Dogs rescued
Roaring to life
Police arrest three for animal cruelty
New Lions Club represents city, Shelburne
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South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the OCTOBER 5, 2023
otherpapersbvt.com
VOLUME 47, NO. 40
Higher Ground litigation heading to Supreme Court COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
A group of 140 Burlington and South Burlington residents opposing Higher Ground’s Burlington relocation appealed to Vermont’s Supreme Court, ensuring a continued battle over the location of one of the state’s most prominent music venues. The residents, under the collective Citizens for Responsible Zoning, filed documents Thursday appealing a Superior Court ruling
earlier this month allowing the project to move forward. “The CRZ has been asking that Burton (and) Higher Ground commit to being a good neighbor by accepting conditions that would ensure the project does not degrade the quality of life for its neighbors,” the group said in a statement. “At every step of this permitting process, Burton has insisted that there will be no adverse noise, See HIGHER GROUND on page 2
Beta unveils electric aircraft facility in SB COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
Kyle Clark stood just outside the hangar of his company’s new manufacturing facility with his family, much of Vermont’s past and present federal delegation and hundreds of his employees, all staring at the sky. They stood silently, waiting, before the low hum of Alia, Beta’s prototype electric aircraft model, could be heard. It flew over the 188,000 square-foot facility, with news cameras and cellphones panning the sky. It was a little louder than expected. You can still hear the noise of the aircraft’s frame and propeller, said Clark, the company’s founder and CEO, adding the plane was “about 10 times quieter than a regular airplane.”
“It’s slightly quieter than the F-35’s,” Vermont’s senior senator, Bernie Sanders, quipped. “We have the distinction of having the loudest plane in the world and the quietest plane, all in one airport.” Monday morning’s flyover capped a ceremony attended by hundreds of Beta employees, investors and state and local dignitaries, celebrating the opening of Beta Technologies’ electric aircraft manufacturing facility — the first of its kind in the country. It marks a significant milestone for the electric aerospace company, as well as the state. Since its inception in Vermont in 2017, Beta has been working to develop and eventually mass produce electric airplanes. It’s amassed more than See BETA on page 10
COURTESY PHOTOS
South Burlington Public Library trustees Donna Swartwout, Margery Vagt and Rebecca Stazi hold books that some libraries across the country are being forced to censor or ban.
Library draws attention to censorship, book bans The South Burlington Public Library celebrates Banned Books Week Oct. 1-7 to spotlight the freedom to read and bring attention to efforts to censor books in libraries, schools and bookstores. “The trustees felt it was important to honor the work of our libraries and to celebrate the freedom for everyone to read,” Stacey Pape, chair of the South Burlington Public Library Board of Trustees, said. Along with the Vermont Library Association, the board also affirms its support for the American Library Association, a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization that develops, promotes and improves library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.