Seating Seton
Sampling soil
Shelburne Museum fleshes out its collection of early American art
New project helps Vermonters protect Lake Champlain water quality
Page 7
Page 10
August 20, 2026
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Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg
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Hinesburg sends local option tax back to the ballot
Amazing graze
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
petition with signatures from 1% of the town voter checklist. In Charlotte, this is where things got a little sticky — at least for House Rep. Chea Waters Evans, D-Charlotte,
Come November, Hinesburg residents will be asked to reconsider whether they would like to implement a local option tax. In 2024, Hinesburg voters rejected the extra 1% tax — three-quarters of which comes back to the town — but with mounting budget pressures, the selectboard is putting the matter back to residents. According to estimates from town manager Todd Odit, the tax could generate around $300,000 annually, potentially more. The town would use those funds to subsidize its budget and ease the burden on property taxes to maintain services. “I see it as property tax relief,” selectboard member Mike Loner said at a meeting in July. “Not special funds for special projects.” Through a local option tax, 1% gets added to the state’s existing taxes — 6% for sales and use, 9% for meals and rooms, 10% for alcohol — on purchases made
See ELECTION on page 15
See TAX on page 12
PHOTO BY SOPHIA BALUNEK
Horses, and a foal, at a farm along Greenbush Road enjoying lush summer grass in the sunshine.
Dems accuse local GOP of trying to ‘stack’ Nov. ballot LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The coming elections for Charlotte’s justices of the peace have gotten political as concerns regarding election integrity on both sides of the political spectrum mount —
although for different reasons. A justice of the peace sits on the Board of Civil Authority and Board of Tax Abatement and serves in local government roles like solemnizing marriages, notarizing documents and, perhaps most important, overseeing elections. But what
SouthernInSpIred dIner ClaSSICS BreakfaSt, lunCh, dInner
may be lesser known is exactly how these candidates get on the ballot. According to Vermont statutes, justice of the peace candidates are nominated by a local town caucus or party committee, while independent candidates just need to file a
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Page 2 • August 20, 2026 • The Citizen
Veterans Affairs to move clinic to South Burlington BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
“One of the best parts about the Veterans Health Administration is that the care is all The Department of Veterans completely interwoven,” Russ Affairs signed a 20-year lease for said. Unlike civilian health care a new outpatient clinic at Technology Park in South Burlington. and insurance, the VA operates The VA White River Junction with a single system between Healthcare System expects the providers, she said, making it new clinic, which will replace easy to share documentation the services it currently offers at and communicate. Having those its clinic in Burlington, to open providers under one roof adds to the ease. to patients by 2030. The VA is especially focused “We’re anticipating that this is really going to improve access on integrating mental health services into for veterans in all primary care, of Northwestern “The care is Russ said. Vermont,” Carey According Russ, the assisall completely to research, tant director at veterans, espeVA White River interwoven.” cially those Junction Healthwho have seen care, said. Right now, — Carey Russ combat, experience much the clinic in Burlington serves about 3,300 veter- higher rates of conditions such ans who live within a 30-minute as post-traumatic stress disorder drive. However, Russ said, there and depression. “We spend a lot of time are around 7,900 veterans who live within a 60-minute drive of trying to convince every veterthe new South Burlington loca- an who’s eligible that, of course, tion. The plan is to reach those they deserve the care that we veterans and connect them to can offer,” she said. “We just have different services, and our health care services. The larger space — over providers are trained different24,000 square feet — will allow ly than they are in the private the clinic to expand its services sector, especially around mental health.” and see more patients. Beyond the larger physical According to Russ, the Burlington clinic offers primary space, Russ said part of the draw care and some specialties such with the lease in South Burlas optometry and audiology. At ington is the location. She said Technology Park, the system it has a lot more parking than plans to provide primary care the current spot in Burlington’s as well as services for mental South End and is close to a highhealth, physical and occupational therapies, optometry and audiology. See VETERANS AFFAIRS on page 3
PHOTOS BY SOPHIA BALUNEK
Finally home Some homes at the Flying Tractor development off Mechanicsville Road, which has been in the works for a couple of years, have gone up for sale.
The Citizen • August 20, 2026 • Page 3
Kingston enters House race as independent Political Notebook John Kingston John Kingston is an independent candidate for the Chittenden-4 House district. Here is his recent announcement. Hello again, my name is John Kingston, and I will be running as an Independent to be your State Representative here in Hinesburg (Chittenden-4). As an Independent I was John Kingston not on the primary ballot, but you will see my name on the ballot for the general election (both the mail-in ballots and at the polls on Nov. 3).
I have already met many of you as I make my way around town and knock on doors. It has been a pleasure meeting you and hearing about the issues on your mind. I have been posting regularly on Front Porch Forum with campaign updates and on various issues facing our community and state. Those posts are available on my website, and I encourage you to visit that site to better understand my candidacy (kingston4vt.com/). I look forward to seeing you around town and visiting you at your home. I encourage you to reach out to me if there are issues you wish to explore and discuss. Many of the challenges we face are complex, but I know that together we can better understand those challenges and take on the opportunities to make our community and state even better. Feel free to reach out to me through my website or directly by email (kingstonjvt@gmail.com).
5:30–7:30 p.m. August 27. Admission is free!
VETERANS AFFAIRS continued from page 2
way exit and within a walkable distance from a public bus route. It’s also right down the street from South Burlington’s Vet Center on Gregory Drive. When veterans were returning from Vietnam, Russ said, many of them didn’t feel supported by either the wider culture or the government, and there was a lot of mistrust in the VA. According to Russ, the department set up vet centers to act as a safe gathering space for veterans readjusting to civilian life, and the centers still provide a lot of mental health care and support groups. “It’s not uncommon for a veteran to get mental health care at the vet center but have primary care and everything else at the VA site. So, we have a strong partnership with them,” she said. Once the clinic is renovated, there will still be some outreach work to get veterans in the door. Russ said the White River Junction VA Health System will likely hold town halls and events. “Just really getting the word out that this is going to be an available site for veterans to access primary care, mental
health care, and some specialty cares,” she said.
Corrections
A story last week about campaign finances reported Ernest Pomerleau donated to Grossman’s campaign, which he did not. It also listed Tim Barritt as Ram Hinsdale’s campaign treasurer. He no longer is. ••• The campaign finance story also incorrectly added candidates’ personal loans to their total contributions. Joanna Grossman raised $27,464, which included more than $5,000 from herself, and Elizabeth Hunt raised $30,885, which included more than $9,000 from herself. ••• Last week’s story about the Chittenden Southeast Senate district primary election spelled candidate Javen Sears’ name wrong.
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Page 4 • August 20, 2026 • The Citizen
CRIME & COURTS Hinesburg Police Blotter: Aug. 3-14 Total reported incidents: 101 Arrests: 2 Traffic Stop: 63 Agency Assist: 6 Special overtime: 6 Directed patrol: 4 Suspicious event: 3 Information Report: 3 Threats/harassment: 2
Crashes: 4 Fraud: 1 Citizen dispute: 1 Motor vehicle complaint: 1 Welfare/suicide check: 1 Wanted person: 1 Family fight/domestic: 1 Animal Problem: 1 Found property: 1
HOLIDAY ADVERTISING HOLIDAY/SEPT. 3 ISSUE AD DEADLINE: (ON NEWSSTANDS FOR LABOR DAY) Monday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. SEPT. 10 ISSUE AD DEADLINE: Friday, Sept. 4, at Noon STOWE REPORRTER NEWS&CITIZEN Serving the people of Lamoille County since 1881
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Selected incidents: Aug. 3 at 7 a.m., police investigated an abandoned vehicle on Route 116. Aug. 3 at 6 p.m., police made an arrest for domestic assault. Aug. 3 at 6:23 p.m., police investigated a reported fraud Aug. 4 at 12:22 p.m., police served a temporary relief order. Aug. 5 at 10:42 a.m., someone reported property damage on Beaver Pond Road. Aug. 5 at 2:53 p.m., an officer assisted another agency with serving paperwork. Aug. 5 at 9:21 p.m., police investigated suspicious activity on Turkey Lane. Aug. 6 at 1:54 p.m., officers assisted another agency with a death notification. Aug. 6 at 5:34 p.m., someone reported suspicious activity on Kailey’s Way. Aug. 6 at 6:44 p.m., police investigated a reported animal problem on Lyman Meadows. Aug. 7 at 10:50 a.m., an officer assisted another agency with serving paperwork. Aug. 7 at 5:56 p.m., an officer responded to Bear Lane for a domestic dispute. Aug. 10 at 9 a.m., police investigated reported harassment by electronic communication.
Police ID man found dead in car at Charlotte beach LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
A person who was found dead in his car at the Charlotte beach last weekend died of natural causes. Vermont State Police were notified around 5:40 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9 that an adult male was found unresponsive
in a dark gray Subaru Forester. Charlotte Fire and Rescue also responded to the scene and ultimately pronounced the male deceased. The man was later identified as Timothy Coleman, 72, of Ferrisburgh. The death was determined not to be suspicious, according to state police.
Aug. 10 at 3:54 p.m., officers responded to a two-car crash on Route 116. Aug. 11 at 9:56 a.m., police assisted the fire department with a medical emergency on Hawk Lane. Aug. 11 at 5:13 p.m., police issued a no-trespassing order to someone at a Commerce Street business owner’s request. Aug. 11 at 6:26 p.m., officers located a wanted person on Route 116. Aug. 12 at 9:40 a.m., police conducted a welfare check on Route 116. Aug. 12 at 1:23 p.m., officers responded to a single-car crash on North Road.
Aug. 12 at 2:18 p.m., an officer responded to reported suspicious activity on Dynamite Hill. Aug. 12 at 6:14 p.m., officers responded to a medical emergency on Hidden Pasture Road. Aug. 13 at 7:51 a.m., police investigated a late-reported motor vehicle crash. Aug. 13 at 9:09 a.m., an officer assisted the fire department with a medical emergency on Hawk Lane. Aug. 13 at 7:45 p.m., an officer served court paperwork on Route 116. Aug. 13 at 10:00 p.m., an officer served court paperwork on Route 116.
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The Citizen • August 20, 2026 • Page 5
OPINION Transforming health care comes from changing conversations sions made close to home. But preserving health care for future generations may require us to Mark Crow rethink what “local access” Vermont has an unprecedent- means in a changing world. ed opportunity to reshape its Health care transformation health care system. Through the increasingly requires us to think federal Rural Health Transforbeyond individual communities mation Program and other recent and consider what best serves an and proposed state reforms, entire region. That isn’t simply we have the chance to build a an operational challenge. It’s a system that is more sustainable structural and cultural one. and better able to meet the needs The recent closures of the of future generations. birthing centers at Copley But funding, planning and Hospital and Brattleboro policy are only part of the Memorial Hospital illustrate this challenge. The hardest part of tension. No community wants to health care transformation will lose services that families have be making difficult decisions relied upon for generations. together. Yet, these closures also reflect Vermont’s health care system broader national realities. Rural is under increasing strain. hospital administrators across Health care the country providers face reported that Those conversations mounting finanapproximatecial pressures should help establish ly 200 births amid workforce per year were shortages, an needed for the principles that aging populaboth the finantion, declining cial viability guide difficult birth rates and clinical and growing sustainability of decisions. demand for an obstetrical behavioral program. Births health services. These are not at Brattleboro Memorial Hospiisolated challenges. They are tal declined to 230 in 2024, interconnected forces reshaping while births at Copley Hospital health care delivery across our fell to fewer than 200 in recent state. years. The encouraging news is that Those realities do not make Vermont still has choices. But the loss of local services any opportunities have a shelf life. less painful. But they remind us Every year meaningful change is that hoping things remain the delayed, the options available to same is not a strategy. hospitals, communities and poliSustaining health care in cymakers become more limited. Vermont will require rethinkIf we wait until another hospital ing how and where some is forced to eliminate a service services are delivered. That or becomes financially unsusmay mean greater collaboratainable, the focus won’t be on tion among hospitals, stronger designing a stronger health care regional networks for specialsystem. It will be about managized services and increased ing another crisis. investment in primary care, The decisions ahead won’t emergency care, telehealth, simply determine where and preventive care, chronic disease how health care is delivered. management and communiThey will help define what ty-based services. None of these access to, and the cost of, health approaches are predetermined care looks like in Vermont for solutions at this point, but the next generation. That means all deserve thoughtful public we need to begin talking more discussion before changing openly about the compromises circumstances leave us with required to preserve health care fewer options. for the long term. One lesson I’ve learned from That may be an especialworking alongside health care ly difficult conversation in organizations is that successful Vermont. Our identity is rooted transformation depends as much in local communities. We value on public understanding as it local institutions and decidoes on good policy.
Guest Perspective
Communication isn’t simply about explaining difficult decisions after they’ve been made. It’s about helping people understand the challenges and participate in shaping the future before those decisions become unavoidable. Many of these discussions are already underway among healthcare providers, state agencies, legislators, employers and others. Those efforts deserve recognition. But meaningful transformation also requires engaging the people health care exists to serve. The greatest need may not be for another report, commission or study. It may be for a coalition of leaders willing to convene an ongoing public conversation before major proposals are developed. Those conversations should help establish the principles that guide difficult decisions by balancing local access, quality, sustainability, workforce realities and the overall health of Vermont’s health care system. These conversations are unlikely to produce unanimous agreement, but they don’t need to. Their purpose is to build public understanding, trust and a shared framework for making difficult decisions before changing circumstances make those decisions for us. Handled well, they can strengthen, not weaken, public trust. People are far more likely to support difficult decisions when they understand the challenges, the alternatives, the guiding principles and the longterm vision those decisions are intended to achieve. As Vermont redesigns its health care system, I believe it is also time to rethink how we define success — not hospital by hospital, but community by community and region by region. Ultimately, the future of Vermont health care will be determined not only by the difficult decisions we make, but by the way we make them. Mark Crow lives in Shelburne and is president of Tenth Crow Creative, a strategy and communications agency serving healthcare organizations. He writes about healthcare transformation and systems change.
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Page 6 • August 20, 2026 • The Citizen
Supporting belonging builds civic trust, grows leadership alongside communities as they identify priorities and move from ideas to action. Through Denise Smith our Vermont Community Leadership Initiative, we focus on I recently had the opportunity strengthening the infrastructure to participate in the Statewide Civics Bee hosted by the Vermont of leadership itself. That includes providing tools such as our Chamber of Commerce. This Community in Action Leaderprogram, sponsored by the U.S. ship Guide with tips and strateChamber of Commerce Foungies to help leaders frame local dation, helps prepare middle school students for leadership and issues and move community and economic development projects civic engagement. The students forward. And on Oct. 6, formal write an essay that identifies a and informal leaders from across problem in their communities the state will come together at the and propose thoughtful, practical Vermont Community Leadership solutions; from building a youth Summit to learn from one anothvolunteer network to help their er, build skills neighbors shovel and strengthen driveways, to Leadership is the networks addressing youth that sustain local mental health, to rarely fixed or action. rethinking school We see start times. I was formal. It is shared, leadership struck by their everywhere — creativity, probintergenerational the neighbor lem solving skills who organizes and commitment and often shifts. child care when to making a families are stretched thin, the difference. volunteer who shows up year Our work at the Vermont Council on Rural Vermont is with after year to keep a project alive, communities trying to solve prob- the resident who is passionate about protecting clean water, or lems like the ones these young youth who ask, “Why not do this leaders identified. The need for differently?” Leadership is rarely people to work alongside their fixed or formal. It is shared, neighbors and friends is essential to the foundation of our civic intergenerational and often shifts as community work moves from life. Yet across Vermont, we are vision to implementation. No hearing a different reality: fewer people are stepping up to serve on single person carries it alone. It boards, committees and volunteer. moves across people and roles as the work evolves. Our democracy endures Belonging, civic trust and when people feel a sense of civic responsibility to the greater good, engagement and leadership cannot be separated. When people expressed through participation are connected, they begin to see in local associations, boards and what needs to be done. When community life. In “Bowling they are supported with tools, Alone,” author Robert Putnam relationships and encouragereminds us that civic engagement ment, they are more likely to builds the trust and social capital step forward and stay engaged. that makes this possible. These are not abstract democratic ideals; When we invest in belonging, we strengthen civic trust. When civic they are the conditions that allow trust grows, leadership follows. leadership to emerge and be And when leadership is shared sustained making our democracy and supported, communities are possible. As Putnam has long better equipped to meet the chalargued, when civic engagement lenges ahead. The future of our declines, so do the relationships democracy depends not just on that connect us. participation, but on our ability to This is where leadership cultivate the relationships, skills becomes central. Leadership and confidence that allow people does not emerge in isolation. It to step forward together. grows out of belonging, connecIf we want a strong and resiltion, trust and the experience of ient democracy, we must continue being part of something larger nurturing the relationships that than oneself. When people feel sustain it, including developing connected to a place and to one young leaders. Belonging, civic another, they are more likely to trust and leadership grow togethnotice what needs to be done and er, and will continue to shape the to believe they can be the ones to future of our communities. do it. At the Vermont Council on Rural Development, we see this Denise Smith is executive every day. Through our commudirector of the Vermont Council nity-based programs, we work on Rural Vermont.
Guest Perspective
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The Citizen • August 20, 2026 • Page 7
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PHOTO BY ANDY DUBACK
Gilbert Stuart, William Seton, ca. 1793–98. Oil on canvas, 36 x 28 1/4 in. Collection of Shelburne Museum, gift of Mary Seton Abele. 2026-9.
Museum adds to library of early American paintings SOPHIA BALUNEK STAFF WRITER
“She had a checklist of sort of A-grade American artists who she really wanted to be represented in that collection,” one The Shelburne Museum has acquired of the museum’s curators, Katie Wood a Revolutionary War-era portrait that will Kirchhoff, said. This Stuart piece was an obvious yes. further the museum’s conversations about It was given to the museum by the greatthe country’s founding period. great-great granddaughThe portrait of William ter of the subject. Seton, a Scottish business“Stuart really is Shelburne Museum man and Loyalist during is not an encyclopethe Revolution, was paintone of those artists dic-style museum that ed by Gilbert Stuart, an who is absolutely curates comprehensive iconic American portrait collections based on era, artist with over 1,000 central.” Kirchhoff said. Rather, pieces, including that Webb had a particular familiar one on the face of the U.S. one-dollar bill. — Katie Wood Kirchhoff lens and collected items from both well-known The painting is displayed within the museum’s Webb artists and informally trained folk artists. However, Kirchhoff said, the museum Gallery, named after museum founder Electra Havemeyer Webb. This collection wants to ensure it’s giving an even hand to of American art was the last that Webb history in its exhibitions. “As we collect, we really need to keep worked on — she died in 1960 — and she left manuscripts and materials that dictated the kind of work she wanted future See PAINTING on page 12 museum curators to procure.
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Page 8 • August 20, 2026 • The Citizen
COMMUNITY
LASTETS! K MAR
Champ? Could be
PHOTO BY DAN YORK
The Charlotte-Shelburne-Hinesburg Rotary Club entered a team at the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival, held Aug. 8. The team, named Ro(W)tary, was comprised mostly of CSH Rotary Club members, joined by two members of the Waterbury Rotary Club. The team had a photo finish with Community Bank, winning by under a tenth of a second.
Community Notes Girl Scouts host Stories and Scoops
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Girls in pre-kindergarten and older and their families are invited to Stories and Scoops on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St., Burlington. The free event will include stories, a craft and ice cream, and will offer families an opportunity to learn more about Girl Scouts and meet other families. Participants are encouraged to bring a friend, and walk-ins are welcome. To RSVP, call 888-474-9686 or email customercare@girlscoutsgwm.org. More information is available at girlscoutsgwm.org.
Get those dancing shoes on
From homework stations to dorm rooms, find more for less at Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity ReStores!
Contra Dance presented by Queen City Contras is Aug. 28 at 6:45 p.m. at Shelburne Town Hall, 5374 Shelburne Road. The Spring Chickens Trio (Jenny Monfore, Chris Hollis, and banjo player) will play. Our caller will be Will Mentor. All are welcome; all dances are taught; no partner or experience necessary. $12 adults over 18, $5 kids 12-18/low-income, under 12 free. Please bring
a pair of clean, soft-soled shoes to dance in and a water bottle to keep you hydrated.
Books store lets you read to a therapy dog Children can practice their reading with a furry friend at Phoenix Books Essex, 2 Carmichael St., on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 11 a.m. Specially trained therapy dogs and their handlers provide a calm, supportive setting where young readers can build confidence and practice literacy skills by reading aloud. Spaces are limited. RSVP to read with Maple, a certified therapy dog.
New book explores Vermont CCC camps Historian Martin Podskoch’s new book, “Vermont Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories & Legacy of the CCC,” will be released in August. The book chronicles the history of the 36 CCC camps and supply depots in Vermont, where young men ages 18-25 and World War I veterans built dams, trails, roads, campsites, state parks and forests from 1933-42.
Over four years, Podskoch visited and explored the former camp sites and gathered history and photographs from historical societies, museums, libraries, archives and personal interviews. Families of CCC workers also shared memories and photographs of camp life and work projects. The Civilian Conservation Corps was created in 1933 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal to address poverty and unemployment during the Great Depression. CCC workers built and maintained infrastructure, planted trees, fought fires and worked on conservation projects throughout Vermont. The program ended in 1942 as the nation mobilized for World War II. The book covers camps and supply depots in 36 Vermont communities, including Elmore, Jericho, Montpelier, St. Albans, Underhill, Waterbury and Windsor. Podskoch, a retired teacher from New York’s Catskill Mountains, has written numerous books about the CCC and fire towers in the Northeast and writes a weekly column, “Adirondack Stories,” for five Adirondack newspapers.
See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 9
The Citizen • August 20, 2026 • Page 9
COMMUNITY NOTES continued from page 8
Chamber music comes to the farm The Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival will hold an afternoon of music and discussion Thursday, Aug. 27, at Meach Cove Farms in Shelburne. The program will feature a talk by David Serkin Ludwig, dean of the Juilliard School, followed by a concert of American spirituals and Antonín Dvořák’s E-flat Major Viola Quintet. Tickets are available at lccmf.org.
Stowe filmmaker’s short comes to town “Townies (or, My Little Town),” a short film written and directed by Stowe’s Callum Adams, will screen at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7:15 p.m. The film will also be shown at Stowe Cinema on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m., followed by a Q&A. The film, which was selected for the 2026 Hollyshorts Film Festival, explores life in resort towns. It follows struggling locals who attempt to rob a wealthy seasonal homeowner, only to find the line between residents and tourists blurred. The film was shot entirely in Stowe in fall 2025
and stars Michel Gill (“House of Cards,” “Mr. Robot”) and Maren Lord (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Fear the Walking Dead”). “Townies” is Adams’ directorial debut and his third short film with Brandon St. Cyr and Mark Freeman of Kid Brother Pictures. Adams first worked with the pair as a high school student on “The Dragon Wall” and later appeared in their film “The Green Knight.” Adams has worked in film, television and theater in the United States and United Kingdom since graduating from the Drama Centre in London.
Liquid Light at Alchemist Brewery Liquid Light, a jam-focused quartet from southern Vermont, will perform Saturday, Aug. 29, at 3 p.m. at The Alchemist Brewery in Stowe. The free, family-friendly show features Allegra Larson (Allegra & the Daydreamers) on keys, Monte Arnstam (Slobdrop, Outer Stylie, Bent) on drums, Zach Gregory (Lush Honey) on bass and Alex Hutchinson on guitar. The band’s performances move from psychedelic soundscapes to danceable peaks and
COURTESY PHOTO
Liquid Light, a jam-focused quartet from southern Vermont, will perform Saturday, Aug. 29, at 3 p.m. at The Alchemist Brewery in Stowe.
singalong moments, with no two sets the same. Liquid Light recently released its first full-length live concert video, “Liquid Light Live at The Snow Barn,” available free on YouTube. Many of the band’s live shows are also recorded and available on SoundCloud at soundcloud.com/liquidlightvt.
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Page 10 • August 20, 2026 • The Citizen
OUTDOORS New project helps Vermonters protect Lake Champlain DEBRA HELEBA UVM EXTENSION
Protecting Lake Champlain starts in our own backyards. Through a two-year grant, University of Vermont Extension is expanding efforts to help Vermonters make informed choices about lawn and garden care while protecting water quality throughout the Lake Champlain Basin. Called “Test & Protect,” the project combines community education with practical tools that make soil sampling more accessible to homeowners and gardeners. As part of the project, 10 participating public libraries in the Lake Champlain Basin are adding soil sampling kits to their “Library of Things” collections this year. Each kit includes: a soil sampling probe; a bucket for creating composite soil samples; and instructions for collecting soil samples. These tools make it easier for patrons to collect samples for lab testing, which can reveal soil pH and nutrient levels needed to make informed fertilizer and amendment decisions. The kits are currently available to borrow through libraries in See LAKE on page 11
COURTESY PHOTO
A new project called “Test & Protect” works with community members to allow homeowners and gardeners to test their soil quality more easily.
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The Citizen • August 20, 2026 • Page 11
The often-overlooked ovenbird is underfoot while ovenbirds strut. They jerk their heads and scratch at the leaf litter, tossing leaves aside with their bills in the hunt for insects, spiders and caterpillars. Despite its distinctive physical characteristics, this bird wound up with a common name that has nothing to do with its looks, but rather the appearance of its nest. The female clears a circular spot on the ground, creates a small cup-shaped nest, and covers it with leaves, grasses and sticks, building a dome-shaped structure resembling a five-inch-high beehive oven. If it had been up to me, I’d have named this warbler “teacher bird.” Its signature song phrase is repeated up to a dozen times in each call, with increasing volume. Although it sounds like two syllables to our ears, each teacher is composed of three to five separate notes. Ovenbirds hear every one of them. Males recognize each other’s songs by the pitch, speed and emphasis of syllables, according to world-renowned birdsong expert Donald Kroodsma. Ovenbirds sing their song late in the day as well as in the morning, and they continue singing later into the summer than most warblers. They even sing during the twilight hours and at night. “Listen through the night in the dead silence of the forest and you’ll be treated, on occasion, to a most extraordinary song,” Kroodsma and Bruce Byers write in their forthcoming book “The Singing Lives of Warblers:
Understanding the Songs of All 50 Species in the USA and Canada.” “Grant the singer some human emotions and one hears a wild and spontaneous outpouring of ecstasy. It’s a flood of chips and warbles and slurs and twitters, the pitch changing abruptly up and down, often enriched with recognizable mimicked call notes of a few species… all so mysterious until one hears a few TEACHER phrases embedded in the outburst.” When Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I heard the night warbler, breaking out as in his dreams,” he may have been hearing an ovenbird. This warbler is believed to be holding its own, although like most songbirds, it faces challenges. “Ovenbird populations are fortunately stable,” said behavioral ecologist Miranda Zammarelli, who monitors ovenbirds as part of a decades-long study at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire. She noted that they require large forest tracts for breeding and raising young. “Forest fragmentation reduces food availability for these ground-foraging birds, and males are less likely to find a mate in fragmented forests,” Zammarelli said. She also shared that forest fragmentation can lead to an increase in cowbird populations, a brood parasite for ovenbirds. While the ovenbird’s resounding song may be repetitive, I love to hear this “loud, mid-summer and mid-wood bird.” I can’t imag-
Burlington, Charlotte, Colchester, the nutrients our soils actually need, Jericho, Middlebury, Poultney, St. we can avoid unnecessary fertilAlbans, South Burlington, South izer applications, save money and Hero and Westfield. Soil testing protect the health of Lake Chamfees are not included with the kits. plain. Community education is a major The project is led by UVM component of Test & Protect. Earli- Extension’s Community Horticuler this summer, a cohort of UVM ture Program in collaboration with Extension Master Gardener and the Composting Association of Vermont Master Vermont. It is Composter volunfunded by the Community teers received trainU.S. Environing in soil sampling mental Proteceducation is a major and public education Agency tion. Starting this under assiscomponent of Test & fall and continuing tance agreement next spring, volunLC00A01871 Protect. teers will conduct to NEIWPCC workshops at 10 in partnership participating libraries, demonstrat- with the Lake Champlain Basin ing how to collect and prepare soil Program. samples by using the kits. An addiThe primary goal of Test & tional 10 libraries will join the proj- Protect is to reduce excess phosect next year. phorus entering waterways. While Soil testing is one of the simplest phosphorus (P) is an essential plant ways homeowners can support nutrient, too much P can negativehealthy lawns, healthy gardens and ly impact water quality. Research a healthy lake. When we understand has shown that many lawns in the
Lake Champlain Basin do not need additional P, making soil testing an important first step before applying fertilizers. Vermont law also restricts the use of phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizers unless a soil test shows a need or if a new lawn is being established. By making soil sampling more convenient and providing Vermonters with information on soil testing, Test & Protect aims to increase soil testing to help protect Lake Champlain. For more information about Test & Protect, participating libraries, and upcoming workshop and demonstration dates, visit the Test & Protect website (go.uvm.edu/ testandprotect).
The Outside Story Laurie D. Morrissey “There is a singer everyone has heard, / Loud, a mid-summer and mid-wood bird…” Heard, yes, but maybe not seen. This bird keeps me company on summer walks, calling out tea-CHER tea-CHER tea-CHER in loud, ringing tones. When I hear it, I imagine Robert Frost pausing in his New Hampshire sugarbush to pen his ode to “the oven bird.” Though their song is an iconic feature of northern woodlands, this handsome warbler stays well-hidden. Even when I hear more than one on a short stretch of trail, I rarely catch more than a glimpse. Ovenbirds feed and nest on the ground, where they blend in with leaf litter. Even though its coloration and habits are similar to those of a thrush, the ovenbird is a member of the wood warbler family. Like a thrush, the ovenbird has a brown back and a white breast with black markings. But several characteristics set ovenbirds apart from thrushes. They’re smaller and have lighter bills, and their backs are more olive colored. If you can get a look at the top of an ovenbird’s head, you’ll see an orange crown bordered by black. (John James Audubon called this bird an orange-crowned thrush.) While thrushes and ovenbirds both forage on the ground, their movement differs. Thrushes tend to hop along on the forest floor,
LAKE continued from page 10
Debra Heleba is the Statewide Outreach and Education Program Manager for the UVM Extension Community Horticulture Program and leads the Extension Master Gardener and Vermont Master Composter programs.
ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL
ine the northern woodlands without it. Laurie D. Morrissey is a writer who lives in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The
Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: nhcf.org.
Page 12 • August 20, 2026 • The Citizen
STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT Chittenden Unit
CIVIL DIVISION Docket No. 25-cv-00174
NORTHCOUNTRY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, v.
Plaintiff,
FRANKLIN J. DUNSHEE, and CHRISTINE M. DUNSHEE, et al., Defendants.
) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )
NOTICE OF SALE By virtue and in execution of the Judgment and Decree of Foreclosure by Judicial Sale dated May 5, 2026, for a breach of a Mortgage dated February 15, 2012, and recorded in the Hinesburg Town Clerk’s Office on February 23, 2012 in Book 223, Pages 745-760 (the “Mortgaged Property”); and for the purpose of foreclosing the same, the Mortgaged Property will be sold at public auction on September 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the Mortgaged Property located at 358 Magee Hill Road, Hinesburg, more particularly described as follows: Being all and the same land and premises conveyed to Franklin J. Dunshee and Christine M. Dunshee by Warranty Deed of Cynthia J. Dunshee f/k/a Cynthia R. Palmer and John N. Dunshee dated August 22, 2001 and recorded in Volume 133 at Pages 71-72 of the Town of Hinesburg Land Records. Being a parcel of land, containing one acre, more or less, with all improvements thereon, commonly known and designated as 358 Magee Hill Road, Hinesburg, Vermont TERMS OF SALE: The Mortgaged Property will be sold “AS IS WHERE IS” to the highest bidder for cash or wire funds only. The sale of the Mortgaged Property is subject to confirmation by the Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit, Civil Division. The Mortgaged Property will be sold subject to unpaid taxes, municipal assessments, and superior liens, if any. The public sale may be adjourned one or more times for a total time not exceeding 30 days, without further court order, and without publication or service of a new notice of sale, by announcement of the new sale date to those present at each adjournment or by posting notice of the adjournment in a conspicuous place at the location of the sale. Notice of the new sale date shall also be sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, to the mortgagors at the mortgagors’ last known address at least five days before the new sale date. Defendants Franklin J. Dunshee and Christine M. Dunshee are entitled to redeem the Mortgaged Property at any time prior to the sale by paying the full amount due under the Mortgage referenced above, including the costs and expenses of the sale. MORTGAGED PROPERTY DEPOSIT: A non-refundable deposit for the Mortgaged Property in the amount of $10,000.00 shall be paid by the high bidder by cash, certified check or bank draft to NorthCountry Federal Credit Union, which shall hold the deposit until the closing. The balance of the purchase price for the Mortgaged Property shall be due and payable within the latter of 10 days from the date of confirmation of said sale by the Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit, Civil Division, or 45 days from the date of public auction. If the balance of the purchase price for the Mortgaged Property is not paid within the period set forth herein, the deposit shall be forfeited and shall be retained by Plaintiff herein as agreed liquidation damages and the Mortgaged Property may be offered to the next highest bidder still interested in the Mortgaged Property. PURCHASE AND SALE CONTRACT: The high bidder for the Mortgaged Property shall be required to sign a no contingency contract of Purchase and Sale at the public auction, agreeing to purchase the Mortgaged Property in its “AS IS WHERE IS” condition, as a result of being the successful and high bidder at the sale.
PAINTING continued from page 7 an eye toward where the stories are, that perhaps Electra didn’t think to fill while she was alive because her context was so different from ours,” Kirchhoff said. Kirchhoff is a curator and art historian who works on the museum’s pre-1945 American fine decorative and folk art. She also rotates paintings within the American paintings galleries, deciding where to place artwork and how it contributes to the conversation happening in the room. People who were painted by the “it” painters of the time were among classes of prominent landowners, merchants, politicians or businessmen. Kirchhoff said these painters often found subjects through word of mouth or other connections, like Stuart’s Scottish heritage. “Stuart really is one of those artists who is absolutely central to understanding why American art looks the way it does, and why many of the conventions of portraiture that we think of now as conventions of American portraiture are the way that they are,” Kirchhoff said.
She said Stuart’s portraits are in a realistic style that often followed a formula that illustrates the subject’s professional regard in society though the pose, clothing and “attributes” in the background that build a narrative of importance and respect. The Webb Gallery displays American paintings and other objects roughly chronologically from the late 18th century to the mid 20th. Seton’s portrait is intentionally placed across from one by John Singleton Copley, a peer and rival of Stuart — and a piece Webb was most proud of acquiring. Copley painted John Scollay, a revolutionary, who sits in contrast to Seton’s loyalism to the British. Kirchhoff points out that, contrary to what people today might think, not everyone was pro-revolution at the time, a symptom of history being written by the winners. So, this exhibit also ties into the story the museum is telling about America’s founding, 250 years later.
TAX continued from page 1 within the municipality’s borders. in local option tax coming back to the town. While 25% of that extra money is Odit said the state data does not include captured by a state fund for payment in lieu online sales, which also generate local of taxes, the rest of the revenue belongs to option tax revenue. Brandon — a town in the town or city. Rutland County with a similar population Although the state has allowed local to Hinesburg — had about $18 million in option taxes since the late 1990s, recent retail sales and $5 million in meals in 2025. years have seen an uptick However, Odit said that, in towns and cities voting according to data he’d “I see it as property to impose the tax on at least seen from that town, the some goods and purchases tax relief. Not special total of its sales subject to — towns can opt to instithe local option tax was tute one or all the three closer to $38 million. funds for special options: sales, rooms, or Those pushing back projects.” meals and alcohol. on the local option tax The tax is not added to believe Hinesburg is not purchases already exempt — Mike Loner enough of a shopping from sales tax such as destination for people groceries, medicine and most clothing. from other towns. Part of the draw of the Of the 50 towns and cities that have tax is that it is still paid when non-residents instituted a version of the tax, 32 have make purchases at stores in town. Willisimplemented all or an additional compo- ton, for example, which has large shopnent of the taxes in the last four years. ping complexes, brought in more than $4 Twelve municipalities enacted a tax this million in revenue from local option taxes year — many of them smaller communi- in 2025. ties analogous to Hinesburg, such as BrisHowever, Hinesburg does see a lot of tol and Vergennes. commuters coming through town, selectOdit said he based his estimates on data board member Maggie Gordon said. from the state on sales made within Hines“More than 10,000 people drive down burg. Between meals, sales and alcohol, Route 116 every day,” she said. “How Hinesburg saw more than $293 million in many of them stop for gas, for food, for purchases in the calendar year for 2025 — restaurants, for hardware? You can bet it’s that would have come to almost $220,000 a lot.”
OTHER TERMS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT SALE: Inquiries can be made to Melissa Jewett at NorthCountry Federal Credit Union, 69 Swift Street, South Burlington, Vermont, 05403, (802) 264-6752. Dated: July 30, 2026.
NORTHCOUNTRY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION By: /s/ Alexandra E. Edelman Alexandra E. Edelman, Esq. Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC 30 Main Street, Suite 500 P.O. Box 1489 Burlington, VT 05602-1489 (802) 864-0880 aedelman@primmer.com
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The Citizen • August 20, 2026 • Page 13
Horoscope August 20, 2026
ANSWERS FROM THIS ISSUE
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saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, Page 14 • August 20, 2026 • The Citizen treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly The week-long bait drop is a coopera- 100 percent effective when given soon after tive effort between Vermont and the U.S. a person is bitten by a rabid animal. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont to stop the spread of the potentially fatal have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of disease. those have been raccoons. Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the According to wildlife officials, rabid brain that infects mammals. It is most often animals often show a change in their norseen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, mal behavior, but you cannot tell whether but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also an animal has rabies simply by looking at get rabies. The virus is spread through the it. People should not touch or pick up wild bite of an infected animal or contact with its To advertise email advertising@thecitizenvt.com or call 802-238-4980 animals or strays – even baby animals. continued from page 2
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COMMUNITY NOTES continued from page 9
Dan Tyminski Band brings his bluegrass to Spruce The Dan Tyminski Band will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow in Stowe. Tyminski is a Grammy-winning bluegrass artist known for his work with Alison Krauss and Union Station, his performance of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and his global hit collaboration "Hey Brother" with Avicii. The concert is part of the Music in the Meadow series.
Annual carnival rolls into the Mad River Valley The third annual Mad River Valley Summer Carnival will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at Mad River Green in Waitsfield. The free family event features games, food, a bounce house, face painting, live animals,
a dunk tank and a raffle. Comedy illusionist Ben Pratt will perform at noon. Proceeds from activity ticket sales benefit the Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren elementary school parent organizations.
Capstone Community Action celebrates 60th Capstone Community Action will celebrate 60 years of serving Central Vermont with a free Summer Celebration Saturday, Aug. 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 20 Gable Place in Barre.
Spruce Peak hosts annual Homegrown fest Spruce Peak Arts will present the third annual Homegrown in Vermont Music Festival on Saturday, Sept. 5, at noon at the WhistlePig Pavilion at Spruce Peak. The festival will feature a full day of
COURTESY PHOTO
The Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival will perform and hold a discussion at Meach Cove Farms on Aug. 27.
The festival is part of Spruce Peak Arts’ initiative to support Vermont musicians and is community funded. It will take place at the
base of Mount Mansfield. Tickets for children ages 5-12 are $10.35; children 5 and younger are admitted free.
group, as opposed to putting it out perform election duties. The select- if Dems and Republicans could to the community at large, was board granted that request for this kind of get together?” really just disenfranchising voters year. The request has precedent — in a way that makes me feel really Should the Republicans not get the town’s party committees had uncomfortable in making these enough votes this general election, done that for years. Democratic kind of backroom decisions,” they would have to make a similar committee member Mike YantachEvans told the selectboard. request to the board next year. ka, a former lawmaker who’s Carroll said the request was “It was definitely more because been in the town since the late entirely benign and came from a of election duties and responsi- 1980s, said in an interview that the focus on election integrity. She bilities, and I think that’s really town’s Republican and Democratic said, for example, the board of civil important that our election is, you committees had a similar agreeauthority is supposed to have at know, just represented equally by ment when he was chair during least three members of each politi- the parties,” Carroll said. the 1990s. But as more people cal party represented. As it currentCarroll said she approached expressed interest in running for ly stands there is only one Repub- Evans to ask about the splitting of the elected office, there was debate lican represented among the town’s nominations to raise a white flag over whether that deal adhered to 12 justices of the peace. rather than trying to “stack” the the rules of democracy. Since there wasn’t that Repub- ballot — an allegation she denies. “Basically, we made the decilican representation for this general “I had mentioned to Chea that sion that, if you want to run for 4/29/2019 election, the Republican committee I’d really like it if we could try and justice of the peace, you should be asked the selectboard to appoint together little bit because News able to,& andThe we’ll Citizen nominate up to 3.5 xwork 2 AD fora Shelburne two additional Republicans to the we’re such a small town,” she said. 12, as many people as want to run,” board of civil authority, solely to “You know, and wouldn’t it be nice Yantachka said. “The Republicans
are free to do the same.” Evans said there’s a simple solution to the problem: get more Republicans to run and more people to vote. “I think we need to encourage as many people as possible to run for office,” she said. Carroll said she is disappointed that the issue led to this amount of controversy, especially, she said, as there appears to already be so much anger from the Democrats in town toward Republicans. This year, the Democratic committee nominated 11 people, and the Republicans nominated six. “That was not the intent with that meeting at all,” Carroll said. “It was to have a discussion and just see if we could restore a little more balance within our town for justices of the peace.”
music from more than 20 Vermont artists, culminating in a performance by Ryan Miller of Guster and Vermont’s Freeway Clyde.
ELECTION continued from page 1 who also chairs the town’s Democratic party committee. Evans told the selectboard earlier this month that, prior to the nominating committee meetings in July this year, Charlotte’s Republican party committee chair, Michelin Carroll, had asked her whether they could have a more even split in nominations — meaning the Democrats would limit their number of nominations in an effort to hopefully get more Republicans on the ballot. The request raised some serious ethical questions for Evans, who said that sounded more like “stacking” the election. Democrat party committee members agreed. “Rigging an election, essentially, and choosing which parties and which people were going to be on our ballot as our own little enclosed
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Page 16 • August 20, 2026 • The Citizen
HONORING OUR
VETERANS
On Nov. 5, The Citizen will be honored to publish photos of the men and women who have unselfishly served our country. Page 14 • November 10, 2022 • Shelburne News
HONORING The Veterans Among Us
If you have a veteran who you would like us to honor, please mail or email your photo and the following information by
ROBERT F. WHITEMAN, SR. U.S. Air Force E6 1959-1979
LORENZO P. BUSHWAY, SR. April 28, 1960 Active Duty: Feb. 1953-Feb. 1955
ROBERT S. BORKOWSKI Sergeant (SFC) Medic VT Army National Guard 1982-2005
PVT. HENRI DE MARNE & PVT. CLAUDE DE MARNE Henri de Marne and his brother Claude, Patton’s 3rd army, WW2, 1944 following French resistance before liberation.
PETER PAUL ZUK U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lieutenant Served 1955-57 Japan and Korea
DAVID F. LELAND United States Navy Lieutenant WWII 1944-1955
ROLAND W. WILBUR United States Army T/4, 14th Armored Division WW II 1942-46
PERRY D. MELVIN U.S. Navy, HM 3 3rd Marine Regiment Vietnam War
BRUCE NUNZIATA 1st Infantry Vietnam 1967-68
THOMAS C. GIBSON Royal Air Force Squadron Leader 1947-1952, Malaya
MICHAEL W. LYNCH U.S. Navy, Lt.J.G. Civil Engineer Corp 1967-1975 VT Air Guard 1976-1979
PETER GADUE US Army and VTARNG 1970-2009
SHANNON B. BLAKE U.S. Army, Major 1986-2006 Afghanistan War Veteran
DAVID WINER Corporal, Marine Corps March 1944-July 1946 Peleliu Campaign
WILLIAM A. READ JR. U.S. Navy Commander Gunnery Instructor Patrol Squadron 101 Southwest Pacific
THURSDAY, OCT. 29 Please include: • Name of veteran • Branch of service • Rank • Years of service • Town of residence
EMAIL PHOTOS AND TEXT TO: stephanie@shelburnenews.com OR MAIL TO: The Citizen, P.O. Box 489, Stowe, VT 05672 If you have submitted a photo in a previous year, you do not need to resubmit.