The Auto Issue
The Auto Issue: Are Vermont’s Used Auto Parts Peddlers Benefiting From Hard Times? Vermont Is Not The Worst Place to Sell Cars; New Book on Lake Champlain Makes a Splash
Trio of Quail
Given the state of the economy, my boyfriend James and I elected to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home. Since I had a six-pack of quail waiting in the freezer, I also chose to give myself the Iron Chef-level challenge of cooking a gourmet meal using only items that we had in the pantry, most purchased…
Jon Stewart to Appear at UVM
Jon Stewart, the salty, satirical host of The Daily Show, will be performing at the Patrick Gym on March 28th at 8 pm. Tickets for UVM students will cost $25, and for non-UVM students, $40, when they go on sale to the general public on March 9th. My guess is UVM students get them earlier.…
John McCardell on 60 Minutes
Last night, Middlebury College President Emeritus John McCardell appeared on CBS’ “60 Minutes” in a 13-minute segment on the “drinking age debate.” As we reported in October, McCardell, founder of the advocacy nonprofit Choose Responsibility, has angered Mothers Against Drunk Driving by suggesting that the federal drinking age be lowered from 21 to 18 years…
Wheeler Parents Commit “Random Acts of Art”
Between March 4 and 13, some Burlington parents will sign their kids up for Vermont’s first-ever magnet schools. Both schools are in Burlington’s Old North End and traditionally enroll a high percentage of poor students. The schools are the end result of much debate and planning. According to the Burlington School District website, teachers at…
El Anatsui
[Ed. Note: Here’s another post from Seven Days co-editor Pamela Polston.] I was bummed Sunday morning to see that the New York Times Style Magazine used “A Stimulus Package” as its headline; we came up with our title, “Stimulus Package,” for this week’s Sex Survey writeup, well before seeing that (credit to Ken Picard). Oh,…
Skydiver Survives Power Line
[Ed. note: this just in from Seven Days editor Pamela Polston…] Wow. Today at the Brattleboro Winter Carnival, a Massachusetts skydiver crashed onto a power line, and lived to tell the tale. According to an email we received from Steve Costello at CVPS, the unnamed diver was supposed to land in front of the crowd…
Best vintage clothes (retired cat.)
Battery Street Jeans & Battery Street Jeans
Best shoe store outside Chittenden County (retired)
Lenny's Shoe & Apparel & The Shoe Horn
Best place to buy women’s evening wear outside Chittenden County (retired cat.)
Damsels & Salaam Boutique
Best place to buy women’s evening wear inside Chittenden County (retired cat.)
ecco & Ecco Clothes for Women & Men
Best women’s casual clothing outside Chittenden County
Onion River Sports & Onion River Sports
Best women’s casual clothing inside Chittenden County
Sweet Lady Jane & Outdoor Gear Exchange (OGE)
National Education Blogger Covers Middlebury Biomass Plant
Vermont media outlets are issuing positive reports this week on Middlebury College’s new biomass plant. According to a press release on Middlebury’s website, the $12 million biomass plant will burn about 20,000 tons of locally-sourced wood chips per year. College administrators expect the glass-encased plant, which sits in the center of campus, to save an…
Burlington VT vs. Huntington WV
ABC’s “Nightline” aired a segment last night contrasting Burlington with Huntington, West Virginia. Apparently, we’re the healthiest city, and they’re the unhealthiest. So “Nightline” followed a Huntington family and a Burlington family, and highlighted the differences in their shopping, eating and exercising habits. The Burlingtonians stop at City Market, Church Street and the Waterfront. Check…
Downloadable Oscar Ballot
Planning to watch the Academy Awards show Sunday night? Here’s a downloadable Oscar ballot, courtesy of WPTZ. It’s basically a checklist, so that you can compete with your friends to see who picks the most winners.
Warning: Mild Grossness Ahead
In little over a week, I will begin a semester-long study abroad program in Salvador, Brazil. Salvador is Brazil’s third largest city and has earned the nickname “Brazil’s capital of happiness” for its street carnivals and beach-loving population. Forget the Elysian Fields, this sounds like my vision of paradise. However, preparing for departure has been…
Vermont Democratic Party Chairman Resigns
In an email to state committee members this morning, Vermont’s Democratic Party Chairman Ian Carleton announced that he will step down tomorrow after a three-year stint in the post. Carleton, a former Burlington city councilor, will turn the reins over to vice chairwoman Judy Bevans. Bevans will serve as acting chairwoman until either the party…
Take Your Pod and Stuff It
I walked down Church Street tonight and I was completely invisible. A good friend walked right past me without seeing me. She was texting/Twittering/God-knows-whattering on her iPhone/iPod/insert-other-popular-web-enabled-device-here. Right behind her was another friend who didn’t see me either because of the very same thing. A few years ago — passing by those very same people…
Vermont-Connected RNC Protesters Acquitted of Charges
In early September, we reported that a pair of protesters with Vermont connections were arrested in St. Paul, Minnesota, during the Republican National Convention. Turns out the twentysomething protesters, Sam Maron and Katt Tolman, are part of a group called the “Wall Street” seven that was later charged with Obstructing Legal Process, Disorderly Conduct, Unlawful…
Can Burlington Pull Off an Error-Free Election?
Let’s face it, Burlington has had its share of problems since longtime elections chief Jo LaMarche left the city to take a job as the Addison County Clerk, and many wonder if the current team is really up to the task of pulling off an error-free election in the state’s largest city. Last May, city…
Vermont Yankee on the Hot Seat
The Vermont Legislature isn’t the only place where Entergy Vermont Yankee officials can find themselves on the hot seat. Voters in roughly 40 towns in 10 counties will cast ballots on whether the state’s lone nuke plant should get a 20-year extension on its 40-year operating license. Several others will take up the matter under…
![After School Rocks [SIV116]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/episode116.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
After School Rocks [SIV116]
2/12/09: After School Rocks this winter at 242 Main where students play and compose music, form bands, and channel their innerrockstars in a 5 week camp. Location: 242 Main, Burlington Vermont
Free Will Astrology
Here’s the weekly astrological forecast for February 18 – 25, 2009. What’s your sign, baby? They’re all here… ARIES (March 21-April 19): For a limited time only, you’re in a position to consciously choose your next problems. This is a tremendous opportunity that I hope you won’t allow to go to waste. By being proactive,…
Vitruvian Post Script
Soundbites: Vitruvian Post Script, Grace Notes, Bite Torrent, Dept. of Corrections
A Driver Rehab Specialist Holds the Key to Getting People Behind the Wheel
For most drivers, getting from point A to point B is as simple as turning a key, putting the vehicle in gear and stepping on the gas. As long as the environs are familiar, driving tends to require minimal conscious thought. In fact, many motorists have experienced the phenomenon of driving on “autopilot,” or getting…
News Quirks
Curses, Foiled Again A man entered a store in South Portland, Maine, at 2:30 p.m., wielded a knife and demanded money. When the clerk refused, the robber vowed to return. The Portland Press Herald reported he showed up at 4:30 and tried to throw a planter through the store window, but it bounced back. He…
Up Against the Walls
Art Review: “Urban Wallscapes,” recent paintings and prints by Phil Herbison, Vermont Supreme Court Lobby, Montpelier. Through March 6.
Old School
One Burlington school still isn’t handicapped-accessible, and parents are tired of it
Letters to the Editor
COMIC RELIEF I want to thank Seven Days for retaining their comics section. It isn’t that I would expect Seven Days to trim or remove comics, but in recent weeks Village Voice Media has abruptly cut out its comics, and the alternative comics industry is in some danger as a result. Alternative comics of the…
Are Vermont’s Used Auto Parts Peddlers Benefiting From Hard Times?
Armand Rathe, longtime owner of Rathe’s Salvage, doesn’t have a computer, or much of a filing system, in his Colchester office. But if your ’95 beater needs a replacement alternator, chances are he knows exactly where to look. Rathe’s — pronounced “Ratty’s” — sits on 20 acres abutting Interstate I-89. To find the scrap yard,…
Burlington is the New Brooklyn
I just wanted to take a moment to give props to the people over at Higher Ground for the fantastic lineup of shows they’ve booked for late March and April. The big win is Jeff Tweedy of Wilco (pictured) playing a solo acoustic set on March 26. Considering all three Wilco shows I’ve seen have…
Blogging Burlington Politics
No, I’m not talking about what we’re doing here on Blurt. We actually get paid for our reporting. And we’re happy about that. Haik Bedrosian, on the other hand, is not getting paid to blog about Burlington politics, but he does it anyway. Exhaustively. It’s impressive. Haik runs BurlingtonPol, a hyperlocal blog that covers Queen…
Yes, Another Mayoral Debate!
Another day, another Burlington mayoral debate — or at least so it seems. This time, four of the five mayoral candidates will take questions from Seven Days staff writer Ken Picard. The forum, sponsored by AARP-Vermont, takes place Thursday in the Hilton on Battery Street in Burlington from 6-7:30 p.m. Roughly half of the questions…
Comcast Gets Schooled
Area school boards are coming to the defense of the Regional Educational Technology Network (RETN) in its brewing battle with telecom giant Comcast. The Burlington School Board last week issued a resolution in support of RETN. Comcast is arguing to the state Public Service Board that it should be allowed to back out of two…
Not as Sexy as Bob Kiss
The campaign videos keep a’comin’ in Burlington’s mayoral race. Here’s video #2 from Dan Smith’s campaign (and yes, it appears to be from his official campaign). It’s a little shorter than video #1, but features many of the same people, and some of the same lines. Love that montage of Dan talking in his campaign…
