Letters to the Editor (11/20/24)

Missing Matzoh

I’d like to add a postscript to Suzanne Podhaizer’s [“Cheddar Than Ever: The Yellow Barn Project and New Cabot Outlet Boost Tourism and Industry in Hardwick,” November 6]. In talking about some of the vendors from around the region, such as Stowe Mercantile, Sweet Rowan Farmstead and Northwoods Apiaries, she missed another local vendor. About three miles away in East Hardwick, for the past 20 years Patchwork Farm & Bakery has been baking its Everyday Matzoh, which now can be found as well at Cabot’s big Yellow Barn.

Charlie Emers

East Hardwick

Novak Listened

Alison Novak gave the people wronged by Scott Breveleri a voice [“Licensed to Steal? A Colchester Preschool Closed After the Owner Was Evicted — and Some Parents Say They Are Owed Thousands,” November 6].

When the state wouldn’t listen or trust the parents’ reporting, she did her due diligence and wrote a thoughtful article that captured our feelings and frustrations. I hope there is a follow-up now that the Morrisville center has closed, and maybe she can press the state to get answers as to how someone with a long trail of trouble can get not one but two centers open, especially after many violations [“State Shutters Troubled Childcare Center in Morrisville,” November 11].

Keep up the good work; we noticed.

Robert Couture

Colchester

After the ‘Exposé’

Your exposé of Scott Breveleri presents him as a swindler with a brazen ability to deceive [“Licensed to Steal? A Colchester Preschool Closed After the Owner Was Evicted — and Some Parents Say They Are Owed Thousands,” November 6].

The article mentions his high school diploma, yet there is no information on how Breveleri proved himself qualified to operate a daycare in Vermont. How does someone with a history of civil and other complaints about handyman and other work in western Massachusetts become a daycare operator in northern Vermont? The high demand for and weak oversight of daycare in Vermont provided a ripe opportunity for a scammer.

Vermont failed trusting parents and their vulnerable children. In minimizing complaints, concerns and violations, Vermont enabled Breveleri.

How did Breveleri raise capital to start the daycare?

Why does Vermont hold early childhood educators to a far higher standard than the owner-operators of the facilities?

Why are the allegations against Breveleri considered civil instead of criminal, given his history and the scale and scope of his activities?

As a grandfather of one of the affected children, I hope your article contributes to change, justice and restitution.

Charles Richards

New London, N.H.

Eye on ‘Comprise’

I get snagged by how the word “comprise” is frequently used in Seven Days articles.

• In “Artist Melanie Brotz Has No Egrets (and Many Herons),” October 16: “Chunks of that material … comprise a few other sculptures.” I would use: constitute.

• In “Democracy 101,” October 9: “Millennials and GenZers now comprise nearly half of all eligible U.S. voters.” I say the better term is: constitute.

• In “The Ballad of Tom Banjo,” October 2: “And he still plays well enough to accompany himself on the old folk tunes and ballads that comprise Music of the Common People.” Again, my training says the term is: constitute.

In brief, my position is that the whole comprises parts, whereas parts constitute the whole.

I take issue with dictionaries that designate these words as synonymous. To the contrary, properly used, they convey different concepts.

Hugo Liepmann

Middlesex

Editor’s note: Seven Days follows the guidance of Merriam-Webster, the oldest dictionary publisher in the U.S. Its definition for “comprise” includes synonyms such as “constitute.” It notes: “Although it has been in use since the late 18th century, [this sense] is still attacked as wrong,” despite the fact that “current evidence shows that it is now somewhat more common in general use than the word’s other meanings.” It warns that “you may be subject to criticism” for using it. Indeed!

‘Changed for the Worse’

Burlington has changed for the worse, yet Seven Days keeps advocating for change, as emphasized in Courtney Lamdin’s [“Downtown Dilemma: Plagued by Homelessness, Drugs and Safety Concerns, Burlington Tries to Adapt to a New Normal,” August 14.] The focus of the article is to highlight the voices of those not heard on public safety issues.

As a fellow Burlingtonian, it is disheartening to see an angel-guarded city become a devil drug zone. The shops I visited after school are gone faster than the eclipse; shopkeepers are unhappy, and the public does not feel heard.

Public comments show concerns for public safety. A 63-year-old woman told Seven Days that she would feel unsafe downtown without a Taser. Can we blame her? A recent shooting downtown helps justify the concerns. What is concerning is that shootings are becoming commonplace and violence is not being addressed.

The mayor’s response amid all this chaos is focusing on areas with crime. Yet the response feels delayed; how has it taken this long to address public safety? We need to hold public leaders accountable, as they have power but refuse to work in the public interest.

Restoring Burlington’s status as Queen City is more than “adaptation.” Adapting is a temporary excuse to deflect blame; the emphasis should be on funding the police and implementing stricter laws. Choosing to adapt rather than taking accountability will inevitably lead to a failed city, as adaptability can only take us so far.

Bibek Thapa

Burlington

Editor’s note: The word “adapt” in the subhead of the story referenced above is neither a recommendation nor a synonym for “accept.” Publisher Paula Routly addressed this misunderstanding in an August 28 “From the Publisher” column titled “Bad News Burlington.”