The Rotary Club of Woodstock debuted its annual Christmas tree sale on Friday, Nov. 29. 

Christmas trees of all sizes and decorated wreaths are on sale daily from 10 am to 6 pm at the Masonic Hall in Woodstock.

Zack’s Place, an enrichment program based in Woodstock for children and adults with special needs, held its 18th annual Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day. Participants were met with wet and slushy conditions and moderate snowfall. The course led runners- and walkers- through the Woodstock Village and towards Billings Farm before looping back to finish at the Woodstock Green. Participants were in energetic spirits despite the subpar conditions. Chris Gish won the race with a time of 16:41.

Chris Gish, center (bib# 3894), won the race with a time of 16:41.

The two labor unions representing both the Woodstock Police officers and the public safety emergency dispatchers have voted unanimously to express “No Confidence” in Police Chief Joe Swanson.

Both unions also said they want village leaders to find a new Woodstock Police Chief to lead the department.

“We respectfully recommend that immediate steps be taken to identify and appoint a new Chief of Police who is better equipped to lead and support our agency,” the joint letter stated.

Duffy told the Vermont Standard, “The municipality is in the process of reviewing those concerns.” 

He said the village trustees next regular meeting is Dec. 12. He said no special meetings are planned in the interim as of Monday afternoon.

Attempts to reach Chief Swanson were unsuccessful.

His lawyer, William Vasiliou of Langrock, Sperry & Wool, took exception to the claims by the two unions.

“Chief Swanson has served the Woodstock community with integrity and accountability for over twenty years as a patrol officer, as a corporal, as a sergeant, and now, as chief. As it relates to the accusations stated in the union’s letter, Chief Swanson denies them,” Vasiliou said.

Swanson remains on paid leave three weeks after Vermont State Police cleared him of any possible misconduct while dealing with an off-duty traffic incident involving the chief’s husband and a second man driving on High Street on Oct. 13.

Duffy placed Swanson on paid leave from the village on Oct. 15 and asked the Vermont State Police to conduct the independent investigation into the incident, which Swanson reportedly witnessed.

State police said both drivers refused to cooperate, and the case was closed with no charges. 

For more on this story, please see our November 27 edition of the Vermont Standard.

The attorney representing the Hartland Planning Commission (HPC) in its appeal of a Vermont Environmental Court ruling allowing a proposed 9,000-square-foot farm outlet store to proceed near the I-91 interchange in the Upper Valley community has until Monday, Dec. 9, to file the HPC’s initial response in the case before the Vermont Supreme Court.

In the meantime, while attorney Peter Raymond of Burlington — one of the leading litigators of Vermont Act 250 land-use permit challenges in the state — prepares the HPC brief for the court, the commissioners have launched a public outreach effort to explain the reasoning behind the appeal to the public, including skeptical members of the Hartland Selectboard. To further its objectives of protecting the rural character of the town and the continued enhancement of the three “village centers” in the community, the HPC has asked the selectboard, which has not yet taken a position on the proposed Sunnymede project, to engage with the planning commission in developing a basic land use ordinance.

In September, the HPC filed an appeal with the Vermont Supreme Court challenging a ruling by Environmental Court Judge Thomas Walsh that ratified a decision last spring by the District 3 Environmental Commission allowing the Sunnymede project to move forward.

The HPC is appealing the Sunnymede decisions by both the Vermont District 3 Environmental Commission and the Environmental Court in an attempt to maintain the present-day character of Hartland in what the commission regards as the spirit and intent of Act 250.

“All towns in Vermont are subject to Vermont’s Act 250 Land Use Regulations that by statute are based on policies and goals stated in a Town Plan. A Plan is drafted by a Planning Commission, then reviewed and voted on by the Selectboard, and at their discretion, by a public vote,” the HPC asserted in its official statement. “Most towns in Vermont have local ordinances — created, administrated and acted on by local town officials. Over the past 50 years, Hartland has never had a land use ordinance. 

The most recent attempt by the HPC to update the Hartland Town Plan was rejected by the selectboard in August of 2022, when the municipal governing body objected to language related to commercial versus rural development in the town. The selectboard sent the proposed plan back to the HPC for further consideration and revision; 27 months later, the planning commission continues to ponder those plan revisions.

As a consequence of the Sunnymede travails and the long-delayed action on updating the Town Plan, the HPC is asking its sometime-adversary, the Hartland Selectboard, to collaborate with the commission in the development of a townwide land use ordinance. “That, in coordination with a revised 2025 Town Plan, should allow Hartland to more directly enforce its own values and keep Hartland “the way it is,’” the planning panel concluded.

For more on this story, please see our November 27 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

By Lauren Dorsey, Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, Woodstock residents will cast ballots in the second public vote this year on the Woodstock water system. 

The first, a floor vote on Nov. 29, drew the largest voter turnout in over two decades and passed by a margin of almost four to one, clearing the way for the town to acquire most of the assets of the privately held Woodstock Aqueduct Company (WAC). 

Now, the town has to decide how to operate it.

The upcoming vote will be conducted by Australian ballot. “It has to be this time because both articles are for bonds,” Woodstock Municipal Manager Eric Duffy told the Standard. “On Dec. 10 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., residents can come to the town hall, pick up a ballot, vote, and leave. Or they can pick up an absentee ballot beforehand with the town clerk, fill it out at their convenience, and drop it back off anytime [before] the vote. Either way, they don’t have to sit down and wait for a meeting to start.”

The vote will be split into two articles.

Article 1 

The first article asks voters to approve a bond of up to $1.6 million for the town to purchase the 358-acre Vondell Reservoir property. “We’re voting on this right now because, per the terms of the [WAC] acquisition, the selectboard agreed to bring it before the voters before the end of the year,” Laura Powell, a member of the Woodstock Selectboard, told the Standard. “We’re basically giving voters the option to say whether or not they want to make the investment in the property.”

The town will have access to the Vondell Reservoir Property’s water and water infrastructure regardless of the outcome of the Dec. 10 vote. “After successfully closing on the sale [approved in November], we’ll have an easement to use the water and the water systems infrastructure that’s currently on the reservoir even if we don’t purchase the property,” said Duffy. 

Although the town will have rights to the water on the property either way, purchasing the Vondell Reservoir property has potential benefits, according to Powell. “The board’s position and the town’s is that, because it represents so many different things, it is a worthwhile investment,” said Powell.

First, the water at the Vondell reservoir will not be potable without the addition of new treatment equipment. While the town currently has no plans to use the reservoir as a source for the Woodstock water system, purchasing the property would allow the town to someday add the equipment necessary to make the water potable. “If our aquifer were to become contaminated, or we didn’t have enough groundwater to pump, which given the climate of even the last few weeks, is not really terribly hard to imagine, we would need to look at something like the reservoir as a backup source,” said Powell. 

Powell also emphasized the reservoir’s popularity for outdoor public recreation. “I know a lot of people have been talking about mountain biking that goes on there, but the reservoir also provides miles of walking trails, and I believe the only trout fishing available in our town,” said Powell. She explained that if the town does not purchase the property, the WAC could choose to sell it to a private owner, who may not keep it open for public use.

Purchasing the property could also allow the town to put at least a portion of the parcel under a conservation easement. “There’s some very rare species of salamanders up there, and there’s actually some rare forestry stands,” said Susan Ford, vice chair of the selectboard. “The Vermont Land Trust views this as an important parcel to preserve, [and] that also opens up some money. The land trust is talking about a minimum of a $150,000 grant they think we would get if we conserved part of the property, which would obviously go towards the bond.”

Finally, Ford also mentioned that some of the property could be a potential financial resource for the town in the future. “If we kept a small portion of the parcel out of conservation, then if the town fell on really hard times, it could be a potential revenue source for the town [if] we sold it,” said Ford. 

The selectboard settled on a final allocation of how residents would pay for both bonds at a special meeting on Thursday, Nov. 21. 

The vote came after weeks of discussions, reassessing a potential distribution they tentatively discussed back in October. The board’s delay in determining a final allocation caused some friction both on the board and in town. “The board needs to come to some conclusion soon or no one’s going to vote for this over the frustration of not knowing what they’re going to pay,” said Duffy during a selectboard meeting on Nov. 19. “I’m hearing a lot of frustration in the community about not knowing how much it is going to cost.”

At the meeting, the board decided that if Article 1 passes, all Woodstock taxpayers will be responsible for paying for the bond to purchase the Vondell property. Duffy estimated that the 2026 bond payment for the reservoir would be around $120,908. Under that estimate, all Woodstock taxpayers would be responsible for paying roughly $12.71 per $100,000 of property value. 

Article 2 

Article 2 asks voters to approve a bond of up to $6.7 million to fund three capital projects that would improve the operation of the Woodstock water system.

Of the three capital projects, the biggest is the proposed upgrade of the WAC’s water transmission main and the Route 4 water main. In 2023, Otter Creek Engineering estimated that this project would cost around $4.5 million and take two to three years to complete. 

According to Duffy, this project would bring the Village’s hydrants either within or close to the state’s mandated pressure, which could allow the town to lift the WAC’s moratorium on new connections. “The simplest way to think about it is that we know the hydrant deficiency needs to be addressed,” said Powell. “This is state-mandated work. This is going to bring us up to compliance, and so if the article fails, obviously we risk not being in compliance, and could risk having to absorb fines from the state.”

The second capital project is the Elm Street main suspension, which will replace the temporary four-inch pipe that runs over the Elm Street bridge sidewalk with a new 12-inch water main that will hang underneath the bridge. Otter Creek Engineering estimated that this work would cost roughly $650,000 to $720,000 and take less than a year. 

The third project will replace Well #5, one of the WAC’s two functioning wells. Otter Creek Engineering estimated that this project would cost around $800,000 and take less than a year. 

The well was originally installed in 1993 and is one of the WAC’s two working wells, according to Duffy. Replacing it would allow the WAC to meet its permitted daily demand within 12 hours instead of the 18 it currently takes, which would improve the system’s resilience in the event of disasters, equipment failures, and fires, said Duffy.

Duffy’s estimate for the 2026 bond payment for Article 2 is $492,083. The selectboard decided on Nov. 21 to divide this payment among several sources. 49% of the bond payment will be paid for by users of the water system. 23% will be divided among all taxpayers, and 27% will be covered by portions of the town’s two local options taxes.

For Woodstock taxpayers, the capital project bond would break down to roughly $12 per $100,000 of property value. Users of the water system would see a water rate cost increase of $200 based on an assumption of 5000 cubic feet of annual water usage.

Outreach

While the selectboard has been holding public meetings, hosting several walks around the Vondell property, and continuing with the schedule of forums it began during the month leading up to the November vote, the board has not been posting on the listserv or advertising the opportunities to discuss the vote as aggressively this time around. “There seems to have been very little discussion publicly about the various merits of the purchase,” said Woodstock resident Antonia Richie during the Nov. 19 selectboard meeting. “There was so much more over the acquisition of the aqueduct company, but over the acquisition of this parcel, [people] don’t really seem to be talking about it.”

Part of the board’s relative silence is because they didn’t want to begin outreach in earnest until they finalized who would be paying for what, according to Duffy. “We also know people are tired and exhausted,” said Duffy. “We had a local vote. There’s been a national election. Thanksgiving is next week, so we kind of decided that people probably need some time alone to breathe and regroup and relax.”

The week after Thanksgiving, however, the town’s approach will change. “We’re going to go into full throttle for that week and a half,” said Duffy. “We’re going to have public forums at cafes in the morning and have happy hours in the evening. Dec. 5 will be an informational session on the vote. We’re really trying to go full on for those 10 days to get all the information out to people that we can.”

For an updated schedule of forums, happy hours, selectboard meetings, and more information about the upcoming vote visit townofwoodstock.org

The Woodstock Selectboard is expressing concerns with the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce — and by extension with the town’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) — over the future of the woodstockvt.com marketing website that has been co-owned by the Chamber and the EDC since 2016.

Disenchantment with the website’s operation surfaced at a Nov. 21 meeting of the Woodstock Selectboard, when EDC Chair Jon Spector and Commissioner Greta Calabrese presented a web-related funding request and also asked for the board’s blessing for the EDC to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for the complete overhaul of the woodstockvt.com website, which has not been updated in seven years.

The selectboard kicked off the website discussion last week on a positive note, okaying by a unanimous vote the allocation of $2,500 to continue a technical maintenance contract for the town marketing website with Canada-based web development firm Origins for another six months.

After Spector noted that the woodstockvt.com site was down and not operating even as he presented his preliminary pitch for the maintenance contract extension, Calabrese stepped up via Zoom to present the case for issuing an RFP for a wholly new website for the town’s tourism, marketing, and economic development ventures, “Woodstockvt.com is our town’s greatest media asset. It was built by Origins in 2017 and it has been maintained by them ever since. It’s been a very expensive endeavor for our town and until recently it’s been expensive to maintain through the same company…With the way the internet is changing so quickly, there have been a lot of updates and upgrades and things that we wanted to change, but as far as the [present] functionality is concerned, we haven’t been able to do that.”

Calabrese continued, “Going forward, any of the things we’d like to do in managing content in-house won’t be possible, so with the board’s consent, we’d like to [issue an] RFP so that we can make an investment that will be much less than we invested back in 2017, with the whole thing to be done for in the range of $20,000 so that we can build the website on a user-friendly CMS and everything is in our hands from there on out.”

Selectperson Laura Powell spoke next, “While I support the RFP going live, I think it would be really helpful for us to understand how much the new website build would cost,” Powell commented. She agreed that a shift to a much more contemporary, state-of-the-art CMS was desirable for functionality purposes.

The crux of Powell’s concern, she averred, was not about the proposed rebuild of the website, but what she said was the need for “a broader conversation around the Chamber’s lack of ability to meet their responsibility maintaining the website,” asserting that the business group’s “inability to pay the domain fees, which is why the website is currently down, presents an issue for me (in asking) the taxpayers for more money, knowing that the party that’s supposed to be an equal and equally cost sharing is not doing its job,” Powell argued. She continued, “I think we should move forward with the RFP with the heavy caveat that we should have formal conversations about what supporting a stable and functional website means for the future for our town.”

In a Nov. 22 letter to the Standard, the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors addressed the concerns raised at the previous evening’s Town Selectboard meeting. “We appreciate the recent concern regarding the Woodstockvt website and would like to clarify the situation,” the Chamber directors wrote. “The site was not down due to lapse of payment by the Chamber. Unfortunately, there was a case of fraud on the bank account used for the website’s automatic payment, which resulted in the domain fee being rejected by the bank. We are happy to report that this issue is fully resolved, and steps have been taken to prevent such occurrences in the future.”

“The feedback I’m taking away from this is that it is possible to do something like this [issuing of the RFP] — not guaranteed that the town will fund a proposal — but there are issues other than functionality of the site and cost that need to be included,” Spector said, summing up. “Before we come back to you with a proposal for whatever it is that we want to do, in a way that’s very consistent [with your feedback], we’ll consider these issues.”

For more on this story, please see our November 27 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

On Saturday, Nov. 16 at a Special Town Meeting, West Windsor residents voted 63-15 in favor of shifting the town from a calendar year budget to a July-June fiscal year one.

To transition the town from a budget beginning on Jan. 1 to one starting in July, the West Windsor selectboard plans to move everyone from annual tax collection to a six-month collection schedule. 

The board’s plan is that next October, West Windsor taxpayers will receive a typical twelve-month tax bill. Then, in April 2026, residents will get their first half-year tax bill, which will just cover the first six months of the 2026 tax year. From that point on, taxpayers’s bills will be split between April and October every year. 

While residents discussed it last Saturday, they won’t officially approve the new six-month tax collection schedule until they vote in the March 2026 town meeting.

For more on this story, please see our November 27 edition of the Vermont Standard.

Do802.com, a new service of the Vermont Standard, is now live. The free, web-based app features a comprehensive calendar of events and an up-to-the-minute feed of deals, discounts, and announcements posted by local businesses. Do802 was designed to help quickly connect people to everything the Upper Valley offers. From favorite restaurants, local festivals, and unique exhibitions, to last-minute discounts on specialties and handmade Vermont products, there’s so much in the Upper Valley to take advantage of. Do802 offers a simple way to quickly find what to do so that residents and visitors alike can spend less time looking for their next experience, and more time enjoying it.

It’s simple to use Do802. The first section is an easy-to-navigate, interactive listing of things to do for fun and fulfillment in the Upper Valley each day. The calendar on Do802 offers a great way to see what’s happening, from concerts to community events to club meetings. Rather than digging through different websites, feeds, or emails, Do802’s “What To Do” section offers a simple, fast, and comprehensive way to find the right experience every time.

The second part shows a rolling log of special offers and announcements posted by local businesses and organizations. It features last-minute offers (e.g., “Half off muffins for the next hour!” or “Early bird special on tickets today only.”). It also includes reminders and announcements (e.g., “In thirty minutes, the band will take the stage,” or “Free book signing in two hours.”). Do802 is a way for businesses, both treasured and new, to instantly communicate with residents and tourists alike, giving users a chance to benefit whenever a bakery bakes too much bread or a matinee show doesn’t quite sell out.

Do802 was designed by the Vermont Standard to help fund the journalism in its paper. The Standard, like all local newspapers around the country, needs additional revenue to help make up for the loss of traditional print advertising. Do802 is just one way the Standard will be deploying creative solutions to help keep its community coverage flowing. 

Do802 is a progressive web app, which means it can behave both like a website and a mobile app. Users can go to the Do802 website on any phone, tablet, or computer. On a mobile device, they can also save Do802 to their home screen, so it is easily accessible and acts just like an app. To save Do802 to your home screen on iPhones, go to Do802.com and click the share button (a square with an arrow pointing up) at the bottom of the screen. Scroll down the list of actions before tapping on “Save to Homescreen.” On Android, the same thing can be done in the three-dot menu at the top of the screen.

Planning for Bookstock 2025 is well underway, according to Bookstock board secretary Michael Stoner, who announced this week a lineup of six authors and four poets who will headline the May 16-18 festival in Woodstock. 

Bookstock 2024 was canceled unexpectedly due to logistical issues. Following that announcement, new leadership — and an entirely new board — was put into place to revive Bookstock for 2025. In addition to Stoner, the new board includes Jon Spector as chair, Priscilla Painton as vice chair, Julie Moncton as treasurer, and Kari Meutsch. Additionally, the festival date shifted from the traditional June, to May. Stoner told the Standard in August that the date change was due to a lack of lodging availability in June.

“There are a number of differences” between next year’s Bookstock and previous years, Stoner told the Standard this week. “One is that we heard from people who attended Bookstock that there was too much going on. So we definitely slimmed down the program… There are not going to be a lot of sessions up against each other, and people will have an easier time figuring out what they want to go to.” 

Stoner made a point to note that while the event will be slimmed down, many of the fan-favorite activities will continue, such as the book sale on The Green, the “Unbound” exhibit at Artistree, and a number of writing and poetry workshops. “Most, if not all, of the venues for the events during the day will be walkable from The Green,” Stoner explained.

For more on this story and a full lineup of authors and poets, please see our November 27 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

An alumnus of the iconic sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) will highlight the annual Vermont Comedy Festival for the second consecutive year. The laugh fest, now entering its third year, is slated for venues in Bridgewater, Woodstock, and Killington from Thursday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 8.

On Left: Tim Meadows, a celebrated member of the Saturday Night Live cast from 1990 until 2001, will headline the Vermont Comedy Festival with a stand-up show at Woodstock’s Town Hall Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 7. Courtesy of the Vermont Comedy Festival On Right: Comedian and songwriter Nadia Quinn will bring a special holiday edition of her Edinburgh Fringe Festival-hit performance, “The Nadia Quinn Show,” to the Woolen Mill Comedy Club in Bridgewater on Sunday Dec. 8. Quinn’s performance will wrap up the 2024 Vermont Comedy Festival. Courtesy of Nadia Quinn

The four-day festival includes a headline performance by Tim Meadows, one of the longest-running cast members on SNL, where he appeared for 10 seasons from 1990 until 2001. For his work on SNL, he received a nomination for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Series in 1993. During his time on SNL, Meadows garnered acclaim for his impersonations of famous personalities, including Oprah Winfrey, Erkyah Badu, Michael Jackson, and Tiger Woods. Meadows followed his decade-long SNL stint with a six-year run as John Glascott in the ABC-TV sitcom The Goldbergs. Moving on to the big screen, Meadows was celebrated for his role as Principal Duvall in the 2004 cult teen comedy film Mean Girls, a role he reprised in Mean Girls 2. Meadows also co-starred in the hit comedy movies Grown-Ups and Grown-Ups 2, along with fellow SNL veterans and alumni Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.

In addition to Meadows, nearly 60 comics, all rising stars from throughout the United States and Canada, will venture to the Upper Valley for the third edition of the festival.

In just three short years, the Vermont-based fest has garnered a national reputation as a “comic’s comedy festival,” celebrated among comedians both for its savvy audiences and for the opportunities for professional and creative development offered to nascent stars of the stand-up realm.

Nancy Johnson Bassett of North Pomfret left this life on her own terms, Nov. 15, 2024. After a vibrant and energetic life of 99 years and a brief illness, she died peacefully where and how she had wished — at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon.

Born in Fairfield, Conn. on Aug. 22, 1925, Nancy was the daughter of Mabel Gravesen and John Peter Johnson. She was a graduate of Roger Ludlow High School in Fairfield and of Oberlin College. On the afternoon of her Oberlin graduation in 1947, she married fellow Oberlin graduate, John Putnam Bassett, also of Fairfield. Nancy was co-editor of the Oberlin Review and, during the summer of 1944, a reporter for The Bridgeport Post. As a 19-year-old, Nancy was assigned to call on the bereaved families of soldiers who had died on D-day.  During the war, Nancy used her father’s gas rations to drive cancer patients to their treatments in New York City. These experiences helped inform her lifelong kindness to, and interest in, everyone around her. 

Nancy and John lived in San Francisco for several years after their marriage, returning to Fairfield in the early 1950s where they raised their family. In 1951, John started an independent insurance agency in Bridgeport where Nancy initially maintained the books. As the business grew, Nancy was able to hand off this work to focus on her family and volunteer work.  

In 1962, John and Nancy bought an abandoned house on the Bassett family farm in North Pomfret. Beloved by parents and children, the home became central to decades of family life. Nancy and John welcomed friends and family to their home — filled more with love than with heat. North Pomfret became their full-time home after John’s retirement in 1993. Nancy embraced life in North Pomfret, becoming involved in her community and building lifelong friendships. She especially loved her neighbors, whose kindness and support meant so much to her.

Hospital volunteering was central to Nancy’s life from the 1960s until the pandemic. At Bridgeport Hospital, she served on the Board as well as a committee that established the Clinical Pastoral Education Program. During a stay in Kenya for the International Executive Service Corps, Nancy volunteered at a hospital refuge for young mothers and their babies. For more than 25 years, Nancy served as a Patient Family Advisor at Dartmouth Hitchcock. She visited patients, capturing their stories, and taught generations of nurses and residents about the importance of patient-centered care. In 2019 Nancy was named Dartmouth Hitchcock’s Volunteer of the Year. 

Nancy volunteered and served on the board at David’s House, co-chaired Woodstock’s Red Cross Blood Bank, and for decades advocated for hospice and palliative care. Nancy was a member of the planning group for the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care at Dartmouth Health where she hoped to draw her last breath — a wish fulfilled.

Nancy traveled the seven continents, played tennis and golf, and was a downhill and cross-country skier. After John’s death, Nancy traveled with her children in France nearly every fall. She was a voracious reader with wide-ranging interests. Until the last week of her life, she walked daily in her beloved Vermont hills, always savoring the beauty around her, especially spring wildflowers.

Nancy adored watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren find their way in life. She is survived by her children, Elizabeth Bassett (John Pane) and James Bassett (Ellen); grandchildren Putnam Pane (Kelly Pettijohn), Victoria Pane (Travis Titus), Jesse Bassett (Mary), John Bassett (Rachel Johnson), and Hannah Bassett (Ian Lusty); great-grandchildren Stella and Austin Titus, Ada and Jack Bassett, and Roslin and Adeline Pane.

A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held next summer. Donations in Nancy’s memory can be made to the Jack Byrne Center at Dartmouth Health. 

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Marvin Lawrence Cole passed away peacefully at his home in Casa Grande, Ariz., on Nov. 19, 2024 surrounded by family.

Marvin was born on Feb. 2, 1943, in Rutland, Vt., to Elbert and Hilda (Parker) Cole. He graduated from Wallingford High School in 1960 and proudly served in the United States Marine Corps as a radio operator from 1961 to 1965. Following his military service, Marvin pursued a career as an electrician and later established his own electrical contracting business in the Woodstock area. Together with his wife, Janet, he ran the business for over 30 years, building a reputation for excellence and dedication. Marvin and Janet retired to Casa Grande, Ariz. where Marvin continued his passion for restoring old pick-up trucks. 

Marvin is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Janet (Swenor) Cole; his two children, Matthew (Darcy) Cole and Marie (Jeremy) Cross; and five cherished grandchildren: Travis Cole, Jacob (Chelsea) Cole, Spencer Cole (Miranda Johnson), Cole Daniels, and Ian Hewitt. He also leaves behind two siblings, Katrine Dutton and Betty Jane (Dexter) Bostock, and eagerly awaited the arrival of his first great-grandchild.

He was predeceased by his parents, Elbert and Hilda Cole, and siblings Elbert “Budge” Cole Jr., Robert “Boney” Cole, and Mary Ann Weeks.

Marvin will be remembered as a hard working and devoted husband, father, and grandfather, whose unique character, work ethic, and sense of humor left a lasting impression on all who knew him. His legacy lives on in the family he loved and the community he served.

Oliver Ames Manice passed away peacefully in his beloved home in Bridgewater on Nov. 19, 2024, at the age of 77.  Oliver was born on Dec. 20, 1946 and grew up in Weston, Mass., where he attended Fenn School and then later graduated from Lawrence Academy. He went on to earn a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Denver, where he played on DU’s first men’s lacrosse team. He was proud of his alma mater and was an avid supporter of the DU Pioneers hockey, lacrosse and ski team.

After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army in the special security group. When his service was complete, he settled in Bridgewater in an 1815 cape house, surrounded by meadows and mountains. Shortly afterward, he met and married his adored Mathilde Zara. Together, they raised their two children, Lindsay and Reed, along with their beloved dogs, cats and bees. 

Oliver worked with Charles Fenton as a custom framer and then at Ford Insurance Agency before starting his own woodworking business, Angle Woodworks. He single-handedly transformed a section of his 1800s barn into his workshop, where he created beautiful custom frames. He was a jack-of-all-trades, using the space to restore rowboats, repair bee supers, and anything else that needed fixing. When he wasn’t in his workshop, he was often out on his John Deer, mowing the fields or plowing the snow. 

He loved and cared for the outdoors, appreciating its beauty and quiet. In the winter, he would play hockey and ski the nearby x-country trails and downhill slopes, and in the summer, he would be wading in the rivers and oceans, fly-fishing with his friends. In his younger years, he spent many summers sailing in Newport, Rhode Island, and playing pick-up baseball or pond hockey games with his friends and older brother, Billie. 

For many years, Oliver served on the board of the Lakota Club and was an active member on the fish and boat committees. He also served multiple roles within the town of Bridgewater and was a lifelong philanthropist in his local community and beyond. 

Oliver is survived by his wife, Mathilde Manice; his children, Reed Manice and Lindsay Sussman; his son in law, Walter Sussman; and his grandchildren, Madeline, Lilianna, and Sophie Sussman. Oliver was preceded in death by his parents, Olivia Ames Manice and William Deforest Manice, and his brother, William DeForest Manice III. 

Oliver will be forever remembered in our hearts as a thoughtful, gentle, generous soul. He touched so many of our lives with his quiet smile, his kindness, his wisdom, and subtle sense of humor. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends. 

Per Oliver’s wishes, there will be a private graveside service for his family this coming week. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Vermont Land Trust.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Anna (Jillson) Biathrow passed away November 12, 2024.

Anna married Murry Biathrow in January of 1953. Raising a large family, they lived in Bridgewater and then relocated to the Ackley farm in South Reading where they remained.

Anna was no stranger to hard work. Gardens of bountiful food for her family and taking care of others were her passion.  Anna had an amazing sense of humor and loved a good time. She always had on her dancing shoes. She loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren (too many to name). Her door was always open and food was on the table!

Anna is survived by Murry; her children Philip/Mary Biathrow of Hartland, Mary Biathrow of Woodstock Linda/Greg Markwell of North Pomfret; many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She was predeceased by three children Michael, John and Betsy; and her siblings, Winnifred Jillson, Alan Jillson, Arlene Coffin, Julia Merriam, Warren Jillson.

A special thanks to the Davis Home in Windsor, Vt. for their care and kindness during Anna’s last year of life.

Per her request, there will be no services.  If you wish, she loved the song “The Old Rugged Cross,” listen to it for Anna.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Stevan Mark Geiger, Sr., 73, of Manchester, N.H. passed away on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024 following a sudden illness. Steve was born on April 24, 1951 in Reading, Pa. to George Arthur Geiger and Jane Louise (Mark) Walker. He graduated from Muhlenberg High School, where he excelled in athletics, and Fairleigh Dickinson University where he studied finance and accounting. He began his career as an investment manager and for 17 years he owned and operated a small printing business called Windmill Copy Center in his community of Woodstock, where he was well-known for always being very friendly, energetic and personable. Eventually he returned to banking as a commercial lender, most recently for Citizens’ Bank, before retiring in 2021. For the past several years he enjoyed living in the seacoast region of New Hampshire, traveling and attending concerts and events with his wife Deborah. 

Steve was a big fan of all kinds of sports. In the 90s he could usually be found on the sidelines of his kids’ athletic events and for several years he served as president of the Woodstock Youth Hockey Association. He was also well-known for his passionate support of Philadelphia sports teams — most notably his beloved Eagles, whose flag could reliably be found flying outside of his residence. Go Birds! 

Steve was predeceased by his parents and stepfather Charles H. Walker (“Uncle Bud”). He is survived by his wife Deborah of Manchester, N.H.; son Stevan M. Geiger, Jr. of Rutland, Vt.; daughter Emily Geiger of Woodstock; step-daughter Lisa Tedeschi (Greg) of New London, N.H.; grandchildren Stevan M. Geiger, III, Joshua Tedeschi, and Elizabeth and William Watson. 

Calling hours are Monday, Dec. 9 from 4-6 p.m. at Connor-Healy Funeral Home, 537 Union Street, Manchester, N.H. A Private burial will be held at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the RiverWoods Manchester Employee Appreciation Fund (EAF), 200 Alliance Way, Manchester, NH 03102. Please put “In memory of Stevan Geiger” in the memo line. 

Harry Joe Warren, “Joe” to most and “Bopa” to his family, died unexpectedly at home on Thursday, Nov, 7, 2024. Joe was 86 and had lived in Woodstock with his son Doug Warren and his family for six years as his dementia became more pronounced. He was a beloved member of First Congregational Church Woodstock, where many congregants helped watch over him. 

He was born in Okmulgee, Okla. on March 13, 1938. Joe grew up in a loving Christian family with parents Harry Jay and Evelyn (Hufford) Warren, brother Michael Warren and sister Loraine (Warren) Marlow. He was the first-born grandchild on both sides to maternal grandparents Ernest & Iva (Bartow) Hufford, and paternal grandparents Jeff and Ida Mae Warren. He was also much beloved by his maternal great-grandparents Will & Dora (Miller) Hufford. 

Joe met Sue Ellen Donnelly in Chicago and whisked her away on his motorcycle. Theirs was a whirlwind romance, as he swept her off her feet. They were married in Long Island, N.Y. From there, they moved all over the United States and were blessed with two sons, Harry Jay Warren and Douglas Donnelly Warren. They were happily married for more than fifty years. 

His relationship with Jesus Christ was the most important aspect of his life, as it gave meaning and significance to every other part. He was always glad to serve and used his many talents in various roles through the years, including Sunday School teacher, deacon, and elder.  

Joe loved his country and served in the U.S. Marines Corps, graduating from basic training at Camp Pendleton in California. When question of his service came up, Joe would usually demure, saying he wasn’t a “real Marine” as he “only” served as a Marine Reservist. But this was out of respect for his cousin, Don Mason, who was a Gunny Sergeant in the Marine Corps with multiple tours in Vietnam. 

Ever since his high school counselor told Joe that he was “not college material,” formal education was very important to him. He went to DeVry Institute in Chicago and received an associate’s degree in Electronics, which he used working for a railroad, surveying track with cutting edge electronic equipment. Once married and settled down near the old Mitchell Airforce base, Joe completed his BS in Mathematics at CW Post University. This led to a job in purchasing, which opened a career in government contracts administration. He received his Master’s degree from American University, which in turn provided opportunities for teaching in both university and industry settings. Joe completed all but his dissertation for a Doctorate of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University. He also taught classes at the University of Virginia, University of Houston, and American University. He found great fulfillment in helping students navigate the world of federal procurement.   

Joe is survived by his brother Michael Warren (Rita), sister Loraine Marlow (Bob), son Doug Warren (Kristen), pastor at First Congregational Church Woodstock, their four grown children: Donnelly Warren (Lucy), Karis Warren (fiancé Timo Mather), Libby Black (Chip), and Colby Warren, as well as by his son Jay Warren’s widow, Kitty, and sons Joseph Warren (Lauren), Christopher Warren (fiancée Rachel Farmer), and Brian Warren. He also leaves nine great-grandchildren, including one on the way. 

He is predeceased by his parents Harry and Evelyn Warren, his wife Susie Warren, his son Jay Warren, his grandson Jason Warren, and his granddaughter Krystal Smith. 

There will be two memorial services. One will be held at First Congregational Church Woodstock on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. There will be a time of refreshments and fellowship at the church following the service. The other will be held at Christ Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, Texas on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 2. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be given to First Congregational Church Woodstock at 36 Elm Street Woodstock, VT 05091. 

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Murry Biathrow passed away November 19, 2024 just seven days after his wife Anna.

Murry was born and raised in Bridgewater. He left education at a young age to work with his father and brothers in their logging operation and was raised to live off the land.

In 1953, he danced his way into Anna’s (Jillson’s) heart, and they began their journey together. He built their first house in Bridgewater on the family’s homestead. Later building a second house nearby. They relocated to the Ackley Farm in South Reading. Murry farmed and was a construction operator until he began his own business logging and doing construction on his own. 

Murry was always there to lend a hand. Helping clear land and construct homes for his children and grandchildren. He was an avid hunter and outdoorsman, passing his passions to future generations. He loved nothing more than a family gathering and being surrounded by them particularly his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Murry is survived by a sister Marion Kent Rutland, Vt.; and a brother Henry Biathrow, Killington, Vt.; his children Philip/Mary Biathrow of Hartland, Mary Biathrow of Woodstock Linda/Greg Markwell of North Pomfret, many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

He was predeceased by three children: Michael, John and Betsy; a brother Royal Biathrow; sisters Francis Colby, Juanita Biathrow and Myrtle Biathrow.

A special thanks to the Davis Home in Windsor, Vt. for their care and kindness during Murry’s last year of life. Per his request there will be no services.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Sophia Hencken Stone, of Barnard, died on Nov. 11, 2024. The cause was metastatic cancer.

Sophia was born on Nov. 21, 1940 in Boston, Mass., to Thalassa Cruso Hencken and Hugh O’Neill Hencken of Chestnut Hill and Marion, Mass. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1962 and two years later married David L. Stone, Harvard Class of 1961. The two moved to New Orleans, La., where they lived for 42 years while David practiced law and they raised three children.

Sophia received a Master of Education degree from Tulane University, and taught in the Head Start program in New Orleans during its earliest years. After her children were born, she co-founded a successful co-operative preschool, The Children’s Community, where parents and professional teachers worked together in the classrooms. In her 40s, Sophia returned to graduate school, this time earning a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. She was a published poet, and served for many years as poetry editor of New Orleans Review, a literary magazine.

After David died in 2005, Sophia returned to New England, settling in Barnard, where she and David had been building a house. During her years in Barnard, she volunteered in the kindergarten and first grade classrooms at Barnard Academy, and served on the boards of BarnArts, a local arts organization, and the Barnard Education Fund. Recently, she was president of a women’s reading club in Woodstock. She was a trustee of East Barnard Church.

Sophia actively supported numerous charitable organizations and causes, but will be best remembered in both Barnard and New Orleans for her personal generosity, always offered with grace and dignity — a place to stay, a ride to a medical appointment, a visit and conversation, financial help, a delicious meal, companionship in moments both difficult and celebratory.

Sophia leaves her three dear children and their spouses: Sarah and John Ehlinger of Dover, Mass.; Michael Stone and Elizabeth Owen of New Orleans, La.; and Eva Stone and Ali Calisal of Washington D.C. She also leaves her seven beloved grandchildren, Alexandra, Lillian and David John Ehlinger; Owen, Peter and Samuel Stone; and Julian Calisal, as well as her older sister, Ala Reid of York, Maine, and her twin sister, Thalassa Scholl of London, England.

A funeral service will be held at East Barnard Church in the late spring of 2025, with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Sophia’s memory to Vermont Foodbank or Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans.

Knight Funeral Home of White River Junction, VT has been entrusted with arrangements and online condolences may be made at knightfuneralhomes.com.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Vassiliki “Vassie” Sinopoulos, aged 77, on Nov. 5, surrounded by loved ones in her Woodstock home. Born on October 18, 1947, in the village of Valtesiniko, in Greece’s legendary province of Arcadia, Vassie was the youngest of eleven children of Yiannis Sinopoulos and Efstathia Panagoulias. From an early age, her spirit was marked by curiosity and adventure. After attending high school in Athens, she explored the world, living in England, Morocco, and Canada, and mastering five languages along the way.

In the early 80s, Vassie’s journey brought her to Vermont, where she settled down with the love of her life, Christopher Lloyd. They married in August 1983 in East Barnard and soon after made their home in Woodstock. There, Vassie quickly became a beloved member of the community, known for her energy, creativity, and a rare ability to make others feel welcomed. Vassie and Chris were devoted congregants of the North Chapel Unitarian Society since the 90s.

A gifted seamstress with an eye for design, Vassie expressed her creativity through weaving. Inspired to preserve her cultural heritage, she returned to Greece to immerse herself in traditional weaving techniques, later establishing a weaving studio in Woodstock. Through her practice, she mentored many aspiring weavers with expertise, patience, and warmth.

Vassie enjoyed gardening, walks to the Pogue, preparing traditional Greek and Moroccan foods, foraging for morels and leeks, and being with her family. Having grown up in the shadow of two wars, Vassie was committed to peace and nonviolence. She played a vital role in organizing anti-war protests in Woodstock. Friends spoke of her as a bright star whose presence radiated both lightness and groundedness.

Vassie was predeceased by her beloved husband Chris (77). She is survived by her three children: son Cherif Aziz and twins Daniel Norris Lloyd and Sophia “So” Sinopoulos-Lloyd, who will continue to honor her memory and legacy. A memorial service to celebrate Vassie’s life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Vassie’s name can be made to the Woodstock Community Food Shelf or the Vermont Food Bank, honoring her commitment to helping others. An online guestbook can be found at https://www.cabotfh.com/.

Vassie’s radiant spirit, practical wisdom, and loving soul is woven into the lives of all who knew her, never to be forgotten.

By Dan Cotter, Publisher

Choosing the centerpiece photo to appear on the front page of the paper is one of the highlights of the week for those who work at the Standard.

Through the years, deciding on this photo was something longtime publisher Phil Camp relished. Each Tuesday morning, the Standard’s page designer printed out and displayed all the best images that our photographers had captured in their assignments, along with any photos that were provided by community organizations that held events during the week, or even photos submitted by readers. There might be dozens of choices. Phil delighted in his weekly ritual of looking through all of them and picking his favorite. Others on the staff weighed in as well.

Today we still do a similar ritual, only we do it digitally rather than with printouts.

It’s fun, but picking the cover photo is also an important decision. That picture will be the very first thing readers see when they pick up the latest edition of the Standard.

Photos of kids, whether at a community event or participating in sports, nearly always make the final cut. And you can never go wrong with a picture of a cute dog. Here in Vermont, photos of birds, horses, sheep, and oxen are fair game too. And of course, photos shot at the scene of the week’s news stories — such as a fire or other emergency, a public meeting or vote, a performance or festival, a construction site, etc. — are always strong contenders.

To me, our weekly photo ritual pretty well symbolizes what our Annual Appeal is all about. The Vermont Standard is essentially a snapshot of life this week here in our community. Just as it has been every week for the last 171 years.

And we’re trying to preserve that.

Beyond the front page, the Standard is filled with articles and photos that document and describe how life is playing out right here in our community. There’s no wire copy or state or national news in this paper. Just original reporting about the people here. The happenings here. The decisions made or the ones we need to make here. The triumphs and tragedies that take place here. What’s beginning, what ended, and what’s just plodding along. Here. This week.

The paper paints a portrait that helps everyone in our community process, celebrate, and commemorate what we’re going through together. It’s about our friends, our neighbors, our kids, our characters, our heroes. Every single week, the Standard tells a new unique story about our life as it’s unfolding right here. Like a window into our world.

The Standard is the only entity that endeavors to create this mirror image of life playing out in our beautiful communities. Both in print and online, the Standard is the one comprehensive local news source just for us; that we can all enjoy. One we can trust. A common experience for the people here in this place. For those who care about this place.

We believe that’s incredibly valuable.

Other communities have lost their paper – whether it has gone out of business or whether it has become so diminished that it’s hardly worth reading. Those communities are left with a void. At some level, they become “news deserts” that don’t have a reliable source of credible local information. There, misinformation, which is often spread via social media, goes unchecked, and even worse, forces with dubious agendas emerge to purposely spread disinformation. Communities like that have experienced increased polarization and a decline in civic engagement.

But here, we’ve still got a quality paper that informs and connects our citizens in a positive way. And we’ve worked to make the Standard even better in recent years. Even though advertising revenue is no longer sufficient to sustain it, we think the Standard is special and worth saving

To keep it going, though, we need everyone to chip in. We’re asking you today for your help now before it’s too late. We need tax-deductible contributions to our Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation so that it can help fund the Standard.

Today is the end of our 4-week annual appeal, but our need in the coming year is 52 weeks long. And we intend to preserve the Standard so that it can forever continue to provide quality local journalism for our wonderful community, which counts on it to be the weekly window into our own little corner of the world.

Our need is urgent, and we are deeply appreciative of anything you’re willing to do to help us. If you’d like, Phil and I would be grateful for an opportunity to meet with you to talk more about our need and our plans. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or (802) 457-1313.

We sincerely hope you’ll join us in our mission by contributing to this year’s 2024 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 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 2024 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.”

To our readers,

The Vermont Standard Annual Appeal is the one time each year when we come right out and ask for your help with our mission to preserve quality local journalism for our community.

We believe that an informed public is essential if a community like ours is to have a well-functioning democracy. We think credible journalism – the local news, information, and community connection that only a local newspaper provides – is necessary to maintain the quality of life here.

Unfortunately, newspapers throughout the country are going out of business at a rate of more than two per week, and many of those that are still functioning have been debilitated.

The 171-year-old Vermont Standard is our state’s oldest weekly newspaper and at this point, it’s rather unique. To this day, it continues to provide high-quality journalism in print and online to Woodstock and the surrounding towns that the paper serves -– including Hartland, Pomfret, Bridgewater, Barnard, Quechee, Reading, West Windsor, Plymouth and points beyond. In recent years we’ve taken steps to improve the Standard’s coverage, and it has been repeatedly recognized as the best small weekly newspaper in New England.

It’s worth saving.

Professional, ethical, accurate, and fair journalism that you can trust is needed now more than ever in a society dominated by social media echo chambers, political and social division, and the proliferation of misinformation. As seen elsewhere, losing the local newspaper diminishes residents’ civic engagement and leaves a void in the community that bad actors with a cynical agenda often rush in to fill with disinformation campaigns.

Unlike most others, the Standard is an independent newspaper. We are purpose-driven rather than profit-driven. The Standard delivers a colorful, comprehensive local news report in print each Thursday, as well as online updates all week long. Nearly all articles and photos in the Standard are original reporting by our tiny staff, freelancers and volunteers. The community embraces this paper – circulation is strong and steady.

But, just like newspapers throughout the country, the Standard is struggling to remain economically viable.

The smaller, locally-owned businesses that traditionally supported local news organizations with their advertising have been replaced by chains, big box stores, and online sellers that do not actively support community journalism. Classified ads for homes, cars, jobs, and used merchandise are no longer a substantial source of funding for local news because they are now often run online instead.

The Standard, which already operates on a shoestring, has resisted the strategy embraced by so many newspapers across our nation to further strip down its small operation to bare bones, to the point that it can’t get the job done. Instead, we are striving to preserve the Standard as a quality news operation that can continue doing the job serving our community.

Funding local journalism now largely depends on philanthropic support from civic-minded residents who care deeply about this community and recognize the value the Standard brings to the table.

In the past year, a small local board has established a 501(c)(3) public charity called the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation to help ensure that our community will always have quality local journalism to inform and connect our neighbors; to help ensure the Standard keeps going. All donations to the foundation are tax-deductible.

Preserving the Standard is obviously important to the Greater Woodstock community. But this also has bigger implications.

Most local newspapers are on the brink of insolvency even though they are still the primary entities America counts on to cover local news and inform our citizens — especially in smaller towns. The newspapers are every bit as important to the functioning, spirit and soul of those towns as their public library, their theaters, their churches, and other vital institutions. We must find a way, both collectively and individually, to keep credible local journalism alive. The future of our communities and democracy depends on it.

If there is any one place in the country where residents truly appreciate and embrace both their community and their newspaper, it’s here. If our community can’t find a way to sustain its local journalism, there’s probably little hope for most others.

We sincerely hope you’ll consider making a contribution to this year’s 2024 annual appeal. Our need is quite urgent, to say the least, and we are profoundly grateful for anything you can do to help us.

The 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 able to help, please send a check to PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091. Be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.” Or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at www.thevermontstandard.com to make a contribution with your credit card.

Also, if you have a family foundation, we hope you’ll add the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation (EIN: 93-3287932) to the worthwhile causes you regularly support.

We consider it a great honor that you trust and count on the Standard to cover local news in our community. We can’t thank you enough for your friendship, your readership, and your support of this worthwhile mission we’re pursuing.

Phil Camp, president        Dan Cotter, publisher

By Dan Cotter, publisher 

“So, how’s Phil?”

I get that a lot. Oftentimes, just when I’m about finished talking on the phone with someone from Woodstock or the surrounding towns they inquire about my good friend and partner in publishing the Vermont Standard, Phil Camp – the 88-year-old lifelong resident of our community who is its most enthusiastic booster.

The callers know that he battles the health ailments that often come at his age, and then some. I typically reassure them that he remains unfailingly positive, no matter the challenges that he or the Standard faces.

Not too long ago, a caller signed off by saying something to the effect of, “You know, in our house we regard Phil as a hero.”

That’s not surprising. There’s something pretty darn heroic about a guy who dearly loves his town and has wholeheartedly dedicated the last fifty years to making sure it has a quality news source to inform and connect its citizens. Despite the advertising revenue loss that threatens its viability. Despite the flood, fire, and pandemic that made things even more difficult. Despite his own health challenges. He still wants nothing more than just to see the Standard continue to thrive into the future.

I’m reminded of another local publisher, Tim Calabro at the Herald in neighboring Randolph, who I read about recently in a story published by Seven Days. He bought his hometown paper about ten years ago, but these days, the article said his publisher duties include being the editorial director, selectboard correspondent, staff photographer, newspaper deliveryman in the early morning hours, building repairman, and head of finance, among no doubt many other roles he juggles as he strives to keep the paper afloat.

He told Seven Days reporter Rachel Hellman, “I would be really upset if this community didn’t have a newspaper. I would be OK not being the person who ran that newspaper, but I don’t see anyone else who is particularly willing or capable of doing it. So, I kind of feel like I have to do this for as long as I can.”

And Tim is certainly not alone. Independent newspaper publishers here in Vermont and throughout New England and the rest of the country all find themselves trying to hang in there — despite the intense pressure and red ink — trying to do whatever it takes to continue producing credible, quality local journalism that serves as the glue for their beloved communities.

Some would question why Phil, Tim, and the rest of us are continuing to shoulder the responsibility for keeping local news flowing and the lights on. It’s a steep uphill battle and it’s obviously not for the money (whenever I see my financial planner I simply avoid making eye contact…)

At some level, there’s patriotism and a devotion to what we see as our job to help foster a cohesive, informed community that has a reliable place to turn for fair and accurate information that residents need to make good decisions, both personally and collectively. There’s also Phil’s passion and mine that the Standard should be a news source, both in print and digital formats, where people can get to know about — and be inspired by — their neighbors’ accomplishments; one that reveals and celebrates the many occurrences in our day-to-day lives here that are so uplifting.

And then there’s that point in each week when the Standard rolls off the press, and what started as a blank page just days ago is now full of local news articles, photos, entertaining and educational feature stories, local personality profiles, opinion columns, town correspondents’ reports, announcements, listings of things to do for fun, local obituaries, bits of news and ads from local businesses and organizations, and the stories of our children’s triumphs in school and in sports. 

I think that’s when we are most reminded why we do this.

This is important. The Standard is the only medium that produces this for our community. If we’re no longer viable, all of that will cease to exist.

Whether or not local publishers working against the odds to sustain this weekly miracle are truly “heroic” is probably best judged in the eye of the beholder. But it’s certain that all the responsibility for preserving local journalism can’t fall only on the shoulders of the publishers. That’s just not sustainable. 

As Phil has often said, this paper belongs to the community.

We sincerely hope you’ll consider joining us on this journey by contributing to this year’s 2024 annual appeal. When all is said and done, my friends, you’re the real heroes that our community is counting on. 

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

The 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. 

Our need is quite urgent, and we are profoundly grateful for anything you can do to help us with this mission.

If you’re willing to make a tax-deductible donation to our 2024 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

Labor Day is coming up, signaling a time of year that’s taken on new meaning for the Vermont Standard and the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation. This point in the calendar when we honor our nation’s workers is also when we begin our four-week Annual Appeal to raise funds to keep quality local journalism flowing for Woodstock and the surrounding towns that the Standard serves in Windsor County.

By now, most everyone knows that newspapers have been struggling mightily – despite the fact that communities throughout the nation still count on them to employ the journalists who are primarily responsible for covering local news. The main problem has been the evaporation of much of the advertising revenue that traditionally supported local journalism.

Those who advertised in newspapers through the years were typically smaller, local businesses, which in many cases have fallen prey to competition from chains, big box stores, and online sellers (like Amazon). Many of them have now been bought up by bigger regional or national operations or they closed down.

Classified section advertisers also pulled back on the ads they ran in newspapers for jobs, cars, real estate, and used merchandise when online options, which are often free, became available.

So, this left local newsrooms all across the country without much of a funding mechanism. Many sold out to national newspaper chains owned by corporations or hedge funds that proceeded to gut the paper’s staff and resources in a cynical attempt to squeeze out what little profit might be left. Other papers just closed their doors as their financial losses piled up.

So far, the country has lost about a third of its newspapers — almost 3,000 have gone out of business in the past twenty years, and we’re currently on pace to continue losing more than two per week. More than 200 counties now have no credible, comprehensive local news source. They call those places “news deserts.”

To make matters worse, while many other communities still have a local newspaper, it has been reduced to just a shadow of its former self because corporate scavengers “right-sized” it, leaving the paper incapable of performing its duty for its community.

However, there are still some independent publishers in small communities like ours who know that we cannot have a well-functioning democracy if the public isn’t adequately informed. They know that a local newspaper is entrusted with reporting about the issues that matter. They also know that communities function better — and the quality of life is better — if people know what’s going on and if they know and appreciate each other. So, those publishers are finding ways to keep the lights on at their newspaper any way they can, while at the same time attempting to create new revenue streams that could help sustain their local journalism in the future.

The Standard is one of those newspapers.

Last year, the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation was formed as a public charity to raise funds to help ensure that our community won’t become the next news desert. The Foundation is dedicated primarily to preserving the Standard and its role in informing citizens and supporting democracy in our area well into the future. We’re not trying to merely keep some semblance of a diminished newspaper alive here. We’re trying to preserve a good, trustworthy, 171-year-old purveyor of local news and information (both in print and digital formats) that our community can continue to rely upon and be proud of. We believe that having fair-minded, professionally produced local journalism is extremely important to maintaining the quality of life here.

And we are not alone in this effort. There are still businesses here that help pay for your local journalism with their advertising in the Standard and its ancillary publications. Any business or organization that advertises is doing more than just promoting a service, sale or event – it is also showing you that it cares about this community, that it wants a thriving, strong democracy here.

The Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation has a board made up of a small cadre of local residents who fully recognize and appreciate the value the Standard provides. Of course, Phil Camp and I are on the board too. We are extremely fortunate to have these board partners in the trenches with us as we chart the path forward.

Increasingly, though, we’re finding that those who care most deeply about our community are the same ones taking action to also care for its journalism. Some newspapers in the U.S. have been fortunate to have a rich owner – such as Jeff Bezos at the Washington Post or John Henry at the Boston Globe. Those owners are doing a fine job of sustaining quality journalism in their metropolitan areas. But here, we’ve got our own benefactors who are largely responsible for why the Standard is still alive. I’ve found that these wonderful, caring people fall into three categories.

First, we have a sizable group of very kind donors who truly appreciate the important role local journalism plays in our community and they step up to take part in our annual appeals each year. Their donations vary in size from a modest amount to hundreds of dollars. We couldn’t be more grateful to these supporters. Our hearts leap a little each time we open their envelopes or receive notice of their credit card contribution. Their donations add up to a significant amount that has literally sustained our journalism. We simply could not keep going without you. We regard each donation we receive not only as sustenance but also a pat on the back that encourages us to “keep trying, keep going.” And we will.

We also have a smaller number of major donors who dig deep and send us large donations that make a very big difference for us. Their donations go a long way in helping us make ends meet – some of their individual contributions alone can pay a substantial bill or help supplement our cash flow during the slowest advertising times of the year. These very generous donors have an outsized influence on our ability to provide the community with quality journalism. Rest assured, we know each of you by name and we count our blessings each day to have you on our side.

And speaking of blessings, we also have a select few who have literally taken on this mission, shoulder-to-shoulder, with Phil and me and the Foundation board. These donors are guardian angels for our community who have done some very heavy lifting, providing substantial funds to help us not only survive for today but also to strengthen our organization so that we can build the new revenue streams we need to sustain us in the future. I can assure you that there would not be a Standard today for you to read without their extremely generous assistance. Some of these friends also help us spread our message and encourage others to support us. We really have no words to adequately express our gratitude to them – we’re simply astonished at the love they’ve shown to us and to this community.

We sincerely hope you’ll join us in this year’s 2024 annual appeal. And for those who have a family foundation, we hope you’ll consider adding the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation to the worthwhile causes you regularly support.

The 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.

Our need is quite urgent, to say the least. We are profoundly grateful for anything you can do to help us with this mission.

If you’re willing to make a tax-deductible donation to our 2024 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

A huge sigh of relief and a fist pump were my first reactions, as well as a gaze skyward as I mouthed the words “thank you!” The tears welling up in my older friend’s eyes were his response when I told him.

Then we shared a long, hard hug.

After lots of research and preparation, and then six months of waiting for the application to be processed, Phil Camp and I recently learned that the IRS has approved the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation’s application for tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) and deemed the Foundation to be a public charity.

The approval wasn’t in much doubt, really. But now it’s official.

The Foundation was established last August and it is primarily dedicated to preserving the Vermont Standard and its role in informing citizens and supporting democracy in our area well into the future. The Foundation has a board made up of local residents who care deeply about our community and the value local journalism provides. Phil and I are on the board too. Together, we’re working to keep the 171-year-old Vermont Standard going while taking steps to position the paper’s print and digital journalism for long-term sustainability.

Recognizing the critical role the Standard plays in informing and connecting our community, this Foundation wants to avoid letting our area become a “news desert,” as has happened in hundreds of other places throughout the US in recent years. Newspapers like the Standard are currently dying off at a pace of 2.5 per week. Nor do we want to end up like the hundreds of cities and towns where profit-seeking corporations that have no devotion to the public welfare have acquired their local paper and stripped it of its resources, to the point that it is only a pathetic shadow of its former self and incapable of doing its job.

Providing accurate, credible, reliable news and information to its audience is a local news organization’s primary role. A functioning democracy requires an informed, engaged public. The Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation’s board members, advisors and friends will help Phil and I in our mission to raise enough money to keep quality journalism flowing here.

So, I’m glad to report that any donation you’ve made to the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation to support the Standard’s mission to inform, connect, and educate our community on issues of public importance is indeed tax-deductible dating back to the inception of the Foundation in late August 2023, as all donations will be going forward.

At 88 years old, Phil feels a real sense of urgency about making sure that our community will always have local journalism – especially given the 40+ years he’s dedicated to leading the paper and his unrivaled love for Woodstock and its surrounding towns. We know we’re in a race against the clock. But now, with the Foundation’s charity status and your tax deduction confirmed, we hope there will be even more support from donors and family foundations that will help us accomplish this very important mission.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your encouragement and generosity. If you would like to contribute to our Annual Appeal, please send us a check at PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091, or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at https://thevermontstandard.com/annual-appeal/ to make a contribution with your credit card. Please 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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