The Charlotte News | February 6, 2019

The

The nonprofit community news source since 1958

Charlotte News

Wednesday, February 6, 2019 | Volume LXI Number 16

CharlotteNewsVT.org

Charlotte News

The

Vol. 61, no.15

February 6, 2019

Melissa O’Brien

Vermont’s oldest nonprofit community newspaper, bringing you local news and views since 1958

Meet the Selectboard candidates

In this year’s town elections, Nancy

Richardson is running for a two-year seat on the Selectboard against incumbent Frank Tenney. Louise McCarren, Ed Stone and Jim Faulkner are running for the three-year seat vacated by Lane Morrison. In no particular order here is an introduction to the candidates.

Nancy Richardson Your background and work history I have spent much of my professional life in public policy and government positions.

I served as chief education advisor to the governor of Massachusetts and senior staff to the U.S. Secretary of Education.

In Massachusetts, I was responsible for appointments and management of all public state higher education boards. As director of planning for the Vermont State College System and special education director for the Addison Central Supervisory Union, I learned firsthand about governing education at the state and local levels in Vermont.

Later, as a consultant, my work involved developing methods for assisting Vermont school districts in improving instruction. I authored 25 school case studies on school improvement in Northwest Vermont.

Your history in Charlotte My husband, Peter, and I owned a farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont for over 40 years. We first moved to Charlotte in the mid 90s. Our daughter and two grandchildren graduated from CVU. I am on the board of Morningside Cemetery and previously served on the boards of Vermont Adult Learning and Burlington City Arts.

What do you think are Charlotte’s strengths?

Charlotte is situated in one of the most scenic areas of Vermont. The mountains and the lake are unique environmental assets, and the Town Plan reflects the necessity of our being responsible stewards of our heritage—the forests, waterways and farmland. Charlotte’s people are actively engaged in the town committees, and the Senior Center attracts participants from around the region. Charlotte is a beautiful rural community that requires both

A restaurant in town, finally

preservation and enhancement.

Weaknesses?

As one of the wealthiest towns in Vermont, we have a responsibility to ensure that the people who live and work here can rent or purchase housing that they can afford. The town’s housing trust fund should be re-worked and expanded to make it more effective. The community needs to be accessible to young families so that our school maintains its enrollments. And we need to provide housing for seniors to continue residing here. We should also move to make it easier for small economic development projects to get started and to be sustained. Active civic engagement should be nurtured and strengthened.

Why are you running for a seat on the Selectboard?

I care about the future health of the town, and I appreciate those who have come before me to serve on the Selectboard and other volunteer committees. It is my time to participate and give back.

Frank Tenney Your background and work history

When Debbie Kassabian and her husband, Michael Dunbar, first moved to Charlotte, Kassabian said they woke up in the morning and said, “Let’s go out to breakfast,” and there wasn’t a restaurant in town to go to breakfast…or lunch…or dinner. The couple decided to take care of that problem, and, when the opportunity arose to purchase the former Vermont Wildflower Farm property, they jumped at the chance. After two years and four meetings with town planning and zoning, they have finally begun construction on what they hope will be a popular hangout spot for local diners. The property is also zoned for retail and office space.

Dunbar and Kassabian purchased the property in December of 2016 through their company Gemini Properties. Their

original intent was to use the existing structure, which had served most recently as a storage facility for a wildflower seed company, and renovate the building. Once they began renovation plans, however, they ran into several structural and construction issues, including a significant rat infestation due to the storage of seeds and bulbs in the building. After site visits, Dunbar said, Zoning Administrator Aaron Brown figured out that Dunbar and Kassabian could actually tear down the building and build from scratch as long as they kept the same footprint.

In December of 2018, after approaching Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue to coordinate a controlled burn and training exercise at the site, the old structure was demolished and the construction process began. Dunbar, who owns Middlebury see RESTAURANT page 5

see CANDIDATES page 2

Library expansion project moves forward

The Charlotte Library Campaign and Bond Committees

Chea Waters Evans

I have 12 years of Zoning Board and two years of Selectboard experience. I drive a school bus for the Champlain Valley School District. I also handle paperwork for several small businesses, including my own. I own and manage housing, including performing maintenance and repairs.

History in Charlotte I have lived in Charlotte my whole life.

I’m a third generation Charlotter. My wife, Beth, and I have two children who went to CCS and CVU. What do you think are Charlotte’s strengths?

In two words: employees and volunteers.

These are the best resources the town has right now, with the ability to resolve challenging issues.

Weaknesses?

I think open lines of communications and normal meeting hours so that people can participate will allow for more transparency. Update renewable resource siting with updates of the new Town Plan and Zoning Bylaws. Updating

At its Jan. 14 meeting, the Selectboard voted unanimously to include the bond for the library expansion as an item on the Town Meeting Day Australian ballot.

This will give every voter in town the opportunity to weigh in on the expansion project.

Fueled by the need for adequate space to accommodate the programs and activities that have grown out of the interests and needs of our community over the past 20 years, the expansion project includes an enlarged children’s area, a dedicated program room that can be closed off from the main library for after-hour use, and additional study and storage space. The adult reading room will recapture its original space, half of which is now filled with children’s books.

Updating the 20-year-old heating and cooling systems, adding south-facing solar panels and refurbishing some of the original space are also included in the plans.

For over 10 years, the library’s Board of Trustees has been working on resolving the library’s space issues and over a year ago voted to move forward with plans for an addition. The Friends of the Library board agreed to support the project and hired an architect to design the space and estimate its cost. Using those plans and figures the Friends group, through a grant, then funded a feasibility study to test support for such a project and to

determine what portion of the projected cost could be raised in private donations.

We note that in 1998 the Friends group paid for the current building with funds raised privately and then deeded the library to the town.

The consultants (CPG Enterprises) concluded that there is clearly support for the expansion and that the Friends of the Library could raise half of the $1.4 million needed to construct an environmentally sensitive addition that compliments the aesthetics of our current building. As indicated above, the cost includes the new construction, as well as renovation of some of the existing space.

The bond on the upcoming ballot is for the remaining $700,000.

Fundraising began quietly in the late fall, and the Friends group has already raised about half of its commitment.

This effort is now expanding and over the next few months will reach out to the entire Charlotte community. We hope for widespread support and a positive response to our solicitations.

We encourage you to stop by the library to see the three-dimensional model that is on display, along with floor plans and a sketch of the exterior that faces the Town Green. We are scheduling special open house hours for interested townspeople to stop in for more information. Check for updates to this schedule on the library website, charlottepubliclibrary.org, and on Front Porch Forum. see LIBRARY page 2

2 • February 6, 2019 • The Charlotte News

CANDIDATES 1

continued from page

town policies and agreements. Examining the budget to resolve the difference between want and need. There are concerns about rising taxes and development that some people picture as undesirable. I am hoping I can help with these and other issues.

Why are you running for a seat on the Selectboard?

My candidacy offers continued commitment and valuable experience to the town. Given the opportunity, I will continue to be an advocate, listening to all ideas and concerns, in an effort to address the needs of the town. Many issues came before the board, including the library addition, trails work, affordable housing, speeding enforcement, the town plan, West Village wastewater, the budget for town meeting and more. All have been a positive learning experience. I am asking for your vote on March 5th so that I may continue working with my fellow residents and Selectboard members on the common goal of moving Charlotte into the future.

Candidates for the three-year seat Ed Stone Your background and work history I went to Rice High School. Then I was in the radio business for 28 years. I worked at WVMT. Your history in Charlotte I’ve lived in Charlotte for 42 years, and my wife, Marcia, has lived here for 65 years. I’ve been on the Selectboard most of my life!

What do you think are Charlotte’s strengths?

Pretty much everything. We take good care of our kids here. My kids and grandkids went to CCS. I was on Fire & Rescue for a while. It’s not cheap to have a good department like that, but when you need it you need it. I was on the Selectboard when we built the new library.

Why are you running for a seat on the Selectboard?

I enjoy being on the Selectboard. I understand what goes on. One reason is that we work hard to make things happen.

We worked hard on the trail system, it’s very important, but when you appoint someone or a group to do something, then you have to give them money to operate.

This time around I’m older and wiser.

I’ve changed my ways of thinking. I read the obituaries now and I see what people have done with their lives, and it made me think about my own life and what I want to accomplish while I’m here.

Louise McCarren Your background and work history I am an attorney by training. In addition to practicing law I have had several opportunities for public service, including chair of the Vermont Public Service Board, Commissioner of Public Service and most recently as a volunteer on Governor Shumlin’s Commission on Electric Generation Siting and the Vermont Telecommunications Authority Board. I have substantial management experience, including budgeting.

Your history in Charlotte My husband, Ed Amidon, and I have been residents of Charlotte since 1976. We have raised children, animals and gardens here.

What do you think are Charlotte’s strengths?

Charlotte is such a great community

with much to offer our residents. Our two villages are anchors and hubs for all of us.

Weaknesses?

The challenge is to collectively create a common vision for our future. I pledge to deal with our issues by listening with an open mind.

Why are you running for a seat on the Selectboard?

It would be an honor and privilege to serve you on the Selectboard.

Jim Faulkner Your background and work history I moved to Charlotte in 2014, from Kennebunkport, Maine, a town much like the community of Charlotte in size (3,700), issues and concerns regarding imminent growth and economic diversity. A life-time New Englander with a frugal “Down East” attitude for local government efficiency, a need for financial accountability and, foremost, what is most beneficial and appropriate to the Charlotte tax payers. I value open, honest principles and wants to be involved in keeping Charlotte a community of thoughtful, yet, reasonable progress into the future. I would come to the board with 40 years of business and office management skills from my private practice. Having served on various local boards in Maine, including the Kennebunkport Planning Board, the start-up of the Rivergreen Bank, and the YES Foundation (Youth Education & Sports) to name a few. Also, sitting on the USDA & NRCS boards has given me an understanding of some local farming concerns. I have no delusions that all issues have peaceful resolution to everyone. I did my undergraduate studies at Colby College, received my doctorate in dentistry from Georgetown University and orthodontic certification from Boston University. Despite all these activities, I value family time above all with Nancy, my wife, our three adult children and two granddaughters, who attend CCS here in Charlotte. The Faulkner family enjoys lots of time together, whether at home caring for their animals, gardening, boating on Lake Champlain or skiing.

Your history in Charlotte Nancy and I have a small farm in Charlotte where we raise South African Boer goats, garden and have created a plan to restore our pastures and woodlands, much of which is in conservancy. The preservation of open spaces in Charlotte was one of the attractions that brought us here to settle. In my free time, beyond the daily farm tasks, I keep busy as a volunteer EMT for Charlotte Emergency Medical Services, sit on their board of directors, and I’m a volunteer ski patroller at Sugarloaf Mountain.

What do you think are Charlotte’s strengths?

A strength I see in Charlotte is the conscientious attention to town affairs whose governing body gives thoughtful consideration to its growth regarding the sprawl of nearby communities. Another strength of the town is the management of private and public issues in their efforts to keep us fiscally balanced. Our roads are maintained with quality care and safety.

Several surrounding towns are not as fortunate, as we have a dedicated efficient and responsive Fire and Rescue service made up mostly of volunteer citizens. Our greatest strength is the attention given to the Charlotte Central School whose educators and parents are responsible for the excellence of the town’s youth, our legacy to Charlotte’s future.

Weaknesses?

The majority of the population of Charlotte, myself included, feel the

importance of protecting the town’s rural character, natural and agricultural resources, however, without some taxable commercial growth, the entire financial burden rests on us, the private property owners. This is a statewide problem and one of the reasons people do not remain in Vermont. However, we in Charlotte need to be open, be vigilant and be respectful to new and perceptive commercial possibilities to defray our costs of living in our quaint village. Otherwise, the future economic property balance will become heavily tilted to those “who have” versus “those who have not” if we refuse to consider some taxable external resources.

Why are you running for a seat on the Selectboard?

I am running for the open seat as I favor a common-sense approach to the town issues, some of those being, finances, community growth, the challenges of public safety, both with our fire and rescue department and the roads. There is a diverse economic population within Charlotte and those factors need to be balanced and fair to all.

I want to grow old here, content that I have given back to the community an enriching, safe and progressive environment where my grandchildren and others will be proud of Charlotte and desire to stay.

LIBRARY continued from page 1 The numbers support the need for an expansion: • Over 70 percent of Charlotters have library cards.

• The library offered 330 programs last year for all ages (3,000 people attended these) in response to community input in the library’s strategic plan.

• Program attendance increased by 91 percent from 2013 to 2017.

• We now have 13,000 volumes in a space designed for 8,000.

• 20,000 people came through our doors during our last fiscal year.

In this time of great inequalities, the Charlotte Library is an equalizer. Its services are available to everyone, no matter their situation. Some are eager to learn about technology options; some need a peaceful place to hang out; others are simply searching for the next good read. Programs requested and supported by community members reflect that Charlotters look to the library as the place where things happen.

The library has become an essential resource in Charlotte, enhancing the community and making it a very desirable place to live.

Mark the date for the bond vote on your calendars—March 5, by Australian ballot during the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Charlotte Central School or by absentee ballot. We hope you will support this important town resource!

Correction

In our January 23 issue, we mistakenly credited Meg Smith as the author of “Cherish the moment” on page 5. Chris Nunnick was the author. We regret the mistake.

The Charlotte News Mission Statement The mission of The Charlotte News is to inform our readers about current events, issues and topics, and to serve as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and community volunteer organizations on matters related to Charlotte and the experiences of its residents.

Letters and Commentaries Consistent with our mission The Charlotte News publishes letters to the editor and commentaries from our readers. All letters and commentaries are subject to review and approval by the news editor of the paper and to the following rules and standards: • Letters to the editor and commentaries should be emailed to news@thecharlottenews.org as attachments in .doc format. All letters and commentaries must contain the writer’s full name and town of residence and, for proofing purposes only, include the writer’s phone number.

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• All submissions are subject to editing for clarity, factual accuracy, tone and length.

• The news editor makes the final determination whether a letter or commentary will be published as submitted, returned for rewriting, or rejected.

Publisher: Vince Crockenberg Editorial Staff Managing Editor: Anna Cyr (anna@thecharlottenews.org) News Editor: Melissa O’Brien (melissa@thecharlottenews.org) Contributing Editor: Edd Merritt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Vince Crockenberg Proofreaders: Edd Merritt, Mike & Janet Yantachka Contributing Photographers: Lee Krohn and Ramiro Garay Business Staff Ad manager: Elizabeth Langfeldt (ads@thecharlottenews.org) Bookkeeper: Jessica Lucia (billing@thecharlottenews.org) Board Members President: Vince Crockenberg (vince@thecharlottenews.org) Vice President: Rick Detwiler Treasurer: (treasurer@thecharlottenews.org) Board members: Bob Bloch, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli, Tom Tiller, Dave Quickel, Louise McCarren Website: thecharlottenews.org Subscription Information The Charlotte News is delivered at no cost to all Charlotte residences. Subscriptions are available for first-class delivery at $40 per calendar year.

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ON THE COVER: Brisk Sunset in Charlotte Photo by Lee Krohn

The Charlotte News • February 6, 2019 • 3

Around Town Edd Merritt

Congratulations:

to the following Charlotte Central School students who won finalist status in the preliminary round of the National Geographic sponsored GeoBee and advanced to the second round, the School GeoBee on Jan. 28: • Grade 4 – J. P. Novak, Sarah Stein • Grade 5 – Kenna Hutchins, Griffin Hengelsberg, Apryl Tuiqere • Grade 6 – Henry Bushey, Vega Tariyal • Grade 7 – Sam Dore, Luke Sampson • Grade 8 – Grace McNally, Joe Jacobs Vega Tariyal won the CCS School GeoBee, beating out classmate Henry Bushey in a highly contested match. to Courtney McDermott of Charlotte, whose poem titled “A poem for those who drink coffee in the morning”, was selected for publication in the “Young Writers Project” of the Feb. 1 Burlington Free Press. Courtney responded to a query for “general writing.” In her poem she portrays the poet as a plastic cup left to

rot in the driveway that people have not disposed of, put out of its misery. “You’ve just left me here to rot.” (“In case you’re wondering, plastic,” she says, “doesn’t rot.)” to Annika Gruber whose poem titled “Rise” was also selected for inclusion in the Free Press’ “Young Writers Project” the week before Courtney’s. It appears that Annika responded to characteristics a person might face if that person were part of the climate and the differences that may incorporate, person to person.

Her main character is sun burned. But, what if instead that person had frost bite. Regardless, the person “wore your wounds without shame. I wish everyone did that. I wish everyone accepted each other’s differences.”

Sympathy:

is extended to family and friends of Winslow H. Ladue of Charlotte who died from brain cancer at the McClure Miller Respite House Jan. 26 at the age of 64. After graduating from St. Lawrence University, Winslow moved to Burlington from New York State to study hydrogeology at UVM. Following a completion of his

master’s degree in 1982, he moved to Charlotte and worked for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Conservation with municipaliWinslow Ladue ties throughout the state, focusing particularly on ensuring safe drinking water based on sound hydrogeology policy. He retired in 2015.

Not only was Winslow active with the state, he participated fully in Charlotte town services, sitting on the Selectboard for seven years, leading groups of Charlotte Cub Scouts and contributing to the Antique and Classic Boat Society of Lake Champlain. An interest in classic boats led him to restore wooden runabouts, which he enjoyed sharing with family and friends with his historical “boat tours.”

Winslow loved to waterski, sail his G-Cat and row during the summer months.

During the winters he was an avid skier, hitting the slopes every year, from age 2 to

64, often for 50-plus days a season.

Winslow’s surviving family includes his wife, Mary Anne Kyburz-Ladue, and son Arlin.

His son Caleb died in a skiing accident in South America in 2017.

The family will host a celebration of his life this coming summer and are happy to accept, cards, letters, stories and photos sent to 457 Sentinel Cedar Lane, Charlotte. They ask that those wishing to make donations in Winslow’s name do so either to the UVM Medical Center Fund (contribute online at https://tinyurl.com/ ycvjngm6) or to Watersheds United Vermont, a statewide network of local groups dedicated to improving the health of their home watersheds (attn: Lyn Munno, Watersheds United Vermont, 379 Elm Street, Montpelier, VT 05602).

The

Charlotte News PUBLICATION DATES February 20, 2019 Copy Deadline: Feb. 13 Ads Deadline: Feb. 15

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CVSD Board passes FY20 budget Integrating compassion, expertise and service Juliann Phelps The Champlain Valley School District Board meeting on Monday, Jan. 22, was brief with no adjustments to the agenda and little discussion from the board prior to voting to adopt the final budget for FY20.

The final budget is $78,901,170, which is $2.06M higher than the previous year’s budget of $76,838,041. While this represents an increase of 2.69% from last year’s budget, it translates into a tax rate of $1.48 per $100 of assessed valuation for Charlotte—or a reduction of about $5 in taxes per $100,000 of assessed valuation next year compared to this year.

In addition, the board approved the Town Meeting warning and articles (the warning and ballot questions can be found at https:// tinyurl.com/ybul59rw) and announced tuition for FY19–FY20: $15,404 per pupil for K-6th grades and $15,124 for 7th–12th

grades. In comparison, the FY18–19 rates were $14,943 and $14,639, respectively, according to the CVSD annual report.

In other agenda items, the board heard a summary of insurance coverage from Mike Boardman of Hickock and Boardman Insurance Group. In a review of specific coverages, new ones included liability coverage for a law enforcement professional (student resource officer, or SRO). The board also asked Mr. Boardman to look into specific coverage for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (or HIPPA) violations. The next meeting will also cover a proposed camera policy, as cameras will be installed inside CVSD buses and on the stop sign arms.

The meeting wrapped with Superintendent Elaine Pinckney noting it was Board Appreciation Month and recognizing the board for its contributions. “Your leadership makes our work possible,” said Ms. Pinckney.

Letter To The Editior Dear fellow Charlotte voters, It is a pleasure to write a letter in enthusiastic support of the candidacy of Louise McCarren for the three-year Selectboard position.

We have known Louise and her family for nearly 40 years; our children attended preschool and CCS with hers and we also worked together on various community projects during that time. A graduate of UC Berkley with a law degree from UCLA, Louise has held a number of important and demanding executive and politically sensitive positions in her notable career.

Examples include: chair of the Vermont Public Service Board, president of Verizon

for the State of Vermont and, most recently, CEO of the NGO that is responsible for the electric grid that supplies and distributes power throughout the entire western USA. Now retired, Louise will commit her time, energy, passion, integrity and intelligence to Charlotte. She would be a wonderful addition to the Selectboard. She knows and loves our town and is a good listener and mediator. We believe that we are very fortunate to have such a qualified candidate!

Please join us in supporting Louise McCarren for the Selectboard.

Sincerely, Nan and Ben Mason

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Charlotte Selectboard agenda Monday, February 11, 2019 At the Charlotte Town Hall – 159 Ferry Road Agenda is subject to change—check agenda posted on charlottevt.org on the Friday prior to meeting for final agenda Reasonable accommodation shall be provided upon request to ensure this meeting is accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.

Times are approximate 6:30 p.m. Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge Management Plan—update 7:00 Adjustments to the agenda 7:01 Public Comment 7:05 Selectboard updates 7:15 Accessory Agricultural Uses—review of Act 143 8:15 Request for Bids, Mowing and Maintenance of Cemeteries 8:25 Requests for Bids for Mowing, Land Maintenance and Brush-hogging of Town lands 8:40 Minutes: January 28 8:50 Selectboard updates 8:55 Approve warrants to pay bills 9:00 Adjournment Members: Matthew Krasnow; Lane Morrison; Carrie Spear; Fritz Tegatz;

Frank Tenney Town administrator: Dean Bloch. Minute taker: Lynn Monty Next meetings:

Feb. 25, 7 p.m. Regular Meeting

March 4, 6:30 p.m. Public Informational Hearing for Australian ballot articles @ CCS March 5, 9 a.m. Town Meeting @ CCS March 7__ Special Meeting March 11, __ Regular Meeting

Report From The Legislature Options for climate change action The 2019 state budget passed last June included money for a study on the costs and benefits of various options to reduce Vermont’s Mike Yantachka carbon emissions STATE REP. in response to climate change. Vermont has several targets for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction that have been set during the Douglas, Shumlin and Scott administrations. In 2005 Vermont passed a law setting a target of 37 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2012. In 2015 Vermont joined the conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in setting a target of reducing regional GHGs by 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

In 2017 Governor Scott joined the U.S. Climate Alliance thats set a target of GHG reduction of 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.

A report from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation released last July showed that Vermont’s GHG emissions are currently 16 percent above 1990 levels, mainly due to transportation and heating. Our electric generation emissions, however, have decreased extensively to the point that they are now about 60 percent carbon-free and will improve even more in years to come.

Transforming our energy use from fossil fuels to electricity will reduce total GHG emissions.

Vermont’s Joint Fiscal Office commissioned Resources for the Future (RFF), a nonprofit research institution in Washington, D.C., to conduct the study.

RFF looked at four options: the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) cap-and-trade system, the ESSEX Plan introduced in Vermont last year ($.05/gallon to $.40/g after 8 years), a medium carbon pricing plan ($.30/g to $.50/g by 2030), and a high carbon pricing plan ($.60/g to $1.00/g by 2030). All of the options were assumed to be revenue neutral in their model; that is, all revenues would be returned to taxpayers either through a dividend or through tax relief. Their models took into account the cost/benefit to consumers, the cost to business, estimates of carbon

reduction, and the net benefits of revenue allocation and associated health benefits.

The impact on consumers was also differentiated by income and geography.

A major conclusion of the study is that transportation and heating fuel uses are relatively insensitive to moderate changes in pricing. People changed their driving habits and paid more attention to their thermostats when fuel was close to $4/ gallon a couple of years ago. Last year’s increase of $.50/gallon for gasoline back in May did little to change driving habits; most people just absorbed the increase.

The conclusion was that carbon pricing alone at the levels being considered would not be enough to reduce emissions.

However, if carbon pricing were combined with non-pricing policies, such as financial assistance for weatherizing homes and incentives for purchasing electric vehicles (used and new), then the targets were achievable.

None of the options would negatively affect Vermont’s economy more than a few tenths of a percent overall.

However, fuel-intensive businesses would suffer reductions while service-related businesses would grow. The economic welfare of families varied by income under all the plans, with the lowest 40 percent benefiting (60 percent for the ESSEX Plan) and the upper 40 percent of income earners losing from $15 to $250 per year. Urban dwellers would also be better off than rural folks.

The study looked at carbon pricing in Vermont alone, not at a regional level.

Governor Scott has agreed to join other New England and Mid-Atlantic states in studying a regional cap-and-trade plan called the Transportation Climate Initiative. The plan will be designed by the end of the year, after which Vermont can decide whether to join TCI. Scott also has included some money for weatherization and electric vehicle rebates in his 2020 budget. It is imperative that we take concrete steps sooner rather than later to drive down GHG emissions in Vermont because it will only get more expensive the longer we wait.

I welcome your emails (myantachka. dfa@gmail.com), phone calls (802-2335238) or in person contacts. This article and others can be found at my website MikeYantachka.com.

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Town

The

RESTAURANT continued from page 1 Fence Company, also owns Renovate, which he said he started to keep his staff working year-round. He anticipates construction will be complete in June.

Kassabian said she and Dunbar have no interest in owning or operating a retail store or restaurant, and that their plan is to lease space to others. They already have a restaurant plan in place, which was approved and permitted with the town. Barbara Cote, chef and owner of the Shelburne Tap House in Shelburne, is committed to opening a restaurant space in the ground floor of the new building, which will be called Charlotte Crossing. The new restaurant is going with a working title of Charlotte Tap House, and Cote is currently seeking funding from private investors in order to finance the project.

The restaurant will include indoor and outdoor seating as well as a sizable bar, and is allowed a total of 30 seats and is approximately 2,500 square feet. It will include table service as well as takeout and delivery menus—a feature that is currently absent in most of Charlotte.

Kassabian said she and Dunbar worked with architect Anna Thelemark from Burlington firm Struktur, Charlie Proutt from Distinctive Landscaping in Charlotte, and Artisan Engineering to complete the project. Dunbar said they hope to make the space comfortable and family friendly. “We want something local, where local people can go,” he said. “We want to create this space where people can cross paths with their neighbors.”

Those paths are literal as well as figurative; there are currently walking paths on the 5.5-acre property that Kassabian said they plan to maintain. The property is close to the underpass of the Town Link Trail that goes under Route 7, and Kassabian hopes to connect with the committee overseeing that plan to see if they can work together to make that land part of the public trail.

The retail space in the building is currently unplanned, and the couple is

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A controlled burn of the old Wildflower Farm in December of 2018.

Photos courtesy by John Berkey.

looking for interested parties who want to open a business there; permitting is already in place. Dunbar said there is potential for a convenience store or market or even a Vermont state liquor store. There will also be second-story office space available for up to ten people.

Dunbar said when he first discussed his plans with friends, “Everybody that I told said I was dumb. They said, ‘You shouldn’t do that in Charlotte.’” After a recent shutdown of plans for a Maplefields convenience store farther up the road, the potential for hurdles was high. Luckily, the space already came with the proper permits in place, and it was just a matter, he said, of being well prepared when they presented to planning and zoning committees. Those people, he said, “were great. They were excited. We are commercial development rookies and have learned the process along the way. I think this is the reason why it went so well. We didn’t come to the table pushing something that people in town didn’t want. We came forward with a rough idea, took input and tweaked things to make the project better for everyone.

We are so excited to work with fellow Charlottians to bring our vision to life.”

Charlotte Planning Commission agenda Thursday February 7, 2019 At the Charlotte Town Hall – 159 Ferry Road Agenda is subject to change—check agenda posted on charlottevt.org Reasonable accommodation shall be provided upon request to ensure this meeting is accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.

Times are approximate 7 p.m. Public Meeting Call to Order

Approval of Regular Agenda

Public Comment Period

Review of the previous Planning Commission meeting minutes

Consent Agenda 7:05 PC-18-209-SK Plante-Shappy – Sketch Plan Review for the properties located at 1801 and 1807 Spear Street. Project information is available at https://is.gd/xrBPJ3.

7:30 PC-18-216-SK Stearns – Sketch Plan Review for the property located at 7427 Spear Street Ext. Project information is available at https://is.gd/aaDblg.

8:00 PC-18-196-SK Mason-von Trapp – Continued Sketch Plan Review for possible subdivision/site plan for the property located at 140 Ferry Road.

Project information is available at https://is.gd/Dprxcx.

9:00 Other business

Upcoming agenda Adjourn Planning Commissioners: Peter Joslin (chair); Charlie Pughe (vice chair), Marty Illick, Gerald Bouchard, Dick Eastman, David Kenyon and Shawn Coyle Staff: Daryl Benoit, town planner; TBA, recording secretary

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6 • February 6, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Charlotte Library News Margaret Woodruff DIRECTOR Seed Fever!

Wednesday, Feb. 6, 7 p.m.

As gardeners know, Seed Fever is an infectious condition that strikes hard at this time of year, often brought on by exposure to new seed catalogs with their lavish colors and exuberant descriptions. Your head spins and your fingers twitch. The only real relief from this fever comes in the spring when once again those fingers get back in contact with seeds and soil. Please join us for the first of a series of support sessions organized by the Charlotte Seed Library.

Facilitated by Seed Library Coordinator Linda Hamilton and Master Gardener Karen Tuininga, we’ll discuss setting goals for your vegetable garden, choosing varieties, starting seeds indoors, preparing to save seeds and where to get help when you need it. In March, the support session will focus on garden layout and planting: what, where and how. More details on library website: charlottepubliclibrary.org.

Surviving the Future Book Discussion Thursday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m.

Join Transition Town Charlotte and the Charlotte Library for a look into the future, where the arts and community engagement in fun becomes an essential element to a healthy community. David Fleming’s engaging book shows that it is not only desirable but actually the only system with a realistic claim to longevity. This final session covers Part 3 and appendices. Copies available at the Charlotte Library.

Ottolenghi Potluck Supper Tuesday, Feb. 12, 5:30 p.m.

Do you have a favorite recipe from this chef superstar’s repertoire? Join us for supper highlighting our top choices, and bring your own! Need some ideas? Stop by the library to get inspiration from our

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Ottolenghi cookbook collection. Bread, salad and beverages provided.

This program takes place at the Charlotte Senior Center.

Saving History: Jim Donovan and Work with ICOMOS Wednesday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m.

Jim Donovan, Charlotte resident and secretary general of the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee, shares some insights into the World Heritage Sites program in this illustrated, experiential talk. Learn what ICOMOS stands for and what it and Jim’s committee do to assist in the selection and management of World Heritage Sites all around the world.

Men’s Book Group, News of the World,

by Paulette Jiles Wednesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m.

“In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction.” Meet up to read and discuss this Paulette Jiles novel. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Book Discussion, The Manticore, by Robertson Davies Thursday, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.

The second book in The Deptford Trilogy, this novels continues the story of David Staunton, a man pleased with his success but haunted by his relationship with his larger-than-life father. As he seeks help through therapy, he encounters a wonderful cast of characters who help connect him to his past and the death of his father. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Vacation Movie Tuesday, Feb. 26, 10:30 a.m.

Join us for a fun movie selection to suit all ages. Plenty of popcorn to go around!

Children’s Yoga Session with Lynn Alpeter Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2 p.m.

Come join us for an hour of some yoga fun this winter break! Based upon the Kidding Around Yoga curriculum, this class will introduce your child to yoga in an accessible way. This class includes lots of music, movement and creativity.

Recommended for ages 6 to 10 years.

Parents welcome to join in. Lynn Alpeter is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor and also a certified Kidding Around Yoga teacher. Having worked at Charlotte Central School as a para educator and as a mom of two college kids, she looks forward to sharing her love of yoga and all its benefits with a new generation. Lynn believes more people doing yoga makes the world a better place. Lynn lives in Charlotte with her husband and two dogs.

Soup Supper: Visit with Madeline Kunin Wednesday, Feb. 27, 5:30 p.m.

Former Vermont governor and U.S. ambassador to Switzerland joins us for a discussion of her latest book, A Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties and the questions aging raises for us all, whatever our walk of life.

Charlotte Library Board of Trustees: Katharine Cohen, Nan Mason, Danielle Conlon Menk, Jonathan Silverman and Robert Smith.

Next Library Board meeting: Wednesday, Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m.

Charlotte Library Contact Information Margaret Woodruff, director Cheryl Sloan, youth services librarian Susanna Kahn, tech services librarian HOURS Mondays & Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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The Charlotte News • February 6, 2019 • 7

Art and Music Hinesburg Artist Series concert

Chilly morning painting

The 23rd Hinesburg Artist Series concert will be Sunday, March 24, at 4:30 p.m. at St. Jude’s Church in Hinesburg.

Our guest artist is Becky Bass, a renowned vocalist, steel drummer and actor. She hails from the beautiful island of St. Croix in the British Virgin Islands and now lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Becky graduated from Brown University in 2013 and received the school’s Weston Award for excellence in musical theater.

She will join the South County Chorus and HAS Orchestra performing selections from Messiah Part II and III and solo in the set of seven spirituals arranged by John Rutter titled “Feel The Spirit.”

Tickets are available at the Flynn Theatre box office, Blue Cottage Gifts in Hinesburg and the Hinesburg Rec. Office. Further details and a full bio will follow in March.

Stellaria Trio in Concert Friday, 22 February —7:30 p.m. at the Richmond Free Library. Commencing their sixth season as the Stellaria Trio, violinist Letitia Quante, cellist John Dunlop and pianist Claire Black present Joseph Haydn’s Piano Trio No. 45 in E-flat Major; Johannes Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major; and Pale Yellow from Jennifer Higdon’s 2003 Piano Trio.

Friday, 1 March—7:30 p.m. at the McCarthy Arts Center Recital Hall in Colchester. Free admission for children and for all holders of Saint Michael’s College identification cards.

Suggested donations: $20 general, $5 limited means, children free.

PROPERTY TRANSFERS Jan. 2 Rodney Mills and Jason Thibeau to Jacques Gilbert and Michele Butler, 6.16 acres with dwelling, 186 Homestead Drive, $593,000.

Jan. 24 Dean C. Freeman to Leslie L. Tucker Trust and Dean C.B. Freeman Trust, 0.96 acre with dwelling, 345 Hills Point Road, $262,500.

Jan. 24 David J. and Carolyn C. Vadeboncoeur to Ariel V. and Garth E. Ballard, 18.57 acres with dwelling, 1535 Lime Kiln Road, $360,000.

Jan. 30 Spear Jr. Living Trust to Root Seven Holdings, LLC, 2.95 acres with building, 3171 Ethan Allen Highway, $425,000.

Mark Boedges didn’t let the cold stop him from painting on Jan. 26 at Bingham Brook Road.

Temps that day were a high of 21°and a low of 6°.

Photo by Elizabeth Langfeldt

Happenings at The Grange A very appreciative full house at the Open Mic event at the Charlotte Grange on Jan. 15 welcomed 12 performers playing and singing a variety of tunes. Julia Beerworth, Tom McGrade, Rich Wright, Paul and Cal Lord and Benjamin Fox, all local musicians, sang and accompanied themselves on guitars and ukulele. In addition, Judd Markowski drove up from Bridport with his accordion, and Beth Duquette and Richard Ruane joined the fun from Ripton and Lincoln.

Jason Baker came down from Burlington and performed original songs, and Ted LeBlanc and Mike Walker both performed and were joined for the closing number with several of the other performers. The standard closing for the Open Mic evenings is everyone joining in with “Good Night Irene.”

Mark your calendars for Sunday, Feb. 17, from 4 to 6 p.m., as Dan Wyman will be at the Grange Hall with his fiddle, along with

others. Come and spend some time listening and dancing to some great fiddle tunes.

And plan to join us on Tuesday, Feb. 19, from 6:30 to 8:30 for another Open Mic evening. If you would like to perform, please arrive by 6 p.m. or sign up with Mike Walker prior to the evening at mjwalker@ gmavt.net.

Take these opportunities to experience some great music and to visit the historic Grange Hall in East Charlotte. Did you know that this Grange Hall was originally built by a young men’s association to be used as a debate hall? And then became a school for the kids living in East Charlotte?

There is a lot of history in the little white building known as the Grange Hall….come and visit!

Any donations received are used to help heat and light the building so we can use it. Our goal is to renovate and maintain the building so it can be used by our community.

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Don’t forget Valentine’s Day!

8 • February 6, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Food Shelf News Susan Ohanion It won’t be warm till the snow gets off the mountain, and the snow won’t get off the mountain till it gets warm.

Talk Less and Say More, Vermont Proverbs, Wolfgang Mieder May the generosity of our community send out rays of warmth to everybody.

A number of financial contributions came in right after the last news deadline a month ago, so here’s a catch-up of many thanks: Karol Josselyn, Ben and Nan Mason, Diane and Emile Cote, Damon Silverman Family, Laura Iglehart, John and Christy Hagios, Stuart Bennett and Pati Naritomi, Margaret Berlin, James and Virginia Foster, anonymous Charlotte Central School parent.

Some gifts come with a special notation: Donna and Remo Pizzagali in honor of Roberta Wood; Kate Silverman in honor of Charlotte Central School 6th grade teachers, Chloe Silverman in honor of CVU Chittenden Core teachers and coaches for cross country and Nordic ski teams.

The parishioners of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church gave 41 bags of food to stock our shelves; Horsford Gardens and Nursery gave beautiful balsam wreaths; the generosity of the Greenbush Road Blackberry Stand is ongoing.

If your name is ever missing from this list, please know that with the number of people involved from the mail box or the Food Shelf door to my e-mail, slip-ups are inevitable. Just send me a note and I’ll rectify the omission as soon as possible.

We always want to shout out a salute to people who make the Food Shelf possible.

And here’s a shout out to the 44 people working behind the scenes (and out of newspaper notice): Food Shelf office work, shoppers, stockers, orders and receiving, and a myriad of ongoing tasks that the rest of us never know about.

Please stop what you’re doing and give a smile of thanks to these people who do what they do because they know it is right.

Important distribution dates at the Charlotte Congregational Church Wednesday, Feb. 13, 27: 5–7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14, 28: 7:30–9 a.m.

Financial assistance As a reminder, the Food Shelf has some funds available for emergency assistance with fuel and electric bills. You may contact Cindi at 425-3234 if you need assistance.

We are available to all community residents. Privacy is very important and respected in our mission of neighbor helping neighbor.

For emergency food call John at

A truckload of holiday boxes prepared by students at Charlotte Central School.

Photo by Cindi Robinson

425-3130.

For emergency assistance (electricity, fuel) call Cindi at 425-3234.

For more information call Karen at 425-3252.

Donations We are a volunteer organization, so all donations you make to the Food Shelf go directly for food and/or assistance to our local neighbors in need. Should you wish to honor someone with a donation, a special acknowledgement will be sent to that person. Checks may be mailed to: Charlotte Food Shelf & Assistance, P. O. Box 83, Charlotte, VT 05445. Thank you.

Donated food drop-off locations All nonperishable food donations may be dropped off at the Charlotte Library, the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (main entrance) or at the Food Shelf during the

distribution mornings. Please check the expiration date on donated items.

We request that all fresh foods be dropped off at the Food Shelf before the Wednesday distribution hours or before 7:30 a.m. on the Thursday distribution mornings.

Baked goods for the “Hunger is Hard” (Baking is Easy) group can be dropped off on the Wednesday distribution dates by noon at the Congregational Church or at Holly Rochefort’s house at 86 Spear Street, where a bin sits on the porch.

The Charlotte Food Shelf is located on the lower level of the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry.

Distribution days/times are posted on bulletin boards in the Charlotte Congregational Church Hall, at the Charlotte Library and at the Charlotte Senior Center. You may also call the Food Shelf number (425-3252) for a recording of the distribution times.

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The Charlotte News • February 6, 2019 • 9

Writer’s Corner

From Velveeta to fire-roasted eggplant

“

Susan Ohanian I took my college junior year in Aixen-Provence, which meant I went quite literally from Velveeta, ever present in the refrigerator door, to Brie—and more.

Eating at the university, I soon learned that horse meat is quite okay, but my real food revelation in France came from two different sources. One was a retired newspaper editor who, wanting foreign students to learn Provençal cooking, held classes. The second was a writer whose manuscripts I typed.

After signing up for the cooking classes, I volunteered to show up early and accompany our teacher on his shopping expeditions. It was wonderful to tag along, listening to his observations about everything from live fish to nuts. Yes, the fish were still wiggling when we took them to class for making the bouillabaisse. My strongest memory of the class itself was when someone poured a bottle of wine instead of olive oil into a sauce and our teacher said, “Ah, no matter. A little wine never hurt anyone.”

The writer was a very nice woman who hired me to type her manuscripts. All I knew about her was that her handwriting was nearly indecipherable and she seemed obsessed with food. From time to time she invited me to accompany her and her two daughters, slightly younger than I, to the opera and other cultural events. Once, the highlight of receiving a new manuscript was that she delivered it at Les Deux Garçons, the brasserie famous for such guests as Cezanne, Zola, Cocteau, Picasso, Piaf.

I have profound regrets that, instead of cursing this writer’s miserable penmanship, I didn’t take notes on our conversations, didn’t take notes on the material I was typing. You will understand my regret of lost details when I mention that the writer’s name was M. F. K. Fisher, the noted New Yorker food maven and author of many wonderful books on the history, preparation and eating of food.

W. H. Auden once remarked of her, “I do not know anyone in the United States who writes better prose.” And there I was, typing that prose but missing the matter for the mess of her penmanship. Coming from a household where Kraft macacroni dinner

I have no idea of how it happened, but as I write this I’m planning to make Moroccan lentil soup, and next week it will be pumpkin cream puffs for 50 people. How this came about is a total mystery to me.

”

was a staple, all I knew then was that this was a very nice woman whose obsession with food I couldn’t fathom.

I lived in the home of a French couple whose family had grown and moved out.

Another American and a Scottish woman also lived there. After a few months residence, we decided to make something typical of our origins for the family. The Scot chose porridge. Family arrived to sample it, but I must say their enthusiasm fell short of hers.

When my roommate and I decided on pumpkin pie, my mother shipped enough ingredients to make several pies. The whole family—including all the children— were excited about the very notion of The

ew

American Pie. When pie day arrived, they dropped by for afternoon coffee—and a sample. When they took their first bites, the reaction was universal: Raised eyebrows, gulps, great attempts to smile, and a verbal response: “Very interesting.”

Somewhat chastened but ever hopeful, the next day we took a pie to the editorcooking teacher. He invited us in to share a piece with him. His reaction was also, “Interesting.” We confessed that we realized the family hadn’t enjoyed it. He explained that cinnamon was a foreign spice and a quite strange taste to the French palate.

With no history of cooking for anybody but my husband, I don’t know how all this translates to becoming a cook at the Senior Center. Very, very occasionally I cook for a few relatives who venture to Vermont.

That’s it.

I was attracted to the Senior Center kitchen because I considered the meal plan a noble endeavor—both for the food and for the sociability. I wanted to be part of it.

So every week I went in and cleaned tables and wrapped silverware, adamant about not going near the stove. Over time, I became more venturesome—when needed, I’d peel carrots and chop onions. I have no idea of how it happened, but as I write this I’m planning to make Moroccan lentil soup, and next week it will be pumpkin cream puffs for 50 people. How this came about is a total mystery to me. All I can say is that

ice

Pr

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I do this with teams of others, and we are guaranteed a fun-filled time.

In The Gastronomical Me, M. F. K. Fisher describes how she hoped to “blast people’s safe, tidy little lives with a tureen of hot borscht and some garlic-toast and salad, instead of the ‘fruit cocktail,’ fish, meat, vegetable, salad, dessert and coffee they tuck daintily away seven times a week.’’

As I think about the fire-roasted eggplant and tomato soup one of my cooking teams will offer next month, I like to think we’re walking on Fisher’s path. Of course, the first time we cooked this soup, the fire department had to come. But that’s another story.

I’ve read that M. F. K. Fisher had a profound influence on Alice Waters and Julia Child. As it happens, I also had a Julia Child encounter, but that, too, is another story.

I hope that some people reading this might consider joining us to help wrap silverware, peel carrots, wash dishes…and venture forth to the joy of cooking with friends.

10 • February 6, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Writer’s Corner Gay Regan Driving by the Charlotte Town Beach I noticed a little ice forming on the edge of Lake Champlain on this calm, cold January day. I wondered if the lake would freeze over this year. My mind wandered back to February 22, 1988, when the headlines of the Burlington Free Press screamed, “ICE FISHERMEN SAVED, 23 snatched by helicopter from drifting ice on lake.” I came home and pulled out from my files a story that I had written that summer based on an interview with Fred Wedge, an ice fisherman on that ice floe and an East Charlotte resident. I think his harrowing story is important to share, both as a warning and as an inspiration.

I titled this story, “Local Hero,” and I certainly saw Fred as a hero in this story.

Then I started thinking about the 23 other people who had come to ice fish off of the north shore of Thompson’s Point. The Point sheltered the fishermen from the 35-knot winds blowing from the south. Though mostly men, there were two women and four children as well. All of these people had to have a spot of heroism to be able to work together, think out their next steps and help each other survive in the face of death.

Fred Wedge, 62, begins his story by telling me that he was fishing with his buddy, Cramer Humphrey, who was celebrating his 45th birthday with his brother Joe. They were in their shanty, a jig stick in each hand, pulling smelt out of the 6-inch deep hole in the ice. The fish were biting so good that they didn’t have time to walk to their truck to get a beer.

Around 11:30 in the morning, Humphrey says, “Your line is in my hole. Just saw the flasher go by,” and Fred responds, “You’re crazy, I put my line in straight down.” Then they all heard a loud snap and got out of their shanty to see the shoreline 100, 200 yards away, and they were moving fast with black water opening up. They heard a woman nearby yell out, “You got your bathing suit with you? You’re going to need it.”

A lot of thoughts went through Fred’s mind. He was a good swimmer, but Cramer and his brother didn’t swim at all. He knew that Garden Island would come up soon with the wind blowing them north and

Local heroes

“

They all heard a loud snap and got out of their shanty to see the shoreline 100, 200 yards away, and they were moving fast with black water opening up. They heard a woman nearby yell out, “You got your bathing suit with you? You’re going to need it.

”

maybe they would get jammed up next to the island and they could get off. They just slid by the island, however, with water in between. Then they were in the main lake with the wind blowing like hell and 5-foot waves. Fred figured that there were 30 or 40 acres of ice and that maybe the ice was attached to the New York shore.

There was no one leader, but they decided together to start walking on the expanse of ice that seemed to stretch to the New York shore. One person had a shanty that collapsed into a sled, and they pulled some of the children on the sled.

Everyone was leaning against the wind, but those people who did not have crampons on were struggling to get good footing.

People helped each other on the slick ice, and Cramer and Fred carried their 5-gallon buckets of smelt and their ice augers as well. Fred estimated that they walked 4 or 5 miles with no one talking much. He reported, “Humphrey, he usually smokes one cigarette after the other, but I didn’t see him light up a one.”

When they finally reached close enough to see the New York side they saw that there were at least 300 feet of open water between them and the land. They gloomily turned around and started walking back on their island of ice toward the Vermont side. Had anyone seen them? The ice was getting chewed up by the wind and the waves. Suddenly, as the group was clutched by fatigue and fear, a plane appeared and circled their ice. Fred recounted, “Some of

Ice Rescue Map Area

Two helicopters, taking a total of six trips, transport the 23 from the ice floe to Essex ferry landing.

Ice floe breaks off and floats north, carrying 23 people.

us waved our arms. Joe, he was a Vietnam War veteran. He got busy organizing everyone to lie out on the ice and make the letters SOS with their bodies. I was damned if I was going to lie out there. The ice was only 6 inches thick. Get all that weight in one place and you’re asking for trouble.

Besides, the plane would have a radio to call for help. The problem was how much time this here piece of ice would stay together. I don’t mind so much for me, but there was them kids to think about.”

Fred and the others were getting close to the Vermont side. He and Humphrey were talking about cleaning out their shanty. “No sense losing good equipment if you don’t have to,” explained Fred. Then another fellow said that he had a good long piece of rope, maybe a hundred feet or so. That got Fred musing. They were coming up fast on Sloop Island. Fred thought to himself, “I’m a good swimmer, swim all the time.

Maybe we could tie a rope to my waist if we passed close enough to Sloop. I could jump, swim the last bit, may be get some of those kids off with a rope.”

When they got up near the shore of tiny Sloop Island, however, there was too much open water, and it was barricaded with big chunks of jagged ice.

They all started walking to the center of their piece of ice. As the ice was breaking up the shanties were just dropping out of sight one, two, three, maybe 100. Fred lost his shanty, just watched it go. There wasn’t much ice left, about an acre, and the sheet of ice was undulating with the waves. Fred told the end of the story saying, “It was Joe who spotted the ‘copter. I couldn’t see a damn thing, but he was a Vietnam Veteran you know. He started waving. We all decided the women and children would go first. Pretty soon we spotted a second ‘copter. We waited, lined up in the middle of that ice. Humphrey and me, we said that we’d go last, hoped to get our fish and equipment aboard. Joe says if he ever gets off this ice, he’s never going to get back on it again. He says Vietnam mortar fire is safer.”

Fred described the helicopter coming down, weaving, blades beating the wind.

The kids clambered right up the runners and were pulled aboard. It was a Vermont Army National Guard helicopter with room for seven. The women got aboard too.

The New York police landed their ‘copter next. They had room for four. In total the National Guard would make three trips, and the N.Y. State police landed twice in spite of the pilots’ fear of getting laid over by the wind or the ice breaking up with the weight of the helicopters.

The rescue crew had drilled a hole to measure the thickness of the ice. It was now only 2 inches thick.

Fred and Humphrey were the last to be picked up at 2:40 p.m. with their two pails of fish, the augers, chisel, sticks and the stove. Fred ended his story saying, “One of the ‘copters radioed in to us that 15 minutes after we were rescued the rest of the ice broke up and was blown to nothing. It was a hell of a wind and we had been floating on that ice for three hours.”

I would like to think that each of us would have a bit of heroism in us if we found ourselves facing possible death.

Thoughts and actions like helping each other, working together, being brave, putting children first, dreaming of heroic action even when opportunity does not present itself—all these attributes came out in the courage that was shown by the rescuers and the survivors. For me this is community at its best.

The Charlotte News • February 6, 2019 • 11

From The Bench be renewed for another six-year term.

Probate judges are elected. Judicial Bureau cases are heard by a hearing officer, who is appointed for a four-year term, or sometimes by assistant judges (we’ll talk about their role another time).

Small claims cases are usually heard by lawyers who are appointed on a temporary basis to hear cases just for a day.

Helen M. Toor “How did you become a judge?”

“What’s the difference between state and federal court?” “How often can I be called for jury duty?” When people learn that I’m a judge, they always have questions about the court system. This column is my attempt to answer some of those questions for the rest of you. If you have other court-related questions that you’d like me to address in future columns, please feel free to send them in. Today’s topic: What the different courts in Vermont do.

What are the different courts in Vermont?

There are a number of different courts in Vermont. First, there are the federal courts.

Those are the United States District Courts (one in Burlington, one in Rutland) and the Bankruptcy Court. Every state has such courts. In states with larger populations, there will be more districts within the state and thus more courts.

The judges of the United States District Courts are appointed by the president, and their appointments are for life. Appeals from those courts go to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which is located in New York City and takes appeals from New York, Connecticut and Vermont. There is currently one Vermonter, Peter Hall, on the 2nd Circuit Court (also a presidential appointment). The bankruptcy judge is appointed by the judges on the 2nd Circuit Court and has a 14-year term.

There is also one federal magistrate judge in Vermont. Magistrates are appointed for eight-year terms by the judges on the District Court. The role of federal magistrates can vary from state to state because they handle cases referred to them by the district judges. They often handle the initial appearances in new criminal cases, including deciding whether someone will be released on bail.

The federal judges in Vermont are as follows: 2nd Circuit: Peter Hall District judges: William Sessions III, Christina Reiss and Geoffrey Crawford.

Bankruptcy judge: Colleen Brown Magistrate judge: John Conroy The state courts in Vermont include the

Vermont Supreme Court (the highest court in Vermont), composed of five justices who sit in Montpelier, and the Vermont Superior Court, which has courts in all 14 counties. Each county’s Superior Court has four divisions: civil, criminal, family and probate. The judges are called Superior Court judges (in the Family Division, there are also magistrates, who primarily handle child support issues). There is also an Environmental Division, with two judges who cover the whole state. There are a lot of state court judges, so I won’t list them all here!

The courts that many of you are more likely to end up in are the Judicial Bureau, which is what we call traffic court in Vermont, and Small Claims Court. The Judicial Bureau also handles tickets issued for things like hunting violations or minors drinking alcohol or using marijuana. Small Claims Court handles disputes involving $5,000 or less and is designed to be faster and simpler than regular civil court.

Usually the Superior Court is what we call a “trial court,” meaning cases start there and get decided by the judge or by a jury. However, it is also sometimes an appeals court. Appeals from the Judicial Bureau, Small Claims Court and Probate Court all go to the Superior Court. In addition, appeals can go to Superior Court from decisions of state agencies or even municipalities (examples of this are appeals from the Labor Department’s decisions about workers compensation awards or appeals from town property tax valuations). Appeals from Superior Court go to the Vermont Supreme Court.

Superior Court judges and Supreme Court justices are appointed by the governor (I thank you, Howard Dean!) and then reviewed by the Legislature every six years to determine whether they will

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Why would a case be in federal court instead of state court?

Most cases in the country are filed in state courts. However, certain cases can be brought only in federal court or can be brought in either state or federal court.

First, let’s talk about criminal cases.

Criminal cases in which someone is charged with violating a federal criminal law—one written by the United States Congress—are brought in federal court.

Criminal cases in which someone is charged with violating a state criminal law—one written by the Vermont Legislature—are brought in state court.

Criminal cases are filed by prosecutors.

The head federal prosecutor is called the United States attorney, and the head state prosecutors (there is one in each county) are called state’s attorneys. (In many other states these are called district attorneys.)

The other lawyers who work for the United States attorney are called assistant United States attorneys (abbreviated to AUSAs), and the ones who work for the state’s attorneys are called deputy state’s attorneys.

Sometimes there can be cases in which both a state and a federal crime could be involved, and the case could be brought in either court (or both). Sometimes a case that would usually be brought in state court ends up in federal court because the defendant crossed state lines while committing the crime. Another example: A robbery case is usually a state crime, but robbing a federally insured bank will land you in federal court.

State criminal cases can also be brought (in state court) by the Attorney General’s Office. That office has the ability to bring criminal cases all over the state.

For example, that office might be asked

by a state’s attorney to take over a large, complicated case that would be challenging for the smaller office to handle. It might also get involved if the local prosecutor felt he or she had a conflict of interest (for example, if the defendant was the state’s attorney’s friend or former colleague).

Now let’s discuss civil cases. Most civil cases are filed in state court, but they can be brought in federal court in certain circumstances. First, any time a federal agency is suing or being sued, a federal court generally has jurisdiction (for example, if you sued a Veterans Administration hospital claiming medical malpractice or the IRS sued you for not paying your taxes).

Second, if someone who is a resident of some other state is suing a Vermont resident, she has the choice of suing in federal court if her claim is for $75,000 or more, even though the issue is based on state law. This is called “diversity jurisdiction,” meaning that the parties are from diverse states.

A third common basis for being in federal court is what is called “federal question” jurisdiction. That basically means that the issue involved in the case is based on a federal law or the federal constitution.

Finally, bankruptcy cases are all heard in federal court. There are other special situations that lead a case to federal court, but these are the most common types of federal cases.

I will try to clarify the difference between civil and criminal cases and the roles of the different Superior Court divisions another time. If you are interested in looking for more information about the Vermont state courts on your own, check out the judiciary’s web page at vermontjudiciary.org.

Helen has been a Vermont Superior Court Judge for almost 20 years. Prior to that she was Chief of the Civil Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Burlington. She started her legal career at a large New York City law firm and then worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan. She has a degree in Environmental Studies from UVM and a law degree from the University of Chicago.

12 • February 6, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Town te! o V o t t e g r o f 't n o D WARNING FOR PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL HEARING FOR AUSTRALIAN BALLOT ARTICLES TO BE VOTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING TOWN OF CHARLOTTE The Selectboard of the Town of Charlotte hereby gives notice that a public informational hearing will be held on Monday, March 4, 2019 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room, 408 Hinesburg Road, Charlotte, Vermont, to hear questions regarding Article 7 and Article 8 of the Warning for the Town of Charlotte Annual Town Meeting, 2019, which state: Article 7: Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($275,000.00) be issued to finance the purchase of a new ambulance and related equipment to replace a 2006 ambulance?

Article 8: Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($700,000.00) be issued to finance the construction of an addition to the Charlotte Library and the tax rate be set sufficient to pay interest thereon during fiscal year July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020?

The public informational hearing is being held as required by 17 V.S.A. §2680(g). Town officials will be present during the public informational hearing to answer questions regarding the articles.

WARNING TOWN OF CHARLOTTE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING 2019 The legal voters of the Town of Charlotte are hereby notified and warned to meet at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room, 408 Hinesburg Road in said Town on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at nine o’clock in the forenoon to act upon any of the following articles not involving voting by Australian Ballot, and to meet at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room in said Town on the same date to vote by Australian Ballot to begin at seven o’clock in the forenoon and to close at seven o’clock in the afternoon.

Article 1:

To hear the reports of the Town officers and to act upon the same.

Article 2:

Will the Town vote to have Property Taxes payable on or before November 15, 2019 and to have payments made to the Town Treasurer under 32 VSA § 4773?

Article 3:

Will the Town approve the Selectboard’s budget of $3,264,779 for the fiscal year July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 of which an anticipated sum of $1,881,785 will be raised by taxes and an anticipated sum of $1,382,994 will be raised by non-tax revenues, which approval shall not become effective until said budget is adopted by Australian ballot vote in accordance with the requirements of the charter of the Town of Charlotte?

Article 4:

Will the Town vote to authorize the Selectboard to borrow money by issuance of bonds or notes not in excess of anticipated revenues for the next fiscal year?

Article 5:

To transact any other business proper to come before said meeting.

Voters are permitted to discuss ballot measures at Town Meeting Pursuant to a comment made at the Jan. 28 Selectboard meeting, the town has confirmed with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns that voters are allowed by statute (17 V.S.A. § 2640(c)(1)) to discuss Australian ballot articles—though not candidates for elective office—on the floor at Town Meeting.

The relevant sections of the statute are as follows: (c)(1) … public discussion of ballot issues

and all other issues appearing in the warning, other than election of candidates, shall be permitted at the annual meeting, regardless of the location of the polling place.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, a candidate for local office nominated from the floor at the annual meeting may introduce his or her candidacy to the extent permitted by the voters at the meeting.

OFFICIAL BALLOT TOWN OF CHARLOTTE MARCH 5, 2019 Instructions to Voters: Mark (X) as indicated

ARTICLE 7: Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Two Hundred SeventyFive Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($275,000) be issued to finance the purchase of a new ambulance and related equipment to replace a 2006 ambulance?

If you are in favor of the above mark an "X" in this box ...............

If you are against the above mark an "X" in this box ...................

OFFICIAL BALLOT TOWN OF CHARLOTTE MARCH 5, 2019 Instructions to Voters: Mark (X) as indicated

ARTICLE 8: Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($700,000) be issued to finance the construction of an addition to the Charlotte Library?

BY AUSTRALIAN BALLOT Article 6:

To elect Town Officers.

Article 7:

Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($275,000.00) be issued to finance the purchase of a new ambulance and related equipment to replace a 2006 ambulance?

Article 8:

Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($700,000.00) be issued to finance the construction of an addition to the Charlotte Library?

Dated this 24th day of January, 2019 at Charlotte, Vermont.

Town of Charlotte Selectboard

If you are in favor of the above mark an "X" in this box ...............

If you are against the above mark an "X" in this box ...................

The Charlotte News • February 6, 2019 • 13

Town OFFICIAL ANNUAL TOWN MEETING BALLOT – MARCH 5, 2019 INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS: To vote for a person whose name is printed on the ballot mark an (X) in the square at the right of that person’s name. To vote for a person whose name is not printed on the ballot, write the person’s name on the blank line in the appropriate block.

For Town Moderator, For 1 Year Vote for not more than ONE

□ □

CHARLIE RUSSELL………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Write-In For Auditor, For 3 Years Vote for not more than ONE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Write-In

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For Cemetery Commissioner, For 3 Years Vote for not more than ONE VICTORIA ZULKOSKI………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Write-In For Cemetery Commissioner, For 2 of 3 Years Vote for not more than ONE ROBERT MACK JR…………………………………………………………………………………………………

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Write-In For Road Commissioner, For 1 Year Vote for not more than ONE HUGH LEWIS JR….………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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For Trustee of Public Funds, For 3 Years Vote for not more than ONE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Write-In

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Write-In For Delinquent Tax Collector, For 1 Year Vote for not more than ONE MARY A. MEAD…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Write-In For Lister, For 3 Years Vote for not more than ONE BRUNO MURPHY…………………................................................................................

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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Write-In For Library Trustee, For 5 Years Vote for not more than ONE JONATHAN SILVERMAN.……………………………………………………………………………………..

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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Write-In For Selectboard, For 2 Years Vote for not more than ONE NANCY RICHARDSON….........................................................................................

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FRANK W. TENNEY……………………………………………………………………………………………....

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Write-In ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Write-In For Selectboard, For 3 Years Vote for not more than ONE

□ □ □ □ □ □

DR. JAMES M. FAULKNER..………….…………………………………………………………………………

LOUISE MCCARREN..………….………………………………………………………………………………….

ED STONE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Write-In ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Write-In ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Write-In

For Town Agent, For 1 Year Vote for not more than ONE BRUNO MURPHY………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Write-In For Town Grand Juror, For 1 Year Vote for not more than ONE ................................................................................................................Write-In

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14 • February 6, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Outdoors

BIG at the stock show

Elizabeth Bassett Everything is big in the West: mountains, vistas, cowboy hats, belt buckles. Everything, of course, except for water, which is scarce. But I digress.

At the National Western Stock Show in Denver, which runs for 16 days each January as it has since 1906, big is on display.

In exhibitions and competitions and for sale are irrigation systems, hay balers, cowboy boots and hats, belt buckles, “concealed carry” purses, Dodge Ram pickups and cow washing stations (keeps the flies at bay and improves hide quality). Enormous cattle and horse barns, organized by breed, echo with moos and whinnies from Red and Black Angus cattle, Texas and Highland longhorns and, of course, horses. So rare that it sells at a special auction, 10 vials of “Sexed Female Semen” from the Red Angus sire Power Take Off are to be auctioned at a nearby hotel!

Nearly 20 breeds of cattle, ultimately used for seed stock, are on exhibit, along with sheep and goats for breeding. Recreational or companion animals include llamas, alpacas, poultry and dogs. In a hay-filled pen, beneath a huge Smithfield Hams banner, a sow nurses a dozen piglets.

“What will happen to the little pigs?” a boy asks. “They will become show pigs, like their mother, and travel to fairs and shows across the country.”

Coming to the Tunbridge World’s Fair soon?

Meanwhile, not far away, barbeque smells so good it’s hard to resist pork ribs or a

Barbecue and meat smoker. ginormous turkey drumstick.

Kids work alongside their parents, raking up bedding and droppings and wielding huge blow driers to groom 2,000-pound cattle. Young exhibitors compete for prizes, national recognition and a chance at college scholarships.

Stock Show events range from bison judging to stock dog trials and from the Aberdeen Market Steer Show to yak seminars. You might Catch-A-Calf or take the grandkids to the children’s petting zoo to cuddle pygmy goats. How about a mule and donkey show or a draft horse exhibition?

Also on the calendar, Martin Luther King African-American Heritage Rodeo, Military Appreciation Night, sheep shearing and the

Texas Longhorn Show.

A farmer from north of Denver sells bison that he raises. You can purchase one-eighth of the animal to take home to the freezer, presumably in the bed of Granddaughter Rosie Pane petting Pygmy goat. your pick-up. While most Below: Cowboy who survived the jump. exhibitors and farmers are Photos by Elizabeth Bassett from the West, Vermonters from Trafalgar Square in North Pomfret journey to the Stock Show, as they have for 36 years, to exhibit and sell their Scottish Highland cattle.

Professional rodeo includes bull riding, calf roping, barrel jumping and mutton busting, among the adrenaline-filled contests between two- and four-legged athletes.

Simultaneous with the Stock Show and across the Continental Divide in Steamboat Springs, Mt. Werner hosts the Cowboy Downhill. Created 45 years ago by Vermont native Billy Kidd, then Steamboat’s director of skiing, and an All-Around World Champion Cowboy, this exuberant ski and boarding event lures about 100 rodeo professionals to the mountains for a day of spills, thrills and laughter. Attired in the requisite chaps and cowboy hats and clicked onto skis and boards, the cowboys and cowgirls thread through several gates, fly off of a jump—many crashing upon landing—and and consultant to the livestock industry on speed to the bottom of the hill where they animal behavior and humane treatment, lasso a ski hostess and saddle a horse before Grandin invented the huge box, a device to crossing the finish line. This year competitors included Miss Rodeo North Dakota and calm those on the autism spectrum. In 2017 she was one of only 10 to be named to the Miss Rodeo Montana. Note: Miss Montana National Women’s Hall of Fame. can really ski!

Therapeutic riding uses movement of the The grand finale is a mass start featuring horse as a tool to improve balance, core a big jump; the crashes alone are worth the strength, sensation and cognition of riders voyage. As one cowboy puts it, “It’s safer who may have cerebral palsy, multiple sclethan riding a bull. When you get bucked off rosis, brain and spinal cord injuries, Down your skis, there’s no bull trying to kill you!” syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and many Prizes are awarded not just for the fastest other challenges. The human pelvis and the but for the best wreck, won this year by a horse pelvis, each with three bones, are anacowgirl in pink chaps and matching hat! tomically similar and have the same motion, Back at the Stock Show, at a display for and both people and horses walk at the same the Temple Grandin Equine Centers, videos speed, about three miles per hour. Therapeuroll of young and old on horseback. The tic outcomes include improved memory and Grandin Centers offer therapeutic riding decreased stress and anxiety. both in Denver and at Colorado State The Western verdict: The smorgasbord of University where Grandin, who has autism, the National Western Stock Show is not only is professor of animal sciences. An internabig, but it’s fun and fascinating! tionally recognized spokesperson for autism

The Charlotte News • February 6, 2019 • 15

Out Takes

From communes to communities

Edd Merritt I’m goin’, I’m goin’ where the water tastes like wine I’m goin’ where the water tastes like wine We can jump in the water, stay drunk all the time I’m gonna leave this city, got to get away

Canned Heat – Going Up the Country I just finished reading Yvonne Daley’s book about a time in our state when, as the subtitle says, “Hippies, Dreamers, Freaks and Radicals Moved to Vermont.”

It took its title from Canned Heat’s song Going Up the Country and was printed by the University Press of New England. Although it begins when I was still a city dweller, it carries on to my move here in 1980.

It is a look at some of the individuals that came up-country and what the natives thought of them in regard to their communal living and their anti-war proclivities: hair down to their waists and pipes that held something other than tobacco.

A good number of them have stayed on, building a healthy interaction with the native Vermonters and creating the “Brave Little State” we are today.

Daley has divided her analysis of the state’s transition into a number of categories—some of them settings, such as higher education (particularly the more radical colleges such as Goddard, Windham, Marlboro, Bennington and Middlebury). She also has a chapter on communal life in such interestingly named places as “Total Loss Farm,” “Frog Run,” “Earth Peoples’ Park and Earthworks Commune,” “Wooden Shoe,” “Entropy Acres” and, yes, the “Mt. Philo Commune” located here in Charlotte in what is now the Mt. Philo Inn. In the early 70s, however, it was inhabited by a kids’ collective named “Red Paint.”

Red seemed to be a color of choice among the communes—far, however,

from the red designation of our current political conservatives. There was a collective calling themselves “Red Clover” located near Putney that wanted to “transform Vermont into a more progressive place” and a radical lesbian collective calling themselves “Redbird” that, as the author says, was formed later in the communal movement “as women across Vermont were flexing their feminist muscles.” Redbird happened to be located for its relatively short existence in Hinesburg. However, out of it grew the Burlington-based and highly active “Women Helping Battered Women,” Now know as “Steps To End Domestic Violence”.

Higher education played a leading role in the communal movement, and Goddard College, with its main campus in Plainfield, seemed to be leader-amongthe-leaders. An alumni list contains a wealth of creativity—musicians, actors, authors, playwrights and filmmakers; even a Chicago-Seven defendant who was awaiting trial, John Froines, had been hired to teach chemistry there.

Phish’s drummer John Fishman titled his senior thesis at Goddard “A Self-Teaching Guide to Drumming Written in Retrospect.” He and guitarist Trey Anastasio transferred there from UVM. Once there, they offered to have their band play on campus, a concert that didn’t happen because Phish was too stoned to perform.

Since it happened to be higher education that brought me to Vermont nearly 40 years ago, I would like to reflect a bit on what I see as its contribution to the culture of our state. Like many migrants, I happened to make my way north from New York City on an exchange of status with a friend from graduate school who came down to the metropolis to finish her dissertation. Switching places between Johnson State College and Columbia University, I found the move to the Green Mountains a valuable one. With two young boys in my family, I was happy to remove them from Manhattan life and into the beauty of northern Vermont. I do not remember, however, being totally aware of the culture of Vermont at that time—the continuation of what had begun in the 1960s and has been evolving ever since.

As luck would have it, Johnson was the state college most reflective of this change. As I learned over my several

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years as its dean of students, the college’s culture fed creativity. Theater, music and art were mainstays but, at the same time, did not devour a more standard curriculum. Local students, who may not have had the larger-community exposure to these disciplines that those from out of state did, through their experience at Johnson found that they could mix the soufflé of ingredients to blend a variety of course work and learning experiences (not to mention a magnificent view of the Sterling Mountains from campus and a short drive to Stowe and Smuggler’s Notch for the ski fans).

Much as many of the state college system’s leaders may have wished for a more traditional institution, Johnson was a living picture for me of the migration into a culture that began 15 years before I arrived. It was now my turn to “go up the country.”

One other major change occurred over time and was attached to religion.

Although generally non-religious and nonCatholic, I was exposed to the church’s influence as an adjunct faculty member at Trinity College. The author says that a significant recipient of one of these changes was women’s reproductive health and that a liberal outlook on the subject came interestingly through the Catholic diocese, responding to what Daley calls the growing and “sobering reality” of hippie mothers finding themselves single after an initial marriage fell apart. In other words, the communal back-to-nature movement was impacting society beyond the communes themselves in ways that the early communicants could not have anticipated.

The author mentions two women in particular who served as mentors to those wanting to promote women’s reproductive rights: Sister Elizabeth Candon, President of Trinity, and Sallie Soule, a feminist from Shelburne. Daley says that Candon was “not a stereotypical nun,” a characteristic that the author says may have been a result of growing

up on a Pittsford dairy farm where she became “especially sympathetic to issues of poverty and the financial and physical burden that unwanted children placed on women and families with meager financial means.” Leaving Trinity to become Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, she felt obliged to support and fund elective abortions.

She was aided in her cause by Richard Bernstein, M.D., of Charlotte (better known here as “Bunky”) who was the lone male staff member at the Vermont Women’s Health Center before opening his practice off Ferry Road. Spoken as though Woodstock Nation influenced him, Bunky said that both medical training and decision-making in the Center would be done collectively, and those decisions would be reached through consensus.

Patients and clinicians, in addition to doctors, should have their input before a decision for the woman was reached.

Well, that collectivity may be our calling card once again, given the nature of our nation. It may be time to pull my “Vermont Most Likely to Secede” T-shirt from the drawer and review my late friend Thomas Naylor’s reasons for getting the U.S. out of Vermont. Ultima/Thule here we come.

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16 • February 6, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Gardening

Preposterous

Meaning: Completely contrary to nature, reason or common sense Vera Maloney Gardening is always an act of faith and hope, but looking at both the thermometer and snow and ice, well, it seems preposterous that we will have the abundance of flowers, fruits and vegetables ever again. We will.

Let’s be grateful for the snow cover that is like a big, snuggly blanket.

Over the years I have heard of and witnessed plants that are absurd. A colleague’s mother grew a lemon tree from a promotional seed that she kept indoors, and it thrived until he took it in and it perished.

If you have an unlikely plant thriving in a location, whether inside or out, it is a great sign…so why not buy a lottery ticket?!

The flip side of this is plants that everyone else can grow but I fail at. High on my list of failures are sweet peas, roses and rhododendrons. Really? Sweet peas? OK, OK, you put them in the ground or container and they grow just fine but flower…oh, we were supposed to flower?

Many folks have great success with roses.

There may be a magic to location, winter cover, choice of music or fertilizer. They are a great triumph in this climate. More hardy ones are available now, so let’s not give up.

Rhodies seem to be everywhere but my garden. Again soil PH and location to the

Left: Thirty-five year old magnolia tree. Above: Siberia.

sun may explain the problem.

That said here are three examples of preposterous! This yellow magnolia is 35 years old, lives amid the cedars and blooms when it should have been composted a long time ago.

In 2016 we traveled along the Kolyma Road in far eastern Russia from Magadan to Yakusk. “Desolate” and “dystopian” are kind descriptions. All dirt roads. In each small town, including Omyican “the coldest inhabited place on earth,” folks had used salvaged material to create greenhouse space to grow cucumbers, tomatoes etc. The gardening spirit is preposterous.

Finally, a visit to Tristan da Cunha (South Atlantic, halfway between Buenos Aires and Cape Town), population 300. A British island. Very windy and cold. The only

Photo by Vera Maloney

access is by ship. They grow strawberries, cukes, rhubarb and tomatoes.

So, order too many seeds. Do not overwater your house plants. Prune your trees. Know spring will come.

Vera Maroney has lived in Charlotte for 45 years and in the same house in West Charlotte for 40 years—plenty of time to make every gardening mistake multiple times.

She cherishes the local nurseries, the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program and the uncertainty of gardening. And she’s an avid reader of The Charlotte News.

The Charlotte News • February 6, 2018 • 17

Sunny Side Up

Does death have a bright side?

Charlotte, like any community, has seen its share of rough losses. In a small town like ours, premature death hits us hard, whether we knew the individual or not. These last Carrie Fenn few months have been no exception.

We’ve lost folks who have served on boards, been active philanthropists, brought light and joy to our lives. Those smiles that we ran into now and then in the post office or at the Brick are now gone from our earth and we mourn with their families.

Death is inevitable. We know this, but for humans, we think of death as being something that should only happen to us when we are very old and very tired. We should die peacefully in our sleep, having accomplished all the things we hoped to achieve in life. Death before old age is a

random and cruel act of nature- cancer, car accidents, mental struggles- we don’t choose any of the ways we may leave this world before “our time.”

The loss of someone we care deeply for changes us. We think of time in two partsbefore the loss and after- we can never be the same, feel the same, again. Even if the loss isn’t intimate, it’s still a person in our community who has been erased from our midst- and we must face our own fears of losing those close to us. If a random act hit that family, what’s to keep it from hitting my own? My child, my husband, my brother, my close friend?

But, more random than how we leave this life is the way we came into it. That cherished smile, that warm hand, that brilliant brain, that compassionate nature, that joi de vivre- these all came about through a random mix of cells that created the person we love. Losing that person is hard, but more powerful than the loss is the realization that we are amazingly

“

The loss of someone we care deeply for changes us. We think of time in two parts- before the loss and after- we can never be the same, feel the same, again.

”

fortunate that this person existed at all. Their passing stays with us, but only because of the wonderful, special and delightfully individual person they are and always will be.

I mourn with my friends and neighbors for the community members we have lost.

But I also celebrate that I had the honor and pleasure to be part of the community in which they lived. My father died 18 years ago, and over the years I have wished he could see his great grandchildren, see the adults my children grew into, meet my second husband. I want to know what he would think, I want to ask his advice. I

want to see his smile. And I do- it’s easy to hear his hands clap when my grandson hits a homerun, or when my son won the pole vault championship. I can feel how proud he is of my family, how much he would have loved hanging out at the Brick. He’s right there with me, and I am filled with how fortunate this world was to have him. After I lost my dad, I told my good friend Alex that I just wanted to talk to him again. His answer was the best advice I have ever been given.

“You can still talk to him whenever you want,” Alex told me. “It’s just might take a while for him to respond.”

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18 • February 6, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Health Matters Planning a trip? Remember, germs fly for free Jim Hyde My wife and I had just settled into our seats for a flight from Burlington. She had the window and I the aisle. The parade of embarking passengers stalled due the usual boarding confusion in the rear of the aircraft. A small child was standing with his mother in the aisle next to my seat. He was coughing loudly. Suddenly, while staring directly at me, he sneezed. His mother instantly reminded him to cover his mouth when he sneezed.

My public health brain immediately roared into action. I recalled the story of the Emirates Airlines plane from Dubai that landed at Kennedy Airport last September only to have 10 passengers admitted to the hospital with flu-like illnesses while an additional 106 reported a range of gastrointestinal and upper respiratory symptoms. Was this to be our fate? Or something worse?

Is there something about air travel that makes it more likely we will get sick than travel by train, bus or boat? Let’s look at some data.

Worldwide roughly 3 billion people fly each year. This translates to more than 8 million people each day. Suppose that on any given day just 1 percent (80,000 people) have a cold, flu, a diarrheal illness

or perhaps a more serious communicable disease. This means that a portion of these 80,000 travelers are passing through airport terminals, are in security lines and, of course, will be locked into an aircraft with us for anywhere from one to 14 hours. If this sounds like a recipe for trouble, you are correct. In fact, it is exactly the scenario Sneezing and droplet exposure. that public health experts around the in the literature. However, what data world fear most exist show the risks of transmission on an as they contemplate the potential for the spread of avian flu, Middle East Respiratory aircraft are quite low. A March 2018 study from Emory University and Georgia Tech Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute reported on behaviors of 1,540 passengers Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). on 10 different transcontinental flights. Only Interestingly—and surprisingly, one passenger was observed coughing. In there is very little published data on addition, 229 air and surface samples (trays, respiratory illness transmission among seat belt buckles, lavatory handles) tested airline passengers. Only about a dozen negative for 18 common respiratory viruses. documented cases of inflight infectious How is it that these data seem so at odds disease transmission have been reported

with so much of what we read and hear anecdotally about flying?

The problem with this and similar studies is that flying involves more than the inflight portion of the experience.

Check-in, passing through security, eating, using the restrooms, frequenting waiting areas prior to boarding are all opportunities for disease exposure.

If one thinks about the complexities of conducting such studies, the dearth of consistent data is not so surprising. For one thing, passengers who become infected on a flight likely don’t develop symptoms until days later. Similarly, people may already be ill, have not developed symptoms, yet are still infectious. It’s only when a large and sudden outbreak occurs either during or immediately after a flight, such as with the Emirates flight last September, that investigators can go to work.

There is also solid research that shows see HEALTH page 23

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The Charlotte News • February 6, 2018 • 19

Sports

It’s the season of fall-stars

Larson top crosscountry runner CVU sophomore Alice Larson was named the top cross-country runner in Vermont for 2018 by Edd Merritt Gatorade last Monday. She follows in the footsteps of two other Redhawks. The award looks at a number of issues in addition to her track prowess: high academic achievement and “exemplary character demonstrated on and off the race course,” according to an article in the Jan. 29 Burlington Free Press.

Her accomplishments include being the Division I state champion, coming in fifth in New England, eighth in the Nike CrossCountry Northeast Regionals and leading CVU to qualify for the Nike Cross-Country national race in Oregon. Coach Scott Bliss said she “clearly took a huge step forward” in 2018 and was the ”best girl in the state all year.”

CSB Cup goes to South Burlington The Wolves kept the CSB Cup with a 5-2 win over CVU in men’s hockey in a game played on Monday, Jan. 28. The Cup commemorates CSB Youth Hockey in which teams are formed from players from throughout southern Chittenden County, most of whom go on to play high school hockey for CVU or South Burlington.

The cup has become the “Little Brown Jug” of this area. It originally was given in recognition of Vince Bell, a South Burlington hockey father of three sons, who had passed away shortly before the cup became a goal to achieve.

The Redhawks overcame their cup loss two days later with a 6-5 overtime win at Middlebury in which Jake Schaefer led the way with a third-period hat trick. Cam Saia hit two goals and Charlie Averill contributed one along with three assists. Ty Dousevicz and Logan Cody stopped 25 shots on net.

The victory brought the Hawks nearly up to an even .500 record with 4 wins, 5 losses and a tie before they ran into BFA St. Albans, losing 4-0.

Their female counterparts fared better, tipping Harwood/Northfield 3-2 in overtime on Saturday.

Women’s hoops keeps its margins wide Essex and Burlington both felt the sharp bills of Redhawks as the undefeated women’s basketball team continued its streak 73-27 over Essex and 79-15 over BHS. The Gilwees, sophomore Catherine and senior captain Meghan, paced the Hawks in both games. Catherine chipped in 6 of her game total 9 points in the first quarter against Essex, and Meghan scored

Alice Larson on the track.

Photo by Paul Hayes, The Caledonian Record

16 points against Burlington. Again, the team’s strength was demonstrated by most of the players adding assists, rebounds and steals to their tallies for an all-around effort.

Harper Mead and McKenna Boyd aided the scoring cause. Both games saw strong first halves from the Hawks, leading Essex by 26 and BHS by 31 at half time.

Photo by Jenniver Olsen

Charlie Averill in search of the CSB sup.

Photo by Al Frey

Bisonette leads Redhawk wrestlers in New Hampshire Jason Bisonette, wrestling at 160 pounds, won his Capital City Classic weight class at Concord, NH, Jan. 26. CVU placed 11th out of wrestlers from 25 schools throughout New England, with Justin’s teammate Jared Forsythe finishing fourth in his class.

Flag football starts Feb. 10 Once again Sundays will see the CVU gym filled with young flag footballers from grades 2 to 7. Teams number between four and seven players and are coached by CVU High School football players who, in turn, are supervised by their coaches. There is no charge and no contact. Every player gets a chance to be quarterback at least once, and under flag rules everyone is eligible to catch passes. All the players should bring sneakers, mouth guards and water bottles.

Register on the internet under Flag Football at CVU. Sympathy on the passing of Enid Wonnacott Enid Wonnacott died at home in Huntington on Jan. 19 at the age of 57. She loved sports of many kinds and had served as coach of the CVU field hockey team.

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20 • February 6, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Ethan Tapper Somewhere encoded into our DNA is an appreciation for forests with evenly spaced, uniformly sized trees and a completely bare understory. If you identify with that idyllic vision, you’re not the only one; most landowners I meet picture healthy forests in that way. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone talk about “cleaning up” their woodlot, which usually means removing fallen and dead-standing trees, as well as any other trees that may seem unruly or out-of-sorts.

Unfortunately, this vision of a “well-

A tree’s second act

managed” forest is not what healthy forests actually look like. “Messy” forests, those with many different species, ages and sizes of trees, interspersed with dead-standing and fallen trees, feature better wildlife habitat, improved forest health and resiliency and improved carbon storage capacity, among other benefits. As people who own, manage and appreciate forests it is important to understand that “messiness” is a condition of vibrancy and health—and one that is closer to conditions found in late-successional or “old-growth” forests—and not a reflection of poor forest management. For this article, I want to emphasize the crucial role that

dead wood (also called “woody debris” or “dead biomass”) plays in healthy forests, from supporting forest health, growth and development to wildlife habitat and carbon storage.

While dead trees may seem to be have served their purpose, the ecological “life” of a tree actually extends far beyond its “death.” The second act of a tree often begins when it transforms into a “snag,” or “dead-standing” tree. Insects and fungi colonize the snag, gradually breaking down the wood, and woodpeckers excavate “cavities” in their search for food. These snags and cavity trees teem with life, providing nesting habitat for birds from chickadees to owls and den sites for animals from flying squirrels to porcupines.

When a tree or snag falls to the ground it becomes an important habitat for more mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians and fungi, in addition to providing a moist, rich place for trees and plants to grow. Some species of trees, like yellow birch, are especially adept at rooting on these “nurse trees.” As wood decomposes over time, it releases nutrients that can be taken up by living trees and plants, holds moisture, stores carbon, mitigates erosion and generally supports the health and fertility of forest soils.

Compared to old-growth forests, forests in Vermont generally lack dead wood.

This isn’t solely the fault of current land management practices; the wholesale clearing of land in Vermont in the 1800s essentially hit the reset button on our forests, undoing thousands of years in which forests were increasing in complexity and diversity and accruing dead wood. The forests that regenerated following field abandonment in the early-mid 1900s are very different from those that may have been found in Vermont 400 years ago, including having much less dead wood.

When we manage forests actively, we make some compromises in the name of harvesting a local, renewable resource, including cutting and removing trees that would eventually become dead wood.

Fortunately, there are ways to minimize the negative impacts of this.

First, leave fallen and dead-standing trees alone. Focusing your attention on cutting

“

It is important to understand that “messiness” is a condition of vibrancy and health—and one that is closer to conditions found in late-successional or “old-growth” forests—and not a reflection of poor forest management.

”

unhealthy standing trees, especially those competing with your best stems, is a better use of your time.

Second, whether you’re cutting firewood for yourself or engaged in commercial forest management, leave as much wood on the ground as you can. This is especially true for the tops of trees, which most loggers don’t utilize anyway. These tops provide all the benefits of dead wood, including excellent wildlife habitat and protection for young trees from deer browse. Embrace the “messiness” and leave the tops as they fall, rather than cutting them up, for maximum benefits.

Finally, leave some “biological legacies”—trees that are allowed to live out their days without ever being cut. These trees will provide wildlife habitat, ecosystem benefits and eventually dead wood.

Managing healthy forests requires expanding our idea of what forests are and the factors that contribute to their health and productivity. While it may seem counterintuitive, dead wood in our forests is critical to their long-term health. So, the next time that you see a fallen tree in the woods, rather than despairing or cutting it up for firewood, take a moment to appreciate it for what it is and let it live out its second act.

Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden county forester. He can be reached at ethan. tapper@vermont.gov, at (802)585-9099 or at his office at 111 West Street, Essex Junction.

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Into The Woods

On Books Katherine Arthaud It’s nine degrees out now, two earlier this morning. A fire is roaring in the fireplace here, the sun is going down (though it seems as though it was just lunchtime), and the pug is snoring on the couch. A tea is at my elbow and the house is making creaking noises. It’s reading season. I have just ventured upstairs and gathered up a few of the books I have read since last time we spoke. I am now back at my seat by the fire (which I do not intend to leave anytime soon), ready to go.

And why leave one’s comfortable, snow/ice/wind-free spot by the fire when one can travel to the golden lands of the ancient gods without so much as moving a single toe? Circe by Madeline Miller is a page-turner, a magic potion, a dream, an enchantment. I wasn’t sure at first. I had read about the book somewhere—I don’t remember where, and, when I first began it, was not happy that it wasn’t about real people but rather naiads, nymphs and river gods, mythic palaces, enchanted islands.

What the heck? I wasn’t sure that it would sustain my interest.

But about four pages in, I was caught like a dolphin in a goddess’s silver net and swiftly drawn into a shimmering world of nymphs, monsters, messengers, rocky palaces, moonlit mountains and deserted beaches. Circe is narrated by Circe herself, product of the naiad Perse and Helios, a Titan, who fell for Perse while visiting her father Oceanos’s palace. Explains Circe, “(My mother’s) hair was a warm brown, each strand so lustrous it seemed lit from within. She would have felt my father’s gaze, hot as gusts from a bonfire. I see her arrange her dress so it drapes just so over her shoulders. I see her dab her fingers, glinting, in the water. I have seen her do a thousand such tricks a thousand times. My father always fell for them. He believed the world’s natural order was to please him.

“Who is that?” my father said to Oceanos.

Oceanos had many golden-eyed grandchildren from my father already, and was glad to think of more. “My daughter Perse. She is yours if you want her.”

Circe was a disappointment from day one. Her hair was striped like a lynx, her chin was too sharp and her eyes amber and strange. To make a very long story short

The Charlotte News • February 6, 2018 • 21

It’s reading season (and to avoid ruining the story for those of you who might read it), Circe is banished to a deserted island where she lives, sleeps and dreams, studying and practicing witchcraft and herbology, and where she manages to cross paths with various gods and mortals, including Hermes, Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus. Again, I don’t want to tell you too much but instead urge you to read this beautifully written, fascinating, bewitching novel for yourself.

The narrative voice is surprising, intriguing…and I found myself strengthened and inspired by Circe’s observations and responses, her life and adventures—her devastating exile, her connection to the natural world, her passionate attachments and her many losses.

As I said, it took me a moment to succumb to this magical, mythical world, but it took me a lot longer to extricate myself from it.

It left an impression on me; Circe left an impression on me—her house, her herbs, her lions, her island, her courage, her solitude, her contentment and her longing.

A wonderful book. Highly recommend.

“Synchronicity” is a word derived from the German synchronizitat and is a concept originally introduced by Carl Jung, which holds that events are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no causal relationship but seem to be meaningfully related. I bring this up because it seems oddly synchronistic that I picked up Circe just after reading Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls, which takes place in ancient Troy. Many of the same characters appear in both books: Achilles, Agamemnon, Patroclus and some of the same gods. I really liked this book, too. Quite different from Circe, it deals mainly with mortals (who really aren’t all that much different from nymphs, naiads and gods, actually; “we all get happy, get sad, fall in love, mourn, seek revenge…”).

This novel is also narrated by a female, in this case, a young woman named Briseis, a prisoner of war and Achilles’ concubine.

Briseis is a prize of battle, one of many conquered women who serve the Greek army, which is at war with Troy—and it is fascinating to experience this strange world through her eyes. This is a book filled with bloody battles, ruthless warriors, heroes, kings, captive women and complicated relationships. It explores the thin line between myth and history, gods and

mortals, love and hate. From a woman’s point of view. I loved it. Didn’t want it to end.

Moving from gods and goddesses to wizards and witches…I know there are many, many Harry Potter fans out there, some young, some less so. I am one among this vast coven of fans and read the series with anticipation and delight when it first came out and also listened to it years later (the excellent Jim Dale version). I suspect I will read or listen to it again at least once more before my reading days are done, but in the meanwhile there are these very interesting and very good books by Robert Galbraith, who is really (in case you didn’t know) J.K. Rowling in disguise.

But don’t go reading these later books expecting a return to butter beer, sorting hats and magic wands. (If so, you will be sorely disappointed.) But do try these Galbraith books for good prose, interesting plots and intriguing characters. Lethal White is the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series by Galbraith. It is a little bit dark; a mystery…beautifully written, entertaining and unsettling. There are no wizards, but there is a crime, or two, or three, to unravel…and a romantic tension braided through the drama, a little bit like that of Jim and Pam in the TV series “The Office,” now that I think of it; you will see what I mean when you read it. Very different stuff from Harry Potter, but excellent in a different way.

And in an altogether different vein, there is Jane Green. Have you read her? She is delightful. Her books are light, fun, easy reading. I read a few of her novels a few years back and figured I had exhausted all of her work. But one day, while idly perusing the fiction shelves of a bookstore somewhere, I came upon a whole stash by Jane Green I had never known existed. I felt as though I had come upon buried treasure!

PLANTS RO CKS W AT E R

(You mean there’s more?) Come to find out Green has written about a dozen novels— not just two or three, as I had assumed.

I promptly picked up Dune Road and Promises to Keep. I read them a bit the way my chocolate lab eats his dinner, one right after the other. I hesitate to call them beach reads, because God knows there aren’t any beaches to read on these days, unless you have truly extraordinary outdoor gear or plane tickets to Jamaica. But they are light, like a good beach read is light—a little like Elin Hildebrand (who I love, who writes books set on Nantucket) but in some ways more wholesome.

Green’s novels have a lot of heart.

It’s really quite striking. Not that all her characters are sweet and affectionate and well-behaved, but there is a lot of love in her novels, and it comes through, kind of the way the heat from this beautiful fire in my living room is coming through, warming and comforting me, making me want to draw close and not go away. Dune Road is a romance and a mystery, very good reading. And Promises to Keep is a story about starting over, family, death, friendship and enduring love.

I love that there are a few more unread Jane Green’s out there in the world to brighten my reading days. If you are in the mood and haven’t tried her, or have tried her and haven’t exhausted the treasure trove of her work, you are in for a treat. Probably perfect for Valentine’s Day, now that I think about it.

Speaking of which, it is February, and so Happy Valentine’s Day (I guess that is the next major holiday coming up). And always, every day, happy reading, whether you are on a beach, or sitting by the fire, or biking fast in your pajamas on a recumbent bike in your basement. Stay warm, stay cozy, enjoy the snow. Till next time!

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22 • February 6, 2018 • The Charlotte News On 2/13: Cuba After Fidel (rescheduled from 1/09). Vince Crockenberg will give his second installment about Cuba. If you went to his first one last year (with wife, Susan, and also Jim and Susan Hyde), be assured that this one is different. Who knows, he might have installments 3 and 4—and then the Center can offer a Certificate in Cuba Studies. (Only kidding.) No registration, free.

Carolyn Kulik

SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” ~ Carl Reiner Have you noticed that your attitude toward snow changes as the season wears on?

At the outset, it’s that wonderful, magical, winter wonderland stuff—and in March, it’s a guest who has stayed too late after the party. Still, there are elements of the world of water that I never tire of—like icicles. (I will resist the temptation to capitalize the word.)

Whenever I see them hanging off roofs, they just make me smile for some reason.

I am also very fond of those feathery frost patterns on windows, and the hoarfrost you see on the trees as you get off the chairlift at the top of the mountain. But my absolutely favorite thing is ammil – a new word to me.

It’s Gaelic for the layer of ice which dusts leaves, twigs and grass after a freeze, that in sunlight causes a whole landscape to glitter.

Have you ever tried to photograph that truly wonderous spectacle (in the days of film cameras) only to discover that nothing of the magic you saw with your own eyes shows up in the print? A shattering experience! ~~~ Blood Drive Tomorrow, 2/7, from 2–7pm, is another chance to help save a life by donating blood at the Senior Center. We are always happy to host the American Red Cross blood drives, and our friendly volunteers, comfortable space and great snacks make giving blood here a pleasure.

Last class This Friday, 2/8 at 12:30, is the last class on Musical Immigrations with Dr. Benjamin Klemme, director of the Vermont Youth Orchestra. This week he will speak on Stravinsky, and his last two classes on Dvorak and Mahler had music and videos woven into his talk. (Please note that this class is the last of the series; there is no class on 2/15 because there is an error on the calendar.) Registration is not required, and there is no fee for this course. On 1/30, Dr. Klemme’s presentation on “Becoming a Conductor” was as informative as it was enjoyable, and it was just a peek into the complexity of what the training entails.

Thursday, 2/14, is the second Thursday, and that means the Gents Breakfast meets from

7:30 to 9 a.m. in the Café. French Toast is on the menu, with fruit and juice. The topic of the morning will be announced. Call for information and to make your reservations.

New course

Coming in mid-February is a new course titled Creating in 3-D with Linda Finkelstein. It will meet on four Thursday mornings from 9:30-11, starting 2/14. (The 3-D is not the visual experience you have with those funny glasses in the movies!) The course will focus on creating small sculptural artworks using wooden pieces and found objects. Check out the work of Louise Nevelson online to get some idea. Students in Linda’s classes always have a fun time— so give it some thought. If you ‘can’t draw a straight line’—or would like to be creative in another way—this is the course for you.

Cost for the series of four is $60.

Shape-Note Singing will be held on 2/17, from 1-3pm. This traditional a cappella, four-part harmony is also known as Sacred Harp. Nope, it does not require a good voice. Songbooks are provided. Stop by to listen or sing—and leave whenever you wish. No fee. [Curious? For a listen, go to YouTube and enter: “I’m Going Home” (Royce Hall concert).] Honestly, it is much more fun to sing than to listen to. I actually gave away my first CD of Sacred Harp years ago, because I just did not like it at all! Took the experience of actually singing for it a few weeks to change my mind. And then, I got hooked. (This is not unusual.)

On 2/20: Caring for Your Heirlooms.

Richard Kerschner, former conservator at the Shelburne Museum for 32 years, will discuss and advise on how to care for your heirlooms, how to decide if they should be conserved, and how to go about finding and communicating with a qualified conservator. Bring in your heirlooms, and ask the questions you’ve had in mind for years. No registration, free.

Art news

The February Art Exhibit showcases watercolors and photography by Judy Brook who says, “The natural world inspires me—be it plant stamens, animals’ eyes, water droplets, rust, bird feathers or patterns found in nature. Her photos of ‘rustscapes’ on farm equipment are magical—and even dreamlike. (They are another reminder that paying attention and noticing what is around you can be as breathtaking as ammil.) Judy is planning to have a reception, so stay tuned and also check our website: CharlotteSeniorCenterVT.org.

See you soon!

Best times to see Art Exhibits in February: Since the Center is utilized for many classes and events, the best times are: Tues. & Wed. after 2:30, Thurs. & Fri. after 12:30. Please call the Center during the week to check on Sunday availability. You might also briefly squeeze in at noon on Mon. and Wed.

SENIOR CENTER MENUS Suggested donation for all meals: $5

Monday Munch

11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

No reservations required.

February 11

Vegetable beef noodle soup Green salad Olive oil cake with Whipped cream & berries

February 18

Moroccan lentil soup Greens w/ beets & oranges Pumpkin cream puffs

Wednesday Lunch All diners eat at noon.

Reservations required.

February 6

Shepherd’s pie Homemade birthday cake & ice cream

February 13

Beef Burgundy Valentine’s dessert

February 20

Pesto chicken tortellini bake Homemade dessert

Thursday Gents Breakfast

7:30–9 a.m.

Reservations required.

February 14 French toast, fruit & juice Topic: TBA (Keep up to date on Menus with Front Porch Forum, as they sometimes change.)

__________________________ Charlotte Center (802)425-6345 CharlotteSeniorCenterVT.org

“Love keeps the cold out better than a cloak. “ ~ Henry Wadsworth

The January Book Discussion Group completed its series of four weekly meetings, but they found it to be so meaningful that they intend to continue meeting once a month. Because of the high level of interest, there will be two more new groups reading the same book this spring: Walking Each Other Home by Ram Das and Mirabai Bush.

The signups for those two new sessions will begin March 1— not after 2/20 as previously noted.

Wednesday afternoon events at 1 p.m.

Today, 2/6: Iceland and Ice Land. Hank Kaester (our resident bird expert) will take us to two different locations near and beyond the Arctic Circle—Iceland and Alaska (Ice Land). Come with him to see fascinating cultural, geographical and ornithological highlights of these two northern locales. No registration, free.

Monday,December 17th Chef Roland and Lisa Gaujac provided the Senior Center with a delicious holiday lunch.

Photo by Peggy Sharpe

The Charlotte News • February 6, 2018 • 23

Classifieds Courage

Hannah Stein I could see it in my head.

Running running then cartwheel, flip, stick the landing and finish.

I opened my eyes.

“Come on. You can do this,” I whisper to myself.

I start to run then I do a cartwheel.

Perfect.

I smile.

I prepare for the flip.

I jump up and tuck my head in then turn forward quickly preparing for the perfect landing.

I close my eyes.

“Almost there,” I whisper.

I land on the ground.

I feel pain in my leg.

I open my eyes.

Seeing myself on the ground instead of on the podium shatters my dream into a million pieces.

“I’ll never get there,” I cry.

A medic comes over.

As the medic leads me over to a chair I look on.

I see my friend.

She sticks her landing finishes.

I try to smile.

6 months later as I sit in the car, a sense of nervousness rushes over me.

It will be my first time back in the gym on the beam, bar, and floor, with my team doing my routine with my healed leg.

HEALTH continued from page 18 that the total air travel experience offers an efficient transmission pathway for various respiratory and nonrespiratory diseases. For example, three recent surveys conducted for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, National Broadcasting Company and Insurance Quotes used certified microbiologists to obtain samples from TSA bins, arm rests, tray tables, restroom buttons and latches, and seat pockets from U.S. and Canadian aircraft. Staph, E. coli, pseudomonas and other disease-causing pathogens (“bugs”) were identified, some at extremely high concentrations. (See side bar box for links to reports.)

Since refusing to fly hardly seems like a viable option, what can we do to avoid encountering these pathogens while flying?

The principal pathways for disease transmission for the air traveler include indirect transmission—such as touching a contaminated surface such as a seat belt buckle or tray table and then touching your hands, mouth or eyes—and droplet or air transmission, such as when

I step out of my shoes onto the floor, the same one I had fallen on before.

I can see it in my head running running, then cartwheel, flip, stick the landing and finish.

“Come on, courage. You can do this,” I whisper.

I open my eyes ready to make my dream come true.

Bueno Notte Henry Bushey

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Max loved Italian food. He absolutely LOVED it. To the point where he had to go around town, tasting every single restaurant that served his favorite cuisine. That was where he was headed now, to the new Italian place down the street, Bueno Notte. He hummed merrily as he strode through the front door.

A heavily bundled waiter wearing glasses greeted him at the desk. “If you’ll follow me, signore,” said the waiter in a heavy Italian accent.

The waiter sat him at a small table in the corner, and Max waited for his food. That was when he first realized that something was wrong; he was all alone in the restaurant. Max hailed a waiter and asked where everyone was.

“We are very new here, signore,” said the waiter. “It is not unusual to not have very many customers, yes?”

Max, satisfied with the answer, relaxed.

Then the waiter came by again, stopping to ask, “Signore, if you want, we can show you a secluded space to dine.”

Max got up and obediently followed

the waiter into a massive iron room filled with spaghetti. The waiter slammed the thick iron door behind him. He heard the heavy sound of a deadbolt slamming.

Then, as Max turned to hammer on the door, he heard a sound behind him. A pile of spaghetti was slowly rising from where it lay in its bowl, slowly sighing as it came. It slowly came scooting across

someone sneezes nearby or we inhale tiny microscopic particles circulating in the air.

There is some good news for those wishing to avoid air or droplet transmission of infectious disease. The first is that research shows that, unless one is within 3 or 4 feet (one or two rows on a plane) of someone who is ill, the likelihood of droplet transmission is low. Second, and contrary to general belief, filtration and decontamination of air recirculated on modern aircraft is highly effective at removing most harmful (infectious) particles. The take-away is to avoid, if possible, sitting within a row or two of someone who is obviously sick. You can also decrease your chances of encountering such an individual if you limit your time moving about the cabin—granted easier said than done on a long flight. While you may not always be able to change seats on a flight, you clearly have options when choosing seating in a waiting area or restaurant. (See CDC website: cdc. gov/travel/page/infographic-CDC-guidehealthy-travel.)

Far and away the most important strategy for staying healthy is to avoid exposure to pathogens that may be lurking the surfaces

of seatbelt buckles, latches, touch screens and bins. If after such contact handwashing is not possible, the usual case, then carry and use hand wipes. Use them frequently.

Second, avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes with your hands, especially if they have not been sanitized. You can use liquid hand sanitizer as long as it has at least 60 percent alcohol content; hand wipes, however, are more convenient and practical.

Ideally, people who are sick will decide not to travel out of concern for others. But many travel unaware that they are about to come down with an illness and are capable of transmitting that illness to others. This is why the savvy traveler should use universal precautions at all times. Even so, there is always the child (or adult) standing two feet from you in the airplane who decides to sneeze or cough in your presence. When it happens, you’re pretty much out of luck.

I was reminded of this several days after my flight when I came down with the worst cold I’ve had in years. Sometimes it’s just about luck!

Jim Hyde is professor emeritus of public health at the Tufts University School of Medicine. He lives in Charlotte.

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to where Max lay, huddled in fright, in the corner. It slowly wrapped around his ankle, slowly climbing up his leg and onto the rest of his body, taking control of him.

Spaghetti-Max slowly climbed up off of the floor, its only desire to join its brothers in taking over Earth.

Three reports on air travel and germ exposure What’s the dirtiest surface on an airplane? The results may surprise you. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ flights-filthy-surfaces-airplanemarketplace-1.4873586 Harmful germs lurking on planes and in airports. https://www.today.com/health/ harmful-germs-lurking-planesairports-how-avoid-gettingsick-t138513 Germs at the airport. https://www.insurancequotes.com/ health/germs-at-the-airport

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