Nov 1-7, 2017
How Vermont Prisons Are a Weak Link in the Addiction Crisis; Standup Adrienne Truscott Tells It Like It Is — About Rape Culture; A Visual Record of the Band Called Phish
Cover Story
How Drug Treatment Policies in Vermont Prisons Contribute to the Opiate Crisis
Sam Blatt tried OxyContin as a freshman at Castleton State College. Three years later, he was in prison for burglary and writing bad checks — crimes fueled by a heroin addiction that had quickly consumed him. When he got out in 2014, Blatt moved to Winooski with his girlfriend and found a construction job. Thanks…
Special Delivery: Lucy’s Love Bus Brings Integrative Therapy to Sick Children
One day in June of 2016, Nicole LaBonte noticed that her 4-year-old son, Spencer, seemed lethargic. When dad Jamie LaBonte picked his son up from daycare the next day, he noticed that the capillaries in the whites of Spencer’s eyes had burst. Nicole called the pediatrician and insisted he be seen that day. After an…
Thanks Again: A Mom Realizes That Gratitude is a Ride, Not a Destination
It’s a warm mid-October afternoon, and I’ve just unloaded mountain bikes from the van in preparation for a fall ride. First, the trusty tank of a bike I got in college, then my son’s smaller ride. I remember scoring it at a thrift store, having it tuned up and excitedly presenting it to him. What…
Laughing Matters: A Johnson State College Professor Traces the Origins of Humor in Babies
Researchers have known for years that newborns begin to smile spontaneously at about 6 weeks old, and start laughing at around 4 months. But until recently, the more complex question of when and how infants learn to recognize something as funny remained an unexplored area of academic inquiry. That is, until Dr. Gina Mireault, a…
Mealtime: Roasted Vegetable Minestrone Soup
When the leaves change color and a chill is in the air, my thoughts turn to making soup. And I don’t think anyone does soup as well as the Italians. Take minestrone, for example. While perusing my Italian cookbooks and the internet, I learned that this cornerstone of Italian cuisine is essentially a kitchen-sink soup.…
The Art Of… Family Volunteering
When I was growing up in upstate New York, my parents dragged me along to various volunteer activities, from serving pies at the local rescue squad’s annual fundraiser to handing out blankets at a shelter after a flood hit our small town. I never really had a choice in the matter and I wasn’t always…
Seriously: The Talk of the Campus; To Hell n’ Beck
In this episode, Bryan speaks with a college student about freedom of speech on campus and says goodbye to one of Vermont’s finest journalists. Featuring Conor Lastowka as “Brock Douchine.” CREDITS Written by: Bryan Parmelee and Conor Lastowka Filmed and edited by: Bryan Parmelee Artwork/photography courtesy of: James Buck, Matthew Thorsen, John James, Bryan Parmelee,…
Memoriam: Samuel James Khouri
Memorial Mass Announcement: In honor of Samuel James Khouri, his Family will host a memorial mass at St. Michael’s College Chapel, One Winooski Park, Colchester, VT on Wednesday November 22nd at 11:30am. We welcome Sam’s family and friends to attend the service.
Obituary: Samuel James Khouri
Another branch has fallen from our family tree. Sam’s passing was a shock for which we could not prepare. Like a tree without its branches, our lives maintain a void without you and we find solace in the many great times we shared. Memorial Mass Announcement: In honor of Samuel James Khouri, his Family will…
Black Marker Magic
When Ricardo Liniers Siri was a boy in Buenos Aires, he loved to read comics. Inspired by a friend’s drawings, young Ricardo began experimenting with his own illustrations and was soon hooked. Now a renowned cartoonist, the Argentinian is professionally known by his middle name, Liniers. Since 2016, he’s been a fellow at White River…
Habitat: COTS Family Shelter
In June of this year, James and his wife Sara* found themselves without a home. The couple had a 1-year-old baby, and Sara was seven months pregnant. Fortunately, they found a room at the Main Street Family Shelter — one of two family shelters operated by the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), a Burlington-based nonprofit.…
Middlebury Actors Workshop Brings New Plays to Reading Series
When a beloved dies, those left behind often yearn for one more heartfelt conversation or day of reminiscing. Such desires aren’t normally fulfilled — unless one lives in a futuristic world of time travel and sophisticated robots. In early September, the Middlebury Actors Workshop presented a reading of Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime, which uses technology…
Radio Bean’s Longest-Tenured Employee Reflects on His Run
Since its inception in the fall of 2000, Burlington’s Radio Bean has evolved from a hole-in-the-wall coffeehouse to a sprawling, multifaceted music and arts hub that includes the international street food restaurant ¡Duino! (Duende) and the luminous cocktail lounge Light Club Lamp Shop. As those spaces have evolved, the faces behind the counters have changed,…
Archivist Kevin Shapiro Talks About ‘Phish in the North Country’
Phishheads, rejoice: A new opportunity has emerged for celebrating the roots of Vermont’s grassroots musical phenomenon. “Phish in the North Country” is currently on view at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts’ Amy E. Tarrant Gallery in Burlington. The exhibition mines the jam band’s archives to present a chronological survey of poster art and…
Limited-Edition Booze From Mad Rivers Distillers, Stonecutter Spirits
On November 17, Warren’s Mad River Distillers will release a new single malt made from a distillation of Stone Corral Brewery’s Scotch ale. The liquor was aged for 18 months, and only 75 cases will be sold in Vermont. In other booze news, Stonecutter Spirits in Middlebury is creating limited-edition “baby” bottles for the holidays.…
Ask Athena: How Do I Get My Wife to Want Me Again?
Dear Athena, How do I get my wife to break away from the daily grind and want to want me again? Seems like all she is interested in anymore is the task at hand — however, I’m not the task. I’m 31; she’s 36. Signed, Need More Dear Need More, Have you wooed your wife…
Jason Tostrup to Head Kitchen at Free Range Restaurant
In southern Vermont, another resort is in transition. Chef Jason Tostrup, formerly of the Inn at Weathersfield, has left his position as executive chef at Okemo Mountain Resort to head the kitchen at the Free Range Restaurant, located on the green in Chester. The chef will also become a managing partner in the biz. Tostrup,…
Eat This Week, November 1 to 7, 2017: Using Your Beans
Some like their coffee super strong, with a little texture left over from the grounds. Others like a clean pour that allows the beans’ most delicate flavors to shine. During this roastery tour and workshop, Brio Coffeeworks educator Tyler Van Liew helps you find the brewing method that enables you to make your perfect cup,…
Free Will Astrology (11/1/17)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the early stages of Johnny Cash’s development as a musician, his mother hired a coach to give him singing lessons. But after a few meetings, the teacher counseled him to quit. Johnny’s style was so unique, the seasoned pro thought it better not to tamper with his natural sound. I…
June Banks Ends 27 Years of Snaffle Sweets
In her 27 years of baking cakes and other desserts at Snaffle Sweets, June Banks has seen Duncan Hines boxed cakes give way to vegan confections. She has witnessed a fondness for wedding cakes decorated with elaborate flowers and piping fall away in favor of cakes whose icing looks like spackle. “I changed with the…
Overheard Call Spawns a Court Case — and a Campus Free Speech Test
A tense scene played out in Vermont Superior Court last Friday. Judge David Fenster had to decide whether there was probable cause to charge University of Vermont student Wesley Richter with disorderly conduct for allegedly making racist threats in a phone call that was overheard in a campus library computer lab. After a freewheeling hearing…
Just Saying No: Vermont Education Secretary Defies Lawmakers
According to the civics textbooks, the lawmaking process works like this: Legislators pass a bill. If the governor agrees, he signs it into law, and his administration carries out its dictates. This year, Vermont Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe took a different tack. After Gov. Phil Scott signed a new omnibus education law, she declared she…
Book Review: ‘Landscape With Invisible Hand,’ M.T. Anderson
How do you write a book about the human costs of laissez-faire capitalism that won’t make readers’ eyes glaze over? Make it about an alien invasion. At least, that’s the sly solution that East Calais author M.T. Anderson deploys in his latest young-adult novel, Landscape With Invisible Hand. The book’s 18-year-old narrator, Adam Costello, is…
Lincoln Peak Vineyard Cultivates Vermont’s Wine Industry
On a crisp early-October day, Sara Granstrom knelt over a blackboard at Lincoln Peak Vineyard in New Haven writing instructions for the winery’s community harvest day. A few minutes later, a dozen people gathered around her in the 12-acre vineyard for a quick briefing that included a warning not to snip their fingers while clipping…
Adrienne Truscott’s Improbable Standup Show About Rape
If you’ve ever hung out with a room full of comedians, you may know that the jokes they tell offstage often cross lines they would never breach when on it. That was the scene when comedian Adrienne Truscott birthed the idea for the most successful, and controversial, work of her career. “We were doing the…
Movie Review: ‘Thank You for Your Service’ Tells a Familiar Story About Returning Soldiers
The attack on the Twin Towers is demonstrably responsible for flipping the fraught relationship between the American public and those who fight their battles for them. Young people may not realize that soldiers in the Vietnam War were widely regarded with the same disapproval that much of society felt toward the war itself. The Woodstock…
Soundbites: Bigger and Better; Glass Ceiling
The first weekend of November marks a festive annual milestone for Burlington’s Radio Bean. The intimate live music venue first set up shop right around this time in the year 2000. Seventeen years later, it celebrates its birth with an all-day music marathon on Saturday, November 4, which features just about every local band and…
Art Review: ‘WILDLANDS,’ the Great Hall, Springfield
The connection between artists and the land has resonated with viewers for centuries. In Vermont, exhibitions that push well beyond conventional landscapes have been on the rise in recent years. Burlington City Arts’ annual exhibit “Of Land & Local” has expanded to other venues. Last year, Shelburne Museum (“Eyes on the Land”) and the Hall…
Movie Review: ‘Suburbicon’ Tells Two Stories, Both of Them Badly
A dark crime drama directed by George Clooney, cowritten with Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring Matt Damon and Julianne Moore sounds pretty enticing right now. So it’s not fun to deliver the news that Suburbicon is a misfire that doesn’t work on any level: as crime drama, as black comedy, as social commentary, as…
Album Review: Root 7, ‘Exit 1’
(Self-released, digital download) A cappella music tends to have a polarizing effect on listeners. Love it or hate it, the vocal style has recently moved beyond its kitschy novelty status and into the mainstream, thanks to cultural milestones such as the Pitch Perfect film franchise, the teen TV dramedy “Glee” and the rise of televised…
Tapped Out: Burlington Residents Turned Off By Smelly Water
Some Burlingtonians raised a stink last week over smelly tap water. The conversation first surfaced on Facebook, according to Haleigh Simmons. The Maple Street resident saw a discussion in her news feed about foul-smelling water, then wrote her own post noting that her water had an algae-like taste and odor. Several others, from various sections…
Album Review: Marco Polio, ‘Syracuse Songs Pt. 2’
(Third Eye Industries, cassette, digital download) A rich tradition in pop music is crafting records as reflections of cities. Lou Reed, for example, set his hopeless opera Berlin in the titular German city. Nas’ Illmatic gave the world a first-person tour of Queens. When talented songwriters seek to embody the cities they’re living in, the…
Toronto-Based Company Gets Personal in Bid to Buy Burlington Telecom
The sales pitches of prospective buyers — in Vermont and Canada — failed to persuade the Burlington City Council to choose a new owner for its municipal telecom company on Monday. After an evening of heated debate on the merits of the two contenders and a surprise revelation, the city council postponed its vote on the future…
Hackie: High School Confidential
“I’m exhausted but happy.” Gillian and I were, in tandem, fastening our seatbelts for the ride from the airport into town. Before taking off, I turned to my right and we smiled, nodding at each other. Gillian had pixie-cut red hair, a round face and cool beige eyeglasses. She’s been a customer of mine for…
The Thin Red, White and Blue Line: Vermonter Wins Prize Of Arguable Merit
When a Vermonter brings home a national award for good citizenship, it’s usually a reason to celebrate. But in the case of Don Chioffi, it’s a cause for something like consternation. Chioffi is a longtime resident of Rutland Town and a former two-term state lawmaker who’s very active in community life. He is also one…
Green Candle Theatre Co. Reprises ‘Quantum Dog’
He’s just come from a lakeside bike ride, but Stephen Goldberg still looks the part of the brilliant playwright. Disheveled and distracted as he enters a busy Burlington café, he’s clad head to toe in black — well, head to knee, anyway. He wears shorts and sandals, because even brooding geniuses enjoy the rare balmy…
Virginia Heffernan to Speak on Internet ‘Magic and Loss’
“The Internet is paradigmatic magic,” writes New York-based cultural critic Virginia Heffernan. “It turns experiences from the material world that used to be densely physical … into frictionless, weightless, and fantastic abstractions.” The author of 2016’s Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art is one of three plenary speakers at this year’s Vermont Humanities Council…
Letters to the Editor (11/1/17)
Found in Translation I want to applaud the Seven Days team for including a Nepali audio version of the recent follow-up to the tragic events in the Bhutanese refugee community [“Cleaver Attack Stuns Vermont’s Bhutanese Community,” October 25]. I strongly support movement toward increased language accessibility, and I’m sure many community members will appreciate it…
At Neighborly Farms, Producing Cheddar Is a Family Affair
The room was hot and steamy, and about to get salty, at Neighborly Farms of Vermont in Randolph Center. At about 9:30 on a late-summer morning, head cheesemaker Jason Jarvis had already been at work for six hours. It was raw cheddar day. After adding the starter to about 400 pounds of unpasteurized organic milk…
Four Quarters Brewing Plans Expansion in Winooski
Four Quarters Brewing is embarking on an expansion that will increase production at the brewery at 150 West Canal Street in Winooski, and it’s adding canning and bottling lines. The only brewery in the Onion City, Four Quarters opened in March 2014 and has produced 400 barrels of beer since, said owner and brewmaster Brian…
Chef Christian Kruse Buys Vergennes Laundry
After seven years of operating Vergennes Laundry — a bakery and café on Main Street in Vergennes — owners Julianne and Didier Murat have sold the business. The new owner is Christian Kruse, former executive chef at the Basin Harbor Club, also in Vergennes. A graduate of New England Culinary Institute, Kruse worked in Seattle…
