St. Mike's Student Activists Score DC Meeting With State Department Staffer

Editor's note:  Seven Days contributing writer Kevin J. Kelley, who teaches in the St. Michael's journalism department, wrote this post.

St. Michael's College activists campaigning against rape in Congo will be making their case in Washington next month at a scheduled meeting with a top State Department official.

Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, agreed this week to meet on December 15 with a delegation from the international Dear Hillary Campaign for Congo. The movement originated on the Colchester campus.

A group of St. Mike's students had organized a postcard drive urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to do more to end an epidemic of rape in eastern Congo (pictured here: organizers Leah Ziegler and Kate Bailey, photo credit Jordan Silverman.) Some 15,000 women have been sexually assaulted there in the past year, the United Nations estimates. The UN refers to eastern Congo as “the rape capital of the world.”

Stock Analysts: Vermont Yankee is a "Tough Sell"

Two separate stock analysts today offered little hope that Entergy would find a new owner for Vermont Yankee — citing an unfavorable regulatory and political environment as well as a recent shutdown caused by a leak in a key system pipe.

Vermont Yankee reconnected to the regional power grid early this morning after a three-day shutdown. But, its ongoing leaks and regulatory problems are being noticed by industry analysts.

"The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant that Entergy put up for sale Nov. 4 could have a tough time finding any takers. It has among the most challenging economics of any U.S. nuclear plant, and Entergy is in the midst of contentious negotiations with state and federal regulators to extend the plant's operating license beyond 2012. If regulators or the Vermont legislature deny the license extension, the plant will shut down," writes Morningstar analyst Travis Miller. "Even if the plant continues operating, Entergy management earlier this year told analysts the plant is not earning its cost of capital and probably would not cover its operating costs in 2011 and 2012. At the time, the disclosure was meant to de-emphasize the potential financial impact on Entergy if the plant closed. It now could backfire."

Miller called Vermont Yankee an "albatross" around Entergy's financial neck.

Conservation Law Foundation Hires Journalist as Lakekeeper

A quick update to a brief item in "Fair Game" this week: Louis Porter, the bureau chief of the Vermont Press Bureau, has been named the Lake Champlain Lakekeeper at the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF).

His job change is effective December 1.

The bureau covers the Vermont State House and state government for the Rutland Herald and the Barre Montpelier Times-Argus newspapers.

As lakekeeper, Porter will "advocate for the restoration and protection of Lake Champlain and the rivers, streams, and landscapes that drain to the Lake from Vermont, New York, and Quebec," CLF officials noted in a news release issued late Wednesday.

“Louis has reported on virtually all aspects of life in the Champlain region,” said Christopher Kilian, vice president and director of CLF Vermont. “He has the skills to raise awareness of the lake’s problems, bring stakeholders together around urgently-needed clean water solutions, and investigate and publicize water pollution sources.”

The Great Turkey Chase, pt. 3

If you ride bikes, or you're rad, you should be at the Great Turkey Chase Food Drive & Alley Cat this Sunday. It's a fun way to show off your sick two-wheeled skills while collecting food for the underserved and hungry in the area. 

Here's how it works: you get a checklist of items you need to purchase and a map of the locations of the stores where these items are found. Pedal from checkpoint to checkpoint as fast as your little legs will spin collecting the foodstuffs along the way. Bonus points if you buy a turkey. Winner is the one who crosses the finish line first. 

Last year's race attracted 38 riders and netted more than 550 pounds of food, including seven turkeys, for the food shelf. You can read my account of participating in last year's race (and not coming in Dead Fucking Last) here. This year, organizers are trying to top that. And as long as the weather holds off and the traffic gods cooperate, they should. 

Details: 

What: The Great Turkey Chase Food Drive & Alley Cat

Where: Oakledge Park, Burlington

When: noon-2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 14

More event info can be found here. 

To learn what an Alley Cat race is, go here. 

 

Barber Shop Not Exactly Comb One, Comb All

Poor Mike Aldrich. After turning away a black patron from his barber shop, saying he wouldn't be able to help the guy because he wasn't good at doing black hair, the Bellows Falls barber has become the target of some substantial community ire. The Associated Press reported that Aldrich's refusal to barber the patron — Dr. Darryl Fisher, of Taos, N.M. — sparked a demonstration by people who claimed his denial of service was racially motivated. 

Oh, you gotta love Vermont and its knee-jerk PCness. Well done, white people, for making a fuss about something you know nothing about — black hair.

It is entirely possible that Aldrich is, in fact, a racist who didn't want to cut Fisher's hair because he doesn't like people of color. If that's the case, I best not be defending the guy. But let's assume for the sake of argument that Aldrich is a stand-up guy who loves all people regardless of color, creed, political persuasion or sexual proclivity. Then this story makes a lot more sense. 

Pazos Charged with First Degree Murder in Smith Killing (Read the Police Affidavit)

  Prosecutors today charged Jose Pazos with first degree murder in the October 18 killing of Burlington resident Kathleen Smith, and said a years-old grudge about a custody fight was his motive. The evidence that led police to suspect Pazos included rope used to tie Smith's hands, DNA found on a knife used in the crime and bootprints in the kitchen of her Park Street home.

Gruesome details of what prosecutors say was a pre-mediated murder pop from the pages of a police affidavit released today following Pazos' arraignment in Chittenden Superior Court. Pazos, a 45-year-old  immigrant from Uruguay who lived in a homeless camp behind a Burlington gas station, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder (which carries a sentence of 35 years to life), kidnapping, burglary and aggravated vehicle operation without owner consent.

Download Pazos_affidavit to read the blow-by-blow of what led police to suspect Pazos [WARNING: This file contains graphic details of the investigation.]. In this video, Donovan and Burlington police spokeswoman Lt. Jennifer Morrison explain the state's case against Pazos.

Prosecutors allege Pazos (pictured) was motivated by a grudge he held against Smith, who was an acquaintance. Donovan said Pazos was in a custody fight years ago, and Smith took the side of the mother of Pazos' child. Donovan couldn't say what allegedly made Pazos act on the years-old grudge now.

Pazos is being held without bail pending his next hearing.

Photo by Emily McManamy

 

Alice Eats: Bar Antidote

35 C Green Street, Vergennes 802-877-2555

The aftershocks of the first Vermont Restaurant Week are still radiating through my dining card. Ever since I received Bar Antidote's Restaurant Week menu back in April, I've been wanting to eat there. How could I not when smoked duck and maple-white-chocolate bread pudding were involved?

I finally found the time to head to Vergennes for a taste this week. I'm a hole-in-the-wall eater. I usually don't notice décor, but at Antidote, even I couldn't help but be impressed.  A mix of old-fashioned medical paraphernalia (yes, there are phrenology heads) and local art, along with green mood lighting, give the restaurant a big-city feel without sacrificing the good old Vermont comfort of padded booths. Extra points for showing "Jeopardy!" in the bar.

Vermont Yankee Shuts Down to Fix (Another) Leak

* updated below *

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power station began an unscheduled shutdown Sunday night after engineers found a new leak in a key system pipe at the Vernon reactor.

The plant shutdown began at roughly 7 p.m., said Entergy Vermont Yankee spokesman Larry Smith, after plant operators has earlier identified leakage of approximately 60 drops per minute from a feedwater pipe located in the plant's turbine building.

Technicians and engineers later located the leak in the feedwater system piping.

VY previously repaired a leak in a feedwater pipe in August 2009. That one leaked about two cups per minute.

"The leak is in a 24-inch pipe located by the feed water pumps in the plant’s turbine building," Smith told Seven Days. The feed water system is not a safety system, Smith notes. It returns water to the reactor from the plant's turbines — but at high pressure and high temperatures.

The leaking pipe is 24 inches in diameter and cannot be repaired with the plant in operation, Smith said. Therefore, a conservative decision was made to take the plant out of service to perform a repair.

Sanders Blasts NBC over Olbermann Suspension

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a strong rebuke last night of NBC's decision to suspend MSNBC commentator and anchor Keith Olbermann, after it was revealed that the host had contributed several thousand dollars to Democratic candidates this year.

News of Olbermann's contribution were revealed this week by Politico, which has since found other major cable TV hosts who have given to candidates. Those hosts, however, were said to have donated within the guidelines set by their parent companies.

For example Joe Scarborough, who hosts "Morning Joe" on MSNBC, has donated much more than Olbermann over the years, but apparently within the guidelines set by NBC.

Sanders believes MSNBC is setting a double standard — it's OK to donate to the GOP, but not Democrats.

“It is outrageous that General Electric/MSNBC would suspend Keith Olbermann for exercising his constitutional rights to contribute to a candidate of his choice. This is a real threat to political discourse in America and will have a chilling impact on every commentator for MSNBC," said Sanders in a written statement. “We live in a time when 90 percent of talk radio is dominated by right-wing extremists, when the Republican Party has its own cable network (Fox) and when progressive voices are few and far between."

VT Constitutional Amendment: Is a "Quiet and Peaceable" Teenager an Oxymoron?

Earlier this week, Vermonters gave an overwhelming thumbs-up to an amendment to the Vermont Constitution that will allow 17 year olds who turn 18 by the date of the general election to vote in the primary election.

Windham County Senator Jeanette White, who introduced the bill that put the measure on the November 2 ballot, explained last month on Vermont Public Radio that her goal was to boost youth voter participation.

“I believe that a person’s first experience with voting is the one that captures them as a voter," White told "Vermont Edition" host Jane Lindholm. "If we can capture them and make them a voter for life, and not just a voter when issues pique their interest but make them an engaged voter, then we’ve done a service to the democracy.”

But this amendment, which doesn't takes effect until 2012, may cover only a very small percentage of teens. Voters who actually read Proposition 5 may have noticed that it only applies to U.S. citizens who have lived in Vermont for a specified period of time and who are "of a quiet and peaceable behavior..."

What, exactly, constitutes a "quiet and peaceable" 17-year-old?