Mar 18-24, 2020
Vermont’s COVID-19 Fighters Wield Info, Medicine and Disinfectant; Arts Venues Grapple With Closures; Students, and a Town, Reel From Middlebury College Campus Closure
Cover Story
Vermont’s Defensive Line: These COVID-19 Fighters Wield Information, Medicine and Disinfectant
In 1927, devastating floods in Vermont swept away 1,285 bridges, killed 84 people, and wrought widespread destruction and misery. U.S. president Calvin Coolidge toured his…
Survival Mode: How Vermont Eateries Are Navigating COVID-19
Several weeks ago, when I first went to China Max on the basement level of CityPlace Burlington, my plan was to write about a special menu that caters largely to international students. The family-owned restaurant has a popular, affordable lunch buffet of American Chinese favorites such as General Tao chicken and lo mein noodles. It…
The Parmelee Post: Coworker Obviously Rearranged Entire Living Room Before Video Meeting
A Burlington man has been accused by his colleagues of trying to create a false impression of the kind of life he leads while working…
How Local Performing Arts Venues Are Reacting to COVID-19
Call it “Black Friday.” On Friday, March 13 — yeah, we know, right? — performing arts venues of all shapes and sizes across Vermont began…
Breaking Out the Disinfectant: Tara Cullinan
Tara Cullinan stocked up on gloves and masks a month ago, when she first began noticing the spread of coronavirus. She figured her Shaftsbury-based business,…
What Is the Large Metallic Structure at the Border in Highgate?
Most travelers entering Vermont from Québec at the U.S. port of entry at Highgate Springs continue southbound on Interstate 89 immediately after answering the barrage…
Soundbites: An Uncertain Time
Sick Beat: Part 2 I don’t really know where to start. I know saying “I don’t know where to start” is a cliché, and pointing…
Shore Rites, ‘Shore Rites’
(Self-released, digital) The interesting part about starting a band at the precipice of a global pandemic is wondering when you’ll be able to actually perform…
ILLu, ‘B Side Instrumentals Volume XIII’
(Equal Eyes Records, digital download) ILLu, a hip-hop producer from Burlington, has been central to the scene’s explosion in recent years. He’s endlessly prolific with…
Free Will Astrology (3/18/20)
We interrupt your regularly scheduled horoscopes to offer insights about the virus-driven turning point that the whole world is now experiencing. As you’ve probably guessed,…
‘The Hunt’ Offers On-Target Satire for a Partisan Time
After last summer’s mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso, the idea of selling tickets to a movie about gunning down people for sport raised…
What’s the Worst That Can Happen If I Hold in My Farts?
Dear Reverend, I don’t know quite how to put this politely, but … I fart. A lot. I’ve been dating a guy for about a…
Alison Brie Plays a Grown-Up ‘Horse Girl’ in a Discombobulating Indie Drama
There’s nothing like a pandemic to remind you to check out the original content on all those streaming services you pay for. This week I…
Vermonters Turn to Front Porch Forum to Help Their Neighbors
This space is normally devoted to what’s weird in Vermont. But right now, well, what isn’t weird in Vermont? With daily routines turned upside down,…
Students, and a Town, Reel From Middlebury College Campus Closure
Sam deWolf hauled a cardboard box full of belongings through his dormitory at Middlebury College and loaded it into his mother’s silver van last Friday….
Pandemic Etiquette From the Emily Post Institute
Social distancing is among the most important recommendations for slowing the spread of COVID-19, more commonly known as the coronavirus. It’s also really hard. For…
Information Dissemination: MaryEllen Mendl
During a crisis, accurate and timely information is often the most precious commodity. Much of the job of providing Vermonters with crucial coronavirus data falls…
Letters to the Editor (3/18/20)
The Virus Is a Symptom [Re Off Message: “Middlebury College Closing Campus Amid Coronavirus Fears,” March 10]: The coronavirus, aka COVID-19, is clear evidence of…
College Student and Volunteer First Responder: Gabrielle Stevens
Many students who attend Vermont colleges are headed off to extended spring breaks this week and will resume classes remotely when break ends. But not…
Novelist Christian Guay-Poliquin on ‘The Weight of Snow’
In recent weeks, COVID-19 has forced millions of people into compulsory retreat and wreaked havoc on the global economy, a reminder of the fragility of…
Art Review: ‘Art and Social Justice,’ T.W. Wood Gallery
Vermonter Thomas Waterman Wood believed that art is important to society. In 1895, the nationally recognized Montpelier artist donated 42 paintings and etchings to found…
A Pandemic Complicates Sanders’ Hopes for a Comeback
Jim James, the bushy bearded leader of My Morning Jacket, stood onstage Monday night in a full-length, baby-blue jacket and performed a solo acoustic set…
Québec’s Sucrerie de la Montagne Offers a Warm Sugar Shack Tradition
Editor’s note: This story was assigned and written before the current COVID-19 pandemic very quickly turned life upside down worldwide. As of press time, the…
Sherpa Foods of South Burlington Wins Chobani Incubator Prize
Sherpa Foods of South Burlington is the recipient of a 2020 Chobani Incubator award, which will give the company opportunities ranging from a $15,000 grant…
In Middlebury, Iluminar Coffee Focuses on Transparent Sourcing
The specialty-coffee scene in Addison County continues to grow with the addition of small-batch roaster Iluminar Coffee, whose beans are currently sold online and at…
