Williston Observer

Jan. 28, 2010

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

Its once-rumbling offense stalled Monday night by a pesky Rice Memorial High team for the second time this season, the 12-3 Champlain Valley Union High girls basketball team will try to get back into high gear Thursday night. The Redhawks face 9-6 Spaulding High, a team they nipped 47-44 in Barre in late December.

On Monday, the Redhawks will travel to Burlington High to tangle for the second time with the 12-2 Seahorses, who have been rolling along since CVU nailed them 47-34 at Bremner Gymnasium on Jan. 5.

Rice, a mighty obstacle in scoring a 29-26 victory over the Redhawks in Hinesburg in December, once again derailed the Hawks, riding a third quarter 18-8 bash to a 47-39 victory on the Knights’ floor. Coach Stan Williams’ Redhawks had averaged better than 60 points a game in their previous four outings, all wins.

Allison Gannon fired in 13 points for CVU while guard Carlee Evans notched 10, hitting double figures for a second straight game.

In the Redhawks’ Friday night, home 50-30 victory over 6-6 North Country Union, Evans not only scored 10 points to lead the winners, but added six steals, four rebounds and three assists. She provided a steady hand in a loosely played affair dominated by more than 50 turnovers from the two teams.

After emerging from a narrow, 12-10 lead midway in the second period, the Redhawks, chilled by cold shooting, used a suffocating defense to gain a 24-13 edge by halftime and a comfortable 37-19 advantage at the third period buzzer.

Gannon, held scoreless and boardless in the first half, wound up with nine points and four rebounds, plus two steals and two assists.

Shea Hulbert rose up for a game-high 11 rebounds (8 points) and Kendal Kohlasch took down six rebounds to go with three assists.

Off the bench came Sara Riordan with a pair of threebies and Lindsay Hawley with seven points and two steals.

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Jan. 28, 2010

 

Multiple charges

• Nichole M. Laramee, 30, of Burlington was cited into court on three charges of cruelty to children, as well as a charge of driving under the influence on Jan. 18, according to police reports. Her blood alcohol test registered .082, according to the report. The legal limit for driving in Vermont is .08.

• Following a motor vehicle stop on Jan. 22, Timothy Alan Hanson, 49, of St. Albans was cited on charges of possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

Diamond ring found

Police are holding a diamond ring in storage that was found in a bin at Federal Express in Williston. Call Williston Police at 764-1152 for more information.

Wanted person

• Police searching for a person wanted on an “active warrant” on Jan. 19 located Domingo Rodriquez, 43, of Essex Junction, according to police reports. He was wanted for failing to appear on a driving under the influence charge, the report notes. He was taken to Chittenden County Correctional Center. No other information was released.

• On Jan. 19, police located Wanda I. Ortiz, 52, of Essex Junction, who was wanted on two outstanding warrants, according to police reports. She was taken to Chittenden County Correctional Center. No information as to the nature of the warrants was released.

Assault

A juvenile was cited on charges of assault on Jan. 20 at the Jean Garvin School, according to police reports. No other information was released.

Disorderly conduct

A juvenile was cited on charges of disorderly conduct on Jan. 24 at NFI, according to police reports. No other information was released.

Theft

• Raymond Germain, 34, of Bristol was cited on a charge of retail theft from Wal-Mart on Nov. 1 after allegedly stealing $69.97 worth of merchandise, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

Driving with suspended license

• Doris L. Gingras, 44, of Hinesburg was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license after a motor vehicle stop on Oct. 29, according to police reports. She was cited to appear in court.

• Eric John Bessette, 36, of Fairfax was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license after a motor vehicle stop on Jan. 21, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

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Main dishes — with or without meat

Jan. 28, 2010

By Ginger Isham

One of my favorite dishes for dinner is made with ground pork and takes little prep. It has an unusual ingredient and I like to tell people it is a secret — see if you can guess what it is.

 

Pork Szechuan

12 ounces linguine (cook as directed)

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce with less sodium

12 ounces ground pork

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 to 1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

1 tablespoon fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons peanut butter

Add small amount of oil to skillet. Sauté onion, garlic, carrot and ginger for 2 minutes. Add ground pork and cook until it loses its red color. Add chicken broth, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Mix and stir in peanut butter. Heat and serve over linguine. Serves 3 to 4 people.

 

Tangy Lentil Salad

2 cups water

1 cup dried lentils

pinch of salt

1 bay leaf

1 cup cucumber, diced and seeded

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard (can use 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons)

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Place water, lentils, salt and bay leaf into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. Drain and discard bay leaf. Combine lentils, cucumber, celery and onion in a bowl. Mix orange juice, mustard and vinegar with a whisk. Stir into lentil mixture, stir in cheese. Cover and chill. Makes about 4 servings. Serve with favorite bread sticks and fresh fruit or salad of your choice.

This is a high fiber dish and has 225 calories in a 1-cup serving. Use leftovers to fill pita pocket for lunch sandwich. Serve with snappy peas.

 

Snappy Peas

In a saucepan, bring 1 pound of frozen peas and 1/2 cup water to boil. Cover pan, reduce heat and cook until tender. Drain and add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 minced clove garlic, 3/4 teaspoon (or less) lemon-pepper seasoning and pinch of salt. I would leave out the salt. Stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes and serve.

 

Ginger Isham lives with her husband on a fifth generation family farm on Oak Hill Road.

 

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My Facebook status: Revisit health care

Jan. 28, 2010

By Steve Mount

Facebook, in case you’ve been living under a rock the past year or two, is a great Internet service for keeping in touch with friends and family.

According to Facebook, I have 173 friends. Most of the time, our interactions are simple. I post a status to say what’s new in my life and my Facebook friends do the same. Every so often, I or they are moved to comment on those status updates in one way or another.

Status updates are generally of the “Wow, that movie was awful!” or “The recipe we cooked tonight was wonderful!” type. The kind of stuff that comedians like to poke fun at.

Last week, though, I was moved to post this (in the ubiquitous Facebook third-person):

“Steve is lamenting the loss in Massachusetts, but is thinking it needn’t be the end of health care reform. It could just be the end to all the unseemly deals needed to get this far.”

The update was, of course, about the loss in Massachusetts of Democrat Martha Coakley to Republican Scott Brown for a permanent replacement for Ted Kennedy’s seat in the U.S. Senate. The win was a surprise not only because Massachusetts has only 13 percent registered Republicans, but because just three weeks ago, Coakley was still leading in the polls. Brown’s win was primarily due to his ability to sway the Massachusetts independent bloc, blowing pundit predictions out of the water.

The win means an end to the supposedly filibuster-proof 60-40 majority the Democrats gained once Minnesota’s Al Franken finally took office back in July.

My Facebook status post brought comments from one of my liberal friends and several of my conservative friends, stirring a mini-debate.

Political debates on the Internet are nothing new, but often the debates take place behind the veil of some degree of anonymity. This debate, though, was not with anonymous avatars, with people I’d never met and never would. This debate was with friends, family and co-workers. That meant that vitriol was at a minimum, and thoughtfulness and reflection were at a maximum.

Most of the posts agreed in particular with my final point — that the Senate bill is a perfect example of what’s wrong with the legislative process. My conservative friends said that the abomination was because Republicans had been left out of the process. I replied that they seemed to forget all the committee hearings where the Republicans had more than ample time to give their input.

What was really responsible for the ugliness of the Senate bill, I noted, was how the Democratic leadership allowed the bill to be held hostage by other Democrats. Mindful of the razor-thin majority, a few Democrats were able to demand some pretty sweet deals for their states, deals the rest of us would be paying for. The most egregious example: Nebraska’s Ben Nelson was able to guarantee that his state’s Medicaid bill would be paid for by the federal government in perpetuity.

Thus far, I’ve supported passage of either the House or Senate version of the bill, despite these types of deals, so that we can get something out there, something that will stop insurance company abuses and save lives.

But given this change in the Senate, perhaps it is time to take a step back and have a fresh look at the problem. The debates have already been held, the discussion has already been had. We know those parts of the bills that have some Republican support. Let’s pass those parts now. These include the complete elimination of pre-existing conditions and of retroactive policy denial, and a cap on insurance company profit-taking.

Then, using the momentum of change from these reforms and the goodwill they will create between the Congress and the people, we can continue to pound away at the health care problem, working toward a public option with teeth, rather than the limp impersonation that the current bills contain.

This sort of strategy should help both parties. The Republicans can tout their support for some reforms and hope the public forgets all the stalling tactics and the spreading of misinformation that started last summer. The Democrats can show some movement on an issue that the majority of the public wants fixed, giving them something to hang their hats on as election season nears.

Win-win for the parties; but more importantly, a win for the people. Something worth posting a Facebook status update about.

 

Steve Mount has been a Williston resident since 1996. He is a software engineer at GE Healthcare and is devoted to his family, his country and his Constitution. You can reach Steve at [email protected] or read his blog at http://saltyrain.com/ls.

 

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A better change for America

Jan. 28, 2010

By Mike Benevento

You can sense it. We all know it. America’s political mood is once again changing. The recent election of Republican Scott Brown to take “Ted Kennedy’s seat” in the U.S. Senate confirmed the pendulum is swinging back to the right. Ordinary citizens have had enough of Congress and President Barack Obama’s agenda. They want change. So, let’s carry the momentum into November’s elections.

Americans are sick and tired of the past year’s massive spending spree. We want smaller, more efficient government — at all levels. We do not need an increasingly bloated bureaucracy taking more control of our lives along with the higher taxes it demands.

As Americans, we are frustrated with an unresponsive leadership and having our voice ignored. While Washington tells us to be satisfied with “only” 10 percent unemployment, families worry about paying bills. It is penny-pinching time for most. Meanwhile, a seemingly uncaring Congress increases our nation’s debt ceiling without batting an eye.

Americans are upset with the government’s overspending and its growing size. The voters want fiscal responsibility. People are fed up with expensive stimulus packages, bank bailouts, auto company takeovers and health care overhauls — while we little people pay the bills. You have heard it before and it is true: Wall Street benefits while Main Street suffers.

Washington’s status quo no longer works. It is time to replace incumbents who do not favor reducing taxes, limiting government and minimizing power. The same goes for the Vermont Legislature.

Last year, as Vermonters faced difficult financial times, Gov. Jim Douglas, Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie and legislative Republicans called for reduced state spending. The Democrat-controlled Legislature refused to cooperate.

Instead, Vermont Democrats ignored economic realities, overrode Gov. Douglas’ veto, and passed an unsustainable state budget. Using federal money as a crutch, they increased spending at a time when Vermonters were cutting back. The results were inevitable.

Vermont currently faces a $150 million deficit. Montpelier now has to make huge budget cuts across state government. This will have a corresponding negative effect on government services. Unsurprisingly, Vermonters are not pleased.

People are working hard. In fact, especially in Vermont, many of us toil at two jobs trying to make ends meet. We worry about having a decent and steady source of income to provide for our family. While we would sure love it, we are not looking to get rich. We simply want more time with our family and friends and more freedom to follow our own pursuits.

Americans simply want to raise their family, do their job and live their life — with minimal government interference, regulation and taxation. Government’s purpose is to support the American way of life — not control it. More and more, however, control is what it feels like Washington is striving for.

Constant government spending greatly infringes upon its citizens’ ability to choose. The more the government takes, the less flexibility people have to spend on what they need or desire. Eventually, left untouched, government will suck the life and spirit out of its workers in an apparently endless quest for power and wealth redistribution.

We demand responsiveness from our representatives. We do not need leaders who put special interests above ours. We especially don’t need those that mostly look out for themselves and turn a deaf ear toward their constituents.

In November, let’s elect politicians who listen to us, support traditional family values and prefer limited government. Let’s elect people who favor reducing taxes. Let’s elect conservatives.

There are many good conservatives looking to make a positive difference in local, state and federal government. They’ll need loyal and energetic supporters to assist their campaigns. Volunteers will be needed to write letters, hand out flyers, wave banners, install lawn signs, make phone calls, talk to others and help raise money.

It is time for conservatives to step up to the plate. While money is appreciated, donating your time and effort is most important. Become involved. Spread the word.

You can make a difference — especially at the local level. Don’t allow those that you disagree with to run the show. Take action!

If you want to get involved, here are three great places to start:

> The grassroots Tea Party movement calls for smaller government, less taxes and better representation. Vermont’s organization recently changed its name to the Green Mountain Patriots. For more information, check out www.greenmountainpatriots.com.

> The Vermont Republican Party (www.vtgop.org).

> The Williston Town GOP. Contact Bret Powell at 878-5347 for more information.

Together, conservatives can bring about a better change for America. Please join us.

 

Michael Benevento is a former Air Force fighter jet weapon systems officer. He has a bachelor’s degree in Military History and a master’s in International Relations. Mike resides in Williston with his wife Kristine and their two sons, Matthew and Calvin.

 

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