Dec 9-15, 2020
Virus Response Showcases Vermont National Guard’s Versatile Skills; What’s the State’s Plan for Distributing a COVID-19 Vaccine?; Pete’s Pines and Needles Is a Unique Yuletide Tradition
Cover Story
Essential Soldiers: Virus Response Showcases the Versatility of the Vermont National Guard
A week after the coronavirus pandemic prompted Gov. Phil Scott to declare a state of emergency in late March, Lisa Kromer of Essex got an…
Farm-to-Table Restaurant Oakes & Evelyn to Open in Montpelier
After a decade at the Hanover Inn’s Pine restaurant, executive chef Justin Dain has left to open his own restaurant: Oakes & Evelyn, coming to…
Wedding Announcement: John W. Spinney & Susannah K. Baumer
John W. Spinney (parents Pam Sargent Spinney and Randall and Karen Spinney; four siblings; one nephew) and Susannah K. Baumer (parents LaVonne K. Baumer and…
Obituary: Marion “Marianne” Josephine Birchall Goodson, 1929-2020
Stowe woman made countless contributions to the Vermont arts community
Obituary: Michael James Smolin, 1931-2020
Engineer was an early innovator in environmental cleanup processes
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, December 10 to 16
Even when dealing with a global health crisis and social unrest, Vermonters continue to connect, learn and have a good time. We’ve compiled seven of this week’s must-do events, including a saucy and subversive holiday spectacular by award-winning drag performer Taylor Mac.
Vermonters Make Merry With These Festive Holiday Happenings
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! taught us all that the holiday spirit comes not from fancy parties and grand feasts, but from the…
Romanian Documentary ‘Collective’ Offers a Searing Look at the Breakdown of Public Trust
Our streaming entertainment options are overwhelming — and not always easy to sort through. This week, I watched the Romanian documentary Collective, which has racked…
How Do I Train Myself to Stop Using My Friend’s Old Pronouns?
Dear Reverend, My best friend, whom I’ve known since high school, is transitioning from male to female. I think that’s fantastic, but I keep making…
Vermont Institutions Collect the Drawings of Renowned Architects Marcel Beaudin and Donald McKnight
The midcentury architects who brought a modern, Bauhaus-influenced aesthetic to Vermont can be counted on two hands. Perhaps not by accident, two came from Barre:…
An Outdoor Art Installation Celebrates Famous People From Middlebury’s Past
If you stroll through College Park in Middlebury between now and the end of the year, you’ll meet some impressive figures from the college town’s…
Locked Down and Broke: 20,000 Vermonters Could Lose Unemployment Benefits
Twenty thousand Vermonters will lose their unemployment benefits on December 26 if two federal programs that expanded the social safety net amid the pandemic are…
Shelter in Place: The Pandemic Provides a Path to Housing the Homeless
James Pocock had been spending his nights huddled in a downtown Burlington ATM vestibule when the coronavirus arrived in Vermont. On March 18, an acquaintance…
West Bolton Residents Try to Save Wheeler Field With ‘Semi-Neked’ Calendar
It’s not quite “The Men of Maple Corner” calendar — the famous fundraising venture that showcased some coyly nude Calais fellas and raised hundreds of…
Soundbites: Josh Glass and Friends Release New Holiday Compilation
The holidays are upon us, and that means seasonally festive music is almost certainly pouring out of every ceiling-embedded loudspeaker you’re likely to pass under….
Award-Winning Animated Film ‘Malady of Mine’ Was Burlington Born
When designer Jon Portman got inspired to make a short animated film, in 2018, he didn’t have to look far for collaborators. A 2013 Middlebury…
Wren Kitz, ‘Early Worm’
(Sophomore Lounge/Feeding Tube Records, LP, digital) Wren Kitz’s musical evolution during the past several years has been a stimulating and fascinating ride. He’s a truly…
KingZeek, ‘While We Can’
(Astrology Day Records, CD, digital) Nine times out of 10, when artists dub their new work “experimental,” you know you’re in for some borderline unlistenable…
Letters to the Editor (12/9/20)
Sorry, Wrong Number Perhaps others have already chimed in on the wildly miscalculated number in the December 2 publisher’s column [From the Publisher: “Pressed for…
Free Will Astrology (12/9/20)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I’m envisioning a scene in which you’re sitting on a chair at a kitchen table. At the center of the table…
The Unique Yuletide Charm of Pete’s Pines and Needles in Waltham
The signs start appearing along Route 7 just outside Vergennes about a week before Thanksgiving. They’re crudely made and kind of cryptic. “Trees!” reads one…
Mountainsong Expeditions Brings Fresh Faces to Vermont Hunting
Murphy Robinson wasn’t always a hunter. In fact, the Worcester-based wilderness skills educator grew up vegetarian. “Guns were not an acceptable thing in [my family’s]…
Why Did the U.S. Government Change Its Naturalization Test?
Most weeks, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot seeks to answer questions that befuddle or pique the curiosity of our readers and staff, such as: “Why are there…
From the Deputy Publisher: Citizen Action
“It’s not supposed to be like this.” That’s what my wife and I have said to our kids too many times in the past few…
The Big Jab: Vermont Preps for First Shipments of COVID-19 Vaccine
Who goes first? Vermont officials have been pondering that question for months, when the prospect of a COVID-19 vaccine still seemed like wishful thinking. Now,…
Obituary: Elizabeth Amaden, 1943-2020
West Topsham woman “had a way of bringing happiness” to others
Business Is Mushrooming for St. Albans’ Funj. Shrooming
“In the U.S., there’s this fear of mushrooms,” Kevin Melman told me one morning last month. “Like, if it’s not the one that’s on pizza,…
Northfield Farmers Market Sets Up Virtual One-Stop Shop for Winter
Customers of the Northfield Farmers Market won’t be able to wander from vendor to vendor this winter, but they will be able to browse the…
