Letters to the Editor (8/31/22) 

Grounds for Clarification

I'd like to clarify misleading information in your article on Frederick Law Olmsted's landscape designs in Vermont ["Room to Roam," August 17]. Henry Hobson Richardson, one of the nation's leading 19th-century architects, designed Billings Library; Olmsted designed the grounds. Similarly, Cram and Ferguson Architects designed the National Life headquarters; the Olmsted firm designed the grounds.

Nancy Graff

Montpelier

How Vermonters Say 'Route 100'

Thank you for a prizewinning piece on Route 100 ["On the Road," August 24]. Just so you know: The Vermontese pronunciation is "Route Ahunnert."

Elinore Standard

Burlington

Rising Interest

I really enjoyed Jordan Adams' "Koffee Kup Bakery's Founding Family Celebrates Its Legacy With a Doughnut-Making Party," August 24; however, I would have enjoyed a tasty cruller even better.

Wouldn't it be great if a local entrepreneur, realizing the KK following, endeavored to disentangle the legal channels and help bring back production, even if on a limited scale?

Having had a number of Roberges as students over the years, I am disappointed that I have never been invited to the doughnut-making party.

Maybe next year.

John Devino

Colchester

In the Light of Gray

[Re "How Balint Won — and Gray Lost — the Democratic House Primary," August 17]: During the run-up to the U.S. congressional race between Becca Balint and Molly Gray, I asked several of my friends whom they were voting for. Nearly all voiced support for Balint but also issued this reason for not voting for Gray: carpetbagger. Oxford defines it as "a person perceived as an unscrupulous opportunist." Certainly she is not unscrupulous, but the opportunist label heavily weighed her down.

Michael George

Burlington

'Silver Lining'

[Re "Crypto Exec's $1.1 Million Paid for Pro-Balint Ads in Vermont House Primary," August 23]: While the candidate I supported did not prevail in the primary race to replace Peter Welch, I do sincerely believe Becca Balint will work hard to represent all Vermonters. And there is an unexpected silver lining: Vermonters will be able to save a lot of money in campaign contributions this election cycle, because Becca's campaign can be independently financed and only our vote will be required!

Arthur Berndt

Sharon

Redington Sought Justice

[Re "Friends Mourn Tony Redington, Burlington's Most Outspoken Transportation Advocate," August 25, online]: Tony Redington was indeed an outspoken transportation advocate. He was, as everyone has noted in their tributes to him, laser-focused on the elegance and efficiency of roundabouts.

However, underpinning his persistent work for safer streets, Tony's real obsession was for justice. Like his compadre Rep. Curt McCormack, he knew that often the victims of Burlington's dangerous intersections were residents who couldn't afford to own a car; kids who walked across town to school; and people without the protections of wealth, powerful connections and oversize automobiles.

When Tony spoke out — often and always with a twist of bitter humor — he was anchored in a belief that another, better world was possible and that we needed to bring it into being.

Andrew Simon

Burlington

Wake Stake

[Re "Water Wars," August 24]: The Eligo Lake Association and the selectboards of Greensboro and Craftsbury support the Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes petition to the Agency of Natural Resources. We do not want wake boats on our small lake, which many use for paddle sports, fishing and swimming.

We have a fragile shoreline on the east side of the lake with little development. It has many cedar trees, which deer feed on in the wintertime. We love our nesting loons on the lake. The state has spent thousands of dollars attempting to mitigate our milfoil problem. So why would we want wake boats to destroy the cedar trees or our loon nest with their two- to five-foot waves? How can we go back to the State of Vermont and ask for money to mitigate milfoil when wake boats are making milfoil worse with their ballast tanks that cannot be completely emptied?

While larger lakes may be able to accommodate wake boats, there is still the problem with the spreading of milfoil on these larger lakes. I agree with David Kelley and others that ballasted wake surfboats are not appropriate for any Vermont lake except for Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog.

Finally, I strongly believe that towns should be given the authority to ban wake boats within their town.

James Sawyer

Greensboro

Sawyer is president of the Eligo Lake Association.

'No Place for Hate'

[Re "Vermont Woman Accused of Using Bear Spray on Hunters," July 25, online]: There is no doubt that the anti-hunting groups and their supporters are utilizing the same behavioral techniques as any other hate groups, which have reared their ugly heads with physical, violent and verbal attacks against their neighbors and minorities in this country. 

Should this egregious behavior be perpetrated on any other minority group in Vermont, the groups, with their membership and supporters, would be ostracized from society and incarcerated. 

Their actions in no way speak to the concepts of "love thy neighbor," civility, or acceptance of diversity at any level or form. 

It is time for many of our elected officials to realize and reject the baseless messages of the anti-hunting and anti-conservation groups. Society as a whole should do the same. There is no place for hate in Vermont.

Jim Harris

Fairlee