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April 27th
By JOHN FLOWERS
MONTPELIER — The Vermont House on Tuesday voted 77-63 in favor of a bill that would allow organic farmers to seek damages from the manufacturers of genetically modified seeds, if those products taint their crops through pollen drift or some other accidental event.
The controversial measure is far from a done deal, however. It now requires Senate approval, after which it would require the signature of Vermont Gov. James Douglas, a Middlebury Republican.
Douglas administration spokesman Jason Gibbs minced no words on Wednesday when asked whether the governor would support the House-passed measure.
By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDLEBURY — Work crews soon will launch the first of what will be two of the busiest municipal construction seasons in Middlebury’s history, with reconstruction of Seminary Street; replacement of water/sewer infrastructure along College Street; and installation of better signalization on Court Street highlighting this year’s projects.
“The next few years will be kind of painful, but once we’re done, we should be set for a couple of years,� Middlebury Director of Operations Dan Werner said.
Work is scheduled to get under way later this month, when Tom Vanacore & Co. of Bridport begins the last phase of masonry work on the Battell Bridge in downtown Middlebury. The company has already completed filling cracks between the large stone blocks that make up the bridge’s three massive arches. Crews this spring will perform the same kind of work on the bridge railings on both sides of Main Street.
April 24th
By HARRIETTE BRAINARD
NEW HAVEN — No one who has spent any time with Andy Lott would disagree that he is good natured, likeable, caring and constantly on the move. A local veterinarian who works only with horses, Lott has been practicing in Vermont since 1998. His practice now covers an enormous area spanning much of central Vermont — from Chittenden County and the Stowe area to Manchester — and into New Hampshire. Consequently, Lott often is on the go seven days a week, day and night, partly because he finds it impossible to refuse care to any of his clientele’s stock.
For years, Lott, 36, has had his practice based in Warren, but he will soon be opening the first horse clinic of its kind in Addison County, and only the second such clinic in Vermont. Called the Valley Equine Clinic, it will be located on South Street in New Haven. The only other similar clinic in the state is in Milton.
By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDLEBURY — The Gailer School will celebrate a special homecoming this year — in a literal sense. After an eight-year hiatus in Shelburne, the small private school this fall will return to an as-yet-undetermined location in Middlebury, where Gailer got its start some 17 years ago.
“We anticipate something (initially) of a temporary nature in the town we want to make our permanent home,� said Christine Plunkett, director of finance and operations for the Gailer School.
Plunkett declined to discuss the temporary sites the school is currently evaluating in Middlebury.
April 17th
The New York Times ran a touching and insightful editorial Friday about Theresa Marie Schiavo. The piece began by stepping back from what has been an intensely personal debate.
By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDLEBURY — Around a dozen people turned out at the ID-4 school district annual meeting on April 12 to endorse a 2006-2007 Mary Hogan Elementary School budget of $5,337,045.
The small group also OK’d a proposal to spend $152,053 to replace the roof on the E wing of the school. Voters agreed to a series of account transfers to pay for the project with funds the district already has on hand.
“I’m very pleased,� ID-4 board Chairwoman Dawn Saunders said of the vote results. “I’m gratified that people are willing again to support the school.�
Saunders added she was disappointed with the small turnout, which she called the lightest in her eight years on the ID-4 board. She acknowledged that the meeting fell on the first night of Passover, a religious holiday that may have kept some voters at home or at their places of worship.
By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDELBURY — One experienced attorney is replacing another at the helm of the Addison County Public Defender’s office.
Officially taking the reins this month is longtime Chittenden County Public Defender Jerry Schwarz. He replaces Addison County Public Defender Lorin Duckman, whom Vermont Defender General Matt Valerio has promoted to a position through which he will deal with serious felony cases throughout the state.
Schwarz, 53, graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Law in 1976. He immediately took a job as an assistant public defender in West Palm Beach, Fla., specializing in death penalty law.
By HARRIETTE BRAINARD
MIDDLEBURY — Richard Romagnoli, a theater professor at Middlebury College, has dreamed of doing a production of the Peter Barnes play “The Bewitched� since he saw the original Royal Shakespeare Company production in London in 1974.
The satire, set in 16th century Spain, features 50 roles and Romagnoli felt he never had the right mix of actors and technical expertise.
“I had to settle for teaching a class in Contemporary British Theater, until last year, when it became clear that I would have the actors and the means to finally put on this production,� explained Romagnoli.
