Dec 11-17, 2019
Hooked Series Finale: A Love Letter From Vermont’s Opioid Crisis; A 95-Year-Old Survivor Remembers the M.S. St. Louis; Chris Colbourn Talks Talent Skatepark and Going Pro; Narnia-Themed Cocktails at Highball Social
Cover Story
Hooked: A Love Story From Vermont’s Opioid Crisis
“Regret should be one of the stages of grief,” I told my mother last spring. We were talking, as we often do, about things we wished we’d known, wished we’d done differently, when my youngest sister, Madelyn Linsenmeir, was alive. I’m told this is common after a loved one dies — cataloging the moments you…
Obituary: Barbara Beals, 1928-2019
UVM graduate pursued passions in social work and DIY homeownership
In memoriam: Stephen Ham-Ellis, 1987-2013
June 10, 1987-December 27, 2013 Sadly missed along life’s way Quietly remembered every day No longer in our life to share But in our hearts, you’re always there —Author unknown Love from the “Fam Damily”
Obituary: Anthony Wharton, 1949-2019
New York City native found friends in Vermont who became ‘family’
In Memoriam: Diane Gabriel, 1947-2017
September 12, 1947-December 24, 2017 Always remembered. Never forgotten. Related Stories
The Parmelee Post: Burlington Police Enlist Melania Trump for Anti-Bullying Training
The City of Burlington has tapped renowned anti-bullying advocate Melania Trump to lead the Burlington Police Department through a mandatory training session. The announcement came one day after Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo admitted to creating an anonymous Twitter account to taunt a critic. “We take cyber bullying incredibly seriously, which is why we…
I’m Uncomfortable When My Dad and His Girlfriend Are Affectionate
Dear Reverend, My mother passed away in 2016. My father met a woman about six months ago, and they’ve gotten pretty serious. She’s nice, but whenever they’re together, they’re really affectionate, and it makes me uncomfortable. They’re going to be staying at my house a few days for Christmas, and I’m not sure how I…
Complaints Build Against Modular Home Maker Vermod
Tim Fisher purchased a Vermod ultra-energy-efficient modular home in 2017 for his disabled adult son and a live-in caretaker. He wanted an “instant house” that would be affordable, environmentally friendly and better looking than a typical factory-made home. But the Cornwall artist says the $134,000 shelter underperformed, and so did the Wilder-based company that sold…
Mark Ruffalo Explores ‘Dark Waters’ in a Fact-Based Drama About Pollution
Just when you’re positive you couldn’t possibly be even a fraction more bummed about the state of the nation, along comes the latest from Todd Haynes (Carol) to make you feel way, way worse. That’s not the director’s goal, obviously. There’s a determined and honorable real-life attorney in the middle of all Dark Waters’ depressing…
Letters to the Editor (12/11/19)
Great Care at EastView I am an avid reader of Seven Days and generally appreciate the journalism. In reading the article on eldercare homes [Worse for Care: “Little Help,” December 4], you mentioned EastView at Middlebury, where I worked for four years until retiring in August. I was in the residential care and memory care…
Getting Esoteric With Livingston Taylor
Perpetually sporting a jaunty bow tie, Livingston Taylor is an unsung hero of contemporary folk music. The Boston-born singer-songwriter’s tranquil vocals and endearing point of view frame him as an affable character with charm to spare. Taylor grew up in a musical family that also produced his older brother, James, the famed artist behind mega-hits…
Martin Scorsese’s Crime Epic ‘The Irishman’ Builds to a Devastating Finale
Steerforth Press, a small publisher in New Hampshire’s Upper Valley, scored a big hit in 2004 with former prosecutor Charles Brandt’s I Heard You Paint Houses. The best-selling true crime book is the fruit of Brandt’s interviews with the late Frank Sheeran, a longtime Teamsters official and mobster who claimed to know what really happened…
Soundbites: The Saturn People’s Sound Collective and ‘Abortion: The Musical’
Stellar Job This week marks the return of one of the most ambitious Vermont-based projects in recent years. Experimental “creative music” ensemble the Saturn People’s Sound Collective perform on Saturday, December 14, at Zenbarn in Waterbury. The collective is the brainchild of composer, music educator and trumpeter Brian Boyes (viperHouse). He also oversees the teen…
When Eldercare Homes Flout Rules, Managers Aren’t Held Responsible
In early 2014, a caller to the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living reported that at Owen House, a residential care home in Fair Haven, a resident’s foot was “rotting from the inside out” due to neuropathy and poor care. “She has brought her concerns to the administrator, Cathy Rooney, and nothing is…
Princess Nostalgia, ‘Thank Heavens 4 Opposable Thumbs’
(Self-released, digital) Memo to rappers and producers of the world: Do not ask Princess Nostalgia whether she wants to sing on your track. I’ll save you the trouble. The pop/R&B singer-songwriter/producer is not interested. But budding beatsmiths and rhyme slingers shouldn’t take it personally. It’s not that the Italian-born, Pittsburgh/Burlington-based University of Vermont student thinks…
Randolph’s Short-Lived Green Light Café to Close
The Green Light Café in Randolph is closing its doors after 10 months in business, proprietor Josh Mather announced on social media on December 2. He wrote, “It is with much regret that I have decided that I can no longer keep the Green Light operating.” The café, whose building was adorned with what its…
Hewitt Stevens, ‘Songs From the Laundry Room’
(Self-released, digital) There’s a story of when Rick Rubin met the Black Crowes early in their career. The legendary producer advised the band to call themselves the Kobb Kounty Krows — all Ks for added controversy. Chris Robinson and co. wisely shot down that idea. (Also: Jesus, Rick. WTF?) I often think about what terrible…
Elder Abuse and Neglect Is a Well-Kept Secret in Vermont
Vermont families who rely on eldercare homes often know little about their track records, despite state inspections that document problem after problem. Families make crucial care decisions in the dark. Sherry Boudreau, a professional home-care provider, thought she was well qualified to make choices on behalf of her mother-in-law, Theresa Boudreau. The octogenarian agreed: As…
Art Review: ‘Transcendent: Spirituality in Contemporary Art,’ BCA Center
In 2016, shortly after Heather Ferrell became curator and director of exhibitions at the BCA Center, Seven Days asked her whether she found it important to bring in outside artists. Having spent the previous four years consulting for two major art museums in Doha, Quatar, Ferrell said, “I think we have a responsibility to look…
At Book 30, Archer Mayor’s Characters Still Hit Home
On page one, Archer Mayor already has you in the car. He likes to toss the reader into the thick of it, let them become swallowed, briefly, by the action and then offer a respite — a moment to come up for air and learn how, exactly, they got here. “Once I’ve got them in…
‘Everybody Knew’: Guards Say Higher-Ups Ignored Serious Misconduct in Vermont’s Prison System
State leaders reacted with surprise and horror to a series of allegations Seven Days published last week about Vermont’s only prison for women. “The behavior described is reprehensible and Vermont’s inmates deserve better,” Attorney General T.J. Donovan said as he pledged to support a state investigation. But over the past week, more evidence has emerged…
Vermonter Chris Colbourn Talks Talent Skatepark and Going Pro
Last Friday, Element Skateboards announced a new addition to its roster of pro skaters: Williston native Chris “Cookie” Colbourn. Colbourn, 28, isn’t the first Vermont skateboarder to turn pro. But his contract with Element, a major California-based action sports apparel and gear brand, is among the highest-profile sponsorships ever awarded to any skater with local…
Vermont Regains Title of Healthiest State in the Country
Vermont can once again proclaim itself the healthiest state in the country. That’s according to the United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings annual report, which shows that Vermont leapfrogged Hawaii, Massachusetts and Connecticut en route to its first No. 1 ranking since 2012. A low percentage of uninsured people and a nearly 50 percent drop…
Hackie: North Countryman
All of my taxi business comes to me via word of mouth; I’ve never spent a dime on advertising and don’t even have my business number etched on the side of my cab. As you might expect, most of the mouths in question belong to existing customers who enjoy my service and recommend me to…
Free Will Astrology (12/11/19)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): How did humans figure out that a luxurious fabric could be made from the cocoons of insect larvae? Ancient Chinese sage Confucius told the following story. One day in 2460 BC, 14-year-old Chinese princess Xi Ling Shi was sitting under a mulberry tree sipping tea. A silk worm’s cocoon fell off…
Photographer Carley Stevens-McLaughlin Captures New American Faces
In one photograph, three Somali boys sit waist-deep in coffee-bean sacks. In another image, a Yemeni woman wearing a head scarf offers a broad smile. In yet another, a preschool-aged Bhutanese girl flashes a peace sign. “Sanctuary: Seen, Heard and Respected,” an exhibit now on view in the O’Brien Community Center in Winooski, features 31…
From the Heart: Family Members Speak Out About Ending the Opioid Crisis
Kate O’Neill’s yearlong Hooked series was one of two opioid-related initiatives Seven Days created this year. The other is All Our Hearts, a memorial project that helps families honor loved ones who died, like Kate’s sister Maddie, of causes related to opioid-use disorder. Since it launched in September, allourhearts.com has published 41 stories submitted by…
Quick Lit: ‘Hazel,’ a Novel by David Huddle
Sad. Lonely. Odd. That’s how the denizens of late 20th-century Burlington might describe Hazel Hicks, the heroine of David Huddle’s new novel Hazel. A lifelong spinster and diligent state employee, Hazel has “felt the need to get away from people” since adolescence. After moving in with her first and last boyfriend, she diagnosed herself as…
Refugee Who Survived the ‘Voyage of the Damned’ Says ‘People Haven’t Learned Anything’
Eighty years ago, Jane Keibel stepped aboard the M.S. St. Louis and said goodbye to Germany, the only home she had ever known. It was May 13, 1939, and the next few weeks would bring the 15-year-old to the doorsteps of Cuba and the United States, where she and the 936 other Jews aboard the…
Muralist Mary Lacy Offers Smaller-Scale Paint Puzzles
Mary Lacy is best known for going big. In 2015, she painted a jewel-toned hummingbird that’s roughly 28 feet tall on the brick wall of the building on the corner of St. Paul and College streets in downtown Burlington. Later that year, she covered all 3,200 square feet of the silos at the Dealer.com offices…
Birth Announcement: Rosalyn Grace Bradish
On December 7, 2019, at Porter Medical Center, Ashley Marie Daniels and Kyle Matthew Bradish welcomed a girl, Rosalyn Grace Bradish.
Obituary: Patricia Estelle Childs Gunther, 1924-2019
Longtime Winooski resident spent active retirement working at Shelburne Museum and planting flower gardens
Highball Social’s Final Menu Goes to Narnia
If it’s possible to have nostalgia for something that isn’t over yet, I’ve got it. That wistful, longing feeling hit me over the head last week when I walked into Burlington’s Highball Social to try the new winter menu. On December 3, Stonecutter Spirits cofounders Sas Stewart and Sivan Cotel announced that they’ll close both…
On the Farm and at the Bar With Mad Taco’s Joey Nagy
The wind whipped through the fields on a recent morning at Marble Hill Farm in Fayston, where Joey Nagy and his partner, Georgia von Trapp, raise livestock and grow vegetables for the Mad Taco restaurants. Nagy checked on the goats in one pasture, said hi to his livestock dogs and pointed out landmarks visible to…
Pizza Soul Takes a Slice of Waitsfield Food Zone
Which food group has Village Square Shopping Plaza in Waitsfield been missing? Pizza — and it will arrive in time for Christmas. Pizza Soul will start serving lunch and dinner at 5123 Main Street in the days before the holiday, owner Jason Lerner told Seven Days. The pizzeria joins its new neighbor, the Mad Taco,…
Vermont Food Collaborative Gives Farmers a New Market
Vermont’s newest food hub is women-powered, and it’s filling gaps in the market for local farmers. The Vermont Food Collaborative opened November 30 on the corner of Route 7 and Campground Road in New Haven, in the building that formerly housed Green Pasture Meats. Founded by farmers AnnaJo Smith and Jennifer Kennett, the collaborative connects…
Chef-Owner Christian Kruse Announces Vergennes Laundry for Sale
Chef-owner Christian Kruse announced December 5 on Facebook that Vergennes Laundry by CK is for sale. Kruse purchased the bakery and café at 247 Main Street from founding owners Didier and Julianne Murat in the fall of 2017. In the Facebook post and an email to customers, Kruse wrote that he had to “make the…
