May 18-24, 2011
Faulty Breath Tests Jeopardized Dozens of Vermont Drunk-driving Convictions; Water-Logged Flood Facts; Pool Pro Liz Ford’s Got Game; Sartorial Savvy at the Clothes Exchange
Cover Story
Faulty Breath Tests Jeopardize Dozens of Vermont Drunk-Driving Convictions
Judging from the cruiser-cam video, the case against accused drunk driver Brian Grenier looked like a slam dunk. When a Washington County sheriff’s deputy stopped him for a busted headlight on North Main Street in Barre last May, Grenier admitted he’d been watching a Celtics game with a buddy, drinking Bud Lights. Asked by the…
Leopold, City Officials Defend Burlington Telecom Expense Payments
In a Burlington courtroom today, Burlington Chief Administrative Officer Jonathan Leopold defended his decision to charge city taxpayers — rather than Burlington Telecom subscribers — for some of the costs associated with restructuring the embattled municipal telecom. “To preserve this asset [BT] and ensure recovery of taxpayer funds, it is in my opinion that the…
Barre Town Passes Food Sovereignty Measure
The urbanesque Barre Town may seem an unlikely epicenter for a “food sovereignty” movement, but at last week’s town meeting, residents quietly threw down the gauntlet for agricultural self-determination. By a vote of 673 to 200, town voters passed a measure to “reject federal decrees, statutes, regulations, or corporate practices that threaten our basic human…
Burlington Telecom’s Legal and Consulting Costs Near $1 Million Mark
Burlington Telecom has racked up close to $1 million in charges to pay for lawyers and outside consultants to deal with regulatory and criminal investigations, as well as to oversee a major financial overhaul of the struggling municipal utility. In a memo released late Thursday, City Hall officials claim Burlington Telecom (BT) has incurred up…
James Lantz Takes “The Bus” to Kickstarter … and Topeka
A few weeks ago I wrote a “State of the Arts” story about Burlington playwright James Lantz being invited to take his play, The Bus, to an off-Broadway venue called 59E59 Theaters. In the piece, I mentioned that Lantz would be fundraising to make that happen. He was a little vague at the time about…
Ambushed! Putative Socialist Bernie Sanders Unmasked as Evil Capitalist (VIDEO)
Is U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a self-described socialist, really a closet capitalist? That’s the conclusion of Jason Mattera, editor of the national conservative magazine Human Events, in an amusing 90-second video posted this morning. (see the full video below) Mattera confronted Sanders at a Washington, D.C. Barnes & Noble during a signing event for…
7 Questions: UVM’s Gary Derr Responds to Federal Clery Act Violations
In March 2010, I wrote a story called “What Rape? Vermont’s Higher-Ed Institutions Are Underreporting Student Sexual Assaults.” The story pointed out that, despite federal mandates under the Clery Act, colleges and universities throughout the Green Mountain State weren’t painting an accurate picture of the number of sexual assaults occurring on their campuses. According to estimates…
Cued Up
Professional pool player Liz Ford gets her Vermont hustle on with a new league
News Quirks
Curses, Foiled Again The Los Angeles County sheriff’s department solved a 2004 murder case after homicide investigator Kevin Lloyd recognized the crime depicted in a tattoo on the chest of Anthony Garcia, 25. The 30-year department veteran had been at the scene of the liquor store slaying and remembered the details when he spotted Garcia’s…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Today I received this email: “Dear Chosen One: My name is Boopsky, also known as ‘The Impossible.’ I rule a small kingdom that exists in a secret place — an island with abundant riches and rhinoceros playgrounds. To make a long story short, you have won our ‘naked’ lottery. Please come…
House of Cards?
A Vermont-raised author examines his childhood through baseball cards
Antinuclear Group Denied Intervention in Entergy Case
A federal court judge late Tuesday denied the antinuclear group New England Coalition’s petition to intervene in Entergy’s lawsuit against the state of Vermont. NEC filed a motion two weeks ago in U.S. District Court. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge J. Garvan Murtha said NEC’s concerns are “adequately represented” by the state. “The…
![Charlie’s Boathouse & the Flood of 2011 [223]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/episode223.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
Charlie’s Boathouse & the Flood of 2011 [223]
5/13/11: Lake Champlain’s record high water levels have affected many Vermonters adversely this spring. Charlie’s Boathouse sits at the end of North Avenue where the Winooski River meets Lake Champlain in Burlington. This historic landmark and summer fixture dates back to the 1920s. Charlie Auer was preparing to open for the summer season when the…
Letters to the Editor
Seven Days Scoop On May 14, I received a Facebook update from the weekly paper that could and does, Seven Days, saying it would be publishing an article by Andy Bromage entitled, “With Breath Testers in Doubt, Vermont Prosecutors to Toss Dozens of DUI Cases.” Curious, I read the article and found it alarming. State…
