Issuu

New heights

Under the lights

State climbing festival returns to Waterbury this weekend

Wolves take some losses this week in fall varsity sports

Page 10

Page 12

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VOLUME 50, NO. 39

For many electric car owners, green means go

SB goes green

BRIANA BRADY AND LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITERS

years and has background in guidance counseling and additionally assists the advisory system and educational support teams.

More people are switching to electric vehicles, as gas prices continue to spiral upwards, transportation contributes to global warming and advancements in battery technology make the cars a more practical choice than ever before. In Vermont, though, the choice involves a more complex set of considerations — chieﬂy, where and how to charge the car. Over the last decade, the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure has grown sharply, and there are now more than 500 publicly available charging locations. However, availability of those chargers, or the ﬁnancial capacity to buy an EV, depends largely on a wavering stream of funding from the federal government and state. As those funds wane, the buildout of electric vehicles and infrastructure may also slow. “It’s a vicious cycle,” Margaret McNurlen, a member of Hinesburg’s energy and

See LEARNING on page 2

See ELECTRIC VEHICLE on page 11

PHOTO BY BRIANA BRADY

Making flowers out of recycled plastic was one of the many kid-friendly activities at Saturday’s Green Community Festival Saturday, see more photos, page 3.

SB High School focuses on career learning MARI HUGLIN STAFF WRITER

South Burlington High School is focusing on more development and opportunities for students by introducing them to a variety of career paths.

A few times throughout the year, students can get hands-on experience at career fairs, shadowing professionals or learning trade skills. Nikki St. Mary is the career development coordinator at South Burlington High School. She has been at the school for 25

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LEARNING

continued from page 1 She said a shift began after the Covid19 pandemic, with more families open to careers where a four-year university degree was not required. “The last handful of years, there’s been a real shift in thinking with students and their families around good careers that don’t require you to borrow a quarter of a million dollars in student debt,” St. Mary said. Demand for skilled laborers has increased across the country, and specifically in Vermont, with its aging population and fewer young people entering the trades. St. Mary began to host more trade showcases at schools so students could experience what working in the trades could be like. South Burlington not only offers career fairs and showcases, but classes where students learn trade skills off campus during the week. This is not defined as an internship or externship, but a part of the school

district’s Flexible Pathways program. Students attend the Vermont Construction Academy or other opportunities St. Mary helped set up. They usually need to sign up for these programs in advance before beginning their senior year. St. Mary also helps current students connect with alumni or professionals in careers of interest, and even sets up shadow days where students can follow the pros for a day. Some shadow programs have included radiology and respiratory therapy. “There’s lots of learning that can happen outside of a classroom, and for some kids that’s super important because conventional school is not necessarily the best fit for them,” St. Mary said. Career fairs and introductions to other paths is critical since many students do not know about all the possibilities, St. Mary said. One of her previous students worked as a server and began considering a career in

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the trades. He shadowed a mechanic and ent things. She recommends students explored other trades, and is now at the try talking to the professionals, making Vermont Construction Academy with the connections and setting up a possible chance for a full-time paid apprenticeship shadow day. after this semester. “Everybody knows, like, ‘I could be a St. Mary said many of these trade teacher or I could be a doctor or I could careers are lucrative, stable and can offer be a lawyer,’ but they don’t realize that fulfilling, meaningful artificial intelligence is work. never going to take your “The last handful “Everybody is hurting job as a plumber, so I for employees,” St. Mary think we’ve been more of years, there’s said. intentional about putting The upcoming Workopportunities in front of been a real shift in force in Motion student kids like that to look at career fair on Sept. 29 will options,” St. Mary said. thinking.” focus on introducing sophShe said she tries omores to a wide range of to keep an even split — Nikki St. Mary careers. This fair is more between the trade careers focused on technical, skilled labor but and vocations that require more educathere will be other careers presented that tion. She hosts a variety of career fairs in do need further education. the lobby at the high school during break Trades like plumbing, electricity and periods so all students can attend. She has HVAC will be presented alongside health hosted fairs focused on health sciences, care professionals, first responders and STEM and other industries students have many other professionals across disci- been interested in. plines. Each professional will have mateNot all students participate in handsrials or showcases to help students expe- on career learning, but all students are rience what their potential career could be required to take a financial literacy and like day-to-day. career discernment class with reflection St. Mary said her advice for all students and other opportunities available if they is to be curious and try many differ- seek it out.

Laquerre runs for state’s attorney against George Political Notebook Jace Laquerre Jace Laquerre is the Republican nominee for Chittenden County state’s attorney. Here is his campaign announcement: Why I’m challenging Sarah George: I’ve lived in Chittenden County my entire life. This is home, and it’s where I want to raise my son. I want him to enjoy the waterfront, walk Church Street at Christmas and listen to concerts in Battery Park. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about whether those simple experiences are safe. When Sarah George took office, she brought new ideas about criminal justice that I believed were worth trying. I still believe in criminal justice reform. But after more than nine years, I believe the results speak for themselves. The experiment has failed. Residents across Chittenden County see public drug use, theft, repeat offenders and disorder. Businesses are dealing with the consequences. People shouldn’t have to think twice about taking their children downtown or letting employees close up a business at night. George’s office has made a point of not requesting cash bail. I understand the argument for bail reform, but reform cannot mean removing accountability. Treatment and second chances have a place, but when someone repeatedly commits crimes, there must be mean-

ingful consequences. Victims deserve justice, businesses deserve protection and communities deserve to feel safe. Then there is the backlog of cases. George’s office has acknowledged challenges with its caseload and prioritization of property crimes. When cases take years to resolve, victims wait for answers, businesses wait for accountability and defendants wait for resolution. A criminal justice system that takes years to resolve cases doesn’t serve anyone well. When cases are resolved, plea agreements should mean something. Not every case needs to go to trial, and not every offense requires the maximum punishment. But when someone repeatedly breaks the law, the response cannot simply be another slap on the wrist and another promise to do better. After nine years, Chittenden County needs a change in direction. I know asking Democrats to vote for a Republican is a big ask. But this campaign is bigger than party labels. If elected, I have vowed to resign and allow the governor to appoint a replacement, who could be a Democrat. This is about whether our criminal justice system protects victims, holds repeat offenders accountable, supports law enforcement and gives residents confidence that the law means something. Public safety should not be a partisan issue. Let’s come together to make Chittenden County a safer place for everyone. Jace Laquerre lives in Milton.

The Other Paper • September 24, 2026 • Page 3

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OPINION Pets experience pain, there are ways to help Guest Perspective M. Kathleen Shaw DVM, Vermont Veterinary Medical Association September is Pain Awareness Month, it is important to remember animals suffer pain, just like we do: the hard part is they cannot talk to tell us that they hurt. Knowing the first signs of pain in your pet can allow you to seek help to minimize their suffering and to find and treat the cause. Most of us have seen our pets experience sudden, or acute, pain. This includes trauma — cuts, bruises, road accidents or even fractures. You know when your animal is limping that something hurts. You can see the wounds if your pet has been in a fight or if your horse is limping. Your pet has just had surgery; this sudden pain is obvious. But there are other more insidious causes of pain. Two major sources include dental pain and arthritis. Animals don’t brush and floss, and eventually they develop tartar on their teeth. By age 4, 85% of dogs and cats have some degree of dental disease. This is not a cosmetic concern: it is a health one. As the tartar builds up, it pushes up under the gums and causes pain and infection. Over time, the infection spreads to the bone and ligament holding the teeth in place and they will loosen and fall out. This is a very painful process. Imagine

having a toothache for months or years and not being able to go to the dentist for help. Bad breath, drooling, chewing on only one side, dropping food, or not eating well can all be signs of dental disease. Arthritis is another common source of pain. Symptoms include decreased activity, avoiding stairs, reluctance to jump up onto surface and difficulty standing after lying down. Overgrooming or licking a particular area can also be a sign of pain as can avoiding contact or hiding. Arthritis pain can be mistaken for “getting old” or “slowing down.” This includes large animals. They may isolate themselves from their pasture mates, seem “down,” or seem stiff and slow. The good news is that there are ways to help your animals including pain medications, physical rehabilitation, acupuncture, laser therapy, therapeutic massage, exercise and modifying their daily activities. At home, you can do many things to help your old pets. Steps or ramps (or even rearranged furniture) can help them to get to their favorite spots, heated beds, raised food and water dishes, regular brushing and trimming nails, low openings to litter boxes and carpet runners for traction are all beneficial. Don’t let your pets suffer in silence. Talk to your veterinarian and go to The International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (Ivapm.org) to learn more about recognizing and treating pain in animals.

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The Other Paper • September 24, 2026 • Page 7

State colleges are here to benefit Vermont Guest Perspective Elizabeth Mauch It’s back to school time for learners of all ages. But across the country, Americans are asking hard questions about higher education. Is college worth the cost? Are graduates prepared for the jobs our communities need? And are public colleges and universities sufficiently responsive to the states and people who support them? In Vermont, we are answering these questions not by talking about the value of higher education, but by demonstrating it. Vermont faces some difficult realities. Employers cannot find enough workers. Our population is aging. Housing shortages constrain communities and businesses. Many families question whether they can afford groceries and gas, let alone college. And changing demographics mean that our colleges themselves must operate differently than they have in the past. For the Vermont State Colleges System, these aren't separate problems. Our statewide system gives us the reach to tackle these challenges together. Consider affordability. Through 802 Opportunity, in partnership with the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, Vermont has made community college tuition-free for thousands of Vermonters, and we are seeing the results. Participation among eligible students has increased 44%, participation among students receiving federal need-based Pell Grants has increased 28% and, perhaps most importantly, student borrowing has fallen 60%. At Vermont State University, the newer Freedom & Unity Scholarship, also administered with VSAC, now makes base tuition free for students from more than half of Vermont families. These are serious investments in Vermont’s future. Every Vermonter who wants to become a nurse, teacher, technician or small-business owner but believes college is financially out of reach represents potential our state cannot afford to lose. But making college affordable is only part of the work. We also have to make sure education leads to opportunity in Vermont. That does not mean reducing higher education to job training. The liberal arts remain essential to preparing people to think critically, communicate effectively, adapt to change and participate fully in their communities. But we also have a responsibility to make sure students can see a clear path from their education to opportunity. Working with our faculty and staff, we are building stronger pathways between the CCV and Vermont State University and

connecting them more directly to Vermont employers. BETA Technologies offers one example: CCV students can combine college coursework with hands-on training and paid job shadowing in advanced manufacturing, while Vermont State University's engineering and aviation programs prepare students for technical careers in the same growing industry. Our goal is to make this kind of partnership easier to build across Vermont. Rather than asking employers to navigate individual programs or campuses, we

are creating a more coordinated statewide approach: using better labor-market information, managing employer relationships across the system and working with employers early enough to develop programs before workforce shortages become crises. Our Vermont State University campuses offer another opportunity to think differently about how public higher education can serve Vermont. The state has invested for generations in public college See MAUCH on page 9

Letters to the Editor Turf at Veterans Park: What am I missing? To the Editor: The article in The Other Paper’s Sept. 10 issue (“Veterans Memorial Park to get new turf, other upgrades”) about turf and upgrades at Veterans Memorial Park left me with questions. According to the article, in the seven-year period 2018-2025, the city lost about $29,000 in revenue due to unusable muddy fields. City officials feel that this justifies spending $476,170 to install synthetic turf. Does this make

sense? What am I missing? I can do the math, and I’m sure that residents can, too. If “little to no maintenance for at least a decade” is accurate, saving some taxpayers’ money, will some maintenance employees be laid off? Do our city officials stay awake at night thinking of expensive ways to spend taxpayers’ money so that South Burlington can have something new and different, regardless of the necessity? Laura DeMaroney South Burlington

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Page 8 • September 24, 2026 • The Other Paper

Vermont law protects the rich and privileged Guest Perspective Dan Jones Recently, I was given an interesting lesson on how privileged Vermonters will use our state’s protective tax laws to shield themselves from needed changes. This lesson was delivered by, what I assume to be, a member of our state’s well-to-do class, on the afternoon of the primary election. I was walking toward our city hall polling site holding a sign for Amanda Janoo. Suddenly a sharp voice stopped me. “Why are you bothering?” She said, “even if that woman gets elected, she is so clueless on her health insurance plan, that it will never work.” She continued, without introducing herself: “This whole idea of taxing second homes more to pay for the idea is stupid! If you have a home here and live in another state it’s easy to get around this.” “Really?” I said. “Wow so?” “That stupid proposal is to tax second homes of out-of-staters at a much higher rate can’t be enforced. All my husband and I have to do is register our home in Florida as his primary residence and our home here as mine. Presto! We are protected from this stupid tax and you can’t do anything about it! “ she exclaimed. I protested, “But the whole idea is to give all Vermonter’s primary health care and lower all our health insurance costs. What is so wrong with that? Why shouldn’t those with greater wealth help pay their fair share?” “That is full of crap!” she snapped and pointed over her

shoulder. “I used to own that drug store, so I know a bunch about health care. Most people you are talking about are on Medicaid and just game the system to get more extra care. They use the system to get cheap drugs. We don’t need anymore of these health care scams!” With that she marched off, leaving me wondering how we are going to manage in an increasingly threatening future. It seems that at least one person who can support houses in Florida and Vermont finds a proposal to provide for the larger social good as an imposition to be gamed away. Our governmental and tax systems have been supporting such privileged selfishness for too long. Rather than protecting us Vermonters from the threats of deteriorating “affordability,” Gov. Phil Scott has perfected his role as “Protector of the Privileged.” He has fought and bullied our fearful legislators over any attempt to tax higher incomes and luxury and investment houses of the rich out-of-staters. Scott’s claim is that such fair taxes would drive the well-to-do away and hurt the prospects of such income and property taxes as we now collect. Now I don’t know about you, but as I watch the South become insufferably hot and the West burn up, the moderate climate of Vermont looks more and more attractive. I’m pretty sure that, even with increased taxes, our well to do property owners won’t be going anywhere as the larger climate collapses. See JONES on page 9

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The Other Paper • September 24, 2026 • Page 9

News Briefs Sail Beyond Cancer Vermont on track to set new record Sail Beyond Cancer Vermont, based in South Burlington has completed 94 sails for individuals challenged by cancer on Lake Champlain this season and is on track to finish with 107, a new chapter record. More than 500 passengers have already stepped aboard its 42-foot sailboat, “Tranquility,” in 2026. Captains, first mates and onboard ambassadors contributed 2,016 hours so far this year on the lake, with hundreds of additional hours provided by volunteer schedulers, maintenance crews, event volunteers and the organization’s board of directors.

“Our volunteers bring this mission to life on every sail,” executive director Kelli Shonter said. “Their time, care and compassion give families a chance to reconnect, laugh and simply be together on our beautiful lake.” Sail Beyond Cancer Vermont offers free, three-hour sails to people of any age and with any cancer diagnosis, accompanied by up to five family members or friends. In 2025 alone, passengers came from 104 Vermont communities, 22 states and Québec. To learn more, nominate someone for a sail, volunteer or support future mission sails, visit sailbeyondcancer.org/ vermont-chapter.

JONES

continued from page 8 Without deep changes to tax laws, and political will to support the public good, such reasonable innovations as universal basic health care will be impossible to create. Instead, Vermont citizens would have to anticipate ever-higher taxes and insurance costs to just keep things in place. To make real change, we need a governor and a legislature capable of imagination and adjustments from the recent norms. We all know Phil Scott is not a reformer. He likes things the way they are and would rather race gas guzzling muscle cars than oversee the policy and tax shifts required to keep regular people alive and healthy in our little state. I am no tax expert, but it is clear that there are a number of loopholes for evading taxes, such as the one example given me by the woman at the polls. We could tighten the tax laws such that current protections, which now allow different marriage partners owning different properties to trick the tax authorities, we could authorize ways of seeing through such dodges. If one partner claims Vermont ownership, then the total

income of the marriage should be subject to Vermont income taxes. Oh, and let’s make our income taxes truly progressive on incomes over $500,000 per year. The simple fact is that privileged property owners have protections built into Vermont’s tax laws. This has to change or the rest of us can feel our futures slipping away in constant inflation, failing health care systems and the lost prospects of future prosperity. Our governor along with our complicit Legislature has been protecting the privileged for way too long. They have allowed the sucking of resources the rest of us need, believing Scott’s constant repetition of threats that the rich to pick us their marbles and move elsewhere. This means his protected patrons continue to take more from our state than they should be giving. It is time for the privileged to pay their fair share. It’s time for a major change in Vermont’s leadership and in its political imagination.

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continued from page 7 campuses across our rural landscape. Those campuses now have more physical capacity than traditional college enrollment requires. We could treat that simply as a financial problem and spend our time deciding which buildings we can afford to keep or we can ask ourselves what else does Vermont need these public assets to do? Additionally, not every student’s circumstance is such that they can travel to a campus, live in a dorm or take classes during typical school and business hours. And, not every trade, craft or skill needs to be delivered as an associate or bachelor’s degree. So, we are moving more programs online, offering courses that are self-paced and developing certificate and training programs designed around getting students of all ages and backgrounds the skills they need to enter our workforce empowered and prepared. The next step is to bring these efforts together. Employers should have a clear way to work with us to build the workforce they need over time. And, our campuses should

contribute not only through education, but through housing, economic development and community vitality. The opportunity now is to build this together, around what Vermont needs most. Our state officials stepped up when we desperately needed their support. We are now stable and growing stronger every year as a result. This allows us to continually adapt to the changing needs of our students and our state. Unlike more traditional colleges and universities, we offer rolling enrollment because we know many of our students need the extra time to weigh the value and practicality of higher education. My message to them is this: we are here for you, you can do this, and when you are ready, we will see you through this journey. The measure of a public higher education system must ultimately be larger than the health of its institutions. It must include the health of the state it serves. That is what I mean when I say the Vermont State Colleges System exists for the benefit of Vermont.

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Page 10 • September 24, 2026 • The Other Paper

COMMUNITY

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The eighth annual Vermont Climbing Festival will be held Sept. 25-27 at Farr’s Field in Waterbury.

Community Notes Break flatbread at festival with Common Roots Common Roots will host Harvest Flatbread Friday on Friday, Sept. 25, from 4-6:30 p.m. at Wheeler House. The event is free and open to the public, with seasonal meals and prepared foods available for purchase. Common Roots will offer hands-on food education and opportunities to share local food. Proceeds from food purchases support the organization’s work in food education, food access, organic farming and Vermont’s local food system. Stowe - $4,995,000

Monkton - $994,900

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High school hosts annual ski and snowboard sale The 32nd annual SBHS Ski & Board Sale will be held Oct. 3 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School gym and cafeteria. The sale will feature new and gently used equipment for beginners through experienced skiers and riders, including alpine, Nordic and backcountry skis, boots, poles, snowboards, gloves, apparel and more. The sale is a fundraiser for the snow-sport teams and the SBHS Boosters fund.

a keynote by climber Tim Emmett and an evening after-party. Sunday features a pancake breakfast, a CRAG-VT trail and stewardship project and additional climbing clinics. Festival proceeds support CRAG-VT’s work protecting access to Vermont climbing areas and stewarding climbing environments. Tickets are $55 for the public and $48 for members through Sept. 1, then $70. Children 12 and younger are free; ages 12-18 are $25.

All pro, no con, with contra dancing Queen City Contras presents a contra dance Friday, Sept. 25, at St. Anthony’s Parish Hall, 305 Flynn Ave., Burlington. Turning Stile (Joanne Garton and Aaron Marcus) will play, with Julian Blechner calling. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with a beginner lesson at 6:45 p.m. Dancing is from 7-10 p.m. All dances are taught; no partner or experience is necessary. Admission is $12 for adults 18 and older, $5 for ages 12-18 and those with limited budgets, and free for children under 12. Bring clean, soft-soled shoes and a water bottle. Masks are welcome but optional. Please stay home if you have symptoms.

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St. Paul’s Cathedral hosts The eighth annual Vermont Climbing Remembrance Concert

Festival will be held Sept. 25-27 at Farr’s Field in Waterbury, with climbing clinics held at area cliffs in Bolton. Hosted by CRAG-VT, the festival includes climbing clinics, workshops, competitions, a keynote presentation, live music and stewardship opportunities. The weekend begins Friday with outdoor climbing clinics, registration, a climber social and campfire story hour. Saturday includes climbing clinics, a bouldering competition, vendor village, workshops, food trucks,

The Autumn Concert of Remembrance will be held Sunday, Oct. 11, at 4 p.m. at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 2 Cherry St., Burlington. The concert features the Cathedral Choirs, guest singers, Vermont, Rhode Island and New York soloists, singers from Montréal, the Professional Choristers of the Choir School of Newport County and the 20-member Rhode Island Festival Orchestra. See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 15

The Other Paper • September 24, 2026 • Page 11

ELECTRIC VEHICLE

continued from page 1

rolls charging into her life in other ways than simply plugging it in at night. She charges at the high school, sometimes taking a nice walk in the time it takes for the battery to juice up. She’ll also make charging a part of her trips out of town, using an app to locate charging stations. Municipalities are also making the calculation that driving electric is worth investing in. Last year, Shelburne used a grant to purchase a Rivian truck for its stormwater department and install public charging stations at the library. Overall, town manager Matt Lawless said, the choice has been cost effective. According to Roberts from Drive Electric Vermont the cost of powering an EV is about the same as paying $2 per gallon of gas.

climate action committee, said. “People won’t buy EVs if there aren’t chargers, and people won’t put in public chargers if no one has EVs.” Morrisville Water & Light manager Scott Johnstone said that infrastructure buildout is largely driven by the availability of federal or state money. “Should there be a more systemic way to build out this infrastructure? Probably,” he said. “The question is, who’s going to pay the bill?”

Where are the EVs? According to data from Drive Electric Vermont, as of April, there were 20,967 plug-in electric vehicles registered in Vermont, nearly two-thirds of which were all-electric vehicles powered solely by a battery. Plug-in hybrid models, which use both gasoline and battery, make up the rest. There are plug-in vehicles registered in 99% of Vermont communities. At one point, Lamoille County residents owned more plug-in cars, per capita, than any other county. Since 2014, the number of EVs registered there has grown nearly tenfold, from 72 to 704. According to Drive Electric Vermont’s data, Chittenden County now has the most electric vehicles per capita — one for every 23 residents. Most charging in Vermont happens residentially — people install chargers at their homes and power companies like Green Mountain Power often offer lower rates for charging during off-peak hours, according to David Roberts, a senior consultant at Drive Electric. However, he said, public charging is still critical. “We know a lot of people who are kind of on the fence about maybe considering an EV. They want to make sure that public charging is there when they need it,” Roberts said. However, between both Chittenden and Lamoille counties, the charging network connectivity is spotty. According to a charging map from Drive Electric Vermont, Lamoille County’s charging infrastructure is largely spread out, with most located at places like gas stations and car dealerships, along with some at park and ride locations and other municipal or education institutions. In Chittenden County, the map might look more dense, but the stations still follow a decided curve — along Interstate 89. While Burlington and South Burlington might be dotted with stations, places like Hinesburg, charging stations at Champlain Valley Union High School and a senior and disabled living facility, lack the same vibrant infrastructure. That isn’t by accident. In 2022, the federal Infrastructure

PHOTO BY SOPHIA BALUNEK

Over the last decade the infrastructure and demand for electric vehicles has grown drastically across the state.

Investment and Jobs Act established the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program to provide dedicated funding to states to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure along key interstate and state highway corridors Vermont received roughly $21.2 million over the last four years — slightly delayed when it was frozen by the federal administration last year. The guidelines established in that program focused heavily on proximity to interstates, and state legislation has followed suit — one of the state’s top priorities for funding is that sites are within three miles of an exit or highway intersection.

Geography is king Morristown town manager Brent Raymond drives an electric vehicle from Williston to his office nearly every day. Often, he needs to charge his wheels at the nearby Union Bank. When he started the job nearly two and a half years ago, the two chargers in the municipal parking lot had been vandalized. Although he had considered repairing and maybe upgrading them, budget restraints nixed that possibility. “Morristown had just previously voted down budgets, and we didn’t have anything in the paving budget, let alone funds for repairing or to upgrade the EV chargers,” he said. The town in April submitted an inquiry form for the NEVI program but hasn’t yet heard back from the state. Raymond is aware of the lack of priority from the state. “If I could find a cost-effective way for the town to do this, I think it would be terrific,” he said. South Burlington provides a contrast. The city — Vermont’s second-most populous — is at the nexus of the busiest exit on Vermont’s interstate system and car dealerships line one of its commuter

corridors along Route 7. The city put in 12 public chargers behind its city hall and library and has NEVI funding to build another fast charger at the Blue Mall shopping center along Dorset Street. Funding from Charge Vermont has focused on multi-unit buildings and workplaces, and according to Bettina Miguez, South Burlington’s Climate Action Manager, the city’s zoning requires that multi-unit buildings have the capacity to add chargers. In 2025, six Lamoille County projects were completed with Charge Vermont grant funding. The funding has been so popular in Chittenden County that the grants set aside for projects there has already been used, according to Miguez. However, public infrastructure can be essential for making sure populations like renters or apartment-owners can charge electric vehicles. “By providing on-street public charging in the more densely populated neighborhoods, that’s a way to enable more EV ownership and people who you know don’t have as easy access for charging at home,” Roberts said.

as a tourism community, I think that really was important for us to be kind of out on the front edge of that.” The utility’s greatest push came in 2015, when Stowe Electric received a $162,000 grant to deploy an eight more chargers. More recently, Pratt said, more chargers are owned by hotels and businesses have come online.

Owning an EV Hinesburg resident Holly Pasachow was an early electric vehicle adopter — she bought her first one in 2015, back when the way to charge a vehicle involved plugging it directly into an outlet and she could only go about 90 miles on a full battery. As batteries have gotten better and cars can go farther, Pasachow has become more reliant on the public charging system. Putting in a residential charger is cost prohibitive, she said, and she

EV market If there’s a burgeoning resolution for the chicken-and-egg issue of charging stations and personal buy-in for electric vehicles, Roberts thinks that it might come from market forces. While the rate of new purchases of electric vehicles has dropped since federal and state tax credits dried up and the government-imposed tariffs on imports, a large portion of electric vehicle usage over the last few years has been through leasing. Many of those leases, Roberts said, are about to come up, and more electric vehicles are going to come into the used-car market. According to Roberts, used vehicles make up about two-thirds of sales in Vermont “The batteries are holding up great. Most EVs, the batteries are expected to last the life of the vehicle. So, there’s a lot more options now than there were a couple years ago, even in the sort of more affordable realm,” he said.

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Tourism Historically, geography hasn’t been the only deciding factor. Stowe is an outlier in Lamoille County. Stowe Electric Department in 2013 was the first in the county to own charging infrastructure, according to reporting at the time from the Stowe Reporter. That momentum has kept up over the last 10 years, according to the utility’s general manager, Jackie Pratt. “That base network of public charging really was a catalyst here in Stowe,” she said. “Stowe Electric’s EV charging network was really critical in making this a destination for people with electric vehicles. And

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Page 12 • September 24, 2026 • The Other Paper

SPORTS

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Raja Badibanga of the Wolves defends the ball at a Sept. 16 game against Colchester, 2-1.

Wolves take some losses this week LAUREN READ PHOTO BY DWIGHT MAZUR

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Boys’ soccer South Burlington 2, St. Johnsbury 0: Sam Harm tallied both goals for the Wolves, while Raja Badibanga and Nischal Mulpuri each added an assist. Adam Kett earned the shutout in goal. South Burlington sits at 5-1-1, its fourth win in a row, and will take on Essex on the road on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Field hockey Mount Mansfield 3, South Burlington 0: Phoebe Barnes made 16 saves in goal for the Wolves, who fell to 4-2 with the loss. South Burlington looked to rebound on Tuesday when they travel to Colchester for a 4 p.m. game, which was after press deadline.

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Champlain Valley 20, Burlington-South Burlington 6: The Burlington-South Burlington co-op football team dropped its first game of the season, falling to Champlain Valley on Friday in the first game at Burlington High School in four years. Alphonce Mashaka accounted for the lone score for the SeaWolves,

scoring on rushing touchdown. The SeaWolves forced three turnovers on defense but could not capitalize. Burlington-South Burlington will look to get back in the win column when they welcome Burr and Burton to Buck Hard Field on Friday at 7 p.m.

Girls’ soccer South Burlington 0, Colchester 0: It was a goalie battle between South Burlington and Colchester in high school girls’ soccer on Friday as the two teams ended with a 0-0 tie. Chloe Stinnett made 15 saves in goal for the Wolves, while Colchester’s Lexie McFarland matched with 13 saves in the 0-0 game. With the tie, South Burlington moves to 2-3-1. They took on St. Johnsbury on Wednesday at home in their next game, after press deadline.

Boys’ volleyball Mount Mansfield 3, South Burlington 1: After trailing by two sets, the South Burlington boys volleyball team scored a victory in the third set but could not complete the comeback in a loss to Mount Mansfield on Friday. The Wolves won the third set 25-23 but fell in the fourth to the Cougars. South Burlington is now 2-4 and will take on Rice on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

The Other Paper • September 24, 2026 • Page 13

Horoscope September 24, 2026

ANSWERS FROM THIS ISSUE

Weekly Puzzles

RABIES BAIT Page 14 • September 24, 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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The Other Paper • September 24, 2026 • Page 15

COMMUNITY NOTES

continued from page 10

The program includes works by C.H.H. Parry, John Ireland, Judith Weir, John Tavener, Ned Rorem and Max Janowski, followed by the 45-minute “A Poet’s Requiem” by Peter Berton, directed by the composer. Tickets are available through Seven Days.

Oh boy, it’s Baked Beads’ blowout bash Baked Beads is holding its final in-person sale Oct. 9-11 at 6973 Main St., Waitsfield, as the company closes after 35 years. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets and scarves are priced at four for $20. Other items include rings, key chains, bags of beads, displays and more. Payment is accepted by cash, check and Venmo. Baked Beads has been based in Vermont’s Mad River Valley since 1991, designing, manufacturing and wholesaling fashion jewelry and scarves.

Feed your funny parts “Food for Your Funny Bone,” a fundraiser featuring Vermont storyteller Bill Torrey, will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, at 4 p.m. at the Waterbury Municipal Center. Torrey, a sixth-generation Vermonter and five-time Moth StorySlam winner, will share stories about life in Vermont. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Waterbury Common Market.

Tickets are available at events. humanitix.com/food-for-your-funny-bone. Torrey’s stories are rated SBL (School Bus Language).

Gourds fly again at annual Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival The 17th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival returns to the Stowe Events Field, 120 Weeks Hill Road, on Sunday, Sept. 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Competitors will use gravity-powered trebuchets to hurl pumpkins in an attempt to beat the world record of 879 feet, set in 2024. Three rounds are scheduled for 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m., followed by awards. Four divisions will compete for an $800 prize pool. Admission is $10; children 5 and under are free. Free parking is available. The festival also features a chili cook-off, craft fair, food trucks, live music, children’s activities and volleyball. Proceeds benefit the Clarina Howard Nichols Center. Information is available at VTPumpkinChuckin.blogspot. com.

Music and more on the mountain Upcoming shows at Spruce Peak Arts, 122 Hourglass Drive, Stowe. • Five for Fighting with String Quartet, Sept. 26. The only way for a story to progress is to turn the page. In the two decades since his first major single, “Superman (It’s

Not Easy),” hit the stratosphere, John Ondrasik — the songwriter and performer known as Five For Fighting — has both evolved and come back full circle. • David Sedaris, Oct. 8. David Sedaris is one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. He is a master of satire and one of today’s most observant writers.

Shelburne Museum celebrates Rockwell Shelburne Museum will celebrate Norman Rockwell with a special day of programs Saturday, Sept. 26, tied to its exhibition Norman Rockwell: At Home in Vermont. The weekend begins Friday, Sept. 25, with “Proof: Norman Rockwell and Photography,” a lecture by Russell Lord of the Norman Rockwell Museum, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s programs include Rockwell-inspired artmaking, curator-led tours, a panel featuring people who modeled for Rockwell’s paintings and a figure-drawing session inspired by The Four Freedoms. Programs are free for members or with museum admission, with registration recommended for some events. The exhibition explores Rockwell’s years living and working in Arlington from 1939 to 1953 and remains on view through Oct. 25. Information is available at shelburnemuseum.org.

SOUTH BURLINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT INVITATION TO BID SNOW PLOWING/SALTING GERTRUDE CHAMBERLIN SCHOOL ORCHARD SCHOOL The Board of School Directors of the South Burlington School District, South Burlington, Vermont, hereinafter known as the District, invites sealed bids for: Snow Plowing/Salting Services for the 2026-2027 school year beginning October 10, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027 in accordance with the specifications prescribed herein. Bids will be accepted, signed and emailed on or before noon September 28, 2026, to Jean-Marie Clark at jclark@sbschools.net. For a site visit, please contact Bart Miceli, Director of Facilities, at 802-338-8698. Go to sbschools.net/o/sbsd/page/purchasing-and-bids for bid documents.

SOUTH BURLINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT INVITATION TO BID RUBBISH AND RECYCLING SERVICES The Board of School Directors of the South Burlington School District, South Burlington, Vermont, hereinafter known as the District, invites sealed bids for the supply of: Rubbish Removal and Recycling Services for the period October 19, 2026, through October 18, 2027 in accordance with the specifications prescribed herein. Bids will be accepted, signed and via email on or before Monday, October 12, 2026, by noon. Please email bids to Jean-Marie Clark at jclark@sbschools.net. If you have any questions regarding the bid, please contact Jean-Marie Clark at 802652-7056. For a site visit or specific rubbish/recycling questions, please contact Bart Miceli at 802-338-8698.

HELP SHAPE OUR CITY BUDGET The City’s FY28 Budget will fund all city operations from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028. The City Council and City Staff are working to build that budget now, and we want to hear from you!

Go to sbschools.net/o/sbsd/page/purchasing-and-bids for bid documents.

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Page 16 • September 24, 2026 • The Other Paper