UPDATE: March 18, 2025

March 17, 2025

By Mike Donoghue, Senior Correspondent

The Village of Woodstock apparently plans to severely limit public attendance at the demotion hearing for Village Police Chief Joe Swanson on Wednesday by moving it to a small conference room.

Also, the village has rejected most of the pre-trial hearing requests made on Swanson’s behalf.

The hearing was initially set for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Woodstock Town Hall, which includes a theater with about 386 seats.

After the Vermont Standard went to print, reports began to surface that the hearing was being moved to a conference room at the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department down the street.

The move to the Sheriff’s Office was confirmed over the weekend when the required agenda was posted for the public meeting.

The sheriff’s conference room can hold about 30 spectators after it is set up like a courtroom, according to Sheriff Ryan Palmer.

An old judge’s bench will be used for the 5 trustees and their legal counsel when they preside at the hearing.  Tables for Village Manager Eric Duffy and his lawyer, and a second table for Swanson and his defense lawyer will be part of the setup.  Also, a witness stand will be included in the front half.

A spokesperson for the theater told the Vermont Standard that nothing is scheduled for it on Wednesday.

The annual Village meeting is scheduled for the night before in the theater.

One report indicated that the Village was concerned that the public hearing would be a distraction to the municipal employees at the Town Hall.

Both the Vermont Constitution and Open Meeting Law mandate an open process and that the Trustees are accountable to the public.

According to the Vermont Secretary of State, “Transparency is an essential element of open and democratic government. In Vermont, the primary means of providing transparency are the State’s open meeting law… and the public records law.”

The office notes that under the Vermont Constitution, the officers of government are “trustees and servants” of the people and are “at all times, in a legal way, accountable to them.”

The Open Meeting Law clearly emphasizes the openness of and accessibility to government. It declares that “All meetings of a public body are declared to be open to the public at all times, except as provided in section 313 of this title [on executive sessions].”

It is unclear how the Village plans to meet those requirements by shifting to a small conference room.

The Village of Woodstock also has hired the sheriff’s department to provide security both inside and outside the hearing site, according to Palmer and Chief Deputy Sheriff Paul Samataro.

It was unclear why the Village believes uniformed deputy sheriffs would be needed.

The Village also plans to pay the Sheriff’s Department to patrol Woodstock because the village’s law enforcement officers will be tied up at the hearing, Samataro said.

That could mean two shifts depending on how long into the night the hearing extends.

In a series of new rulings, Burlington lawyer Brian Monaghan, who will serve as hearing officer and legal counsel for the trustees, rejected most of the requests by Swanson.

Monaghan, on behalf of the Village Trustees:

— Rejected turning over all names and all the statements provided by Village Police Officers and Town Emergency Dispatchers during the investigation by Private Detective William Burgess.

Woodstock was directed to provide any information that will be used directly by Duffy at the hearing to support the demotion efforts. The order also requires Duffy, not an independent third party, to be the sole person to decide what will be released to Swanson and his lawyer and what will be redacted from public view.

— Rejected the request that two Village Trustees to recuse themselves from the hearing.

— Rejected a request by Swanson to have the Village pay for a stenographer to provide a verbatim transcript of the hearing.

–Agreed to allow Swanson’s lawyer to communicate before the hearing with Woodstock employees as long as none of them are working with Duffy on the demotion proceeding.

Swanson’s lawyer filed a subsequent objection, noting there was no timetable for getting the relevant documents turned over.  Monaghan later set a Friday evening deadline, but John Klesch, Duffy’s new lawyer, objected on the tight turnaround period.

More rulings could come down before the hearing starts.

Local food shelves and emergency shelters are grappling with a surge in demand, straining their resources as more residents seek support. In Woodstock, Bethel, Hartland, Reading, and West Windsor, food shelf visits have soared, while rates of homelessness in the Upper Valley have doubled since before the pandemic. Volunteers and staff are expanding services, securing grants, and rallying community support, but many worry they won’t be able to keep pace. 

“Ever since about 2021, our numbers have been going up almost exponentially,” said Judi Greene, the chair of the board at the Woodstock Community Food Shelf. “We can’t keep our shelves stocked.”

From 2021 to 2025, Woodstock’s food shelf has seen an 89% increase in visits. Over the same period, the Bethel Area Food Shelf (BAFS) saw a 200% jump.

Staff and volunteers at food shelves often deliberately avoid asking for the reason behind someone’s visit to help maintain a non-judgmental atmosphere. As a result, none of the food shelves the Standard contacted had a definitive explanation for the rise, although one theory, inflation, was often mentioned. “Just through other conversations, I’ve gotten a sense that one of the real drivers is the jump in the cost of living,” said Greene. “On top of that, many people are losing their jobs.”

In response, local food shelves are expanding their services. 

Last year, the Bethel Area Food Shelf began partnering with local grocery stores as part of a fresh food rescue program. Twice a week, managers glean vegetables from the stores to donate to the food shelf. They have also been applying for a variety of grants, and it started asking for financial support from the towns it serves on town meeting day. 

In Hartland, the food shelf has added an extra day — it’s now open on Thursdays — and begun hosting a community breakfast every Friday morning. In addition to the breakfasts, the shelf offers a variety of other new services, including bi-weekly health checks from a community nurse.

The Reading-West Windsor Food Shelf recently opened its doors to anyone in the state instead of limiting services just to town residents. 

Even with the extra community support, many food shelf staff emphasized the difficulty of keeping up. “Unfortunately, as we grow, the need only grows greater, and that’s not to mention the many, many people who we know should be coming in who will never make it through our doors,” said Darlyne Franzen, a member of the Hartland Food Shelf board. 

Cindy Metcalf, a member of the Bethel Area Food Shelf board, emphasized that she believes local food shelves will not be able to keep up with the current level of growth without additional assistance. “We are finding it increasingly challenging to meet this demand, and now, with potential reductions in SNAP benefits and other federal programs, we expect an even higher need for our services,” said Metcalf. “The necessity for state investment has never been more critical to help mitigate food insecurity in our communities.”

Emergency shelters

In January 2024, Vermont’s annual point-in-time count, a nationwide count of people experiencing homelessness in a single day, identified roughly 200 unhoused residents in the Upper Valley. “The number has doubled since before COVID,” said Robin Caissie, the deputy director of development at the Upper Valley Haven. “Nearly half of those [people] were experiencing homelessness for the first time.”

According to Caissie, the rise is likely due to a few different factors. Both Vermont and New Hampshire have a severe lack of affordable housing. “There’s also been a rise in mental health and substance use challenges, and there has been a lack of support and services for those challenges in both states,” said Caissie. In addition, she explained that Vermont has scaled back its motel voucher program. “Many people utilizing those services were pushed out onto the street,” said Caissie.

In response, the Upper Valley Haven plans to break ground on a new emergency shelter and resource center in White River Junction in late April or early May. “The plan is that in one year, we will be fully moved in and utilizing the space,” said Caissie.

The emergency shelter will be used year-round, and during extreme weather events, it will be able to serve as either a warming or a cooling station during the day.

The first floor will be a resource center.

The Upper Valley Haven is planning to break ground on a new 20-bed emergency shelter and resource center in late April or early May.
Illustration Provided

As of Monday, March 10, The Haven has raised $8.62 million, which is about $825,000 shy of their total fundraising goal. 

The public portion of the fundraising campaign just began last week. In addition to private donations, the project has received a $2 million grant from the USDA, $1.5 million from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and $125,000 from the city of Lebanon. “We’ve been so pleased and so humbled at the community support that we’ve seen,” said Caissie. “People are seeing what’s going on in the community and know that anything could happen to any one of us, and they are choosing to do what’s right and help their neighbors–it’s been a really beautiful thing.”

Recent funding changes at the federal level have further added to the pressure. From potential cuts to services like Medicaid to federal grant freezes, food shelves and emergency shelters could see shifts from several directions at once, according to Metcalf.

For more on this, please see our March 13 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

The Town of Woodstock is getting ever closer to inking a purchase agreement with the privately owned Woodstock Aqueduct Company (WAC) utility that has provided water to Woodstock Village residences and businesses for the past 145 years.

In the wake of a Town Meeting Day tally on March 4 in which town voters agreed to allocate $735,226.17 to operate a new town water department for fiscal year 2026, Municipal Manager Eric Duffy told the Standard Tuesday morning that the municipality is “hashing out the final details” of a purchase agreement with WAC representatives.

“We’re confident we will work it all out in the next few days,” Duffy said.

Duffy said he has been meeting weekly with the town’s Finance and Public Works teams, as well as with members of the selectboard, to move the WAC acquisition forward as expeditiously as possible. “We’re really gearing up for this transition,” Duffy offered. Once the purchase contract with the WAC shareholders is finalized, it will be presented to the Woodstock Town Selectboard for its approval. Residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on the final purchase agreement at a special selectboard meeting that will be convened to okay the pact. In the meantime, the town is moving forward with recruitment efforts aimed at adding veteran water system operators to the staff of the Woodstock Public Works Department.

Looking ahead to the early days of the water system’s operation under the management of the town, which is expected to begin with the closing of the purchase deal sometime next month, Duffy said that he and town staff members are prioritizing both operational and infrastructural initiatives for the first one to two years of the town-owned water utility.

“The selectboard in January put together an ordinance that will dictate how the water system runs in Woodstock. That has been signed and approved, and now that it’s been 30 days with no petition [challenging it], that will go into effect,” Duffy commented. 

Regarding much needed upgrades and enhancements to the degrading WAC infrastructure, Duffy said the town is poised to move quickly on that front as well.

“We’re working with our engineer Craig Jewett, who is helping us with that,” Duffy explained. Permanent replacement of the temporary water lines that have been running over the Elm Street Bridge into the Village since the flooding disaster of July 2023 is expected to be completed by the end of the summer, the municipal manager said.

For more on this, please see our March 13 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

Last Wednesday, March 5, the Pomfret Selectboard signed off on a payment plan to reimburse Woodstock for the significant increase in ambulance fees that it accumulated this past year. 

This $30,000 expense is in addition to the $63,000 Pomfret is currently paying Woodstock annually for its ambulance services.

According to Pomfret Selectboard Chairman Benjamin Brickner, whenever an individual calls for an ambulance but cannot pay for the service, the town must cover the expense. In this case, that expense was much higher than the typical $4,000 incurred each year. 

Brickner and Woodstock Municipal Manager Eric Duffy negotiated a payment plan. According to the resolution agreed upon at the Pomfret selectboard meeting last week, Pomfret will split the bill, paying half during this fiscal year and a half during the next. Brickner explained that this solution allows the town to have some leeway and not see an excessive tax increase this year. 

For more on this, please see our March 13 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

For decades, Hartland Winter Trails (HWT) has relied on goodwill and a variety of handshake agreements to keep its trail network open. But when land changes hands, access to parts of the system can disappear overnight.

Now, after years of uncertainty, a key section of the trail network will be permanently protected. The Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) has just conserved 68 acres at the heart of the system, ensuring that a critical gateway to the trails remains open — no matter who owns the land.

Although it began as a small loop in one Hartland resident’s backyard, the HWT network has now grown to cover roughly 15 miles of trails, which are groomed for cross country skiing and snowshoeing each winter. 

The trails span almost 30 private properties and while the parts of the network that cross other parcels still remain unprotected, the new conservation easement ensures that the central hub of the HWT will always remain available. 

UVLT purchased the Pohl property for roughly $600,000, half of which was raised through private donations from a collection of more than 40 households. The remainder came from a $228,000 grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and a $100,000 contribution from the Town of Hartland, which residents approved at the 2024 Town Meeting.

The parcel, which is now known as the Timotheus Pohl Conservation Area, sits between Route 12 and Quechee Road. 

For more on this, please see our March 13 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

The Mountain Views School District (MVSD) School Board held its combined annual reorganization meeting and March business meeting Monday night, electing its leadership for the coming year and adding three reports to future monthly agendas aimed at improving communications between the district’s governing body and school faculty and staff, as well as with legislators at the local and state level.

During a brief reorganization meeting, which takes place annually following Town Meeting in early March, current MVSD School Board Chair Keri Bristow of Woodstock was reelected unanimously. There was a contested race for the vice chair spot, with John Williams, a board representative from Woodstock, prevailing over Ryan Townsend of Bridgewater by an 8-3 vote. Lara Bowers of Bridgewater was chosen unanimously to replace Williams as the board clerk. Committee and Working Group assignments for Finance, Policy, Building and Grounds, Negotiations, Communications, Configuration and Enrollment, and a newly created Community Engagement group were also handed out by Bristow.

For more on this, please see our March 13 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

The Northern Stage production of “Waitress,” directed by the incomparable Carol Dunne, pulls at the heartstrings and ignites a fierce hopefulness in the audience.

Set in a small-town diner reminiscent of one found in the Upper Valley, the play follows Jenna, a young baker who finds herself caught between a dead-end marriage and a dead-end job, where making pies is her only source of happiness. An unplanned pregnancy wakes Jenna from her complacent stupor, forcing her to embark on the brave journey to change her life and the life of her baby. With her best friends and fellow waitresses by her side — and with the help of a little sugar, butter, and flour — Jenna’s journey begins. 

From the opening number, the cast collectively brings composer Sara Bareilles’ songs to life, and Jenna, played by Brianna Kothari Barnes, delivers every note seamlessly, creating a character that the audience can not only fall in love with but deeply relate to.

Artistic director Dunne said of the production, “We wanted to put on a show that inspired resilience, the kind of grit all of us have to make changes, to keep hope alive. I hope [audience members] connect to Jenna’s journey. I want everybody to feel like they have the strength to make things happen in their own communities, their own lives.”

Other roles are played by Thom Miller as Jenna’s abusive husband, Earl, Adam Huel Potter as diner-manager Cal, Jacob Tischler as the humorous Ogie (Dawn’s boyfriend), and Mike Backman, who plays the loving old scrooge, Joe. 

‘Waitress,’ laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving, runs now through April 13 at the Byrne Theater at the Barrett Center for the Arts in White River Junction.

For more on this, please see our March 20 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

Last weekend, Artistree brought the works of nine Ukrainian playwrights to the Grange Theatre.

The plays, translated by theater critic John Freedman, reflected how Russia’s invasion has transformed the country and impacted its people. “We thought it was incredibly important to give voice to some of the world events that are happening around us,” said Artistree’s Theatre Artistic Director, Matthew Robert.

In the middle of the readings, the show also included a dance by local high school students Clara Burkholder and Daniil Sjostrom. 

A portion of the proceeds from the production will be donated to Ukrainian charities. 

Photos Provided

This week, Artistree opens its display of artist Finnie Trimpi’s 62-portrait “Fierce Females” collection. The portraits are accompanied by a statement of the women painted, describing what makes them “fierce.” 

Trimpi of Sharon debuted this exhibit last Saturday at the Reading Greenhouse, in part as a celebration of Women’s History Month. Set against a natural stained-wood board, these colorful and lively portraits illuminated the space, and served as a centerpiece for the event. The subjects of the portraits hail from all across the globe, including some who live locally in Woodstock, Pomfret, Hartland, Taftsville, Sharon, and further afield in Massachusetts, California, and even England.

When asked how the idea for “Fierce Females” came to fruition, Trimpi said, “The word fierce was chosen because I wanted that double F; I wanted something catchy for the title. Then I started thinking about the word ‘fierce.’ You know, women are often described as fierce in a negative connotation, but there was another side I wanted to explore. We tend to label ourselves fierce friends and fierce advocates.” 

Born out of angst and anger at the results of the presidential election in November, Trimpi first painted her own portrait as a way to cope and express her emotions.

Trimpi said, “I did a portrait of myself and thought about how that expression of frustration and helplessness allowed for this sort of fierceness to start coming out of me. And then I thought, ‘oh gosh it would be really cool to have a collection of those faces, to collect a body of portraits.”’ But for Trimpi, it was not just about the portraits, she wanted to highlight the words of women as well. The idea of an audience being able to not only see a woman’s face but hear her declaration of fierceness quickly became the crux of this exhibit. 

Thus, she began the “Fierce Females” collection —  a call to action to women near and far to share a portrait of themselves, accompanied with one or two sentences on what makes them fierce. 

Trimpi has decided not to accept any money from the purchase of these portraits. Instead, she insists that anyone who buys a portrait donate the money to a non-profit of their choosing.

This unique collection will be displayed in the Artistree Lobby in Pomfret for a pop-up exhibit from March 11 through April 5. There will also be a special artist’s reception on March 14 at 5:30 p.m. Purchase of art and subsequent donations can be made after the pop-up exhibit has ended. 

For more on this, please see our March 13 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

Woodstock Union High School (WUHS) seniors and state champion skiers Joey Sluka and James Underwood competed on behalf of New England at the Junior National Nordic Championships in Solider Hollow, Utah, from March 10-15. Both athletes were top competitors in the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) Eastern Cup this season and were instrumental in the Wasps winning the State Championships, and contributed to NEW England placing third overall at the Junior Nationals. Heading to the 2002 Olympic venue to compete on the national stage was a capstone to a great season that Sluka and Underwood both felt was an honor, but also an enjoyable experience.

For Underwood, this was his second time traveling to the Junior Nationals for Nordic skiing, having competed at Lake Placid last year. That didn’t diminish this year’s experience for him. “It’s always an honor to get named to such a competitive team in such a competitive region,” Underwood told the Standard this week. The 18-year-old from Woodstock had three All-American finishes, placing fifth in the U20 Mass Start Freestyle race, ninth in the Interval Start Classic race, and second in the U20 Men’s Relay on Saturday. “I’m super happy with that,” said Underwood, reflecting on his top-10 finishes in an event that featured over four hundred of the best cross-country skiers in the nation. 

Sluka finished 19th in U18 Mass Start Freestyle and 27th in the Interval Start Classic races. “Junior Nationals has been a big goal for me these past couple of years. Just being named to the team, I was thrilled,” said SLuka. 

Sluka also mentioned acclimating to the elevation had an impact on the entire New England team. Soldier Hollow, the site of the 2002 Olympics and several events in the upcoming 2026 games, is at an elevation of 5,600 feet. 

For more on this, please see our March 20 edition of the Vermont Standard.

Last Wednesday, March 5, the Vermont State Snowboarding Championship was held at Jay Peak. The event saw the WUHS girls team take 1st overall in the slopestyle category, with riders Lia Gugliotta and Bonnie Kranz taking third and fourth, respectively. Fellow Wasps, Violet Kranz and Sierra Bhystrak also finished in the top 10 in slopestyle. Gugliotta took first place in the giant slalom event. 

The event caps off a good season for the Wasps snowboarding team and first-year coach John-O Mitchell. 

“The positive community of awesome riders from around the state makes our competitions uniquely fun and friendly,” said Gugliotta.

For more on this, please see our March 13 edition of the Vermont Standard.

Sierra Bystrak races downhill in the Giant Slalom event. Pam White Photo

Alma (Merola) Gironda, 84, passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 1, 2025.

A lifelong adventurer, she embraced every chapter of life with curiosity and creativity. She lived in Westchester, N.Y., and Woodstock, before spending her final years in Encinitas, Calif., on a horse ranch, surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Later in life, she nurtured her talent as a painter and became a master knitter, crafting beauty with her hands and heart.

Alma will be dearly missed by her son, Robert; daughters, Suzanne and Lisa; her cherished cousins; and her beloved dog, Henry, who was always by her side. Her warmth, wisdom, and artistic spirit will live on in the lives she touched.

Lloyd R. Nice, 89, died on March 6, 2025. He was born on April 4, 1935 in Saint John New Brunswick, Canada the son of Edwin Leroy and Esther (Keene) Nice.

Lloyd grew up in Hanson, Mass. He moved to Pomfret and worked many years for Kelton’s in White River Junction as a fabricator. Lloyd had a passion for collecting and working on antique cars, tractors and other mechanical collectables. He enjoyed spending time with his brother Roger and Roger’s late wife Karen. Lloyd also enjoyed his many years in Vermont with his neighbors who became his very close friends.

Lloyd is survived by his brother Roger Nice and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents he is predeceased by his sister Margaret (Nice) Johnson.

A memorial visitation will be held at the Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock on Saturday, March 22 from 2-4 p.m. Burial will take place in the family cemetery in Hanson, Mass. at a later date.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Dr. Paul H. Rigali, a beloved orthodontist and devoted community member, passed away at his home in Barnard on March 4, 2025. Born in Longmeadow, Mass., he was the eldest of three children. Dr. Rigali graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, with Honors in Biology, where he excelled in athletics, earning seven varsity letters and serving as captain of the lacrosse team.

After completing his D.D.S. with clinical honors at Loyola University in 1972, he pursued further training in Oral Medicine and Surgery. He completed his orthodontic training at Tufts University in 1975, opening his orthodontic practice a year later in Wallingford, Conn. Dr. Rigali achieved diplomat status with the American Board of Orthodontics in 1985 and recertified in 2003, while also serving as an examiner beginning in 2010. His colleagues recognized his excellence, naming him “Best Orthodontist in New Haven County” in 1993 and recognizing him among the “Top Orthodontists in Connecticut” several times.

A dedicated professional, he assisted children with craniofacial anomalies and cared for those with orofacial pain, utilizing advanced technologies such as Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) for accurate diagnoses. His contributions to orthodontics extended to teaching and mentorship at esteemed institutions, including Harvard and Boston University.

Beyond his career, Dr. Rigali enjoyed various sports, completing the Newport, R.I. Marathon and cycling through Tuscany. He and his wife, Sharon, loved their life in Vermont, where they fostered community connections and enjoyed welcoming and entertaining family and friends.

Dr. Rigali is remembered for his profound impact on his profession, his commitment to education and research, his immense love for his family and friends, and his warm, compassionate spirit. He leaves behind his legacy in his loving family, friends, colleagues all over the world, and countless patients who benefited from his care.

Paul is survived by his wife, Sharon Rigali of Barnard; his eldest son, Garrett Rigali, and his wife, Vera and their three children, Arina, Xander and Aleksa of Prospect, Conn. His daughter, Meghan Rigali and her husband, Matthew Schlein of New Haven, Vt.; his son, Zachary Rigali and his wife, Emily Radke of West Lebanon, N.H.; and his youngest son, Kyle Rigali and his wife, Collette of Lebanon, N.H.

In lieu of gifts and flowers, contributions may be made on his behalf to the Ottauquechee Health Foundation, PO Box 784, Woodstock, VT 05091.

Please join us in a celebration of Paul’s life at The Thompson Center, 99 Senior Lane, Woodstock on May 10, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Doris Elizabeth (Barclay) Johnston, at 97 years and 11 months, died peacefully on Monday evening, March 10 at Mertens House in Woodstock, having bid many of her family members goodbye the preceding Saturday and Sunday. 

Doris was born on April 10, 1927 in Boston, Mass., the daughter of William Reid and Gladys E. (Waters) Barclay. She grew up in Medford, Mass., graduating from Medford High School. She then worked for NorthEast Airlines for four years, enjoying the benefits of traveling while an employee there. In 1950 at the age of twenty-three, she married David Brodie Johnston, and they moved to New Haven, Conn., as he finished his M.Div. at Yale Divinity School. In 1951, the family moved to Bradford, Vt., then to Brockton, Mass., in 1957, and finally to Woodstock in 1960, where David was called to serve the First Congregational Church. She and David felt that Woodstock provided a good environment for their growing family. They stayed for twenty-four years until David retired and they moved to their retirement home in Thetford Center, Vt., where they continued extending hospitality to friends and family. After many happy years there, they sold the “Farm” and moved to Quechee. While Doris enjoyed traveling with her husband to Europe, Israel, Bermuda, and many parts of the United States, when home, she avidly entertained, tended her vegetable and flower gardens, read, and loved her family. 

As a very active member of the First Congregational Church of Woodstock, she served in several different roles throughout her long life, but one of her favorite activities was participating in Bible studies in a variety of contexts, continually exploring the wisdom and encouragement there. Above all, she loved the Lord Jesus Christ: as an exemplar of faith, hope, and love, she will be missed by all who knew her. 

She is survived by her five sons: Thomas, a dentist who practiced locally; Mark, a veterinarian who practiced in Clifton Park, N.Y,; Neil, an English professor in Louisiana; Peter, a local merchant in Woodstock; and David, a lawyer with a practice in Concord, N.H. Her daughters-in-law were much loved, too: Elaine, Nancy, Denise, Kathleen, Allison, and Andrea. In addition, she leaves fourteen beloved grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren, her brother John (Jack) Barclay and his wife Brenda, and many other cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Gladys and William and her uncle, John Barclay, her faithful and loving husband, the Rev. David B. Johnston, their daughter Ruth Elizabeth, her brother William, and her dear cousin, Elizabeth Bryant (Liz). 

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 5 at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Woodstock. Burial will be held at a later date in the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Randolph, Vt. beside her husband. 

Donations in her memory may be made to: The First Congregational Church of Woodstock; Dayspring Pregnancy Center; Mid Vermont Christian School 

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Marcia Susan Wheeler passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family on March 1, 2025 at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington, Vt. after unexpected complications during her cancer treatment. Marcia was born on April 1, 1950 in Hanover, N.H., the daughter of Donald W. Wheeler and Velma Watson Wheeler of Woodstock. Despite her out-of-state beginnings, she was a proud lifelong Vermonter and loved to reminisce about her mid-century childhood in an idyllic small town.

She graduated from Woodstock Union High School in 1968 and attended Boston University for three years. After a break from academic studies to experience life, including backpacking around Europe, she entered the UVM School of Nursing, graduating in 1978.While in her last year of nursing school, she began a serendipitous clinical placement at Addison County Home Health & Hospice, and soon realized that visiting nursing was what she was meant to do. Upon graduating as an R.N., she was hired by ACHH&H, beginning a forty-year career there, first as a visiting nurse for twenty years, and then as Director of the Hospice Program for twenty years.

As a visiting nurse in a rural county, Marcia entered the homes of patients from all walks of life and challenges, learning and appreciating their “stories.” She brought respect and compassion for both her patients and their families as she helped her patients through the process of dying at home on their own terms, with dignity, comfort and peace. It was her privilege to do this. As Hospice Director she supported a skilled team of clinicians who also shared Marcia’s values and commitment to respectful, compassionate end of life care. Through the decades, Marcia contributed to the congeniality and collaborative culture of the agency she loved. She, in turn, was loved by so many and it is there where many of her closest friendships in life took root. After her retirement these bonds continued to the day of unexpected death. 

Although an intensely private person, Marcia reached out and did endlessly kind deeds for those needing support. She loved and was loved by her own, and life partner Susan’s, families and had a deep connection with her beloved niece and two nephews. Family get-togethers, road trips short and long, jigsaw puzzles, driving down an unknown country road, summer visits for thirty-five years to Ogunquit, Maine, attending the Ogunquit Playhouse, and vacations to the Canary Islands and Italy were but a few of her pleasures. She was a constant reader — Louise Penny and Barbara Kingsolver were favorites — and had a particular interest in the Civil War and Native American cultures. Nightly Jeopardy was a must. Marcia’s mantra both at work and in life, when things were challenging was, “we’ll figure it out.” She always did.

She is survived by her life partner of forty years, Susan Prager; her brothers Kevin Wheeler (Sakorn) of Fremont Calif, and Donald R. Wheeler (Betsy) of Woodstock; niece Dianne Wheeler Zenowich (Brian) of Wayland, Mass.; nephews Colin Wheeler of Newark, Calif., and Timothy Wheeler (Taylor) of Salt Lake City, Utah; and great nieces Emily June Zenowich and Lillian Rose Zenowich of Wayland, Mass.

A celebration of Marcia’s life will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made in Marcia’s memory to the Open Door Clinic, 100 Porter Dr., Middlebury, VT 05753 or HOPE, 282 Boardman St., Middlebury, VT 05753.

Ronald “Ron” Behrns passed away at home in Woodstock on February 25, 2025 surrounded by his wife and children.

Born and raised in Decatur, Ill. as WWII began, Ron learned early the value of hard work, education, responsibility and accountability. He became a recognized international expert in regulatory cost accounting and was an executive at a Fortune 50 company. After formal retirement from the Vermont Public Utilities Commission, he worked for nine years in support of the finance department of the Town of Windsor. 

Ron enjoyed listening to others to learn their stories and understand their culture, telling his own tales of “in my youth,” travel or “suppose…”. His love of travel was balanced by his eagerness to “get back home.” He could be quick tempered, but was always incredibly generous and kind-hearted. He loved baseball, wood working and fixing things. Properly. And he did enjoy a great steak and a G&T.

Ron is survived by his wife of 36 years, Barbara Kennedy, four adult children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, a brother and two sisters. A celebration of Ron’s life will be held in May. The Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock is assisting the family.

James Dallas Smiddy, 99, passed away on March 8, 2025. In accordance with Jim’s wishes, only this short notice will appear and a private, family service will be held in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Memorial donations may be made to the Thompson Center, 99 Senior Lane, Woodstock, Vt.

The Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock is assisting with arrangements.

A memorial service for Lloyd R. Nice, 89, who died March 6, 2025 will be held on Saturday March 22 from 2-4 p.m. at the Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock. A complete obituary will be published at a later date.

Gordon K. Worth, 88, died Friday morning March 7, 2025 at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. with his family by his side. 

Gordon was born on July 5, 1936 in Bridgewater Center, the son of Earl and Minnie (Fairbanks) Worth. He graduated from Woodstock High School in 1954 and served in the U.S. Army in Korea. He returned home to Woodstock and married Teresa Berry in 1957. 

Gordon began a long career in the dairy business, spending 27 years working for the Billings Dairy, further expanding his career as a sales representative for Booth Brothers, Idlenot, and Hood dairies. Later in life, he extended these roots working for the Vermont Water Buffalo Co. in South Woodstock. Along the way, Gordon spent time working with the Camp family at the Cabot Store, Cabot Funeral Home and the ambulance service. He was also well known for selling and repairing for Electrolux. Following his father’s footsteps, he spent many years caring for Faulkner park and trails in Woodstock, his son Jimmy continued that tradition for a number of years after working with his father. Finally, Gordon found time to volunteer and drive for the Thompson Center where he made many friends. 

Gordon was a life long member of the American Legion in Woodstock and the Woodstock Masonic Lodge where he was a past Master. In his early years he was a member of the Woodstock JC’s. 

Always finding time to visit or help others Gordon very much enjoyed time with his family, extended family, and most anyone he met. He also enjoyed many summer weekends at the Red Apple Campground in Kennebunkport, Maine. 

Gordon is survived by his two sons Michael and James; a daughter Michelle and her husband David; four grandchildren, Ben, Tyler, Allyson, and Emilia; two great- grandchildren, Layla and Landyn; a brother Wayne Worth; companion and best friend Rhonda White; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by his wife Teresa Worth and sister Kathleen “Kay” Camp. 

A memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, March 15 from 2-4 p.m. at the Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock. Burial will be held at a later date in the Baker Hill Cemetery in Bridgewater Center. 

Those wishing may make memorial donations to the Thompson Center, 99 Senior Lane, Woodstock, Vermont 05091.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Weldon Ward “Red” Murphy, 86, died at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon, N.H. on Feb. 1, 2025, surrounded in love by his family. Born on Sept. 22, 1938, to Oliver Dean Murphy and Alice Shute Bagley, Red lived a full and vibrant life, marked by a strong work ethic, a love for the outdoors, and a deep devotion to his family.

Red was born and raised within the backroads of Hartland, settling with his bride, Nancy, a mile from his boyhood roots to build a life and home for his own family. For 42 years, Red worked as a crane operator and construction worker for Miller Construction in Windsor. His hard work and dedication earned him respect from his co-workers and peers; and together, they built a legacy of bridges and roads throughout Vermont and New Hampshire.

Outside of work, Red enjoyed deer hunting, working on projects around his home, and joining his children in their pursuits. From 1985 to 1989 he could be found at Claremont Speedway and in the garage, supporting his son, Eric’s modified race team. After his retirement from Miller Construction, Red helped his son, Jon, launch Murphy & Son Construction, and spent many of his weekends camping in Meredith, N.H. with his grandchildren.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy, his three children and their families: Jon and Kacey Murphy of Brownsville, Eric Murphy of Hartland, and Michele and Todd Hood of Hartland. Red also leaves behind his brother, Dean Murphy of Anderson, S.C.; stepbrother, John Bagley; stepsister, Sandra White, both of Concord, N.H.; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, Alice and Oliver; five brothers, Mahlon, Carlton, Calvin, Rodney, and Alan; and one sister, Phyllis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care. A graveside service will be held in the Hartland Village Cemetery at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 3.

 Knight Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed in an online guestbook found at knightfuneralhomes.com.

Wesley “Whit” Mowry, a man who loved love, and in a fitting farewell, passed away peacefully on Valentine’s Day, just shy of his 94th birthday. He is formerly of Sterling and Acton, Mass. and Hartland.

Whit was born in Worcester, the son of the late Wesley and Alice (Atwood) Mowry. He graduated from Classical High School and attended WPI. He proudly enlisted with the U.S. Army, serving his country for the next four years. After his honorable discharge, he enrolled at New Mexico State University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree. 

He returned to the Worcester area, where he met and married his first wife, Elizabeth and they began a family. While living in Sterling, he spent a number of years volunteering with the Sterling Fire Department which he truly loved. For 30 years, he worked as an engineer with Norton Company. Upon retirement from Norton Company, he started a small construction business in Acton, Mass. He used his skills to aid in historical preservation at numerous locations around the area. He was also a mason and a member of the Acton Historical Society.   

Later on, he moved to Hartland with his second wife Carol and served in various positions over the years at the Hartland Congregational Church and for the Vermont Old Cemetery Association. Most especially, he enjoyed the camaraderie at weekly gatherings with friends playing cribbage at the Hartland Public Library. 

Whit’s favorite place in the world was his home on Mt. Desert Island in Maine.  He always enjoyed visiting Maine as often as he could. He took great pleasure sitting on Back Beach for hours watching the boats. This beloved place was his little slice of heaven, where he enjoyed devouring every edible bit of countless Maine lobsters.      

Whit leaves behind his daughters, Pamela Guild of Sterling, Elizabeth “Betsy” Sabourin and her husband Thomas of Sterling, and Sarah Duffy and her husband Michael of Jackson, N.H.; his stepchildren, Jodie Winnett, Bill Winnett, and Nancy Sweeney; his beloved grandchildren, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Caitlin, Samuel, and Emily; seven step-grandchildren; two nephews; and his beloved friends Cordelia Merritt and Jon Guild.

He is predeceased by his sister Nancy Ober, his first wife Elizabeth Mowry, second wife Carol Mowry, and his stepdaughter Diane Winnett.  

A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational Church in Hartland, 10 Station Road, Hartland, Vt., on April 5th, 2025 at 1 p.m. Family and friends are kindly invited to attend.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his memory to the Hartland Public Library, PO Box 137, Hartland, VT 05048.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Miles-Sterling Funeral Home in Sterling, Mass. To view Whit’s online tribute or leave a message of condolence for the family, please visit milesfuneralhome.com.

Sheryl “Shey” Crane, beloved by many, passed away unexpectedly at her home in Piermont, N.H. on Feb. 12, 2025, with her partner Ron by her side. Born on Aug. 16, 1956, in Fort Hood, TX, to Lila (Whitney) Crane and Russell Crane, Shey grew up in Woodstock and graduated from Woodstock Union High School in 1974.

Shey pursued her passion for nursing, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati. She dedicated her career to serving her communities as a Visiting Nurse and Hospice Nurse. Most recently, Shey worked in elder care at Valley Terrace and Riverbend in Chelsea, where her compassionate nature and professional skills made a significant impact on the lives of many seniors.

A woman of many talents, Shey was known for her creativity and love for the arts. She enjoyed acting, music, singing, and writing, often captivating others with her eloquent words. An avid animal lover, Shey had a special affection for her chickens, her beloved dog Arlo, and cats Thelma and Louise.

Shey’s zest for life extended to her culinary skills and hospitality. She was an amazing cook and entertainer, known for hosting memorable Mardi Gras celebrations with friends. In her quiet moments, Shey found joy in reading and tending to her garden, nurturing both her mind and her surroundings.

Shey is survived by her partner Ron Bingham, son Bradley Barnwell, (Julie) and granddaughter Maya, son Daniel Barnwell (Dana) and her brother Roger Crane (Nina). She was preceded in death by her parents, Lila and Russell Crane.

Her sudden departure leaves a void in the hearts of many, but her legacy of compassion, creativity, will continue to inspire all who knew her.

Services will be announced at a later date. Charitable donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the Visiting Nurses Association of Vermont & New Hampshire.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.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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