With the holidays come the lights and decorations — in the lawns, in the windows and on the rooftops. One Christmas decoration in particular has been waving and smiling at residents for a couple decades now.
Leo Duncan’s Santa Claus
MCDONALD
help recruit and retain staff, officials
The University of Vermont Health Network last week announced its investment in a second employee housing project, along with a new child care center, to attract full-time employees and “reduce the reliance on costly temporary workers” amid a workforce shortage.
Officials broke ground on the new project on Dec. 15 on South Burlington’s Market Street. The building will have 120 apartment units ranging from studios to two bedrooms, as well as a child care facility with up to 75 spots focused on infants to preK-aged kids. Those will be made available to network employees first, officials said.
“It is vital for our network to have enough providers and staff to meet the record level demand for health care services in our region,” said Sunny Eappen, president and chief executive officer of the health network. “These projects represent a strategic investment to support our people and build a sustainable workforce as we reduce our reliance on temporary workers.”
The venture is the second the medical center has undertaken this year with Shelburne-based developer Snyder-Braverman to address a shortage of full-time employees. The health network in March announced a partnership with the developer to build a $2.8 million, 61-unit apartment building, also on Market Street in South Burlington.
That building is expected to be open for occupancy in March 2023. The second building will be located next to the first, at 303 Market St., and should be ready to open in early 2024.
The UVM Health Network has had difficulty through the pandemic keeping full-time staff and has relied primarily on temporary workers to fill in the gap. Housing and child care, officials said, are a major obstacle to correcting that.
Chittenden County has for the past year held a rental vacancy rate of around 1 percent and has some of the highest costs for homeownership in the state.
“It is frustrating when people we’ve recruited decline our offer of employment because they are not able to secure either housing
Kenrick Vezina
Have you noticed the cheery evergreen sprig with pearly berries, currently perched over the doorways of Yankee traditionalists and those desperate to be kissed? That’s common mistletoe, which one botanical dispatch from the 1800s called “perhaps the most distinguished plant in the flora of England.” It’s found in broadleaf trees across Europe, and its associations with protection and fertility trace back to at least the ancient Greeks and Celtic druids. Despite its continued cultural prominence, you won’t find common mistletoe in northeastern forests, although you will find New World analogues such as oak mistletoe and other members of the “leafy mistletoe” genus farther south.
We do, however, have eastern dwarf mistletoe, which looks nothing like its beloved cousins. Our mistletoe, like other dwarf mistletoes in the Arceuthobium genus, is a short, knobby, rather fungal-looking thing that erupts from beneath the bark of conifers. Its leaves are scarcely more than scales; they don’t need to be.
All mistletoes — more than a thousand species globally, most growing in the tropics — are parasitic members of the sandalwood family. Technically, these plants are hemiparasitic, meaning they’re capable of performing photosynthesis for themselves, to varying degrees, but they all grow on or into other plants to leach away water and nutrients.
As you might guess from its barely-there leaves and yellowish tint, dwarf mistletoe is no great photosynthesizer. To drain its host, it uses a specialized root structure called a haustorium, from the Latin for “one who drinks.” This root fuses the vascular system of the mistletoe and its host, allowing the parasite to siphon sugars, minerals and water.
Eastern dwarf mistletoe grows for at least two years entirely beneath the bark of its host before finally putting out external shoots in early spring. The shoots are tiny, only about a centimeter long on average; the dwarf mistletoes are some of the smallest vascular plants on the planet. You’re much more likely to notice dwarf mistletoe’s effects on its hosts — several
conifer species, especially white spruce in our area – than the plant itself. Infected trees often develop “witches’ brooms,” clusters of chaotic, twiggy growth, that are an effect of the mistletoe interfering with the hormones that trees use to control their growth.
Another year or two after the shoots have emerged, the freeloader is ready to flower. The flowers, which come in male and female varieties, are tiny clusters of three or so petals hardly more recognizable than the leaves. After they’ve spread their pollen, male plants’ external shoots drop off. Female plants, once pollinated, develop fruit. The tiny olive-green berries take more than a year to mature, ripening the following autumn. Measuring only a few millimeters in diameter, what these berries lack in size they make up for in explosive potential.
Every berry is, in essence, a hydrostatic time bomb. As the fruit ripens, it pulls in water from the rest of the plant, slowly building internal pressure. Meanwhile, at the base of the fruit, the tissues around the seed weaken. Eventually, criticality is reached, and two things happen in rapid succession: the berry pops off the stem and, milliseconds later, the base — where the berry had been attached –ruptures, launching a seed outward and upward. This reproductive payload can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and distances of more than 50 feet. To quote tree disease expert James Worrall, “you don’t want to be taking a close look at it when it happens!”
The berry’s target is an uninfected tree of a suitable host species, or a different bough of the same tree. The seeds have a coating of sticky fluid that adheres to bark, where they’ll wait until spring for the chance to germinate and wedge their way into a new victim.
Dwarf mistletoes wear down their hosts, causing dieback and inhibiting overall growth, especially if a tree becomes infected multiple times. White spruce often die within 20 years once dwarf mistletoe shoots appear. Infected branches are usually the last to die — more evidence of dwarf mistletoe’s disquieting ability to influence their hosts’ growth.
While common mistletoe remains a winter holiday staple, our botanical vampire may be better-suited for Hallow-
een. I certainly wouldn’t recommend hanging any of its berries over your door. Doing so would invite the famous warning from A Christmas Story: “You’ll shoot your eye out!”
Kenrick Vezina is a freelance writer,
naturalist, and raconteur based in the Greater Boston area. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.
Vermont business leaders voiced their economic concerns and urged action on workforce and housing initiatives at a recent roundtable discussion with Chittenden County Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale. The meeting, hosted by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, centered on the top issues facing the business community in advance of the legislative session. “Vermont industries are the backbone of many communities and I hope to make the essential investments in workforce infrastructure to ensure a sustainable economic future for our state,” said Ram Hinsdale. “Workforce housing, continued pandemic recovery and strategic investments in initiatives to recruit and retain a diverse workforce will all be areas of focus for me this upcoming session.”
Brittany Melvin of South Burlington has been named vice president of client services and public relations at SilverLake Wealth Management in Williston.
Melvin is a native Vermonter and graduate of Champlain College who comes to SilverLake with extensive client service and marketing experience, having served for eight years as the director of sales and marketing at Burlington Country Club.
“Melvin will play an integral role in the process of showing the community how we are different and how we can add value to our clients through our team approach,” said Jeff Steele, SilverLake’s managing partner.
Nina Mazuzan has joined the real estate team at Polli Properties in Williston.
Mazuzan says she characterizes her professional and personal life with two simple words: take care. Prior to becoming a real estate agent, Mazuzan spent many years in a variety of educational settings — college, elementary and preschool — assisting students and families as they navigated their unique personal and educational challenges.
A graduate of the University
of Notre Dame, she has lived in Burlington for more than 30 years with her husband and children.
Off the clock, Mazuzan volunteers with Hope Lodge, the Cancer Patient Support Foundation and the Vermont Italian Cultural Association.
Michael Snyder, of Stowe, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, will leave his job at the end of December.
Snyder was first appointed in 2011, and Gov. Phil Scott extended his appointment when taking office in 2017.
Prior to serving as commissioner, Snyder spent 14 years working as the Chittenden County forester with the department.
“I want to extend my sincere appreciation for commissioner Snyder’s 12 years of service as commissioner of the Department
of Forests, Parks, and Recreation,” said Scott in a prepared statement. “Michael has been a strong advocate for our forest economy, outdoor recreation and so much of what makes Vermont special. I’m grateful for his efforts and wish him all the best.”
As commissioner, Snyder played a critical role in championing several policy initiatives concerning Vermont’s working and natural forestlands. Snyder has also been a champion of Vermont’s role as a regional and national leader in sustainable outdoor recreation.
During his tenure as commissioner, annual attendance at Vermont state parks grew by nearly 40 percent, from 800,000 visitors annually in 2011 to more than 1.1 million visitors this past summer.
“Serving as the commissioner of forests, parks and recreation, with its dedicated and talented staff and its critically important mission, has been the highest honor of my career,” Snyder said.
South Burlington police are looking for help in identifying several people in connection with thefts from motor vehicles along the Shelburne Road corridor, as well as over $1,200 in fraudulent credit card charges. Anyone with information should contact officer Joanna Morse at 802-846-4843.
South Burlington police are looking for a man they say was seen waving a gun around on Williston Road near White Street around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 and who was later reported to be firing a gun in Jaycee Park around 8 p.m. the same evening.
Witnesses described the man as Black, 5’10” with a thin build, and wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt.
He was seen fleeing the Jaycee Park area on foot toward Williston Road.
Police recovered ballistic
evidence at the park. Colchester police attempted to track the suspect using a police dog, but he was not located.
Anyone who may have witnessed these events is asked to contact South Burlington Police at 802-846-4111.
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Directed patrol: 31 Agency/public assists: 16 Traffic stop: 15
Alarm: 12
Suspicious event: 11 Trespass: 8
Parking: winter ban: 9 Welfare check: 9 Disturbance: 8 Retail theft: 6 Larceny from motor vehicle: 4 Total incidents: 218
Untimely deaths: Dec. 17 at 11:34 a.m., police responded to Hanover Street for the death of Dennis Newton, 73, of South Burlington. The medical examiner’s office is determining cause and manner of death.
Arrests: Nov. 11 at 4:59 p.m., Linell D. Vilaseca, 66, of Westford, was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident on Dorset Street.
Dec. 13 at 11:11 p.m., Randy L. Stevens, 32, of Spartanburg,
The Climate Action Task Force’s proposal to amend the city’s charter to allow for the regulation of heating systems in buildings has sparked a lot of debate and it is important for people to understand the context.
Most understand that climate change, largely caused by burning fossil fuels, poses a significant threat to the future of our children. One quote from the co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group II, is chilling: “Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.”
Recent articles in the press talk about how millennials and younger generations have lost the drive to work hard and succeed because of the climate change clouds hanging over their future. Sadly, I have also seen this first hand.
In recognition of the climate crisis, the city council wisely passed a resolution committing South Burlington to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and established a task force to develop a plan to do so. The specific targets are to reduce 2019
emissions by 60 percent by 2030 and 95 percent by 2050.
Some may ask why South Burlington should take such strong action when other jurisdictions and countries seem to be doing less. The answer is that climate change is a collective problem that can only be solved collectively. If no one acts unless everyone does, we seal an unlivable future for our children.
So, the task force conducted an analysis of South Burlington’s current emissions and determined the specific changes that would be necessary in transportation and building practices to meet the targets set by the council. For buildings, the task force concluded that to meet the targets over 300 homes and 8 percent of existing commercial and industrial square footage would need to be electrified each year.
However, without some systemic change, South Burlington will fall far short of these targets. Considering this, the Climate Action Task Force further determined that the city needs the authority to begin a meaningful conversation with the community about how to transition existing buildings away from fossil fuels. The proposal was for a charter change that would be in the hands of the voters.
If approved the proposed change would have given the city the power to
To the Editor:
In Maida Townsend’s last legislative update, she summarized her 10 years in the Legislature. (“Retiring rep looks back on 10 years in Legislature,” Dec. 15, 2022) She gave examples of several ways in which she had worked with individual constituents to accomplish changes to legislation or other goals. We’d like to tell you about one incident she didn’t mention.
On May 5, 2014, then Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law H.589, which included the designation of the Gov. Aiken bucktail streamer as the official fishing fly of the state, the first to have a fishing fly as a state symbol. The fly was named in honor of Aiken, designed by his friend and fellow fisherman Russell Merriman. Rhey Plumley was instrumental in making it all happen.
During his research, Plumley had occasion to speak with Lola Aiken, who was a supporter of her late husband on many levels — including handing out Gov. Aiken flies — and she always kept several in her purse. If she knew you were a fly fisher,
you were likely to receive a Gov. Aiken fly.
Although we were pleased at the signing of the bill, we had no idea whether Lola Aiken was aware of it. We happened to run into Townsend at the South Burlington farmers’ market when it was in the parking lot of the high school and asked her, “How do we get in touch with Lola Aiken?”
Maida immediately reached out to the governor’s executive assistant, Lisa Kunin, and we were subsequently able to contact Mrs. Aiken’s family. Her nephew informed us that there was to be a birthday party for her on June 24, and Townsend helped us to have a fly framed for presentation to Lola.
On her 102nd birthday, Louis Porter, then commissioner of Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, presented the framed fly to Aiken while Townsend snapped a photo.
On Sept. 8, Lola Aiken passed away. Had it not been for Rep. Townsend’s help, she would likely not have known that a fishing fly, designed for and named after her husband, was now a state symbol. Thank you, Maida Townsend.
Rhey Plumley and Sheila Reid South Burlington
It’s been half a century since Poor Elijah first spent Christmas Eve with Ebenezer Scrooge. Even though he’s an English teacher and therefore expected to prefer Dickensian prose, my friend is heartand-soul partial to the 1951 movie version of “A Christmas Carol.” In the old days, when televisions came with antennas, he could only hope a local station would air it sometime between late Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning.
Here in the age of streaming, he could probably catch it at his convenience on his Apple watch, provided he had one, which he predictably doesn’t. He did, however, pick up a DVD at the local video store, when there were local video stores, so now he can watch it whenever he wants. It even offers a choice between black and white or glorious colorized, but being an old-fashioned kind of guy, Poor Elijah prefers Scrooge in traditional Christmas gray at traditional Christmas time.
Anyway, early in the story before Scrooge sees the light, his nephew drops by to spread a little Christmas cheer. Scrooge replies that if he had his way, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled in his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.”
Jesus’s name actually began with the equivalent of our letter Y, which wouldn’t have hung nearly as well on the pagan fir trees that Prince Albert brought from Germany and first made part of England’s Christmas, and ours, when he married Queen Victoria a couple of millennia after the wise men traveled to Bethlehem, which almost undoubtedly didn’t happen in December.
For many of us, Christmas is part of the pageant of redemption. But Christians need to recognize that Christmas was never solely, or initially, a religious observance. In fact, the Puritans went so far as to outlaw it as un-Christian, in part because so many of the traditions we’re presently battling over, from Christmas trees and Yule logs to eggnog and red and green holly, and napkins, were borrowed from older celebrations that marked the depth of winter and offered hope against the cold.
Sensitivity is good. That’s why if I bumped into Benjamin Netanyahu, King Abdullah or the Dalai Lama, I probably wouldn’t wish them a Merry Christmas. And if some neighbors and passersby prefer wishing me a happy holiday, I don’t mind at all.
What I do mind is living in a world where anyone presumes to tell me how I prefer to be greeted, where Christian nationalism is mistaken for the faith Jesus preached, where sensitivity has boiled over into hypersensitivity, where we’re more offended by the wrong pair of words than
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we’re honored and comforted by the generosity and goodwill they express.
So, whether or not he’s in fashion today, I’ll accept Tiny Tim’s blessing. I won’t turn down a blessing from any sincere soul. Because what matters aren’t the words, but the heart that’s behind them.
In hope and with best wishes from Poor Elijah and me.
Peter Berger has taught English and history for 30 years. Poor Elijah would be pleased to answer letters addressed to him in care of the editor.
Christmas supporters rightly point out that Christmas often and increasingly gets shut out of schools in the name of sensitivity and multiculturalism.
When Dickens wrote his story in 1843, you didn’t need a footnote to figure out that Scrooge was the villain in the scene, and that his objection to Merry Christmas was, well, Scrooge-like. Today you can’t jump to that conclusion. In 21st-century America some of our most enlightened arbiters of right and wrong are telling us pretty much the same thing as Uncle Scrooge. Naturally, being socially enlightened, they aren’t threatening Christmas greeters with pudding and holly. They prefer restraining orders and lawsuits.
Public schools have felt the heat. One district recalled 11,000 lunch menus after the nutrition services department went berserk and printed “Merry Christmas” on them. A high school canceled its performance of “A Christmas Carol” because it would have raised unseemly questions about “public school and religion.” Elsewhere, officials have excised red and green napkins and even instrumental versions of traditional carols.
At the opposite, non-secular extreme of the holiday spectrum, champions of the true spirit of Christmas are going to court, too. They’ve been suing about everything from manger scenes in New Jersey school plays to a Texas student’s right to hand out “religious viewpoint gifts” at his class holiday party. Among the gifts were candy canes with an attached message that explained how the peppermint was shaped like a J for Jesus and the red stripe stood for blood.
Of course, if you’re concerned about Christmas traditions, it’s worth noting that
Don’t misunderstand. As I write this, I’m listening to Handel’s “Messiah,” and its chords that resonate in me aren’t all secular. But my personal, private sentiments aren’t the point. Nobody’s are. Because we’re not talking about private devotion and faith. We’re talking about public conduct. Nobody should expect a Christian to leave the Christ out of Christmas. At the same time, Christians can’t expect others who don’t share their Christian faith to insert Jesus of Nazareth into their celebration of winter, charity and good cheer.
Christmas supporters rightly point out that Christmas often and increasingly gets shut out of schools in the name of sensitivity and multiculturalism, while Islam’s Eid and Kwanzaa, which wasn’t even invented until 1966, are deemed perfectly acceptable for classroom holiday consumption.
Even if you endorse multiculturalism, being the majority culture shouldn’t be a disadvantage. On the other hand, the Virginia mother who decided to make a point by sending her first grader to school with a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” cake didn’t help matters. All she did was encourage extremists at the other pole.
Tolerance doesn’t enforce religion. It also doesn’t exclude it. Ardent secularists are quick to quote Jefferson and his wall of separation between church and state. Except they conveniently forget that the unalienable rights he cited when he wrote the Declaration of Independence were, in his words, gifts from his Creator, that the legitimacy of the new nation he was writing about rested on the laws of God, and that he appealed to Divine Providence and pleaded his case before the Supreme Judge of the World.
Surely Tom wouldn’t object to a chorus of “White Christmas” at school.
On the retail front Lowe’s, turning diversity backflips, once rechristened its Christmas trees holiday trees until pro-Christmas consumers threatened a boycott.
Somehow, I don’t think that’s what Jesus or Jefferson had in mind.
regulate heating systems in existing buildings and to potentially impose fees based on greenhouse gas emissions. The charter change would only have gone into effect if approved by voters, the Legislature and the governor, and any fees could only have been implemented if approved by a second city-wide vote.
The council ultimately decided not to put the proposal on the ballot, but if the city’s charter had been amended as proposed, the intention was that this be the first step of a robust dialogue, taking into account that homes need to be weatherized, that low-income individuals may need assistance and that the best time to make changes is when the fossil fuel systems in existing buildings have reached the end of their useful lives.
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S.C., was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident on Shelburne Road. Dec. 14 at 7:38 p.m., Michael E. Plunkett, 33, of Georgia, was arrested for driving under the influence, first offense, in the Dorset Street and Williston Road area. Dec. 14 at 11:32 p.m., Yiota Penny Ahladas, 62, of South Burlington, was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident, eluding a police officer and disorderly conduct on Pavilion Avenue. Dec. 16 at 9:42 a.m., Christopher A. Swett, 33, of Starksboro, was arrested for aggravated assault and felony unlawful trespass on Logwood Street.
Top incidents: Dec. 12 at 1:08 p.m., police responded to an accident that caused property damage on Shelburne Road. Dec. 12 at 4:07 p.m., police conducted a welfare check on Forest Street.
Dec. 12 at 1:55 a.m., an investigation continues into a disturbance on Shelburne Road.
Dec. 13 at 4:30 a.m., police directed traffic on Dorset Street.
Dec. 13 at 10:50 a.m., a suspicious event was investigated on Dorset Street.
Dec. 13 at 12:11 p.m., a theft from a vehicle took place on Shelburne Road. Dec. 14 at 7:25 a.m., police issued a no trespass order on Shelburne Road. Dec. 14 at 10:34 a.m., threats were inves-
Given the many steps that would be required, any regulations would not have gone into effect for several years, during which time heat pump technology would continue to improve. I don’t think anyone contemplated requiring folks with existing functioning heating systems to pay carbon taxes or to swap out working systems.
Hopefully the state will pass a clean heat standard that would accomplish many of the goals of the proposed charter change. If not, let’s please next time have a calm and informed conversation about how to address these problems as a community. We owe this to our children.
Andrew Chalnick is vice-chair of the South Burlington Climate Action Task Force.
tigated on Logwood Street.
Dec. 14 at 10:03 a.m., police responded to a domestic situation on Bay Crest Drive.
Dec. 15 at 9:30 a.m., another vehicle was reported stolen, this one on Laurel Hill Drive.
Dec. 15 at 11:41 a.m., police are looking into a report of fraud on Shelburne Road.
Dec. 15 at 4:59 p.m., someone left the scene of an accident on Kennedy Drive and Dorset Street.
Dec. 16 at 1:29 a.m., a report of a noisy person or persons on Market Street.
Dec. 16 at 9:42 a.m., police investigated an aggravated assault on Logwood Street.
Dec. 16 at 3:55 p.m., threats were made on Larkin Way.
Dec. 17 at 2:52 a.m., police stopped a driver on the Williston Road overpass suspected of driving under the influence.
Dec. 17 at 12:28 p.m., a fraud is being investigated on Williston Road.
Dec. 17 at 6:43 p.m., police assisted youth services on Proctor Avenue.
Dec. 18 at 8:17 p.m., a disturbance on Lime Kiln Road was reported.
Dec. 18 at 9:13 p.m., threats are being investigating from Gregory Drive.
Dec. 18 at 10 p.m., police conducted a directed patrol on Williston Road.
President Joe Biden invited multitudes to the White House in celebration of his signing into law the Respect for Marriage Act, landmark bipartisan legislation protecting gay marriage extraordinary on its own.
But even more compelling is considering the distance we’ve traveled since the seismic response to Vermont codifying gay relationships in 2000.
Called “a momentous legal victory” by the American Civil Liberties Union, the civil union bill was based on the state Supreme Court ruling that the benefits and protections of marriage must be extended to same-sex couples.
As I recall, none of that was nearly as simple as it sounds. Laws can be changed with the stroke of a pen. Minds take a little longer — 20-plus years in this case — and despite how far we’ve come on paper, we’re still not done.
Writing in support of civil unions and later gay marriage in the Times Argus and other local media outlets, I vividly recall the unbridled loathing leveled at the LGBTQ community and anyone advocating equality and acceptance of same-sex unions, some of it aimed in my direction.
One thing I learned that continues to play out two decades later is that demonizing the gay and trans community still pays political dividends in certain circles, so consequently remains a potent wedge issue, especially for evangelicals, who claim essentially that hate crimes and religious liberty go hand in hand.
While sexual orientation is a protected category along with race, color, national origin and religion in federal anti-discrimination laws, gay couples continue to experience bigotry in several ways, especially from conservative-owned businesses. In a case currently before the Supreme Court, a Colorado web designer argues that her websites constitute art and are “one of a kind, unique” as she explained to National Public Radio: “I cannot create something that violates the core of what I believe,” which is that marriage should be only between a man and a woman.
Citing the state’s public accommodation law as a “violation of her right to free
speech and expression,” she is petitioning the court to protect her right to impose her religious beliefs on others — creating wedding websites that are “consistent with my faith” — which she cannot legally do while offering services to the public. Imagine a business owner similarly discriminating against any other group with protected status.
It’s unthinkable that the court would countenance a business open to the public that refused to serve Jews, or African Americans, or Muslims, so why might it be an open question whether the LGBTQ community is entitled to similar protections? That the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case at all is troubling enough, but indications, according to some legal experts, imply that the conservative justices are sympathetic to the web designer who most likely brought the case at least in part based on the makeup of the court, gerrymandered by Mitch McConnell into an ironclad far-right majority.
The progress of gay rights, particularly marriage, over the past two decades is undeniable. As recently as 2004, according to The Washington Post, “Polls showed the majority of Americans — 60 percent — opposed same-sex marriage while only 31 percent were in favor.” The Pew Research Center reported four years ago that those numbers had reversed to 61 percent across multiple demographic groups now supporting, marking a near unprecedented shift in attitudes unique to this issue.
Despite decades of progress, though, equality is “not within reach and often not even within sight” for those impacted by violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States, claims Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the U.N. independent expert on protection against such violence and discrimination.
His conclusion following a 10-day visit was that the LGBTQ community in the U.S. continues to face significant inequality in relation to health, education, employment and housing, as well as being disproportionately impacted by violence.
Even as the president signs protections for gay couples into law, the LBGTQ community is reeling after another targeted mass shooting at the Club Q in Colorado Springs, where five died and 25 others were wounded by a 22-year-old gunman
who almost certainly would have killed more if not for the heroism of patrons at the bar, long considered a safe haven.
Gay Americans have become convenient scapegoats and easy targets for bullies of all stripes, from the camouflaged, gun-toting bigots who show up at Pride Parades to GOP stalwarts like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who would have his constituents believe trans youth and comprehensive sex education are the biggest problems facing the state. Anxious to burnish his conservative bona fides for an expected 2024 presidential campaign, DeSantis caters to the ever-increasing radicalism of the Republican base with atrocities like his Don’t Say Gay bill, which appears designed to keep the state’s students as ignorant as he pretends to be.
With same-sex marriage now codified by federal law, especially considering 12 Senate Republicans having joined the majority with another 47 voting yes in the House, it would
seem a celebration is in order.
But while we’re patting ourselves on the back, we should keep in mind that the Respect for Marriage Act is a specific victory, in a specific battle in an ongoing war against the discrimination LGBTQ individuals face in health care, housing and employment, which often threaten physical and mental health along with financial well-being.
This journey isn’t over, and the magnitude change necessary will not come easily or quickly, but we’re on the road and have been for 50 years. Since the Stonewall riots launched the modern gay rights movement in 1969, the community has fearlessly taken giant steps, relentlessly pushing the envelope, demanding the right to be themselves, educating everyone else in the process, always with a life-affirming resilience that will eventually win the war.
Walt Amses is a Vermont-based writer.
Lyric kickoff, auditions for ‘Shrek The Musical’
Calling all actors, dancers, singers, artists, builders, craftspeople, musicians and more — Lyric Theatre Company needs you for its upcoming production of “Shrek The Musical.”
Whether you’re a seasoned theater pro or have never stepped foot on or behind a stage, Vermont’s premier volunteer nonprofit theater company welcomes all to an informational meeting and auditions.
“Shrek the Musical” is a one-of-a-kind fairy tale in which curses are reversed, monsters get the girls, donkeys and fire-breathing dragons find love and princesses are beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Based on the 2001 Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, “Shrek The Musical” is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure, featuring songs from Jeanine Tesori and book by David Lindsay-Abaire.
The kickoff meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Lyric Creative Space, 7 Green Tree Drive in South Burlington. This will include an introduction of the production team, a presentation of the show vision by the artistic team, and information about auditions and backstage opportunities for volunteers. Attendance of this meeting is recommended but not required to audition or volunteer.
Auditions are in-person only and will be held at the Lyric Creative Space Sunday through Thursday, Jan. 8-12. Auditions will consist of movement/dance, singing and reading/acting. Vocal and reading selections are available at lyrictheatrevt. org/shrek. Dance and vocal workshops will occur during the audition process. Only one day of auditioning is required per person; callbacks may be held and will
take place Friday, Jan. 13.
To enter the creative space, proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is required.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be completed at the kickoff meeting Jan. 4, or online at lyrictheatrevt.org/ shrek beginning on Jan. 5.
The show will be performed April 13-16.
For audition and kickoff-specific questions, email stage manager Becky Millard at beckystagemanager@gmail.com.
Help support the South Burlington High School instrumental music department by participating in its annual Christmas tree pick-up on Saturday, Jan. 7.
Trees will be picked up in all South Burlington neighborhoods for a small fee. Prices are as follows: Small trees, $10 minimum; medium trees, $15 minimum; and large trees, $20 minimum.
Just make your check payable to “SBHS Music,” put it in an envelope and plastic bag and attach it to your tree.
Put trees by the curb no later than 10 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 7, and a music student will take care of the rest. Trees will be brought to McNeil’s generating plant (in the Intervale) and will be repurposed into fuel.
For condo and apartment dwellers, bring trees to the front of the development and leave it by the curb. It is difficult to bring a large truck into the narrow corners of some developments.
If your tree is not picked up by 2 p.m. on Jan. 7, call Christina at 802-373-6937 and it will be taken care of promptly.
If you haven’t gotten your annual flu shot or updated COVID19 booster yet, state health officials say now is the time to take advantage of expanded hours at vaccination clinics — where you can walk in, with no appointment necessary.
New hours include more evenings and weekends through the end of December, making it easier for those who work or go to school to get vaccinated quickly and easily. Starting as early as Monday, Dec. 19, many clinics will also offer the updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine newly approved for eligible children 6 months to 5 years old. Visit healthvermont.gov/myvaccine for more details.
“Check getting vaccinated off your to-do list and you’ll have a better chance for a healthier start to the holidays and the new year,” said Vermont Health Department immunization program manager Monica Ogelby.
Getting vaccinated is especially important for those at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 or the flu, including people ages 50 and older and those with certain medical conditions, she said.
Babies and young children under 5 are also at higher risk of getting very sick from the flu.
Starting in January, walk-in clinics will transition to more limited hours and close by Tuesday, Jan. 31. Vaccines will continue to be widely available, at no cost to the patient, by appointment at doctors’ offices, pharmacies or other locations where vaccines are offered.
Vermonters who do not have a health care provider or access to a pharmacy can reach out to their local health office to be vaccinated. The department will also continue to work with partners to vaccinate homebound Vermonters, English language learners and immigrant or refugee community members.
For people seeking the updated bivalent vaccine for the youngest children, the type of vaccine they received earlier will impact whether they can get a booster. Review eligibility carefully before going to a walk-in clinic.
Children 6 months to 5 years old are eligible for the updated vaccine if they have received both doses of the original Moderna vaccine at least two months ago or if they have only received two of the three original Pfizer doses.
Updated boosters are not recommended at this time for children under 5 who have received all three doses of the original Pfizer vaccine. This group of children would still be expected to have protection against the most serious outcomes from the currently circulating omicron variant, according to the FDA. The data to support giving an updated bivalent booster dose for these children is expected in January.
unable to sprout.
Ethan TapperEach of Vermont’s tens of thousands of native species fills an ecological niche, influencing its environment and the species around it in different ways. While an important component of managing for healthy, biologically-diverse forests includes managing for species diversity — different species of wildlife trees and plants — there are also differences in behavior between individuals of the same species.
The emergent study of intraspecific behavioral variation, also known as animal personality, has illuminated the behavioral diversity within individual species. Studies of animal personality focus largely on five traits: boldness/ shyness, aggressiveness, activity, exploratory behavior and sociability. Across a growing body of scientific literature, species from birds and grizzly bears to worms and salamanders exhibit a range of personalities that influence the way that they forage, reproduce, rear their young and more.
A recent study by researchers from the University of Maine (detailed in the New York Times) examined animal personality by looking at synzoochory, the dispersal of seeds by seed-caching animals. Synzoochory is thought to be a mutually beneficial relationship between trees and the animals which cache their seeds.
This study found that some deer mice and red-backed voles were more mutualistic — more likely to spread and cache viable acorns — while others were more antagonistic or more likely to consume acorns or to cache them in places where they would be
Research into animal personality has given rise to another fascinating concept: the keystone individual. Many of us are aware of the idea of a keystone species — a species, like beaver, whose behavior supports an array of habitats and natural processes. A keystone individual is a single animal whose behavior is disproportionately valuable to the ecosystem that it inhabits, to other species, or to groups of their own species.
For instance, the mice and voles which were more likely to cache viable acorns could be called keystone individuals because they distributed and planted oaks across the forest, thus serving an invaluable ecological role. In social animals from birds to fish to spiders, keystone individuals have also been observed to change the personality and the behavior of colonies, flocks and schools of their own species.
While some animal personality traits may seem to be “better” than others, it is suspected that a behavioral diversity exists because different personality traits are beneficial at different times and in different situations, and because there are trade-offs associated with different traits. For example, a bolder deer may be more successful at eating backyard apples — a highly-valuable food resource — but more likely to be killed by a hunter. A shyer deer may be better at avoiding predators but less successful at mating and foraging at times when boldness is necessary.
Biodiversity is key to forest resilience and adaptability, providing different pathways forward as ecosystems and species face both the harmful legacies of
the past and an uncertain future. Researchers now suggest that behavioral diversity is important for the same reason: that a diversity of personalities affords a species more ways to respond to a changed and changing world.
In our relatively young and simple forests, we have skewed animal personalities toward
certain traits which are adaptive under these conditions. To encourage behavioral diversity, we need to invoke many of the same practices that we also use for a variety of other objectives: from providing habitat for declining songbirds to improving the climate resilience of our forests.
Managing forests to be more
diverse and complex, with different species of trees, different sizes and ages of trees, some big old trees and lots of dead wood on the forest floor will help encourage a diversity of animal personalities.
We also need to encourage landscape-level diversity: a landscape which is a connected mosaic of forests of different ages and in different stages of development and which are managed in different ways. Managing for habitats which may be underrepresented across our landscape — such as early successional forest — is important, as is encouraging some areas of unmanaged forest.
Animal personality is yet another example of the many intricacies of forest communities, and another testament to the importance of managing them thoughtfully. As is the case with so many things, diversity is crucial both for protecting what we have and for moving into the future.
Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. See what he’s been up to, check out his YouTube channel, sign up for his enews and read articles he’s written at linktr. ee/chittendencountyforester.
During the holidays, poinsettias show off in shades of red, pink and cream. They’ve been hybridized to decorate our homes during a season when the garden outdoors is fast asleep. Most people treat them as a holiday plant to be enjoyed for a limited time then disposed of, but that doesn’t have to be.
Poinsettias are a perennial. That means that they can live long after the holiday season is over. In their native habitat of Mexico and Central America, they are large shrubs standing up to 10 to 15 feet tall, reblooming year after year. Because poinsettias are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9-11, they will not survive outdoors year-round in the Northeast. However, they will make a fine houseplant.
Poinsettias prefer bright light, temperatures between 65–80 degrees Fahrenheit, free of cold or hot drafts and moist, but not wet soil. The first thing to do when you bring home a poinsettia is to remove the foil covering on the pot.
Place the pot in either a saucer or decorative cachepot where you can see and remove any standing water. Thoroughly water when the soil feels dry.
Allow any excess water to drain away, then empty it from the saucer or cachepot. Never let it sit in water. Soggy soil will cause the roots to rot and leaves to curl and fall off.
Place the poinsettia near a window, but don’t let the leaves touch the glass. Avoid cold and hot drafts. With a little care, your poinsettia will be happy and healthy through the holidays and beyond. And while the green foliage is lovely on its own, with the right conditions, your poinsettia can bloom again.
In January, you may notice some dropping leaves, and the remaining colored leaves (called bracts) will turn green. At this point, you have a choice. You can either treat the poinsettia as you do your other houseplants and let nature take its course or you can intervene to force it to bloom during the next holiday season.
In nature, as daylight hours grow shorter, the poinsettia’s bloom cycle begins. While the colored bracts of a poinsettia appear to be the plant’s flower, they serve a
special purpose, to attract pollinators to the tiny yellow flowers at their center.
Popular recommendations to force a poinsettia to rebloom include cutting back on watering and pruning the poinsettia to 6 to 8 inches high when leaves begin to fall after the holidays and keeping it in a cool location (around 60 degrees Fahrenheit). When new growth appears, return to watering as usual and fertilize according to package instructions.
As fall approaches, the tricky part begins. Make sure the plant receives at least 14 hours of total darkness by either covering it or moving it to a closet during those hours. When the bracts begin turning color, return the plant to a window where it can receive bright light.
A far easier method is to treat the poinsettia like any other houseplant. Place it in a south, east or west window. Care for it by watering as needed throughout the year.
As the days begin to shorten, the bracts will begin to change color. The change from green to red will progress without any special treatment. Buds will form at the center of the bracts and the poinsettia will flower.
In short, this year’s poinsettia can take its place among your other houseplants and with a little care it can celebrate the holiday with you again during the next holiday season.
— Deborah BenoitMy grandmother had a green thumb. A self-taught gardener, she cultivated a bountiful garden every summer, tended a large variety of indoor plants and was always ready to experiment with and learn about new varieties. One of my favorite memories of her as a gardener relates to a small, green, succulent-like leaf she found on the sidewalk near her apartment.
We had just arrived for a visit when she found this small leaf. Her excitement seemed excessive as she described how she had found a piece of a Christmas cactus. I watched as she carefully put the leaf in
and local agriculture.
He did not find fulfillment in a traditional career path, so he headed to Scotland to join the Findhorn intentional community, based in spirituality, ecology and cooperative operation. This was a marked experience in Will’s life, learning to run things seeing the power of collective action.
It was there he also met his wife Lynette, who would be his guide, his co-conspirator and his life and spiritual partner for the next 45 years.
Will Raap, community visionary and iconic entrepreneurial activist, loving husband, father and friend, died unexpectedly Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, at the age of 73.
He accomplished so much and set in motion so much still to be done.
How to describe Will? His intelligence, his humor, his practicality, his grace, his ease. His deep love of the natural world. His lack of emphasis on his legacy and his total lack of pretense. The adjectives pile up. But mostly his deep belief in and respect for the worth of every person, a belief in the power of an individual to make a difference, and for the power of the collective to change the world. Will lived this, as comfortable packing boxes and pulling weeds and sweeping up pigeon poop alongside his family and co-workers, as speaking at conferences and petitioning politicians to get on board and make something happen.
Will redefined and modeled what it was to be a leader in society or should be. Yes, he was driven, highly charismatic, highly competitive and held high expectations. But this was rooted in collaboration, emotional openness, compassion and empathy. A generous mentor to so many, Will believed in you.
A native Californian, Will lived much of his life as a dedicated Vermonter and always as a global citizen. He completed his education at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley, and what he subsequently experienced working in planning in the Central Valley very much shaped his life’s mission. Seeing the effect of large-scale agriculture and the patent idiocy of compromising the environment to ship a hard tasteless tomato across the country or around the world, Will envisioned a future rooted in local business
Upon returning to the United States, Will and Lynette landed on the East Coast where Will joined Lyman Wood at Garden Way, a business founded to promote a living-off-the-land ethos.
Lyman had a vision for a different kind of business, one that made a positive difference for society, and of management through collaboration and shared ownership. Unfortunately, an internal coup led to extensive downsizing.
At the time Will was working at a division called Gardens for All, which promoted home gardening and published National Gardening magazine. Forced to figure out a means to better monetize their readership, Will began selling products through the pages of the magazine. Will would subsequently spin this activity off into an independent catalog business, and in 1983 Gardener’s Supply was born.
This was a time when specialty cataloging was young, and despite some early business neardeath experiences, that rising tide lifted all boats — including Gardener’s Supply.
Gardener’s Supply was not founded to merely sell stuff through catalogs, it was founded out of Will’s belief that business should be the strongest force for good in our society, and that through Gardener’s Supply the team could improve the world through gardening.
The concept of socially responsible business hardly existed; as would often be repeated, his vision was ahead of his time.
Will sought a new form of business organization, one that not only rewarded the financial capital invested, but also the labor and contributions of all employees who were creating enterprise value. Rooted in his deep respect for the contribution of every employee, only four years after founding Gardener’s Supply Will steered the company toward employee ownership through the early adoption of an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP. Although the business
grew in value and Will could have sold it for a premium, he stayed committed to keeping business in the Vermont community. He would eventually sell the entire company to the employees; Gardener’s Supply became 100 percent employee owned in 2009. Gardener’s Supply has grown to more than $100 million in annual sales and 300 year-round employees.
It was one afternoon in the early 1980s when retrieving his stolen and abandoned car that Will became acquainted with the Intervale, which was literally “the wrong side of the tracks.”
It was there that Will saw the unrealized agricultural potential of the fertile soils. The Intervale was home to the last dairy farm in Burlington, acres of cow corn, abandoned tires and petty crime. In the belief that a good use would chase out bad, Will moved Gardener’s Supply there in 1986.
He promptly formed Intervale Farm and Garden, which would become the non-profit Intervale Center, with the mission of incubating new farms and new farmers, reimagining post-dairy Vermont agriculture, and locally growing 10 percent of Burlington’s fresh produce.
Today the Intervale Center is reinventing agriculture across the country.
Will’s passion for starting things would never relent. He went on to form many other businesses, ranging from commercial greenhouse sales to wood products manufacturing (Serac Corporation in Georgia, Vt.) to ecological wastewater treatment and many more; some successful, others not. When he left the day-to-day management of Gardener’s Supply, he collaborated with his kids to start the highly successful Green State Gardener and Upstate Elevator Supply Company, and just recently to assemble a team to launch Steep Hill Labs, a leading Vermont cannabis testing facility.
At the age of 72, he undertook his greatest challenge, acquiring the former Nordic Farm in Charlotte, and embracing a dynamic ecosystem of agricultural startups, a living demonstration project for a re-envisioned future for specialty agriculture in Vermont. Renamed Earthkeep Farmcommon, that vision lives on.
Will’s impact reached far beyond Vermont and the U.S. He and Lynette had deep ties to Costa Rica, where Will replicated similar for-profit and non-profit initiatives to support ecological entrepreneurship. He brought the same ethos to business partnerships
around the world, building ties and socially responsible sourcing throughout Europe, India and Asia.
In Costa Rica Will was also at his most relaxed, he and Lynette generously hosting and sharing with others the beauty and wonder of that country.
Yes, Will grew ideas and businesses, but he also grew people. Foremost are his creative and caring children Dylan, Kelsy and Addison, independent souls all, the true expression of the practicality, persistence and spirit of Will and Lynette.
Will would also be a true and lifelong mentor to many others. A charismatic leader, he believed in the potential embodied in everyone. Will was generous with his time, unsparing with his opinions, and modeled confidence without pretense, wrapped in modesty. He was a model of “servant leadership,” never asking of anyone something he would not do himself. He related to his staff as he would his friends, one to one, with compassion and empathy.
Will’s confidence was coupled with his selflessness; he would see an issue and develop a working model that others could follow — enabling the good work to spread. And it has, with courage and persistence.
Will had a “why not?” attitude to taking risks. The more you told Will “you can’t” the more determined he was to prove that “you can.” This did not always serve him best, he sometimes held onto ideas, businesses and even relationships too long. But out of every setback came learning, and a new path to a better outcome.
His family feels immeasurable gratitude for the profound love he showed them — and the love he taught them to cultivate as concern for the welfare of others; that every problem has a win-win solution and how to dedicate themselves to improving conditions for our shared home, Planet Earth. While his absence feels unbearable, they are grateful for the outpouring of support and know that his impact is enduring.
He will live in spirit in all who were lucky enough to have been touched by his presence.
In addition to his wife and children, Will is survived by two adoring sisters, Linda Kramer of Lafayette, Calif., and Sherrie Crumpler of Malibu, Calif.
A celebration of life will be planned for Earth Day, Will’s favorite holiday, with details to follow.
In lieu of flowers or gifts and to further Will’s work, please contribute to the Raap Family
Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation online at vermontcf. org/raapfamilyfund. Checks can be mailed to 3 Court Street, Middlebury VT 05456.
Kyle Anthony Hartman Abbott, 33, of Cabot, died unexpectedly Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, in East Montpelier from injuries sustained in a tragic motor vehicle accident.
He was born Oct. 2, 1989, in Morristown, the son of Cindy Lou Hartman. He graduated from Cabot High School in the Class of 2007.
Kyle was first employed at the Allen Wood Horse Farm in Plainfield. He later started his own logging and carpentry business.
He was a hard worker and great outdoorsman, a lover of horses and dairy farming. Kyle enjoyed hunting, fishing, dirt biking, four wheeling and arm wrestling.
Survivors include his mother, Cindy Abbott of South Burlington; father, Daniel Abbott of Cabot; his stepmother, Valerie LaMonda of Stowe; maternal grandmother, Nancy Huard of Barre; paternal great grandmother, Barbara Prue of Walden; paternal grandmother, Grace Cookson of Cabot; two brothers, Logan Posey of Barre and Daniel Abbott Jr. of St. Johnsbury; a stepbrother, Larry J. St. Cyr of Morristown; two stepsisters, Mariya St. Cyr and Elizabeth St Cyr, both of Burlington; as well as aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Visiting hours will be held from 6-8 p.m., on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, at the Northern Vermont Funeral Home, 60 Elm St., Hardwick.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Central Vermont Humane Society, P.O. Box 687, Montpelier VT 05601.
Arrangements are in the care of Northern Vermont Funeral Service, Hardwick. Online condolences are welcome at northernvermontfuneralservice.com.
Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield 3, South Burlington 1: South Burlington surrendered a goal in each period as it fell to the Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield team 3-1 on Saturday, Dec. 17.
Hadia Ahmed scored for the Wolves, who move to 2-1 with the loss. Oli Roy made 23 saves in goal.
South Burlington also took the ice on Wednesday, beating Rutland 8-0 behind a four-goal effort from Hadia Ahmed.
Sawyer Bailey, Sabrina Brunet (one
assist), Bella Gordon and Cait Bartlett also scored for the Wolves.
Oli Roy and Alisa McLean combined to get the win in net.
Colchester 3, South Burlington 1: South Burlington fell to Colchester Thursday, Dec. 15, in the final of the Beech Classic at Leddy Park.
Nick Kelly scored for the Wolves, while Lucas Van Mullen added an assist on the play.
James Chagnon stopped 33 shots in the losing effort.
South Burlington advanced to the Beech Classic championship with a 3-2 win over
Champlain Valley the day before.
Van Mullen had two goals and an assist to lead the Wolves’ offense, while Kelly added a goal and two assists. Ryan Audibert chipped in with an assist.
James Bradley made 25 stops in goal.
Girls’ basketball
Harwood 36, South Burlington 35:
Late free throws from Harwood sunk South Burlington in a loss Thursday.
Aleah Staley led all scorers with 16 points for South Burlington, while Tori Griffin added 11.
Quinn Nelson hit two free throws with 30 seconds to go to give Harwood the lead and the win.
Public Hearing Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Positions include a sign on bonus, strong benefits package and the opportunity to work at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont”.
Service Coordinator: Continue your career in human services in a supportive environment by providing case management for individuals either for our Adult Family Care program or our Developmental Services program. The ideal candidate will have strong clinical, organizational & leadership skills and enjoy working in a team-oriented position. $47,000 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.
Residential Program Manager: Coordinate staffed residential and community supports for an individual in their home. The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a team-oriented position, have strong clinical skills, and demonstrated leadership. $45,900 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.
Direct Support Professional: Provide 1:1 supports to help individuals reach their goals in a variety of settings. This is a great position to start or continue your career in human services. Full and part time positions available starting at $19/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.
Residential Direct Support Professional: Provide supports to an individual in their home and in the community in 24h shifts including asleep overnights in a private, furnished bedroom. You can work two days, receive full benefits and have five days off each week! Other flexible schedules available, starting wage is $20/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.
Shared Living Provider: Move into someone’s home or have someone live with you to provide residential supports. There are a variety of opportunities available that could be the perfect match for you and your household. Salary varies dependent on individual care requirements. $1,000 sign on bonus.
Join our dedicated team and together we’ll build a community where everyone participates and belongs https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/
Make a career making a difference and join our team today!
https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 7:00 PM to consider amendments to the Land Development Regulations. The amendments affect all parts of the City unless otherwise specified below. The hearing will be held in person and remotely via Zoom. Participation options:
• In Person: City Hall Auditorium, 180 Market Street
• Interactive Online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9960639517
• Telephone: 929 205 6099, Meeting ID: 996 063 9517
The purpose of the hearing is to consider the following:
A. LDR-22-09: Updates to Article 12 Environmental Standards, including, but not limited to:
1) Modification of the Class II wetlands buffer boundary in some residential areas
2) Streamline administrative permitting process
3) Remove permitted, human-made steep slopes from regulation as steep slopes
Copies of the proposed amendments are available for inspection at the Department of Planning & Zoning, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 180 Market Street, and on the city website at www.sbvt.gov.
with its
have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.
According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their nor mal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.
Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and
Life, Career, Moving & End-of-Life Support
Judy F. Carr, Ed.D. 802.487.8077 - jcarrvt@gmail.com Winooski, Vermont & Virtually www.TransitionDoula.org Conversation – Education - Advocacy
head the Golf depending land. Rotary’s
March 21 - April 20
Don’t fret, Aries. No news is good news while you’re waiting around to hear about something important. Give it a few more days and your waiting time will be over.
April 21 - May 21
If you are thinking about changing careers, you probably should wait until the holidays are over. No one’s mind is on the job these days, so waiting is the wiser move.
May 22 - June 21
Consider all sides of a situation before you offer your opinion, Gemini. This way you have the facts and will not inadvertently alienate someone.
June 22 - July 22
When someone turns to you for help, you do not hesitate to do all that you can, Cancer. Just be sure you do not to overwork yourself. Take on only what you can manage.
July 23 - Aug. 23
You’ve bitten off quite a lot lately, Leo. Fortunately, you have a good support system that can help you out when you need a helping hand. Rely on them as much as necessary.
Aug. 24 - Sept. 22
Take a few days to sit back and rest and recharge. It will afford you an opportunity to plan for the future, as this may be a period of unrest for you.
Sept. 23 - Oct. 23
You’ve been placed in a new role and you’re loving every minute of it, Libra. Enjoy the moments while they last. This may be what you’re meant to do.
Oct. 24 - Nov. 22
Scorpio, you might want to take it easy and stick close to home for the time being. You need to regroup and focus anew. You can do that more easily without distractions.
Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must ll each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can gure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Nov. 23 - Dec. 21
Sagittarius, your to-do list might be growing longer, but tackle one thing at a time rather than getting overwhelmed. Reach out to a loved one for assistance.
Dec. 22 - Jan. 20
Success is within reach, Capricorn. Do not be surprised if others are a bit jealous of your accomplishments and want to pull you down. Ignore the naysayers.
Jan. 21 - Feb. 18
You have a plan but others are not falling in line right now, Aquarius. It may take time before others come around to your way of thinking. Be a little more patient.
Feb. 19 - March 20
It’s a ne balance between work and play right now for you, Pisces. You’re tempted to forego all responsibilities, but that wouldn’t be smart.
y in fashion
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or child care for their families, facing waitlists that can be pages long,” said Rebecca Kapsalis, the associate vice president of talent acquisition for the health hetwork. “I am confident that helping employees and their families secure housing and childcare will in turn help us relocate and hire more employees — and keep more of our colleagues working with us as well.”
The network says it has established a committee to oversee the selection process for the building and the child care facility and expects to release more details in the future on who would qualify and what subsidies could be available.
Similar to the first project, the UVM
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some moist potting soil. I forgot about this incident until later, when grandma showed me a lush green plant, which she proudly reported had grown from that small leaf she picked up from the sidewalk.
Christmas cactus and its close relative, the Thanksgiving cactus, appear for sale in garden centers at this time of year. These natives of the Brazilian rainforests make wonderful gifts as they are easy to care for and, with a bit of knowledge, can be coaxed to rebloom with modest effort.
Identification of these cacti can be made by examining their leaf segments. Both types have projections along the edge. The Thanksgiving cactus leaf projections are pointed while those of the Christmas cactus are more rounded. Both cacti bloom in a variety of colors, most commonly red, pink, purple and white.
A succulent potting mix is the best choice for these cacti. Water when the surface of the soil is dry. Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti also prefer a humid environment.
This can be simulated by placing a drip tray of small stones under the plant pot. Keep a small amount of water in the tray to evaporate. The pot should not be submerged in the water but sitting atop the stones.
These plants prefer bright light, but not direct sunlight.
Both the Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus are short-day plants. To encourage them to bloom, they must have a mini-
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decoration, perched in his window on Airport Parkway in South Burlington, has been there — or somewhere at least — for 63 years now. It’s an adamant tradition of his that he started when he bought the home back in 1959, and ran his own business, Duncan’s Auto Service, keeping the Jolly Old Saint waving and smiling — a complement to a street block full of lights and decorations for passerbys to gaze at.
But it wasn’t always that way. The 84-year-old had to sneak it around through the years. Duncan’s late wife, Carol, never was too fond of it as the window decor.
“My wife didn’t want it in the window,” Duncan said. “She said, ‘No way it’s going
Health Network will help finance the project without being a property manager, while Snyder-Braverman will own and operate the building. The network will take a 10-year master lease on the 120-unit building.
Snyder-Braverman is also involved in the joint venture with the University of Vermont, which, in September, announced a plan to build nearly 300 housing units in South Burlington’s City Center for university graduate students, as well a staff and faculty, to relieve some of the housing pressure in Burlington, where students regularly compete with residents in a tight housing market.
mum of 12 hours of darkness and cooler temperatures, ideally in the 50–60-degree range for about six weeks. Once buds begin to appear, you can return the cactus to its usual location.
Do not fertilize your cactus while it is in bloom.
These beginner-friendly cacti are relatively disease-free. The most common problem is stem or root rot, caused by excessive moisture.
This easily can be avoided by using well-draining soil, such as a succulent potting mix, and allowing the soil to dry between waterings. There are reports of lovingly cared-for Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus living for decades.
Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti prefer to have their roots fit snugly in their pot, so replanting is only necessary every three to five years.
In addition to being easy to care for, both are excellent candidates for propagating from cuttings. Take a cutting of one or more leaf segments and simply allow it to dry out for a couple of days. Once dry, place the cutting in moist soil. After roots have developed, which takes a few weeks, transplant into succulent potting mix and water as you would for an established plant.
— Andrea Knepperup. I said, ‘Oh yes, it is!’” Eventually he capitulated, and the refugee Santa hung in the Pour House on Williston Road for at least five years, and in Pete’s RV Center too.
Carol died in 2007 — one year short of their 50th anniversary. “We didn’t quite make 50 years, but we tried!” he said. “We had a great time together.”
Nowadays, Duncan gets frequent visits from his two daughters — “one lives a quarter mile up the street, the other lives a quarter mile down the street,” he said — and his son lives in South Hero.
“They take care of me,” he said, seated in his home, with Santa waving out the window.
‘TIS THE SEASON TO ADD A LITTLE...Andrea Knepper and Deborah J. Benoit are master gardeners with the University of Vermont Extension.