Sep 3-9, 2014
Are Vermont’s Beleaguered State Schools Still Fulfilling Their Public Mission?; Paul Heintz on the Douglas Memoir; Funny and Fab, the South End Celebrates; A Vermont Firm Grades Online Educations
Cover Story
Are Vermont State Colleges Still Fulfilling Their Mission?
Summer-separated friends run across lawns with outstretched arms. Skateboarders zip along the sidewalks that crisscross the green. The campus of Johnson State College is so…
Obituary: Art Blondin, 1953-2014, Austin, TX
Art Blondin, of Austin, Texas, left this world, on Saturday, August 30th, 2014. He was 60 years young. Art was born in Burlington, VT, on…
Four More Local Albums You Probably Haven’t Heard
So many records, so little time. Seven Days gets more album submissions than we know what to do with. And, given the ease of record…
Full Barrel Cooperative Brewery, New Fresh Net Dinners, Black River Names President
Since March, a group of local brewheads has been hard at work organizing Vermont’s first cooperative brewery and pub. This weekend, the fledgling Full Barrel…
Taste Test: La Boca Wood Fired Pizzeria
Despite its dense population, Burlington’s New North End has long been a culinary wasteland. Locals hungry for pizza had to order in from Domino’s or…
An Essex Company Grades Online Degree Programs
When John Barone was hired as superintendent of the Milton Town School District in January 2011, school officials were so wowed by his credentials that…
On Pins and Needles: A Local Designer is Ready to ‘Strut’
Melaney Pettini moved from Portland, Ore., to Vermont 10 years ago to get away from crowds. With a van and a vision — and her…
Theater Review: Uncle Vanya, Weston Playhouse
In a fresh, playful production of Annie Baker’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, the Weston Playhouse offers audiences a chance to rediscover the play’s…
Former Gov. Jim Douglas Dishes on Politics, Press in Memoir
The Ohio National Guard’s fatal shooting of four unarmed Kent State University students roiled Middlebury College in May 1970. The morning after, Vietnam War protesters…
Free Will Astrology (9/03/14)
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “I have a hypothesis that everyone is born with the same amount of luck,” says cartoonist Scott Adams. “But luck doesn’t…
Burlington’s Changing South End Looks Way Into its Future
Visitors to the 50th annual South End Art Hop — in 2042 — might see a neighborhood that’s radically different from the setting for this…
Learning From Plants and Stones at St. Mike’s Teaching Gardens
It might seem odd that a lover of children’s literature and a plant biologist would embark on a professional relationship. But for biology professor Mark…
Williston Gun Club Dispute Heads to Environmental Court
After six years of jostling with lawyers, town officials and state regulators, neighbors of the North Country Sportsman’s Club thought they had scored a decisive…
Eyewitness: Painter Julian Cardinal
Some artists are dreamers who remain uncompromisingly dedicated to their aesthetic vision, regardless of the public’s response. Others are pragmatists who approach art more as…
Artists Bring a Salon-Style Series to Bristol
In the arts pecking order of Vermont towns, Bristol is a bit of a bedroom community for Middlebury, which hosts major music and theater events…
Letters to the Editor (9/03/14)
Hackie in High School I look forward to Jernigan Pontiac’s twice-monthly column, Hackie. His slant on us humans is refreshing, and his writing style is…
Prom Date
You seem to be at peace with the family drama. I mean, every family’s got its drama, right? “Vermont is so lush. I’m from Texas,…
On the Road Again: Shumlin’s 141.5 Days Outside Vermont
When Gov. Peter Shumlin formally launches his bid for a third term next Tuesday, he’ll finally retire the dubious claim that he’s too busy governing…
Testing Out a Spartan Training Ground at an Obstacle-Course Wedding
The race bib said it all: “A wedding so badass you have to sign a death waiver to attend.” Rob Butler had popped the question…
Brio Coffeeworks Soft-Opens in Burlington
Two weeks ago, Magdalena and Nathan Van Dusen soft-opened a new roastery called Brio Coffeeworks on Pine Street, but a coffee shop this is not….
News Quirks (9/03/14)
Curses, Foiled Again Police charged Arthur Avery, 30, with setting fire to an apartment building in South Daytona, Fla., after they located the arson suspect…
The November Man
There’s good news and bad news when it comes to the latest from Pierce Brosnan. The good news is that he doesn’t once break into…
Soundbites: Art Hop Music Preview; BHW at SXSW
As I believe I’ve mentioned in previous columns — or in every Art Hop column for the last seven years — I have three favorite…
As Above, So Below
Found-footage movies demand suspension of disbelief. Of course, we know we’re not watching real footage of three college students investigating the Blair Witch legend, or…
An 18-Foot Metal Totem Rises to Greet Art Hoppers
Last year, attendees of the South End Art Hop, as well as daily commuters on Burlington’s Pine Street, couldn’t help but notice an enormous rhinoceros…
I Stumbled Upon My Girlfriend’s Journal … and Couldn’t Stop Reading
Dear Athena, I was home sick with a nasty cold recently, bored and not thinking, and I stumbled upon my girlfriend’s journal. I started to…
Joe Adler, Many Things & Many Scenes
(Mercurial Arts & Sciences, CD, digital download) Joe Adler might be the unofficial king of the Queen City music scene. As music curator and general…
![AO Glass Works [SIV367]](https://sevendaysvt-test.newspackstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/episode367-4-1200x900.webp)
AO Glass Works [SIV367]
8/30/14: AO Glass Works was formed in 2007 by married couple Rich Arentzen and Tove Ohlander. Arentzen & Ohlander Glass Works has a retail space…
Dawna Hammers, Into the Mystic
(Self-released, CD) For nearly a quarter century, Shelburne-based songwriter Dawna Hammers has performed her self-described “music for the heart and soul” all over New England….
Late Summer Mushroom Hunting
In a mossy vale not far from Montpelier, Dave Kaczynski holds a small yellow mushroom. “These never came to bear here this year,” he says….
Sanders Ramps Up Travel to Early Primary and Caucus States
Excerpt from Fair Game: “On the Road Again: Shumlin’s 141.5 Days Outside Vermont” Shummy’s not the only one racking up the frequent flyer miles. Sen….
Kitchen Table Bistro Takes Over On the Rise Bakery
Richmond’s On the Rise Bakery will serve its final meals on September 30, then turn over 39 Esplanade to the owners of the Kitchen Table…
Obituary: Spencer Bradford Cline
Spencer Bradford Cline, Jr., age 54 years, died Tuesday afternoon August 19, 2014, in the Northwestern Medical Center following a long illness. Born in St….
Obituary: Doris C. Raymond
Mrs. Doris C. Raymond, age 103 years, a native of Highgate and more recently of Simpsonville, SC died Tuesday morning August 19, 2014, in Simpsonville….
Obituary: Zola Ruby Baker
Zola Ruby Baker, age 97 passed away peacefully on July 29th, 2014 in Piperton, Tennessee. Her loving grandchildren Steve & Judy Baker were at her…
Obituary: Betsy Caroline Lewis
Betsy Caroline Lewis, age 64 years, a lifelong St. Albans resident passed away Sunday afternoon August 17, 2014, in the Fletcher Allen Health Care Facility….
