Letters to the Editor (6/28/23) 

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

When the first sentence of a lead story contains a gross error easily corrected these days by googling before going to print, should a reader continue or move on to the next story, hoping for actual facts? 

Last week's Québec Issue begins with this sentence on page 13 [Magnificent 7, "Heaven's Light," June 21]: "Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal transforms into a kaleidoscopic feast for the eyes ... that draws on the Québec cathedral's rich history."

By definition, a cathedral is not simply a large church; it is the principal church of a (Roman Catholic, in this case) diocese and the seat of its bishop. In Montréal, Notre-Dame is a parish church, no matter the building's cathedral-like dimensions. 

The correct name of Montréal's Roman Catholic cathedral is Cathedral of Mary, Queen of the World and St. James the Greater. In French, that's Basilique cathédrale de Marie-Reine-du-Monde et de Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur.

Michael Loris

Montelier

Stopped That Train

As usual, a great issue [The Quebec Issue, June 21]. One small correction that occurred after you went to press. On page 17 ["Bienvenue au Québec"] it's mentioned you can get to Montréal by train using Amtrak's Adirondack on the New York side.

As of this weekend that service has been suspended north of Albany, probably for the rest of the summer. This is due to Canadian National Railway issues beyond Amtrak's control. 

I am retired and living happily in Vermont but was the Amtrak service inspector for New York State Department of Transportation for many years.

Charles Poltenson

Hartland

No Accent Necessary

[Re "Montréal on the Menu," June 21]: Nice piece, but you really do not need to write "Montréal" when you're writing in English. It isn't correct. Especially since you end up creating a word like "Montréaler," which doesn't even exist in either language.

Read any English media from Montreal and we don't do the "é" when writing in English. CBC, Global, the Gazette — they all have more authority than I do in this matter.

Kate McDonnell

Montréal, Québec

McDonnell is the author of Montreal City Weblog.

De or Du?

I read your article about visiting Québec and the French language spoken in la belle province ["Way to Say..." June 21]. First, thank you for sharing our culture with people in Vermont. It's truly appreciated.

That said, I noticed a small mistake in the text, and as a French teacher and proofreader, I felt I had to let you know.

Where it's written "dégustation du vin," it should instead be "dégustation de vin(s)." The correct article is "de," not "du", which is a contraction of "de" and "le." "La dégustation du vin" is used in the context when we're talking about the art of savoring a wine (the different steps to follow). When referring to an event of wine tasting, we would use the indefinite article "une" ("une dégustation de vin(s)"), and "vin" would be singular or plural depending on the number of bottles (one single wine or multiple wines).

I understand that these details may be subtle for non-natives, but for us, they make a difference.

Anaïs Geoffrion

Verdun, Québec

Geoffrion is the owner-manager of Académie ANA.

Forbidden Foods

[Re "Bienvenue au Québec," June 21]: Travelers should take note to look up the border crossing website for foods that may recently have been prohibited. In May, upon returning from a trip through Montréal's airport, we decided to go grocery shopping before returning home to Vermont. We had done this in years past with no incident. Knowing not to purchase fresh fruit or vegetables, we declared the meat and chicken purchased. That declaration triggered a full search of our vehicle and the confiscation of $40 worth of raw chicken we had bought! The ruling was due to avian flu. Buyer beware.

Deb Steinerman

Jeffersonville

Journalism Works

I recently learned that the new owner of Mac's Market in Rochester — now Village Grocery — discovered the fact that Mac's was for sale because of Anne Wallace Allen's article in Seven Days ["Rochester Grocery Store to Close, Leaving Residents in the Lurch," April 24, online]! The store has reopened, and the new owner is open to ideas and suggestions from the community. The staff is happier, and several former staff members have returned to work there.

Thank you so much for your fantastic article!

Virginia Bowman

Rochester

Sour Notes

[Re Soundbites: "Burlington Celebrates Juneteenth," June 14]: I love the Discover Jazz Fest, and the evolution of its programming is important to me and the community at large. While Chris Farnsworth found much to like about this year's fest, I was left with many doubts. There were two things I missed the most: 1) concerts in the Flynn Space and 2) Listening Sessions with jazz artists.

I really enjoyed the listening sessions with Michael Mwenso last year and will never forget having the chance to listen to and learn from Christian McBride. There are countless artists I loved hearing in the Flynn Space, including Anat Cohen and Esperanza Spalding. These small-venue events are what make our Jazz Fest so special.

I understand that large outdoor concerts can be popular, and for those that love that, great! But they are common in many cities seeking to bring in the crowds. For me, my friends and many I have spoken to, it was actually very sad not to have the option to listen closely in small rooms to jazz legends in concert and check out daily jazz interchanges with experts. I hope such small-venue concerts and listening sessions will be included again next year.

Megan Epler Wood

Burlington

Waiting for Transparency

[Re "'Acting' No More: Jon Murad Is Officially Burlington's Police Chief," June 6, online]: Being a strong supporter of civilian oversight, I, too, am hoping things work out with Chief Jon Murad. I would like nothing more than to find out my fears about him were needless.  

It doesn't help his credibility, though, to have Mayor Miro Weinberger say the police department is "transparent." The city is nowhere near transparent, and neither is the police department. So let's see how transparent they can get!  

I wish the new chief luck, because there are a number of reasons this confirmation took a long, long time. We shall see ... and we hope to see some transparency!

Charlie Messing

Burlington

Forever Flag

[Re True 802: "Still Flying," June 7]: I was interested in the short review of Vermont's flag and great seal but disappointed that it did not draw attention to the most unique and iconic feature of our wonderful state emblem. To the right of the pine tree is the silhouette of Camel's Hump and to the left is the outline of Mount Mansfield, both seen from the Champlain Valley. This makes our flag and seal perhaps the only state or national emblems to depict local landmarks and gives an authenticity much superior to those that only depict abstract symbols.

Peter Modley

Hinesburg

Rx for Vermont

Praise for Colin Flanders and team on publishing an important glimpse into the struggles Vermonters face accessing drug treatment and maintaining recovery ["Vermont's Relapse," June 14]. I hope our local and state leaders will soon turn the page and support overdose prevention sites in communities like Burlington. In the 30-plus years that sites like these have been operational around the world, including in New York City and Canada, no one has died of an overdose. These sites are especially important for folks who return to using a substance after a period of abstinence — whether voluntarily or otherwise, such as after a period of incarceration — when their tolerance is lower.

Folks in these situations would benefit from access to sterile supplies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and a place to return used supplies to appropriate containers, minimizing litter. Sites like these reduce public drug consumption and can connect people to drug treatment services. Removing the stigma and criminalization around these sites will allow for safer drug use practices and lessen the burden on local businesses who have unwittingly been first responders to overdoses.

Nick Tatakis

Burlington

Opioids' 'Toll'

As a health care provider on the front lines of Vermont's opioid crisis for the past four years, I read with interest your cover story "Vermont's Relapse" [June 14]. A few comments: 

1. There are three — not two — in-patient treatment facilities in Vermont where Medicaid insurance is accepted. Valley Vista operates a facility for women in Vergennes.

2. The "hub-and-spoke" model of treatment does not confine "spokes" to primary care offices. There are many outpatient agencies around the state that offer specialized addiction treatment. One example, my employer, SaVida Health, has been in Vermont since 2018 and is currently embedded in nine communities.  

3. Colin Flanders' statement: "The lack of resources has taken a toll on both users and the people trying to help them" deeply resonates. The advent of fentanyl and xylazine on the scene, compounded by the paucity of inpatient rehab facilities in Vermont, has only intensified a sense of despair for many of us who keep the lights on and the doors open. The toll on the professionals in this field is unquantifiable, chronic and often forgotten in the coverage of this ravaging epidemic.

Thank you for including this important part of the story. 

Rebecca Hill

Montpelier

Answer for Anson

Kudos to Seven Days for reporting on Vermont's agriculture [The Dairy Issue, May 31]! In ["Spilling It,"] Secretary Anson Tebbetts asked: "What am I doing wrong that I can't convince people it's worth investing in agriculture?"

Here's my answer: You and your predecessors have focused on conventional dairy for years. What about the wonderful diversity of organic farmers, community-supported farms and farmers markets in Vermont? What support does the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets offer them?

VAAFM lacks a long-term vision of how Vermont's diverse landscapes can support diversified agriculture that respects life now and for the future. Instead, your agency promotes an industrial, exploitative model of dairy agriculture, driving toxic inputs in spite of long-term evidence of its toxicity and incompatibility with Vermont's economics or with efforts to grow healthy food.

Conventional agriculture is tied to use of pesticides managed by a major department within VAAFM, which permits many other pesticide uses around the state: sadly, over a million pounds of pesticides a year since 2010!

The agency favors pesticides so much that it managed to get 50-year-old pesticide-reduction statutes repealed in 2020 — just in time for us all to learn of PFAS contamination in pesticides! Even the Environmental Protection Agency is worried about PFAS: Some are toxic at fractions of parts per trillion. The science is astounding.

Please help build a pesticide-free Vermont!

Sylvia Knight

Burlington

Dairy's Downsides

Kudos for writing about the impact of cows on our water ["Flowing Downhill," May 31]. But seriously, how do you write an issue about cows' impact on our environment without addressing the methane they release into our air?

Methane is such a potent greenhouse gas that over a span of 10 to 20 years, methane from cows causes more air pollution than cars. And that's not even considering the health damage resulting from eating red meat or consuming saturated fat from dairy.

Eliminating dairy and red meat from one's diet is one of the best ways to help improve the environment. We can easily put our money where our mouths are by avoiding these foods and encouraging dairy farms to harvest solar instead of milk or beef.

David Ellenbogen

Calais

Another Loss

[Re "Compassionate Connections," May 10]: I am grateful that a group like Empty Arms exists and that Seven Days has highlighted this organization. Given the United States' challenges with providing appropriate medical care, mental health care and bodily autonomy to all humans, any available and accessible support is critical.

A point of note: As I was interviewed for this article, given my experience as a co-facilitator for Empty Arms, an important opportunity was missed for me to share that my partner and I, too, experienced the death of our firstborn, Magdalena (Maggie) Louis, only 36 hours following her birth.

Empty Arms validates and honors all infant and pregnancy loss experiences and, as Chelsea Levis pointed out, allows participants to share our full stories. By not including Maggie in the story, I felt as though it was another, tiny, death. By publishing this letter, you have ensured that her existence is acknowledged. Thank you.

Marie Frietze

Burlington