By Mike Donoghue, Senior Correspondent

The Vermont Principals’ Association and its executive director, Jay Nichols, have agreed to pay $566,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees to partially settle a religious discrimination civil lawsuit brought by the Mid Vermont Christian School.

Mid Vermont Christian, located in Quechee, and one of its families filed the lawsuit against state education leaders in 2023 after the VPA expelled the private school and its students from participating in all state-sponsored activities.

The expulsion came because the school followed its religious beliefs by forfeiting a girls’ varsity basketball game at the state tournament against the Long Trail School because the Dorset school had a transgender player, according to Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing the school and one of its families.

The VPA’s agreement to pay $566,000 comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York City in September ruled Vermont had to allow the Christian school back into the state’s athletic association.

MVCS, in its lawsuit, had maintained the VPA created an unsafe and unfair situation by allowing the tall, oversized player on the girls team.  The player was more than 6 feet tall.

A federal appeals court in New York City ruled last September that the VPA had violated its own rules and discriminated against the private school.  It came when the school said it would take a forfeit rather than play the team with a transgender player, records show.  The VPA took the unprecedented step to vote a full ban of Mid Vermont from all sports and activities.

ADF attorneys are continuing to litigate the remainder of the case, Mid Vermont Christian School v. Education Commissioner Zoie Saunders and others.

Vermont education officials have continued to exclude all religious schools, including Mid Vermont, and their students from participating in the state’s tuition program and other public benefit programs, ADF said.

Plaintiffs Mid Vermont Christian, Nathan Partington and his child, identified in court papers as O.P., did not dismiss any claims against Saunders and the other defendants State Education Board Chair Jennifer Deck Samuelson and the Waits River Valley (Unified #36 Elementary) School Board, court records show.

The dismissal against Nichols is in both his personal and official capacities at the VPA, records show.

The VPA issued a statement that said its lawyer had advised the association not to comment on the settlement, except “to say that we will continue to follow Vermont law and advocate for all Vermont children.”

It was unclear if the VPA has insurance to cover the settlement cost.

The plaintiffs and Nichols attended a successful mediation on March 17, ADF lawyers said.

Following that mediation, both sides entered into a settlement agreement, resolving all remaining claims and issues between them.

“The government cannot punish religious schools—and the families they serve—by permanently kicking them out of state-sponsored sports simply because the state disagrees with their religious beliefs,” ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman, vice president of U.S. litigation, said.

“For more than two years, state officials denied Mid Vermont Christian School a public benefit available to all other schools in Vermont just because it stood by the widely held, biblical belief that boys and girls are different. There’s a price to pay for violating constitutional rights for Christian schools and students,” he said.

Longtime MVCS coach Chris Goodwin said he never thought he would end up in a court of law, instead of on a basketball court for “simply adhering to my Christian and commonsense belief that boys and girls are different.”

Goodwin, his wife, daughter and son were among the plaintiffs. “At Mid Vermont Christian School, we strive to exemplify biblical truth in and through everything we do. We’re grateful for our legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom who helped us get back in the game,” he said.

Goodwin added, “As a coach, I always want my team to play in fair and safe competitions. As a dad, I want my daughter to know that she should always stand up for her beliefs and should never be punished for that decision.”

Three years after being banned by the VPA from all extracurricular activities, including sports, Mid Vermont Christian was back in the postseason girls basketball tournament this past winter.

The fourth-seeded MVCS Eagles defeated No. 13 The Sharon Academy in a VPA Division IV playdown game and No. 5 Wiliamstown in a quarterfinal contest.

MVCS eventually lost in the semi-finals at the Barre Auditorium to No. 1 Richford, the eventual state champions.

The Eagles have had some past athletic success, including most recently sharing the Division IV Vermont high school basketball crown in 2020 in a season cut short by COVID.  MVCS (17-6) knocked off No. 1 West Rutland in the semifinals, but the final with Proctor was called off, creating co-champs for the first time.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City said in a unanimous decision in September that MVCS has a strong discrimination claim.

“We conclude that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that the VPA’s expulsion of Mid Vermont was not neutral because it displayed hostility toward the school’s religious beliefs,” the judge wrote.

The three-judge panel said it found open hostility by the VPA toward Mid Vermont Christian.  The judges also noted the VPA failed to follow its own rules and policies in its rush to dismiss the Christian school from the statewide association.

The ruling overturned a decision by Senior Federal Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford in Burlington that allowed the banishment to remain in place while the two sides battle in court.  The lawsuit will continue, but the court ruled MVCS can participate.

The court, in its 19-page decision, was critical of Nichols and his conduct toward MVCS and other religious schools in Vermont.

“In sum, Plaintiffs are likely to succeed in establishing that Defendants acted with hostility toward Mid Vermont’s religious beliefs.  The VPA Executive Director publicly castigated Mid Vermont – and religious schools generally – while the VPA rushed to judgment on whether and how to discipline the school,” the judges said.

“In upholding the expulsion, the VPA doubled down on that hostility by challenging the legitimacy of the school’s religious beliefs.  And as noted above, the punishment imposed was unprecedented, overbroad and procedurally irregular,” the judges wrote.

The judges ordered the case sent back to Vermont with instructions to grant Plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction to allow for Mid Vermont’s reinstatement as a VPA member.

Mid Vermont Christian School, founded in 1987, is a private faith-based pre-K-12 school in Windsor County, whose religious beliefs drive and form the foundation for everything it does.

At last week’s Woodstock Selectboard meeting, municipal manager Eric Duffy and vice chair Laura Powell explained the water and sewer bills that were distributed to residents earlier this month. 

At the meeting, Duffy explained that this bill is due in early June for nine months of service. He said, “In the past, the town sent out one bill for sewer for the entire year. We’re moving to two per year. On the inverse, the Woodstock Aqueduct would send out four bills a year. We’re going to go down to two. So, there’s a difference in cost there.” 

Duffy explained that “last year [during] Town Meeting, the new water department budget got approved. That budget was going to double the water rates [and] that is what has happened.” 

The Town of Woodstock officially finalized the purchase of the privately held Woodstock Aqueduct Company on April 30, 2025, with voters approving the acquisition of the water company on Oct. 29, 2024, for $920,000. 

In a follow-up interview with the Standard, Powell elaborated on the new water bill residents of Woodstock are receiving. 

She began by saying, “This newest bill is effectively three bills in one — it’s a sewer bill for three quarters and [a water bill for] three quarters. Previously, sewer bills have been sent on an annual basis and the [Woodstock] Aqueduct [Company] billed for water on a quarterly basis. The town is combining them for a singular utility bill, and the Finance Department is considering moving forward with a semiannual (2x a year) billing cycle for both — essentially averaging the billing cycles from both utilities. The Finance Department is working on having the next bill out by June 30.” 

When asked specifically about the rate increase, Powell said, “The water rates under the [Woodstock] Aqueduct [Company] were unsustainably low, which is the main reason [given by the Aqueduct owner] for not making necessary investments in the water system. Running a safe and secure water utility required a larger budget that funds capital projects and invests in the future of the system. The water department budget has been voted on and approved by voters on Town Meeting Day for the past two years; the rates are then set based on total usage of the system by the selectboard.” 

For more on this, please see our April 30 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) will repair and/or replace several bridges in Plymouth and Bridgewater that were damaged during the 2023 flooding. Construction will first take place on VT Route 100, where two bridges will be addressed this year. 

In Plymouth, construction on Bridge No. 112 over Tinker Brook is scheduled to begin on May 27, with a tentative end date of June 10. 

In Bridgewater, Bridge No. 116 over Madden Brook is scheduled to begin construction as early as mid-August with a potential end date in September. 

Leah Beckett, Public Information Consultant with AOT, spoke with the Standard about these two projects and the road closures and work conditions residents can expect in the coming months. 

For our full story on this, please see the April 30 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

By Justin Bigos, Staff Writer

This Saturday, May 2, Vermonters will join forces to help clean up our Green Mountain state as part of the state’s 56th annual Green Up Day. Each town will focus on its roads, parks, and waterways to show some love for this place we call home.

According to Kate Alberghini, executive director of Green Up Vermont, which sponsors the event, last year 97.5% of Vermont’s town and city roads were cleaned up — and the goal for this year is 100%. Alberghini was also excited to talk about what’s new this year. “One new contest this year is the ‘Golden Gloves Contest’ for people picking up litter. It’s a social media campaign, and there are four categories. The gloves are donated by Vermont Glove out of Randolph, and they’re custom-engraved with the Green Up Vermont logo,” she said.

The several categories in the Golden Gloves Contest include: Most Miles Covered, Most Number of Bags, Most Unique Item Found, and Weirdest Recovery Location. Participants should share their clean-up photos on their Facebook page, including a tag of Green Up Vermont and a hashtag with the appropriate contest category. At the end of the day, one winner will be contacted for each category.

“Since Green Up Day is always on Kentucky Derby Day, we have a Kentucky Derby hat contest where people can make their hats out of recycled, repurposed, and reimagined materials, so it promotes reusing and reducing waste,” said Alberghini.

Towns across our area are adding their own unique flavors to the statewide event, including entertainment and special perks for participants.

As they have for many years, the Woodstock Rotary Club will again lead the efforts for Green Up Day in Woodstock. Bettyanne McGuire, president of Woodstock Rotary, told the Standard, “On the morning of that first Saturday in May, our club initiates an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ service project by assembling with like-minded community members on the steps of the Town Hall at 8 a.m. For the next two hours, we hand out Green Up Day sturdy collection bags and utilize a street map to spread out the workers to make sure we cover all of the roadsides. We also join in the clean-up process and have members at the drop-off point at the Town DPW [Department of Public Works] in West Woodstock to help oversee the proper distribution of items collected.”

In Barnard, residents should plan to arrive at the Town Hall between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., where they will receive an official Green Up Day trash bag, gloves, and snacks. All trash bags, once filled, may be deposited at the truck parked in front of the Town Hall, or at the transfer station, by 4 p.m. The town’s website advises, “Take your time, enjoy the walk, and plan to get a little dirty.”

In Hartland, residents can sign up for Green Up Day at Fire Station One in Hartland Three Corners, where they can find a table with a road sign-up sheet and bags. Residents can also sign up online on the town website if they wish to do greening up early, according to Ginny White, Hartland Green Up Coordinator. Bags are also available at Damon Hall.

“On Saturday, we will be giving free lunch vouchers to all volunteers to redeem for a bag lunch at Three Corners Market. Many thanks to Nathan and his staff for doing that,” said White. “I just wish to express my deep appreciation for everyone who works hard to keep our town clean.  We really are lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Green Up Day is important for our community because it unites us and causes us to form connections with each other through a shared responsibility of caring for our earth.”

Bridgewater has partnered with Long Trail Brewing, which has had bags available to residents for over a week. On May 2, the brewery will open early (sometime between 10-11 a.m.) and host live music from 12–2 p.m., according to Marly Thompson, who organizes sponsorships and programming for Long Trail. Casella will provide a dumpster in the brewery parking lot for waste collection. 

“It is also [Bridgewater] Raft Race day, a Bridgewater tradition,” said Thompson. “People put in homemade raft race rafts that they’ve built [into the Ottauquechee River] right at Long Trail Brewery. It’s just a huge day at the brewery because everyone in Bridgewater comes out to see people put the rafts in. So we said, ‘If it’s going to be a big day, let’s partner with Green Up Vermont and make it a really fun day,’” said Thompson.

Alessandro Iuppa, chair of the West Windsor Sustainability Committee and coordinator for West Windsor’s Green Up Day, told the Standard, “West Windsor residents have been enthusiastic Green Up Day participants for many years, and we expect that 2026 will not be any different.” 

Official bags can be picked up on May 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the West Windsor Town Hall. “Full bags can be dropped off at the Weathersfield Transfer Station [at 5024 Route 106, Perkinsville, Vt. 05151] during scheduled hours for no charge, or [residents] can put them in the West Windsor dump truck that will be parked at Town Hall until approximately 4 p.m. on May 2,” said Iuppa.

Marie Anderson, Green Up Day coordinator for the town of Reading, said, “Year after year — together — we pick up tons of trash and thousands of tires. Keeping our environment clean is good for our health, our businesses, and our property values. We also build pride in our cities and towns and teach our youth about powerful civic engagement that affects climate change. The town of Reading encourages everyone to participate — even if it is only for a short radius around your neighborhood.”

Residents can sign up for a section of road to clean — and also receive a free treat — on the front lawn of the Town Hall from 8-9 a.m. on May 2. The town also advises people to dress appropriately for the day, including wearing boots, gloves, and long pants to avoid ticks in long grass and brush. 

A new event this year in Reading is a post-Green Up Day cookout and fundraiser sponsored by the Reading Elementary School PTO. The event will be “a way to gather with community members to celebrate our Green Up efforts,” said Anderson.

In Pomfret, residents who care to participate in Green Up Day can sign up for specific cleaning areas at the Town Hall on May 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. While there is no formal community gathering, the town still creates social interaction and camaraderie on Green Up Day. “It kind of happens informally, at the town garage,” said Pomfret’s Green Up Day coordinator Greg Greene. “People come together and bump into people they haven’t seen in a while when they’re picking up bags, choosing what area they want to do,” he said. 

For more information about Green Up Day, visit greenupvermont.org

During the widespread flooding that took place in the area in early July 2023, the Gulf Stream — which runs off the Ottauquechee River — transformed from a mild flow to a raging torrent. Kelly Stettner, district manager for the Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District described the river as a “surging force along Route 4 just north of Woodstock.” 

Erceg stands in the thick of the eroded embankment a few feet from his home. During the mass floods in early July 2023, the Gulf Stream, which runs off the Ottauquechee River, transformed from a mild flow to a raging torrent, resulting in the erosion Erceg experiences today. Rick Russell Photo

“The flooding brook ran into a snag of large, downed trees — the powerful water needed somewhere to go. It turned sharply right, tearing at the bank and eroding tons of soil in its path, carving closer and closer to the foundation of a private home,” Stettner added.

That home belongs to Todd M. Erceg, a longtime Vermonter who bought his home a mile from Woodstock Village a few years before the 2023 flooding. Erceg told the Standard, “When the hard and heavy rains came in the spring [of 2023], the erosion started.” 

Erceg told the Standard that the erosion began disrupting foundational elements of the property, moving closer to the house. That was when he decided the state had to be involved in helping to fix this problem.

“This is a problem that slowly unravels over time,” Erceg said. “You don’t see it, but slowly the land begins to crumble. It needed to be addressed, and so I applied for a state permit.” 

Through this process, Erceg became acquainted with Stettner, as the two now work together to assess and fix the eroding land. 

Stettner explained the timeline and logistics of this project, saying, “After the initial site visit, we drew up a map and made some rudimentary plans, knowing that a project of this magnitude wouldn’t be finished until 2028 or 2029.” 

The ultimate goal of this project is to reroute the river flow, so it stops pounding against the embankment on Erceg’s property. This will be done by installing wood barriers to help push the water flow in the right direction, and planting trees to keep loose sediment from corrupting the waterways, Stettner explained. However, this could only happen once a preliminary design is complete and grants are secured. 

For more on this, please see our April 30 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer has pleaded not guilty in Vermont Superior Court to five more criminal counts, including charges of extortion, lewd and lascivious conduct and soliciting for prostitution.

The new charges stem from information developed when two more women came forward to make claims of sexual misconduct against Palmer after he was initially arraigned in late January, according to Vermont State Police.

During the January court hearing Palmer denied two counts of aggravated stalking with a deadly weapon, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of prohibited acts and one count of lewd and lascivious conduct. 

This month, state prosecutor Jared Bianchi of Bennington had tried to file 10 more charges, but Judge Cortland Corsones said he was unable to find a legal basis to proceed with five of the new counts.

The charges maintain Palmer paid a woman on multiple occasions to participate in sex acts, and that he sent unsolicited sexual material to another woman, state police said.

Palmer, 39, of Windsor, denied the new charges, including three counts for soliciting for prostitution. He was released during the 8-minute hearing on the same conditions as his January arraignment, including no contact with complaining witnesses.

Palmer is due back in the Rutland court on May 14 for a status conference.

The high-profile case has been moved to Rutland County to avoid a possible conflict of interest in Palmer’s home county where his office provides security at the courthouse.

For more on this, please see our April 30 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

Trio Eris (violin, cello and piano), the New England Conservatory’s Professional Trio in Residence, gave a concert at the North Universalist Chapel Society last Sunday as the first in this season’s chamber music series. The trio performed Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 and Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1.

From left: Violinist K.J. McDonald, cellist Annie SeEun Hyung, and pianist Andrew Jun Chen stand for applause at the end of the concert. Courtesy of Mary Blanton

Students at Woodstock Union High School and Middle School (WUHSMS) are gearing up for their Spring Plant Sale, which will take place from Thursday, May 7, until Friday, May 29, in the big greenhouse behind the school.

Students start most plants from seed and source some more difficult-to-start plants from a neonicotinoid-free nursery. They focus on growing open-pollinated, organic, and heirloom vegetable, herb, and flower varieties. Many plants will be available in soil blocks this year, for healthier plants and zero plastic waste.

On Opening Day, the greenhouse will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular sale hours are as follows: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursdays from 2-5 p.m.

All proceeds directly benefit the Woodstock Union HS/MS Agriculture Department. Visit tinyurl.com/39sntjud to learn more about the program and view a tentative plant list.

Rick Russell Photo

It’s time for a raucous rite of spring: the annual homage to the mythical “Phantom Duck of the River” known as the Bridgewater Raft Race.

As many as 20 madcap, yet curiously competitive rafters, will launch their floating creations at the Long Trail Brewery on the Ottauquechee River at noon on Saturday, piloting their rafts downstream nearly three miles to the finish line at Ramunto’s Brick & Brew Pizza in the historic Bridgewater Mill.

The jaunty sprint downriver on Saturday will mark the 52nd running of the fabled Bridgewater Raft Race — an outing that has its roots in a classic “back-to-the-land” commune that flourished in the town’s Curtis Hollow locale in the early 1970s. It was April of 1974 when colorful Bridgewater communards “Hippie” Jim Cloninger and William “Bear” Massey took to the river on homemade rafts to honor a legendary creature of questionable origin they called the “Phantom Duck of the River” — an apparent allusion to the “Phantom Raven of the Desert,” a mythical figure sacred to the Mojave people and other indigenous tribes of the American Southwest.

Whether the startup of the annual raft romp down the Ottauquechee occurred as the result of chemically altered states of consciousness on the parts of Cloninger and Massey has long been a subject of local speculation. What is known is that the Bridgewater Raft Race has become a beloved tradition in the town and places far and wide, sometimes drawing entrants from as far away as Connecticut and New York.

There will likely be well over 100 race watchers lining the shores of the Ottauquechee from Bridgewater Corners to the old Woolen Mill on Saturday.

Collen Doyle, a standup comic, co-proprietor of the Woolen Mill Comedy Club, and one of several volunteer organizers of the raft race, told the Standard last week, “Various prizes are awarded. Of course, the trophy goes to the winner of the race, but we also have prizes for most creative name, most creative raft, and various other categories.” Doyle also said the present-day race is held “purely for fun and as a community event,” although there were times in the past when the annual event served as a benefit for the Bridgewater FAST Rescue Squad.

Entry into the Bridgewater Raft Race is free. The annual race typically draws about 20 entrants on average, Doyle said. Registration for the 52nd yearly run of the rafts down the Ottauquechee will take place near the Long Trail Brewery at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The race of both “creative floaters” and sleek, kayak-style racing rafts takes off promptly at noon, headed daffily yet resolutely to the finish line at the Bridgewater Mill.

For more on this, please see our April 30 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

By Tyler Maheu, Staff Sportswriter

Two Woodstock Wasps seniors have been named to Vermont’s 2026 Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl Game roster — Asher Emery and Rowan Larmie.

This year marks the 73rd time that teams of football all-stars from New Hampshire and Vermont will face off, once again taking place at Vermont State University’s Castleton campus on Aug. 1. All net proceeds from the contest benefit the Shriners Hospitals, with over $5,000,000 being raised so far in the game’s history.

For athletes from the twin states, the honor of being chosen is significant. “Shrine is a big deal in Vermont,” said Woodstock head coach Ramsey Worrell. “It has definitely changed over the years, but it’s the best of the best. They play for a good cause in Shriners Hospitals, and it’s really powerful. It gives the game a whole new meaning.”

The excitement starts when players are officially told they’ve been named to the roster, even if an anonymous phone call may prompt suspicion. “I was sitting in my living room with my family when an unknown number called my phone,” remembered Emery. “I was pretty suspicious at first and assumed it was a scam call. I noticed it was a local Vermont number, so I picked it up.” Then, the big news. “That’s when the Vermont shrine coach congratulated me on making the team.”

At Left: Asher Emery. At Right: Rowan Larmie

Larmie said he received the phone call while having dinner with his family. “I answered it, and it was Coach [Ethan] Curtis,” he recalled. Curtis coaches Essex High School. “He congratulated me on making the team and told me I will be playing tight end.”

For Emery, part of the joy he felt was in being able to play another game with his teammate. “I was incredibly excited when I found out; it was hard to suppress my excitement while still on the phone, but I was incredibly excited to be able to play another football game, especially with one of my closest friends, Rowan,” said the senior. “This honor means a lot to me. Being able to play in a fundraiser game for the Children’s Shrine Hospital. It’s truly a blessing that I’m excited to pursue.”

“It is a really big honor that people don’t forget,” said Worrell, who has coached Team Vermont in the past. “Once you are a Shrine player, you always are. I’m super happy for both of them.”

The honor is not lost on Larmie. “I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to play at the highest level of high school football in our respective states,” he said. Getting the chance to be competitive and do it for such a significant game and reason made all the work I’ve done practicing and grinding all worth it. I am just incredibly honored.”

While fundraising for hospitals and attempting to gain bragging rights over New Hampshire are key elements of the event’s impact, so is the camaraderie among the players. Athletes get to team with former rivals, or players in divisions and parts of the state they’ve never played to try and achieve a common goal; one last win. “Honestly, I’m extremely excited to meet some of the guys around the state and finally get to play on the same team with some of them,” said Emery on what he is most excited about. “The whole one-week camp at Castleton’s campus is extremely appealing, and I think it’s going to be an awesome experience.”

His teammate echoed this sentiment. “I am most excited for meeting all the players from up North and reconnecting with the friends I made during the North-South Game,” Larmie said. “I am also extremely excited for the chance to put the pads on for one last game.”

Both players had unconventional journeys to football stardom at Woodstock. Emery began his career as the team’s starting quarterback before adjusting positions at the behest of his coach. “He took a step in a different direction and had to wait his turn for playing time,” said his coach. “Then, as a senior, he exploded as an all-around athlete.”

Emery became a threat all over the field, starting as a running back and wide receiver on offense, safety on defense, kicker and kick returner on special teams. “He did everything and was a weapon on the field,” said Worrell. “He did it at a high level and on a winning team.”

Larmie’s career also experienced ups and downs. “We knew as a freshman how special he was going to be,” said Worrell. But after his first year, Larmie took a year off from football. He was eventually convinced to come back for his junior year and became great. “He is the second-best tight end in the state, counting any division,” said Worrell. “He is a beast of a kid. He is so hardworking, a great personality, and fits the mold of what you want out of a student athlete.”

Worrell continued, this time speaking to who the two are as people, not just athletes. “Both of them are class acts,” he said. He said that he has become a father to three over the years of coaching this group, and Emery and Larmie have been excellent to his children. “You can tell a lot about a young man by how you deal with kids. And they have always been amazing with them. That tells you a lot about them.

Now, with one last game of football left to be played, the two seniors and friends are excited to represent their hometown one more time. “Being able to represent my hometown is an honor,” Emery said. “Growing up in this town my whole life, it feels good to represent it on a bigger stage. 

“Honestly, it’s really special,” agreed Larmie. “Representing Woodstock is something I take a lot of pride in, and being able to do it in a game that benefits the Shriners Children’s Hospital makes it even more meaningful. It really is bigger than the game.”

By Tyler Maheu, Staff Sportswriter

The Woodstock Wasps boys lacrosse team is off to a good start, beginning the season with a 2-1 record following its 13-4 road win over Rutland last Friday.

The Wasps opened the year with a tough loss in Manchester on April 15, dropping their first contest 12-8 to a strong Burr & Burton squad. The Bulldogs have started the year hot at 3-0 and look to be a very strong Division I team. 

But Woodstock got its first win on April 21, beating the Hartford Hurricanes 8-4. Head coach Brandon Little sees the team’s scoring firepower as the highlight so far. “One of our strengths right now is the number of different players we have that can put the ball in the net,” he said. “At any given time, we have six different goal scorers on the field at one time. This makes it a hard match-up for the other team’s defense to stop us.”

In their latest contest, the Wasps dominated Rutland with strong defense and – true to form – a diverse offensive attack, with seven different Wasps scoring goals. “The team played really well on both ends,” said Little. “The defense put a bunch of pressure on the ball, causing turnovers and keeping Rutland from having good looks at the goal. This then gave us extra looks on the offensive side of the field.” 

Little continued his praise for the offense, which was led by sophomore Cole Little and his five goals (four before halftime) and three assists. “We took care of the ball and took good shots. It was all about moving the ball around until we found the open guy.” Senior Asher Emery and sophomore Declan Roylance also tallied multiple goals on Friday. 

Little said that one of the season’s early standouts has been senior goalkeeper Rowan Larmie. The four-year starter has allowed 16 goals through three games. 

The Wasps played at home this week on Wednesday against 2-2 South Burlington. The Wolves dropped their first two games against Middlebury and Champlain Valley by just two combined goals before posting big victories last week over Essex, 16-4, and Mt. Mansfield, 13-5.

Richard ‘Rick’ Bates A celebration of life for Richard “Rick” Bates, who died Nov. 21, 2025, will be held on Saturday, May 9 from 1-4 p.m. at The Thompson Center in West Woodstock. A time to share memories of Rick will take place at 2 p.m. at The Thompson Center. The Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock is assisting the family.

Glenn M. Barr, 96, died peacefully early Wednesday morning April 22, 2026 at the Mertens House in Woodstock.

He was born on Dec. 23, 1929 in Holyoke, Mass. the son of Francis A. and Agnes (O’Connor) Barr.

Glenn graduated from Holyoke (MA) High School in 1947 and then served in the U.S. Airforce from 1948 to 1952. While still in the Air Force he married Charlotte Howard. By 1955 Glenn had received a degree in Engineering from UMASS Amherst and began a career working for Sylvania, then GTE, and finally for Northrop Grumman. He was an avid golfer and in 1955 won the Woodstock Country Club championship.

Glenn and Charlotte settled into their home in West Woodstock for many years and spent winters, beginning in 1991, in Florida. 

Glenn is predeceased by his wife Charlotte. He is survived by their children Bruce Barr of Vero Beach, Fla., Cathy Barr Balaschi of Middleborough, Mass., Glenna Barr of Orford, N.H., James Barr of Palm Bay, Fla., Leslie Wright of Palm Bay, Fla., Jennifer Volpe of Coral Springs, Fla.; 15 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren.

A private graveside service will be held in the Highland Cemetery in Woodstock.

Memorial donations may be made to The Thompson Center, 99 Senior Lane, Woodstock, VT 05091.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Heather Marie Regan, 53, of Everett, Mass. passed away peacefully on April 19, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Born in Saugus, Mass. to her parents Paul and Beverly Regan of Milton, South Woodstock, and presently Hingham, Mass. Heather graduated from Milton High School and Colgate University where she received a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry.

Growing up in Milton Massachusetts Heather joined a Blue Hill Reservation Pony Club called “The Ponka-Pog Pony Club” which led to her attending a two week summer horse camp here in Woodstock at Green Mountain Horse Association in South Woodstock.

Future summers were spent with her parents at their home in South Woodstock, surrounded by the Green Mountain Horse Association. During some of those summers, Heather worked at both The Grand Union Food Market and The White Cottage Restaurant.

Throughout her college years, she was active in support of Habitat for Humanity.

After college, Heather joined The Peace Corp. and served in Niger, Africa.

Upon her return to the States, skills developed at Colgate University led her to her positions at both Harvard Medical School, running a lab overseeing retina research for the National Health Institute and then on to Boston University Medical School putting to use her expertise in electron microscopy.

Heather’s passionate “What’s next?” curiosity meant career moves through the years, becoming a talented baker working at Boston top hotels with James Beard recognized chefs; starting her own company “The Collared Canine;” and finding her niche in bartending at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel for over 20 years.

She was an extraordinary cook, involved and caring neighbor, creative collector, and a master gardener.

She is survived by her husband, Dennis St. Aubin, her parents Paul and Beverly Regan, her closest friend Beth Degen and her numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, close neighbors, and many of her favorite patrons.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Agatha Church, 432 Adams Street, Milton on May 15 at 11 a.m. Family and friends invited. Visiting hours at Dolan Funeral Home, 460 Granite Avenue, EAST MILTON SQUARE, prior to the mass from 9-10:30 a.m.  Burial will be private.

Bill Hall passed away unexpectedly at his home on March 28, 2026.

Bill was born in Lebanon, N.H. on Oct. 11, 1952 to Peter N and Barbara G. Hall.

He spent his childhood in Woodstock, where he graduated from Woodstock High School as the valedictorian in 1970. Bill then went on to graduate with honors from UVM in 1974, with a degree in business administration.

He worked as an accountant and business consultant, both in private practice as well as for the town of Hartford as the finance director, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and the State of Vermont. He also became a certified government finance officer and eventually became a board member for the Government Finance Officers of America. He also was an original co-owner of Pete and Bills in Woodstock.

Bill enjoyed gardening, cooking, spending time with his beloved pets and spending time with friends and family. 

Bill was predeceased by his parents, his sister Patty Soule and her husband Charlie, his brother Peter G. Hall, and his brother Jerry G. Hall.

He is survived by his husband of 19 years David Sambor; sis sister Lea Cohen (Daniel) of Lamanon France, his sister Robin Hall of Woodstock, his sister in law Sharon Hall also of Woodstock, and his sister in law Sandy Dalphond of Grafton, N.H.; his nieces and nephews Rick Parks (Debby), Jennifer Salk (David), Ethan Hall (Linda), Shannon Hall (Britt), Terry Lavasser-Green (David), Tammy Standley (Ron), Christoper Hall, Allen Hall, Peter Hall, David Cohen, Sarah Cohen (Yvan), Ilan Cohen (Marion), Elise Drake (David), and Eric Drake (Monique).

Bill will be sorely missed by all.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held later in July, an announcement will be published at a later date.

Arrangements are being made by the Cabot Funeral Home.

Dagney Christine Trevor, the human firecracker, passed peacefully onto her next adventure on March 31, 2026. Dagney had broken both her hips, in rapid succession, this past winter and succumbed to the secondary complications. Fortunately for everyone, there was a lot of morphine involved at the end. Her caregivers, in their true fashion, were by her side as she transitioned, making sure she had purple fingernails and a heart full of love.

Born to John and Dagney (Frykberg) Trevor on Sept. 29, 1939, she joined her brother Barry in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. The family moved to Staten Island when Dagney was a child. There she would meet her future husband, Ned Finley, (married the charming rascal twice) and they would welcome their only daughter, Careen Alyson, on Sept. 1, 1962.

Dagney would end up fleeing NY in the middle of the night , with Careen in tow, in August 1971 when Ned got into trouble with the law. They landed at the ski house in Pico Chalet Village in Vermont. Dagney built a new life opening a super cool clothing store in Rutland , Little Big Store, where she sold used Levis, western pearl snap shirts, and other unexpected fashions. She eventually found her way to nursing school and spent many years working in the Upper Valley medical community.

In 1983 she met the love of her life, David Harshbarger, and together they built a great life in The Grove on Silver Lake in Barnard, Vt. They spent many happy years camping with their grandchildren Cavan and Delaney on the Cape Cod National Seashore and kayaking the Everglades and the Florida Keys as much as they could. They say opposites attract and D and D seem to support this theory. Dagney made the plans and David made the plans happen. It was a great collaboration that endured decades until David lost the battle with cancer in 2014. They had lost their beloved house in a house fire four months prior. 2014 tried to take Dagney down but she was not having it and rebuilt her house and continued to adventure with a variety of friends.

Her sunset years have been graced with incredible caregivers that have showered Dagney with the kindness, love, and support that has allowed her to remain in her home with her beloved kitties Rocky and Girlie. Thank you to Denise Carr, Liz Bettis, LeeAnn Gregory, Tarin Jones, and Betsy for providing Dagney the opportunity to find peace in her heart and an understanding of how much she was loved.

Thank you to Amy Harlow for being the administrative assistant.

Dagney was predeceased by her partner, David Harshbarger. She is survived by her daughter, Careen Alyson Little, her grandchildren Cavan and Delaney, her brother Barry (Maddie) Trevor, various nieces and nephews, and her favorites, her kitties Rocky and Girlie.

Please visit Legacy.com to see Dagney’s extremely long obituary that doesn’t even include all her stories. Visit legacy.com/legacy/dagney-trevor.

A Celebration of Life will take place Sept. 26, 2026 (Dagney’s birthday) 3 p.m. at Barnard Town Hall.

Joseph Tokarski, 87, a long time Barnard resident, passed peacefully in the early morning hours of Monday, April 13 surrounded by loved ones in Littleton, Colo.  

Joe was born Sept. 6, 1938 in Bayonne, N.J., where he was raised and began his own family before falling in love with Barnard during a trip with his buddies in 1958. He sold his prized ‘64 Corvette, married his longtime sweetheart, Joan, and raised their five children at that very property he visited, 2411 Chateauguay Road. 

Joe was a man of many hats. After serving in the United States Navy as a Submariner aboard the USS Angler, he became a skilled welder, a structural ironworker, a handyman, the owner and operator of TOKE Lumber, a beautiful artist and woodworker; truly a jack of all trades. He loved being outdoors and had an uncanny ability to tame any wild creature. He joined local politics in 1972, spending a few years as a lister before being elected Selectmen, a position which he held for 26 years. Joe also served on the Cemetery Commission well into his 80s. 

Joe is survived by his wife of 58 years, Joan, his children Michael, Edmund, Robert, U Jonathan and Lucinda. He shared a special connection with his children in-law, Deidre, Marjie, Courtney, Emma and Nicholas. If Joe was anything, he was Pop to his twelve grandchildren, Lauren, Michael, Madeline, Lucas, Quanah, Acer, Hayden, Asher, Ford, Maddox, Aven and Netta. He was also a great grandfather to Emerson, Brinley, Marin, Grayson, Jack and Parker . He found joy in each and every one of them and shared many of the same experiences with them as he did his own kids, mainly getting outside to enjoy the great outdoors. Family meant the world to Joe, he loved quietly but fiercely, gave his children roots to grow and wings to fly.  

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the American Legion – Woodstock. 

Richard Earl Atwood, known to most as Dick, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2026,  at the Jack Byrne Palliative Hospice Center following complications from a stroke suffered ten days earlier. He was 85 years old.

Dick was born on February 1, 1941, at Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital to Donald and Judith Atwood. Raised in Woodstock, he graduated from Woodstock Union High School with the Class of 1959 before earning his Mechanical Engineering degree from University of Vermont.

Dick dedicated 32 years of his professional life to Pratt & Whitney, while raising his family in East Hampton, Connecticut alongside his beloved wife, Bonnie, with whom he shared 65 wonderful years of marriage. They were members of Valley Bible Evangelical Free Church in Haddam, Conn. They returned to Woodstock in 1996 in retirement and to care for their parents. 

Dick was an active member of First Congregational Church of Woodstock, and was a familiar face at The Thompson senior center, where he enjoyed attending lunch nearly every day.

Dick is survived by his devoted wife, Bonnie Atwood; his loving children, Holly Rinell and husband Tim, Rick Atwood and wife Kelly, and Michael Atwood and wife Rebecca; his cherished grandchildren, Bethany, Daniel, Randy, Ryan, Kyle, William, Jason, Dylan, Jessica, and Olivia; and many great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by his sister-in-law Linda Atwood and his nephew Steven Atwood and wife Janice.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Judith Atwood, and by his brother, Allan Atwood.

The family is very thankful to the Dartmouth Hitchcock medical team for all their care, for the prayers and support of many friends and family, and for God’s strength, wisdom, and peace during this time.

Dick will be remembered for his quiet strength, devotion to family, enduring faith, and the kindness he extended to everyone he met. His legacy lives on in the family he loved so deeply and the community he faithfully served.

A Memorial visitation will be at Cabot’s Funeral Home on Friday, May 1 from 5-7 p.m.  A Celebration of Life church service will be at the First Congregational Church on Saturday, May 2 at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow at the Thompson senior center. 

These services are in Woodstock, the town Dick was devoted to and loved dearly. 

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

James O’Neil, Sr. passed away with his loved ones by his side peacefully on March 23, 2026.

Loved ones and friends please bring a dish and join us at the Bridgewater Corners Grange on April 26 at 11 a.m. to share our life with Jim.

If you wish to donate in honor of Jim, please give to the Oak Chapel in Bridgewater Center, Vt.

By Dan Cotter, Publisher 

Well, my friends, this is my fourth and final article of our 2025 annual appeal. 

Once again, this year, it’s been a privilege to talk directly with you about the mission we’re on at the Vermont Standard and the difficult challenges we face — to ask if you’ll please consider donating to the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation in support of our efforts to connect our community and keep you informed on issues of public importance.

Today, the main thing I want you to know is that we are proud to work for you.

We know you’re counting on us to be your eyes and ears — filling you in about local government actions that affect you, about local crime, about court cases playing out here, about notable news items and occurrences, the accomplishments of our neighbors and local youth, about developments at our schools, churches, businesses, and charitable or civic organizations, about the happenings and things to do in the local area, and lots more. 

We are the one and only news source that’s entirely focused on our area; reporting news that’s primarily of interest right here. Our work — week in and week out — is entirely dedicated to the welfare of this community. 

That’s the way it’s been here for 172 years. And Phil Camp and I and our small team are now trying to produce a 2025 version of the Vermont Standard that’s the best it has ever been in the paper’s long history.

The Standard is for you. It exists simply to benefit you and your neighbors. We regard this responsibility and the trust you place in us as a badge of honor. We pledge to give it our best. All we’ve got.

As I’ve explained before, the financial pressures we face are intense. And, tragically, various powers that be are trying to exert additional pressure in a sad attempt to undermine the press. By extension, their actions undermine you, the public. That’s nothing new, really, but it’s pretty acute right now. Shame on them.

However, with your donations to keep us afloat, we’re hanging in there, staying strong and getting stronger. We are continuing to work, not only on improving this week’s Vermont Standard, but next month’s and next year’s too, as we attempt to set things up so we can produce high-quality local journalism for the long term. 

We’ll make sure your gift is put to good use as a worthwhile investment in one of the key components of the critical infrastructure that underpins this community.

As a citizen, it’s essential for you to be well-informed. That’s the only way we can have a functioning local democracy and a lively, connected community. As your eyes and ears, we’ll continue to follow the news closely and report it to you in new, better, and more engaging ways as time goes on. 

We hope to make you proud as we strive to do the best community journalism in the country. We believe that’s a realistic goal. This weekend — for the ninth time in the last twelve years — the Standard will once again be a finalist for the honor of being named New England Weekly Newspaper of the Year.

When it comes to journalism, we believe you deserve the absolute best.

We are deeply appreciative of any financial help you can offer in this year’s 2025 annual appeal. In fact, if you’re interested, Phil Camp and I would be very grateful for an opportunity to meet with you in person to talk more about what’s needed and our plans. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at dcotter@thevermontstandard.com or 802-457-1313.

Also — very importantly — if you have a family foundation, please consider adding the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation (EIN: 93-3287932) to the worthwhile causes you regularly support. We’ll be deeply indebted to you.

The Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation is a public charity, so your gift will be fully tax-deductible. 

If you’re willing to make a tax-deductible donation to our 2025 Annual Appeal, please send a check to PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091, or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at thevermontstandard.com to make a contribution with your credit card. Be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.” 

By Dan Cotter, Publisher 

Lord knows, there are lots of fascinating people in our community.

At times, it seems as if every person you meet here in the course of a day is even more interesting than the last one. Sometimes, I marvel at how in the world all these wonderful and impressive folks are either from here or ended up here, in this little corner of Vermont.

Of course, I’m lucky. I get to participate in our story planning meetings at the Standard each week to decide who and what we’re going to write about next. Beyond the breaking news, what feature stories should we write – about which people, which organizations, which businesses?

It’s a joy.

There are always plenty of nominations. And then, even though you think you pretty well know who someone is or what an organization does and stands for, our reporter does a deep dive and provides new insight about them or their work or their cause in an account that’s simply breathtaking. Who knew? Right here among us! 

I often refer to the Vermont Standard as a kind of “glue” for our community. It’s a paper everyone can turn to in order to stay informed about the local news — the goings-on, the things to do. Something to look forward to each week to catch up on the latest. A common experience shared by those who live here or care about this place.

But maybe the best part about the Standard is the way it enables us to connect as a community. The way it helps us get to know each other better by introducing us to that really interesting person who lives next door (sometimes literally). And I’ve found that typically the more impressive people are, the less likely they are to talk about themselves. They’re too modest. So, it takes a nosy reporter to get them to tell their full story.

And the same goes for some of the incredible organizations in the area, including charities, nonprofits, schools, churches, arts organizations, libraries, history centers, and many more. They aren’t always focused on touting or telling their story – about what they do, who they help, what they accomplish. Often, they toil away under the radar. But the Standard is eager to bring their story to the public’s attention. We want to shine a spotlight, applaud their work, and make the folks who might decide to join or support them aware of them.

Soon, we’ll be bringing you those kinds of stories on video too, as we roll out our Headliners and Inside Scoop programs this fall.

The bottom line is that living in a community is much more fulfilling for most of us when we get to know more about the ordinary people among us, who are doing some pretty extraordinary things. Reading about them and their aspirations and accomplishments in the Standard is fun, and, on occasion, when those stories also explain their struggles and failures, their resilience and ultimate triumphs, it can be touching to read, inspiring even. 

These stories help us all feel a deeper sense of kinship with the people and organizations in our midst. They connect us and make us feel that we all truly belong to this beautiful community.

As I said, being this glue that strengthens our connection? It’s a joy.

We are deeply appreciative of any financial help you can offer in this year’s 2025 annual appeal. Our effort to preserve quality journalism for our community is quite urgent, my friends. And Phil Camp and I would be very grateful for an opportunity to meet with you to talk more about what’s needed and our plans. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at dcotter@thevermontstandard.com or (802) 457-1313.

Also, if you have a family foundation, please consider adding the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation (EIN: 93-3287932) to the worthwhile causes you regularly support.

The Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation is a public charity so your gift will be fully tax-deductible. 

Your donation will be utilized in the form of project grants to support the Vermont Standard’s mission to inform, connect, and educate our community on issues of public importance. 

If you’re willing to make a tax-deductible donation to our 2025 Annual Appeal, please send a check to PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091, or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at www.thevermontstandard.com to make a contribution with your credit card. Be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.” 

By Dan Cotter, Publisher

For the past 15-20 years, most local newspapers have been trying to “do more with less” in an effort to survive. And, of course, since that’s not a good long-term strategy, it has put our industry into a slow death spiral.

America has lost 3,200 of its newspapers in that same period of time, and currently, an average of more than two per week go out of business. Hundreds more papers are on life support, as they try to hang on by cutting staff, cutting pages, cutting the frequency of their publishing days, and eliminating their print editions. In their resulting emaciated state, those papers certainly can’t serve the need for local news and information in their communities.

Those withered newspapers are called “ghost papers,” because they are hollowed out shells of their former selves. Technically, they still exist. They continue to survive. But the communities counting on them? Well, they can no longer really count on them.

The handful of hedge funds and corporate raiders that bought up so many of our nation’s newspapers and ruined them wrote the playbook. In their effort to “rightsize” (meaning to dramatically downsize…) their papers in the face of diminishing advertising revenue, they chopped the expenses. Severely.

For newspapers, the primary expense is paying the people who work there. After many rounds of staff cuts, those papers barely cover any news at all, because they no longer have enough people to do it.

And as many of the small independent papers – like the Standard – encountered those same advertising revenue headwinds, lacking a better plan, they began following the same playbook. Consequently, in their efforts to survive, they now f ind themselves in that same never-ending spiral of cost-cutting.

Also, newspapers in that ragged state aren’t able to do the type of development work required to create a sustainable path for the future. In order to survive beyond just this week or this year, news organizations must create new services and revenue streams that will support them long-term. To do that takes time, thought, experimentation, risk-taking, and perseverance.

The beleaguered staff that’s left at most newspapers today simply lacks the energy for that.

“Doing more with less” (and less, and less…) was originally supposed to be a stopgap measure to buy time for newspapers to get their feet under them so they could forge a path to sustainability. Sadly, though, for most, it’s simply become standard operating procedure.

Fortunately, for our community here, the Vermont Standard has not followed that all too popular “survivor” playbook. We’ve never wanted to preside over a slow death march, just to be able to say we’re still publishing, but, in fact, failing to serve the very real need for local news, information, and connection in this community.

Thanks to your financial support, we’ve been able to go another way. Instead of doing more with less, we realize that we – and all local news organizations, especially in today’s political climate – just need to do more. Much more. And while doing that, we also need to create a sustainable path forward so we can live on to serve this community in even better ways for many more years.

Our efforts to survive are actually just the first step towards our real intention, which is to thrive.

In fact, with your help, we’ve upgraded our staff and improved our publication in recent years. The team we have reporting local news is now stronger than ever. They have a good deal of talent and a whole lot of heart, working for ridiculously low wages at this frugal newspaper, yet fueled by such a worthy mission. At the Standard, we haven’t forgotten why we exist in the first place. We are striving to provide wall-to-wall coverage of a steady stream of complex stories that are of great interest and importance to this community we serve.

We’ve also enhanced the look, feel, and utility of our publications.

And we’ve expanded our digital news and information products – we are doing more and more online programming with them. This fall, we are introducing our new series of “Headliners” interviews with local newsmakers that you’ll be able to view on our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website. Also, we’re introducing a new show called “Inside Scoop”, which will give you an in-depth, insider look at the goings-on at many of the businesses and organizations that make our community so special.

At the Standard, we are trying to save a real newspaper that offers the powerful local journalism our community needs to function properly. Not a ghost paper. The Standard has to be good enough to get the job done now and survive in the long run. “Right-sizing” here does not mean a diminished publication that’s essentially worthless, as it does in so many communities throughout our nation. Here, it means being just big enough to provide the essential local journalism that contributes mightily to the quality of life in our community, and break even.

That’s the kind of Vermont Standard we are trying so hard to preserve, while setting things up so we can provide the quality local journalism our community needs well into the future.

I sincerely hope you’ll join us on this very important mission.

As we begin this year’s 2025 annual appeal, we are deeply appreciative of any financial help you can give us. Our mission is quite urgent, of course, and Phil Camp and I would be very grateful for an opportunity to meet with you to talk more about what’s needed and our plans. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at dcotter@thevermontstandard.com or (802) 457-1313.

Also, if you have a family foundation, please consider adding the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation (EIN: 933287932) to the worthwhile causes you regularly support.

The Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation is a public charity so your gift will be fully tax-deductible.

Your donation will be utilized in the form of project grants to support the Vermont Standard’s mission to inform, connect, and educate our community on issues of public importance.

If you’re willing to make a tax-deductible donation to our 2025 Annual Appeal, please send a check to PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091, or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at thevermontstandard.com to make a contribution with your credit card. Be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.”

By Dan Cotter, publisher

It’s been said that there are very few things in life that you can always count on. But there are indeed a few, and I believe you’re holding one of them in your hands right now (or perhaps reading it on a screen).

For 172 years, the people of Woodstock, Hartland, Pomfret, Barnard, Bridgewater, Reading, West Windsor, Quechee, Plymouth, and the surrounding towns have counted on the Vermont Standard to keep watch on things in order to keep them informed, empowered, and connected. Our columnist, Dave Doubleday, replays some of the top stories of the day that took place 10, 20, 50, 75, or 100 years ago in each installment of his brilliant “Olde Woodstock” feature. It’s amazing and quite reassuring that people here were reading this same paper all those years ago simply to find out what’s happening.

Just as you are today.

All this time, citizens – informed by the Standard — were able to fully participate in their local democracy as our area progressed to the state it’s in today. What a huge responsibility it must have been, and still is today, to produce this newspaper each week. To prepare a quality news report to help readers experience and enjoy day-to-day life here and make good decisions for their community.

It’s the honor of a lifetime to be entrusted with this responsibility. The Standard has a small crew of talented, fair-minded, and underpaid journalists doggedly pursuing their mission week in and week out — trying to produce an interesting local news report that will inform, educate, and entertain the people who live here. It’s a “weekly miracle.” We start with a blank page each Wednesday afternoon, and we work tirelessly to pursue stories and produce the very best finished publication we can by the following Wednesday, so that it will be in your mailbox or at the store for you on Thursday.

In the century and a three-quarters that this paper has existed, this is our time, and our team is attempting to make a proud contribution to its legacy.

Ours certainly isn’t the easiest time to be a journalist in the Standard’s and our community’s history. This is a time of transition, when traditional forms of funding for local journalism have waned. Now, we have not only to strive to produce an excellent news report each week, but we also have to hold our breath that we’ll even be able to stay afloat.

An average of more than two newspapers fold in the U.S. each week (3,200 have vanished in the past twenty years!), leaving their communities without this kind of “glue” – without the common experience of reading in print or online about issues that affect them and their neighbors and a comprehensive set of facts for all to know about what’s happening in their local area each week.

Making matters worse, hundreds of other towns throughout the nation now only have a “ghost newspaper” that is so financially compromised it can barely cover any local news in its meager news product.

Some people – perhaps taking a page from the playbook being used at the national level – might prefer that ours was a weaker, sleepier paper and that they could exert some kind of pressure to compromise the Standard’s coverage.

But they’re mistaken. It hasn’t worked in 172 years, and we won’t let it happen now. Count on it.

We’ve had many complex (and interesting!) local stories to cover just in this past year — news that people here are counting on us to follow and explain. From the Woodstock Foundation lawsuit, to school policy, budget and reorganization issues, to Peace Field Farm, to the water company purchase, to short-term rental ordinances, to the police chief demotion, to the proposed cell phone tower and farm outlet store in Hartland, to the ECFiber case, to the ongoing housing and child care shortages, to the impact of federal funding cuts on local organizations. And we’ve had many milestones and achievements to celebrate, from our football state championship team, to our local priest’s 50^th anniversary of his ordination, to the resurgence of Bookstock, to local artists and authors who released their latest works, to this year’s graduates, to a pair of brothers who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, to the dedication and resilience shown by those remarkable protesters in Woodstock. Even the announcement of plans for a new performing arts center, and the sighting of low-flying military planes over Woodstock. Those stories aren’t easy or inexpensive to cover, but like the journalists at the Standard who were our predecessors throughout those many, many years, it’s our solemn responsibility to inform the public about the public’s business, the very best we can.

Indeed, we can, primarily because we now have the support of hundreds of residents and readers who truly understand and value what quality local journalism does — and has always done — for our community here. They respond to our annual appeal each year. They keep us afloat. They keep us encouraged. They harden our resolve to try ever harder to serve this community and this local democracy. We count on all of you.

Oftentimes, I’ve asked individual donors, “What can we possibly do to thank you for your generosity?” And, to a person, they always say, “Just keep putting out a darn good newspaper.”

In appreciation for you, our friends, the Standard has only one single objective and guiding light going forward: to keep trying to put out a better and better paper each week in service to this community.

You can count on us.

As we begin this year’s annual appeal, we are deeply appreciative of any financial help you can give us. Our mission is quite urgent, of course, and Phil Camp and I would be very grateful for an opportunity to meet with you to talk more about what’s needed and our plans. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at dcotter@thevermontstandard.com or (802) 457-1313.

We sincerely hope you’ll join us in our mission by contributing to this year’s 2025 annual appeal.

Also, if you have a family foundation, please consider adding the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation (EIN: 93-3287932) to the worthwhile causes you regularly support.

The Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation is a public charity so your gift will be fully tax-deductible.

Your donation will be utilized in the form of project grants to support the Vermont Standard’s mission to inform, connect, and educate our community on issues of public importance.

If you’re willing to make a tax-deductible donation to our 2025 Annual Appeal, please send a check to PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091, or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at www.thevermontstandard.com to make a contribution with your credit card. Be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.”

“View From Here”

By Sandy Gilmour, Woodstock resident

If you are reading this column right now, that’s good news for the community. It means you probably paid for this paper, hard copy or online, maybe even made a donation to it, and value its contribution to our lives in Woodstock and surrounding areas. We are so fortunate to have the Vermont Standard week in and week out. For years, small-town dailies and weeklies have been closing their doors, leaving communities without a soul. Papers like the Standard are dying off at the rate of two per week across America. 

Such towns are called “news deserts.” Imagine weeks, months and years going by with no professional reporting on selectboards, trustees, school boards, taxes and roads. Zero stories about public school events, sports, student accomplishments, obituaries, gardening tips, neighborly cooking advice, local history, and no reports from towns from Brownsville to Pomfret. 

We would know next to nothing about the interminable Peace Field Farm restaurant delay, the Ottauquechee Trail head fiasco, the high-stakes Woodstock Foundation controversy and the fatal shooting off Central Street, including the bravery of Woodstock Police Sgt. Joe Swanson. In my view, these stories have been really well reported. 

To not get these stories delivered to us every week would be a news desert right in verdant Woodstock, for sure, a gaping hole left to be filled by rumor and mis- and dis-information, the precursors of community dissolution. So we are blessed indeed to have had the Vermont Standard around — nonstop — since 1853, and owned by beloved Woodstocker Phil Camp, now 87, since 1981. 

But as Mr. Camp has pointed out many times over the years, the paper’s solvency hangs on a thread and now more than ever. In hundreds of towns across America, owners, beleaguered by losing subscribers and advertising to social media, simply folded or sold out to hedge funds and private equity firms, whose investors are bereft of community values. Not Phil Camp. He has always said, “I never sold out. I’m never giving up.” He made up for past deficits (difference between expenses, like staff, and income from subscriptions and ads) out of company savings from better times, week after week. He stayed with it after being flooded out by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and being burned out by the Central Street fire of 2018 (taking out his camera and snapping photos of the flames and rubble).

The paper was in dire straits when COVID hit, saved by the forgiven federal PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans through 2021, when the largesse ended. Then beginning in January 2022, the community stepped up, responding to a fundraising appeal. I was rather stunned to learn from the Standard’s publisher, Dan Cotter, that the paper’s annual shortfall of $150,000-$200,000 is being covered by donations from local Woodstock residents. There are many (and appreciated) donations in the $50-$100-$200 range, but really heavy lifting is being done by donors of means who, Mr. Cotter says, highly value the contribution local journalism makes to communities. Several of these more-than-generous and anonymous donors contribute $20-25,000 and more — each — and, Mr. Cotter says, without any hint of trying to influence coverage. Without them, surely there would be no Vermont Standard in the mailbox or online, just the unreliable grapevine. At the same time, the paper is moving to create other revenue streams, including an online advertising app for Woodstock happenings and a magazine, in addition to improving thevermontstandard.com website for go-to news. 

Still, the operation is bare bones. It seems to me a miracle the paper “hits the streets” without fail every Thursday with some pretty good and important stories that we need to know about, and many features that are good to know about. And there are just two, count them, two, full-time staffers who report stories: the seasoned and prolific Tom Ayres, and Tess Hunter, who is also the managing editor. Ms. Hunter says reporter staffing is the big issue; she has on hand freelance contract reporters that can be assigned to stories if they are available and if they want to spend the evening at yet another unexciting if important selectboard meeting. “It’s a constant juggling act,” Ms. Hunter told me, “between finding the right person for the story and just getting people to say ‘yes.’” Still, she is committed, saying, “Without us making the attempt, there would be no common base of understanding and little sense of the community spirit of the area or the hard news happening within it.”

Volunteer contributors are crucial; regular community writers like Jennifer Falvey (insightful musings on life) and Kurt Stauder (pointed political observations) are popular. Mary Lee Camp’s business column is relentlessly informative. 

Other key staff are listed in the box below — lean and spare!

Publisher and editorial content director Dan Cotter, 64, hired by Mr. Camp in 2018 after years of informal consulting for the Standard, is not a household name in Woodstock, though he is hands-on every issue. He owns a condo in the area and is here about half the month, returning to his home and wife in Chicago for the remainder. He has decades in the industry as an executive and consultant, was head of the New England Newspaper and Press Association, and takes a no-nonsense hard line on newspaper independence and objectivity. It’s an unusual situation but Mr. Camp, still the president of the company, has total confidence in Mr. Cotter and has turned over the Vermont Standard, its operation, assets and its future, to his close friend. Mr. Camp has indeed not “given up,” but hopes to ensure his dear newspaper’s future with this arrangement. 

So where does the Standard go now? Around the country, journalists are reinventing newspapers and online reporting. The most promising seems to be the non-profit model, where deductible contributions from community-minded supporters can be made even as the publication accepts subscription fees and what advertising there is left. There are indications that the Standard is moving in this direction, and the sooner the better, in my view. When I pressed Publisher Cotter on the issue, he responded with this very encouraging comment: 

“In the past couple of years, members of the community have literally kept the Standard alive with their donations — and a handful of them have given very substantial sums, even without the benefit of a tax break. That’s how much they value the role our local journalism plays in the quality of life in our area. We are working now to put the paper on a path to where donors could indeed have a tax benefit. For it is essential to our democracy and our own survival that we have the financial support we need from the community to maintain a news organization — modest as it is — that’s capable of producing good local journalism that adequately informs our citizens.”

I can’t imagine Woodstock without the Vermont Standard. The new business model provides great hope the paper will not only survive but as a Woodstock-based non-profit, continue to expand coverage to benefit all of us in this great community. 

Note: This (unpaid) column originated with me alone! 

Sandy Gilmour is a retired NBC News correspondent who lives in Woodstock.

Throughout the country newspapers are in a fight for their lives.          Here too.

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