Summer camp students with Very Merry Theater bring Oz to life
Page 10
Former, current CVU baseball players top league’s division Page 11 Not in Kansas
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Ahead of the Aug. 11 primary election, five Democratic candidates for the Chittenden Southeast Senate district are vying for their party’s three spots on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
The Shelburne News put a few questions to the field of five. The paper will similarly query the Republican candidates later, since they don’t have competition in the primary.
Shelburne News: What is your top priority for the coming session if you’re elected? What specific policy or policies would you like to see to in order to achieve that goal?
Joanna Grossman, Burlington: Vermont is our refuge, but it’s no good to our kids if they can’t afford to stay here. Priorities: attainable housing, accessible health care and economic
See SENATE on page 2
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
The recent decision by Meach Cove Farms to trap a beaver that had taken up residence and started gnawing nearby trees brought passionate pushback. Over the years, beavers have occasionally moved in and out of the farm’s small man-made pond along Limerick Road. It’s under-
family-style catering
See BEAVER on page 15
standable why they might be interested in the locale — the view is bucolic, with a ring of shrubs and trees around the water and rolling fields beyond. While the state allows for the trapping of beavers that might cause issues for nearby culverts, causing flooding on roads or in
PHOTO BY SOPHIA BALUNEK
last month of July is National Moth Week and this huge hummingbird
continued from page 1
resilience — prioritizing homes for Vermonters over out-of-state investors, building dense senior communities to free up inventory while protecting soil and fighting health care monopolies. I support health care subsidies funded by recapturing Trump tax cuts.
Elizabeth Hunt, Charlotte: Vermont is at a crossroads with health care cost and access connecting us all; I would start here with my physician expertise. After years working closely with families, schools and community systems, I’ve seen how deeply our economy and local budgets are being strained. To make this happen, we need to increase
efficiency in state government, increase workforce opportunities, decrease the cost of health care and make housing more affordable.
Thomas Chittenden, South Burlington (incumbent): My top priority is tackling housing affordability, permit reform and growing Vermont’s economy sustainably. As average household sizes shrink and localized demand grows in Chittenden County, we face a critical housing shortage. To fix this, I will advocate for modernizing land-use and zoning regulations to encourage sensible infill development, expanding municipal water/ sewer infrastructure strategical-
ly, and creating targeted financial incentives to keep starter homes affordable for young families and workers.
Virginia “Ginny” Lyons, Willison (incumbent): I will focus on prevention and primary care reform that includes reducing hospital and insurance premium costs, more access to primary care, community mental health, substance use disorder treatment, a balanced budget and prevention policies critical to improved personal and public health outcomes.
As chair of Health Reform Oversight and Health and Welfare and member of the Senate
Committee on Appropriations, policies should enhance primary care workforce, payment systems, and access; fill needs for substance use recovery services; reduce outside unregulated investment in health care; improve youth prevention and mental health services; oversee the homeless continuum of care law; improve access to housing; ensure adequate appropriations for community-based services and reduce food insecurity; and balance the budget.
Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Shelburne (incumbent): Economic opportunity. Too many Vermonters are working hard but still struggling to get ahead. I want every
student to have access to career and technical education, every family to have a fair shot at finding an affordable home and every parent to know they can count on quality child care. Universal child care has shown that when we make smart, broad-based investments, families, employers and our economy all benefit. We should build on that success with other universal affordability strategies.
Shelburne News: Of the legislation that passed this last session, if you could pick one bill to edit, what edits would you make?
Thursday, August 13 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Sen. Thomas Chittenden Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale
Elizabeth Hunt
Sen. Ginny Lyons
Joanna Grossman
SENATE
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Grossman: I’d edit the anti-masking bill so protections apply to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, rather than passing symbolic laws lacking enforcement. We must protect Vermont from federal overreach. We need economic resilience: limiting credit card swipe fees would’ve kept millions in Vermont instead of feeding out-of-state corporate credit card duopolies. This protects our tax base to shore up state programs against federal cuts threatening 30% or more of our state budget.
Hunt: Act 173 (primary care reform) passed with many areas: planning for strengthening of primary care through state programs, data gathering and specific tasks for different groups. Knowing how critical access and high costs of health insurance has become, I would simplify this bill and include health insurance/ payment innovation, such as a low premium, catastrophic-like coverage and/or bringing more Vermonters back onto Medicaid while the core processes of Act 173 move forward. In addition, I would clarify who is monitoring the action of this bill, accounting for results and communicating those actions with the public and the health care community.
Chittenden: I would refine Act 170 to ensure owner-occupied parcels with accessory dwelling units are explicitly excluded from the now being designated vacation/second-home property tax category. ADUs housed on a primary homeowner’s property are vital long-term housing options for aging family members or local renters and essential to make ends meet in the current Vermont housing market. Applying higher secondary-residence tax rates to them disincentivizes sensible density. There is still time before implementation to correct this and protect local homeowners with ADUs.
Lyons: The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare passed a bill to eliminate red dye and other toxic chemicals from foods served in school. Two large school food services in Chittenden County school districts testified that the administration of eliminating foods with the chemicals was
overly burdensome. As a result, we did not ask the full Senate to vote on the bill. Improving the bill to limit the toxic chemicals from products sold more generally than those served at schools might improve the bill.
Ram Hinsdale: The bills I most wish I could edit are the ones the governor vetoed. I was especially disappointed by the veto of our health care affordability bill, under Sen. Ginny Lyons’ leadership, to bring systemic health care costs down, and our data center bill to ensure any massive new energy users pay their fair share. What was missing wasn’t compromise — it was a clear roadmap from the governor about what it would take to earn his support. Those vetoes delayed important reforms that Vermonters can’t afford to wait another two years for.
Shelburne News: What resolution would you suggest for the way Vermont has continued to use general funds to buy down the education tax rate? Do you think the education funding bill passed this year will help resolve this?
Grossman: Our taxes should be fair and consistent. General Fund buy-downs are erratic and irresponsible, making long-term district planning impossible. I fiercely oppose the Foundation Formula’s $60M cut from Chittenden County schools — which incumbents supported — forcing our districts into an impossible choice between crushing tax penalties or educator layoffs. Instead of overriding voter-passed budgets, we should permanently move vital social services off school budgets back to the General Fund and enact a second-home-
owner tax conforming to Department of Taxes models.
Hunt: Paying down bad policy year after year with taxpayer dollars is an urgent and significant problem. Set a goal for pre-pandemic education spending targets and continue to build a pool of funds for education with property tax for homesteads and non-homesteads but with a higher rate of consumption tax funds. The education funding legislation will start to increase administrative efficiency through Cooperative Educational Service Areas but likely won’t lead to lower costs to property owners for this coming school year.
Chittenden: Using General Fund dollars to buy down property tax rates is financially unsustainable and masks underlying structural drivers. While recent legislation provides temporary relief, true fiscal stability requires structural spending restraint. Lowering the excess spending threshold in the Yield Bill is a step toward applying centralized, clear budgetary guidance to local school districts to help constrict high-growth spending decisions. Paired with state-level cost accountability, this threshold helps align local school budgets with what taxpayers can afford.
Lyons: The governor vetoed bipartisan legislation reducing education health care costs and education property taxes. The veto eliminated reduced premium costs for individuals and small businesses insured on Vermont Health Connect. A minimum of $40 million could have been elim-
See SENATE on page 4
Thomas Chittenden is an incumbent Vermont senator in the Chittenden Southeast Senate district. A story about a Senate debate last week gave him the wrong title.
Vote on or before August 11th
Shelburne Police Blotter: July 19-25
Total reported incidents: 76
Traffic stops: 18
Warnings: 13
Tickets: 9
Medical emergencies: 23
Mental health incidents: 6
Suspicious incidents: 14
Directed patrols: 21
Citizen assists: 4
Motor vehicle complaints: 3
Car crash: 2
Animal problem: 4
Theft: 3
Fraud: 1
Alarms: 10
Pending investigations: 4
911 Hang-up calls: 3
Selected incidents:
July 19 at 12:14 p.m., someone reported a theft from their home on Shelburne Road.
July 19 at 5:16 p.m., police responded to and mediated a dispute at a home on Shelburne Road.
July 19 at 9:05 p.m., someone reported a loose dog and dog bite on Harbor Road that police determined were the same animal.
July 20 at 10:48 a.m., someone reported a theft from Shelburne Market. Police didn’t see anyone there matching the description.
July 20 at 12:39 p.m., police mediated a domestic dispute on Shelburne Road.
July 20 at 3:12 p.m., someone driving erratically at Shelburne Road and Executive Drive was given a ticket.
July 21 at 4:36 p.m., police notified
Charlotte highway crews about a tree down on their town’s portion of Spear Street, and they removed it.
July 21 at 5:14 p.m., someone reported vandalism at their home on Bishop Road.
July 21 around 7:30 p.m., Shelburne Resue treated three people were treated by at a concert at Shelburne Museum.
July 22 at 4:21 p.m., after a two-car crash with injuries at Botswick and Shelburne Roads, the patients involved refused transport to the hospital.
July 23 at 1:11 p.m., after a two-car crash near Bishop Road and Dorset Street, the injured parties were transported to the hospital.
July 24 at 7:09 a.m., someone reported a sick or injured skunk at Davis Park, which police put an end to.
July 24 at 10:47 a.m., someone reported a theft from Kinney Drugs, but police couldn’t locate the purported thief.
July 24 at 1:15 p.m., a horse running loose on Spear Street near Collamer Circle was reunited with its owner.
July 25 at 11:31 a.m., multiple callers reported a woman yelling and screaming near Harbor place, but she refused police assistance.
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
Serving the community of Shelburne A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC shelburnenews.com
Advertising Director Judy Kearns judy@otherpapersbvt.com (802) 734-2928
Editor Tommy Gardner tommy@stowereporter.com (802) 253-2101 x25
Editorial Assistant Sophia Balunek
Staff Writers Liberty Darr, Patrick Bilow, Briana Brady
Production/Design
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SENATE
continued from page 3
inated from the buy down in 2027 and $800 million over five years. There is also work by Cooperative Educational Service Areas to identify cost savings and efficiencies in school districts. Cooperative purchasing, educational opportunities, improved access to career and technical education and other programs result from this work. Property tax payment reform will help.
Ram Hinsdale: I think the education funding bill gives us a real chance to bend the cost curve, but we’ll have to stay disciplined. Buying down property taxes with the General Fund isn’t a longterm solution. The real answer is growing Vermont’s tax base by building more housing, welcoming more working families and making sure our funding system is fair, predictable and focused on student success. That’s where I’ve spent much of my time in the Senate, and it’s where I’ll keep pushing.
Shelburne News: In what ways do you think you are either similar to or different from other Democrats?
Grossman: The status quo isn’t cutting it for working Vermonters. I’ve organized across Chittenden County for years and knocked on more than 3,100 doors in our district this year. Our party has lost touch with Vermonters’ basic needs. House reps, city councilors, selectboard members,
and school board members have been clear with me that they need a partner in the Senate to expedite progress on attainable housing, health care access, fair taxes and public education.
I will fight for our 68,000 constituents first and foremost. We need leaders looking inward, not upward — because our hardwon protections mean nothing if the next generation can’t afford to stay here.
Hunt: I come to the race as a newcomer, not a political insider. I am a physician, specifically a primary care pediatrician, which allows me to work as a team with my patients (and their families and advocates like social workers, counselors, Department for Children and Families workers, educators) to clarify and define shared goals and work towards them together. To accomplish this, I put my own needs, desires and prejudices on the back burner to focus on my patient. Caring for people requires knowing your limits, speaking the truth and learning from your mistakes.
Chittenden: I share my fellow Democrats’ commitment to protecting public education, strengthening climate resilience and supporting working families. What sets me apart is my empirical, data-driven approach to budgeting. Drawing on my background as a former South Burlington city councilor, local parent and my work at the University of
Vermont, I consistently scrutinize state spending to ensure policies deliver measurable outcomes, demand fiscal discipline and prioritize cost-of-living affordability.
Lyons: My work as a scientist and legislator is unique. I understand environmental issues, our chaotic system of health care and other areas. I consistently use data-informed decision making. I bring a scientific approach to improving the human condition and environmental protection. My students are now physicians, social and child care workers, naturalists or educators. I have experience on school and selectboards — as do other Democrats and those with other party affiliations. The mix of differences and similarities stimulates productive discussions and outcomes for our constituents.
Ram Hinsdale: My Indian immigrant father and Jewish American mother ran an Irish pub in Los Angeles, and today, I am a mom of two toddlers, I teach environmental and economic justice, and I serve as the Senate majority leader. Those experiences taught me that people are more complicated than political labels. I believe in progressive values, but I’m also deeply pragmatic. I care about whether an idea works — whether it lowers costs, expands opportunity and improves people’s lives. I spend a lot of time bringing people together who don’t always agree, because that’s how lasting progress gets made.
General Manager Katerina Werth katerina@stowereporter.com
Advertising submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. advertising@shelburnenews.com classi eds@shelburnenews.com
Editorial submission deadline: Friday at 12 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com
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Contact: PO Box 489 Stowe, VT 05672 (802) 253-2101
Taking a factual look at this election’s leadership candidates
Guest Perspective
Bill Schubart
As an opinion writer, I don’t endorse political candidates. I explore and endorse ideas and policies.
Vermonters have a primary vote coming on Aug. 11 and a midterm election on Nov. 3. Our most immediate concern is gubernatorial. Who will lead Vermont for the next two years?
There are three candidates, two women and the male incumbent, who is running again.
Phil Scott served three terms as lieutenant governor from 2011-2017 under then Gov. Peter Shumlin. He has served as governor since 2016, winning five additional terms. He is running for an unprecedented sixth term. Confidants have suggested he was ready to retire from leadership and resume his passion for stock-car racing and running his construction company but purportedly is running again at the urging of his party.
Over my 79 years in Vermont, I’ve had many friends in the political landscape: legislators, governors and agency heads. I’ve agreed with some, disagreed with others, advised some, written negatively about others, but, in the Vermont tradition, have tried to do so in a civil manner, decrying the behavior not the individual.
I’ve thought extensively about the current contenders, have spoken with them personally from time to time and have my own thoughts about their poten-
tial for leadership.
Frankly, I agree with our current governor, his time is up. I give him full credit for his leadership during the pandemic, and, to a slightly lesser degree, during the flooding. He showed skill as a crisis manager.
But as to the accelerating pain-points affecting Vermonters — health care access and cost; public education funding; affordable housing; providing shelter and hunger to those in need; reforming criminal justice; regulating environmental degradation; and taxation and regulation that supports the common good — our current governor hasn’t shown Vermonters a clear strategic path to address these issues, choosing instead to take a compromise position between the business interests propelled by lobbyists and the good of the commons.
Another candidate, Aly Richards, who grew up in Newbury, has a significant political history and is using it effectively to propel her ultimate goal of leadership. Working with the current governor, she went on a listening tour to learn what Vermonters cared most about. She rightfully heard that affordability and access to livable-wage jobs were key issues and came to feel that affordable child care was an underlying cause of many of these concerns.
Rallying philanthropic, legislative and public interests, she effectively led a statewide child care initiative as affordability became more elusive and both family partners had to enter the workforce. She
learned the system and worked it effectively.
Her one liability may be whether the Vermont budget — suffering its own “affordability crisis” — can sustain her successful initiative. I wrote about this in 2023, suggesting that another incremental fix will only add cost and complexity to a challenge that requires a strategic fix rather than an incremental one. I have respect for this candidate and her goal of statewide leadership.
Another candidate, Amanda Janoo, new to many Vermonters, is running at a different altitude of leadership: strategic. She grew up in South Strafford and spent her first professional decade doing work internationally in leadership roles working directly with governments, international development institutions and global networks to design and implement economic policy.
As economics and policy lead for the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance, she helped lead an international organization connecting hundreds of partner organizations, policymakers, academics and civic leaders across more than 60 countries, overseeing the development of policy frameworks, advising government leaders,
managing complex multi-stakeholder initiatives, and coordinating international efforts to advance economic reforms focused on long-term prosperity and community wellbeing.
She also led the creation of WEAll’s Wellbeing Economy Policy Design Guide, a framework used by governments and communities to redesign public policy around measurable outcomes such as health, housing, environmental sustainability and economic security. Her handson experience includes directing wellbeing-economy pilot projects with local governments in California, Canada, New Zealand and Scotland, bringing together public officials, community organizations and residents to develop and execute new policy approaches. Before that, she worked as an industrial policy and structural transformation expert with the United Nations and the African Development Bank, advising governments on economic development strategies, job creation and long-term economic planning, navigating complex bureaucracies, managing relationships among public and private stakeLetters to the Editor
Setting the record straight on candidate’s advocacy
To the Editor:
My Jewish education taught me that “never again” applies to everyone — including Palestinians in Gaza. That belief is why I raised Joanna Grossman’s political record at the July 9 Senate candidate forum. I summarized her conduct, not her identity.
The facts I relied for my statement and my question came from Grossman’s own social media posts. She deleted them, but screenshots of those posts saved by members of Jewish Voice for Peace survive.
Grossman organized and led a pressure campaign against Congresswoman Becca Balint for voting “no” on a bill providing aid to Israel’s military. Balint explained that “no” vote clearly: She would not “condone the utter destruction of Gaza” or send more offensive weapons to fuel a regional war.
Grossman also promoted opposition to a ceasefire resolution in Hartford, and she rallied supporters behind a new federal definition of antisemitism that would chill
free speech and penalize universities if they allow protests sharply critical of the Israeli government, such as by pointing to its discriminatory basic law or the lack of equal rights under law.
I published this record on July 14. The article, on cancelF35.substack.com, has since drawn more than 2,400 views. Neither Grossman nor her allies have disputed a single fact or screenshot in it. Instead, they’ve called me antisemitic — a charge that misrepresents what I actually said and sidesteps her record entirely.
Vermont’s Senate has real levers here: a say over state purchasing and investment decisions that can be used to push back on federal policy many Vermonters oppose, including continued U.S. military support for Israel’s ongoing lethal assault on Gaza. Voters deserve to weigh this record for themselves: Should a candidate who deleted posts documenting her organizing efforts for continued U.S. military aid — advocacy that came as Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s civilians and their homes, schools, universities, hospitals, farms, water and
RE - ELECT YOUR CHITTENDEN SOUTHEAST SENATE TEAM
Thomas Chittenden • Ginny Lyons • Kesha Ram Hinsdale
sanitation was at its height, along with a siege that cut off entry of food and medicine — now attack the person who brought that record to light? I just don’t think Vermont should send her to the State House without disclosure and consideration of her record.
James Marc Leas
South Burlington
Molly Gray is ready to work
To the Editor:
This year, Vermonters have a rare opportunity to return a proven, experienced leader to the office of lieutenant governor. I’m writing in support of Molly Gray.
Molly has already done this job — and done it well. She knows how the office works: how to preside over the Senate, how to partner with a governor well (including our current governor), and, most importantly, how to show up in our communities and actually listen. That’s not a skill you learn overnight, and it’s not one we should ask a candidate to learn on the job in a moment this consequential.
What sets Molly apart is where she keeps her focus: on the things that decide whether a Vermont family can afford to build a life here. Affordable child care. Strong public schools. Health care that doesn’t bankrupt people. Paid family and medical leave for the generation raising kids and caring for aging parents at the same time. These aren’t abstractions. They’re the daily math of Vermont households, and they're the foundation of our workforce and our economy.
Even if you cast just one vote on Tuesday, Aug. 11, please LETTERS continued from page 5
I know this firsthand. I cared for my aging parents in their final years while raising my sons. I felt and lived the constant juggle of work, family and caregiving that so many Vermonters carry. And as someone who runs a Vermont business, I see the same pressures
from the other side: when families can’t find or afford child care, when health care costs squeeze every paycheck, we all feel it. Vermont can’t grow if working families can’t get a foothold here. Since leaving office, Molly has led the Vermont Afghan Alliance, helping hundreds of new Vermonters find jobs, housing and a place in our workforce. That’s the roll-up-your-sleeves problem-solving this moment demands.
Vermont doesn’t need someone learning the job. We need someone ready to work on day one. That’s Molly Gray. And that’s why she has my vote in the August primary and in the general election.
Nicole Junas Ravlin Shelburne
We need a doctor in Montpelier
To the Editor:
It's been 50 years since a working doctor represented Vermonters in the state Senate.
Dr. Elizabeth Hunt, a practicing pediatrician in South Burlington who lives in Charlotte with family, is ready to step up and represent the needs of our district. Elizabeth is running as a Democrat to represent the Chittenden Southeast District.
In her exam room, she sees the struggle people young and old face with family finances. The root cause of high costs of housing, child care, property taxes and education is the exorbitant cost of health care. Montpelier needs Elizabeth’s perspective as a private practicing physician to drive and deliver change that brings an end to the affordability crisis.
Please visit our advertisers and tell them: “I saw your ad in the Shelburne News !”
See LETTERS on page 7
continued from page 6
support Elizabeth Hunt. Learn more at huntforvermont.com.
Allyson Myers Shelburne
More of ces in town reduces economic vibrancy
To the Editor:
I’m writing in response to Luce Hillman’s letter to the editor on July 16 regarding Jamie Two Coats (“Toy shop ‘treasured,’ but the building needs work”). I appreciate Luce taking the time to explain and clarify the issues. I’m also grateful to the selectboard members, who have Shelburne’s best interests in mind when debating complex issues that will affect our town for decades.
Nonetheless, I am dismayed at the decision to move a thriving small business out of a centrally located building in Shelburne for an extended period of time, for renovations. Luce has an immense amount of experience with building renovations; I trust her assessment of the building. However, more needs to be done to find a mutually agreeable solution without permanently handicapping this important business.
Kevin Clayton, one of the key business owners in Shelburne, running the coffee shop and the wine store, wrote directly to the selectboard about this decision months ago. He explained, and I agree, that there are a handful of keystone businesses in Shelburne — Jamie Two Coats, Shelburne Wine and Coffee and the General Store — these businesses pull in customers from all over the state and the country. These shoppers then visit other small businesses in Shelburne, providing crucial economic benefit that brick and mortar stores require to survive. In removing one of these businesses, you may create an irreversible and negative economic effect.
Our family was thrilled to find a home within walking distance of town, and we pay for the benefit of buying groceries, toys, books, candy, wine and coffee from our neighbors, not off the internet. As
SCHUBART
continued from page 5
holders and translating ambitious goals into practical policy.
In Vermont in 2024, she co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance of Vermont, helping build and lead a statewide coalition dedicated to creating a more resilient and inclusive economy. She also served on the ACLU-VT Board’s steering committee, Fund Vermont’s Future.
For us all to vote effectively for leadership in the upcoming elections, we must listen carefully to all the candidates, assess their ideas and qualifications for leadership and vote in both elections, regardless of White House efforts to sow doubts about our elections. Elections ensure our constitutional right to have a say in who will lead us and how, and where.
We must also ask, do we treat the symptom, or do we address the underlying causes of our problems? Is your choice
Kevin explained, it is more difficult than ever before to maintain a small business. If the town moves Jamie Two Coats from a central location, there could be irreparable damage to the business.
The idea that they could move back after a year or more is irrelevant — how will the business owners generate income during that time? I urge the selectboard to further explore solutions with Jamie Two Coats at the table. It’s paramount that Shelburne not discourage small businesses from coming to our town.
While building renovations are essential, and financial savings are real, there are other issues to consider here; I would like to see a serious consideration of the possible economic impacts (including town vibrancy) of turning this building into offices. With the immense intellectual capital on the selectboard, I know a better solution can be found.
In last week’s Shelburne News, a prominent story concerned a moment in a recent state Senate forum in which a member of the audience accused candidate Joanna Grossman of supporting Israel’s “genocide” in Israel. Ms. Grossman handled the situation well in her response. The truth is that the matter was irrelevant to the forum because our state Senate does not have any impact on international issues.
Perhaps more importantly, the consternation at this one exchange is concerning. If Vermonters prefer their political debates so sanitized and friendly, they risk losing the opportunity for truly open and honest debates and differing viewpoints on critical issues.
We should try to be tougher and braver than that.
Louis Meyers Shelburne
of candidate experienced in designing strategic solutions and making them a reality? Do they understand process, procedure and power structure or simply have a desire to lead? Do they talk with and listen to us, then distill and deploy effective strategies to address and alleviate our pain-points?
We must all decide who will best listen to us, focus on the common good and put forth and execute strategic solutions that don’t mire the landscape with incremental “fixes.”
Please engage with the three candidates, ask tough questions and vote. And urge young people to do so as well.
Bill Schubart grew up in Lamoille County and now lives in Hinesburg. He writes about Vermont in fiction, humor and opinion pieces.
Community Notes
Shelburne Age Well luncheon
Age Well and St. Catherine of Siena will host a community luncheon for adults 60 and older on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at St. Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St., Shelburne. Check-in begins at 11:30 a.m., with lunch served at noon. The menu includes riblet, confetti rice, mixed vegetables, whole-wheat bread, a craisin-date cookie and milk. A suggested donation is $7. Reservations are due by Aug. 6. Call 802-662-5283 or email pniarchos@agewellvt. org for information or to register.
Union Bank marks 135th anniversary
Union Bank will celebrate its 135th anniversary with customer appreciation events from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, July 31, at all 18 of its Vermont and New Hampshire branches. The celebration will include complimentary lunches from local businesses, anniversary giveaways and an opportunity to thank customers and communities for their longtime support.
Gallery showcases Myers’ jazz prints
J. Kenneth Fine Art and Atelier Frame & Design are presenting “Swingville: Works from the
Malcolm Myers Estate” throughout August at J. Kenneth Fine Art, 145 Pine Haven Shores Road, Suite 1160, Shelburne. The exhibition features prints from the celebrated American intaglio artist's Jazz Series, created between the 1950s and 1980s. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays or by appointment.
Memoir honors mother’s resilience
Onion River Press has released “A Mother’s Prayer,” a memoir by Steve Rand exploring family, grief and resilience during his mother’s 13-year battle with cancer. The book recounts Anne Rand’s determination to raise her three children after her husband left the family and highlights the friendships that sustained her during her illness. Rand, a former director of civic engagement at Norwich University, reconstructed the story through family memories and interviews. He lives in Vermont with his wife. Information: steverand.org.
Baby
gear drive supports families
Vermont Connector will hold a baby gear collection drive from 9 a.m. to noon at Memorial Hall, 5 Towers Road, Essex Junction, to restock its baby product exchange,
which provides essential items to Vermont families in need. Organizers are seeking gently used baby gear in good condition. Donations also may be dropped off in Burlington by appointment or contributed year-round through the exchange. A list of accepted items is available at vermontconnector.org.
Free doc screening examines prison system
A free screening of the HBO documentary “The Alabama Solution” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, at Main Street Landing Film House, 60 Lake St., Burlington. Doors open at 6 p.m. The Academy Award-nominated documentary examines conditions inside Alabama’s prison system and is intended to encourage community discussion about incarceration in America. The event is open to the public.
‘The Farm Boy’ screens in Stowe
The Friends of the Stowe Free Library and the Stowe Historical Society will present a screening of “The Farm Boy” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Stowe Free Library, 90 Pond St. Written and
COURTESY PHOTO
J. Kenneth Fine Art and Atelier Frame & Design present an exhibition of Malcolm Myers’ Jazz Series.
Gerald Hornung II
Gerald Kenneth (Jed) Hornung II, age 96, passed away on July 20, 2026, surrounded by his loving family after a brief illness. Gerald was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on July 31, 1929, the son of Gerald Kenneth Hornung and Hazel Emily Ruedy Hornung.
Jed lived a life of faith, service, integrity and leadership. He used his many skills and achievements to lead organizations he cared about and to help others. He enjoyed people and could talk to anyone. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
Jed attended Classen High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he learned to be a debater and went on to be a National Debate Champion through the National American Legion Oratorical contest. He was then elected the first national president of the American Junior Red Cross, a youth organization with 20 million members during World War II. Later, in 2018, Jed was named an “Everyday Hero” by the Vermont American Red Cross for 70 years of service.
Majoring in government and economics, Jed graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1951. He was elected president of his senior class and his fraternity, and was chosen for PE-ET, which annually honors the ten most outstanding campus seniors. After graduation, he went from being a member of the Air Force R.O.T.C., to active duty in the United States Air Force, becoming a captain during the Korean War. In 1952, he married his sweetheart Virginia (Jini) Ann Spain in Frederick, Oklahoma. They would go on to be married for over 74 wonderful years.
He lived a life using his Christian faith, leadership abilities and investment acumen to volunteer and assist numerous non-profit organizations, seminaries, colleges and churches. He organized and for 48 years served as president of the Gerald and Virginia Hornung Family Foundation. The foundation is now managed by Vanguard Charitable.
His fraternity friendships in college led him to become a director of the Alpha Tau Omega Foundation. He was a founding director and the first treasurer of leadershape, which now provides ethical leadership training to students of all genders on more than 85 college campuses.
Other volunteer positions included serving as a Trustee for the United Methodist Reporter Foundation, Dallas, Tex.; three United Methodist seminaries: Garrett-Evangelical, Evanston, Il; Methodist Seminary in Delaware, Ohio, and Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Ky. He did the same for the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, Nashville, Tenn. Jed and Jini lived in Woodstock from 1988 until 2004. They enjoyed the scenery and many friendships and many volunteer activities. Jed served as treasurer of the town of Woodstock. He also enjoyed being involved with the Woodstock Historical Society, Senior Center, Rotary Club and the Woodstock Round Table. He was a trustee of Green Moun tain College in Poultney. He also served on the board of the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, Plymouth. Jed and Jini moved to Wake Robin in Shelburne in 2004 and enjoyed many friendships and activities there. They both loved to travel and visit ed many spots in the U.S. and around the world.
After his military service, he attended law school at the University of Oklahoma. He served as managing editor of the Oklahoma Law Review and was elected president of the honor law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta.
Following admission to the Oklahoma Bar Association, he joined the New York City investment banking firm Wertheim & Co. and attended New York University Graduate School of Business. In 1970 he became a Wertheim & Co. general partner and the senior vice president of four Wertheim subsidiaries.
Jed was active in the United Methodist Church all his life. He and Jini had many good friends through their involvement in many churches. After moving to New England, they raised their three children and were active for twenty-two years at the Norwalk, Connecticut, United Methodist Church and Jed was a trustee of the New York United Methodist Conference. In 1978 he became CEO (general secretary) of the United Methodist General Board of Pensions, one of the largest pension funds in America. Later in Vermont, they were active in the Middlesex, Shelburne and North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Churches.
Jed had a deep, abiding love for his wife and family, which he expressed often. He is survived by his wife Jini, of Shelburne; his daughter Kimberly Hornung-Marcy and son-in-law Theodore Marcy of Williston, grandchildren Ariel and her wife Kristina Marcy, Jordan Marcy; his daughter Leslie and son-in-law Timothy Wallstrom of Los Alamos, N.M., granddaughters Sarah, Rachel, and Miriam Wallstrom; and his son Gerald Kenneth Hornung III and his fiancé Rene Juza of Boise, Idaho; and grand daughter Heather Hornung Smith and her husband Heyden Smith.
Jed was preceded in death by his parents Gerald Kenneth and Hazel Hornung and his brother-in-law Robert Spain.
The family will hold a private burial. There will be a Memorial Service, at a later date. Arrangements are through Day Funeral Home, Randolph, and Vermont Forest Cemetery, Roxbury. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church, the Shelburne United Methodist Church or the American Red Cross.
(Note: Photo of Jed Hornung as General Secretary of the UMC Board of Pensions in 1978)
Gerald Hornung II
Underhill
Young performers from across the community took the stage this summer as part of Very Merry Theatre’s summer camp production of “The Marvelous Land of Oz” in Shelburne.
Throughout the weeklong camp, participants immersed themselves in the many aspects of theatre-making, including acting, movement, storytelling, costumes and stagecraft. Campers of all experience levels
worked together to create a full production, building confidence, developing new skills and forming friendships along the way.
The camp culminated in a public performance of “The Marvelous Land of Oz” at Shelburne Town Hall, where audiences were transported back to the imaginative world of Oz and its whimsical characters, adventure and the teamwork.
PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN
Local youth participarte in “The Marvelous Land of Oz” at Shelburne Town Hall.
Former, current CVU baseball players top league’s division
Two players from Champlain Valley’s American Legion baseball team, which remained in contention for a state tournament bid until the last day of the regular season, received honors for their accomplishments during the 2026 regular season.
Riley McDade, CVU Class of 2026, of Shelburne, received the top honor for all players from the League’s seven-team Northern Division.
Vermont American Legion Baseball named McDade as Player of the Year for the Northern Division, recognizing him as the top player of any of the Northern Division teams. McDade hit .585, with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 20 RBIs (60 plate
COMMUNITY NOTES
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directed by George Woodard, the black-and-white feature is set in 1944 and tells a story of love, trust and integrity inspired by the lives of the filmmaker’s parents. Much of the film was shot on Woodard’s farm in Waterbury.
Vermont Teddy Bear and Vermont Flannel will celebrate
appearances). In the fall, McDade will continue playing baseball at Husson University in Maine.
“What really separates Riley isn’t just the numbers. We talk all the time about moving on to the next pitch, whether the last one ended in a home run or a strikeout, and Riley embodies that better than anyone I've coached. Every pitch is a new opportunity, and he’s always competing, always thinking and always looking for a way to gain an edge,” Casey Martinez, head coach for the last two years, said.
Harrison Whitman, CVU Class of 2027, of Shelburne, who plays first base for Champlain Valley, was named as first top first basemen in the Northern Division.
Whitman hit .333, with 6 doubles, and 21 RBIs (63 plate appearances).
“What impressed me most was how much he improved this
spring. Harrison became a more complete hitter, driving the ball to all fields, and it seemed like, every time we needed a big hit, Harrison came through. He was one of the
most consistent offensive players in our lineup all season,” Martinez said.
— Dan McLean
their 45th and 35th anniversaries with a birthday bash featuring free daytime activities, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and evening festivities from 5 to 9 p.m. Face painting, food vendors, inflatables, mini golf, games and a bubble show will be offered during the day. Evening activities include a drone show, an ‘80s and ‘90s costume contest, live music by DJ Fattie B and refreshments. Admission is free for children; adults are $15.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Above, Harrison Whitman defends rst base well enough to earn top honors. Right, Riley McDade, on right, was named Player of the Year..
Visit the Pierson Library, 5376 Shelburne Road, for the following events and activities. To register, call the library at 802-985-5124.
• Fire safety with Shelburne’s firefighters, Saturday, Aug. 1: 10:30-11:30 a.m. Members of Shelburne’s team offer tips on how to stay safe and provide an up-close look at all the equipment and tools that help Shelburne’s Fire Department crew respond in an emergency. All ages welcome.
• Music & Movement with Stephen Coronella, Tuesdays (Aug. 4, 11, 18 and 25): 10:30-11 a.m. Music, movement and fun with Stephen Coronella.
• Coffee and Conversation: Capitalism, Tuesday, Aug. 4: 10:30-11:30 a.m. What is capitalism? A necessary evil? The root of all our current problems? The best economic system we've got? If not capitalism, then what? Participants say their piece, left, right or center
News from Pierson Library
around this old bugbear of a topic.
• Fortnite Frenzy Tournament, Wednesday, Aug. 5: 2-4 p.m. Calling all gamers ages 10-14. Players will battle it out in a Battle Royale competition to see who can earn the highest score and claim victory — and a gift card prize.
• The Glacial History of the Lake Memphremagog Basin, Wednesday, Aug. 5: 7-8 p.m. Dr. Stephen Wright has been conducting fieldwork the past four years that focuses on understanding the evolution of glacial landscapes in the Northeast Kingdom. At this presentation he will explain what was happening in the region as the last big ice sheet that covered Vermont retreated northward.
• Magic Treehouse: Dinosaurs Before Dark, Thursday, Aug. 6: 1-2 p.m. Climb into the Magic Treehouse and travel back to the Jurassic to spend an afternoon with the dinosaurs.
Shelburne Parks & Rec News
Shelburne Parks and Recreation offers the following activities.
• Youth soccer registration for kids entering grades 1-6 in the fall deadline is Friday, July 31. Practices start Aug. 31 and games will begin on Sat., Sept. 12 and run through Oct. 10.
Players are grouped in teams by gender and grade. Pre-school and kindergarten soccer registration will open in mid-August.
• Parks and Rec is partnering with the Edge Sports & Fitness to offer preschool and learn to swim lessons, at 75 Eastwood Dr. in South Burlington. August
• Creative Writing Support Group, Saturday, Aug. 8: 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Writers discuss their process, champion wins, share resources and encourage and support one another. They write together, sometimes with an outside presenter sharing a prompt.
• Zentangle, Saturday, Aug. 8: 1-3 p.m. With few tools and a small scale, Julia Davenport will oversee a two-hour tangle to find creativity and calm our neural networks.
• Exhibitionists Book Club: Norman Rockwell at Home in Vermont Tour, Tuesday, Aug. 11: 1-2 p.m. Tour the Shelburne Museum’s Norman Rockwell exhibit, led by public programs educator Kat Redniss. Meet at the museum entrance. This exhibit, in conjunction with a reading of Howard Frank Mosher’s “A Stranger in the Kingdom,” is up for discussion at the Pierson Library in August.
Visit shelburnevt.org/160/ Parks-Recreation to register and for complete program details including class description, age and program requirements.
Rosella Duarte honored by Lions Club for service
On June 24, the Champlain Valley Lions Club presented the Melvin Jones Award to member
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Rosella Duarte. Named for the founder of Lions, the Melvin Jones award is the club’s highest honor, and is given in recognition of exemplary humanitarian service.
Duarte, a retired VNA visiting nurse, has been actively involved for many years in programs that help children and families in need, as well as projects aimed at protecting the environment, supporting local farmers, ending hunger and promoting peace,
As a member of the Champlain Valley Lions, she has initiated many volunteer projects. Duarte has also enlisted Lions in service to local families in need, through donations of diapers and warm winter clothing for families at the Lund Center. She’s also a member of the club’s KidSight program, providing free vision screening for local children, as well as immigrant families.
Lions Clubs have a saying: “Where there’s a need, there’s a Lion.” Rosella is the embodiment of this commitment. She responds wholeheartedly and energetically to deliver help and sustenance wherever it’s most urgently needed.
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COURTESY PHOTO
Rosella Duarte receives award from CVL President Mark Hanna and celebrates at the annual picnic.
zen center yard sale
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RABIES BAIT
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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.
The week-long bait drop is a cooperative effort
and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its RABIES BAIT
saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal.
saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost al ways fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal.
So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.
So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.
According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.
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
According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.
SHELBURNE DAY continued from page 4 face burne-Hinesburg head the Golf depending land. Rotary’s
Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and
Shelburne display lead dors from creemees. from
buildings, environmental advocates often argue for non-lethal tactics to manage the keystone species, which can help reestablish healthy wetlands with their dams.
In response to the pushback, Meach Cove Farms is partnering with the Vermont Beaver Collective to pursue management options that might encourage beavers along to a new spot but won’t harm them.
“We’re reevaluating anything and everything to do with how we manage beavers that move into the property,” Chris Davis, the project manager at Meach Cove Farms, said.
The farm had identified a new beaver as a concern because it had started eating into a nearby tree and the culvert running beneath the road from the pond is quite small — beavers will often block culverts as they build dams. The farm hired a trapper suggested by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Recently, the beaver got caught in the trap. Davis learned about it when Shelburne resident Sarah
Nilsen, who often walks along Limerick Road, called him. Nilsen was upset. She said that a boy had run up to her, crying — he had found a beaver on the hill next to the pond caught in a leg trap.
The pond is next to the road, and, according to Davis, the trapper set the trap in the water, where it malfunctioned.
Davis said the assumption is the beaver managed to climb the hill while caught in the trap, leading to the upsetting scene Nilsen found. By the time he got there, the trapper had already euthanized the beaver.
“We’re sorry it happened,”
Davis said.
Every year, young beavers will venture from their parents’ den to search out spots of their own.
The beaver at Meach Cove likely wandered over from the nearby wetlands connected to the LaPlatte
— Chris Davis
River, according to Bev Soychak from VT Beaver Collective. The pond in question was dug in the 1980s, like those at many farms. While it’s attracted a bunch of wildlife, it’s not ideal for beavers. In addition to the small culvert and the nearby road, beavers also need a lot of food. One colony of beavers — estimated at eight animals, including two parents and their young — need one ton of bark stored in their food cache to survive the winter, according to Tyler Brown of VT Fish and Wildlife. In general, Brown said, they also won’t travel too far to get it.
The Limerick Road pond, Davis pointed out, has a limited number of trees. It’s why previously most of the beavers that had come to the pond left on their own accord.
For Soychak, the problem in this case isn’t necessarily with Meach Cove Farms, but with the system the state uses to deal with beaver. Despite policies encouraging non-lethal management such as fencing or dam filtration systems, too often, she said, they’ll direct people to nuisance trapping — targeted trapping to remove an animal.
“These landowners did what they were told to do,” Soychak said. “They got a lot of flak for it, but they’re open and eager to finding other ways to deal with their problem.”
According to Brown, when it comes to beavers, the state’s focus is on restoring wetlands. The Beaver Wetlands Conservation Project aims to maintain beaver created wetlands, which slow the flow of water and help the earth absorb phosphorus before it reaches Lake Champlain.
The state deals with a lot of calls about beavers — Brown estimated about 400 a year. He makes about 50 or 60 site visits.
When it comes to non-wetland
areas like Meach Cove’s farm pond, the state is less likely to jump in to help install non-lethal management systems. That’s up to the landowner to reach out to private companies or groups that can help them.
In Meach Cove’s case, that’s exactly what it’s now doing by working with the Vermont Beaver Collective. While Davis said they aren’t sure yet exactly what method they’ll use, he said there won’t be any more nuisance trapping on the property.
LAKE CHAMPLAIN
COTTAGE FOR RENT: 3 miles north of basin harbor. 5 bedroom, private, end of road. Cement dock and mooring. Air conditioning and new mattresses. No pets. $3,800 per week. Avalalbe Aug. 15 and beyond. Contact Brian. 802-373-9861. Inquires for next year accepted.
Sidewalk Burlington Vermont Sale
DAYS OF UNBEATABLE DEALS
Wednesday, August 5 - Sunday, August 9
All the deals...
4T2D: Score 50–90% off everything under the tent.
Bertha Church Intimates: Save 20–50% on select sale styles.
Bickford USA: Save up to 40% on Made in USA favorites, shop exclusive samples & seconds, plus 10% off the entire store.
Catamount Store: Save 50% to 70% on select apparel styles, as well as 10% off all regularly priced apparel items.
ECCO Clothes: Save up to 70% on select styles.
Fear and Cloathing: 20% off entire order.
Gaku Ramen: Free mochi with the purchase of meal.
Golden Hour Gift Co.: Follow @goldenhourgiftco for daily specials revealed on Insta Stories.
Harbour Thread: Up to 80% off.
Homeport: Save 10% on purchases up to $25, 15% on $25–$99.99, and 20% on $100+. Plus, shop sidewalk specials at 40% off or more.
Kiss The Cook: 20% off storewide (exc. electronics & already discounted items) plus up to 60% off under the tent.
Lake Champlain Chocolates: Sweet deals on truffles, Five Star Bars, Spring Coin Bag, and more.
Little Istanbul: 20% off storewide.
MK Clothing: Save 50% or more on select finds.
Outdoor Gear Exchange: Consignment Yard Sale is back 8/7–8/9! Come score amazing deals on gently used outdoor gear, then browse the clearance selection to gear up for your next adventure.
Phoenix Books: Visit the tent for amazing deals on books, gifts, and more.
Public Vintage: 50% off select vintage jewelry, clothing (adults and kids) + homewares.
Saratoga Olive Oil: Enjoy a free tasting and mention "Sidewalk Sale" for 10% off your purchase.
The Optical Center: 15% off.
The Prik: Spin the prize wheel for your chance to win.
The Vermont Flannel Company: Barn Sale 20% off select styles.
Tradewinds Imports: Free gift with purchase, while supplies last.
