Human: Samantha, I am a wretch. I have to write at least 3,000 words about AI art. Where should I begin? Why does writing feel like extruding pasta from my brain? Samantha: No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. It’s none of my business. Do you like cake? Human: I think I’m more…
The Vermont House Education Committee on Tuesday took a preliminary step toward pausing a statewide school testing program for PCBs in order to align it with the legislature’s broader priorities for improving school facilities. School superintendents and state officials have testified over the past several weeks that identifying and remediating the toxic chemicals in school…
Super husband, talented woodworker, animal lover “You can judge the heart of a man by the treatment of his fellow animals.”-Paul McCartney The universe lost a kind and brilliant soul on March 17, 2022. Craig was passionate about his craft and was an incredibly talented woodworker. He was also a lifetime advocate for animals and…
March 19, 2022 Love endures, Susan
Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. Chapter 117 and the Westford Land Use & Development Regulations, the Westford Development Review Board will hold a public hearing at the Westford Public Library (1717 Rte 128) & via ZOOM on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 7:00 PM to review the following application: Site Plan Public Hearing –Burnor Property Applicant:…
The topic of AI-generated art has sparked an ongoing discussion in my household. I’m an artist engaged to a software developer. Lately, we seem star-crossed on this subject as the art and tech worlds clash over questions of ethics, legality and ownership — not to mention the very function of art itself. It’s been hard…
State regulators want to build a cannabis testing lab to help them oversee the fast-growing legal weed market. The Vermont Cannabis Control Board’s request for nearly $1 million and three new positions comes as it investigates contaminated weed that made it through several state-imposed safeguards and onto store shelves. The board pulled the pesticide-laden product,…
It’s not a stretch to say every piece of art communicates something to viewers, but a subset of artworks across a spectrum of mediums delivers explicit messages. They might be imparted through words or ideograms or more liminal means; their purpose is commonly to inform, enlighten or persuade. All these considerations, and more, are bundled…
While sampling some of Burlington’s finest indie rock at Radio Bean recently, a friend turned to me with something like a revelation. “Have you noticed that all the new bands in town have girls in them now?” she remarked. “They’re either all girls or the singer is a girl. It’s full-on girl power in Burlington…
A lot of meaning is packed into “Time and Again: Psychogeographic Meditations on Place,” the title of Mary Zompetti’s exhibition of photographs in the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery at Northern Vermont University in Johnson. It’s easy to grasp the concepts of time, repetition and location, but that long word in the middle might be less…
Dear Reverend, I have a question about my sexuality. I am romantically attracted to women, like a lot. But I am sexually attracted to men, not women. I don’t want to be gay. I would never go out with a dude, but I do get turned on by men. I want to be heterosexual and…
Seven Days writers can’t possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a sleuth of bears (not the cocaine-addled kind). So this monthly feature is our way of introducing you to a handful of books by Vermont authors. To do that,…
Throughout March, National Life Group is soliciting submissions from Vermont high school bands for its Beats for Good contest. Open to any current high school student, the contest welcomes all musical acts, regardless of genre or size. The winning act receives a $5,000 donation to its school’s music program and an opening slot at the…
There’s strength in numbers, and Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D-Chittenden-Southeast) showed them on March 1 when she assembled nearly 20 supporters for a press conference. The topic: a housing bill that the committee she helms had drafted as its sole task in the first two months of the legislative session. S.100 seeks to make it…
The small Winooski gym at 88 Malletts Bay Avenue echoed with the staccato of jump ropes slapping the hardwood floor as Messiah, Jaleel and Malachi warmed up for their Thursday afternoon boxing class. The three 10-year-old boys tried to outdo each other, and impress a visiting reporter, with their jump rope skills, occasionally inserting double…
(Inner Ocean Records, cassette, digital, vinyl) One of the joys of observing the local music scene for decades is watching artists evolve from promising talents into absolute monsters. Heatwave, the debut album from neo-soul songwriter Danny James, marks just such a moment. The man behind the moniker is Danny Whitney, a standout keyboardist and longtime…
The Ross Dining Hall kitchen at Middlebury College was in full, midsemester swing on a recent afternoon. Servers carried steaming vats of food as prep cooks fished raw carrots from gallon tubs and chopped away. Amid it all, the dining team’s newest employee calmly wheeled food to the walk-in coolers, then sat at her corner…
Over the past year, Universal Pictures has made bank with a new genre that might best be called meme cinema — relatively low-budget films that can be sold on viral marketing and a concept that is easily explained in three words or less. Violent Night? Santa kicks ass. M3gan? Killer AI babysitter. Cocaine Bear? No…
(Self-released, digital) Singer-songwriter Patrick J Crowley is hardly a new face in the local music scene. Playing in Americana act Deep River Saints and country outfit the Quasar Valley Band, the Burlington-via-California musician has produced an impressive catalog in recent years, including a strong solo outing with 2021’s All Was Set Fair. His latest, Waterbirds,…
The weather was frigid at the first annual cheese curling competition last month in Greensboro. Luckily, Vermont cheese in various forms helped the roughly 450 attendees stay warm at the event cohosted by the Highland Center for the Arts and cheesemaker Jasper Hill Farm. People danced to the tunes of the Brass Balagan band as…
Humanity has long associated the creation of music with female figures, from the muses of Greek mythology to the Yoruba fertility goddess Oshun, who brought song and dance to the people. Yet in modern times, women are underrepresented in the music business, both as performers and behind the scenes. A recent study funded by Spotify…
new in theaters 65: An astronaut (Adam Driver) crash-lands on a strangely familiar planet full of prehistoric monsters in this action adventure directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. (93 min, PG-13. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Palace) CHAMPIONS: Woody Harrelson plays a washed-up basketball coach who is court ordered to manage a team of players with…
Now a Super Listener I’ve started listening to Seven Days Aloud and want to express my enjoyment with this other option you provide. The fact that you have selected stories from the past, as well, is wonderful. Thank you from a Super Reader who is now also a Super Listener. John Edgar King North Hero…
Whoever decided Tuesday was the best day of the week for Vermonters to exercise democracy did not have this newspaper in mind. Seven Days has to be completely edited, designed and proofread by 7 p.m. on Tuesday night — coincidentally, the same time the polls close. Our Canadian printer needs roughly 12 hours to get…
PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): A financial adviser once told me I could adopt one of three approaches to running my business: 1) ignore change; 2) always struggle with change, half-immobilized by mixed feelings about whether to change or stay pat; 3) learn to love and thrive on change. The adviser said if I chose either…
As if his remark had been scripted for me, a patron at Pauline’s Café on a recent Thursday night paused on his way out to tell chef-owner David Hoene, “I always get the crab cake when I come here, but tonight it was the best of all.” My husband and I had just finished our…
As the Seven Days food team reflected on the state of Vermont’s dining scene at the end of 2022, one of the unexpected highlights was an explosion of global cuisines. In a state where farm-to-table tends to drive the conversation — and where we have wood-fired pizza coming out of our ears — a new…
Snow Farm Vineyard was the first commercial winery in Vermont when it was established in the mid-1990s. Decades later, the South Hero winery is barreling into the spirits business with Snow Farm Distillery. While continuing to make wine, the Snow Farm team will use some of the 12-acre vineyard’s grape harvest to produce brandies and…
Island Homemade Ice Cream aims to open a retail store at 21 Commerce Street in Williston by May 1, director of operations Maura Fitzgerald said. The scoop shop will be a couple of buildings away from the former Sealtest dairy ice cream plant into which the 19-year-old company moved its production from Grand Isle in…
Native Vermonter was a talented chef who cared deeply about his community and the natural environment
After more than a year of rumors, founder-owner Eric Warnstedt confirmed that Hen of the Wood in Waterbury will move about a half mile to brand-new digs in the same town. March 18 will be the restaurant’s final night of service in the atmospheric, historic grist mill at 92 Stowe Street, where it opened in October…
Make a Scene Friday 10 & Saturday 11 Dirt Road Theater takes comedy very seriously. Hence, its first-ever scripted show, Customer Service: Sketch Comedy by Serious People, is a matter of grave importance. Audiences at Montpelier’s Savoy Theater should anticipate rigorously workshopped scenes and actors at the top of their craft. (And plenty of laughs,…
Interior designer used his artistic talents to improve and decorate Boston-area homes
A mother’s hopes and aspirations filled the sails of her children so that each could tack their own course through life
Musician was well-known in his community for his wit, humor and generous heart
When Casey Metcalfe, a 27-year-old actor who lives in Burlington, auditioned for a role in Champions, he needed a basketball. The movie, which stars Woody Harrelson, is about a basketball team whose players have developmental disabilities. Metcalfe, who has autism, auditioned for the movie from his family’s home in West Brattleboro; his mother, Prudence Baird,…
Waterbury man remembered for his 25-year career in Vermont state government and his devotion to his church and family
