Jan. 29, 2009

Snowmen vandalized

On Jan. 24, the snowmen on the green across from the Majestic 10 movie theater in Maple Tree Place were “vandalized,” according to police reports. The case is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Williston Police at 878-6611.

Driving under the influence

•    Thomas E. Frenchette, 55, of Williston was cited for driving under the influence on Jan. 10, according to police reports. His blood alcohol test was .114, the report notes. The legal limit in Vermont is .08. He was cited to appear in court on Jan. 29.

•    Following a motor vehicle stop on Jan. 18, Jason Forster, 26, of Essex Junction was cited for driving under the influence, according to police reports. His blood alcohol test was .111, the report notes. He was cited to appear in court on Feb. 9.

Driving with license suspended

•    Alicia N. Kidney, 24, of Burlington was cited for “criminal” driving with a suspended license on Jan. 17, according to police reports. She was cited to appear in court on March 2.

•    Following a motor vehicle stop on Jan. 19, Jeremy B. Zeno, 25, of Fairfax was cited for driving with a suspended license, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court in May.

•    Christopher Bocash, 26, of Fairfax was cited for “criminal” driving with a suspended license on Jan. 22, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

Theft

•    Laurel A. McEnany, 19, of Colchester was cited on three counts of retail theft on Dec. 24 after allegedly stealing $341.30 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart, $275 worth from Macy’s and $95 worth from Victoria’s Secret, according to police reports.

•    Jamie A. Jarvis, 31, of Burlington was cited for retail theft at Wal-Mart on Jan. 19 after allegedly stealing more than $50 worth of merchandise, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

•    Heather M. Notte, 22, and Aris L. Garcia, 21, both of Burlington, were cited for retail theft at Wal-Mart on Jan. 22 after allegedly stealing $45 worth of merchandise, according to police reports.

Domestic assault

On Jan. 20, Susan A. Tucker, 20, of Williston was cited for second-degree aggravated domestic assault, according to police reports. Tucker was cited after Williston Police responded to a 911 call and reportedly found her boyfriend bleeding from the head. His “face and neck was completely covered in blood,” the report notes.

After speaking with the victim, who was sitting on the porch with a towel on his head waiting for rescue personnel to arrive, police spoke with Tucker and also interviewed two neighbors, according to the report. Police determined that Tucker allegedly struck the victim with a cell phone “several times in the head” and then allegedly hit him in the back of the head with a “ceramic coffee mug,” according to the report.

Tucker was transported to Chittenden County Correctional Center and put on “hold without bail” status, according to the report.

Wanted person

David J. Reposa Jr., 21, of Richmond was arrested on a warrant on Jan. 21, according to police reports. The warrant was “for 8 days left to serve,” the report notes. He was taken to Chittenden County Correctional Center “to serve the remaining time,” according to the report.

Marijuana possession

•    Following a motor vehicle stop on Dec. 24, Ronald Ryan, 55, of Waterbury was cited for possession of marijuana, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

•    Following a motor vehicle stop on Jan. 24, Stephen Davison, 26, of Sheldon was cited for possession of 8 grams of marijuana, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

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Cooking the books

Jan. 29, 2009

By Kim Dannies

So many wonderful cookbooks, so little time! Here are a few of my favorite books from this past year:

“Spain: A Culinary Road Trip” by Mario Batali (with Gwyneth Paltrow) makes for a charming cookbook/travel guide highlighting the pleasures of sunny Spain. Earthy but elegant food, fascinating sidebar interviews and tips for travelers make for pleasure on the page and the palate; a companion PBS special series on Thursday evenings at 10 brings it all to us in living color.

“How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman would make a worthy wedding gift for a couple new to the kitchen. I’m thinking of downsizing my general cookbook collection a bit and using this as a single reference.

Always a soft touch for “anything Ina,” I love “The Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics” by Ina Garten. The cookbook is filled with well written recipes and paired with excellent food styling and photographs. While her food is not typically kind to the waistline, it is always comforting, gorgeous and easy to prepare. The joy Ina Garten brings to her cooking is simply contagious.

The staff of Food & Wine magazine produced a book called “The Best of the Best,” where first they chose the 25 best cookbooks from 2008, and then they flushed out the best recipes from the winning cookbooks. Sounds like “Darwinian dining” to me; maybe this can be the new foodie catch phrase for 2009.

I never knew that pancakes made without eggs or butter could be so fluffy and so delicious; these healthy vegan pancakes will add a bit of sunshine to many a dark winter morning. The recipe is from “Veganomicon” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. It is a terrific primer for vegan cooks, or those interested in new learning new techniques; the recipe makes 8 to 10 pancakes.

Lemon blueberry corn pancakes

1.    In a work bowl, combine 3/4 cup of white whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

2.    In a 2-cup measure combine 1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract, 2 teaspoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup.

3.    Preheat a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat.

4.    Add wet ingredients to dry bowl and mix until just combined; do not over-mix as pancakes will become tough, a few lumps are fine.

5.    Spray pan with cooking spray. Lower heat to medium. Pour 1/4-cup portions into pan to create pancakes. Sprinkle in some fresh blueberries (frozen blueberries work fine, too, simply thaw on a paper towel to eliminate excess moisture.) Cook one side about 3 minutes and flip when browned; cook until barely firm, another minute or so. Repeat as needed. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston with her husband, Jeff; they have three college-aged daughters. For archived Everyday Gourmet columns go to kimdannies.com.

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Jan. 29, 2009

ELECTION LETTERS POLICY

Local elections will be held on Tuesday, March 3. Please note the Observer will not run any Letters to the Editor pertaining to the elections on Feb. 26, the week prior to the election.

All Letters to the Editor written in regards to the March 3 election MUST be received no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16, and will appear in the Observer on Feb. 19. Please be aware that normal guidelines will apply, including a 300-word limit for all letters.

E-mail letters to [email protected]

Don’t change phys ed in the schools

I am a Williston homeowner and moved to the town specifically because of the fine schools, teachers and approach to education. As an undergraduate, I student taught at Williston Central School in physical education, did a practicum at Allen Brook and created an adapted physical education program for children with intensive special needs in grades five through eight at Williston Central. Currently I run the physical education program at Jericho Elementary School.

My perspective is that of an insider having firsthand experience of the multi-age classrooms at Williston Central School and a teacher who teachers single-age classes. I have received national recognition for my work in physical education as the 2006 AAHPERD Outstanding Future Professional.

Please, for the sake of my children and all others in our school’s future, DO NOT CHANGE the physical education structure. The multi-age classroom makes learning in this environment intrinsic. It reduces classroom behavior issues, helps promote personal and social responsibility and offers real life opportunity to work and learn in a diverse setting.

Teaching personal and social responsibility is at the very core of teaching physical education. Having a multi-age, diverse classroom promotes such learning.

The physical education department at Williston Central School is structured so the students in grades five through eight choose what they want to learn. It is rare to find a program that has the willingness and talent to be so flexible and the resources to make it happen. This ability to choose activities in physical education provides a sense of ownership to the students and promotes the concept of lifelong physical activity.

Moving to a single-age class in physical education puts in jeopardy all these benefits and opportunities for our students. Nothing from a pedagogical point of view or from a student’s experience would be gained by moving to a single-age class in physical education.

Glenn Steinman, Williston

A bleak future?

What I read about our economy and people losing jobs scares me, yet this recession is good for the country as it makes us take a good look at our spending habits. Hopefully it will show us what we really need to exist and how to balance living a good but happy life.

A few years ago our household had to sit down with a financial advisor and put down on paper exactly what we needed for a monthly income to pay the monthly necessities. It was good for us. It takes time well spent. This happened especially when we sold our business and were suddenly on a fixed income. One does not have to wait for this to happen to review household budgets and expenses. We found out how many magazine subscriptions we had and how much we spent to eat out, for grandchildren’s birthdays and Christmas gifts. It can be an eye-opener to your spending habits.

I would like to challenge everyone in Vermont to take a pay cut so no one has to lose their job and go on unemployment. I think to lose one’s job and income and health insurance has got to be far worse than taking a pay cut. No one can know everyone’s family situation, how many are dependent on that income and insurance, so to just tell someone they no longer have a job or insurance seems harsh and cruel. How long can unemployment benefits last? When a job is lost where is there one to be found?

In the past, Vermonters have been known to be leaders.

Ginger Isham, Williston

A decade of mentoring

Ten years ago, a group of eighth graders from across Williston Central School came together to plan a new “mentoring initiative,” made possible by funding from Connecting Youth. They envisioned creating strong mentoring relationships based on trust, listening and caring.

Today, Connecting Youth Mentoring has blossomed into a thriving program serving over 120 middle school youth throughout Chittenden South Supervisory Union. CY Mentoring has remained true to the vision created by these Williston eighth graders.

On this 10th anniversary, CY Mentoring at Williston Central School will benefit from the Brick Church Music Series contemporary jazz concert on Feb. 20, featuring “Picture This.” All proceeds from this event will support the Williston Central School “Guardian Angel Fund,” helping Williston students participating in mentoring to identify and develop their unique gifts, talents and interests.

Tickets are available at the Town Clerk’s office or at the door.

With your support, this wonderful program will continue to thrive for many, many years to come.

Carol Bick, Nancy Carlson, Nancy Colbourn, Kathleen Cramer, Chris Ford, Sarah Klionsky, Shona Mossey-Lothrop, Jackie Parks, Michael Thomas, Micaela Wallace, Darlene Worth, WCS Mentoring Advisory Board

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First peek of the Obama watch

Jan. 29, 2009

By Edwin Cooney

“What did you think about the Obama Inauguration?” surely has been one of the most frequently asked questions throughout America over the past several days. Exactly how one answers that question is likely to be as much a reflection of who the respondent is as it is of the real value of the event itself.

If you’re like me, absolutely enthralled by what you know of our new president, your response to that question will echo both enthusiasm and hopeful optimism. If, on the other hand, you don’t much like either President Obama or what you know about what he stands for, your response is likely to reflect skepticism and a “let’s wait and see” outlook tinged with doubt.

Any time I need to get my head straightened out on a matter of this significance, I usually visit my favorite watering hole to see what my buddies Lunkhead and Dunderhead have to say. So there I was just the other night, sitting between the two of them, and that’s where I got my first shock.

Lunkhead had been humbled by having to wear a set of donkey ears as dictated by his wife, the “beloved Bertha,” after he lost his election bet with her last November. He was still wearing them now, even though the inauguration was over. He responded to my inquiry.

“It’s the least I can do, after all. My candidate didn’t have any better idea as to how to fix the economy than Obama seemed to have. It seemed like Obama was turning to socialism. If we can criticize Obama, and I did, it is equally true that those tax cuts the Republicans insist are the economic savior haven’t helped. All they have gotten us is fewer jobs and lousy home mortgages. So it seems to me we’re all donkeys when it comes to understanding how to keep America prosperous,” Lunkhead said, sipping his newly poured scotch.

Dunderhead, to my complete surprise, was glum.

“Dunderhead,” I began, “What’s wrong with …”

“Don’t ask me any questions!” Dunderhead said sharply. “Let me ask you a question: Who was distinctly absent from President Obama’s inauguration? Don’t get me wrong, I love Obama, but someone was missing. Who was it?”

“Wait a minute,” Lunkhead shot back, “I’ll tell you who was there. America was there. Men and women who work and those who have been thrown out of work were there. Blacks, women and ethnic minorities were there. All your people, Dunderhead — that’s who were there. I don’t get what you’re talking …”

“Thank you,” said Dunderhead, “for answering the easy part of the question. As a spectacle, the Inauguration was spectacular. Nearly two million happy people were there and you’re right, Lunkhead, those are my kind of people. I’m glad they were there. So, as a spectacle, it was great — even grand. But ‘grand,’ I suppose, really has to be reserved for the jewels, furs and limousines of the Reagan Inauguration 28 years ago.

“What’s grabbing me is who didn’t seem to be there,” Dunderhead moaned.

“Look,” I replied, “Joe the Plumber would have been there if only …”

“Ah, cut the comedy,” said Dunderhead. “What was the headline alongside the inaugural story Tuesday night?” he asked.

I took a healthy sip of my beer. I could hear the ice rattling in Lunkhead’s scotch. To my right, I heard the sound of Dunderhead digging deep into his bowl of peanuts. Then, it hit me.

“The stock market fell by some 300 plus points,” I said.

“Precisely!” exclaimed Dunderhead. “While the people and their politicians played, the money changers, the decision makers, were up in New York, wheeling, dealing and getting paid.”

“Those are the decision makers?” asked Lunkhead. “You know, Dunderhead, you’re the one who usually lectures me about the currents in American history, so I’m surprised at you. If the founding fathers (like George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Ben Franklin) were responsible for putting this great nation together, who shook things up enough so that they HAD to come together?”

Then he answered his own question: “The guy who got it all going was a destitute western Massachusetts farmer named Daniel Shays. It was his rebellion in 1786 that frightened the rich bankers and well-off legislators enough so that they demanded that a political and economic order had to be created out of the existing economic and political chaos.

Then he asked his second question.

“If Dr. Joseph Lowery, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Congressman John Lewis were all responsible for leading the Civil Rights movement paving the way for Barack Obama’s election as our 44th president, who started it all? I’ll answer that with another question. Who was that little lady who refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala. city bus?”

With that, Lunkhead sat back without even mentioning the lady’s name — Rosa Parks.

“It would seem that decision makers are largely dependent on ‘condition setters,’ wouldn’t it?” I said reflexively.

“Yep,” responded Lunkhead, “and unless I miss my guess, condition-setting is right down Barack Obama’s alley.”

What was there to say after that? All I could do was to stroll home — so, I did.

Edwin Cooney is a national political and historical columnist.

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Exams: A necessary evil?

Jan. 29, 2009

By Kayla Purvis

What comes around twice a year, is dreaded by every high school student, and has kids cramming for a week? If you said exams, you’re correct. Whether they are midterms or finals, exams have us stressing and reviewing notes like crazy.

Though exams can be a pain in the butt and fairly stressful, I think they are really important parts of our education. Without them there wouldn’t be pressure for students to retain the information they’re taught throughout the course of a semester- or year-long class.

Having long, grade-influential tests twice a year also helps to prepare us for college. Our ability to effectively review, study and prepare for tests is an important skill to master. Exams also allow us to exercise our capability of recalling needed information and details from past classes.

Some students, like my friend Andrea Lavalette, 16, of Gilbert, Ariz., don’t like exams because, “They (teachers) expect us to remember stuff from the beginning of the year. I don’t even remember my own birthday sometimes! But they can be helpful for teachers.”

I’ve never really freaked out about exams. Yes, it can be a bit stressful to try and keep everything in your head for a collective test. But teachers don’t expect us to remember everything we have been taught; it’s an unlikely expectation to have fulfilled. We are constantly learning and experimenting, and we can forget the details sometimes.

That’s why exams have a certain advantage. They’re called “collective” tests because they’re a compilation of everything learned over the course of one or two semesters. This means that more content will be covered on the test, and thus the test will have more questions. With more questions, the student’s grade is hurt less by an incorrect answer because each question is worth fewer points.

For example, a test worth 100 points with four questions comes out to 25 points per question. If the students gets one answer wrong, she receives a 75 percent. But on a test worth 100 points with 50 questions, the questions are each worth only 2 points; one wrong answer would result in a 98 percent.

Believe it or not, our exams aren’t meant to torture us. (Okay, maybe a tiny bit.) They’re used to measure how much we learned within a certain time period and how well we use important skills. Those skills can be study skills, review skills, note-taking skills or reading skills, all of which are necessary to make our college life easier, if indeed we decide to take that route.

So, even though we dread one week in January and one week in June, we should remember that exams are helpful to us in a few different ways. They let us track our progress, practice skills and stir up our new knowledge a little bit. We even get half-days out of the deal.

And to students: Remember not to stress out too much! You already know what you’re being tested on, it’s just a matter of reviewing what you’ve learned.

Williston resident Kayla Purvis is a sophomore at Champlain Valley Union High School.

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