Park places
Never forget
Plan moves forward for park to get new turf, other upgrades
Twenty-five years ago, papers far from Ground Zero covered 9/11
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VOLUME 50, NO. 37
Trust and life-skills focus of ‘ends’ update MARI HUGLIN STAFF WRITER
After 12 years, the South Burlington School district is updating its policies that clarify academic goals, prepare students for a variety of next steps and build trust between the district and community. The district’s “ends policy” was last updated in 2014, and another draft of a new policy was presented at the Sept. 2 school board meeting, the first meeting of the fall semester. The policy will be used as a guide for teachers, students and administrators for how to reach their learning objectives. In a separate interview, superintendent Joe Clark said he and the board decided to update the policy since it has been so many years since it has last been reviewed and wanted it to reflect See SCHOOL BOARD on page 3
PHOTO BY SOPHIA BALUNEK
A monarch butterfly looks to pollinate a Mexican sunflower.
South Burlington looks to ‘re-wild’ grass lawns BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
A well-maintained lawn, to many, might evoke neatly mowed lines of green grass. Some may think of a manicured hedge or
organized groups of colorful flowers. As part of a new program, the South Burlington natural resources and conservation committee will soon be asking people to try imagining something different. What if a yard could be some-
thing a little more wild? At the city’s Green Community Festival on Sept. 19, the committee is hoping to garner interest in a new “re-wilding” initiative that will connect mentors and mentees interested in turning green spaces
into small ecosystems that could bolster habitat for pollinators and other tiny critters. “Creating these pockets of See LAWNS on page 15
Page 2 • September 10, 2026 • The Other Paper
Veterans Memorial Park to get new turf, other upgrades Traditionally, companies have used crumb rubber — ground scrap tires — to create cushion around the blades. According to A plan for a synthetic turf field, improved Kershner, AstroTurf offers wood-particle drainage on grass athletic fields, expanded infill from Brock USA. “Brock infill does not contain any PFAS parking and a 3,000 square foot maintenance building at Veterans Memorial Park or additional chemicals used to treat the is moving through the permitting process in wood chips, and it has great reviews in our area climate outside the Boston area,” KershSouth Burlington. The plan for the park has been in the ner said, adding that, in her research, she works for over a year. The public works determined the Brock infill would be the best and recreation departments initially present- alternative to meet state regulations. In July, Kershner assured the city couned to the city council the broad strokes of the upgrades — specifically the request to cil that she had reviewed testing data on the blades in the synthetic turf explore synthetic turf — and was confident that it last year. The city submit“Veterans Park has was also PFAS-free. ted an application, since While a proposed revised, to the development major issues with the synthetic turf field at review board in July of this year. According to city staff, fields and drainage.” nearby Champlain Valley Union High School has the new turf will resolve raised concerns over PFAS issues the park has had with — Adam Matth entering the town water muddy conditions on the system in Hinesburg, there fields. “Veterans Park, as you all are well aware has been little pushback in South Burlington of, has major issues with the fields and drain- beyond questions from the city council. According to Matths, the synthetic turf age,” recreation and parks director Adam would extend the use of the field. While Matth told the council in May 2025. According to his estimation, the facility there are plans to add drainage to other fields, had to close at least one field for 82 days the expanded field presented to the council between 2018 and 2025, and lost about would have lines drawn for soccer — includ$29,000 in revenue. He said that included ing the nine-versus-nine version — lacrosse the relatively light use of the fields during the and field hockey. Kershner said she expect that the field would need little to no mainCovid-19 pandemic lockdowns. The total estimate for installing the tenance for at least a decade. In a case study synthetic turf field is $476,170. While the of the same fields installed in Somerville, council agreed in July to contract with the Massachusetts, Kershner said she found that company AstroTurf for the field, the decision city had not needed to replace or do much to maintain the fields over the course of more was not unanimous. City staff had returned to the council than ten years. The hydrologic soils beneath the fields, with an updated plan, which expanded the size of the field, and increased the cost esti- Kershner told the council last May are mate from last year’s $334,750. Councilor Covington silty clay and Vergennes clay — Andrew Chalnik voted against the contract “arguably the worst soil group you could have” — which have a very slow infiltration and Beth Zigmund abstained. Throughout the process, Silken Kershner, rate and high runoff. To add drainage to the the city’s project manager for transportation landscape requires more involved engineerand open space, has taken on the task of ing than it might elsewhere, she said. “If we’re going through that level of researching and weighing not only the cost of the synthetic turf, but also environmen- effort, it might, you know, be good to considtal considerations. A Vermont law passed in er this artificial turf, and that’s kind of how 2024 specifically bans artificial turf fields we got to this point,” she said. Funding for the entire project, including with intentionally added PFAS chemicals, which can cause serious health issues for the paving of the parking lot, the new storage space and a gravel wetland, is coming largely people exposed to them. Artificial turf has multiple layers. There’s from allocations to the Capital Improvement a backing and the blades, as well as an infill. Plan along with $275,000 from impact fees. BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY SOPHIA BALUNEK
A blossoming tree earlier this summer in Veterans Memorial Park.
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The Other Paper • September 10, 2026 • Page 3
SCHOOL BOARD
Transforming lives through the gospel of Jesus Christ
continued from page 1
new goals of the district. School board chair Seamus Abshere presented the policy with a plan to finalize it by the board’s Sept. 16 meeting. The school district has asked for feedback on the policy and will continue to take suggestions even after the third reading. Clark said he is flexible to change but wants a finalized policy soon, so school officials can use it to guide their strategic plan by November. “There’s some urgency, but I would not say that you have to get this done on the 16th — I would not do that,” Clark said. “I think if there’s any reason to get some more feedback, we would encourage you to do it.” The document is created and written by the board with a goal to have community, students and staff add what they think is most important for the school district to implement to be enforced by the superintendent. So far, the board has updated some sections to be more specific and holistic to students, offering them more life skill opportunities and career preparedness opportunities. Clark said a big focus is recognizing that not all students will go on to college — and do not need to. He said the district wants to prepare students for whatever they choose to do next, which could be going into the military, the trades or starting their own business. “We need to make sure we are looking out for all kids,” Clark said. Student representative Momin Waqar and South Burlington High School Principal Lissa McDonald raised concerns over the reallife skills section of the policy. Waqar said he was concerned the governance policy was unclear about the jurisdiction of the board versus the educator. McDonald agreed, saying some bullet points are “a bit of an overreach into the operational area.” She offered a more flexible
wording allowing teachers and they’re not destructive to give the administration to determine what people what they want,” Abshere it means to them. said. “You don’t have to convince “This is the only area where me. I don’t have to be, personalyou list a set of behaviors in your ly, as a voter, convinced that my document, and my understanding public school teachers are doing of an ends policy is that it is not the right thing, but just because I exactly vague, but specific to an believe that doesn’t mean that my expectation with the opportunity neighbors believe that.” for the experts to wait,” McDonClark said it is important for ald said. the district to reflect the wants Other board members were and needs of the community since amenable to the the community change, although owns and pays “We kind of need Abshere wanted for the schools. to make sure the He said the to have our actions board retained policy is importtrust and clarity ant because it reflect the desires of with the public. shows what the “No matter community can the community.” what governance expect from structure we the district and — Joe Clark hold the district choose to impose on ourselves, accountable. it’s to maintain the legitimacy of “Superintendents come and public education and sometimes go, and board members come that means picking words and and go, but the community will messages for their political value always be here and so we kind of to a school district,” he said. need to have our actions reflect Abshere said he wanted to the desires of the community,” make sure they take into consid- Clark said. eration the public’s opinions and New board member Thomas views since the district has strug- Chittenden also clarified it is a gled to pass its budgets in recent “living” document that can be years amid a loss of faith in the updated and edited even after the public school system. board finalizes it. The board even added a new The board is accepting feedsection to the document that back on the document until requires the superintendent to the next meeting on Sept. 16. work with the community if South Community members can call Burlington residents believe the 802-652-7476, email schoolgoals are not being met to build board@sbschools.net or submit legitimacy. comments on the school’s website “I think that we should take the to share their opinion on the opportunities that we have when policy.
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Page 6 • September 10, 2026 • The Other Paper
OPINION Not all its are things Guest Perspective Rosanne Greco Not all its are things. That was one of those “of course!” facts that I learned a few years ago when I was orchestrating another of my mostly unsuccessful attempts to get the city to stop allowing the open spaces in South Burlington to be destroyed or damaged. I’d been trying for many years to inform city officials about the environmental and economic benefits of keeping the open green spaces intact, and about how the natural world can contribute substantially to mitigating the impacts of climate change. For the most part, I was ignored. Regardless, destroying the natural world has contributed to the climate crisis. Keeping what’s left of that world intact, and restoring what we have harmed will go a long way to helping us withstand the weather events caused by climate change. Nature provides powerful (and free) ways to keep our air clean, our water pure, enrich our soils, prevent flooding, keep us cool in hot summers and much more. The biodiversity of the natural world provides the resources we need to live. If we take care of nature, she will continue to take care of us. But rather than prioritizing the protection of our open lands, South Burlington has continued to focus on supporting development — even on lands that could grow nutritious food. Our soils have been sacrificed for suburban sprawl. All of my efforts had failed; and I was at a loss on what next to do. Then I thought up a new plan: get people who the council had not heard from
before to express their concerns for the environment and the climate crisis. If the city council heard new voices they might pay attention. After putting my request out, I was delighted with the willingness of people, most of whom I did not know, who offered to make a brief comment to the city council. Many of them did not like speaking in public, yet they did. At every council meeting for five months, councilors heard a different person make an environmental or climate crisis related comment. Some cited facts related to climate change, or related the environmental and economic benefits of conserving land, or expressed concern about the loss of bird and wildlife habitats in our city. Others just spoke of their love and connection with the natural world in South Burlington. They asked for simple actions: enact strong land preservation regulations, and don’t allow the destruction of our open green spaces. Everyone who spoke was inspiring; but one speaker, a young UVM graduate student, said something that struck me. She talked about linguistics. She suggested that our ignorance of the value of nature and our propensity to destroy it may be caused by some grammatical shortcomings of the English language. How we speak about nature is the problem. In the English language, there are no pronouns other than “it” to refer to non-human beings. Every “thing” in the natural world, except us, is an “it.” We refer to trees, flowers, waterways, birds, wildlife, etc., as “its.” This leads us to think of them as things and
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ʸˋʻʼʵʼˇˆ ʻʴˁʷˆʠ˂ˁ ʴʶˇʼˉʼˇʼʸˆ ʷʸˀ˂ˁˆˇ˅ʴˇʼ˂ˁˆ
²ļŁİѲŘʞ ÕĭļÕČÊÕİ ɾʆʞ ɾɽ²ČʴʁĭČ ˉ˘˥ˠˢˡ˧ ʺ˥˔ˡ˜˧˘ ˀ˨˦˘˨ˠ ʪ ʽˢˡ˘˦ ʵ˥ˢ˧˛˘˥˦ ˊ˔ˬʟ ʵ˔˥˥˘ʟ ˉˇ
ʹ˅ʸʸ ˀˈˆʸˈˀ ʴʷˀʼˆˆʼ˂ˁ ʻ˘˟ˣ ˂˨˥ ˁ˘˜˚˛˕ˢ˥˦ʔ
ʶ˔˥˩˜ˡ˚ ˯ ˆ˔ˡ˗˕˟˔˦˧˜ˡ˚ ˯ ʸ˧˖˛˜ˡ˚ ˣ˟˨˦ ʷ˥ˬ ˆ˧ˢˡ˘ ˊ˔˟˟˜ˡ˚ ˪˜˧˛
ˇ˂ˈʶʻ ʴ ˇ˅ˈʶʾ ʿʴˊˁ ʺʴˀʸˆ ˆʶʴˉʸˁʺʸ˅ ʻˈˁˇ ʵʴʿʿ˂˂ˁ ʴˁʼˀʴʿˆ ʹ˂˂ʷ ˅ ˃ʸʷʴʿ ʶʴ˅ˆ ˉʸˁʷ˂ ʷˈˁʾ ˇʴˁʾ ˈˆʼʶ ʿʼˉʸ ˀ ʙ ˀ˂˅ʸʔ
ʵ˥˜ˡ˚ ˡˢˡʠˣ˘˥˜˦˛˔˕˟˘˦ʟ ˛ˬ˚˜˘ˡ˘ ˣ˥ˢ˗˨˖˧˦ʟ ˗˜˔ˣ˘˥˦ ʙ ˕˔˕ˬ ˪˜ˣ˘˦ ˙ˢ˥ ʵ˥˘˔˗ ˢ˙ ʿ˜˙˘ ʹˢˢ˗ ˆ˛˘˟˙ ʙ ʷ˜˔ˣ˘˥ ʷ˘ˣˢ˧ ˜ˡ ʵ˔˥˥˘
ʺˢ˟˗ ˆˣˢˡ˦ˢ˥˦
ˆ˜˟˩˘˥ ˆˣˢˡ˦ˢ˥
objects — not living entities. She mentioned that some cultures use a grammar of animacy, which is the feature in language that expresses how
˜ˡ˙ˢʳ˩˧˚˥˔ˡ˜˧˘ˠ˨˦˘˨ˠʡˢ˥˚ ʫʣʥʠʧʪʩʠʧʩʣʨ
alive, sentient or active the noun is. Indigenous groups and other societies use unique pronouns that refer to the natural world. Instead of sorting nouns into feminine,
masculine or inanimate, these languages classify elements of See GRECO on page 10
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The Other Paper • September 10, 2026 • Page 7
Rising healthcare costs are squeezing Vermonters. Here’s how everyone can make more affordable choices. Vermont has some of the highest healthcare costs in America. This hurts everyone in our community and the well-being of our state. So, it’s the perfect time to learn ways to make care more affordable. Consider these costs comparisons for common procedures: Sleep Study*
Breast Biopsy
Cataract Surgery
CT Chest Scan
Gallbladder Removal
Hip Replacement
Laparoscopic MRI Hernia Repair of Spine
Upper GI Endoscopy
Vaginal Delivery
$7900
$16,054
$9,785
$3,495
$35,057
$51,432
$30,361
$4,438
$7,768
$28,912
Southwestern Vermont Medical
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
Winsdor Hospital
Dartmouth Hitchcock
Northeastern VT Regional Hospital
Northeastern VT Regional Hospital
Dartmouth Hitchcock
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
North Country Hospital
University of VT Medical Center
$5331
$8,262
$4,806
$1,396
$16,262
$24,642
$17,569
$2,560
$3,626
$18,248
Rutland Regional Medical Center
University of VT Medical Center
University of VT Medical Center
Vermont Open Imaging
Springfield Hospital
Dartmouth Hitchcock
Rutland Regional Medical Center
Northeastern VT Regional Hospital
Central Vermont Medical Center
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
$2016
$4,853
$2,712
$1,222
$13,293
$23,558
$10,761
$1,410
$1,928
$10,135
Northwestern Medical Center
Rutland Regional Medical Center
VT Eye Surgery and Laser Center
Vermont Diagnostic Imaging
Central VT Medical Center
Central VT Medical Center
Central VT Medical Center
Vermont Open Imaging
Green Mountain Surgery Center
Northwestern Medical Center
(Spine or Pelvis)
(with Imaging)
Source: Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Axis Cost Transparency Data Averages, April 2026. Costs include facility and provider costs. *Sleep study includes with or without CPAP.
There are many reasons for this affordability crisis and no one entity or individual can fix it. That’s why our organizations continue working together to be part of the solution. We invite you to join us, take action, and explore these tips to save on your care.
Compare Where To Get Care & Save
Cut Prescription Drug Costs
• Costs for procedures can vary widely between hospitals, outpatient facilities, surgery and imaging centers. Knowing your options can help you save hundreds or thousands of dollars.
• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about options, such as generic medications instead of more costly brand name drugs.
• Carefully consider when it’s best to visit your doctor, urgent care or the emergency room. Telehealth can be a convenient, low-cost option for common health issues, including mental health support.
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• See if getting a 30-day, 60-day or 90-day supply of your medications can help you save. • Compare costs and look for discount coupons on websites like ArrayRx, GoodRx, RxSaver, WellRx, SingleCare, Cost Plus Drugs, and the new federal website TrumpRx.
Review Your Health Insurance Benefits
• For routine procedures, there is usually ample time to explore care options, understand costs, and look for savings. • Ask for a written estimate before your procedure, so you have a clear picture of the costs beforehand. Afterward, review your itemized bill to understand the charges and confirm they are accurate.
• This Open Enrollment season is a great time to revisit your health plan’s benefits, premiums, deductibles, and copays to determine what makes sense for your health needs and budget. • When planning your care, check for “in-network” providers, which are more affordable and can help avoid unexpected expenses.
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Page 8 • September 10, 2026 • The Other Paper
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September 11 is still with us Guest Perspective Tom Kearney September 11, 2001, was a Tuesday. As usual, The Keene Sentinel news staff got an early start; all stories and photos for that day had to be sent to the production department by 11 a.m. Then, at 8:46, the first plane hit the World Trade Center. The Associated Press sent us a bulletin, and we turned on the newsroom TV. It was horrible. Smoke and flame were billowing out of the New York City skyscraper — and then the second plane hit. All 25 or so people on the news staff were in shock. People were crying. Everyone was thinking about friends or relatives who live in New York. Everyone was aghast that this could happen. But for us, it was also a news story, and we needed to regain focus. First job: Help people to stop crying, and start thinking. I was executive editor of The Sentinel then, and I asked everyone — reporters, editors, photographers, news clerks — to cram into our tiny news library, where we could close the door and not hear the TV news. I said this was a huge news story, maybe the biggest in our lifetimes, and we had to cover the impact on our community. I asked everyone who was not doing something crucial — news, sports, features, photos — to leave the building at 60 West St. and go find how this tragedy was being perceived in Keene. People watching TV
sets in store windows, people in grocery stores, people at City Hall and the police department, people they knew who had connections to New York City. They had one hour to get something, anything, and race back to the office so we could figure out what our local story would be. Everyone who wasn’t doing something vital right at that moment raced out into the streets. On the fly, they were trading ideas about where to go, who to see. I took charge of editing The Associated Press story we would use as our lead story. When a story breaks, AP sends out what it knows right off the bat, then adds nuggets as its reporters learn more. By the time I started working on the AP story, it was on its 28th version — incorporating all the updates it was getting from its staffers and the news organizations that were members of the cooperative. By the time I had to turn the story loose for publication, it was on its 72nd version. The editors on our news desk were collecting photos and related news reports, and trading ideas about the best way to show our readers the horror of that morning. As our reporters and photographers trickled back into the newsroom, our local editors worked together to shape a narrative that showed how many people in our community had strong connections to New York City, and what those folks had been See KEARNEY on page 12
Letters to the Editor Restore national fiscal responsibility To the Editor: As taxpayers, we have enabled Congress and our president to overspend, resulting in a federal national debt surpassing $40 trillion and that is projected to reach $50 trillion within three years. While many citizens complain about current affordability issues, this escalating debt directly impacts our economy. The government now spends nearly $3 billion a day on debt interest alone, which is more than our national defense budget. In 10 years, half of our annual income tax will cover debt interest. This rising debt puts upward pressure on inflation, impacts overall economic growth and undermines our long-term fiscal stability. A default would trigger a sharp decline in the stock market, cause global instability, spike interest rates and leave the government without the funds to meet critical obligations like the military and Social Security. Unlike the twenty-eight states that are required to balance their budgets, the federal government is operating without checks or balances to force fiscal restraint and outcome-based measurements. Rhetoric has accomplished nothing, and America cannot continue borrowing its way to prosperity. The time for citizens to act is now. Contact your state legislators to call for a
limited Article V constitutional convention of states to implement a binding “debt brake” and restore fiscal responsibility. Frank Mazur South Burlington
The government has a spending problem To the Editor: Our government, in just the past two years, has collected over $5 trillion (per year) in revenue. U.S. government debt is now over $40 trillion. Does anyone know the magnitude of this number? Here is the math. U.S. paper currency has a thickness of 4.3 mils (0.0043 inches). If we collected enough $100 dollar bills to represent $40 trillion and stacked them side by side (not end to end), this would be equivalent to 28,409 miles. This exceeds the earth's circumference by more than 3,500 miles. Our government does not have a revenue problem. Our government has a spending problem and I still don’t see too many politicians acknowledging this fact. Until we start electing people with fiscal responsibility, I don’t see a rosy future for our grand kids and beyond. Let’s start asking our representatives some tough questions and demand a resolution. Ray Michaud South Burlington
The Other Paper • September 10, 2026 • Page 9
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The front page of The Other Paper for the edition that followed the attacks of September 11, 2001.
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Local newspapers told their own 9/11 stories
HIGHLIGHTS:
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TOMMY GARDNER STAFF WRITER
Twenty-five years after Sept. 11, 2001, the images from that day are still burned in our collective brains: the planes, the towers, the smoke, the crowds glued to their television screens in disbelief. But in the days and weeks that followed, local newspapers told thousands of smaller stories far from the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The local firefighter who left for New York to help with the search. The National Guard unit that was activated. The people who discovered friends, relatives or former classmates had been
among the victims. Schools held candlelight vigils. Churches organized prayer services. Restaurants collected donations. Businesses displayed flags. Lines formed at blood drives. People who had never met one another found ways to help. As the front page above shows, small newspapers like this documented those stories of 9/11. They recorded community meetings, memorial services, fundraisers and enlistments. They chronicled the strange, unsettling quiet that settled over communities when commercial air travel stopped and the skies emptied of planes. Those stories were rarely the ones making national headlines. But they helped explain what the
attacks meant to people who lived hundreds or thousands of miles from Ground Zero. They captured connections national coverage could not: the neighbor who volunteered, the teacher whose former student enlisted or the family waiting for word from a loved one. National news tells us what happened. Local journalism tells us who was there, who was affected and what happened next. It preserves the texture of history — the names, places, conversations and acts of kindness that might otherwise disappear. Twenty-five years later, those old newspaper pages are more than yellowing archives. They are pieces of a community’s memory.
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Page 10 • September 10, 2026 • The Other Paper
COMMUNITY Community Notes SB fire remembers 9/11 The South Burlington Fire Department will be holding a remembrance ceremony on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. located at Overlook Park.
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On Friday, Sept. 18 at 10:30 a.m. in the Marabella KidSpace at South Burlington Public Library, long-time homeschooler Rebecca Rupp will talk about the many approaches to homeschooling, ways of creating a homeschool program, some great educational resources, and some homeschool pros and cons. She will have copies of the brand new edition of her book, “Home Learning Year by Year; How to Design a Creative and Comprehensive Homeschool Curriculum” available. RSVP by emailing nliuzzi@southburlingtonvt.org.
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Chip Darmstadt brings ecological insight, extensive birding field experience and a welcome sense of humor to his presentation “The World of Birds: Nature Finds A Way” at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., South Burlington. His work reflects a shared love of teaching and the
belief that the more curious birders there are, the better. In 2024, Chip launched FlyAway Birding with his son, Sam, and together they lead international birding trips while continuing to build a legacy in bird education and conservation. Chip will share a visual tour of how birds adapt to the challenges of migration and offer practical ways you can help feathered friends in your own backyard.
Burlington Baroque Festival The third annual Burlington Baroque Festival will take place Sept. 17-20 at College Street Congregational Church, the Cathedral Church of St. Paul and the University of Vermont Recital Hall in Burlington. The festival, directed by Eric Milnes, features L’Harmonie des saisons Baroque Orchestra, Boston’s Blue Heron Renaissance Ensemble and the Burlington Baroque Festival Singers. The five-performance schedule includes music by Charpentier, Lully, Rebel and Brossard on Sept. 17; Bach’s “B Minor Mass” on Sept. 18; Renaissance chansons and motets by Blue Heron on Sept. 19; Vivaldi’s “Concerti Stravaganza!” on Sept. 19; and Handel’s “Israel in Egypt” on Sept. 20. The festival will include 35 Canadian musicians alongside Vermont and U.S. artists. Visit BurlingtonBaroque.org for tickets and information.
GRECO
continued from page 6 nature as grammatically alive. Referring to the natural environment as a living being creates a mutual kinship with nature. And, although some may balk at thinking of flowers as friends, the reality is that human beings are just one part of the natural world. Our survival, and the survival of other living beings are intertwined. They rely on us to take care of them, and we rely on them to take care of us. We are all in this together. This young woman reminded me of the power of language, and she provided an insight into why some people may treat nature as a thing, and as such, expendable with low or no priority. We can’t change the structure of the English language; but we can definitely change how we think and speak about the living world around us.
How we think and speak shape how we act. Something as simple as referring to a bird or a bobcat as a “her” might prompt us to think differently, and then treat our non-human kin with respect and care. I have now named the trees who live around our house. Each tree is named after one of our human family members. This also makes it easier when talking about them. It’s simpler to say that Joseph (a cherry tree) produces hundreds of cherries in the spring, and Patty (a plum tree) is loaded with plums about to ripen. Joseph and Patty are no longer “things.” They never were. They are not “its.” They are family members. Rosanne Greco is a former city council chair, and former president of the South Burlington Land Trust.
The Other Paper • September 10, 2026 • Page 11
SPORTS SeaWolves dominate gridiron in season opener LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Football Burlington/South Burlington 26, Mount Anthony 18: Burlington-South Burlington started the season off with a big win, beating Mount Anthony on Friday. Kyle Knoth led the way for the SeaWolves with 217 rushing yards and four touchdowns, as well as 108 passing yards. Rowan Behan and Logan Baker each caught a TD pass, while Aaron Young rushed for a touchdown. The SeaWolves will travel to play BFA-St. Albans on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Boys’ soccer Champlain Valley 1, South Burlington 1: The South Burlington boys soccer team battled to a 1-1 tie against Champlain Valley on Friday. Sam Harm had the goal for the Wolves, while Miles Daily chipped in with the assist. Adam
Kett stopped eight shots to preserve the tie. South Burlington moves to 1-1-1 and will take on Mount Mansfield on the road on Wednesday. They will welcome Burlington on Monday at 4 p.m. at home.
Girls’ soccer Champlain Valley 2, South Burlington 1: South Burlington surrendered two goals in the second half and fell to Champlain Valley on Saturday. Elyse DuBois scored the lone goal for the Wolves, who fall to 1-2 with the loss. Chloe Stinnett made 18 saves in goal.
Field hockey South Burlington 2, Essex 1: South Burlington made it two wins in a row to start the season, beating Essex on Friday in field hockey. Mae Gordon and Grace Landerman each had a goal for the Wolves (2-0), while Phoebe Barnes and Ella MacCormack teamed up to make five saves in goal.
PHOTO BY SOPHIA BALUNEK
SBHS’s Ian Henderson (left) and CVU’s Stefan Arsovski both have their eyes on the ball during Sept. 4’s tied game.
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able to learn about their friends and family members. By 11 a.m., our deadline, we had moved everything to production, and were waiting for the presses to start at 11:30 a.m. But the follow-up planning started immediately. Our local reporting for Sept. 12 would be much more in depth, as people in our region — like those in the rest of the country — reacted to the tragedy. There were prayer meetings, gatherings, mourning — and anger and shock and questioning. We found a person whose sister had been leaving for work, but found it a bit chilly outside her building, and went back for a sweater. That saved her life. We found a woman who had walked 17 miles to get to safety outside the city. We found local people who had frantically tried to connect with a friend or relative in the city, and eventually did, to their profound relief. Others hadn’t been able to connect, and were terrified that their loved ones had been caught up in the smoke and fire and falling debris. Our own challenge was to publish a Wednesday newspaper that reported all of that, but also reflected the strength and resilience of the American people. Paul Miller, then our managing editor, found a photo of NYC firefighters, their faces smudged with smoke, holding up a damaged American flag. It seemed to express the feeling that was spreading across the nation: We’ve taken a terrible punch, but America is strong.
The national news stories we could select seemed to lack that feeling. So, I wrote an essay about how the attack felt — like a comic book turned actual, a scary movie that somehow came true. But I also wrote about the resilience and faith of Americans, how the tragedy would not define us, how the strength of our nation and our citizens would carry us through. The photo and the essay consumed the entire front page. It seemed to resonate with our readers, so we made posters of that page, and sold them for $1 apiece to anyone who wanted one. More stories followed in the ensuing days, as we all absorbed the shock, the loss, the anger at the attacks on civilians and a great city. There was a feeling that things would never return to normal, that 2001 had changed everything. Eventually, that faded, but it took several years. I was so proud of our news staff — how everyone had pulled themselves together, understood the mission, raced out to capture the news of the moment, to tell the stories of our citizens, and then did it all over again the next day. And the day after that. And after that. It was hard to move on. Certainly a lot has happened in the last 25 years, and 9-11 doesn’t have the razorsharp edge it had on that Sept. 11 morning. Turns out, it didn’t actually change everything. But it will always, always be with us. Tom Kearney is former executive editor of The Keene Sentinel and of the Vermont Community Newspaper Group.
The Other Paper • September 10, 2026 • Page 13
Horoscope September 10, 2026
ANSWERS FROM THIS ISSUE
Weekly Puzzles
RABIES BAIT Page 14 • September 10, 2026 • The Other Paper
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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. 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
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. 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.
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continued from page 1 space for wildlife is extremely meaningful habitat,” Jessica Balerna, the chair of the committee, said. Balerna is also an ecologist at the University of Vermont. “Our population is expanding in South Burlington, and we really want to accommodate people, but we also have the opportunity for people to then create space for the other species that live on this planet.” The committee is hoping to attract participants beyond those with lawns. While a yard is excellent space to re-wild, Balerna said, they’re cognizant that not everyone in the city has a large lawn. However, there are other kinds of spaces that people could transform such as community gardens, container plots or other small bits of green space. Using these spaces — no matter how small — to let native species and a diversity of plants grow wouldn’t just offer sources of food for birds and insects, Balerna said. It could also help with carbon storage, flood mitigation, water quality and biodiversity in the city. The grass commonly used for lawns, she said, has fairly shallow roots, causing stormwater to run off more rapidly because there’s less uptake of the water in the soil. People are also often using fertilizers to help grass grow, Balerna said, which, as with the fertilizer used on farms, can add to phosphorus in the water system.
Re-wilding allows plants that natu- letting a lawn grow willy-nilly. rally thrive there to grow, avoiding People are often worried, Balerboth fertilizers and maintenance na said, about their green spaces such as mowing. looking unkempt and upsetting “If you’re getting a diversity neighbors. of plants with deeper roots and “I think we can really work to larger shoots,” she added. “Those dispel that myth. There are defiare going to be storing carbon in nitely ways to rewild that still look themselves and also helping to manicured and still have all of repopulate the biodiversity that these benefits,” she said. happens underground in the soil Balerna loves to walk around from the microbial communities.” the city, looking at what her neighThe push to transform lawns bors have done with their gardens, into better habitats has been what they’ve encouraged to grow. around for a “It’s really while. “No Mow beautiful. And “And it reminds you, May,” a wellit reminds you, this is the kind of known initiative this is the kind of that encourages beauty that we beauty that we can people to forgo can have in our mowing during city if we want have in our city.” the month of May, to break away letting flowering from the norm plants beloved — Jessica Balerna of just having by pollinators to turf grass,” she grow, began in the United King- said. dom in 2019. The shape of the program might Closer to home, Saint Michael’s depend on how many mentors College art professor Brian Collier or mentees the initiative attracts. has a years-long ongoing proj- With more mentees, Balerna said, ect called “Unlawning America,” they might be able to do activiwhich, through a combination art ties like group events. A dedicatand ecological education, encour- ed cadre of mentors with some ages people to rethink their mowed gardening or ecological expertise spaces — including throwing in could likely support quite a few “seed bombs” — balls of native people looking to learn. plant seeds and clay to encourage It’s a pilot program, Balerna plant growth. said, nothing like this has been The natural resources commit- done in South Burlington before. tee is thinking about re-wilding She’s hopeful that on Sept. 19, as encompassing more than just people will stop by their table.
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