Jan 19-25, 2011
Single-payer Guru; What Keeps Pols in Shape; Adult Ballet Students Turn Out for a Workout
James Kochalka First State Cartoonist Laureate
***UPDATE! JANUARY 25*** THIS JUST IN: The Center for Cartoon Studies just sent out a corrected press release saying Vermont is not the first state to have a cartoonist laureate, and therefore James Kochalka is not the first of same. He is still, however, the first cartoonist laureate of Vermont. CCS included apologies to Alaska,…
WTF Update: Gubernatorial Spouses Don’t Want Gov’s Mansion
Last week, I wrote a piece for our WTF column about why Vermont doesn’t have a governor’s mansion. If you read the story, you’ll know that we’re one of only five states in the nation that does not house our supreme leaders in laps of luxury. Instead, we ask them to rent rickety tenement squats…
Penny Cluse — The Movie
A Day at Penny Cluse Cafe from Bus Huxley on Vimeo. Venerable Burlington breakfast spot Penny Cluse is one of those places that seems to breed creativity, or at least attract creative people. The staff seems to be comprised of painters, poets and musicians, the co-owner Holly Cluse curates the ever-rotating art on the walls…
We the Corporations?
Vermont could become the first-in-the-nation legislative body to urge Congress to amend the constitution and ban the court-created notion of “corporate personhood.” On the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that many believe granted corporations increased constitutional protections to free speech similar to those of individuals, a Vermont Senate is introducing a resolution…
Nude Brazilians at the Flynn!
I’m a ticket holder for the Balé Folclorico da Bahia show this Friday at the Flynn MainStage. So I was one of the people who received an email notice this afternoon, as follows: ‘We have just been informed by the company that two pieces in the program will contain male and female nudity as dancers…
Two Native American Tribes Move Closer to Recognition
Two Vermont Native American tribes have moved one step closer to receiving state recognition — an effort that has been decades in the making. The Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs officially presented the legislature with two recognition petitions they had approved — one from the Nulhegan tribe in the Northeast Kingdom and one from…
After $1.5 Million and Years of Citizen Advocacy, Edmunds Middle School Unveils New Elevator
It took years of citizen advocacy and about $1.5 million, but Edmunds Middle School is now accessible to people with mobility issues. Or at least mostly accessible. While a newly installed lift will make it possible for students in wheelchairs to attend the school, there’s still work to be done, noted Burlington School District Superintendent…
Welch Named to House Democratic Leadership Team
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) on Wednesday was named one of ten “chief deputy whips” by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD). Welch said he is the only of his class — 2006 — to hold one of these key leadership posts, which come with no additional staff or resources but a seat at the leadership table…
Shelburne Museum Director Stephan Jost Leaving for Post in Hawaii
Damn. I hate it when good people leave Vermont. Especially when they retreat to a tropical paradise such as Honolulu. Total wusses. Seriously, Stephan, was the snow this month just the last straw, or what? Isn’t there anything we can do to make you enjoy winter more? Build snowmen? Make snow angels? Or take awesome…
Free Will Astrology
Here’s the weekly astrological forecast for January 19 – 25, 2011. What’s your sign, baby? They’re all here… ARIES (March 21-April 19): The age-old question comes up for review once again: Which should predominate, independence or interdependence? The answer is always different, of course, depending on the tenor of the time and the phase of…
News Quirks
Curses, Foiled Again Police said two men making their getaway after an armed robbery in Orange County, Fla., tried to distract authorities from pursuing them by reporting a carjacking. The vehicle they described, however, was the same white Honda Accord they were driving. Law enforcement officers spotted it and arrested the suspects, charging them with…
WTF: Why doesn’t Vermont have a governor’s mansion?
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: We just had to ask…
Delicious Legacy
Side Dishes: After its chef’s passing, the Millbrook Inn lives on, without dinner
Letters to the Editor
From the Hot Seat Shay Totten’s commentary in “Fair Game” [January 12] misses the mark. His political banter fails to recognize the seriousness of the problems confronting us. On behalf of the city, I recently signed a letter of cooperation with Lockheed Martin Corporation to explore potential energy efficiency, renewable energy and other climate change…
![Snow Tubing at Sharp Park [208]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/episode208.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
Snow Tubing at Sharp Park [208]
1/15/11: Children and adults alike brave the steep Cobble Hill at Sharp Park in Milton. Whether snow tubing or sledding, Saturday was the perfect day to get out and enjoy winter in Vermont. Music: La Strada, New Home, “Go Forward”
Oliver Twisting the Night Away
That’s what I’ll be doing one night next week. Cuz I attended a bit of a rehearsal of Vermont Stage Company’s production of Oliver Twist and have to say it’s looking, and sounding, good. I went to hear some of David Symons’ sweetly dissonant music in context — see my piece on the Burlington composer…
Join the SuperGym, Scrawny Weaklings!
When I went to the N.A.S.A. grant work-in-progress showing of SuperGym last Saturday at FlynnSpace, I was ready for a spoof of gym culture. Actually, I was ready for a ferocious take-down of the whole health-and-fitness mentality. Don’t get me wrong. I belong to a gym. I love my gym (among other things, it’s an…
