Letters to the Editor (8/9/17) 

Go Before You Go

The Adirondack Issue of Seven Days ran an article titled "Trail Mess" [July 26], but it only told part of the story. According to an August 2017 National Geographic article, "A Place to Go," there are numerous health issues related to the increased use of hiking trails to defecate. Flies will feed and breed on feces. The flies can then infect humans. "One gram of feces can contain 10 million viruses, one million bacteria, and 1,000 parasitic cysts," it reports. Flies carrying any of these can infect humans through small openings in the skin or by the contamination of food and water. To prevent spread of disease, please bury human waste and pack out your toilet paper.

Jeffrey Eloranto

Keeseville, NY

The Truth About Yellowtail

I am always happy to read about affordable meals in our area, but I have a comment to make. In [Bite Club: "Dining on a Dime: Asian Bistro's $12 Sushi Lunch," July 21], yellowtail sushi is said to contain tuna. As far I have always known, from eating it to researching it, yellowtail is not a tuna but a jack. I love eating and also reading about food.

Didi Macnow 

Burlington

Toensing's D.C. Politics

I was saddened to read Alicia Freese's well-written article on Brady Toensing ["Sunlight and Scandal: GOP Lawyer Brady Toensing Stirs Up Vermont Politics," July 12]. It's unfortunate to find out that the current rancorous political atmosphere of hyper-partisanship has crept into our Vermont culture. I'm worried about this.

Our family moved to Vermont a few years ago from the D.C. metropolitan area, in large part because of the kindness and community-oriented style of Vermonters. Toensing stresses the adversarial nature of politics. However, it's been my experience, speaking (as an independent voter) to members of various parties in this state, that there is also collegiality among the people in public service. Due to his lack of balance, he only seems to go after the records of Democrats and Progressives. Toensing, while very talented and intelligent, seems a bit disingenuous in saying, "Some people do crosswords. I write public records requests."

Thanks to Freese for writing this article. It shed some light on the pattern of Toensing's actions and also highlighted the discrepancies with his explanations of them. For these reasons, I'm worried that he might become the face of the Republican Party in Vermont.

Taylor Smith

Burlington

So Many Tragedies

[Re "No Prison Time for Man Whose Loose Bull Caused Fatal Wreck," June 28; "Farmers Riled Over Decision to Charge Bull's Owner in Fatal Crash," June 15, 2016]: The death of Jon Bellis was a terrible accident, and one that has been adjudicated in civil court. But the case should have ended there. Rutland County State's Attorney Rose Kennedy should never have brought it to the criminal court system. The circumstances do not warrant it to be precedent setting because there was no malicious intent.

The second tragedy in this case is the destruction of Craig Mosher's life. Since the date of this accident, he has been haunted by the deaths of both Bellis and his pet bull. The accident caused him and his family great devastation and turmoil. Well-known and respected in his community, Mosher was forced to spend two years fighting a criminal charge.

If the Rutland County legal system thought this case would serve to educate the public and prevent another accident, that is yet another tragedy.

After the accident, I inspected Mosher's fences with Robert Barnes of Straightline Fencing in Orwell. We both agreed that they were more than adequate. Although the judge deemed it was irrelevant that Bellis' car was traveling 64 mph in a 50 mph zone and no brakes had been applied, those may have been causative factors; it's awfully fast for that road and those conditions. As we understand it, the bull was under streetlights and not moving.

We need everyone who drives in Vermont to do so more carefully and slowly. In a rural state like this one, livestock and wild animals can be on a road at any time.

Ray Duquette Sr.

West Pawlett

Duquette is president of the Rutland County Farm Bureau.

Nothing 'Sleepy' About Montpelier

I couldn't agree more with all the wonderful comments made about our former assistant city manager Jessie Baker ["Working Winooski," August 2]. She's a true star.

But I welcome this great opportunity to dispute your reference to Montpelier as a "sleepy" community. I assure you, Montpelier is wide awake and open for business.

Our city is hopping at all hours, with thriving business traffic during the day and a vibrant nightlife that features live music, Vermont-brewed beers, local theater and great restaurants. We have downtown bookstores, a hardware store, a grocery chain and a booming food cooperative. We've got housing being planned or constructed for all income levels. Our pool, tennis courts and other recreational facilities are bustling, and the Vermont Mountaineers baseball team made summer nights special. Thousands of Vermonters and tourists from around the world visit our Statehouse, festivals, parades and spectacular events.

And I thank Seven Days for frequently highlighting Montpelier's food scene, from Beau Butchery + Bar ["The Butcher's Beau," February 7] to Cans and Clams [Side Dishes: "Cans 'n' Clams," July 19]. In the same August 2 issue, you gave a shout-out to a new restaurant — the Blue Stone — opening on Main Street [Side Dishes: "Parlaying Pizza"].

We were especially proud that when Ryan Christiansen was looking for a great city to expand Caledonia Spirits — maker of Barr Hill Gin — he chose Montpelier. And stay tuned: There's more exciting news to come on the business front.

You can call Montpelier safe; you can call us close-knit; you can call us active and engaged and welcoming. But sleepy — not even close!

Thanks for listening, and keep up the good coverage of everything we've got going.

Bill Fraser

Montpelier

Fraser is the city manager of Montpelier