Letters to the Editor (7/10/24) 

Across Check

I was pretty surprised to see that an entire row of "across" answers (and, as a result, more than a few "down" answers) were cut off from the answer key for the "TV Replacement" crossword in the July 3 edition. Not that I absolutely needed the answers, but I still wanted to check!

Jacob Whittaker

Burlington

Editor's note: Good catch! Last week's crossword answer key was missing a line of across answers due to a production error. Apologies for the omission. The correct answers are posted on our website.

Boycott Hurts

[Re "Manhattan Pizza & Pub Staff Walk Out Amid Conflict With Owner," July 3, online]: Is this article a puff piece for the employees? If not, one surely can see that a tough, direct question was missed. The answer would enlighten many, as we live in a cancel culture.

If, as he says, bartender and bar manager Jabu Gamache means the owner no harm but in the same breath has involvement in a call to boycott and replace the owner, that person is clearly gaslighting himself and should have been called on it. It'll take weeks for the call to boycott to reach the streets, and if the owner makes amends in the next week and the staff go back to work, they will be the victims of their own boycott, which could last months. Watch the movie The Hunt for Red October, in which the Soviet sub captain displays such hubris and narcissistic charm that, against the advice of his crew, he fires a weapon that kills them all.

I say replace all of them with reasonable folks who will talk before they shoot their shortsighted mouths off calling for someone's head.

As for the writers, Jordon Barry and Melissa Pasanen, my compliments for a great piece, but good reporting requires the hard questions that absolutely have to be asked because if you don't, you get questions like: Is this a puff piece?

Robert Miller

Orleans

So Long, GOP

[Last 7, Emoji That: "On Appeal: The Vermont GOP's executive committee voted to exempt Donald Trump from its rule that prohibits the party from endorsing felons. Teflon Don," July 3]: Sure glad we didn't send them any money!

Dave and June Keenan

Essex

Follow Up, Please

I did a double take when I read your June 5 story "Men Face Drug Charges After Deadly Police Chase." Is it really possible to 1) display a gun during an altercation on Main Street; 2) threaten a Hertz rental car employee at Perkins Pier with a gun; 3) escape from police on Pearl Street by driving an SUV up to 115 miles per hour; 4) crash and flip the car in Colchester, killing two passengers; 5) transport almost a kilo of cocaine and crack; and, after all this, be "released on conditions"?

True, Tayami Barnes of the Bronx and Ron A. Thomas of Brooklyn went to jail for a few days and face felony charges, but if they happened to read your May 29 "Trials & Tribulations" cover story on the near-collapse of the judicial system in Burlington, will they bother to show up for their next court appearance?

Please follow up on how the prosecutor and judge handle this case — thus far, it sounds like an open invitation to do whatever you want in Vermont, without serious consequences.

David Stoll

Middlebury

Safety First

In ["School PCB Testing Program Will Continue After 'Pause' Bill Fizzles in Senate," May 17, online], House Education Committee chair Peter Conlon (D-Cornwall) asked: "If we don't know we have enough money, why do we keep testing?" The article doesn't state the original reason for which the testing program was created: mitigation of the health effects of PCB exposure.

PCBs are carcinogenic and can damage the immune, reproductive, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. Children are particularly vulnerable, facing risks of cognitive and developmental impairments.

Dr. Keri Hornbuckle, a renowned PCB researcher, has concluded that PCB-affected schools pose severe exposure risks, more so than some of the most PCB-contaminated sites in the U.S.

Yes, there are financial challenges, but potential funding sources do exist. For example, in June 2023, Vermont's attorney general filed a lawsuit against Monsanto, stating that as early as 1937, the company knew of the toxicity of PCBs but continued to encourage their use in school construction. The suit seeks damages for past, current and future costs of testing and remediation.

At the same time, the continuation of testing ensures safety for parents, children and school staff, who have the right to know about potential PCB exposure.

This is paramount.

Addendum: A June 7 letter to parents and staff announced that testing at Hartford High School had revealed that nine rooms exceeded the action level and should not be occupied, with one room having a level over three times the action level; 19 other rooms had enough contamination to require minimum usage. Jeff Spiegel, a retired teacher who taught in the most contaminated room, was advised to talk to his doctor, who could screen for possible health effects.

Deborah Messing

Montpelier

'Build, Baby, Build'

[Re "Two More Vetoes From Scott Set Up Monday Showdown With Lawmakers," June 13, online; "Vermont Lawmakers Override Six of the Governor's Eight Vetoes," June 17, online]: Build, baby, build! Act 250 should be put on hold. Our housing crisis is more important; people first. We keep building homes and apartments that are unaffordable. A mobile home selling for $14,000 three years ago is now $84,000. The blame lies squarely on the state; it makes the rules. And did anybody notice that while grocery store shelves were empty during the COVID-19 pandemic, trucks were running 24-7 filling government warehouses? Talking accomplishes nothing; it's time to act.

Eric Stevens

Essex Junction

Love Leonard

The best story I have encountered this year was on Leonard Prive and his efforts to make the world a better place [Stuck in Vermont: "Volunteer Leonard Prive Picks Up Roadside Trash Between Underhill and Westfield," May 30; "Talking Trash," June 5]. Thank you.

David Silk

Portland, ME