On Friday, June 13, the Woodstock Union High School (WUHS) Class of 2025, along with families, friends, and supporters, were met with blue skies to usher in life beyond the walls of WUHS.

A state judge has issued a preliminary injunction this week that forces the Village of Woodstock to delay hiring or appointing a new police chief until a court can decide if Joe Swanson was improperly removed from the post by the municipal manager and Village Trustees in April. 

Swanson’s lawyer, Linda Fraas, said in Vermont Superior Court on Monday that municipal manager Eric Duffy was in a rush to promote Police Sgt. Chris O’Keeffe, from acting chief to permanent chief, without a recruitment process.

Fraas told the court during the video hearing that such a promotion could lead to irreparable harm and that the village could end up having two police chiefs if Swanson is successful in his legal fight.

Swanson has appealed to Vermont Superior Court his demotion by Duffy — and later supported by the five trustees after a hearing — from police chief to patrol officer.

Swanson also has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Duffy, the five trustees, the village, the town, and a private detective firm that did an internal investigation. Swanson also recently asked the court to add O’Keeffe to the lawsuit on the grounds that he colluded with Duffy on the removal and for getting named as the presumed replacement, court records show. The request remains pending.

During the court hearing, attorney John Klesch, on behalf of the village, tried to block the preliminary injunction request that wanted to keep the status quo until all legal arguments could be considered by the court.

Judge H. Dickson Corbett asked Klesch, who was in Burlington, if the village was willing to hold off naming the new police chief. After conferring for five minutes, Klesch and Duffy were back on the video conference and the attorney sounded reluctant when indicating the village would hold off on a new chief.

“The village is concerned that it presents some difficulties, but is willing to certainly follow the court’s lead on it,” Klesch said.

Fraas did tell the court that Swanson was not trying to block the village from following through on its plan to hire a new patrol sergeant to fill O’Keeffe’s old post.

She did warn the village could end up with two sergeants if Swanson wins back the chief’s job and O’Keeffe has to go back to his old post as a patrol sergeant and the new hire had been made.

The Standard has learned that the village has been in discussions with a veteran Vermont State Police trooper to fill the sergeant’s slot. 

Duffy filed a sworn affidavit in court at 9:14 p.m. Friday trying to support hiring a police chief and a patrol sergeant.

The manager also provided conflicting information about how the police union wanted Swanson treated when he was reduced to patrol officer. Swanson is a former local union president.

“There is kind of a lot to address,” Corbett said as he started the one-hour court hearing.

By the end, both sides agreed to provide more legal briefs addressing the likelihood of success on the merits based on the contract Swanson signed.

The judge gave Fraas until next Monday, June 16 and Klesch until the following Monday, June 23. Fraas will then have four days to file any rebuttal.

Klesch asked that in an effort to speed up the case, Woodstock might not need all seven days and could Swanson respond within four days of when the village filed its brief. The judge said yes.

Corbett said the court would make a final decision about whether to extend the preliminary injunction as expeditiously as it can.

For more on this, please see our June 12 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

The Woodstock Union High School alumni weekend is taking place this weekend, June 13-15, complete with numerous celebrations, including a parade, a float contest, and a Golden Anniversary Celebration. 

Alum and event coordinator Dennis Wright spoke with the Standard to discuss the festivities. 

“On Friday, June 13, we will have a reception for the folks who are celebrating their Golden Anniversary, who graduated 50 years ago. From 2-4 p.m. at the Masonic Temple, alumni can gather to enjoy small bites and refreshments. That afternoon, we will be gifting special tokens, reminiscent of Veteran coins, with the date of graduation (June 13, 1975) and the date of the current graduation (June 13, 2025). The fact that graduation took place on the exact same day fifty years ago felt too surreal to not do something special. Also engraved on the coin will be our Alma Mater. I’d really like to get everyone to try and sing it like we used to so many decades ago.” 

Wright continued, “On Saturday, June 14 at 2 p.m., Woodstock will host the annual alumni parade. Vendors will be set up on The Green, bands will be performing, and an antique state police car from the 1940s will be there.”

Following the parade will be a concession on The Green where hot dogs, hamburgers, and beverages will be offered. 

While the other classes meet up for a cookout, the class of 1975 will head to the Thompson Senior Center and have a catered meal. Afterwards, from 7-10 p.m., the Masonic Temple will host a dance party with live music performed by Plymouth Rock. 

On Sunday, June 15, at 9 a.m., the Masonic Temple will, again, host a breakfast where alumni can cook sausages, eggs, and potatoes. Breakfast will be $10 per person and will be an all-you-can-eat buffet-style event.

For more on this, please see our June 12 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

After a month-long investigation into an animal hoarding incident, on May 28 the Windsor Police Department arrived at a residence in Windsor to help with the surrender of an inappropriate number of animals. What started as concerned neighbors calling for welfare checks quickly became more dire, as Windsor Police Officer Justin Abualjadail, through his investigation, found that the homeowners in question were in possession of an unhealthy amount of animals: 28 dogs, 14 cats, 11 guinea pigs, 40 sugar gliders, four rabbits, and 68 birds. The identities of the occupants have not been released, and no charges have been filed, although the matter remains under investigation, Abualjadail said. 

At 9 a.m. on the day in question, representatives of the Windsor Police Department, Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society, Windham County Humane Society, Humane Society of Chittenden County, Springfield Humane Society, Bradford Veterinary Clinic, and HEART Wildlife Removal executed the surrender operation, removing caged animals from the mobile home. 

Jackie Stanley, executive director of the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society in West Windsor, spoke to the Standard about the surrender and the status/relocation of the seven dogs, six guinea pigs, and twelve sugar gliders that her organization took from the home. 

Stanley said, “I want to make it clear that this was not an animal rescue but an animal surrender. The home surrendered the animals to local police and shelters immediately. It was a fairly routine process, and I cannot speak more highly of the Windsor Police Department.”

She continued, “It did require some maneuvering on our part, making sure the sugar gliders received the proper care and the seven dogs of differing breeds with various medical conditions were given the right treatment. Thankfully, many organizations showed up to help, even our local VINS took in some of the birds found in the home. As for Lucy Mackenzie, we are working tirelessly to ensure these animals are recovered enough to go forward with adoption and rehoming. I know our community will continue to show up and support these animals throughout this difficult process.” 

Currently, all animals from the surrender in Lucy Mackenzie’s care are healing excellently and will be available for adoption as early as next week. Stanley concluded, “Our vets have spayed and neutered the animals, as well as vaccinated them and stitched up any cuts. We are hopeful that these animals will go on to find their forever home.”

The problem of Vermont schools being contaminated with high levels of chemical compounds called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has bookended the state for the past five years, ranging from the shutdown and demolition of the former Burlington High School in 2020-23 to the recent discovery of high levels of PCBs at Hartford High School and the Hartford Area Career and Technical Center in White River Junction.

PCBs are a class of compounds that had numerous commercial uses in the United States from the late 1920s until their prohibition by the federal government in 1979. Although their most common application was as an insulating material in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment, the volatile compounds were also used in a wide range of building materials, including paints and varnishes, adhesives, caulking, ceiling tiles, and plastics. 

In 2021, Vermont became the first state to mandate that schools test their indoor air for PCBs. Act 74 requires all schools, both public and private, built or renovated before 1980, to test for PCBs by July 2027. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) can then mandate fixes if PCB levels are found to be at or above an actionable level.

The challenge facing schools in the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU), which encompasses public schools in Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading, and Woodstock, is that the state of Vermont has run out of money for the mandated testing program, so it is no longer requiring schools that have not yet been tested to do so. MVSU officials, who’d slated PCB testing for both the Woodstock Union High and Middle School (WUHS/MS) and the Woodstock Elementary School (WES) this summer and for elementary schools in Killington and Reading the next two years, are now struggling with how to proceed with the hunt for potentially toxic environments at the four facilities.

“The wide variety of sources can make it incredibly difficult to track down and to remediate [PCBs],” MVSU director of technology and innovation Raphael Adamek told the MVSU School Board during a presentation on the indoor air quality issues posed by PCBs at the school district governing body’s regular monthly meeting on June 2. “Off-gassing of those materials into the air is the primary route of exposure and the [Environmental Protection Agency] has determined that PCBs are ‘probably’ carcinogens and the [World Health Organization] has said they are ‘definitely’ carcinogens and high levels of exposure can cause all sorts of non-carcinogenic effects as well, so they are a serious threat,” Adamek offered.

Adamek, MVSU superintendent Sherry Sousa, and director of buildings and grounds Joe Rigoli each updated school board members on the PCB conundrum during a presentation at the school board meeting in the Teagle Library at WUHS/MS on June 2.

Sousa presented the school board with two present-day options: board members could either opt to delay air quality testing at WUHS/MS and WES until state funding becomes available to cover the costs, or the board could authorize testing for both schools with the costs covered by the local school budget. Based on conversations Sousa and other MVSU administrators had with Hartford School District (HSD) officials, the cost of testing could range up to $500,000, the superintendent reported. 

While a handful of school board members and concerned parents have advocated for prioritizing health issues over school costs, others have expressed concerns about the expense of potential PCB remediation and the possible closing and relocation of all or significant sections of schools at the same time as statewide consolidation talks are contentiously under way as part of the landmark education transformation legislation now deadlocked among lawmakers at the State House in Montpelier.

For now, the MVSU School Board has chosen to assign the issue to its Community Engagement Working Group, which will host a series of public forums on the PCB issue. The engagement group consists of school board representatives Ryan Townsend from Bridgewater, Josh Linton from Plymouth, Lydia Locke from Pomfret, and Sam DiNatale and Sarit Werner from Woodstock. WUHS student and school board student representative Joaquin Jones-Welker also serves on the community engagement team. The MVSU staff liaison to the working group is director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, Jennifer Stainton.

Dates and times for the public forums on PCB testing and possible remediation at the two Woodstock schools have yet to be announced.

For more on this, please see our June 12 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

After swapping spaces with Woody’s Mercantile, Danforth Pewter reopened at 7 Central Street last Friday morning. “We are so happy to have Danforth Pewter back open again in their new, beautiful space,” Beth Finlayson, Executive Director of Woodstock’s Chamber of Commerce, said to a small crowd gathered by the storefront. The shop’s new manager, Hayley Bauer, held up an oversized pair of scissors and cut a ribbon to officially welcome the public.

Bauer is not the only new employee, however, since the company also recently acquired a new CEO. Bauer plans to add to her staff later in the summer to handle increased foot traffic.

From now until December, Danforth will be doing monthly giveaways. “This month, we’re doing a Father’s Day giveaway, which is a free Celtic fatherhood knot keyring with a $75 purchase,” Bauer said enthusiastically. “You can also enter to win a trip to Middlebury, all expenses paid, and that will be the grand prize. In July, it’s going to be a complete ornament set; we have had annual ornaments since the 1980s, so you would win an entire collection.”

At its June 4 meeting, the Barnard Selectboard voted to hire local contractors to begin work on several safety improvements to the town’s transfer station, which the board said it would like to see completed, “ASAP.” 

After previous improvement plans failed to come to fruition,  partly due to the “demand on the transfer station,” said Selectboard vice chair Richard Lancaster, the Selectboard is now determined to figure out a solution. At its meeting, the board voted to find a local builder to construct two sets of stairs with railings into the office, add new double doors with access to the garage recycling area, and hire a local fabricator to fix the trash gate and cover.

Lancaster explained that the two staircases currently at the transfer station building — one leading to the front door of the office and one leading from the office into the garage section — have uneven steps with no railings. He said constructing more even steps with railings will satisfy state safety requirements. 

The installation of double doors into the garage recycling area will also provide safer access compared to the current situation, where entering the bay requires opening the garage doors and risks snow on the garage’s roof falling onto someone, said Lancaster. 

There are several other items on the Selectboard’s to-do list for improvements that would “benefit the flow” of the transfer station, according to Lancaster. 

An exact cost estimate for the improvements has not been determined by the Selectboard, but “We’re ballparking it probably between $2,000 to $7,000,” Lancaster said. 

For more on this, please see our June 12 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

West Windsor and Barnard are the latest towns in our area to tackle the issue of short-term rental (STR) regulations.  

West Windsor’s ordinance, which was scheduled to take effect May 1 but has since been extended to July 1, requires that all STR operators in town must register the property and pay a registration fee each year. This fee changes depending on whether the owner resides at the STR. For owner-occupied STRs, the annual registration fee is $150. For STRs where the owner does not live in residence, they must pay $300 per bedroom, per year.

This ordinance does not have a cap on the number of STRs allowed in West Windsor, which selectboard chair Mark Higgins said was an intentional choice, as this selectboard does not want to designate an arbitrary limit. “It creates a lot of problems for town governments, because once you get close to the cap, people get really ornery about losing their spot, especially when there’s money on the line,” Higgins told the Standard. “I’ve dealt with caps, and I don’t like them since I’ve been on the other side of them.” 

West Windsor’s ordinance was passed last September with minimal pushback from the community.

Barnard is also working to finalize its own STR ordinance. 

Susan Botha, a resident of Barnard and chair of the Barnard Sub-Committee on Short-Term Rentals, said, “In January 2024, we began the process of forming a subcommittee of the planning commission to create regulations for short-term rentals. We worked for about a year to develop this ordinance, comprised of a tremendous amount of research and observing what other towns were passing… Our proposed ordinance contains within it a set of rules that are a part of Vermont law — no parking on the street, sound ordinances, requirement to pay taxes (income and room), liability insurance, and occupancy.”

When the draft ordinance was presented to the planning commission, it was unanimously approved to move ahead and go before the selectboard. 

The ordinance was presented to the selectboard on May 21, with further discussion scheduled to take place this week.

For more on this, please see our June 5 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

Acting swiftly in a closed-door, deliberative session following a public hearing on Tuesday evening, May 27, the Woodstock Town Development Review Board (TDRB) voted to grant site plan approval and a conditional use permit to Peace Field Farm to operate a “farm-to-fork” restaurant at 650 Pomfret Road.

Peace Field Farm owner/developer John Holland was notified of the decision in an email from Woodstock land use coordinator Molly Maxham on Wednesday afternoon, May 28, one day after the latest TDRB hearing on the matter – the third time that essentially the same or similar site plan and permit applications were reviewed by the quasi-judicial town regulatory body, dating back to November 2021. Maxham confirmed the decision to the Standard in an email last Friday.

The TDRB has 45 days from the May 27 hearing to issue its formal ruling. Once the TDRB’s formal “Notice of Decision” is posted, opponents of the permit will have 30 days to again appeal the case to the Environmental Court. 

This past Saturday, hundreds of Woodstock and central Vermont locals took to Tribou Park as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protest against the Trump administration’s policies, with many attendees citing executive overreach, illegal detainments by ICE, and defunding of veterans’ programs as their reasons for coming out to protest. Approximately 500 rally-goers gathered in Tribou Park, marched down Route 4 to Elm Street, and then back to Tribou Park via Pleasant Street.

Kathryn Whalen Photos

On Friday, June 13, the Woodstock Union High School (WUHS) Class of 2025, along with families, friends, and supporters, were met with blue skies to usher in life beyond the walls of WUHS.

“Music speaks through me”

The West Windsor Music Festival, created and directed by renowned pianist Sakiko Ohashi, will be returning this month for its fourth annual concert. This year’s concert series will feature a collection of solo and duet concertos by Jazz improvisationalist and classical pianist Nick Sanders, as well as performances by acclaimed viola and violinist Amadi Azikiwe and decorated violinist Joanna Maurer. These musicians will share the stage with Ohashi, thrilling audiences throughout the weekend as they perform works by Bach, Shostakovich, and Debussy, among others. 

Ohashi, a native Japanese pianist, began her classical music studies at the age of 4, and by 10 she was accepted to the Juilliard Pre-College Division of Herbert Stessin. Ohashi has since gone on to complete a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Music from Juilliard, performing on various stages across the United States and internationally in Japan, Canada, and Europe. 

The festival will open with Ohashi, accompanied by her former student, Nick Sanders.

Sanders began playing piano at the age of seven. Exposed to the beauty of classical music at a young age by his mother, his love for the art only grew after her untimely passing in his early teen years. “My mother was always playing music around the house. It was an art instilled in me from a very young age,” Sanders told the Standard. “I attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts when I was fourteen and specialized in classical music for the first two years. That is where I met Sakiko.”

Sanders, who has recently begun dabbling in the improvisation of classical style music, plans to perform his own compositions in addition to his duets with Ohashi. He will join Ohashi on stage on Friday evening, June 27, for the opening ceremony, and again on Saturday, June 28, for the “A Little Jazz, A Little Fun” event geared towards children. 

Ohashi went on to speak about the process of choosing the specific pieces she will be playing with Sanders, and the feelings they evoke in her when performed. “There are so many different emotions and sentiments attached to Bach and Chopin. For the latter, his love for country, a country he could never return to, radiates through his music. I feel very connected to this feeling. I am a person who, like Chopin, has two homes. I have lived in America for a very long time, but I am Japanese and still have very strong roots to Japan. I can always go back, but there are many people around me who can no longer return to their homeland, and that isolation permeates throughout spaces I inhabit. Not only is this feeling embedded in Chopin’s music, but I also find his work to be harmonious, intimate, and some of the most layered piano music I have ever had the pleasure of performing.” 

On Saturday, June 28, Ohashi will perform with renowned violist Amadi Azikiwe. Azikiwe, who began studying classical music at a young age, has gone on to master four instruments – the piano, the cello, the violin, and the viola. A graduate of the New England Conservatory, he performs internationally. 

To conclude the festival, Ohashi will be joined on stage by renowned violinist Joanna Maurer, with whom they will perform two pieces. Born and raised in Colorado, Maurer has performed as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout the United States, as well as in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

For more on this, please click here.

John Mulchaey, a leading researcher, astrophysicist, and the 12th president of Carnegie Science — an independent research institution dedicated to advancing investigation, research, and discovery — made the journey last week from Los Angeles to Woodstock to speak with the students at Prosper Valley Elementary School and Woodstock Union High School about his career and the personal struggles he faced along the way.

John Mulchaey

Mulchaey, an openly gay man, met with the Queer-Straight Alliance at WUHS, in collaboration with Pride 365, to discuss his career and how he found a space where he felt personally and professionally accepted. “I grew up in the Bay Area to very liberal parents, so my sexuality was not a huge point of contention in my life. However, I did grow up during a very tumultuous time in America, as the AIDS crisis rampaged through our cities. I saw at an early age men like me treated with fear and disgust and it frightened me. When I came out in my twenties, it was a very different world than it is today. I like to remind students of that. The pendulum always swings back, and this current administration will not last forever. As hopeless as it may feel right now, there are places in this world, in communities like the STEM community, that will accept everyone for who they are.”

Mulchaey’s scientific research centers on a wide range of astronomical phenomena, including galaxy groups and clusters, dark matter, and black holes. He served as a scientific editor for The Astrophysical Journal from 2005 until 2011 and has been a consultant for NASA and the National Science Foundation. He earned his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Maryland, his bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from Berkeley, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Carnegie Science.

During his visit to Prosper Valley, Mulchaey spoke about his career, and let students ask him various astronomical questions about the sun’s life span, dwarf planets, and space travel. He answered each student’s inquiry with enthusiasm and care. “My parents did a good job allowing me to indulge in my passions, but they had no interest in science, and so my development, in a way, was limited until I got to college. I want students to know there are resources available if they wish to start their scientific/academic journey today. This work can be incredibly fulfilling, and early exposure is key.” 

While students preferred to remain anonymous, multiple Queer-Straigh attendees told the Standard that Mulchaey’s talk showed them that they, too, can be successful and accepted in professional spaces, and that their identity can coalesce with their careers and passions. One student in particular said, “Hearing John speak about how fluidly his personal and professional career merged together gave me hope and inspired me to live more authentically.” Another student echoed, “I didn’t realize how lucky we are to live in a world where I can, in some way, exist openly. As terrified as I am right now, hearing all that John lived through made me realize we can and will continue to endure.” 

For more on this, please see our June 12 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

The second annual Pride of Woodstock celebration was held this past weekend, complete with a film screening of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” at the Town Hall Theater, a Friday evening cocktail hour on the Woodstock Inn lawn, a DJ Dance Party at the Little Theater, and the Saturday morning High Heels Race down Elm Street, as well as a drag brunch, craft fair, and concert.

Rick Russell Photos

Pictured at the demonstration are, back row, English teacher Lauren Sullivan Justice, Libby Fraga, Addison Blanchard, Lexi Gabardi, environmental science and physics teacher Samantha DeCuollo, Liam Wheeler, Mimi Kanda-Olmstead, and Annie Luke; middle row, Lylah Zeitlin and Finn Farrell; front row, Satori Rossi. (Tula Klock Photo)

Woodstock Union High School’s Queer Straight Alliance club organized and hosted a Queer Rights Walkout on Thursday, June 4, from 1 to 2 p.m. on the WUMS/HS campus. The purpose of the walkout was to give students a place to share their voices and speak out against discrimination currently facing the queer community, including via the administration of President Donald Trump. Approximately 80 people attended the walkout, including middle and high school students, faculty, and administrators.

After a series of wins in the finals, Woodstock’s varsity girls lacrosse team fell in the semifinal game versus Hartford on Tuesday, ending the night with a score of 15-6. Below, Betta Cirovic (17) attacks the Hartford goal. Rick Russell Photo

Aileen “Lee” Kress Seitz was born on January 28, 1942 to Marie Shadwell Kress and William Kress in Hackensack, N.J. She married Charles Seitz in 1964 in Woodridge, N.J. and they moved to South Woodstock in 1969. 

Lee was passionate about healthy food so she and Charly made a homestead out of their land raising livestock and creating a huge garden which supplied the quality of food that Lee wanted for her family. Her children always said they would feed their own families the junk food they rarely got, but sadly for her grandchildren her healthy ways stuck with them as well.

Lee will be remembered for her amazing baking skills including stellar apple muffins, a world class apple pie and chocolate chip cookies. Her cookies were so sought after her nephew would often sneak in the kitchen in the middle of the night and eat several batches until they were gone.

Lee fiercely loved her grandchildren who called her Tutti. She always made time to watch them while their parents were at work. Often at the end of the day after patiently dealing with their shenanigans, she had her bag at the door ready to head to the peace and quiet of her car. They have fond memories of baking with Tutti and enjoyed eating their creations on the porch with both grandparents.

After her children had grown she spent many years in home health care for the elderly. She helped many people in their last years of life keeping them company, making nourishing meals and keeping them comfortable.

Lee passed away at home in Warren, Vt. age 83 on May 29, 2025 with Charly by her side. She is predeceased by her sisters Ethna, Willa, Jane and Marie and survived by sister and brother Catherine and James. She leaves her husband and three children Christopher of Truckee, Calif., Kristin and spouse Bryce of Western Australia, Jonathan and spouse Robyn of Warren, Vt.; and beloved grandchildren Soleita Chey-Kingray of Big Lake, Ark., Emma Lucas and Harrison Lucas both of Western Australia, Charly Seitz, Griffin Seitz and Elyse Seitz all of Warren, Vt. Memorial services will be at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church in Woodstock on June 17 at 11 a.m.

Memorial donations may be made to Mad River Seniors, 5308 Main St #20, Waitsfield, Vermont 05673.

An on-line guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Linda A. (Baumert) Miller, formerly of Old River Road, Woodstock; Appleton Manor, New Ipswich, N.H.; and Lunenburg, Mass. died peacefully Friday, May 30, 2025 at her summer home in Newport, Vt, after a lengthy battle with Lou Gehrig’s ALS disease. She was the wife of Howard J. Miller with whom she would have celebrated her 57th anniversary on July 13. Daughter of the late Helen Elizabeth (Romaine) and Frank X. Baumert. She recently had spent her winters at The Villages, Fla. and her summers on Lake Memphremagog, Newport, Vt.

She was born in Plainfield, N.J., Dec. 8, 1947 and shortly thereafter her family moved to Wellesley, Mass. for a few years. The rest of her childhood was spent in West Hartford, Conn., where she attended the local schools and graduated from the Conard High School.

She received her Associates Degree at Bay Path Jr. College in Longmeadow, Mass., and her Bachelor’s Degree at Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass. Mrs. Miller also graduated from the New England School of Anatomy and Funeral Service, in Boston, MA Summa Cum Laude.

She was very active in college and was named among “Who’s Who?” in American Colleges. It was while serving as an officer of the Student Council that she met her future husband, at a college mixer.

Mrs. Miller was a former teacher at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Fitchburg, Mass., and was a partner with her husband in their funeral business, owning and operating funeral homes in Lunenburg, Fitchburg, and Westminster, Mass. for more than 30 years.

Active in community affairs, Mrs. Miller served as President of the Lunenburg Woman’s Club and a member of their Board of Directors for many years; as a member and officer of the Burbank Hospital Guild, Fitchburg, Mass. where she also served as a member of the Burbank Hospital Hospice Advisory Council and served as a member of its Executive Board of Directors.

She was active and held leadership roles in many civic, church, and service organizations.

In 1996, after 30 years as an active partner in the funeral business, Mrs. Miller retired to Woodstock, her husband’s hometown area. Her retirement, however, continued to keep her busy owning, restoring and renting a commercial building at 65 Central Street, Carriageway Court; owning the Gilded Age antique and 19th-century art business, making it possible for her husband and she to travel extensively as international art dealers, acquiring art and antiques. At the same time, physically helping to restore and recreate their 19th-century home Forest Hall.

She was a U.S. Government & National Park Mounted Ranger Volunteer at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park for many years; and with her husband, patrolled for hundreds of hours each year, acting as a goodwill ambassador for our national park.

As a member of the North Country Hounds, Fellow members looked forward to her Hunt Breakfasts and famous sleigh ride brunches, donated by the Millers at the Club’s fundraisers.

Mrs. Miller was an American presidential and British monarch historian and challenged her grandchildren to learn the presidents. All succeeded by the age of 10, one grandchild also able to recite all the vice presidents. She also encouraged most children who crossed her path to learn about American history — neighbors, friends and relatives, children and grandchildren, those she eagerly adopted as grandchildren, grandchildren’s college roommates and their families, and children of workmen. If you were a youngster and lucky enough to paint the Millers’ fences or work odd jobs, you could earn more money by knowing your presidents and their trivia than you would by completing the maintenance tasks.

Mrs. Miller wore many hats, most of them were in support of her husband’s dreams and goals, as his partner and chief assistant. Their business and personal creations and adventures took her on an extraordinary journey as they built a successful funeral business, renovated and redesigned three funeral homes, three antique colonial homes, a commercial building and their properties. Their interests in horses, antique cars and carriages gave them incredible experiences, travels and continuous adventures.

Mrs. Miller was a woman of elegance, beauty, grace and refined simplicity, yet she was as comfortable driving a bulldozer, building fences or training horses, as she was putting on an intimate formal dinner party for 12 or a grand party for 75, or as chief song leader and maple candy maker at the bunkhouse and sleigh parties.

She was an accomplished classical pianist, an artist, and loved to paint.

She belonged to another era and had the values of another time. Her college yearbook quote under her graduation picture was “a merry heart and a helping hand,” true for the rest of her very active life.

She leaves her husband, Howard J. Miller; three sons, Dustin H. of Indianapolis, Douglas E. of St. Augustine, Fla., and Duncan J. of Portland Ore.; seven grandchildren, Brooke, Dallas and Grant of Indianapolis, Peyton and Logan of St. Augustine and Field X. and Simone of Portland, Ore.; a brother W. Alan Baumert of Columbia, Conn.; a sister Betty Ann (Baumert) Miller of Cornish, N.H.; nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A private musical tribute was held in the Brick Church in Hartland. 

A private burial ceremony took place in the Miller Family lot in the Village Cemetery in Hartland.

The Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock is assisting the family.

A memorial visitation will be held at the Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock on Friday, June 20, from 3-5 p.m. with a reception to follow at the Thompson Senior Center.

Barbara Darling, 88, of East Barnard, joined the angels on May 15, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family, both near and far. 

Barbara, “Babs” to those close to her, was born to Dorothy and Benjamin Dietrich on Aug. 24, 1936 in Greenwich, Conn. She spent her early years in Riverside and Cos Cob, Conn. graduating from Greenwich High School. After spending summers in Vermont with her parents she moved to East Barnard in 1970 to raise her three children Deborah, Linda and Kenneth. Barbara is remembered by many working at the original Woodstock Village Inn, with her family at Ene’s Table ( next to The Valley View Motel in Barnard), and among the youngsters at Bentley’s in the restaurant and the flower shop.   She was a second mom to so many of her children’s friends. The door to her home was always open offering a welcome place to stay, share the latest shenanigans and of course a homemade meal. Barbara was an excellent cook. She looked forward to spring and loved foraging and harvesting Vermont’s wild edibles including ramps, fiddleheads, grapes and morels, not to forget her favorite dilly green beans and her pickling talents. Her kitchen was a busy place, canning the veggies from her garden to processing unique jams and jellies. Nothing went to waste.

She was a voracious reader and always brought her current novel with her to her favorite place, Ogunquit Beach. Whether she was enjoying the sound of the waves on the beach, watching her grandchildren play in the ocean, shopping in the busy town or hanging out at The Piano Bar, she was happy when she was here. Her favorite recent pastime was thrifting. She couldn’t let a thrift store pass her by. 

A loving and spirited woman, Barbara was cherished for her deep devotion to her family, her grace, and impeccable eye for detail. Barbara was also celebrated for her talent as a dancer. In her youth, Barbara trained at the renowned Phil Jones Dance Studio in Stamford. She went on to perform at the prestigious Harvest Moon Ball at Radio City Music Hall and even appeared as a dancer on the Ed Sullivan Show with her cousin, Bob, a true moment of pride for Barbara and her loved ones. She loved her music and showed off her dancing skills on the dance floor of the infamous Bentley’s ringing in the new year with the best of them. Barbara’s artistic touch was also expressed through her incredible ability to arrange and press flowers, works of art that her loved ones will enjoy for generations. She participated in many local craft fairs selling her wreaths and pressed flower prints.

Barbara devoted her life to caring for others both personally and professionally. A caretaker for over 25 years, she brought friendship and comfort to those in her care. Barbara’s care and dedication to those she loved was also evident in her perfectly timed handwritten cards. No matter the occasion, you could always count on a card to arrive with a message of support.

Barbara was a gentle, fun-loving soul whose resilience in the face of sorrow was matched only by the joy she brought to others. She will be deeply missed. 

Barbara joins her baby girl,  mother and father, twin brother Richard Dietrich, younger brother Don Dietrich, and dear companion of 40 years, Sidney West, in heaven. 

Barbara is honorably survived by her daughters Deborah Darling and Linda Darling Ward (Derek Ward), son Kenneth Darling (Monica Darling), grandchildren Katelyn Hadley (Jason Hadley), Hayden Darling, Benny DiCarolis, and her great-grandchildren Shay Hadley and Wren Hadley who will carry on her generous spirit and zest for life. A special note of thanks to those who reached out and shared their love and support this past year met the world to her: the Locke family, Burns family, Graham family, DeVito family,  Reynolds family, Rose Smith, Lisa Hill and Gregory Camp, who has been a part of our family for as long as anyone can remember.

Barbara’s memorial services will take place on Saturday, June 28, at 11 a.m. at the East Barnard Church, with a celebration of life to follow at the East Barnard Community Hall. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Barbara’s memory to the Barnard Volunteer Fire and Rescue. 

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Nada Linane (Crowell) Pierce, 89, died on Monday June 2, 2025 in Lebanon, N.H. Nada was born on Feb. 15, 1936, in the family farmhouse to parents Lyle B. and Pearl F. (Merrill) Crowell. She was part of the Windsor High School class of 1954 and continued her education at the Mary Fletcher Hospital School of Nursing while her high school sweetheart and husband to be, Charles Pierce, served in the military. In 1957 she finished her nursing degree, Charles was honorably discharged, and they married on June 22. Throughout their lives together, they were as close as two people could be; when bench seats in the front were still commonplace, you’d see Nada riding in the middle, not the passenger side. They served as co-presidents of the PTA and both volunteered in numerous committees and leadership roles for the Universalist Society of Hartland and community organizations. In 1981, she furthered her education with a BSN from Castleton State College.

Nada was a dedicated nurse with a long career at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and numerous nursing homes in the Upper Valley. In her retirement, she took on a sales role at JC Penney’s for fun. She was a talented photographer and made her own note paper and cards for sale: Nada’s Notes.

Nearly every year the family enjoyed road trip vacations and over time saw most of the states. They also enjoyed large gatherings throughout the summer at the family camp on Spectacle Pond.

Nada is survived by four children Charylene Hoage and husband Wayne of Hartland; Timothy Pierce and wife Lynn of Lebanon, N.H; Alain Donnelly and husband Keon of Daytona Beach, Fla.; and Angela Terino and husband Tony of Hartland; seven grandchildren Christina, Amanda, Aaron, Dillan, Darcy, Dominic, and Slater; six great grandchildren Pierce, Annaston Pearl, Sawyer, Easton, Rainey, and Angela; nieces and nephews, other relatives, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brother Delnon L. Crowell.

A service to celebrate Nada’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 6 at the First Universalist Society of Hartland followed by a graveside service at the Hartland Village Cemetery, where she will once again join Charles.

Memorial donations are appreciated to the Universalist Society. Knight Funeral Home of Windsor, Vt. has been entrusted with services and online condolences may be expressed at knightfuneralhomes.com.

Glenna Chamberlin, 87, died on Saturday, May 24 at the Mertens House in Woodstock, a place she had worked at for many years.

Glenna was born on September 9, 1937 in Burlington, Vt., the daughter of Richard Allen, Sr. and Helen Hickory.

She was the “best” Nana to several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, and to so many others. Glenna loved to sit outside and watch the hummingbirds and count how many planes went over. She was “the best” and will be missed deeply!

She is survived by her daughters Pam Novak (Bob) whom she lived with for the past four years in Bridgewater, Carol Hart of Bethel, Lindy Fleming of Windsor; a son David Sawyer (Elisa) of Killington; and Scott Adams whom she thought of as a son, Bridgewater, Vt.

She is predeceased by her husband Ernest Chamberlin, a daughter Roberta Lynn Sawyer, and a sister Sandra Washburg.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, June 7 at 1 p.m. in the Riverside Cemetery, Woodstock.

The Cabot Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Your Smile

Though your smile is gone forever,

and your hand we cannot touch

Still we have so many memories

of the one we loved so much.

With which we will never part

God has you in His keeping

We have you in our Hearts

It is sad to walk the road alone

Instead of side by side

But to all, there comes a moment

When the way of life divide.

You gave us yours of happiness

then came sorrow and tears

But you left us beautiful memories

We will treasure through the years

James S. Fish passed away at the age of 78 on May 12, 2025 in Seligman, Ariz. He was born on Feb. 2, 1947 to Gordon and Catherine (Bradley) Fish. He graduated from Woodstock Union High School in 1965 and Norwich University in 1969. Jim was a great basketball player and was known as one of the Four Horsemen. He worked as a bus driver for Vermont Transit and the Stowe school system. He was a renovation and painting contractor as well as a real estate agent for a few years in Bridgewater.

He was a member of the Woodstock Rifle and Pistol Club and the Masonic Lodge. He loved the outdoors and excelled at trap shooting.

In his later years he enjoyed feeding and watching all kinds of birds and had a special love for hummingbirds.  He continued to grow trees, shrubs and flowers when he moved to Arizona. 

When he and Jennifer moved to Arizona he made many new friends, but never forgot his old friends from the East.

Jim is survived by his wife, Jennifer, son Steven Fish (Sandy), sister Janet (Robert) Reynolds, sister Mary (Kevin) Christie, brother David (Desiree) Fish, brother Jeffrey Fish, brother-in-law and sister-in -law James and Lisa Sargent, former spouse Judy (Alan) Longto, uncle James (Margaret) Bradley, aunt Norma Bradley and many cousins, nieces and nephews. 

He was predeceased by his parents, Gordon and Catherine Fish, son Thomas Fish, and brother-in-law and sister-in-law David and Karol Buchanan.

A memorial service will be held in the early fall.

Beverly Jean Johnson, 78, passed Wednesday January 1, 2025.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, June 7 at 10:30 a.m. in the Plymouth Notch Cemetery in Plymouth, Vt.

The Cabot Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Ann Sadowsky, 84, formerly of Woodstock, died peacefully at home in Bethesda, Md. on May 29, 2025, surrounded by her family. 

Born in Detroit on March 27, 1941, Ann graduated from Mt. Holyoke College in 1963 and spent her career supporting underserved communities as a public administrator. After 30 years in Stamford, Conn., she retired to Woodstock in 2008, where she lived for 11 years, serving as co-chair of the Woodstock Rotary program committee, a member of the Garden Club, and joining the Boards of the Norman Williams Library and the Pentangle Arts Association.

She was a loving and supportive wife, parent, and grandparent; a prolific volunteer for political and civic causes; a voracious reader; and a friend to many, who admired her kindness and enthusiasm.

Ann inspired us all to care for others in our community. She is survived by her husband, George; son, Dan; daughter, Kate; and granddaughter, Abhaya. A Celebration of Life will be held at Fox Hill Residences in Bethesda at a later date (everloved.com/life-of/ann-sadowsky/). 

Sophia Hencken Stone, 83, died Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.

A funeral service will be held at the East Barnard Church on Saturday, June 14, at 2 p.m. A reception will follow. Knight Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.

David Alden Peoples, 87, of Broadway, Va. died at his home on May 25, 2025 surrounded by his family.

He was born in Hanover, N.H., the son of Orvis and Jessie Peoples. 

He grew up in North Hartland and graduated from Woodstock High School in Woodstock in 1955. He joined the U.S. Air Force shortly after graduation and spent four years working as a technician on the B52. After an honorable discharge David began his career as a salesman at Twin State Electric in White River Junction, Vt.  He married the former Norma (Micki) DeCoff in 1965 and they moved to Virginia in 1979. In Virginia, David worked in the service industry, plumbing, electrical and carpentry enabling him to build his retirement home in Broadway, Va.

David is predeceased besides his parents by six siblings; Orvis L. Peoples, Jr., Verla Jewell, Myrna French, Anita Burch, Wilmer Peoples and Vernon Peoples.

Surviving is his wife of 59 years, Micki, and four children Wendy Reid and husband Steve, of Broadway, Va.; Ray Remick and wife Debbie, of Hartland; Joann Trottier and husband Ed, of Jericho, Vt.; Rose Murphy, of Palm Coast, Fla.; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

David and his wife enjoyed traveling and visiting all 50 states as well as spending 10 winters in Florida after retirement.  He participated in many mission trips with the church and was an avid antique tool collector, being one of the four men who started the Shenandoah Antique Tool Association.

 A graveside service will be held on Monday, June 9 at 11 a.m. at Riverside Cemetery in Woodstock.

 Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD, 21741.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Grandle Funeral Home in Broadway, Va.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at grandlefuneralhome.com.

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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