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Volume 55 Number 36
shelburnenews.com
Nonprofit to acquire newspaper company TOMMY GARDNER STAFF WRITER
A Colorado-based nonprofit organization founded five years ago with the mission to acquire newspapers and avoid creating “news deserts” will purchase the five weekly publications under the Vermont Community Newspaper Group banner. The Shelburne News is one of those papers. The National Trust for Local News announced the acquisition this week as part of its expansion to a fourth state — the Trust owns papers in Colorado, Georgia and Maine — calling it a “community-first” decision by the Vermont
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publications’ owners. The deal, “for a nominal fee,” will close later this month, according to a press release. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group’s weekly titles are the Stowe Reporter; News & Citizen of Lamoille County; The Other Paper of South Burlington; Shelburne News; and The Citizen of Charlotte and Hinesburg. Citing increased financial stresses on their business, VTCNG majority owner Bob Miller and minority owners Judy Kearns and Biddle Duke decided earlier this year to establish nonprofit ownership by the end of 2026. See NONPROFIT on page 3
Police, fire calls burn a hole in town budget MARI HUGLIN STAFF WRITER
In 2025, Shelburne’s dispatch center, which serves 73 emergency agencies across Vermont, cost around $3.5 million to operate, a quarter of the town’s annual budget. The selectboard is now deciding how to lower costs of the Shelburne Communications Center, which responds to 911 calls and
dispatches the correct emergency services to incidents. At an Aug. 11 selectboard meeting, board member Chunka Mui presented three options the town could take to reduce costs: Continue as a regional center, become a Shelburne-only center or buy into another dispatch center. Shelburne is one of only six PHOTO BY TYLER COHEN
See BUDGET on page 2
A Champlain Valley elementary student gets off the bus on the first day of school last Wednesday. See more photos, page 10.
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Page 2 • September 3, 2026 • Shelburne News
BUDGET
continued from page 1 dispatch centers in the entire state. It serves Shelburne along with Charlotte, Hinesburg, Williston, Richmond, Vergennes, Starksboro, Underhill and South Hero. Years ago, as the state downsized its dispatch centers, Shelburne made contracts with other communities. Town manager Matt Lawless said the revenue that comes in from the contracts with the agencies do not cover the full cost to serve them. “It’s not fair to the Shelburne taxpayers to subsidize a service that’s out of balance,” Lawless said. Shelburne receives around 21,000 emergency calls a year, with 7,000 of those coming from residents. The other two-thirds of the calls come from the other partner towns. Mui compared Shelburne’s costs to other towns’ costs and structure with data, using research conducted by police chief Josh Flore and deputy town manager and finance director Patricia Carpenter. Mui said Shelburne taxpayers spend around $120 a call. Shelburne’s share of the cost to operate the center is around $835,000 per year, not including utilities or capital expenses. That’s around 8.3% of the town’s property tax bill.
Colchester taxpayers pay $46 per call, served by its own centers. Essex and Williston taxpayers pay $47 a call with their combined dispatch center. Hinesburg uses Shelburne’s dispatch center, and its taxpayers pay around $40 a call, while Milton taxpayers pay around $37 per call and is served by the St. Albans center. Mui said Shelburne’s goal is to provide high-quality service while staying cost effective. Currently, the board and town employees are gathering data and opinions before they make a final decision in the spring of 2027. Selectboard chair Matthew Wormser said this is a structural issue that needs to be addressed but also needs to be balanced with other capital projects. Wormser said he and the selectboard will be working closely with Flore and Shelburne dispatcher Jimmy Mack. Mack said he worked with the state communications task force and made recommendations to the Legislature, saying dispatch across the state needs more support, but nothing was changed. “We’re going to have a disaster here in Vermont,” Mack said. The long-time dispatcher said
FILE PHOTO BY SOPHIA BALUNEK
Scott Loftus, a dispatcher in Shelburne, said that he knows some of the callers to the center are likely to be neighbors
he has petitioned for more support for the dispatch center multiple times and is disappointed the selectboard is looking at cutting its budget. “I don’t hear us talking about drastically cutting recreation or drastically cutting the library, and all those things have gone up just as much as dispatch has,” Mack said.
Flore said there is a lot of work ahead to figure this issue out, but reiterated how much he appreciates the work the dispatchers do, calling them the “silent partner” of emergency responses. “I just don’t want them to feel like they’re not noticed,” Flore told the selectboard. “They are seen and I know that you guys see them as well.”
Shelburne resident Linda Riell was concerned the selectboard was treating the issue with too much of a financial focus instead of a human focus on the dispatch workers. “I am disappointed the human implications received a very small side note here,” Riell said. “Those are real people working downstairs.”
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Shelburne News • September 3, 2026 • Page 3
NONPROFIT
For Sale - 6133 The Terraces
continued from page 1 “Establishing a sustainable future for our community newspapers has been our priority for several years,” the owners said in a statement. “By selling these publications to the National Trust, not only can they survive but there will be investment in expanding coverage to thrive in a climate where local news is so important and increasingly difficult to find.” The Trust’s top brass has been bullish on the newspapers’ potential and emphasized there will be no layoffs at the newspapers — its 15 full-time and two part-time employees will be retained, and the office will remain at its current location on Mountain Road in Stowe. The Trust’s management team has reiterated that everything will remain status quo for readers and subscribers — editorial leadership will stay the same, and advertising will remain a key component of the newspapers’ business model. However, the nonprofit designation will open a new world of potential revenue for the newspapers. And the Trust has stated its commitment to “providing the capital, expertise and infrastructure needed to unlock the publications’ growth potential.” “These publications have a solid foundation from which a stronger future can be built,” National Trust CEO Tom Wiley said. “They are vital local news sources for northern Vermont, led by an experienced team that has trusted relationships with readers, advertisers and a wide range of community partners.” Bill Stille will immediately begin working with the Vermont team as a transition and transformation adviser provided by the National Trust. Stille previously held leadership roles at The Detroit News, The Columbus Dispatch and The Buffalo News. His work will include identifying opportunities to strengthen partnerships and collaborate with statewide stakeholders, according to the press release.
Fast rise, stabilize The National Trust for Local News was founded in 2021 and grew quickly. The Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization that covers media happenings around the country, suggested last year that the Trust had gotten out ahead of its skis as it amassed 64 local newspapers in three states and grew into a $50 million media business. In the first half of 2025, it sold more than 20 of its Colorado newspapers to a for-profit media company and closed two others. The Trust’s Maine subsidiary cut print production and laid people off, according to Poynter. However, those moves were initiated before Wiley started as CEO, following the abrupt depar-
ture of co-founder Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro. Poynter reported last year that Wiley said “he’s focused on stabilizing the nonprofit and its current newspapers before turning to acquiring more publications.” That more purposeful approach may be reflected in the Trust’s recent acquisitions. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group is one of just three the Trust approached over the past year — its Georgia subsidiary in July acquired the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and The Macon Telegraph from the McClatchy Media Company. It is unclear what the Trust’s venture into Vermont signals for the rest of the Green Mountain State’s media landscape.
Local angle The Stowe Reporter purchased the News & Citizen in 2015 and, after purchasing the three Chittenden County titles, changed the parent company name to the Vermont Community Newspaper Group in 2019. The pandemic was an era of turbulence for the papers. Its sixth title, the Waterbury Record, was almost immediately shuttered in 2020, just weeks after Vermont declared a state of emergency. Two months later, the company laid off roughly a third of its newsroom and its production department, amid a precipitous drop in advertising revenue — local businesses were also bleeding money during the pandemic. The papers stabilized and continued publication, but they
continued to, as a collective, lose money or barely break even. The one bright spot in advertisement revenue has been the Stowe Guide magazine, in some years carrying the rest of the titles on its twiceyear, glossy, 250-page back. After publisher and editor Greg Popa retired at the end of 2024, the company formed a five-person management team to help guide operational decisions. The team’s first major move was to drastically change the delivery model for some of the weeklies, largely eschewing the U.S. Postal Service and relying on a beefed-up rack delivery system. After a year under the management team model, majority owner Miller hinted at, and then gradually insisted on, exploring the nonprofit route. The three owners address the changes, and reiterate the newspapers’ continuing mission, in an opinion piece this week (see page 5). “Newspapers like this are the lifeblood of the communities we serve. They mark births and marriages, deaths and departures, challenges and successes, transgressions and triumphs,” they write. “Most importantly, they help us to understand where we live so we may best chart our future.”
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Page 4 • September 3, 2026 • Shelburne News
CRIME & COURTS Shelburne Police Blotter: Aug. 23-29
HOLIDAY ADVERTISING HOLIDAY/SEPT. 3 ISSUE AD DEADLINE: (ON NEWSSTANDS FOR LABOR DAY) Monday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. SEPT. 10 ISSUE AD DEADLINE: Friday, Sept. 4, at Noon STOWE REPORRTER NEWS&CITIZEN Serving the people of Lamoille County since 1881
WE ARE CLOSED MONDAY, SEPT. 7
Total reported incidents: 64 Traffic stops: 32 Traffic tickets: 18 Warnings: 18 Suspicious incidents: 5 Alarms: 5 Fire alarms: 5 Medical emergency: 23 Elevator emergency: 1 Motor vehicle complaint: 2 Welfare check: 3 Mutual aid: 1 Crash: 3 Special overtime: 2
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Between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, the Shelburne Police Department, assisted by the Hinesburg, Winooski and Grand Isle Sheriff police departments, made 33 traffic stops in Shelburne. Twenty-three of the vehicles were stopped because of speed, and one for the driver using a cell phone, according to a press
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release from the Shelburne Police Department. The other stops were for various other traffic offenses, police say. Officers issued 13 traffic tickets during the six-hour period, focusing on Shelburne Road, Dorset Street, Bay Road and Webster Road. All roads’ residents have complained about excessive speeding and aggressive driving this summer, according to the release.
Shelburne N ew s
Serving the community of Shelburne A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC shelburnenews.com Advertising Wendy Ewing wendy@shelburnenews.com (802) 238-4980 Advertising Director Judy Kearns judy@otherpapersbvt.com (802) 734-2928 Editor Tommy Gardner tommy@stowereporter.com (802) 253-2101 x25
F R I D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 8 5-8PM | FREE EVENT O P E N TO A L L
Selected incidents: Aug. 23 at 11:39 a.m., a caller reported debris in the roadway at Shelburne Road and South Park Road, and officers located and removed it.
Shelburne police make 33 traffic stops within hours MARI HUGLIN STAFF WRITER
PRESENTS
Agency assistance: 5 Trespassing: 3 Traffic hazard: 2 Property damage: 1 Animal problem: 1 Burglary: 1 Motorist citizen assist: 1
General Manager Katerina Werth katerina@stowereporter.com Billing inquiries Leslie Lafountain leslie@stowereporter.com (802) 253-2101 Advertising submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. advertising@shelburnenews.com classifieds@shelburnenews.com
Editorial Assistant Sophia Balunek
Editorial submission deadline: Friday at 12 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com
Staff Writers Liberty Darr, Patrick Bilow, Briana Brady, Mari Huglin
Calendar submission deadline: Friday at 12 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com
Production/Design Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com Kristen Braley kristen@stowereporter.com
Contact: PO Box 489 Stowe, VT 05672 (802) 253-2101
The Shelburne News is published weekly and mailed free to residents and businesses in Shelburne and rack distributed at select high traffic locations. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC assumes no responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements and reserves the right to refuse advertising and editorial copy.
Aug. 23 at 8:20 p.m., police issued a person at Harbor Place a trespassing notice and escorted them off the property. Aug. 23 at 9:20 p.m., a caller reported an erratic motorist on Bay Road who was stopped, identified and released by police. Aug. 24 at 9:17 a.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their home on Shelburne Road. Police are investigating. Aug. 24 at 12:47 p.m., someone reported being bitten by an animal on Shelburne Road. Aug. 25 at 2:09 p.m., no one was injured in a two-car crash on Falls Road. Aug. 26 at 5:23 p.m., a two-car crash with no injuries occurred at Shelburne Road and Harrington Avenue. Aug. 28 at 1:19 a.m., a caller reported an erratic driver on Shelburne Road. Police stopped the vehicle and the operator was identified and released. Aug. 28 at 2:11 p.m., a caller reported smoke in a building on Harbor Road. Multiple fire departments responded and extinguished the fire, and no one was reported injured.
Do you have photos you would like to share with the community? Send them to us:
news@shelburnenews.com
Shelburne News • September 3, 2026 • Page 5
OPINION Looking for a new car this Labor Day?
A nonprofit future for our newspapers Guest Perspective Bob Miller, Biddle Duke, Judy Kearns Newspapers like this are the lifeblood of the communities we serve. They mark births and marriages, deaths and departures, challenges and successes, transgressions and triumphs. Most importantly, they help us to understand where we live so we may best chart our future. But, as anyone who is paying attention knows, newspapers themselves are struggling to remain viable businesses. Our newspapers are no exception. Establishing a sustainable future for the Vermont Community Newspaper Group’s five community newspapers — the Stowe Reporter, the News & Citizen (Lamoille County), the Shelburne News, The Other Paper (South Burlington) and The Citizen (Charlotte and Hinesburg) — has been our preeminent priority for several years. The years since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic have been hugely challenging financially, but we now have a plan, thanks to the non-profit National Trust for Local News (see story, page 1). These businesses, which were being challenged before Covid, would have certainly been forced to close during the pandemic if not for the government’s Paycheck Protection Program and the Employee Retention Credit program. They enabled us to stay in business, just as they did for many businesses in the communities we serve. Emerging from Covid, however, the stresses on our businesses have only increased. Declines in print advertising and inflation (in particular, ever-increasing costs of the U.S. Postal Service upon which we depend for timely delivery to most of our readers) have combined to cripple revenue growth and virtually wipe out profitability. None of this likely is news to you, dear reader. Newspapers across America have been under economic threat for more than a decade; many have been forced to contract or close. Nearly 3,500 local print newspapers have disappeared across the United States over the past two decades, with close to 1,000 shutting down during the last decade alone. This ongoing decline has left hundreds of places as “news deserts” with no reliable local journalists or journalism — in other words, no one and no place to call and count on with the information, ideas and
questions that enliven and connect life in the communities and regions they serve. For the past decade, the Vermont Community Newspaper Group’s owners — the majority owner Bob Miller, and minority owners Judy Kearns and Biddle Duke — have been committed to these five newspapers and their communities. The way forward is to become fully nonprofit. This does not mean the papers are backing away from their advertising or circulation revenue streams. They need them, both because they sustain the newspapers and because advertising itself is essential information and eye-catching content in our print and online publications. But the businesses need to supplement those revenue streams with philanthropy, by tapping into national funding that exists to support local news ecosystems and by tapping into supporters in our communities who value and will support the service we provide. The nonprofit model allows the newspapers to tap into philanthropy, not only so they can survive but so they can continue to invest in expanding their coverage and broadening their use of social media and other technologies to thrive in a climate where local news is so important and increasingly difficult to find. It is essential to acknowledge some history here. This important transition occurs thanks to the vision and hard work of the remarkable people who established and have run these long-running newspapers, and those who keep them running today. Our oldest newspaper, the News & Citizen, has been serving Lamoille County for around 145 years. The others came in the second half of the 20th century, starting with the Stowe Reporter in 1958; Shelburne News in 1967; The Other Paper in 1977; and The Citizen in 2006. All were started, yes, as businesses, but the underlying impetus was always community service. It is thanks to civic-minded leaders like Roz Graham and Alice Winn in Shelburne, Trow Elliman in Stowe, and Brad Limoge (and the Limoge family that owned and ran the News & Citizen for more than seven decades) that we are here today. Along, of course, with the current team of editor Tommy Gardner, general manager Katerina Werth, and director of sales Bryan Meszkat. Ultimately, however, readers and advertisers, this is your newspaper. Its existence and continued service to our communities has thrived and will continue to thrive thanks to you. Onward!
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Page 6 • September 3, 2026 • Shelburne News
Supporting belonging builds civic trust, grows leadership boards and community life. In “Bowling Alone,” author Robert Putnam reminds us that civic Denise Smith engagement builds the trust and I recently had the opporsocial capital that makes this tunity to participate in the possible. These are not abstract Statewide Civics Bee hosted democratic ideals; they are the by the Vermont Chamber of conditions that allow leaderCommerce. This program, ship to emerge and be sustained sponsored by the U.S. Chamber making our democracy possible. of Commerce Foundation, helps As Putnam has long argued, prepare middle school students when civic engagement declines, for leadership and civic engageso do the relationships that ment. The students write an connect us. essay that identifies a problem in This is where leadership their communities and propose becomes central. Leadership thoughtful, practical solutions; does not emerge in isolation. It from building a youth volunteer grows out of belonging, connecnetwork to help tion, trust and their neighthe experience Leadership is bors shovel of being part driveways, to of something rarely fixed or addressing youth larger than mental health, to oneself. When formal. It is shared, rethinking school people feel intergenerational start times. I connected to a was struck by place and to one and often shifts. their creativity, another, they problem solving are more likely skills and commitment to making to notice what needs to be done a difference. and to believe they can be the Our work at the Vermont ones to do it. Council on Rural Vermont is At the Vermont Council on with communities trying to Rural Development, we see this solve problems like the ones every day. Through our commuthese young leaders identinity-based programs, we work fied. The need for people to alongside communities as they work alongside their neighbors identify priorities and move from and friends is essential to the ideas to action. Through our foundation of our civic life. Yet Vermont Community Leadacross Vermont, we are hearing a ership Initiative, we focus on different reality: fewer people are strengthening the infrastructure stepping up to serve on boards, of leadership itself. That includes committees and volunteer. providing tools such as our Our democracy endures Community in Action Leaderwhen people feel a sense of ship Guide with tips and stratecivic responsibility to the greater good, expressed through particSee SMITH on page 7 ipation in local associations,
Guest Perspective
Shelburne News • September 3, 2026 • Page 7
SMITH
continued from page 6 gies to help leaders frame local issues and move community and economic development projects forward. And on Oct. 6, formal and informal leaders from across the state will come together at the Vermont Community Leadership Summit to learn from one another, build skills and strengthen the networks that sustain local action. We see leadership everywhere — the neighbor who organizes child care when families are stretched thin, the volunteer who shows up year after year to keep a project alive, the resident who is passionate about protecting clean water, or youth who ask, “Why not do this differently?” Leadership is rarely fixed or
formal. It is shared, intergenerational and often shifts as community work moves from vision to implementation. No single person carries it alone. It moves across people and roles as the work evolves. Belonging, civic trust and engagement and leadership cannot be separated. When people are connected, they begin to see what needs to be done. When they are supported with tools, relationships and encouragement, they are more likely to step forward and stay engaged. When we invest in belonging, we strengthen civic trust. When civic trust grows, leadership follows. And when leadership is shared and supported, communi-
ties are better equipped to meet the challenges ahead. The future of our democracy depends not just on participation, but on our ability to cultivate the relationships, skills and confidence that allow people to step forward together. If we want a strong and resilient democracy, we must continue nurturing the relationships that sustain it, including developing young leaders. Belonging, civic trust and leadership grow together, and will continue to shape the future of our communities. Denise Smith is executive director of the Vermont Council on Rural Vermont.
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School district $13 million town budg budgets inet limbo
eight !! decreasing pupil-w a thanks to marks ALD MCDON ing counts. 5 budget e in COREY The FY202million increasyear’s STAFF WRITER $10 School current lain Valleyapproved roughly g from the ! ! spendin ! ously The Champ LIBERTY DARR ! has unanim g next year, bene-WRITER District and STAFF in spendin a roughly ! ! , and ted salaries ! to $105 million the budget increase, ! ally negotia Selectboard sending t school tax Day. premiums affectThe Shelburne g ce towns,week unanimously adopted 18 percen Town Meetin "! ! insuran LIBERTY DARR that changed the state’s education funding districts, last out for health with $13 million school in voters ! ! ! through AND COREY MCDONALD many ./ 1)* its 2025 budget students percent ing #"! ses alike roughly (21 for our ic envi- and # % !( $ % $ $) ( 10" $,$ $0%$ ( !*+ ( STAFFbusines WRITERS in spending, a can do year. best we ging econom Burlington superintendent Violet vice chair the state. increase over last South in the challen board very a 2 percent increase whotoadded that boards and educa With less than three weeksWith until t,” school 12 a Town Nichols, can expect ronmen Metzler said. on page passed Meeting Day, legislators list, residents proposing new %/ !( * $(in * +0 ( taxes #$ % $ $) ( %* +0 ( ,/0 $ See CVSD aregrand Meghan the Legislature den changes to the percent increase !*%+/0! ( *0 (tax* $( #)// +0 ( *%( $,+ *%+0 ( state’s education funding see a 3.39 Chitten Since municipal 2022, have been formula that’s brought headaches for estimatedschools in and programs that we’ve dedicated with an school the That’s up from Act 127 districts %/( shy $ $)/"+0 ( ./ ( % $( &$0$-%!( /.( /.-,+*)!( % +!( $* ( )$* +0 ( /1% ( 1cents. )+0 /1 school rate of 51 — just rate( )+ $!( County current tax!%1 $0%!(+0(/1 (,/ 10+% ton and Champlain Valley school town’sdistricts’ LIBERTY DARR ( 0$ ( )* ( &1 $%!(+0()+ &/ of 50 cents. $8.8&$+0 ( .*!% % *, $ ( % /1 ( million, the $13 Statehouse STAFF WRITER Of quickly committees would not only nix Budget season in Vermont has by property will be raised *( *'/ (.*,$%(/.( ,%( (&1%(*)!/(*))/ (%+ $( become even more complicated — especial million paid Selectboard spending will be The Shelburne up this elecOther ly for districts that have already passed and taxes. reveother seats of a variety has two open through warned budgets for the annualfor vote — with barring any popution year and, two uncontested the effects of Act 127, a law passed in 2022 nues streams. See ACT 127 on page 10 — lar write-ins, the manager join — or stay candidates will Theon that,” town not 90 chart pie ssion: “It’s on the board. Lawless said. to the commiMatt g in town who is seekBetween Matt Wormser, the two-year real estate tax. new point ble housin percent the town’s things like ambulance afforda to ce to user lack of ing reelection familiar face on fees, hindran charges, it’s a DARR is a major growth. was dispatch seat, has been billing and LIBERTY ic for the past two task force th on just real estate.” the selectboard decision to run as reliant not 3-mon al econom housing STAFF WRITER the the town is also technic The of the In addition, e years. He says out enjoyminor of exercis out million $1 ! few eaded a d just over receive again comes mostly fellow board Minus ! ! " dozen spearh nity-building set to Forwar option with a ! ed1 percent local commu as Shelburne the ment working through more thanroom for ts narrowthe by voters last Town the dedicated town members, and the to approved tax known er where residentax in on Zoom, who are all ance it, the Without LIBERTY DARR ts packed passes between staff and townspeople 6 the sun and Earth, Meeting Day.moonbeen residen ck for Togethareas of import making Shelforward. would have ,/ ")$%$) (nearly &)/, +0 ( % $( .*,$( /.( % $( !10 ( STAFF WRITERthree “working toward to live.” on feedba "! chief exec- The sky will darken as if it were dawn or bylaw town as it moves y,rate place g session zoning burne a better higher. n Buckle cents listenin run for the this year current budgetweather permitting, people in the When the Meaga Pierson Chunka Mui willheld by Cate ! newest Shelburne’s ! Library’s the town’s force, saiddusk and on two sationMichael now ! path offocus a totality can see the sun’s outer director Hibben was task hired last new increased reperthree-year seat an seesthe overhaul. most of the conver ir of the ally felt not seeking reelecbalancinghe didn’t g in town employco-chaimagine which is otherwise obscured he’d adopt the atmosphere, While investment Cross, who is d on August, areas: of housin capital centere town’s to natural she has person lack +0*%/ thebright by its face, according to the National funding tion. has been dedication 10/.-,+*)('/&(%+%)$(/.(#$,)+"!$(,// ees and ( tenure, the state’s cussions of the the town as +,$ ( theBut $*% $ ( $ for During Wormser’son a slew of Additionally, ng an event that doesn’t the town’swith some of regardi plan.come taken and increase 11 The eclipse es in Shelburne is forecast very garnered selectboard has major one being ts often, Hibben has continues on pageto grow resourc legislation around — police, residen safety See BYLAW %/( $*, ( %/%*)+% ( *%( * /10 ( ( " ( !*+ ( help town’s public issues, with the town manager newest requirements,some force from Kit Luster, theservices, new task of +&&$0 ( $,*1!$( $)&1 0$(+!(! *, ( *&(+0( development review board coordinator the hiring density and year. rs of a townto voice a in June. Addition-1 of spending this that the % $( + )$(/.(% $(#"*% (/.(%/%*)+% (% $(%/ 0( Matt Lawless a and membeopportunityassistant zoning administrator, to help percentage BY LEE KROHN implemented propose for upwards of 200,000 PHOTOS like to prepping is already town make a game plan for the expected ally, the board “I would took the tax to “diveroption . local visitors that could make their way to the +0 1 (/.( +!+%+0 (!"$,%*%/ !(./ (% $(/0,$ +0 a percent Saturday away from exercises !%*%$(+0()$!!(% *0(% /( /0% ! ( * )+.$%+ $(%/%*)(!/)* ($,)+"!$(/0( " +)( ( training sify funding sources more online, were reliance on prop- joint ice rescue 13 This one, and a few near-exclusive said, which has on BUDGET on page ($,)+"!$(% *% !( /+0 ( See# $(0$ %(%/%*)(!/)* Shelburne home. A solar eclipse — which happens much together in the yard at his worked more frequently than the total eclipse — to be visible in Vermont is in the year erty taxes,” he ents photos of bobcats departm tax increases largely another series of keep rg fire occurs when the moon passes between the ( +&&$0( !*+ ( # / ( +% !( *( )/0 ( * ( helped Mike Ireland grabbed of his home office. PHOTO BY LEE KROHN e and Hinesbu sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on /.. ( $()*!%(%/%*)(!/)* ($,)+"!$(% *%( *!( +!+ the window from The Shelburn Shelburne firefighters taken conduct a walk through and training at Shelburne Community School to familiarize Earth that either fully or partially blocks the 11 themselves with public sites and to practice various approaches to hose line deployment before an actual page on !10 !()+ %(+0(!/ $(* $*! ( See SELECTBOARD emergency. Interested in learning more about the Shelburne Fire Department? Go to shelburnefire.org/join. See ECLIPSE on page 12 A total solar eclipse occurs when the
Two selectboard seats up for grabs
Budget tacks
on 18
State tries to rework education spending formula
ission g comm Plannin rful during ea gets an law talks by zoning
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Page 8 • September 3, 2026 • Shelburne News
Community Notes
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J. Kenneth Fine Art and Atelier Frame & Design will present “Painter of Vermont” exhibit through Oct. 3.
September Age Well luncheon St. Catherine of Siena and Age Well will offer a luncheon Tuesday, Sept. 8, for anyone 60 or older at St. Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St., Shelburne. Check-in is at 11:30 a.m., with lunch served at noon. The suggested donation is $7. The menu includes baked chicken breast with Hawaiian pineapple sauce, black beans and rice, corn with peppers, an apple and milk. Registration is required by Sept. 3. Contact Pam Niarchos at 802-662-5283 or pniarchos@agewellvt.org. Tickets also are available at the Age Well office, 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210, Colchester.
Gallery to show off ‘Painter of Vermont’ J. Kenneth Fine Art and Atelier Frame & Design will present Painter of Vermont 1900-1955, a group exhibition featuring artists inspired by the Vermont landscape. The exhibition runs Sept. 2 through Oct. 3 at J. Kenneth Fine Art, 145 Pine Haven Shores Road, Suite 1160, Shelburne. The exhibition spans more than five decades of Vermont art, from turn-of-the-century paintings through mid-century works of the 1950s.
Robert Cray Band brings the blues to Barre The Robert Cray Band, led by the fivetime Grammy winner and Blues Hall of Fame member, opens the Barre Opera House season, Saturday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m. Dave Keller will open the show. Tickets are $32-$65, plus fees. Information and tickets are available at barreoperahouse.org or by calling 802-476-8188.
‘Unplowed Realities’ Mad River Valley Arts in Waitsfield will present “Unplowed Realities,” Sept. 10 through Nov. 19. The exhibition exam-
ines the interconnected lives of farms, land, animals and communities as small farmers face growing economic and environmental pressures. Joan O’Neal’s portraits of dairy cows invite reflection on empathy, labor and shared vulnerability, while George Shenk’s work explores the people and practices that sustain small farms. Together, the artists ask viewers to reconsider how we value land, labor, animals and the role of care in sustaining communities.
Support your support professionals at State House Direct Support Professionals, the people they support, families, community partners and policymakers will gather Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Vermont State House lawn, for a statewide morning of recognition and celebration. Held during National Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, the event honors professionals who help Vermonters with developmental disabilities live, work and thrive in their communities.
Story Labs elevates its film offerings On Sunday, Sept. 6, at 6:30 p.m., Spruce Peak Arts will host a free screening presented by Stowe Story Labs featuring the award-winning short film “The Boy with the Dinosaur Head” and the feature “Definitely Gangster.” “The Boy with the Dinosaur Head,” written by Ali Imran Zaidi, was made with a Stowe Story Labs Short Film Production Grant. “Definitely Gangster,” a family-friendly motion-capture feature, was written and directed by Stowe Story Labs alum JLee MacKenzie. A Q&A with MacKenzie See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 15
Shelburne News • September 3, 2026 • Page 9
HOME & GARDEN A day in the life of one UVM Extension master gardener ELODIE REED CONTRIBUTOR
One Thursday in June, at 9 a.m. on the dot, a landline telephone rang in UVM’s Plant Diagnostic Clinic. Sue Stanne picked up the receiver. “UVM Extension Master Gardener Helpline,” she said. “This is Sue speaking.” On the other end, a caller from Windsor County tried to describe a displaced, overabundant and “weird” vine. Stanne suggested what might help is for the caller to go through the helpline’s online ticket system, and send a photo of the vine in question. “Our online system makes it so much easier to identify problems,” she said. Using the caller-provided photos, the Vermont Invasives website and the Extension Foundation’s “Search Extension” tool that finds science-based resources from Extension organizations across the country, and in consultation with Deb Heleba and Lisa Chouinard from UVM Extension’s Community Horticulture Programs (which includes Master Gardener) — Stanne was able to provide some answers. That vine? It was bittersweet. The caller had some pigweed and yellow rocket growing, too. For all three plants, Stanne shared more information and management tips, including hand-pulling. “Normally we might say something about solarization to smother the plant,” she said. “But this was in her garden, you can’t smother everything else.” Answering the helpline phone from 9
If it’s important to you or your community look for it in the Shelburne
a.m. to noon on Thursdays between April and October, then following up afterward with callers, is part of Stanne’s role in providing science-based gardening education as one of Vermont’s 442 Master Gardener volunteers. Stanne has been a master gardener since taking the certification course in 2003, and she’s personally been gardening “pretty much forever.” During her childhood, her father grew flowers, blueberries and strawberries. “You think you know something about gardening until you take the course,” Stanne said. “Then you realize how much you don’t know, but you learn.” She’s been continually learning for 23 years now. She’s received a Lifetime Achievement Award, given to master gardeners who have volunteered for 1,000 hours. Her projects have included: • Leading the gardens at the former Vermont Respite House in Williston for 13 years. • Managing a plot at the Williston Community Garden, where all the produce was donated to the Williston Community Food Shelf. • Answering any questions fellow gardeners had at the Williston Community Garden. • Tabling at local fairs, farmers markets and the Vermont Flower Show. More recently, in addition to volunteering for the Helpline, Stanne has taken on a new project: a community gardening shed at The Farm at South Village, which is an “agrihood” development in South Burl-
COURTESY PHOTO
Sue Stanne is master gardener who gives science-based education on gardens to callers.
ington. Along with members of the South Village Stewardship Committee, she’s set up the shed as a hyper-local resource hub. Gardeners can access donated seeds from Harts, borrow tools, look over a provided
planting schedule and get the latest information packets tacked under the “Current probSee GARDENER on page 15
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PHOTOS BY TYLER COHEN
Back to school Students across Champlain Valley School District are welcomed back on the first day of school last week.
Shelburne News • September 3, 2026 • Page 11
More doctors are offering memberships for health care BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Over the more than two decades nurse practitioner Holly Whitcomb has been providing primary care, things have changed — and it’s not just the switch to electronic records. “We used to just sit with patients and learn who they are and what they needed and what their goals were, and it was really personal,” Whitcomb said. After 24 years providing care in Hinesburg, Whitcomb is opening a new practice on Timber Lane in South Burlington. Her practice, Horizon Primary Care, will offer concierge medicine, an increasingly popular model that mixes a membership fee paid by patients with insurance billing. Whitcomb said that, with this model, she wants to get back to taking her time with patients and personalizing their care — actually having the time to pick up the phone and answer a patient’s health questions. She’s not the only one making the switch. According to a Harvard study published less than a year ago, the number of practices using concierge medicine and direct primary care, which bypasses insurance entirely in favor of a membership fee, grew by 83% nationally between 2019 and 2023. Susan Ridzon, the executive director of Health First, a statewide association of private practices, said that, while practices and providers using membership models still only make up a small portion of the organization’s members — about 7% — it’s been growing. “To be clear, this is a response to a payment system that doesn’t cover the work that practices are doing,” Ridzon said. For many providers making the switch to a membership system, she said, it’s a way to keep a private practice financially sustainable. The way insurance reimburses a practice not only depends on the kind of insurance, care or procedure involved, Ridzon said, but can also vary depending on the biller. Big systems like the University of Vermont have negotiating power with insurance companies. For smaller private practices, she said, they’re more often having to take what they’re offered. With Medicare, she said, there are also different fee schedules for hospital system care — hospitals get a higher rate.
“It’s really kind of obscene sometimes the differences for the exact same service,” she said. On top of that, Ridzon said, a lot of the work that goes into good primary care doesn’t get billed to insurance. Services like answering patient questions over a portal or the phone, or coordinating care with different specialists, all things Whitcomb said she wanted more time and capacity to do. Membership fees can vary across different offices and models. Concierge, which offers the membership alongside insurance billing, is often the more affordable option for patients — a look at local providers shows prices often hovering around $2,000 annually, sometimes, as in Horizon’s model, with scaled pricing depending on age or family size. Other local practices have found ways to make direct primary care work for patients as well. Beth Schiller, the nurse practitioner who owns Champlain Medical, an urgent care center in South Burlington, only offers direct primary care through a special relationship with some local employers. Schiller said that she’s been working with ECI for years as Champlain Medical handles care for their workplace injuries as well as the necessary physical exams for some employees. While the company offers insurance outside her services, she said, employees are offered — and incentivized — to take Champlain Medical up on direct primary care paid for by ECI.
“If the individual came to us for one primary care visit a year, which included, you know, some basic lab work, and we do EKGs and hearing tests for them,” Schiller said. “Then they have access to our facility for the rest of the year — for whatever, urgent care, primary care, essentially any of their other needs.” The relationship, she said, has made primary care visits accessible and easy to get for a group of people who might not otherwise have it. Recently, she said, doing an EKG on one patient led to a referral to a cardiologist, a stress test and a triple bypass procedure. The number of primary care doctors in the state is falling — according to a report from the Department of Health there were 40 fewer PCPs in 2024 than 2022 and almost a third of Vermont’s primary care physicians are over 60. While this doesn’t necessarily account for nurse practitioners such as Whitcomb and Schiller, Ridzon said that membership models may help sustain more doctors in the state for longer. “They’re finding a way to make it happen rather than retiring. Because a lot of them are so burnt out that they exit the field or retire,” Ridzon said. Whitcomb is looking forward to opening her practice. She’s already begun coordinating care for some patients. “I’m not doing this to make a gazillion dollars. I’m doing this to genuinely try to take better care of my patients in the way that I think they should be cared for,” she said.
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Page 12 • September 3, 2026 • Shelburne News
HONORING OUR
VETERANS
On Nov. 5, Shelburne News will be honored to publish photos of the men and women who have unselfishly served our country. Page 14 • November 10, 2022 • Shelburne News
HONORING The Veterans Among Us
If you have a veteran who you would like us to honor, please mail or email your photo and the following information by
ROBERT F. WHITEMAN, SR. U.S. Air Force E6 1959-1979
LORENZO P. BUSHWAY, SR. April 28, 1960 Active Duty: Feb. 1953-Feb. 1955
ROBERT S. BORKOWSKI Sergeant (SFC) Medic VT Army National Guard 1982-2005
PVT. HENRI DE MARNE & PVT. CLAUDE DE MARNE Henri de Marne and his brother Claude, Patton’s 3rd army, WW2, 1944 following French resistance before liberation.
PETER PAUL ZUK U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lieutenant Served 1955-57 Japan and Korea
DAVID F. LELAND United States Navy Lieutenant WWII 1944-1955
ROLAND W. WILBUR United States Army T/4, 14th Armored Division WW II 1942-46
PERRY D. MELVIN U.S. Navy, HM 3 3rd Marine Regiment Vietnam War
BRUCE NUNZIATA 1st Infantry Vietnam 1967-68
THOMAS C. GIBSON Royal Air Force Squadron Leader 1947-1952, Malaya
MICHAEL W. LYNCH U.S. Navy, Lt.J.G. Civil Engineer Corp 1967-1975 VT Air Guard 1976-1979
PETER GADUE US Army and VTARNG 1970-2009
SHANNON B. BLAKE U.S. Army, Major 1986-2006 Afghanistan War Veteran
DAVID WINER Corporal, Marine Corps March 1944-July 1946 Peleliu Campaign
WILLIAM A. READ JR. U.S. Navy Commander Gunnery Instructor Patrol Squadron 101 Southwest Pacific
THURSDAY, OCT. 29 Please include: • Name of veteran • Branch of service • Rank • Years of service • Town of residence
EMAIL PHOTOS AND TEXT TO: stephanie@shelburnenews.com OR MAIL TO: Shelburne News, P.O. Box 489, Stowe, VT 05672 If you have submitted a photo in a previous year, you do not need to resubmit.
Shelburne News • September 3, 2026 • Page 13
Horoscope September 3, 2026
ANSWERS FROM THIS ISSUE
Weekly Puzzles
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saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, Page 14 • September 3, 2026 • Shelburne News treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly The week-long bait drop is a coopera- 100 percent effective when given soon after tive effort between Vermont and the U.S. a person is bitten by a rabid animal. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont to stop the spread of the potentially fatal have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of disease. those have been raccoons. Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the According to wildlife officials, rabid brain that infects mammals. It is most often animals often show a change in their norseen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, mal behavior, but you cannot tell whether but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also an animal has rabies simply by looking at get rabies. The virus is spread through the it. People should not touch or pick up wild bite of an infected animal or contact with or its call To advertise email wendy@shelburnenews.com 802-238-4980 animals or strays – even baby animals. continued from page 2
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Career Opportunities
Shelburne Parks & Rec News Shelburne Parks and Recreation offers the following events and activities: • Preschool soccer with Soccer Roots is designed especially for children 3-5 years of age, and includes age-appropriate games that will let them enjoy the game and learn basic skills without putting pressure on winning or competition. They’ll also learn to work cooperatively with other children. We have limited spots left in Session A only. Registration deadline is Sept. 9. Classes are Fridays, Sept. 11-Oct. 9. Cost: $85. Session A: 3:30-4:15 p.m. Location: Outdoor field at Athletic Drive. • Men’s Basketball pick up play for men 18 and older. This
program follows the school calendar. Required registration opened for Shelburne Residents on Aug. 31. Non-residents may register starting Sept. 7 if space allows. Mondays and Wednesdays, Sept. 14-May 26, 2027. From 7-9 p.m. with adjustments during youth basketball season in the Shelburne Large Gymnasium. $45. • Yoga for Strength, Mobility & Stress Relief: This welcoming, all-levels class blends flowing movement, mindful breathing, thoughtful alignment and relaxation to leave you feeling stronger, calmer and more at home in your body. Expect a moderate-paced practice with modifications as needed. Bring a yoga mat and any props you like to use. Participants
should be comfortable sitting on and rising from the floor. $90. Tuesdays, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Library Community Room. Session 1 registration deadline is Sept. 11, with six classes Sept. 15-Oct. 20. • Community Heritage Potluck hosted by the Shelburne Equity and Diversity Committee and Parks and Recreation Department. Sunday, Sept. 20, from 4-6 p.m. in the Shelburne Historic Town Hall. Bring a dish (if you can) with an ingredients list that can serve six to eight people and share stories about the food that matters to you and your family. Along with the shared meal, there will be music, beverages and fun activities for children to enjoy. Food will also be available for those unable to prepare a dish.
GARDENER
continued from page 9 lems in our garden” sign. “I’m starting to warn people about cucumber beetles,” Stanne said during an interview this summer. “And flea beetles are already here.” It’s efforts like this that make Stanne the embodiment of what the Extension Master Gardener Program values in its volunteers. That’s according to Deb Heleba, who leads the Extension Master Gardener and Vermont Master
Composter programs. “Not only is she among the kindest humans I’ve met, but she is also committed to sharing her deep gardening knowledge with fellow Vermonters,” Heleba said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have volunteers of Sue’s caliber representing UVM Extension.” Stanne said being a master gardener gives her something useful to do in her spare time. And in fielding questions about soil
test results, how much compost to apply, what to do with flooded gardens and many, many more topics, she said it’s rewarding to learn enough about an issue to be able to provide some answers. “They really feel like they’re stuck on a problem, and they call in, or they put in a ticket, and realize, oh, it’s not as bad as they think,” she said. “They really appreciate being able to get the information. “
COMMUNITY NOTES
Pedal for Prevention Gravel Ride The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s second annual Pedal for Prevention gravel ride will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, at Frost Beer Works in Hines-
PARALLEL JUSTICE PROGRAM SPECIALIST This position provides trauma-informed, victim-centered advocacy, case management, resource coordination, referral, and restorative justice services for individuals impacted by crime and harm throughout Chittenden County. The position will also work with non-criminal community referrals, in collaboration with agency staff and community partners. This position exercises a high degree of independence, initiative, and professional judgment and will support program volunteers. While primarily based at the South Burlington CCCJC office, the position will also spend time in the Williston office and the Essex Police Department office. Salary: $65,936.00-$73,486.40 and comprehensive benets
COMMUNICATIONS, VOLUNTEER AND OPERATIONS SPECIALIST This position serves as a key ambassador for the Chittenden County Community Justice Center (CCCJC), helping create a welcoming, organized, and community-centered environment for participants, volunteers, partners, and visitors. This position coordinates volunteer recruitment, engagement, and support; maintains communications and outreach activities; and provides front-office, operational, and administrative support to ensure the efficient day-to-day functioning of the CCCJC. The Specialist also coordinates communications activities, maintains communication platforms, supports volunteer engagement, and assists with community outreach under the direction of CCCJC leadership. Salary: $55,244.80-$61,505.60 and comprehensive benets
To learn more and to apply: governmentjobs.com/careers/burlingtonvt
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will follow. Information and registration are available at sprucepeakarts.org.
City of Burlington
burg. Riders can choose from Darkness Walk on Oct. 17 at VeterTHE CITY OF BURLINGTON IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND ENCOURAGES APPLICANTS WHO CAN CONTRIBUTE TO OUR GROWING DIVERSITY. 20-, 30- or 45-mile routes on ans Memorial Park in South BurlVermont gravel roads. Registration ington and Pickle for Prevention on includes a post-ride beer courtesy Nov. 21 at Edge Sports & Fitness in of Frost Beer Works and a raffle South Burlington. ticket. The first 50 registrants will 4/29/2019 receive a free pair of custom event Kelly Brush Ride Be sure to visit our advertisers and tell them: cycling socks. Register at bikereg. returns to Middlebury com/76400?utm_source=chatgpt. 3.5 x 2 AD for Shelburne News & The Citizen “I saw your name in the Shelburne News.” com. The 21st annual Kelly Brush Other upcoming AFSP events Ride is Sept. 12 at Alumni Stadium 24 Consecutive Weeks $18.00/week for both papers $432.00 include the Burlington Out of the at Middlebury College.
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