The Money & Retirement Issue 2021
The Money & Retirement Issue: Homeless Vermonters Have Trouble Getting Federal Stimulus Checks; Lawmakers Seek Solution to the Public Pension Pinch; FAST of Vermont Protects Seniors’ Wallets
Obituary: Thomas William Hitchcock, 1936-2021
Manchester-born man married his high school sweetheart and became an accomplished builder
Obituary: Marty Morrissey, 1938-2021
Vermont folk musician leaves behind heartbroken friends and fans
Obituary: Joyce Stone, 1944-2021
Scholarship fund honors longtime Colchester School District teacher and administrator
Obituary: Roger Tosch, 1939-2021
Former South Burlington resident enjoyed volunteering and many athletic pursuits
Lawmakers Seek Solutions to the Public Pension System’s Poor Investment Returns
Over the last decade, the S&P 500, a benchmark for the U.S. stock market, enjoyed an average annual return of 13.6 percent. Over that same…
CVOEO Program Helps New Americans Take Charge of Their Finances
Asma Abunaib admits she was nervous when she helped a group of Burlington-area Somali women sign up for their first credit cards. Abunaib, the manager…
A Legal Clash Highlights Vermont’s Struggle With Mentally Ill Lawbreakers
This month, Attorney General T.J. Donovan completed stage 1 of a task that Gov. Phil Scott assigned to him in June 2019. He filed murder…
Benched: Ruminations on a Quarantine Retirement
After more than 40 years in interesting and mentally stimulating jobs — first as a lawyer at the Attorney General’s Office, then as a judge…
Town of Bolton, Vermont: Notice to Vendors — Invitation to Bid: Quick Response Rescue Truck
The Town of Bolton Vermont, requests sealed bids from qualified manufacturers for a Quick Response Rescue Truck that meets town specifications. Bids are due by…
WTF: Why Do Vermont Hemp Growers Use So Much Disposable Black Plastic?
One would be hard-pressed to find an agricultural product more versatile or environmentally friendly than hemp. For centuries, this hearty and fibrous plant, which can…
From the Publisher: Accounting for COVID-19
I set my alarm Thursday morning so I’d be up and online at 8:15 sharp, when Vermonters in my age group became eligible for the…
Vermont’s Financial Abuse Specialist Team Works to Protect Seniors’ Wallets
Candace Pratt of Williston has known “Elsie” her entire life. Elsie and Pratt’s mother met as schoolmates more than 75 years ago and remained friends,…
The Money & Retirement Issue — 2021
Even in the best of times, money is a top-of-mind concern for most of us. The past year or so has been anything but “the…
Barbara Floersch On ‘You Have a Hammer,’ Her ‘Why-To’ Book on Grant Writing for Social Change
As the world inches closer to whatever our post-pandemic “normal” will be, the nonprofit sector will necessarily play an important role in the recovery. That’s…
Letters to the Editor (3/31/21)
Power Dynamic Thanks to Kevin McCallum for the “Grid Block” article [March 17]. I’ve been wondering for years why we have been unable to add…
Will Anyone Notice My Pandemic BO When Things Open Up Again?
Dear Reverend, Since the pandemic started, I’ve been working from home, not going anywhere and not trying to impress anyone. My shower routine went from…
Brain Hacks Have a Disturbingly Literal Meaning in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Possessor’
Our streaming entertainment options are overwhelming — and not always easy to sort through. This week, I decided it was time to take a detour…
Bottom Line: EZ-Probate Aims to Make the Probate Process Simpler and Cheaper
In May of last year, Byron Batres saw a surge in business at his company, EZ-Probate. Coronavirus-related deaths across the nation had spiked within the…
Name-Dropping: RASTA Trail Group Is In Search of a New Moniker
The Rochester/Randolph Sports Trail Alliance will be known as RASTA no longer, according to executive director Angus McCusker. The 8-year-old central Vermont bike-and-ski trail association…
Free Will Astrology (3/31/21)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Playwright August Strindberg (1849-1912) was a maverick innovator who loved to experiment with plot and language. One of his stories takes…
Homeless Vermonters Are Having Trouble Getting Their Federal Stimulus Checks
Kari Rios once had everything she needed: an apartment, a well-paying job, a reliable car. As a single mother, she had some long days. But…
Soundbites: Matthew Evan Taylor Criticizes VSO’s BIPOC-Focused Closing Concert
Over the weekend, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra webcast its closing concert of the season, the last installment in the series “Music for Days Like This.”…
Page 32: Short Takes on Five Vermont Books
Seven Days writers can’t possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable…
Glorious Leader, ‘Glorious Leader & the Analog Cabin Mystery’
(Self-released, digital) Remember listening to children’s storybook cassette tapes? “When you hear the chimes ring, it’s time to turn the page!” an enthusiastic narrator would…
Art Review: ‘Meg Lipke: In the Making,’ BCA Center
An appropriate warning to visitors of a current exhibit at the BCA Center would be “Don’t squeeze the art.” On the street level of the…
Zodiac Sutra, ‘Sickness, Then Love’
(Self-released, digital) I knew a college professor once who would grab students by the shoulders and exclaim, “Don’t you know that you’re on the hero’s…
New Leaf Tree Syrups Offers a Fresh Take on an Age-Old Vermont Tradition
For a town with a population of just 1,500, Marshfield has a lot of businesses tucked away in its rocky hills. But few take up…
Beds Available: Vermont’s Eldercare Homes Hope to Recover From the Pandemic
Vermont’s long-term care homes are desperate to move past a ruinous year. Step one: Fill empty beds. Some homes that previously had waiting lists are…
Piecemeal Pies Expands to Stowe with Scores of Investors
About a month after the owners of Piecemeal Pies in White River Junction announced their plan to open a location in Stowe, restaurants in Vermont…
South Burlington’s Sherpa Foods Grows Its Dumpling Business
Six years have passed since the first summer the Sherpa family sold momos at the Burlington Farmers Market. Early on, Nurbu Sherpa spent a lot…
Sherpa Foods to Add Restaurant, Himalayan D’Lite, This Summer
South Burlington-based Sherpa Foods will open a counter-service restaurant called Himalayan D’Lite at its new home at 1303 Williston Road. The business is relocating there…
