Size matters
Whimsical world
School district weighs options after study shows enrollment drop
From hobbit holes to giant sculptures, Wistar turns imagination to art
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the AUGUST 20, 2026
ACLU’s Dorset St. suit part of nationwide initiative
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VOLUME 50, NO. 34
Spokes people
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
The lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont announced at the end of July on behalf of two people whose home was raided by immigration enforcement in South Burlington is not a one-off. According to the ACLU, the case is part of a nationwide initiative using litigation “to hold federal agents accountable for rights violations.” The suit, brought against the Department for Homeland Security, is one of 54 similar cases across the country. “We have a couple different tools at our disposal to hold the federal government accountable for abuses of power, specifically within the context of immigration enforcement actions. But we don’t have infinite options,” Monica Allard, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Vermont, said. José Estrada Jerez and Johana Patin Patin, the two claimants, were in their Dorset Street home during a March 11 Immigration and Customs Enforcement See LAWSUIT on page 12
SouthernInSpIred dIner ClaSSICS BreakfaSt, lunCh, dInner
PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
SBPD’s Bike Patrol Unit includes (from left) DC Sean Briscoe, officer Justin Maki, parks patrol Kyle Neece, officer Abe Kanda-Olmstead and officer Lukas Petruzziello. See story, page 2.
Veterans Affairs to open clinic in South Burlington BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
The Department of Veterans Affairs signed a 20-year lease for a new outpatient clinic at Technology Park in South Burlington. The VA White River Junction Health-
care System expects the new clinic, which will replace the services it currently offers at its clinic in Burlington, to open to patients by 2030. “We’re anticipating that this is really going to improve access for veterans in all of Northwestern Vermont,” Carey Russ, the assistant director at VA White River Junc-
tion Healthcare, said. Right now, the clinic in Burlington serves about 3,300 veterans who live within a 30-minute drive. However, Russ said, there are around 7,900 veterans who live See VETERANS AFFAIRS on page 15
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