Jun 12-18, 2019
The Bucks’ Pro-Football Dreams Lead to Humble Arena; Weinberger’s Bid to Diversify Leadership Falls Short; A South Burlington Nonprofit Aims to Recycle Every Tennis Ball in America
Cover Story
The Mighty Bucks: Pro-Football Dreams Lead Vermonters to a Humble Arena
The New England Premier Sportsplex, in Danvers, Mass., advertises itself as a place for batting practice and birthday parties. Its 200-foot-long indoor turf field typically hosts Little League baseball and youth soccer clinics. Next to a small concession stand in the main lobby, there’s an arcade game that, for a couple of quarters, will measure…
Obituary: Terrence Sweeney, 1945-2019
Terrance (Terry) John Sweeney, 73, died on June 15, 2019, after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Terry was born in Ilion, N.Y., on July 21, 1945, the son of John and Arletta (Armstrong) Sweeney. Terry graduated from Ilion High School in 1964 and attended the University of Houston on an athletic scholarship. He served…
The Cannabis Catch-Up: Colorado’s Weed Tax Revenue Surpasses $1 Billion
Since 2014, when Colorado allowed its first legal cannabis sales, the state has raked in more than $1 billion in tax revenue. Yes, that’s billion, with nine zeros: $1,000,000,000. Weed in Colorado is taxed twice: 15 percent when it’s sold from a cultivation facility to a store or manufacturer, and then another 15 percent at…
Obituary: Sallie Thompson Soule, 1928-2019
Loving wife, mother and mentor to many, Sallie Soule, 91, long of Shelburne, Vt., and lately of Fort Myers, Fla., died of congestive heart failure on June 11, 2019, at the Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers after a life well lived. Sallie was born in Detroit on May 13, 1928, and was raised…
Page 32: Short Takes on Five New Vermont Books (06/12/19)
Seven Days writers can’t possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a bale of turtles. So this monthly feature is our way of introducing you to a handful of books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book…
Soundbites: The Week in Pride Parties
End Game And just like that, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival came and went. The 10-day marathon wrapped on Sunday and was just as engrossing as ever. Music poured out of practically every one of the Queen City’s cafés, restaurants and bars. The fest, while largely a success, was stricken with a couple of high-profile…
How Can My Husband and I Have Fun Together When He’s Chronically Ill?
Dear Reverend, My husband and I are happy together, but we’re at a kinda unhappy point in our lives. He’s dealing with a chronic health condition that understandably takes up a lot of his time and energy — and mine, too, in supporting him and secretly worrying about him. It’s like having a full-time job…
Art Review: ‘Human Nature/Nature Human,’ Bundy Modern
The Bundy Modern, a restored 1962 gallery perched on a hill in Waitsfield, is hosting a single show of two artists’ work this summer. This is a departure for owners June and Wendell Anderson, who live in the building and are responsible for its sensitive restoration. Since opening the gallery in 2015, they have typically…
Up Against the Walls at the Montréal Mural Festival
Cities the size of Montréal are like mazes. Once you step off a main thoroughfare and begin poking around in alleys and side streets, there’s no guessing what you’ll find. The Montréal Mural Festival offers the best possible reason to follow your nose. Running through Sunday, June 16, on boulevard Saint-Laurent between rue Sherbrooke and…
As the VTGOP Sputters, Franklin County Republicans Build a Base
The Vermont Republican Party has been a ramshackle affair of late, lagging behind the Democrats in organization and fundraising, losing ground in the legislature, and failing to field competitive candidates in most statewide and congressional races. It’s been a dismal stretch … except in Franklin County, where Republicans have taken command and held their gains.…
Hackie: Gordon and Jackson
Tuck Delisle called me for a ride into town. “My car is stuck at the mechanic’s, and there’s an appointment I don’t want to miss.” He shared the pertinent details, and we arranged a pickup for the following morning. Tuck’s home was on Spear Street in Charlotte, “a single-family ranch with a green roof and…
Mentally Ill or Criminal? Dismissals of Murder Cases Spark Firestorm
Prosecutor Sarah George was halfway through an interview with Seven Days last week when the news broke. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott had asked Attorney General T.J. Donovan to review her recent decision to dismiss murder and attempted murder charges against three defendants accused of horrific crimes who claimed insanity as a legal defense. Up until…
A South Burlington Nonprofit Aims to Recycle Every Tennis Ball in America
Derrick Senior has got balls — more than 1.7 million at last count, he said, “and we’re just getting started.” His plan: to collect more than 21 million used tennis balls by 2022, and his long-term goal is to gather every used ball played on tennis courts across the United States. Senior isn’t a hoarder…
Album Review: Trackstar, ‘Heartbreak Hits’
(Self-released, digital download) When songwriters assume characters, I often wonder how thin the veneer is. Is a character in a song a tool, a prism through which to shine a story? Or is it a mask, a way for the songwriter to find a comfortable enough distance to tell their story? On his debut solo…
‘Lost City of Mer’ Game Uses VR to Address Climate Change
Mermaids are unlikely agents in the climate action movement. But in Liz Canner’s new virtual reality video game, Lost City of Mer, they might be the key to galvanizing people to give a shit. “As I started doing research into what moves people in games, I learned that if you make games that are about…
Long Lines, Missed Flights: Airport Rush Hour Prompts Reconfiguration of TSA Access
A line of 60 bleary-eyed passengers snaked through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Burlington International Airport last Thursday morning, roller bags in tow, while a security officer called out: “One at a time, please. Boarding passes and IDs, please.” It was 5:15 a.m. — rush hour for the TSA. Sometimes as many as 800…
Burlington Mayor’s Attempt to Diversify Leadership Falls Short
In a crowded, stuffy conference room in Burlington City Hall on May 28, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced his pick to run the city’s Community Economic Development Office. Lukas McGowan, tall and trim, wearing a navy blazer with a white dress shirt and no tie, told those assembled of his plans to support small businesses and…
Album Review: The Dead Souls, ‘Even If I Lose Myself’
(Self-released, digital) Every summer, music journalists attempt to select the annual “song of summer.” In past years, the unofficial honor has gone to tracks such as Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” or Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito.” While sometimes hotly contested, the song of summer is always catchy, bright, upbeat and full of sonic color.…
Movie Review: The High Jinks of Cooped-Up Critters Lose Their Appeal in ‘The Secret Life of Pets 2’
Sequels customarily offer more of the same. The Secret Life of Pets 2 breaks with that tradition. It offers less. Less Albert Brooks and Steve Coogan (exactly zilch). Way less Louis C.K. Less off-the-wall cockeyed brilliance — of the original’s three writers, only Brian Lynch reported for follow-up duty. Even less running time. The 2016…
Lines Vermont Opens Studio for Adult Dancers
Entering a dance studio for the first time takes bravery at any age. But for adults who haven’t danced in a while, or never did, it can feel like leaping off a high dive. And if the room is full of youngsters, well, that can send the most intrepid adventurer hightailing it back home. Lines…
During Street Sweeping, Burlington Nearly Towed Bernie Sanders’ Car
Even a presidential candidate can’t catch a break when it comes to parking in Burlington. A car registered to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was ticketed and nearly towed from outside his New North End home on April 24, the night the city kicked off its annual street-sweeping effort. Sanders happened to be campaigning for…
Free Will Astrology (6/12/19)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the 1960s, Gemini musician Brian Wilson began writing and recording best-selling songs with his band the Beach Boys. A seminal moment in his development happened while he was listening to his car radio in August 1963. A tune he had never heard before came on: “Be My Baby” by the…
Letters to the Editor (6/12/19)
Session Was Productive A lot of grumbling has greeted the end of this session of the state legislature, in terms of how it ended and what it accomplished [Fair Game: “Endgame Fail,” May 29, and related coverage]. Lost in the noise is that the legislature is elected in a two-year cycle. Two sessions. Just ended…
Drummer Ezra Oklan Takes the Mic in New Band Matthew Mercury
Drummers often find themselves hidden from view at the back of the stage. Such placement is crucial because of the way sound travels. Placing drummers behind a group’s other players ensures that they’ll hear the beat and stay in time. It’s a shame to hide timekeepers, though, since drum work can be especially dazzling to…
Movie Review: Going Dark Means Going Dull in the Misconceived X-Men Movie ‘Dark Phoenix’
What can you say about a twentysomething girl who suddenly acquired the power to destroy the world? That she was beautiful. And a Mutant. That she loved some guy (Tye Sheridan) who spent the entire movie wearing a visor, though we never found out what they saw in each other. That she caused a lot…
Seven Vermont Destinations for Eating on the Farm
When Bob Clark was growing up in upstate New York, 80 percent of the family on his mother’s side farmed. “Now, I’m it,” he said. In 2011, after two decades of “trotting around the country,” Clark and his wife, Becky Castle, moved with their three daughters back to the East Coast from Pasadena, Calif. A…
UVM Researchers Study Benefit of Sheep Grazing Shelburne Vineyard
A flock of five Suffolk sheep huddled along the eastern edge of a pen in Shelburne Vineyard, too timid to approach the humans waiting for them to notice a new opening in the electric fence. Amid the rows of grapevines where the sheep presently stood, the vegetation was grazed down to the ground. But on…
Greg’s Market to Reopen in Middlebury
The Middlebury food market previously known as Greg’s Meat Market will reopen in mid-July as Greg’s Market, said owner Tony Neri. It will focus on fresh meats, produce and deli offerings, including prepared foods. Located at 3 Elm Street, the store is undergoing significant renovation and will also offer expanded parking next door where Pool…
New Chefs Come to ¡Duindo! (Duende) and Shelburne Farms Inn
A fan of ¡Duino! (Duende) and its related businesses — Radio Bean and Light Club Lamp Shop — will become executive chef of the Burlington restaurant in mid-June. Chuck Spock, currently executive chef at Cork Wine Bar & Market in Stowe, is leaving that position and moving to the restaurant at 10 North Winooski Avenue,…
