Riding With Rick

[Re From the Publisher: “Human Touch,” April 22]: Rick Woods needed a lift to an in-town doctor; I think it was during one of the times he was contending with cancer. He wasn’t going to book a return ride because his wife, Alice, would be available to drive them home.

We chatted amiably on the ride from Colchester. Pulling to a stop at the doc’s, I turned to face Rick, who was sitting shotgun, as did nearly all my regular customers and friends, a category for which he qualified on both accounts.

Taking in his broad and welcoming ursine visage, I smiled back and said, “Well, good luck, man. The fare’ll be 18 bucks.”

He pulled out a single folded bill and passed it to me. I opened it up to find that familiar gray-and-green cameo of Benjamin Franklin gazing up at me. I reached into my shirt pocket to remove my wad of bills to make change. Rick saw what I was doing and said, “No, Freddy — just keep it.”

“No way, Rick. That’s super-generous, but I can’t take 100 bucks from you.” I didn’t know his financial status, but I didn’t think he had that kind of money to throw around.

Rick smiled, his kind eyes locking on mine. “Consider it a token of gratitude for all the rides you’ve given me, and also your column.” He paused for a moment as if to gather his thoughts before adding, “Those stories mean a great deal to me.”

That hit me right smack in the center of my chest. I could have insisted, but it wasn’t the $82 tip he was giving me. It was a shot of his love, and that was a tip I couldn’t refuse.

Insurance Alternative?

[Re “Tax Burdened: Education Reform Won’t Address Property Tax Rates for Years. As Delinquencies Rise in Pockets of Vermont, Leaders Seek Both Short- and Long-Term Solutions,” April 8]: Health care costs have so much to do with the high costs of our education system. Federally we are probably safe to assume that insurance companies will never cost less and never cover more. Is there a possibility that the teachers’ union could opt out of expensive insurance coverage and instead invest in direct primary care [“Back-to-Basics Medicine: An Affordable Model for Primary Care Bypasses Health Insurance Companies. Doctors and Patients Say They’re Happier,” April 1]?

So many Vermonters are forgoing health insurance due to cost, and this movement of direct primary care could be a different direction for us to support health care facilities and the professionals within them. Nothing is a fail-safe, and no answer is “the one” to fix it all, but I would rather pay directly to the facility I’m going to than an insurance company that is designed to deny, defend, depose. Just a thought.

‘No More Poverty’

[Re “Tax Burdened,” April 8]: We need more job opportunities in Addison County. We need small manufacturing jobs in Addison County. We must be smarter. We must be sustainable. The Democrats have not balanced the budget and have created a climate where citizens are more dependent on the government. We must promote our civil rights, our independence. We want jobs. We want to be employed. No more poverty.

Pulling for Smirkus

As the parent of a former Circus Smirkus performer who toured for eight summers beginning in 1998, I read Seven Days’ recent coverage with mixed feelings [“Up in the Air: An Accident and Near Bankruptcy Forced Circus Smirkus to Cancel Its Big Top Tour. Can the Greensboro Youth Circus Bring It Back?” April 22]. While the article raises important concerns, it also risks defining an organization by a single painful chapter without fully acknowledging the decades of meaningful experiences that shaped so many young people.

My daughter joined Smirkus at age 9 and performed in aerial acts, tightwire, tumbling and ensemble work. The discipline, confidence, teamwork and resilience she developed stayed with her long after her circus years ended. She went on to compete in college athletics and today works as a registered nurse in a Vermont cancer center.

Circus Smirkus was never without risk. Touring youth performers lived demanding lives that required maturity, trust and strong support systems. Even in the early years, many recognized the need for clearer safeguards. I became involved behind the scenes and created the first homestay handbook to formalize placements with host families during tours.

The world has changed since the late 1990s, and expectations around youth safety, supervision and accountability have rightly evolved. Smirkus, like many long-standing institutions, has had to adapt.

Circus Smirkus was not perfect, but it was unique. Few experiences asked so much of young people while giving so much in return. I hope the conversation continues with room for both accountability and perspective — and with recognition of the generations of young performers whose lives were positively shaped by the experience.

After Frog & Toad

[Re “Burlington Childcare Center Closes Amid Probe of Former Teacher,” March 23; “After Teacher Abuse Probe, Parents Want Childcare Owner Banned,” April 14; “Teacher Cited for Abusing Toddlers at Burlington Childcare Center,” April 30]: I was a very short-term parent at the Frog & Toad Burlington childcare center before it closed. From my understanding, if owner Tiffany Corbett applied to the state for a childcare license now, she would likely be denied. But somehow there is no institutional concern that she continues to hold the license for the Essex center. It seems that the licensure rules need to be revisited in the interest of child safety.

There are many parents who are fervently hoping that the City of Burlington will continue to lease the former Frog & Toad space to a childcare center. We have too few spots for children, especially infants and toddlers. It would be a huge loss to the city, and the New North End in particular, to have that location disappear as an option for our kids.

Corrections

“Ciao Down,” published last week, gave an incorrect surname for Alimentari Café & Provisions team member Pat Markley.

In last week’s Nest supplement, an article about Moss Home Goods in Morrisville, “Fully Furnished,” incorrectly described nearby Peoples Academy. It is a public school.

This article appears in May 6 • 2026.

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