May 8-14, 2019
Bethel Artist, Musician and Theologian Katie Runde Embraces the Holy and the Cow; Feds Loan Vermont Colleges Millions; Meet Scripps Spelling Bee Pronouncer Jacques Bailly
Obituary: Laurie Ann LeClair, 1961-2019
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Laurie Ann LeClair on April 4, 2019. She was born in Burlington, Vt., on October 2, 1961. Laurie rose through poverty and adverse circumstances to obtain a diverse education on several continents. After attending Burlington schools, she went on to graduate summa cum laude…
In Memoriam: Sanders Milens
Sandy Milens died on January 20. A celebration of his life will take place Saturday, May 18, 2 p.m., at Film House/Lake Lobby, Main Street Landing, 60 Lake St., 3rd floor, Burlington VT. Please join us to share memories and stories of Sandy. Related Stories
Birth Announcement: Declan Dominic Kibler
On May 7, 2019, at Porter Medical Center, Brigid and Phillip Kibler welcomed a son, Declan Dominic Kibler.
Alia & Anthony Liberatore Wedding
Alia Barbano-George and Anthony Liberatore were gloriously united in marriage May 4 at Sleepy Hollow in Huntington, Vt. Everyone danced the night away. May all your dreams come true!
Soundbites: Recapping Waking Windows 2019
Rear Window By the time this column hits the streets, the euphoria of Waking Windows will have likely waned — though the customary profusion of social media posts regarding the three-day music festival should keep the good feels going all week. Last Friday through Sunday, downtown Winooski was a music nut’s heaven on Earth. Hopefully…
Congolese Brothers Say a Run-In With Burlington Police Left a Lasting Impression
The Meli brothers were born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but they’ve always considered Burlington home. Albin, 26, Jérémie, 25, and Charlie, 22, were children when their parents immigrated to Vermont in 2004. The adults left behind professional jobs in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, so their kids could have better opportunities in the United…
Burlington’s Cricket Blue on Their New Album, ‘Serotinalia’
The best writers know you can’t make your characters perfect. No one wants to read about people without problems who make the right decision every time. There’s no romance in that, no lessons to be learned. The assortment of characters who populate Cricket Blue’s songs lead anything but perfect lives, particularly those who inhabit the…
Album Review: LEAN TEE, ‘Lavender’
(Self-released, digital) Burlington singer-songwriter Taylor Paul Kracher, who performs and records under the moniker LEAN TEE, offers scant initial insight into his new EP, Lavender. In an email, he writes that he attempted to “convey an overall disillusionment between idealism and the superficial comfort found in our routines.” That kind of vague yet thought-provoking teaser…
Album Review: Old Sky, ‘Red Leaves Snowy Peak’
(Self-released, digital download) Old Sky are a folk duo that emerged from the churn of Vermont’s busy Americana scene. Singer/guitarist Andrew Stearns handles both songwriting and lead vocals, and he’s lucky to have the kind of humble but strong voice this music demands. He’s also lucky to have Shay Gestal backing him up on harmonies…
Why Is Japan’s Most Popular Curry Called Vermont Curry?
It means something for a food product to carry the Vermont label, be it one of our award-winning stinky cheeses, our cult-worshipped craft beer or that liquid-gold bonanza, maple syrup. The “Vermont” designation has become such a brand unto itself, bespeaking a heightened degree of artisanship, quality and care, that the state has even made…
Movie Review: Seth Rogen Can’t Make the Unlikely Romance of ‘Long Shot’ Work
Critics consider the romantic comedy an endangered species. So, to the extent that Jonathan Levine (50/50) made one as opposed to a superhero, horror or faith-based film, it is undeniably a good thing. Which is not the same thing as a good movie. I’m happy whenever a Hollywood dollar goes toward any project that isn’t…
Free Will Astrology (5/8/19)
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): According to science writer Sarah Zielinski in Smithsonian magazine, fireflies produce the most efficient light on planet Earth. Nearly 100 percent of the energy produced by the chemical reaction inside the insect’s body is emitted as a brilliant glow. With that in mind, I propose that you regard the firefly as…
Movie Review: Robert Pattinson Takes a Spaceship to Nowhere in the Existential Sci-Fi Odyssey ‘High Life’
The title High Life suggests a stoner film, but it’s actually a downer joke. From veteran French cowriter-director Claire Denis (35 Shots of Rum), this existential sci-fi flick opens with a mumbly fellow named Monte (Robert Pattinson) alone on a spaceship with an infant. From our earthbound perspective, his life is “high” indeed. But the…
Letters to the Editor (5/8/19)
Waiting Game [Re Fair Game: “Wait for It,” May 1]: Let’s try to retire the phrase “You are in our thoughts and prayers” in Vermont, regarding gun violence, by proactively requiring a measly 24-hour waiting period for buying a handgun in our state. The legislators who are delaying a vote on this bill need to…
The USDA Loaned Millions to Five Vermont Colleges. Two Are Closing.
Vermont’s ailing higher education sector has gotten a cash injection from an unlikely source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has approved low-interest loans of $94.2 million to five private schools during the past six years. The money doesn’t guarantee a school’s survival. Two colleges that received loans are shutting down, and it’s unclear whether…
I Miss My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dogs
Dear Reverend, My boyfriend and I broke up last week, and I’m moving across the country. About six months ago, he purchased two puppies. He made it very clear from the beginning that the dogs were his, but we took care of them together, and I really fell in love with them. I almost wanted…
Tough Guy: Does Public Safety Commissioner Tom Anderson Speak for Phil Scott?
Public Safety Commissioner Tom Anderson is known as a hardliner on drug-related issues. Not necessarily surprising for the state’s chief law enforcement officer. But his performance at an April 16 press conference in Brattleboro was excessive even by his standards. He and U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan delivered a message straight out of the ’80s’ War…
Artist Katie Runde Embraces the Holy and the Cow
Katie Runde squints a lot while she works, the better to see the contours of what she’s trying to create. On a cold, wet day in early May, that happened to be a three-dimensional, 10-by-26-foot chalk mural of a Holstein. Rendered on pavement at Middlebury College, the cow was decked out in bougainvillea and other…
Citing Bias Complaints, Scott Demands New Judicial Nominees
Gov. Phil Scott is holding up the appointments of two Vermont Superior Court judges over what he calls a lack of diversity in the candidates put forward by the state’s Judicial Nominating Board. In a sharply worded letter he sent the board in March, the governor cited “anecdotal evidence” that it has discriminated against women,…
Eat This Week, May 8 to 14, 2019: Natural High
Wine, food and music will come together at Crush on Pine, a wine party thrown by Dedalus Market, Wine Shop & Wine Bar with CO Cellars. The event will feature a selection of natural and “small-batch” wines to sample. Food trucks will also be on hand, getting a jump on the ArtsRiot Truck Stop season,…
Beer Here: Vermonter Offers Free Bud Light on Craigslist
This Bud’s for you — and it’s free of charge. A Berlin woman looking to unload half a case of Bud Light beer took to Craigslist to find someone in need of subpar suds. “This bud light has been sitting on the porch all winter so probably was frozen and thawed,” Becky Grenier wrote in…
Prizewinner Marcelo Gleiser Bridges Science and Spirituality
Marcelo Gleiser, professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College, has been awarded the Templeton Prize, valued at 1.1 million British pounds, or about $1.4 million. The Pennsylvania-based John Templeton Foundation gives the prize annually to “a person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical…
Short Takes on Five Vermont Books
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 labor of moles. 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…
Meet Scripps Spelling Bee Pronouncer Jacques Bailly
Jacques Bailly knows firsthand the intense pressure facing the 550-plus students who, once a year, stand onstage in front of him as they try to spell obscure English words while an audience of millions watches live on TV. Bailly, who’s been the official pronouncer of the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2003, won the event…
Aurora Chamber Singers Present Border-Crossing Concert
“You are carrying your grandmother’s most precious, fragile, once-a-year tureen out of a burning house,” choral director David Neiweem advises a group of 30 singers at a recent rehearsal in the annex of the First Congregational Church of Burlington. The Aurora Chamber Singers are only warming up, with a series of successively higher octave jumps.…
Art Review: ’70+: Gero-Transcendence,’ 77 Gallery
Try inviting a dozen or so artist friends to submit a few pieces of their art and see what happens. That was how William T. Ramage made an initial call to artists for the exhibition “70+: Gero-Transcendence” at Rutland’s 77 Gallery. No advertisements or announcements. Instead, Ramage suggested those artists invite other artists, creating a…
Sampling the Chef-Made Foods to Go at Gilfeather’s
When I’m driving a stretch of highway and see a place with a hand-painted sign saying “Lobster rolls,” I stop. If there are also signs that say “Pork BBQ today” and “Craft beer & wine,” it might warrant a skidding, 90-degree stuntman turn. Or perhaps an illegal U-turn if I’m feeling wimpy. Having recently moved…
After 24 Years, Good Times Café Owners Ready to Sell
After 24 years running Good Times Café in Hinesburg, husband-and-wife owners Chris and Tracy Applin are selling their restaurant. Known for its pizza and Cajun specialties, the café at 10805 Route 116 also presents intimate music performances. Good Times, which seats 30 people, started as a pizza place and expanded and diversified its menu over…
