would have a required 15 student
average minimum.
Despite the magnitude of the 176-page proposal, gaps remain. What, if any, exceptions would be given to new mandates? And how will the imagined future system handle career and technical educa-
tion and pre-kindergarten students?
“There’s a lot here,” Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, chair of the House Education Committee, said at Tuesday’s hearing. But he called the timeline “ambitious,” especially considering “the amount of work that still remains.”
Saunders acknowledged that the proposal is a “starting point” destined to change once lawmakers weigh in. Committees will continue walking through the bill this week, with edits to follow.
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders answers questions at a recent House and Senate joint committee hearing.
Total reported incidents: 72
Traffic stops: 1
Warnings: 1
Medical emergencies: 24
Mental health incidents: 2
Suspicious incidents: 5
Directed patrols: 30
Citizen assists: 3
Motor vehicle complaints: 3
Car crash: 3
Animal problem: 2
Theft: 5
Harassment: 1
Fraud:1
Alarms: 6
Pending investigations: 5
911 Hang-up calls: 1
Feb. 23 on 7:57 a.m., a caller reported a deer injured by coyotes in the area of Heritage Lane. The animal was located and killed and a Vermont Fish and Game Warden was notified.
Feb. 23 at 8:32 a.m., a person on Hinesburg Road was issued a trespass order.
Feb. 24 at 6:57 a.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their motor vehicle on Locust Hill. A theft report was taken.
Feb. 24 at 5:09 p.m., a caller on Nashville Road reported receiving harassing calls. A harassment report was taken.
Feb. 25 at 6:27 a.m., a caller on Maplewood Road reported his vehicle was stolen. A theft
report was taken, and the car was entered into NCIC as stolen.
Feb. 26 at 8:17 a.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their motor vehicle on Hillside Terrace. A theft report was taken.
Feb. 26 at 4:25 p.m., a caller reported a stray dog running loose on Harrington Avenue, but police couldn’t locate the pup.
Feb. 27 at 8:05 a.m., a 911 caller reported an unresponsive family member on Longmeadow Drive. Shelburne Police and EMS determined the patient, Rosalie Duclose, 86, of Shelburne, was dead. The officer investigated and determined the death was not suspicious.
March 1 at 5:43 a.m., a caller on Shelburne Road reported that her vehicle was stolen on Shelburne Road. A theft report was taken.
March 1 at 1:32 p.m., a caller reported items being stolen from their motor vehicle on Falls Road. A theft report was taken.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney office and can be amended or dropped.
Shelburne News
the community of Shelburne A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC shelburnenews.com
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Staff Writers Aaron Calvin Liberty Darr Patrick Bilow Briana Brady
Production/Design Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com Kristen Braley kristen@stowereporter.com
General Manager Katerina Werth katerina@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
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Contact: 1340 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 985-3091
Police: Unsafe passing led to fatal Shelburne cruiser/bike crash
MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT
The Shelburne Police sergeant involved in an on-duty fatal cruiser-bicycle crash was believed to have been slightly over the speed limit and had a YouTube video displayed on his computer screen, according to Vermont State Police.
Yet there is no evidence in the state police crash report that Shelburne Sgt. Kyle T. Kapitanski did not have his eyes on Shelburne Road before he struck the bicyclist near Fayette Drive about 2:45 a.m. Nov. 11, 2024.
crash several days later — indicates Kapitanski would not have seen him due to the large trailer the bike was towing, according to trooper Christopher Hein of the state police crash reconstruction team.
The report estimates Kapitanski was driving about 40 miles per hour in the 35-mph zone and continued a short distance before stopping and reporting to a dispatcher he may have hit something.
It is unclear what the state will rely on for the criminal charge.
The crash report only mentions a possible civil violation.
Sean P. Hayes, 38, was wearing dark clothes and had no reflective gear that would have helped illuminate his presence on the road, according to the state police crash report, obtained Monday.
Hayes had dismounted his bicycle and appeared to be on the fog line when struck, police said. Because he was off his bike, Hayes is referred to as a “pedestrian” at times in the report.
A headlamp to illuminate the road in front of Hayes was found among the debris at the crash site, but was not operating when seized, police said. A video camera of a nearby business seems to indicate the headlamp was working as Hayes passed by just before the crash, police said.
The investigation — which included a reenactment of the
PIES
continued from page 2
in the mail to every state except Alaska. Castle said that they’ve made other product expansions as well, putting out tiny packaged single servings of ice cream, making their own ice cream sandwiches, and boiling up elderberry and aronia berry syrups.
When Castle thought about how the business could grow next, pies seemed like the logical step. The farm produces six different kinds of berries: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, elderberries, aronia berries and Marquette grapes. Sisters of Anarchy freezes the berries the day they are picked, locking in that summer taste. The frozen berries eventually make their way into the ice cream. Why not put them in a pie as well?
Kapitanski, who was working the overnight shift, had gone to the nearby Jolley Store further north on Shelburne Road to buy a few items. There are no stores open overnight in Shelburne.
Police said Kapitanski declined to provide a statement before the report was completed.
Investigators learned from Hayes’ parents that it was not abnormal for their son to ride his bike during the time of the crash, 2:45 a.m. They also reported their son “dumpster dived” during the same hours, police wrote.
Chittenden County State’s
Attorney Sarah George directed state police to cite Kapitanski into criminal court on March 13 to face a charge of gross negligent operation.
It is unclear what George plans to rely on for the criminal charge. The crash report only mentions a possible civil violation.
Defense lawyer David Sleigh had said earlier he had no idea what the alleged negligent operation might involve. Attempts to reach Sleigh this week were unsuccessful.
The state police report said investigators believed the cause of the crash was Kapitanski “passing a vulnerable user, in this case a pedestrian or cyclist without care or due regard.”
Questions about what both Kapitanski and Hayes were doing at that location also are partially answered in the police report.
His obituary had said Hayes was a Burlington native and lived here most of his life. It also said he was a 2004 graduate of Burlington High and that he had attended Becker College in Massachusetts.
Kapitanski, 41, of Randolph, remains on paid leave from the town of Shelburne. He is a 22-year police veteran with several departments, including a one-year stint as police chief in Richmond before Shelburne hired him in 2022
George’s decision to charge Kapitanski came one month after state police provided her an elaborate investigative report compiled by members of the state police Crash Reconstruction Team and the detective bureau.
The estate of Sean Hayes filed a civil lawsuit against the town of Shelburne in January. Kapitanski was not named as a defendant in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Burlington lawyer Brooks McArthur.
Shelburne town employees, including off-duty police, said they learned about the crash through the media.
Amy McKinney, the production manager at Sisters of Anarchy, has become their lead baker. She’s been doing recipe development for the last couple of months, testing out different flavors and getting feedback from customers. Every week, after pie pick up, Sisters of Anarchy sends out a survey to customers asking for notes on the flavors.
McKinney said the blueberry was an immediate hit. No notes.
“The blackberry-ginger one is one that we had to kind of work through. Because it’s kind of a unique flavor,” McKinney said.
So far, Sisters of Anarchy has landed on five standard pie flavors — blackberry-ginger, blueberry, red raspberry, white raspberry, and mixed berry — but Castle said that
may grow with the seasons. This could mean peach or apple pies in the fall or chicken pot pie in the winter, partnering with other local farmers to source the ingredients they don’t produce on-site.
Come May, Castle said, customers will be able to skip the preorder process and just drop in to the new retail space to pick up a pie.
“People can come and get scooped ice cream. They can get pre-baked pies. They can get take and bake pies,” she said. “They’ll be able to get our wellness syrup. We’ll have ice cream pints available, and I think we’ll have frozen berries.”
Everything is going to be berry, berry good.
OPINION
Some women who should be included on the National Mall
Guest Perspective
Elayne Clift
In his final week in office, President Biden signed important legislation that would allow a monument dedicated to American women to be placed on the National Mall. It would honor women’s suffragists who, after seventy years of trying, would finally be recognized for what they achieved in 1920: the right to vote.
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument was approved on the eve of Donald Trump’s second term. Preceded by the Vietnam nurses’ 1993 monument, it will be the Mall’s first large scale monument dedicated to American women’s history. The site has yet to be determined and there is no design yet or competition announcement for sculptors.
from home.
Some Rosies received a bit of recognition at the Capitol last spring when they received Congressional Gold Medals for their efforts. But that’s not a lasting memorial that everyone can see.
As one of them, Mae Krier, said at the Capitol, “Up until 1941, it was a man’s world. They didn’t know how capable us women were, did they?”
Thanks to an endearing poster that has a woman in a bandana flexing her muscle, we know about these women, but we have very little information about who they were and what they did, unless you’ve seen the documentary about them.
The important thing about Rosie and her legacy isn’t just about breaking barriers and women’s war efforts. It’s about what she stands for.
Given the current situation in Washington, where neither women nor art are respected, it will take time before the Suffragists are on the Mall and even more time for Rosie the Riveter or the 6888th Postal Batallion to show up, but it’s about time women representing their wartime labor is recognized in a place of memory and respect
We have Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., to thank for the Suffrage monument. He introduced legislation for it to be created in 2020 and his bill passed in the House. Unfortunately, it has remained stalled in the Senate until now.
Still, it’s not too soon to start advocating for another group of women to be honored on the Mall.
“Rosie the Riveter,” representing women who labored in America’s factories during World War II, deserves to be there too along with the all-women 6888th postal regiment. The Rosies filled critical wartime factories and the 6888 restored morale among exhausted soldiers who had waited for mail
The reality is, they were wives, mothers, daughters and girlfriends whose men were fighting in the war. With little reservation, they quickly became heads of households while learning demanding skills and holding down vital jobs in America’s factories to help the war effort.
By 1943, “Rosie the Riveters” were known and respected, but few people realized that one out of five defense workers were women, or that the largest employers of women during WWII were airplane manufacturers and companies like Chrysler, Goodyear and Ford. Nor did they know just after the war that more women worked in the labor force than during the war.
Ed overspending is more pressing than local control
To the Editor:
More than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry in 1943, making up 65 percent of the industry’s total workforce, compared to just 1 percent in the pre-war years. The munitions industry also heavily recruited women workers, as illustrated by the U.S. government’s Rosie the Riveter propaganda campaign. Sadly, when Johnny came
In response to increasing education costs and declining student enrollment which have driven property taxes to unsustainable levels, the governor’s proposal would reduce Vermont’s 119 local districts to five regional districts. The purpose is to create scale to spread overhead and provide more educational opportunities for students, particularly in rural regions.
Vermont has been wrestling with the inefficiencies inherent in locally controlled education
Letters to the Editor
spending for more than 60 years. Most recently, Act 46 reduced school districts from almost 200 to 119. But the promised cost savings were never realized, because budgets continued to be made at the local level and aggregated in the yield bill, which determines statewide per pupil funding.
The governor’s proposal would provide a per pupil funding amount sufficient to educate each student to state standards. A similar “foundation formula” is used by 33 other states and includes weighting to provide districts with additional funding for high-need student popula-
tions.
This “top down” standards-based process was recommended by two independent reports made public this fall. One, by Picus Odden, commissioned by the Legislature, states “estimated adequate spending is $400.4 million to $462.7 million less than Vermont’s current Education Fund payment.” That Vermont is overspending by almost half a billion dollars is why we must move beyond local control and adopt the governor’s proposal.
Robert Finn Shelburne
One cause of rising property taxes: state housing crisis
From the Senate
Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale
If you ask Vermonters why property taxes keep rising, you’ll likely hear about school budgets, state mandates or even the way we fund education. But one factor isn’t getting enough attention: our housing shortage.
For years, Vermont has struggled with a lack of housing. The pandemic only made things worse, driving up demand while construction lagged behind. The result?
Higher property values, higher reapprais-
CLIFT
continued from page 6
marching home again, the Rosies, who’d been admired for their skills and work ethics when they were needed, found themselves being subject to propaganda via a slew of media messages that tried to convince them that their real place was in the home as wives and mothers. They suffered mass layoffs as vets took their jobs, but some of them proudly expressed the pride they had taken in their work.
One of them was Arlene Crary, who lived in Wisconsin but went to work for almost two years at a Boeing factory in Seattle, where she was paid $1.48 an hour.
Eva Chenevert lived in Detroit. A year after graduating high school, she was hired by Chrysler to make skins for airplanes. She was faced with misogyny and racism as a Black woman.
Still, these women and others like them soldiered on.
As the National Park Service points out, “Rosie’s impact extended well beyond the war years. Her image became a rallying cry for the women’s rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, inspiring legislation like the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Today, Rosie continues to inspire advocacy for gender equality and representation in fields
als and, ultimately, higher property taxes.
When towns reassess property values, they base them on current market conditions. If housing is scarce, home prices skyrocket. When home prices go up, tax bills follow — because our tax system spreads school costs across fewer, more expensive properties.
This isn’t just an issue for homeowners who have seen their tax bills spike. It also puts pressure on renters, as landlords pass increased costs onto tenants. Fewer homes mean higher property values and more financial strain on Vermonters.
The solution is simple: build more housing. More housing means more taxpayers sharing the cost of education and services, which reduces the burden on any one homeowner. Expanding our housing stock grows the grand list — the total taxable property value in a town — helping to stabilize tax rates.
Here’s how we can make that happen:
• Build “missing middle” housing by investing in homes that working families, young professionals and retirees can actually afford.
• Fix permitting rules — streamline approvals to get new housing built faster.
• Use targeted tax incentives to help towns fund projects that boost the local economy and housing supply.
• Repurpose underused buildings by converting excess school or commercial space into housing.
Vermonters shouldn’t have to choose
between staying in their homes and funding our schools. By expanding housing, we can grow our economy, reduce the tax burden, and strengthen our communities.
Let’s talk about the real drivers of rising property taxes, and do something about them.
Kesha Ram Hinsdale, a Democrat from Shelburne, serves the towns of South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Burlington, St. George, Underhill, Jericho, Richmond, Williston and Bolton in the Legislature.
like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Illustrator Norman Rockwell deserves our thanks for an early image of Rosie the Riveter that appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in the 1940s. Soon, other images followed, including the iconic one we all know that appears on various items and shows up at women’s marches.
The important thing about Rosie and her legacy isn’t just about breaking barriers and women’s war efforts. It’s about what she stands for. Her poster words, “We Can Do It!” continues to encourage young women to challenge limitations, pursue their ambitions, celebrate their achievements, and work for a future in which all women are recognized and respected for the work they do.
Surely Rosie the Riveter, and all that she stands for, along with the 6888, deserves a monument on the Mall. It’s long overdue for her to stand alongside other pioneering women like Vietnam nurses, Suffragists, and Eleanor Roosevelt, all of whom took risks that helped us move toward an egalitarian future. There should always be space for that.
Elayne Clift is a Vermont-based writer.
clients navigate significant life events since 1992.
Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
Director brings ‘Stranger’ to Ferrisburgh Town Hall
The Friends of the Union Meeting Hall in Ferrisburgh will host a special screening of Jay Craven’s award-winning 1997 film “A Stranger in the Kingdom,” based on the novel by Howard Frank Mosher. The film stars David Lansbury, Martin Sheen, Ernie Hudson, Henry Gibson and Jean Louisa Kelly. Director Craven will introduce the film followed by a postscreen Q & A.
The screening will take place March 8 at 7 p.m. at the Ferrisburgh Town Hall, 3279 Route 7.
The film tells the story of a small Vermont town whose veneer of peace and tranquility is shattered when a Black minister arrives as the town’s new pastor and, soon after, finds himself charged with adultery and the murder of a French-Canadian waif passing through town on her way to pursue her Hollywood dream.
Young rascal lawyer Charlie Kinneson, the local favorite son, tricks the young Canadian girl into town under false pretenses but he decides to defend the minister, placing himself at odds with family, friends, and a vanishing way of life. The film, and Mosher’s novel, were inspired by the true events surrounding the infamous 1968 “Irasburg Affair.”
Tickets are $12 in advance and are available at unionmeetinghall. org/programming-and-events.
Chris Bohjalian talks live at Middlebury theater
Join Vermont Public and Vermont Book Shop for a live taping of Vermont Edition featuring Vermont author Chris Bohjalian, Sunday, March 9, 4-6 p.m., at Town Hall Theater, 76 Merchants Row, Middlebury.
Host Mikaela Lefrak will talk with Bohjalian about his new book, “The Jackal’s Mistress,” a Civil War Romeo and Juliet story about the wife of a Confederate prisoner of war and a Yankee officer from Middlebury.
Doors open at 3:30 p.m. After the discussion, there will be a Q&A and a book signing and sale. This event is free, but tickets must be reserved in advance.
Bohjalian is the New York Times bestselling author of 25 books. He writes literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, and, on occasion, ghost stories. His goal is never to write the same book twice.
“The Jackal’s Mistress” comes out
March 11.
Bohjalian lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.
Vermont Farm Show to host information session
Farmers of all scales and types — farm workers, agricultural students, educators, and professionals, farm service providers, and anyone who supports Vermont’s food system and working landscape — are invited to join the Vermont Farm Show Board for an in-person conversation about the future of the Vermont Farm Show.
This gathering is the last of five to occur across the state this winter and is taking place at the UVM Extension office in Berlin on Tuesday March 11 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Attendees will connect with others, engage in facilitated conversation, and can offer their input on what kind of Farm Show can best serve Vermont’s changing agricultural needs. Snacks will be provided.
For more information visit, www.vtfarmshow.com.
Ski photographer holds ski museum talk
The Red Bench Speaker Series presents “Celebrating 60 Years of Stratton Photography with Hubert Schriebl,” Thursday, March 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum.
Born in Austria, Hubert Schriebl was a ski and mountain guide working for the Austrian Alpine Club before he was hired by fellow Austrian Emo Henrich to teach at the Stratton Ski School. Arriving in Vermont on Christmas Eve of 1964, Hubert immediately embraced the Green Mountain State as his home. It wasn’t long before his talent for photography was recognized, and in 1968, he became Stratton’s official photographer.
Hubert’s work at Stratton spans six decades. Through his lens, he has documented not only the ski industry’s growth but also iconic winter sports moments and everyday mountain life.
In 2009, the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum recognized Hubert’s outstanding contributions to the ski industry with the Paul Robbins Journalism Award.
Event admission is $10 and helps support the Museum’s mission to “collect, preserve, and celebrate Vermont’s rich skiing and snowboarding history.”
Above: A scene from the 1997 film “A Stranger in the Kingdom,” which screens this weekend in Ferrisburgh.
Below: One of the many images captured by longtime snow sports photographer Hubert Schriebl.
Student Milestones
Several Shelburne students received academic honors for the 2024 fall semester. Their colleges sent the news along to the newspaper.
Abigail Fairhurst, major-
ing in graphic design and visual communication, was named to the Champlain College dean’s list.
Sunshine Clark of Shelburne was named to the dean’s list at Salve Regina University.
Harper Danforth, class of 2028, was named to the dean’s list at Tufts University.
Iris Miller-Bottoms was named to the dean’s list at Hamilton College.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Here’s what’s coming up at Shelburne’s Pierson Library, 5376 Shelburne Road.
• Concert tonight at historic Town Hall: Lovers of alt-country and Honky Tonk rock-and-roll will rejoice at the library’s merry band of troubadors, Danny and the Parts, in the town hall tonight, March 6, at 7 p.m.
• Join a creative writing support group: on the second Saturday of every month, writers gather at the Pierson Library to generate work and share writing-in-progress. Come for a slice of encouragement and the company of other word-slingers. Next meeting is Saturday, March 8 at 10:15 a.m.
• Self defense for teens and parents: teens and their adults
News from Pierson Library
learn a variety of self-defense techniques from Kidpower Vermont director Laura Slesar. This program is designed to support teens who identify as female, but open to all who are interested. To register, call the library at 802-985-5124, or send an email to kbosley@shelburnevt. org. Saturday, March 8th, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Still seeking submissions for Shelburne Writes! poetry contest: let the world — or at least a panel of judges and local laureates — know how you feel about our little pocket of Vermont and have your verse ring out. All March, the library is taking submissions, one per poet, of writers’ best poem on the theme of Shelburne. Send
name, contact information. and poem to shelburnewrites@gmail. com, or bring it by the Pierson Library to enter. Five winners will be announced: one elementary schooler, one middle-grader, one high-school-aged folk and two grown-ups. Winners get a bevy of cool local prizes and their poem printed in this very paper. Open to Shelburne residents only.
• Teen D&D Saturdays at the Pierson: campaigners join in for this teen-led Dungeons & Dragons group. Venture far, and in good company, all from the comfort of the library. Call to register at 802-985-5124, snacks provided, ages 11-16. Next meetup is Saturday, March 8 from 10:30-noon.
Friends and Family Dinners
Order by Tuesday for Wednesday pickup at The Mill Market and Deli 1580 Dorset Street
South Burlington ALGANESH
Enjoy your copy of the Spring/ Summer Program Guide inserted in this week’s Shelburne News. Registration is now open, and camps are filling up quickly. See the parks and recreation website for complete details, shelburnevt. org/160/Parks-Recreation.
• Shelburne youth lacrosse deadline for boys and girls in grades 3-8 is March 7, with a $15 fee after that. Any registrations received after the deadline will be placed on a wait list and let in if space allows. The registra-
tion deadline for the kindergarten (co-ed) and grades -2 program is March 31. Parent volunteer helpers are needed for this level.
• Yoga flow for strength and flexibility, Tuesdays, March 18-April 22 from 9-10 a.m. Cost: $90. Registration deadline, March 12. Join C. Jane Taylor for an accessible, energizing yoga flow that builds bone strength and 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.
All levels welcome. Participants should be comfortable sitting on and getting up from the floor. Bring your own yoga mat and whatever props you need.
• Toddler Open Gym, Sundays March 2 and 30 and April 13 and 27, from 9:30-11 a.m. Free, no pre-registration necessary. A parent or caregiver must always be present. In case of inclement weather, call the office at 802-985-9551 to check for cancellations.
MICHAEL
Shelburne Parks & Rec News
Burlington ushers Redhawks to an early playoff exit in hockey, hoops
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Boys’ hockey
No. 8 Burlington 4, No. 9
Champlain Valley 1: Champlain Valley mounted a furious offensive effort in the third period but could not find a way past Burling-
unique primitive camp for boys, ages 10-14
ton in the Division I boys’ hockey playdowns on Saturday.
CVU peppered Burlington goalie Sam Collins (36 saves) with 17 shots in the third period but two late goals from the Seahorses clinched the win.
Jameson Yandow had the lone goal for the Redhawks, while Shamus Phelan added the assist.
COURTESY PHOTO
The Vermont Principals’ Association has produced a new sportsmanship video, “Be the Change Vermont,” featuring the voices of student-athletes from across the state, including Lamoille Union High School basketball players. “Sportsmanship isn’t just about competition — it’s about respect, leadership, and lifting each other up. This inspiring video captures the heart of Vermont athletics, reminding us all that every game is an opportunity to lead by example,” VPA assistant executive director Lauren Young said. To watch the video: vimeo.com/1060573232/366413d9e7.
Jesse McCray finished with 14 saves.
CVU finished the season with a 7-14 record.
Boys’ basketball
No. 1 Burlington 41, No. 8
Champlain Valley 36: Champlain Valley came oh-so-close to knocking off top-seed Burlington on Friday in the Division I high school boys’ basketball quarterfinals.
The Redhawks stayed close to Burlington throughout the game, coming within one point in the fourth quarter, but could not complete the upset bid.
Luke Allen led CVU with 16 points and the Redhawks wrapped up the season with a 9-13 record.
If it’s important to you or your community look for it in Shelburne News.
located in Vermont’s Green Mountains
PHOTO BY AL FREY
The CVU boys’ hockey team in action at home last week against Rice in the last game of the regular season.
Redhawk girls’ hockey team also played the last game of the season at home last week, against Spaulding.
PHOTOS BY AL FREY
Redhawks have high hopes in hoops, hockey
LAUREN READ
CORRESPONDENT
Girls’ basketball
Division I quarterfinals
No. 4 Champlain Valley (13-7) vs. TBD, Saturday, March 8
For the first time since 2012, the Champlain Valley girls’ basketball team will not be the No. 1 or 2 seed entering the Division I state tournament. Despite that change, the Redhawks still earned the No. 4 spot in the postseason and a bye in the first round
of the playoffs.
CVU will await the winner of No. 5 Essex vs. No. 12 Rice, who played in the first round on Tuesday.
The Redhawks have a 1-1 record against the Hornets this season, losing in the first matchup but winning the second 42-39.
CVU beat Rice by 20 points or more in both of their meetings in the regular season.
Girls’ hockey
Division I quarterfinals
No. 7 Champlain Valley-
Mount Mansfield (7-12) at No. 2 BFA-St. Albans (12-5-3), Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield co-op girls hockey team took on No. 2 BFA-St. Albans on Tuesday in the D-I quarterfinals. The game was played after press time.
If the CougarHawks could pull off the upset, they would face the winner of No. 3 Spaulding/Northfield vs. No. 6 Kingdom Blades in the semifinals.
CVU-MMU fell to the Comets in both regular season matchups.
SHELBURNE
3RD FY 24-25 PROPERTY TAX INSTALLMENT
Due Monday, March 17, 2025
Payments must be POSTMARKED or RECEIVED in the TOWN OFFICES by MIDNIGHT, March 17, 2025. Late payments are subject to penalty and interest. Payments can be left in lock box at Police Department Dispatch until Midnight, March 17, 2025.
PLEASE NOTE: The Police Department cannot provide any information regarding your tax account or receipts for payments.
If any questions please call 985-5120 Office hours for payment in person are Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
SHELBURNE
QUARTERLY WATER & SEWER PAYMENT
Due Friday, March 14, 2025
Payments must be RECEIVED or POSTMARKED by MIDNIGHT, March 14, 2025. Late payments are subject to penalty and interest. Payments can be left in lock box at Police Department Dispatch until Midnight, March 14, 2025.
PLEASE NOTE: The Police Department cannot provide any information regarding accounts or receipts for payments.
If any questions please call 985-5120 Office hours for payment in person are Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Police Department is open 24/7
2024 AND 2029 NOISE EXPOSURE MAPS (NEMS) PREPARED FOR PATRICK LEAHY BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BTV) ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
The City of Burlington is announcing that the FAA has determined that the year 2024 and 2029 Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) prepared for Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) were developed in accordance with the procedures outlined in Appendix A of Title 14, Part 150 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
The NEMs may be downloaded using the links on the website below. For further information, please contact Larry Lackey, Director of Planning, Engineering and Sustainability at 802-338-8106. Visit www.btvsound.com for the 2024 and 2029 Noise Exposure Map.
The
Invest in community
BUDGET
continued from page 1
why money would be allocated to certain line items.
While town employees became concerned this winter that Shelburne might opt to change the healthcare policy, prompting employees to start cost-sharing on their premiums, ultimately, the selectboard decided to keep benefits as they were, covering the entire premium for both union and non-union employees.
In the last few weeks, the selectboard also opted to add an increase to the police budget, accounting for hiring to fill an empty officer position.
All three incumbents running for office maintained their seats, each with more than 75 percent of the vote.
Michael X. Ashooh, who was serving as the selectboard chair, has been reelected for another threeyear term. Ashooh is a philosophy professor at the University of Vermont and has served on the selectboard for six years.
Luce Hillman has also been reelected to a two-year term on the selectboard. Luce is an engineer and recently retired as a facility director at the University of Vermont. She has been serving on the selectboard for four years.
Erila Lea, a social worker who works with first-year students at Champlain College, was reelected as Champlain Valley School District board director for another three-year term representing Shelburne.
PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN
Scenes from Shelburne’s Town Meeting Day polling place. Voters approved the budget and re-elected a slate of incumbents.
Pasta and politics mix at Shelburne’s town meeting
RHIANNON HUBBARD
COMMUNITY NEWS SERVICE
The smell of lasagna and conversations of local politics filled the halls of Shelburne Community School as residents gathered for this year’s Town Meeting Day dinner, held Monday night.
Amid the lasagna and love, voters weighed in on contentious issues, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. They passed a resolution supporting Ukraine and tabled one that would have declared Shelburne an “Apartheid-Free Community.”
Monday’s meeting was mostly informational, with the town and school budgets decided by ballot on Tuesday. Over dinner, constituents, volunteer committee members and state and local representatives spoke face to face with each other on issues they care about.
Carla Mazzariello said she is concerned about schools, property taxes, and affordable housing. She said because there’s a lot of wealth in Shelburne, residents sometimes lose sight of what lower-income folks require.
“I’m concerned that we lose some of the perspective of what Vermonters need,” Mazzariello said. “I’d like to see us really focus more on how we can help our community for people who are not as entitled.”
Shelburne Fire Chief Andrew Dickerson was also focused on helping people and connecting with the community at Town Meeting.
“It’s very important to make sure that residents get the opportunity to ask questions and have some face time with their public service,” Dickerson said. “A lot of people don’t realize that at the core of our fire department is a volunteer agency. So, any time the community gets together like tonight, we can get that message out.”
In the hallway right outside the dining room, tables were set up by various organizations, including Town of Shelburne
volunteer groups like the Climate & Energy Committee.
Since its founding in 2023, committee members have tabled at both town meeting dinners, and they plan to continue.
“Sometimes human caused climate issues seem overwhelming and impossible, but it’s through working with your community that you can have the greatest impact,” town climate and energy committee member Karen Baron said. “If you don’t come out for town meeting, you don’t know your neighbors, you don’t know what issues are and you can’t have a voice in making it better.”
The meeting began with the presentation of the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Shelburne’s Girl and Boy Scouts. It was followed by a performance of the National Anthem by school board member David Connery on flute, with selectboard member Matthew Wormser singing.
Town poet laureate Amy Allen read her poem, “Spring Break,” and junior town poet laureate Roman Strayer-Benton read his poem, “Winter’s Close.”
Alice Brown was the winner of this year’s Colleen Hague Public Service Award, out of a record 14 nominees.
Although most of the voting took place Tuesday, two articles were handled in person Monday night: compensation for Selectboard members and any other proposed resolutions from the floor.
Shelburne resident Peg Rosenau proposed increasing compensation by $500, a measure that was supported 91-35. Three resolutions were proposed from the floor.
A resolution on Ukraine passed 60-8. Proposed by Joan Lenes, it stated that the town residents “stand behind and support the continued efforts if Ukraine to maintain its independence, and that we urge the United States to continue providing military and financial aid to Ukraine.”
A second resolution to make Shelburne an Apartheid Free
was tabled after 30-minute discussion. The resolution was proposed by Janet Franz and stated, “We affirm our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people; and we oppose all forms of racism, bigot-
SCHOOL BUDGET
continued from page 1
to achieve less than one percent increase over current spending are mostly in personnel spending. The district will eliminate more than 38 full-time equivalent positions for next school year. Those cuts include music teachers at four of the five schools as well as several interventionists and paraspecialists, and making one-off reductions in areas like world languages, computer science or art, depending on the school.
Champlain Valley Union High School will be reducing its staff by at least one full-time equivalent in most of its core subject areas.
Though they are facing losing a significant number of their
ry, discrimination, and oppression; and we declare ourselves an apartheid-free community, and to that end, we pledge to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.”
A final resolution called for lowering healthcare costs but failed 5-30.
Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for Shelburne News.
colleagues, Emily McLean and Christopher Hood, the president and vice president of Champlain Valley Education Association, voiced their support for the budget.
“It’s nearly 80 positions over the two years, and as educators on the inside, we’ve seen the impact of those reductions. Going forward, students will, unfortunately, also see the impact of some of those reductions through reduced program offerings and so forth. So, it’s imperative that we pass this budget,” Hood said in February.
Despite the cuts, students have been vocal about their hopes that the budget would pass. Zoe
Epstein, a student at Champlain Valley Union, spearheaded a group of students in an effort to inform their peers about the budget: how it works and what it means for the services the school can offer.
While the presentations the group gave didn’t seek to influence student opinions about the budget, the students involved were vocal about their own support, worrying that if the budget failed there would be further cuts.
“At this point, the only thing that I hope for is that this budget passes,” Epstein said a week before town meeting.
The voters, it seems, answered her hopes.
PHOTO BY RHIANNON HUBBARD
From left, Lee Krohn, firefighter, Andrew Dickerson, Shelburne fire chief, at Shelburne’s pre-town meeting dinner.
A TASTE OF IRELAND
Summer Camps
Promote your program in our Summer Camps issue for focused reach to a local audience of kids and parents as they make plans for the upcoming summer season. This advertising section captures the attention of summer camp and recreation seekers, making it the ideal place to outline your offerings and secure more early enrollments.
Publication Date: April 3
Deadline: Thursday, March 27
Contact: Shelburne News/The Citizen at 802-238-4980, The Other Paper at 802-734-2928 or Stowe Reporter/News & Citizen at 802-253-2101 for information or to advertise your camp (ask about multi-paper and color deals).
