Keith Flynn had only been Orleans County state’s attorney a few weeks when he got a phone call from the Newport police on the morning of February 12, 1999. Shots had been fired in the downtown Home Health Building. Flynn rushed over, and not just because it was his job to do so: His wife was working there at the time.... Read more

Stone by stone, inch by inch, Charley MacMartin is building a wall. It’s a surprisingly simple undertaking. Occasionally he wields a small chisel or hammer, tools crafted in Barre that are almost as local as the stones that MacMartin employs. But more often than not, he forgoes the tools altogether, working by hand to stack the rocks that will cumulatively create a tidy boundary wall at a picturesque Charlotte home.... Read more

It’s that time of year again. Tulips are in bloom, motorists are distracted by swerving skateboarders and bare midriffs, and Vermont’s colleges and universities are announcing their 2013 commencement schedules.

This year’s grads presumably will have completed four years of studies and dropped as much as $58,000 a year for their degrees. In return, they’ll hope to land gainful employment and chip away at a mountain of student-loan debt.... Read more

Curses, Foiled Again ... Read more

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Tarahumara Indians of northwestern Mexico are renowned for their ability to run long distances. The best runners can cover 200 miles in two days. The paths they travel are not paved or smooth, either, but rather the rough canyon trails that stretch between their settlements. Let’s make them your inspirational role models in the coming week, Aries. I’m hoping that you will be as tough and tenacious as they are — that you will pace yourself for the long haul, calling on your instinctual strength to guide you.... Read more