Cycling students take to the back field of CCS
First year Charlotte Central School Physical Education teacher Matt Kent introduced a new unit of study this spring that dates back to the early 19th century: biking!
Duke, the English Bulldog who took taxis
Finally, our family was getting a dog! Father scoured the papers for weeks and spotted an ad: “Greatly loved English bulldog needs a good home due to the arrival of a third child. Trained and housebroken, one year old, gentle temperament. Championship papers.”
Sports Report
Four CVU teams ranked top in the state heading into the playoffs. Batters, men and women LAXers and women racketeers, all headed into their respective state tournaments ranked on top of the heap. As things turned out, two won and two lost.
School taxes will increase with governor’s flat rate
Vermonters know there’s a difference between taxes and tax rates. Especially when it comes to property taxes, a lower rate doesn’t mean lower taxes if the grand list value of a property goes up. It’s important to distinguish between taxes and rates as the administration and the Legislature seek a compromise on education funding for next year.
Rice Memorial High School announces National Honor Society inductees
Rice Memorial High School recently inducted 57 new students into the Rev. Raymond A. Adams Chapter of the National Honor Society.
Lessons from weeding: grassroots action
I’m 47 years old and this month was the first time in my life that I’ve ever weeded a garden. While this might be surprising to many, as I am the newly appointed Food & Farm director at Philo Ridge Farm, I’ve spent the better part of my adult life on the social and culinary side of food and agriculture. Furthermore, other than my college years at UVM, I’ve spent my entire life in the city.
The Charlotte Senior Center News
It is no surprise that the Senior Center primarily serves residents of Charlotte, but did you know that we also welcome those from surrounding communities? What’s more, these participants also contribute financially as Friends of the Senior Center, donate their time and expertise as volunteer instructors and help in many other crucial volunteer jobs around the Center.
Charlotte Senior Center News
How is Charlotte like Utah? Both have snowbirds. There is Snowbird, a ski area in Little Cottonwood Canyon, outside Salt Lake City; and in Charlotte and environs we have our snowbirds flying back from points south. Now is a great time for everyone to reconnect and catch up on winter stories.
Garter snakes in your garden
When I was growing up near Buffalo, New York, I had a friend who loved snakes, and we would…
Leavitty
The weather has been decidedly delightful of late. My tulips, slow at first to announce themselves, are hanging on longer than usual, making me happy every day. I love spring and its bursts of life everywhere I look. Flowers that were not there when I went to bed are waving hello in the morning breeze while I have my coffee. I love these flowers.
The good, the bad and the ugly
By the time the ink dries on this issue of The Charlotte News, hiking in Vermont’s higher elevations will be open for the season. The Green Mountain Club (GMC), steward of Vermont’s Long Trail, offers numerous walks, hikes, paddles, birding and workdays in our region through the upcoming hiking season. A June sampling:
The secret language of cemeteries
Charlotte’s historic cemeteries have a lot to offer the living. The gravestones celebrate our history, and their carvings are a form of art, rich with beauty and mystery. It’s worth considering that, for humble 18th- and 19th-century farmers, these stones were likely the only available public art.
Report for the Legislature: Going into overtime
The legislative process is both deliberate and deliberative. Bills do not get passed without a considerable amount of testimony from stakeholders on every side of an issue and discussion among the members of a committee comprised of Republicans, Democrats, Progressives and Independents. Bills that are introduced are often modified significantly by the time they are voted out of committee and sent to the floor for consideration by the entire body of either the House or the Senate. Once the bill gets to the other chamber, the process is repeated.
Calling all paddlers
Do you enjoy spending time on Lake Champlain? Do you care about water quality and habitat? Join Lewis Creek Association and volunteers as we manage European frogbit and other aquatic invasive plants in Shelburne and Charlotte this June!
Charlotte Library News
Thursday, May 31, at 3:15 p.m. THINK Tank: Paper Circuits. Make light-up circuits on a piece of paper! Conductive tape, a battery and LEDs will light up your card or folded paper creation. For 4th-8th grades. Registration required. Please sign up for up to two THINK Tank programs in May. For more sessions, please request to be put on the waiting list.
Summer events discussed at early May Selectboard meeting
The May 14 Selectboard meeting was a long one, with discussion surrounding Thompson’s Point and Lane’s Lane taking center stage. Selectboard member Lane Morrison opened the meeting early with further amendments to the Thompson’s Point Wastewater Disposal System Ordinance. Early changes in the meeting focused on the tightening of language, as Selectboard members went through the ordinance line by line. Some sections of the document, such as guidelines and policies for lease holders, were removed to become parts of separate documents, which will be better served by the information.
Are you done with that?
It’s a curious thing to wake up in a city that’s quiet. Sure, it’s Saturday morning, but it happened on Friday, too. It could be that I’m used to the sounds of New York, which seems to be busy and loud at all hours of the day, and so I assume that all cities are noisy. San Francisco is quiet in the early morning.
“A hunting we will go ….”
More than 30 children and their parents were lucky enough to participate in an energetic nature-scavenger hunt at the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, May 19. From toddlers to “tweens,” the park was alive with young voices thrilled by the excitement of the “find”!
Charlotters driven to electric cars
Charlotters have been quietly leading the movement to bring electric vehicles (EVs) to Vermont’s roads. On a per-capita basis, there are now more electric cars—60 in total—in Charlotte than anywhere else in Chittenden County. Several of those EV drivers brought their cars for display and joined a group of 30 to listen to a presentation by Dave Roberts from Drive Electric Vermont last Wednesday evening at the library.
Sports Report
Saturday, May 17, was a special day for the Redhawk baseball team, for the school itself and, particularly, for Storm Rushford, a sophomore who had contributed strongly to the team’s success through his all-around play as a pitcher, hitter and fielder – that is until physical weakness invaded his body and he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia last summer.