Nov 11-17, 2009
Who Will Lead the Next Generation of Vermont’s Racial Justice Activists; A Recipe for Managing Recipes; Burlington Considers a Segway; Michael Chorney’s New Sextet
Shumlin Launches Bid for Governor
It’s officially, official: Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin is running for governor. The Windham Democrat, who has been the Senate leader since returning to the post in 2007, enters an already crowded field of Democrats. Five candidates, including Shumlin, are vying for the right to challenge the putative GOP nominee — Lt. Gov. Brian…
It’s Not Just Vermont — Seven Gay Publications Shut Down
Vermont hasn’t had a GLBT newspaper since Out in the Mountains folded in 2006. Now seven more gay publications are following suit. All Window Media publications abruptly closed up shop today, including the Southern Voice, the Houston Voice and the venerable Washington Blade. Staffers at the Southern Voice arrived at work this morning to find…
State Auditor Charged with DUI
State Auditor Tom Salmon is facing a charge of driving under the influence after a routine traffic stop in Montpelier Friday night. According to a police summary of the incident, Trooper Brandon Doll stopped Salmon around 10:30 p.m. Salmon was driving a 2008 Honda Civic and failed to use a turn signal. “In speaking with…
BREAKING: City secures refinancing for Burlington Telecom
Usually politicians save their 4 p.m. Friday press conferences for bad news. But this fire has burned unchecked for long enough. Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss announced late this afternoon that the city received a financing proposal this week for Burlington Telecom (BT) to satisfy its current debt of $33 million, as well as the $17.4…
Happy Birthday, NEK!
Did you know 60 years have passed since the late former Vermont Governor and U.S. Senator George Aiken first uttered the phrase, “the Northeast Kingdom”? How time flies. Word has it (in the form of a press release) that two other fellows, Wallace Gilpin of Newport and W. Arthur Simpson of Lyndonville, actually thought up…
2009 Cabot Sock Sale Starts This Weekend
I just saw someone on Twitter complaining about losing her husband for a month to deer season, and it reminded me that it’s time for the “Hunter’s Widow” Sock Sale at Cabot Hosiery Mills, makers of Darn Tough socks, in Northfield. This annual Vermont tradition — now in its 30th year — takes place this…
Mayor Bob Kiss: A “Vetting” Problem?
Mayor Bob Kiss formally reached out to the Burlington chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars — twice — in an effort to assuage damage created by a mayoral stand-in speaker at yesterday’s Veterans Day ceremony in Battery Park. “The remarks were unfortunate,” said Joe Reinert, assistant to the mayor. “They were not the mayor’s…
Guen Gifford, 1972-2009
Burlington resident Guenever Gifford, 37, died in a paragliding accident in California last Sunday, November 1. Like everyone who knew her, I was shocked and saddened to hear it. Guen was a staff attorney at Law Line of Vermont. She was a dedicated and outspoken community activist, and an athlete. She was an acquaintance of…
Reporting and Writing on Sexual Violence
This week, I’m taking some time off from the daily grind of Seven Days reporting to spend a few days in Boston with fellow New England journalists and advocates who work with victims of sexual and domestic violence. The event is an all-expenses-paid training seminar entitled “Reporting and Writing on Sexual Violence.” OK, so some…
Welch Seeks Probe of Blackwater in Wake of Bribery Charges
US Rep. Peter Welch is urging the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to investigate whether Blackwater Worldwide — now known as Xe Services — bribed Iraqi officials following a September 2007 shooting incident. According to a New York Times story, Blackwater executives authorized $1 million in bribes to Iraqi Interior…
Richmond Police Chief to Stay on the Job
After giving it some thought, Richmond police chief William “Joe” Miller told the town selectboard that he will remain in his post after all. Miller submitted a letter of resignation in August, which the board rejected. “After careful consideration I have decided to remain as the chief of the Richmond Police department and continue my…
20 Ski Resorts in 20 Weeks? Yes, I Can!
Here’s a little trivia question for you fine folk: How many ski resorts are in our little nation of Vermont? If you answered “What’s skiing?” or “Where is Vermont?,” feel free to stop reading pronto-like. If your answer “Twenty, you dingleberry. Like, duh.” I’d say we have a winner! Come and claim your prizes —…
Famous Slovenian Philosopher/Film Buff Coming to UVM
If you’re a grad student or professor in the humanities, you probably already know who I’m talking about — Slavoj Zizek. Regardless of whether you can pronounce his name, this eclectic, eccentric thinker has shown up in the Village Voice, the New Yorker, the NYT, and perhaps even on the shelf of your local video…
Letters to the Editor
Patent Lie [Re: “Tech Entrepreneurs Await State’s New Seed-Money Fund,” October 20]: Referring to the original legislative proposal, the article stated, “Facing the deepest fiscal crisis in years, the legislature shot down two of the wishes — a business tax credit for research and development, and tax exemptions for income on certain kinds of patents…
Free Will Astrology
Here’s the weekly astrological forecast for November 11 – 18, 2009. What’s your sign, baby? They’re all here… ARIES (March 21-April 19): A whitewash happens when you use deceit to cover up the messy facts about a situation. A blackwash is just the opposite: It’s when you invoke candor as you reveal complications that have…
News Quirks
Curses, Foiled Again An armed robber entered a Pizza Hut restaurant in Statesville, N.C., and ordered worker Therman Martin to empty the safe. Martin told WSOC-TV that when he explained he couldn’t open the safe because “I’m just the oven man,” the robber forced him into the bathroom and tried to shoot him, but the…
Cuba Calling
Art Review: “Cuban Artists’ Books and Prints: 1985-2008,” Fleming Museum, UVM, Burlington. Through November 25. Info, 656-0750.
Kill Your TV… But Not Your Laptop
Getting By: How Vermonters Are Surviving the Recession
Fusion Food
With China Express and One Pepper Grill, a young entrepreneur brings more flavors to the O.N.E.
![Green Mountain Hounds [151]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/episode151.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
Green Mountain Hounds [151]
11/8/09: The Green Mountain Hounds carry on the illustrious tradition of fox hunting with a modern day twist – instead of hunting actual foxes, the hounds trail the scent of anise. Music:Renaissonics, Carols for Dancing, “Gaytas,” “Fum, Fum, Fum” Location: Charlotte, Richmond, VT Related Stories
The Double Truck Driver Challenge
I’ve been preoccupied for years with competitive eating. My favorite rapper is Badlands Booker, the world’s Hamentaschen eating champion. I am just about to add an IFOCE (International Federation of Competitive Eating) sticker to my car. All these years, though, I was just a spectator. On November 1st, that all changed when Jordan Ware –…
Best Bites: Betty’s Beef and Seafood
133 North Main Street, in the JC Penney Shopping Center, St. Albans 752-4949 When I travel, I envision what might lie inside all the mom-and-pop eateries I pass. It makes me sad that I will never try most of them, because I fear they might be something like Betty’s. A tiny diner sandwiched between a dollar…
TJ Donovan Not Running for Lt. Governor
Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan said today he will not be a candidate for lieutenant governor. Donovan was one of several Democrats considering a run for the office, given the current officeholder Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, a Republican, is running for governor. “As I have traveled across our state over the past few months…
