Aug 15-20, 2018
The Animal Issue: At a Benson Sheep Farm, the ‘Crop’ Is Blood Plasma; Mojo the Police K9 Sniffs Out Electronics — for Porn; A Burlington Mermaid Talks About Tails and Magic; A Barn Cat Program Finds Homes for Outdoor Cats
Obituary: Sarah Virginia de Ganahl Russell, 1931-2018
Vero Beach, Florida Sarah Virginia de Ganahl Russell was born in New York, N.Y., on April 2, 1931, and died in Vero Beach, Fla., on…
Obituary: Rev. Mark W. Bolles, 1951-2018
Machias, Maine As anyone who had ever sat in a pew during one of his sermons, read his “Observer” columns in the Charlotte News, swapped…
The Cannabis Catch-Up: Will Weed Tourism Take Off in Vermont?
Take note, Vermonters: Cannabis tourism is taking off in states that have legalized the drug. Forbes this week examined some of the ways Colorado, California…
Obituary: Antonino “Tony” Di Ruocco, 1946-2018
Antonino “Tony” Di Ruocco was born on February 9, 1946, in Capri, Italy. Tony’s involvement in the restaurant business began in Capri at Al Piccolo…
Movie Review: ‘The Meg’ Takes a Bite Out of Summer Boredom
“We’re gonna need a bigger shark.” That’s been the thinking in Tinseltown for some time. Ever since Jaws ushered in the era of the summer…
Gone Dog: Murphy’s Tale Is Now an EBook
Move over, Marley & Me! Catching Murphy, an ebook about a golden retriever who achieved Vermont fame after 559 days on the lam, has debuted…
Movie Review: Spike Lee Scores a Hit With the Funny, Provocative ‘BlacKkKlansman’
A black cop infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan and becomes besties with David Duke, all the while gathering intel to foil the hate group. It…
Police Dog Mojo Sniffs Out Hidden Electronic Devices — and Illegal Porn
Mojo, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever with soft brown eyes, panted eagerly as he started his search. Wagging his tail, the yellow dog paced an office…
Knead Bakery’s Rob Blum Talks Cooking and Creativity
Chef Rob Blum Position: Owner, operator and baker of Knead Bakery Location: Burlington Age: 33 Restaurant age: 8 months Cuisine type: Vegan Education: Studio art…
Grunge Music Is Time Travel in This New Graphic Novel
When graphic novelist Jeremy Holt says, “Music is time travel,” he means it metaphorically — or does he? The 35-year-old Middlebury resident is the author…
Eat This Week, August 15 to 21, 2018: Lunch Is Covered
On Saturday, would-be woodworkers gather at Bridgewater furniture maker Shackleton Thomas for a forest wander — to better understand the trees and wood — and…
Scarlett Letters: How Do I Handle Inappropriate Behavior From My Boss?
Dear Scarlett, My boss has always been very friendly with me, but lately he has been complimenting me in ways that make me feel anxious….
Album Review: Sam., ‘Collision’
(self-released, digital download) In 2017, Burlington’s 99 Neighbors established themselves as the region’s new guard of hip-hop. Originally called Possibly Human, the nebulous collective is…
Theater Review: ‘Pride & Prejudice,’ Dorset Theatre Festival
Pursuing a wealthy husband is a high-stakes game in Georgian England, and if it’s to be the basis for a screwball comedy, the audience needs…
Vermont Land Trust Announces Trust Honoring Farmer Eric Rozendaal
The family of Eric Rozendaal, a local farmer who died last month, has established a fund in his name at the Vermont Land Trust. The…
Mural Task Force Presents Recommendations to Burlington City Council
Malcolm X once said, “You can’t have capitalism without racism.” In the case of the downtown Burlington mural “Everyone Loves a Parade!,” that statement appears…
Beavers, Bees and Bad Policies: Wildlife in the News
Even in the best of times, our furry, flying and four-legged friends have a tough time dealing with all the mayhem created by us naked…
A Working Mermaid Talks Magic, Tails and Occupational Hazards
Name: Danielle Ross Town: Essex Job: Professional mermaid performer Whenever Danielle Ross tells people what she does for a living, she’s met with bemusement. After…
Album Review: The Essex Green, ‘Hardly Electronic’
(Merge Records, CD, vinyl, digital download) Deep into the Essex Green’s new album, vocalist/keyboardist Sasha Bell sings, “And I am a fool to say the…
WTF: Should Vermonters Try to Deal With Rabid Wildlife Themselves?
Last month, Michaela Grubbs of Charlotte discovered a skunk acting strangely in her front yard. By “acting strangely,” she clarified, the animal was out during…
A Vermonter Finds Forever Homes for Desert Dogs From Saudi Arabia
Two months before Annie Viets moved back to the U.S. after six and a half years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, she found herself…
Art Review: “Exposed. 2018,” Helen Day Art Center
On the lawn of the Helen Day Art Center, afternoon sunlight angling through the trees dapples “Interlace,” adding a sense of movement to the already…
Free Will Astrology (8/15/18)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant,” wrote French author Honoré de Balzac. I think that’s an…
A Predictable Outcome: Scott and Hallquist Win Their Primaries
In the end, Vermont’s gubernatorial primary results were thoroughly unsurprising. The two apparent favorites, Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democrat Christine Hallquist, won their respective…
Solid Waste or Chicken Feed? Regulatory Change Riles Farmers
The 250 chickens at Berlin’s Perfect Circle Farm know when it’s chow time. The sound of the bucket loader engine signals that farm co-owner Buzz…
The Animal Issue — 2018
We get all warm and fuzzy when this annual issue comes around — not that all stories about creatures are comforting. Proposed changes to the…
Letters to the Editor (8/15/18)
Sermon on the Mount As a historian and an educator, I enthusiastically looked forward to your Good Citizen Challenge [Inside Seven Days: “Good Citizen Challenge…
Debut Novel by Matthys Levy Shows How Buildings Rise and Fall
Burlington-based structural engineer Matthys Levy has worked with famous architects — Walter Gropius, Gordon Bunshaft, Marcel Breuer, I.M. Pei — on some of their most…
Blood, Sweat and Shears: This Benson Sheep Farm Produces an Unusual Crop
A half dozen barns on a Benson farm house 2,200 sheep — one of Vermont’s largest animal herds — that are not being raised for…
A Humane Society Program Gives Outdoor Cats a Chance
Parents sometimes cushion the blow of a beloved pet’s death by telling their kids something like, “Mr. Wiggles has gone to live on a farm…
Soundbites: Recapping Burlington’s First Guerrilla Queer Bar Takeover
800-Pound Guerrilla I know it seems like every few weeks or so I preface a feature or a section of this column with a statement…
The T Sisters’ Erika Tietjen on Being Sassy and Working With the Wood Brothers
There’s nothing quite like the sound of siblings singing. The Roches, the Carpenters, Haim, First Aid Kit, Joseph — all are known for their exquisite…
At Chelsea’s Sweet Doe Dairy, the ‘Kids’ Are All Right
If gelato is the “why” at Chelsea’s Sweet Doe Dairy, baby goats are the “who.” Babies with clear eyes and long lashes that cock their…
Sleek Chinese Lounge, Mandarin, to Open in Winooski
Another week, another new restaurant for Winooski. When Mandarin opens at 22 Main Street early next week, it’ll join newbies dessert-and-cocktail bar Sweet Babu and…
