

Cover Story
Pipe Dream? It’s Decision Time on Burlington’s Long-Simmering Proposal to Heat Buildings With Wood-Fired Steam
For nearly two decades, Jan Schultz pushed local leaders to improve the efficiency of Burlington’s wood-fired electricity plant. A retired software engineer who served on…
Obituary: George Lawrence, 1934-2023
Artist, musician and storyteller lived a life of love and creativity
Program Cuts, Consolidation Proposed for Vermont State University
Vermont State University would cut 10 academic programs and eliminate as many as 33 full-time faculty positions under a new cost-cutting plan that administrators proposed…
Obituary: Martha Anne Bombardier, 1942-2023
Richmond woman traveled extensively, loved all animals and cared for many loved ones throughout her life
Obituary: Sheila Rothgart Browning, 1945-2023
Native New Yorker had an immeasurable impact on the lives of the countless children she taught
Obituary: Alfred Dostie, 1947-2023
With a career in the banking industry, former Vermonter viewed commercial and cultural exchange as a pathway to world peace
Obituary: David Glendinning, 1936-2023
Burlington man’s greatest passion was serving as an Episcopal priest
Obituary: Nancy J. Preston Sabin, 1939-2023
Woman of determination and compassion leaves behind a legacy of love and service
Obituary: Harlaine Dudley Miller, 1944-2023
Philanthropist and benefactor of the McClure Miller Respite House is remembered for her goodness, generosity and humility
UVM’s Fleming Museum Presents a First-Ever Art Faculty Show
The University of Vermont launched its studio art program in 1924 and opened the Fleming Museum of Art on campus in 1931. Yet the museum…
Letters to the Editor (9/27/23)
Everyone’s Problem Nancy Berger’s letter [Feedback: “Welcome All Freeloaders,” September 20] tries to place blame for Burlington’s rise in drug and homelessness problems on the…
A Notorious Dictator Becomes a Literal Vampire in the Haunting Chilean Satire ‘El Conde’
Netflix may put out a lot of cookie-cutter content, but the streaming service is also still angling for awards. Witness El Conde (“The Count”), the…
Now Playing in Theaters: September 27-October 3
In addition to Barbie, here’s what is playing in Northern and Central Vermont movie theaters this week. Listings include new movies, vintage films and a directory of open theaters.
A New Book Recaps the Long Career of Vermont Painter Fred Swan
Barre artist Fred Swan’s paintings of the New England countryside often evoke a common reaction: “Oh, I know where that is!” Swan has painted real…
I Thought I Could Beat a Scrabble Champion but Found Out There’s No F in ‘Way’
Essex Junction resident David Spargo claims to know every five-letter word in the dictionary. Prompt him with a set of letters, and he can recall…
Soundbites: A Festival for Bent Nails Bistro
No, this isn’t a lost episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” But if you love the story of a ragtag crew of friends rolling…
A Middlebury College Professor Uses Graphic Novels to Breathe New Life Into the Study of History
Middlebury College professor Rebecca Ayako Bennette thinks history has a public relations problem. Since 2008, the number of undergraduates receiving degrees in history has fallen…
tip/toe, ‘Hot Girls Don’t Trust the Government’
(Self-released, digital) Of the many things to love about tip/toe’s new album, its title is one of the best — and most revealing. By declaring…
Odanak Musician Mali Obomsawin Talks Music, Community and Vermont’s ‘Pretendian Problem’
At first it seemed like Mali Obomsawin just wanted to talk about her music. But the award-winning bassist, composer and singer-songwriter is also a community…
Kristian Montgomery and the Winterkill Band, ‘Lower County Outlaw’
(Self-released, digital) Florida native Kristian Montgomery settled easily into Vermont life when he moved here in 2020, making a happy home in Wallingford complete with…
Town of Richmond Development Review Board Agenda October 11, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Location: 3rd floor meeting room Richmond Town Offices, 203 Bridge Street Richmond VT, 05477 Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82607801509 Meeting ID: 812 7003 3916 Passcode: 550860…
New VSO Music Director Takes the Baton
On Saturday, September 30, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra will perform under the baton of its first new music director in more than two decades: Andrew…
Behind a $3.5 Million Medical Malpractice Settlement Is the Story of a Disabled Child and a Devoted Mom
Ashley Hostetter took a deep breath and opened the box. Months had passed since she looked inside, but she knew its contents intimately. An impossibly…
My Roommates Won’t Turn the Heat On Until November
Dear Reverend, I’m from the South, but I moved to Vermont in the spring and share an apartment with two Vermonters. I’m already freezing, but…
A Clothing-Optional Camp Hosted a Kinky Summer Soirée. Campers Awoke to the Crack of Gunfire.
At 5:15 a.m. on a Sunday morning in June, about 150 people staying at an adult-only campground in Stannard awoke to the sound of rapid…
Q&A: Four Generations of Postal Carriers Have Walked the Same Route in Montpelier
Twenty-year-old Angus Montgomery started delivering mail to the City-5 route in Montpelier on September 2. He took over the route from his dad, Craig Montgomery,…
Free Will Astrology (9/27/23)
LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): If you have ever contemplated launching a career as a spy, the coming months will be a favorable time to do…
Cartoonist Alison Bechdel Headlines the Green Mountain Book Festival
Eight days before she was to deliver the headliner address opening Burlington’s Green Mountain Book Festival, Alison Bechdel confessed that she was still trying to…
A New Marker Puts Londonderry on the Map as ‘Birthplace of Burton Snowboards’
Most people associate Burton Snowboards with northern Vermont. The company has been headquartered in Burlington for decades and has strong connections to Stowe. But a…
On the Beat: Matt Hagen’s Murder Ballads and Point CounterPoint Celebrates 60 Years of Chamber Music
Feel that crisp air creeping in? Smell all that pumpkin crap? Summer is dead, people — long live the spooky season. And, just as all…
From the Publisher: Burlington Blues
I got an email from a Burlington business owner thanking Seven Days for last week’s story about Wayne Savage, a freelance photographer who has spent…
Burlington Officials Are Fed Up With a Notorious Church Street Apartment Building
Al fresco diners on Burlington’s lower Church Street scattered one evening in August when gunfire erupted at an apartment house across the street. The cops…
One Dish: Savoring Chile Momos at Namaste Kitchen in Shelburne
Before I even took my first bite of Namaste Kitchen’s chile momos back in 2022, I knew the dish was something special. I’d come across…
Paprika Catering to Open Empanada Shop in Waterbury
After two years of selling empanadas at pop-ups and farmers markets, Paprika Catering is going brick-and-mortar in Waterbury. Jacqueline de Achaval and Jennifer McCabe-de Achaval…
Appalachian Gap Distillery in Middlebury Switches Ownership
Appalachian Gap Distillery cofounders Lars Hubbard and Chuck Burkins sold majority ownership of their Middlebury distillery to longtime employee Will Drucker in July. The pair…
Obituary: Vera Benes, 1948-2023
Former ski instructor and restaurateur had a longtime association with Smugglers’ Notch, where she became known as Princess Vera
Obituary: Maynard McLaughlin, 1934-2023
Former Vermont Citizen of the Year shared 62 years of marriage and raised seven children
Obituary: Edwin Levin, 1944-2023
Father and husband shared his intelligence, curiosity, love for Broadway and social work skills to leave the world a better place
Obituary: Eleanor Kokar Ott, 1936-2023
Teacher, poet and artist never stopped dreaming, imagining and connecting others
Hey Bub, Citizen Cider’s New Light Beer, Brews Trouble With Staff
The founders of Citizen Cider made a clear distinction when they launched their first alcoholic beverage a dozen years ago: They weren’t a beer company,…
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, September 27-October 3
The days are getting shorter, but there’s no shortage of ways for Vermonters to connect, learn and have a good time. We’ve compiled seven must-do events, including a performance by Grammy-nominated rocker Amythyst Kiah at Vermont State University-Johnson’s Dibden Center for the Arts.
Obituary: Hannah Dorfman, 1988-2023
Bright light in the entertainment world had an uncanny ability to befriend people and always put others first
In Memoriam: Dean R. Corren, 1955-2023
The family of Dean Corren invites you to join them to honor his life on Sunday October 8, 2023. The service will begin at 11…
Obituary: Richard Bowditch Does, 1940-2023
Psychologist and Buddhist practitioner was a friend to the friendless, champion of the disenfranchised and patron saint to the lonely
Obituary: Marie Flaim Tedford, 1924-2023
Writer and lifelong lover of books was a founding member of the Vermont Antiquarian Booksellers Association






