Mountain Times - Volume 49, Number 40 - Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2020

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Phoenix Books Rutland's Celebrate Anniversary on Zoom! 5th for those that want to mix Vermont at home! along Celebrating 5 years in Rutland! 4 • LOCAL NEWS The Mountain Times • Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, 2020 Courtesy of Mission City Church Jake and Alexa Stamey and their two daughters stand outside the center. The seed for the idea begin when a small group of parents at Mission City Church found themselves comparing notes and expressing frustration about the long waiting lists for all quality child care centers in the area. This conversation evolved into church leadership having serious conversations about the need and talking with area providers and ultimately with the Let’s Grow Kids organization about the needs and steps involved in developing a 5-star center. “The stars just seemed to align,” stated Jake Stamey, an 11-year veteran public school teacher who had just moved into a full time staff position as the Churches Next Generation Director. “Leadership came to me with a vision for the opportunity and the Let’s Grow Kids organization helped me define what a quality center would look like” stated Stamey. Courtesy of Mission City Church Inside the new childcare facility. On Thursday, Sept. 17, Sycamore Tree Child Care Center (STCCC) became a licensed center by the Courtesy of Mission City Church Children playing in STCCC’s playground. New childcare center opens in Rutland Platform - Agricultural Economy - Bipartisan - Assist Small Business - Education Vision • Passion • Action state of Vermont Child Development Division to serve ages birth through preschool as a 5-days-per-week licensed child care center at Mission City Church, 3092 Cold River Road in Rutland. The center is slated to open Oct. 5, 2020 and is now accepting enrollments. Go to stchildcare.com and click “Enroll” to inquire for more information and to schedule a visit. Sycamore Tree Child Care Center’s mission is to partner with families, to provide a high quality childcare program that demonstrates love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, (as written in Galatians 5:22-23) to our kids, families, employees, and community partners. STCCC seeks to be a resource to families and will provide quality early learning and childcare for all children meeting the age criteria. Celebrate Phoenix Books Rutland's 5th Anniversary on Zoom! Got news? Celebrating 5 years in Rutland! Please share with us! This www.phoenixbooks.biz newspaper aims to be a downtown Street Rutland Center | | 802.855.8078 2 reflection of our community, but we need your help! www.phoenixbooks.biz Photos, news tips, events email editor@mountaintimes.info Three-way Windsor-Rutland House debate held By Curt Peterson Three candidates are vying for the Windsor-Rutland District Vermont House seat being vacated after 15 years by Sandy Haas (Progressive). The White River Valley Herald and the Rochester Public Library hosted a virtual debate on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Democrat/Progressive candidate Kirk White (Bethel), Independent candidate Sheila Braun (Rochester) and Republican candidate Wayne Townsend (Bethel) participated. Dylan Kelley, a Herald editor, was moderator. White, 58, an acupuncturist, holds a master’s degree in mental health and addictions counseling and an honorary Doctor of Divinity. Well-known among Paganists, White operates a holistic health retreat. He co-founded Bethel Revitalization and Bethel University, two community projects. Braun, also 58, has lived in Rochester for 25 years. Owner of Anovision, a statistical analysis and consulting firm focused on health and education, she feels state decisions are made for the wrong reasons. “I decided to stop complaining and do my duty,” she said. Townsend, 47, a Bethel native, was a forester and now runs his family’s dairy farm. “It’s time for leadership and political balance in Montpelier,” he said. Dylan Kelley asked the candidate’s opinions on various topics. Two involved Covid-19: Should Vermont schools have been reopened this fall, and how well has the president managed the national pandemic response? Townsend, Braun and White agreed the schools should not have been reopened. Townsend said it was too soon, too risky for the children. White feels the children are being used as “test cases.” Braun, whose sister is a schoolteacher – worries about the risk for staff. “The people making this decision to open aren’t going in to their work, why should teachers go to the schools?” she asked. Trump’s pandemic response got bad marks from Braun: “Badly failed the country,” and White: “Bungled and misrepresented it.” Townsend noted the president had delegated the response to governors, and that Vermont Governor Phil Scott “has been doing a great job.” On Gov. Scott’s controversial gun control legislation: White thinks hunting firearms are acceptable, but it’s important to keep guns “out of the wrong hands.” Braun said, “Firearms designed Celebrate Phoenix Books Rutland's to kill people shouldn’t be in anyone’s hands.” on Zoom! Anniversary 5th on Zoom! Celebrate Phoenix Books Rutland's 5th Anniversary She understands why Scott’s rapid response to the “non-event” at Fair Haven Friday, High School upset some Vermonters. us a for et Anniversary Zoom! 2 7 5th October pm at on at Friday, 2 October Distillery. pm 7 et virtual cocktail party & book Join & Join for virtual party us a book cocktail Townsend feels Scott’s bill is Maggiolo and discussion unconstitutional. featuring his Distillery. Maggiolo and his discussion featuring Chris book, Distilled in Vermont. Chris will be Register on book, in new will new be Chris “Officials take an oath to hold up the Constitution, not SILO Erin our SILO website joined to Erin get Bell, joined Bell, Head Head Distiller by at Distiller by at Register on to step on it every chance Distillery. Zoom link! they get,” he said. Distillery. website our to get the White and Braun favor the Legislature’s climate change Register on the Zoom link! Distillery. website ingredients to for get We our will bill, passed be over Scott’s sharing the veto. Register the link! Zoom on from two Distilled recipes in drink our website to get sharing the ingredients for Townsend feels Vermont already has a very low carbon We will be mix will be sharing the Register on ingredients for Vermont for those that want to We from Distilled in two drink recipes in footprint, the Zoom and the bill two will link! drink increase recipes the from tax along at home! Distilled burden. those that our want website to to mix get Vermont for at home! “Vermont doesn’t always have the Zoom along to lead the way,” he said. link! be will We for ingredients the sharing Rutland! in years 5 Celebrating Townsend doesn’t see a Vermont race in Distilled from recipes drink two problem, that in 802.855.8078 | Rutland downtown | Street years Center 2 5 Celebrating Rutland! trouble comes mix to want that those for Vermont from out-of-state he believes. for ingredients the sharing be will We Although along www.phoenixbooks.bizhome! in Distilled from recipes drink two at www.phoenixbooks.biz police departments should use better hiring practices, he those for Vermont mix to want that believes we should stand up for law enforcement. home! at along Rutland! in years 5 Celebrating Braun and White offered their solutions – Braun said Friday, October 2 at 7 pm et October 2 at 7 pm et Friday, us for a virtual cocktail party & book Join Celebrate Phoenix Books Rutland's discussion featuring Chris Maggiolo and his & book party cocktail virtual a for us Join new book, Distilled in Vermont. Chris will be his and Maggiolo Chris featuring discussion book, in Chris be by Bell, Head Distiller at Erin SILO joined pm et 7 at 2 October Friday, will Vermont. Distilled new joined by Erin Bell, Head Distiller at SILO Join us for a virtual cocktail party & book discussion featuring Chris Maggiolo and his new book, Distilled in Vermont. Chris will be joined by Erin Bell, Head Distiller at SILO 2 Center Street | downtown Rutland | 802.855.8078 2 Center Street | downtown Rutland | 802.855.8078 www.phoenixbooks.biz 2 Center Street | downtown Rutland | 802.855.8078 people should try to “understand what it’s like to be ‘them’,” and she approves of the racial equity task force. Kelley asked the candidates for their opinions on the $12.55/hour minimum wage goal. Debate > 5
The Mountain Times • Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, 2020 LOCAL NEWS • 5 The 2020 legislative session came to a close on Friday evening, Sept. 25. It was a session like no other, with issues like emergency Covid related measures and funding, online meetings via Zoom since March and a two month break in the summer thrown in to get a better handle on state revenue forecasts. The extended session length no doubt tested some members of Vermont’s part-time citizen legislature, especially those with other job or family commitments. In his closing remarks to legislators Friday, Governor Scott By Rep. Jim Harrison At long last… ‘Fini!’ thanked members of the General Assembly for their collective efforts at sharing pertinent information with their districts, especially the early days of the pandemic and the changing rules under the state of emergency. Scott also pointed to: • Passing a balanced budget without raising new taxes. • Modernizing our professional licensing system to make it easier for most licensed occupations to relocate here. • Expanding the work of mental health and social workers within our state police • Allocating nearly $1.25 billion of federal stimulus funds including: Close to $230 million in economic recovery grants, $30 million in grants to support farmers, over $100 million in federal funds to support education, $300 million to stabilize our healthcare system. Little mention was made of differences with the Legislature, such as the override of his veto of the climate bill and potential objections on the police use of force measure coming his way or the Act 250 legislation. A hint of disagreements was made with this statement, “And only in a small number of cases, from my perspective, did we see election year partisanship make an appearance. But, all things considered, I think we can chalk that up to bad habits being hard to break and the unnecessary influence of national politics,” Scott said. The climate legislation, which gives broad powers to a new, un-elected panel to direct the Agency of Natural Resources to implement measures to reduce greenhouse gases, was sent to the governor in time to get the bill back for an override vote. The police use of force and Act 250 bills will have different outcomes if the governor chooses to veto those as the Legislature has adjourned and override votes are not possible. The extended session length no doubt tested some members of Vermont’s parttime citizen legislature. The use of force bill by law enforcement was called the most restrictive law in the country by the Vermont Dept. of States Attorneys & Sheriffs. It is also opposed by most law enforcement agencies, as well as the governor’s own public safety commissioner, Michael Schirling. The Act 250 legislation was scaled back quite a bit by the Senate and sent back to the House with a take-it-orleave-it message (the Senate had adjourned before a House vote was even taken). The bill now sets up a path to place outdoor trails into a regulatory model and adds a new criterion to Act 250 that requires the review of impacts on forest fragmentation when developing a parcel. The administration has expressed disappointment with the bill as other measures, such as exempting certain downtown Harrison > 10 LOCAL PEOPLE. LOCAL SERVICE. Home Comfort – All season long! BEAT THE HEAT! Get on the schedule for an air conditioning or Mini Split AC Unit Installation. 0 % Down - 0 % Interest For up to 36 months Call us now at 866-326-0535 Table of contents Local news....................................................................2 State news.....................................................................7 Opinion.........................................................................8 News briefs.................................................................11 Calendar......................................................................12 Puzzles........................................................................15 Living ADE..................................................................16 Food matters...............................................................20 Columns......................................................................24 Pets..............................................................................26 Horoscopes.................................................................27 Classifieds...................................................................28 Service directory.........................................................29 Real estate...................................................................31 Mou nta i n Ti m e s is a community newspaper covering Central Vermont that aims to engage and inform as well as empower community members to have a voice. Courtesy Ballotpedia.org Kirk White (Bethel) > White and Braun said $12.55 is not enough. Vermont is an expensive place to live, Braun said. White said higher minimum wages will help the economy. Townsend suggested lowering state taxes would make the minimum wage go farther, achieving the same end. The Mountain Times asked the candidates their main goal for running to replace Haas. White listed a menu of policies he Courtesy Ballotpedia.org Sheila Braun (Rochester) Courtesy Ballotpedia.org Wayne Townsend (Bethel) Debate: Candidates for the Rutland/Windsor house seat meet in Rochester from page 4 would pursue, but his general agenda is finding “creative ways to empower the revitalization of our small towns so that new families will want to move here and our kids want to stay.” He suggests state support of “a regional non-profit collaborative to coordinate economic and community development.” Braun told us she is running as an Independent so she won’t be beholden to any political party. “The legislature’s first priority at this time should be to protect Vermonters from the pandemic and its economic fallout,” Braun wrote. “Then we need to transform the political landscape from a … system in which candidates represent their parties, to a group of legislators who give voice to the people. The most important thing that I think is that my thoughts are less important than those of my constituents.” Wayne Townsend did not respond to our requests for his perspective. Polly Lynn-Mikula .............................. Editor & Co-Publisher Jason Mikula .......................... Sales Manager & Co-Publisher Lindsey Rogers ...................................... Sales Representative Krista Johnston............................................Graphic Designer Brooke Geery........................................ Front Office Manager Katy Savage Dom Cioffi Julia Purdy Mary Ellen Shaw Curt Peterson Paul Holmes Gary Salmon Merisa Sherman Flag photo by Richard Podlesney ©The Mountain Times 2020 The Mountain Times • P.O. Box 183 Killington, VT 05751 • (802) 422-2399 Email: editor@mountaintimes.info mountaintimes.info Dave Hoffenberg Virginia Dean Aliya Schneider Ed Larson
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Mountain Times - Volume 49, Number 40 - Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2020

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