Dec 28, 2016 – Jan 3, 2017
Beyond Bernie: Revisiting News Stories of 2016; The Good, Bad and Most Annoying in Film; Artists Gear Up to Be Activists
Cover Story
Who’s On the Cover?
For Seven Days’ year-end cover, illustrator Jeff Drew assembled a memorial to 34 notable celebrities who passed away this year. Careful readers will notice that…
The Parmelee Post: RNC Asks Scott to Prove Party Loyalty, Egg Poor Person
The inauguration of Phil Scott as Vermont’s 82nd governor was met with a standing ovation, plenty of optimistic cheers, and a highly unusual request from…
![Helping HANDS on Christmas [SIV473]](https://sevendaysvt-test.newspackstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/episode473-1200x900.webp)
Helping HANDS on Christmas [SIV473]
12/25/16: For 12 years the non-profit, HANDS – Helping and Nurturing Diverse Seniors, has been delivering meals and gifts to more than 300 seniors in…
Free Will Astrology (1/4/17)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I thought of you when I read a tweet by a person who calls himself Vexing Voidsquid. “I feel imbued with…
Vermont Artists Up the Activism
For an event with the confrontational name “Wrecking Ball: F**k 2016,” last Saturday’s “cabaret” of performances at Off Center for the Dramatic Arts in Burlington…
Backstory: Biggest Reporting Regret
[“Fraud Cases Against Jay, Burke Owners Allege ‘Ponzi-Like’ Scheme,” April 14] I’ll never forget it. Reporting a story in March 2012 — a month after…
Backstory: What Seven Days Reporters Didn’t Tell You the First Time
Seven Days reporters go to great lengths to find the news in Vermont — and they may find themselves moved, inconvenienced, inspired, lost or even…
Backstory: Unlikeliest Story
[“A Second Chance: A Vermont Sheriff Risks His Career by Hiring a Sex Offender,” April 27] When he learned that a “high-risk” sex offender had…
Backstory: Stupidest Journalistic Injury
After a long day covering the Vermont legislature last January, I received an unexpected phone call as I hopped in my car outside the Statehouse….
Backstory: Most Time Spent on Legislation That Went Nowhere
[“Smoked: Why the Pot Legalization Bill Failed,” May 11] Gov. Peter Shumlin wanted Vermont lawmakers to legalize marijuana in 2016 — before any other New…
Backstory: The Biggest Race That Didn’t Happen
[“Back in Montpelier, Lawmakers Pick Up Where They Left Off,” January 5] The 2016 race for Vermont governor could have had a different outcome —…
Backstory: Most Expensive Stories
[“The Gun: How I Bought an AR-15 in a Five Guys Parking Lot,” June 15] [“Courting Disaster: An Erosion of Press Protections in Vermont,” June…
Backstory: Strangest Press Conference
[“Montpeculiar: A Suspended Senator Gets the Last Word,” January 7] The press conference is typically a staged and staid affair. A well-briefed politician stands at…
Backstory: What Made Me Grateful for Plumbing and Electricity
[“A Reporter Gathers With the Rainbow Family,” June 29] The Seven Days staff is chock-full of tattooed, leafy-substance-enjoying lefties and some experienced campers and hikers,…
Backstory: Best Assist
[“Pilgrimage to Pomfret: Tracking Down Vermont’s Papal Connection,” February 24] Winter sunshine warmed the town of Pomfret on the February day I walked into the…
Backstory: Most Inauspicious Start to a Story
[“Burlington’s Top Cop, Brandon del Pozo, Aims to Rewrite Policing,” July 13] Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo had agreed to let me ride along…
Backstory: Sketchiest Reporting Accommodations
[“Bern Force One: On the Road and in the Air With Sanders,” February 24] [“Inside a Las Vegas Casino Caucus,” February 24] Covering a presidential…
Backstory: Best Road Trip With a Game Warden
[“Sharp Decline in Vermont’s Moose Herd Raises Questions About Hunting,” July 20] Moose have come dangerously close to my car windshield on more than one…
Imperfect 10: Recapping the Best Local Recordings of 2016
Here’s a dirty little secret: There is no such thing as pure objectivity in arts criticism. Oh, sure, that’s the ideal, and something every decent…
Backstory: Best Election Gaffe
[“Environmentalist McKibben Dumps Dunne for Minter,” July 31] A week and a half before the August 9 primary election, an email showed up in my…
Remembering Vermonters Who Died in 2016
Paij Wadley-Bailey was the kind of fearless and charismatic person who could win over an audience. Seven Days creative director Don Eggert remembers gatherings in…
Backstory: Most Awkward Moment With a Public Official
[“TV T.J. Donovan: The Likely Next AG Pushes Criminal Justice Reform,” September 21] I had been on the campaign trail with Chittenden County State’s Attorney…
Free Will Astrology (12/28/16)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): As I was ruminating on your astrological omens for 2017, I came across a wildly relevant passage written by Rabbi Tzvi…
Backstory: Story I Lost the Most Sleep Over
[“No Return: Loss of a Redemption Center Complicates ‘Canner’ Lives,” October 19] When I got the assignment to cover the closing of Burlington’s biggest redemption…
My Man Wants to Pee on Me — Is It Dangerous?
Dear Athena, My man wants to pee on me. I’ve never done it before. Is it dangerous for him? What can happen? Signed, To Pee…
Backstory: Most Poignant Interview
[“Too Soon: Could the Suicide of a Burlington Artist Have Been Prevented?” October 26] The moment Serenity Bolt opened the door of her apartment, I…
Letters to the Editor (12/28/16)
242: The Plattsburgh Version I want to thank Amelia Devoid for [Live Culture: “Playtime: 242 Main — Farewell to the Boys’ Club,” December 2]. It…
Signing Off: Reflections of a Vermont Political Columnist
On the night of the Iowa presidential caucuses last February, I struck up a conversation in a Des Moines ballroom with a national political reporter…
Death of a Malibu
Montréal traffic was a horror show. In my taxi’s front seat sat Leslie Rochette, the customer I had picked up in Stowe. Leslie was set…
Bests and Worsts in 2016 Movies
Rick Kisonak: If there’s one thing we all can agree on, I suspect, it’s that 2016 has been a seriously bizarro year. The election. Need…
Backstory: Story With the Longest Legs
[“Right in Rutland: Will Mayor Chris Louras Fall on His Sword for 100 Syrians?” June 8] Rutland Mayor Chris Louras was in political hot water…
The Local Scene On the Best Music of 2016
When you want to know what music you should listen to, it’s wise to turn to the folks who make the music you love and…
Backstory: Story I Wish I Didn’t Have to Keep Writing
[“Police Killing of Mentally Ill Man Raises Questions — Again,” March 30] In hindsight, the deadly March confrontation between Burlington police officers and 76-year-old Ralph…
Soundbites: 2017 Predictions; A Fond Farewell
The close of a year is a natural time for reflection. It is also a time to look ahead. So, as has become Soundbites tradition,…
Our Favorite Art Exhibitions of 2016
Vermont has no shortage of artists or art exhibits — in fact, it’s only slight hyperbole to say that original work is on display wherever…
Backstory: Fakest-Sounding News That Wasn’t
[“Wealthy Mormon Buys Up Vermont Land for Massive Settlement,” April 5] Utah engineer David Hall wants to build a 20,000-person settlement on 5,000 acres in…
The Year in Cheers and Jeers from Seven Days Commenters
An axiom of modern journalism is, “Never read the comments.” Such sections often turn into nasty scrums of name-calling and disses. Well, we here at…
Cheers to Foodie Feats and Frenemies of 2016
Looking back on 2016 conjures visions of fake news, resurgent white nationalists, Russian hackers and — love him or hate him — president-elect Donald Trump….
