Apr 15-21, 2020
Gov. Phil Scott Directs Vermont’s Response to Historic Crisis; A Homebound Writer and Mom Discovers the Need to Knead; Vermont Summer Theater Is a No-Show; Actor Jacob Tischler Performs, and Multiplies, for Social Media
Cover Story
The Man Behind the Mask: Gov. Phil Scott Leads Vermont Through the Coronavirus Crisis
In the lobby of the governor’s office, a large whiteboard mounted on an easel warns visitors to “STOP” and wash their hands before entering and leaving. There is, however, nobody left to warn. Five weeks after the global coronavirus pandemic arrived in Vermont, the fifth floor of Montpelier’s Pavilion Office Building is on lockdown. Visitors…
As Vermont State Colleges Teeter, Lawmakers Weigh a Bailout
The Vermont legislature has resisted pleas to invest more in higher education for so long that the state college system ranks among the lowest in the country for public support. Now, with the system teetering toward a collapse propelled by the coronavirus pandemic, its chancellor last week proposed shuttering three campuses and laying off hundreds…
Obituary: Stephen Rogers Albright, 1949-2020
Self-taught musician and artist found peace at Burlington’s Birchwood Terrace
In memoriam: Pamela “Pia” Gale, 1949-2019
In Loving Remembrance of Pamela “Pia” Gale May 1, 1949-October 10, 2019 You’d be 71 in May. Friends and family are invited to celebrate you on Saturday, August 29, at 12:30 p.m. at our home in South Burlington. Bring a bottle of red wine to share! I miss you all the time, Pam. With love,…
Robin Gottfried, ‘Our Trip Up in Time’
(Self-released, digital) There is truly a fine line between subtle nostalgia and a big ol’ plate of cheese. One lyric about a woman being like “a fine wine,” or a gooey chunk of saxophone needlessly inserted, and a promising genre experiment can become a parody of itself. Burlington singer-songwriter Robin Gottfried walks this fine line…
Retail Therapy: Seven Wearable Items From Vermont Sellers
It’s no longer news that many of Vermont’s small businesses are in a precarious position after closing their doors in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Now more than ever, Green Mountain State enterprises are relying on community support to stay afloat. Mary Margaret Groberg, owner of Notion Fabric & Craft in Montpelier,…
Freedom Fighters: As Coronavirus Sweeps Vermont Prison, Inmates Want Out
Supporters of Ridin’ High founder John Van Hazinga have been demanding his release ever since he was jailed last summer for dealing pot at his Burlington skate shop. They have repainted the shop’s exterior with the message “FREE BIG JOHN,” and more than 1,000 have signed an online petition protesting his incarceration for selling a…
Actor Jacob Tischler Performs, and Multiplies, for Social Media
At the beginning of March, 29-year-old actor Jacob Tischler moved to New York City and got a job as a bartender at the Belasco Theatre in Times Square. On Thursday, March 12, his second and final day of work, Broadway suspended all performances amid growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, and the Belasco…
Backroom Zoom: A Private Democratic Meeting Leads to Criticism
Vermont House Democrats are using their new videoconferencing skills to conduct more than just official legislative business. They are also turning to Zoom to hold private meetings about campaign and political strategy. House Dems assert that one recent meeting — convened by the Vermont Democratic Party — was appropriately closed to outsiders because the agenda was campaign-related…
Free Will Astrology (4/15/2020)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries artist Vincent van Gogh got started on his life’s work relatively late. At ages 25 and 26 he made failed attempts to train as a pastor and serve as a missionary. He didn’t launch his art career in earnest until he was 27. During the next 10 years, he created…
Someone in My Building Is Hosting Parties. Should I Report Him?
Dear Reverend, I live in an apartment building with 12 units. For the most part everyone has been great about staying away from each other, but one of the people in my building has been having a bunch of people over about once a week. I’m concerned for my safety, but also I’m not sure…
Richmond Police Bring Joy to Kids Celebrating Birthdays Amid Pandemic
It’s a tough time to be a kid. School’s closed. So are playgrounds. Playdates are now a virtual affair. But members of the Richmond Police Department are trying to bring some joy to socially distanced youngsters. Last week, officers started a party patrol: Parents can contact the department and request a visit for a kid…
Letters to the Editor (4/15/20)
Letter Correction The letter that appeared in last week’s Seven Days [Feedback: “Learning New Tricks,” April 8] was written collectively by the Addison County Early Childhood Educators. I was merely the messenger. The headline I suggested was: “To the Addison County Community and Our State Partners: An Open Letter of Gratitude.” Kathryn Torres New Haven…
Quick Lit: ‘Keep This to Yourself’ by Kerrin McCadden
It’s hard to write a poem with a hole at its center. It’s hard to write anything about an absence, or to contemplate the empty space where something familiar once resided. The subject is intangible and therefore nearly incomprehensible. But poet Kerrin McCadden’s pint-size gut-punch of a book wrestles the emotions of loss into 23…
Vermont Author Katherine Arden Nominated for Hugo Award
A Vermont author has been nominated for the highest honor within the speculative fiction genre: the Hugo Award. On Tuesday, the organizers of CoNZealand, this year’s World Science Fiction Convention, announced the finalists for this year’s award, which include Waterbury author Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy, for Best Series. Named for Hugo Gernsback, the editor of…
Vermont’s Summer Theater Season Is a No-Show
New Yorkers were stunned when Broadway went dark on March 12 to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It was just one indicator of dire things to come for the city of more than 8 million. In Vermont, the last shows in the 2019-20 theater season quickly followed suit. For Vermont Stage in Burlington,…
Soundbites: How’s Tim Lewis Doing?; Burlington Discover Jazz Festival Canceled; Plus, Some Comic Relief
There’s no getting around it: Quarantine sucks. Sure, sure, the extended downtime can be kind of nice, provided you’re healthy; still have a reliable income; are well stocked on books, TP and bourbon (and, food, I suppose); and don’t have small children or anxious pets pinballing around your house from dusk ’til dawn. In other…
Moose got tha juice, ‘System Overload’
(Self-released, digital) At this point in the coronavirus era, who hasn’t made a calming quarantine playlist? Mine is called “Chill Pill” and is full of R&B and melodic hip-hop songs by rapper-singer Rod Wave, recently deceased Philadelphia MC Chynna and G.O.O.D. Music’s rising star 070 Shake, as well as tracks from Lil Baby and Gunna’s…
King Arthur Flour’s Martin Philip Talks Sourdough and Baking With Kids
During the coronavirus pandemic, every day at King Arthur Flour is like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, according to baker Martin Philip. As more people stay home, they’re turning to their kitchens to feed their families and pass the time. And Norwich-based King Arthur, which has long maintained a baker’s hotline and robust social media presence,…
A Homebound Writer and Mom Finds the Need to Knead
When I came home from Costco a few weeks ago loaded with toilet paper and wine, I joked to my neighbor that I was ready to shelter in place. But the concept of social isolation was getting serious a few days later when I stood in the baking aisle at my local grocery store, feeling…
Obituary: Sharon “Sherry” Marie Boivin, 1960-2020
Burlington-born woman “had a smile and a greeting for every person she saw”
