

Obituary: Shanna Wester, 1990-2020
Colchester graduate found her passion working with animals
Obituary: Todd Anderson, 1968-2020
Waterville man died in a Lake Champlain boating incident
Obituary: Ralph Preston, 1927-2020
A master ship-in-bottle maker lived a life of love and humor
A Taste of Abyssinia Is Catering Small Dinner Parties
Alganesh Michael, a South Burlington resident originally from Eritrea, has shifted course with her Eritrean/Ethiopian food business, A Taste of Abyssinia, in response to the pandemic. Known for her large-event catering, pop-up dinners at ArtsRiot, and cooking classes at Richmond Community Kitchen and Access CVU, Michael found herself with limited business in mid-March. She now…
Café Mediterano Finds New Location in Essex Junction
After a temporary closure in early April, Café Mediterano reopened on July 1 in a new location: 60A Pearl Street in the Essex Junction shopping plaza anchored by Big Lots. For 14 years, the casual eatery has served up Greek fare, such as gyros, alongside dishes from owner Barney Crnalic’s Bosnian heritage, such as cevapi…
Free WIll Astrology (7/8/20)
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Mary McCarthy provides you with a challenge you’ll be wise to relish during the rest of 2020. She writes, “Everyone continues to be interested in the quest for the self, but what you feel when you’re older is that you really must make the self.” McCarthy implies that this…
Vermont Dance Alliance and Black Freedom Fund Partner to Empower
Everyone needs to experience joy, perhaps especially as the country navigates a pandemic, political divisiveness and the tumultuous struggle for racial justice. Through dance and philanthropy, the Vermont Dance Alliance and the Black Freedom Fund are working to help people nurture their joy and support racial equality in the Green Mountain State and beyond. In…
Alimentari Roscini in Barre Expands Curbside Offerings
Pete Roscini Colman has expanded Alimentari Roscini, the grocery business at 159 North Main Street in Barre associated with his cured meats company, Vermont Salumi. Colman now takes online orders for curbside pickup of both his cured meats and fresh meats; most of the latter are locally sourced. He also offers fresh pasta and bread,…
Letters to the Editor (7/8/20)
History Lessons In [Feedback: “Who ‘Founded’ Vermont?” June 17], Joseph LaFleur asks the question: “What should we think about the founders of the state of Vermont? Particularly Samuel de Champlain.” Here are a couple of history lessons. Champlain was not a “founder” of the state of Vermont. True, he named the lake after himself and…
Soundbites: Nightlife During a Pandemic
Safety Meeting I hate feeling like a party pooper. I never thought I would be the one wagging a finger, admonishing revelers for doing the very thing I spent a great deal of my teens and early twenties doing. Yet there I was, standing on Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace in front of nightclub Red Square…
Oskar Schroeder, ‘Way Too Long’
(Self-released, digital) Where are all of these young, gifted alt-pop singer-songwriters coming from? Last week, we introduced you to R&B upstart Will Keeper. Behind the scenes, that led to the discovery of his collaborator Oskar Schroeder. I tried to come up with some kind of equivalency from nature, such as: If you see one ant…
Shelburne Artist Highlights Environmental Issues in ‘Megalomania’
With the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice at the top of many Vermonters’ minds, it can be easy to forget the urgency of other global issues. With her illustrated project Megalomania, Shelburne resident Gillian Dorfman draws attention to the environment, as well as the Trump administration’s dismantling of environmental protection policies. Part children’s story, part…
Asa Morris, ‘God Has Entered My Body. A Perfect Body, My Same Size’
(Small Ghost Recordings, digital) Burlington transplant Asa Morris’ internet presence suggests that he needs to make art the way the rest of us need to eat and drink water. Morris is a painter, writer and prolific musician. He’s known in the upstate New York DIY scene for his rock band Asa Morris and the Mess…
A 14-Year-Old Artist’s Quarantine Pastime: Daily Drawings
It’s become a quarantine cliché: the lament that you’ve “squandered” your stay-at-home time if you haven’t started a novel, learned a new language or mastered the alchemy of sourdough. Max Lorber-Lew, 14, has no reason to feel guilty. The recent graduate of Lyman C. Hunt Middle School in Burlington has made a drawing every day…
College Kids Collect Devices for Elderly to Attend Virtual Appointments
A college student from Barre is leading a local drive to help bridge the digital divide for elderly and low-income Vermonters. Lia Rubel is among a network of young adults across the country that is collecting computers, tablets, cellphones and other camera-equipped smart devices so that those in need can access virtual medical care. Started…
Why Do Yellow Grins and a ‘GUMP’ Bench Greet Drivers in Essex Junction?
In these “difficult times” — as every TV commercial describes this year’s perfect storm of pandemic, lockdown, police violence and street demonstrations — we can all use a smile to brighten our days. But even before COVID-19 became a household word, two yellow grins have been beaming at passersby on West Street in Essex Junction.…
The Cartoon Issue — 2020
Variants of the adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” have existed for centuries, but modern usage of the phrase reportedly can be traced back to an advertising trade journal in the 1920s. Adjusting for inflation, a picture in 2020 is worth roughly 14,000 words — about the length of four typical Seven Days…
My Best Friend Is Constantly Picking His Nose
Dear Reverend, My best friend is constantly picking his nose. I swear I’ve seen him eat a booger on more than one occasion. I love him to death, but I’m also absolutely disgusted by this. Should I say something or just keep trying to ignore it? Snot Happy (male, 27) Dear Snot Happy, When someone…
Pay Cuts at the University of Vermont Spark Debate Over Inequity
Rachael Montesano finally felt financially secure. No longer did the single mother of two fear that she would be unable to afford new winter tires or wince when she swiped her card at the grocery store. After 14 years as a Spanish lecturer at the University of Vermont, Montesano was earning a $64,000 salary, enough…
Vermonting: A Bike Ride Around Isle La Motte Turns Up History, Religion and Very Old Rocks
French explorer Samuel de Champlain had the right idea when he landed on Isle La Motte more than 400 years ago this week. He wisely picked July to paddle up the Richelieu River into the lake that would eventually bear his name. The water-encircled terra firma, his first stop, beckoned with its gentle topography and…
Two Sons Bakehouse Opens This Month in Jeffersonville
Two Sons Bakehouse will open this month in the former home of Slowfire Bakery: 4008 Route 108 in Jeffersonville. Owner Bill Hoag has been baking with Mansfield Breadworks at Stowe’s Harvest Market for the past 15 years; the new venture will add café and retail customers to his strong local wholesale following as he steps…
Vermont Auctioneer Takes Heat for Sale of Nazi Artifacts
Flanked by a field cannon and a stuffed fisher cat, auctioneer Ethan Merrill rattled off descriptions of antiques for sale last Thursday at his family’s gallery in Williston. He had 800 items to get through and two days to move them. The first hour attracted buyers for punch bowls, duck calls and a century-old nutcracker…
Obituary: Thomas Fenn Rider Jr., 1935-2020
The former principal of Burlington’s Thayer School made a positive impact in students’ lives
Seven Spots for Frosty Treats on Really Hot Days
Vegan creemees and frozen bananas and sheep’s milk gelato — oh, my! When the mercury rises, there’s nothing better than digging into an ice-cold treat. And while the state is full of roadside creemee stands and windows for scoops, the landscape of frozen desserts has evolved to include more and more creative confections. This year…






