Mar 9-15, 2011
The Real Estate Issue: Burlington’s Enterprising South End; Stowe’s HGTV Dream Home; $250K Homes in Vermont
Medical Marijuana Dispensary Bill Headed for Full Senate Vote This Week
The Vermont Senate is poised to “just say yes” to medical marijuana dispensaries. That’s the word from state Sen. Jeanette White (D-Windham), one of three cosponsors of a bill (S.17) that would establish two nonprofit centers where patients on Vermont’s medical registry could get safe, reliable — and super dank — cannabis. White tells Seven…
Britton’s Ski Movie Could Be Shot in Vermont
If you happened to be reading The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, you know the next step for Len Britton, who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Patrick Leahy in last November’s election. He’s hitting the slopes — for a movie. Britton (pictured, right) — who got national attention during the campaign with his snarky Internet ads — has…
NRC to Issue New License to Vermont Yankee
Well, there is joy in Mudville: Despite years of repeated bad news, including cooling water tower collapses, tritium leaks, steam leaks and other mishaps, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted Thursday to end the five-plus-year legal proceeding regarding renewal of the operating license for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, and will grant the reactor a new,…
And the Doyle Survey Says …
With 34 towns reporting and 3587 votes tallied, the 2011 Town Meeting Survey results were released this week by Sen. Bill Doyle (R-Washington). Doyle has conducted this unscientific survey of residents across Vermont for more than 40 years, and said this year’s 13 questions included what he believes to be a record number of “new”…
Thousand Rally to Oppose Mental Health, Disability Program Cuts
More than 1000 people converged on Montpelier Wednesday to oppose proposed cuts to mental health and disability programs. They buttonholed lawmakers and the media in the Statehouse cafeteria and hallways, testified before a joint House and Senate panel and stood more than 1000 strong on the barely cleared walkways around the Capitol steps for a…
Former Vermont Journalist at Center of NPR Scandal
* updated below * A former reporter for the Burlington Free Press — who later went on to a career in grantwriting and fundraising — is one of the two key figures at the center of a fracas involving National Public Radio and an undercover video. Betsy Liley, who is currently the senior director of…
Video: Nectar’s Grilled Cheese Mania
Have you ever made a grilled cheese with an iron? Jason Gelrud, co-owner of Nectar’s assures me he has not. Gelrud takes grilled cheese seriously. After tasting the bulk of Nectar’s special grilled cheese menu, so do I. Watch as Gelrud and I design our very own specialty sandwich, called “Old Smokey.” It features Nectar’s…
Skiers vs. Snowboarders — Rumble at the Statehouse Edition
I know what you’re thinking: skiers vs. snowboarders? Um, isn’t that a totally dated battle? To that I would answer, yes. Totally. For those of us who regularly ski or ride, there’s not a whole lot of thought that goes into determining which snow sport is better or more sick or fucking rad. Maybe it…
Mystery Solved: Vermont’s Gov Was in Caribbean
A tanned and rested Gov. Peter Shumlin today answered the question that had been plaguing politicos for nearly a week: He was vacationing in Dominica. The reason he kept it a secret — even from staffers such as Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding — and asked his staff to keep it a secret until he…
What Does $250,000 Buy You in Vermont?
With a quarter million (theoretically) to spend, Seven Days goes house hunting
News Quirks
Curses, Foiled Again Matthew Meguiar, 26, handed the teller at an Orlando, Fla., credit union an empty bag and a note demanding money, but the teller couldn’t fit the cash through the slot in the teller’s cage because the full bag was too big. According to the police report, Meguiar became frustrated and “turned around…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Dear Mr. Astrologer: Like the god Prometheus, I stole fire from the gods and gave it to people who sometimes make awful use of it. As punishment, the gods chained me to a rock on the beach, and arranged for an eagle to come daily to eat my liver. Luckily, the…
Letters to the Editor
St. Michael’s Responds In his Blurt post about the suicide of a St. Michael’s College student, “Another Campus Death Raises Questions About the S-word Taboo” [February 28], author Ken Picard wrote, “And once again, another respected institution of higher learning in Vermont sidestepped an opportunity to speak frankly, publicly and without euphemism about a major…
Jim Douglas on Twitter? Could He Possibly Be This Bland?
At first glance, everything about the Twitter account @JimDouglasVT looks plausible. The official-looking photo. The Vermont state flag wallpaper. The just-the-facts-ma’am bio (“I just retired after four terms as Governor and am teaching at Middlebury College.”) His list of followers (@ShayTotten, @WCAXnewsdesk). Most convincingly, the tweets are every bit as bland as you’d expect from…
Glock, Paper, Scissors?
OK, that headline might be a little misleading, but it got your attention, didn’t it? On a day when a mountain of snow is blocking every door of my home, it’s nice to think about the Shelburne Museum opening in May, cuz that means it will be warm. Or at least warmish. A press release…
Parting Shots: Church Street Shooter Shutters His Street Photography for Good
About a year ago, I wrote this story on the unusual case of Dan Scott, a St. Albans amateur photographer who works a day job at the Burlington office of the U.S. Social Security Administration. Scott, who enjoyed taking candid photos of people in public places during his lunch hours, got into some legal hot…
