Aug 3-9, 2022
The 2022 Seven Daysies; Train Buffs Ride Amtrak’s Inaugural Run From Burlington to NYC; On ‘True Crime Bullsh**,’ Podcaster Josh Hallmark Hopes to ID More Victims of Serial Killer Israel Keyes
Madden Says He Will Run for Congress as the GOP Nominee
Liam Madden, who won the Republican nomination to run for Vermont’s only U.S. House seat on Tuesday, said he will accept the nomination after all — despite pledging during that campaign that he would decline it and run as an independent. Madden, an Iraq War veteran-turned-antiwar activist, said he changed his mind late Wednesday after…
Her State Rep Wavered on Abortion, So She Ran Against Him — and Won
Political candidates come with all sorts of motivations. Some believe they were born for the challenge (looking at you, Beto). Some see running for office as the best way to make a name for themselves — or maybe even a difference. And some cite a specific moment that spurred them into action. For Chea Waters Evans, that moment…
Sarah Copeland Hanzas Secures Democratic Nomination for Secretary of State
Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas (D-Bradford) secured the Democratic nomination for Vermont Secretary of State on Tuesday, winning 36 percent of the vote in a three-way primary. Deputy Secretary of State Chris Winters won 34 percent of the vote, and Montpelier City Clerk John Odum came in with almost 14 percent. More than 15 percent of voters…
Organic Farming Advocates Welcome Proposed Federal Standards
Proposed federal rules governing care of organic livestock would help ensure that Vermont’s organic dairy farmers are competing on a level field against producers that milk thousands of cows. The process of creating the U.S. Department of Agriculture rules, at least 20 years in the making, ground to a halt under the Trump administration. It…
Obituary: Roberta S. Alexander, 1935-2022
New Hampshire’s 1981 state teacher of the year had “an ability to make kids feel good about themselves”
Obituary: John P. “Jake” McGovern Jr., 1948-2022
Jack-of-all-trades ran several successful businesses and loved spending free time with family and friends
In Memoriam: Mark E. Sikora, 1921-2022
A funeral service for Mark E. Sikora, who passed away on April 15, 2022, will be held at St. Mark’s Church in Burlington on Friday, August 12, 2022, at 11 a.m. A reception from 2 to 4 p.m. will follow at Snow Farm Vineyard in South Hero. Related Stories
Obituary: Michael A. Fernandez, 1945-2022
Cofounder of the Touchstone Commune was a counselor and mediator who worked on programs for the U.S. Department of Justice and Burlington Police Department
Clean: ‘The Truth is Complicated’ (8/5/22)
The soothing smell of floral-scented summer wind hung in the air as I hunched over my dining room table. I took a generous sip from my water glass, then heaved a pensive sigh as I scanned a series of wordy paragraphs on my computer screen. I was four years sober, and I was proofreading an…
Supraluke, ‘Songs for the Great Blue Heron’
(Self-released, CD, digital, vinyl) The Strangefolk diaspora continues to generate some interesting offshoots. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1991, the Burlington jam band spent that decade becoming one of the biggest regional acts in the genre. They even scored Chic’s Nile Rogers to produce their 2000 album, A Great Long While. The 2000s…
A Close-Knit Village Works to Save Its Beloved Curtis Pond
Curtis Pond was teeming with swimmers on an unusually hot day last week. Teenagers sunbathed on a public dock off a sandy beach, and children splashed around. A band of kayakers circumnavigated the pond’s perimeter, pausing to admire the resident loon and her chick near a forested area of the beach. Aboard his pontoon boat,…
Write Hooked, ‘Crowd Pleaser’
(Self-released, digital) Write Hooked are an East Coast collective of four multitalented artists, two of whom call Vermont home. The crew’s beating heart is Chris Ellis, aka Slim Tofer, Write Hooked’s in-house recording and mixing engineer, as well as a solid presence in the vocal booth. Then there’s Darren Gardner, aka Essex rapper-singer Highh Def.…
Unadilla Theatre Stages an Opera Favorite
There really is an elixir that causes people to fall in love, and it’s called… Bordeaux wine. That’s what the quack doctor in Gaetano Donizetti’s opera L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love) sells to a lovesick and unsuspecting peasant, Nemorino. To the latter’s surprise, it works! The happily ending story of Elixir, which premiered in…
Six Years in the Making, Hannah Dennison’s ‘The Quarry Project’ Transports Viewers Through Time and Space
Award-winning Vermont choreographer, performer and educator Hannah Dennison normally creates a new work in one or two years. The time frame is shaped by collaborators’ schedules, studio space rentals and other logistics. But nature and the pandemic conspired to dictate a six-year process, her longest ever, for her latest work, The Quarry Project. She considers…
On a Burlington Mural, a Black Madonna Conveys Liberation and Love
Raphaella Brice and Josie Bunnell are dwarfed by their mural. It’s 16 feet high and 12 feet wide, hanging well above their heads on the east wall of Fletcher Free Library in Burlington. Installed earlier this summer, “Black Freedom, Black Madonna & the Black Child of Hope” features a dramatic mother-and-child motif in vibrant colors…
Delays in Aid Frustrate Homeowners Who Face Potential Foreclosure
A pandemic relief program designed to help homeowners avoid foreclosure has been plagued by monthslong delays, preventing millions of federal dollars from flowing to desperate Vermont families. Launched in January, the Vermont Homeowner Assistance Program is meant to help people who lost income during the pandemic keep their homes. Homeowners can apply for up to…
The von Trapps Welcome Visitors to Their Waitsfield Gardens
Tobias von Trapp walked through his flower garden on a blazing hot day in mid-July, past astilbes and daisies, lilies and delphiniums, to the stone fountain at its western edge. Made from rocks he pulled from his hayfield or retrieved from an old stone wall, the fountain has grown moss and attracted visitors in the…
Mie Yim’s Paintings in ‘Fluid Boundaries’ Challenge the Eye — and Emotions
Mie Yim’s paintings are indisputably strange. Some observers would add, “in a good way.” Others might not be so sure. The candy colors and soft-focus biomorphic forms are playfully appealing, like stuffed animals or cartoon characters. But their large, glossy black eyes, appearing singly rather than in pairs, creep you right the heck out. When…
The Sky’s No Limit in Jordan Peele’s Wildly Ambitious ‘Nope’
Writer-director Jordan Peele didn’t invent the “social horror” genre, but the label gained popularity as a description of his 2017 hit Get Out, which blended scares, humor and incisive commentary on racism in America. The former sketch comedian followed up his Oscar-winning directorial debut with Us, a wildly ambitious 2019 horror film that triumphed at…
Free Will Astrology (8/3/22)
LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): In the coming weeks, Leo, I urge you to always be confident that you are the party! Everywhere you go, bring the spirits of fun and revelry. Be educationally entertaining and entertainingly educational. Amuse yourself by making life more interesting for everyone. At the same time, be kind and humble, never…
Now Playing in Theaters: August 3-9
new in theaters BULLET TRAIN: In this action flick from David Leitch (Atomic Blonde), a bullet train leaves Tokyo carrying five assassins who soon learn they have related missions on board. Brad Pitt, Joey King and Aaron Taylor-Johnson lead the ensemble cast. (126 min, R. Big Picture, Capitol, Essex, Marquis, Palace, Paramount, Playhouse, Roxy, Star,…
I’m Worried I Might Be Gay or Bi
Dear Reverend, I’ve felt attracted to women for most of my life, but now I’m worried I might be gay or bi. Guys don’t arouse me, but sometimes I get nervous around them. When I’m close to a woman, it still feels right, but sometimes I get worried that I’m starting to have feelings for…
From the Publisher: Back in Business
The coincidence of Vermont’s hotly contested August 9 primary election and the published results of our Seven Daysies readers’ choice awards seemed like an insurmountable cover design challenge. Especially given this year’s whimsical Daysies theme: mythical creatures. But illustrator Jeff Drew knew what to do on page one of this week’s issue. He captured the…
A Reporter Encounters Rail Buffs — and an Unexpected Detour — on Amtrak’s Inaugural Trip From Burlington
I arrived at Burlington’s Union Station last Friday to catch a 10:10 a.m. train — and found a giant early morning party. I was about to climb on the inaugural Ethan Allen Express train from Burlington to New York City. It would be the first time a train carried people between the two cities since…
Letters to the Editor (8/3/22)
‘You’re Crushing It!’ It took me over an hour to read your latest issue [July 27]! Maybe I’m a slow reader, but damn, y’all are doing such in-depth work! Over and over and over. Even better, I can read it on paper in the early morning fresh air on my back porch with a cup…
Richmond Police Fight Climate Crisis With an All-Electric Tesla Cruiser
Cops in Richmond aren’t driving Ford Crown Vics anymore. The small-town police department added a Tesla Model 3 to its fleet last year in an effort to cut gas consumption and costs — and, potentially, recruit new officers. “There’s a good number of people in Richmond that are really forward-thinking about climate and climate change…
On ‘True Crime Bullsh**,’ Podcaster Josh Hallmark Hopes to ID More Victims of Serial Killer Israel Keyes
On June 8, 2011, a quiet couple named Bill and Lorraine Currier disappeared from their home in Essex, touching off an extensive search. Among armchair detectives, speculations flew. But the eventual truth may have been stranger than anything they predicted. About a year later, local authorities revealed that the Curriers had been victims of a…
Soundbites: Nectar’s Gets a New Owner, ArtsRiot Loses One
Heard any good gossip lately? The Burlington music scene has been abuzz with rumors about the futures of some key venues. Some of those whispers are tame; others, decidedly not. I am no gossip columnist, thank you very much. For one, I’m terrible at keeping secrets. That’s not because I tell people but because I…
Balint, Gray Work to Seal the Deal as Congressional Primary Rolls Into Final Week
A few hundred people gathered at City Hall Park in Burlington on Sunday to hear Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint (D-Windham) explain for the umpteenth time why she should be the state’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress. On this occasion, though, she had a special guest on the stump: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders…
Burlington’s New BTV Market Puts the World on the Menu
In Burlington’s recently renovated City Hall Park, where the fountains are flowing this summer, Saturday strollers can sample a similarly abundant flow of foods from culinary entrepreneurs participating in the new BTV Market. Organized by Burlington City Arts and the city’s Love Burlington effort to support small business, the market runs every Saturday from 11…
Three Questions for Cheesemonger Emma Harvey
Emma Harvey loves what she calls “Costco Parm.” She keeps a one-pound plastic container of the pre-shredded Kirkland Signature aged Parmigiano-Reggiano on hand for topping fried eggs, Caesar salads and Marie Callender’s chicken pot pies. “That’s probably the worst thing that I do as a cheesemonger who has access to all these high-quality artisan cheeses,”…
Historic Charlotte Building Will Host a Restaurant
A prominent white-clapboard house on the corner of Spear Street and Hinesburg Road in Charlotte is being renovated to become a 50-seat restaurant by summer 2023, said Jonathan Maguire, the building’s owner and a developer. He plans to complete about 80 percent of the restaurant fit-up but leave finishing touches to a still-undetermined restaurant operator.…
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, August 3-9
Piano Variations Thursday 4 & Friday 5 Starting its third year of residency at Hopkins Center for the Arts in Hanover, N.H., Dance Theatre of Harlem presents a preview of Sounds of Hazel. With stunning choreography by Tiffany Rea-Fisher, this new ballet tells the story of Hazel Scott, a pioneering Black pianist who had an…
