Apr 17-23, 2019
On the Bus With Bernie Sanders in the Rust Belt; Legislative Holdouts on Family and Medical Leave; Cartoonist Harry Bliss Collaborates With Comedian Steve Martin
Cover Story
Bernin’ Rubber: Inside Sanders’ Rust Belt Road Trip
By the time he reached the suburbs of Detroit on Saturday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had worked himself into a lather of indignation. He was nearly halfway through a 1,200-mile Rust Belt road trip designed to demonstrate his electability in the 2020 presidential election. But the man simply couldn’t let go of 2016. Upon taking…
Obituary: Thomas Nelson, 1941-2019
Thomas (Tom) Nelson, 77, of St. George passed away peacefully on April 5, 2019, at the University of Vermont Medical Center after suffering a brief illness. Tom was born in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on August 5, 1941, to Thomas Nelson Jr. and Delpha Nelson. He spent his childhood growing up in Missouri and Kentucky before…
Another New Venue at 208 Flynn in Burlington: Flynndog Station
How many times can you say “Flynndog”? Now, apparently, three. Earlier this month, Margaret Coleman, executive director of the equally furry and tongue-trippingly named nonprofit Art Shape Mammoth, leased a 1,300-square-foot studio at 208 Flynn Avenue in Burlington, adding the newly minted Flynndog Station to the mini-empire of creative spaces in the South End complex.…
Family Peeve: A Few House Rebels Could Block the Supermajority
A rebel band of fiscally conservative Democrats from southwestern Vermont is testing party leaders’ patience and ability to deliver on one of their top legislative priorities: paid family and medical leave. The five holdouts, who, like Republican Gov. Phil Scott, question the size and mandatory nature of the new benefit program passed by the House,…
Cat Buxton Looks for Climate Change Solution in Soil
In a meeting room at Randolph’s Bethany Church UCC, a retired farmer and a young soil researcher discussed soil mycelium over salad and turkey cottage pie. Beside them sat a middle-aged homeowner and a thirtysomething selectboard member debating the merits of no-till gardening. In total, 43 people had gathered on the evening of March 27…
Hackie: Meeting Zane
For a Montréal taxi run, this one was unusual in that the customer, Anastasia (aka Annie) King, had requested a round-trip. Zane, her newly minted boyfriend, would be arriving at Trudeau Airport on a late-night flight. She booked me to drive her up to meet him, then reverse course and drive the two of them…
Hannaford Begins Work on New Store in Former Kmart Plaza
After several years as an empty shell, the former Kmart building at 947 Shelburne Road is finally seeing some action. Contractors have begun transforming the space into a new home for the South Burlington Hannaford, which currently occupies a nearby building across from Lowe’s. The Kmart building is about 12,000 square feet larger than the…
I’m a 77-Year-Old Gay Widower Ready to Date Again
Dear Reverend, I am a 77-year-old gay male, widower from a long M-to-M marriage. I am somewhat handicapped and use a walker. How can I find a new partner? I cannot navigate the personals on Seven Days. Signed, Starting Over Dear Starting Over, First off, please accept my heartfelt condolences on your husband’s passing. I…
Eat This Week, April 17 to 23, 2019: Cuteness Overload
Lambs and piglets and ducklings, oh my! The farmers at Billings Farm & Museum introduce visitors of all ages to spring’s fresh-faced, fuzzy new arrivals. Tour the barns and get to know the next generation of heritage livestock, then head to the farmhouse for snacks at the dairy bar. Goat cuddles optional. Baby Farm Animal…
Free Will Astrology (4/17/19)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): French writer Simone de Beauvoir sent a letter to her lover, Aries author Nelson Algren. She wrote, “I like so much the way you are so greedy about life and yet so quiet, your eager greediness and your patience, and your way of not asking much of life and yet taking…
Album Review: Fat Tiger, ‘Crosstalk’
Though big-budget music videos are mostly a thing of the past, the music industry continues to push the union of sights and sounds. Whether it’s an elegant lyric video uploaded to YouTube, an experimental film like Beyoncé’s Lemonade or looped clips that play on your phone’s screen without warning as you listen to Spotify, there…
Cameron Davis’ Paintings Reflect Reverence for Earth
Viewing the latest exhibit of Cameron Davis’ paintings is like stepping into an old-growth forest. Senses become alert to nuances of light, depth and color. The mind is calmed by an invitation to linger and look closely at what is visible and what is hidden beneath layers of time and space. Davis’ exhibition at the…
Letter to the Editor (4/17/19)
Star Is Reborn It was my honor and privilege to introduce Star Parker at a recent Vermont Republican Party event on April 5, which also happened to be the 163rd anniversary of Booker T. Washington’s birth. John Walters, in his April 10 Fair Game column, labeled Star Parker as “ultra-conservative.” Really? As founder and president…
Farmhouse Group Opens Fifth Restaurant: Bliss Bee in Williston
The Farmhouse Group will launch its fifth restaurant this week: Bliss Bee at 28 Walnut Street in Williston. The casual, counter-service eatery is set to open on Thursday, according to Jed Davis, owner of the Farmhouse Group. Serving lunch and dinner, Bliss Bee will offer burgers, salads, grain bowls and shakes, as well as cocktails,…
Soundbites: 4/20 Revels
Toke Action This column is an excellent forum for discussing special holiday music events. Throughout the year, you can look to Soundbites for spooky Halloween happenings, Santa-related soirées and New Year’s Eve nonsense. But this week, I’d like to direct your attention to some events that pertain to an extra-special day of remembrance — or…
Book Review: ‘The World Pushes Back,’ by Garret Keizer
Until recently, Garret Keizer hasn’t been lauded for his brevity. Instead, he’s been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and appointed contributing editor at Harper’s Magazine for his expansive prose about big ideas. Over his literary career, the Vermont writer has pondered the concept of aid in Help: The Original Human Dilemma, delved into ire in The…
For Second Year, Vera Escaja-Heiss Wins Poetry Out Loud
The artistry of poetry may be subjective, but the dominance of Vera Escaja-Heiss in reciting it competitively is not. For the second year in a row, the 17-year-old senior from South Burlington High School has claimed top honors in Vermont’s Poetry Out Loud state championship. Next week, she’ll advance to the national championship, being held…
Cartoonist Harry Bliss Collaborates With Comedian Steve Martin
Burlington-based cartoonist Harry Bliss has been on a roll for so long, it’s a wonder he isn’t shaped like a log. He’s illustrated more than 20 children’s picture books and is finishing another, with author Joanna Cotler, titled Sorry, Not Sorry. His “diary” series with author Doreen Cronin — Diary of a Worm, Diary of…
Getting Real With Mike Wilbur of Moon Hooch
Moon Hooch play “cave music.” The saxophones-and-drum trio coined the term after developing a unique sound busking in the cavernous subway tunnels of New York City. With the architecture of jazz and the energy of electronic house music, the band’s style is relentlessly danceable and unapologetically experimental. The group is known especially for its ecstatic…
The Statehouse Foretold: What Bills Will the Vermont Legislature Pass?
Time is growing short for the 2019 legislative session. Adjournment is expected in a month or less. And that means the final crunch is about to begin. “We’ve got all these bills at the top of a funnel,” said Rep. Dylan Giambatista (D-Essex). “Only some of them will get through. It’s funnel time.” That process…
Two Vermont Breweries in Top 10 for Beer Can Design
Vermont is known far and wide for its exceptional beer. The state boasts more craft breweries per capita than any other, and its brews are routinely rated among the best and most sought after in the world. But last week, two local breweries nabbed honors for great taste of a different sort: their can designs.…
Enjoying a Québécois Maple Feast at a Dunham Cabane à Sucre
There are far more delicious offerings to be had at sugar shacks than syrup or the perennially predictable sugar-on-snow. Mainly, lots and lots of pork, including a crunchy little snack the Québécois call “les oreilles du crises,” or “the ears of Christ” in English. Caveat: A border crossing is required. While residents of the U.S.…
Theater Review: ‘Once,’ Northern Stage
With songs that start as mere glowing embers and then steadily rise in strength to brilliant blazes, the musical Once gives the triumph of hope an unmistakable sound. In the production at Northern Stage, powerful vocals and vigorous instrumentation showcase the glory of live performance. Once, which won the 2012 Tony Award for best musical,…
Movie Review: Laika’s Latest Animation ‘Missing Link’ Comically Explores a Generational Divide
The marketing for the stop-motion animation Missing Link showcases its title character, a Sasquatch who sports close-set eyes, gaping nostrils (they could trigger trypophobia) and a toothy, disarming grin. Frankly, the image is off-putting to the point where it’s no surprise that Missing Link didn’t bring families flocking to theaters this weekend. People should think…
This Old Zoning Dispute: Duplex to Be Built After Years-Long Battle
A Burlington developer has won approval to build a three-story duplex after an epic battle with the city that spanned 10 years. The Burlington Development Review Board gave Anne Rothwell permission in February to construct the building at 189-191 South Champlain Street. Back in 2013, a zoning dispute over the site became highly publicized when…
Burlington Screens Arrestees for Substance Use Disorders
Burlington police release many of the people they arrest with just a citation to appear in court. But the booking process changed April 2. As part of a new program, city social workers are asking people charged with crimes about their drug use in an effort to get those who are addicted into treatment. Officials…
Album Review: Spencer Lewis, ‘Riffs on a Broad Reach’
(Woodstone Mountain, CD, digital download) If Spencer Lewis had his way, he’d be Vermont’s musician laureate. Unfortunately, that designation doesn’t currently exist. But as he argues on his website, the state has a poet laureate — not to mention a cartoonist laureate — so why not a similar honor for the state’s musical artists? If…
Movie Review: Emilio Estevez Takes on the Plight of the Homeless in ‘The Public’
In 1985, which member of The Breakfast Club would you have guessed would go on to become the most accomplished artist? Anthony Michael Hall? Molly Ringwald? Life imitated art a bit when it came to Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy. They played troubled underachievers in John Hughes’ classic. Nelson has mostly toiled in low-budget pictures…
‘Doo-ty’ Bound: Volunteers Scoop Dog Poop to Keep Lake Champlain Clean
Scoop some poop, then score a free lunch and a beer. The Lake Champlain Committee, an organization dedicated to keeping waterways clean, has teamed up with Magic Hat Brewing for an April Stools’ Day event on Wednesday, April 24. Volunteers will meet at Red Rocks Park in South Burlington to pick up a winter’s worth…
Obituary: Mary Genevieve “Jimmy” Hagedorn, 1921-2019
Mary Genevieve “Jimmy” Hagedorn died by choice on April 16, 2019, at the Worcester home of her daughter Francette Cerulli and son-in-law Mick Eckart. They were by her side. Born February 26, 1921, as the daughter of Odetta Schettig and William Gerald Buck in Wilkinsburg, Pa., Mary was the eighth of 11 children. After graduating…
Maya’s Kitchen & Bar Offers High-Low Asian Fusion
Our mango lassis were the color of yellow spring crocus and so thick with yogurt and fruit that their straws stood up unassisted. The cool liquid swaddled our tongues in tropical sweetness. But it did little to ease the burn of chiles during a long lunch at Maya’s Kitchen & Bar in Burlington’s New North…
