Seven Days

Terry Williams, a Republican state senator who is running for reelection in Rutland County, was arraigned on Wednesday for a charge of domestic assault. Troopers reported to Williams’ home in Poultney at approximately 5:40 p.m on Tuesday after receiving a report that there had been a domestic assault there the previous day, Vermont State Police said in a statement. A police investigation found probable cause that Williams, 74, “had caused pain and injury to a household member.” The senator, who was first elected to the legislature in 2022, was taken into custody, processed and jailed at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility on $500 bail. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, less than a week before Election Day. According to a police affidavit, Williams’ 47-year-old daughter told a state trooper that her father had hit her in the face with an open hand on Monday night during an argument about a “moldy bale of hay.” buff.ly/uC6Yc38

In Vermont music news: From costumed musical tributes to a rock reimagining of a classic ghost story, Halloween weekend will be a hell of a good time in Burlington and beyond. buff.ly/cE38fp5

There’s a new issue of Seven Days! On the cover: Historic Ties Between Vermont and Québec Communities Are Fraying What’s inside? Vermont School Districts Face Tough Budget Decisions; Café Culture: Private Equity Firms Are Quietly Buying Up Local Funeral Homes; Sampling Five New Coffee Shops in Chittenden County Grab it where you get Seven Days or online buff.ly/eEu4mbg  🎨 Design by Rev. Diane Sullivan, Image © Christophe Boisson, © Megalomaniac | Dreamstime

We headed to Artemus Café, Café Napoli, Clover Café, Meadow Roast Café, and Wild Meadows Books & Café to see what’s brewing in the Burlington-area coffee scene. buff.ly/lHFCPvj

The Vermont Division of Fire Safety has declined to issue occupancy permits for seven buildings on the former Green Mountain College campus that Florida Pentecostal preacher Tommie Zito wants to use to host overnight visitors for a celebration scheduled for next week. Earlier this month, Zito closed on a $6 million sales agreement for the 115-acre campus and its 21 buildings in the heart of Poultney. Next fall, he plans to open an evangelical education center there that he calls Z University. Zito has been promoting an on-campus welcoming event, for November 2-8, since he purchased the campus on October 1. But state inspectors have determined that the buildings cannot be occupied until numerous fire safety violations are addressed. Zito did not return email inquiries from Seven Days asking about how the inspections might impact his gathering. Zito’s last social media post on the topic was October 14 — the date state inspectors visited the campus — when he wrote that “we are full (actually over full) on campus but there are hotel rooms in the area left … Don’t miss this incredible week.” Zito continued that he would post the “full schedule of events next week,” but so far, he’s posted no such updates. buff.ly/vqVxVZI

Federal authorities are investigating Stephanie Phillips, a former top administrator in the Burlington School District, for allegedly embezzling nearly $1.8 million in school district funds across a 13-year span. Phillips, who most recently served as the district’s executive director of teaching and learning, retired this spring. The Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Phillips’ home in Colchester last week in connection with the investigation, according to school district spokesperson Russ Elek. In federal court documents, including search warrant applications, investigators said that there is probable cause to believe Phillips committed mail fraud, wire fraud and “theft concerning programs receiving federal funds” dating back to March 2013. Phillips, investigators allege, created a false company called Leading and Learning Consultants of VT to steal at least $1,769,200 from the district. She submitted invoices to the school district for work she was required to do as part of her job, “allowing her to be paid twice for the same work,” and also created invoices for work she never delivered, investigators wrote in the documents. buff.ly/nuwcd4f

As their meeting dragged on Monday night, Burlington city councilors appeared headed for yet another deadlock over Democrats’ contentious public safety proposal. Instead, shortly after midnight, they agreed by a 9-3 vote to form a new ad hoc committee composed of Democratic and Progressive councilors, plus the mayor, to expedite a compromise. “If I’m listening to the best angels on everybody’s shoulders, I see the possibility of a fruitful conversation,” said Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 3), who proposed the committee. It will include Bergman, the Prog caucus chair; Councilor Allie Schachter (D-East District), the Dem caucus chair; City Council President Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5); and Progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. Monday’s agreement requires the committee to report back to the full council at its December 7 meeting. But there’s no guarantee that the committee will deliver a fully realized compromise for a resolution that Democrats first unveiled back in July. It was a surprise twist after more than an hour of acrimonious debate. buff.ly/6N00H9w

In this week's Magnificent 7, explore our editor’s picks for must-do events in Vermont this week, including the Howl’ween Dog Costume Contest along Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace. buff.ly/o4uIG0V

Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has chosen Anthony Geraci, a longtime police official in the Albany, N.Y., area, as her choice to be the city’s next top cop. Geraci is a veteran law enforcement officer who spent time in leadership positions at various upstate New York police departments. He began his career in 1998 with the New York City Police Department before a stint of about 15 years with the Albany Police Department. He later served as police chief of nearby Watervliet and, more recently, Newburgh. “I am pleased to appoint Chief Anthony Geraci as Burlington’s next Chief of Police,” Mulvaney-Stanak said in a statement. “He is an exceptional candidate with the experience, character, and values to meet our community safety challenges, and I am confident he will be a strong leader to bring the Burlington Police Department into its next chapter.” The mayor said her administration had been “working to introduce Chief Geraci to City Councilors and members of the Police Commission,” and that she looked forward to “introducing him to the community this week to learn more about his background and the skills he will offer our city.” buff.ly/fMGycmP

Solo art shows by Chris Sollars at Dartmouth and Sebastian Alvarez at Saint Michael’s College use screens and other tech to investigate how we understand nature and the current moment. buff.ly/5ObxvO5

Album Review: Burlington punk band We’re Here! to Kill drop a savage debut record, frothing with barely contained fury, that somehow manages to still be fun. buff.ly/8DHql4m

Ask the Rev.: Feeling existential dread about AI replacing humans? Here’s some advice for how to think about technological advancements and when to take a break from the news. buff.ly/CT7cgL5

Every power utility in Vermont is paying higher costs for expenses such as transformers, tree trimming and employees’ dental insurance, and they’ve been passing those costs on to ratepayers as never before. buff.ly/bFR8XVL

One advertisement draws inspiration from Austin Powers, portraying U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) as Dr. Evil and Molly Gray, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor, as Mini-Me. Another video, based on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, depicts an independent challenger of Balint ducking arrows and boulders while running through the “Temple of Two Parties.” A third includes a parody of N.W.A’s song “Straight Outta Compton” that features rap verses recorded by a trio of Republicans running for the state Senate in Washington County. The spots are proof that AI-assisted political advertising has arrived in the Green Mountain State. So far at least, the Vermont version of this national trend looks somewhat different — more obviously fake and much, much sillier — than many experts had feared. buff.ly/1cVCFmB

Movie Review: Jeremy Allen White plays journalist Jeff Horwitz, and Mikey Madison is Facebook engineer Frances Haugen in Aaron Sorkin’s fact-based drama 'The Social Reckoning." If Sorkin’s attempts to illustrate the evil effects of Zuckerberg’s products on ordinary Americans feel stagy and ridiculous, that’s partly because we don’t need convincing. buff.ly/v1opP1h

In Vermont music news: Indie-rock star Kevin Barnes ends his brief Vermont stay with a musical parting shot; the Eyetraps and Eastern Mountain Time drop singles. buff.ly/VIf9bIq

Culturally Relevant: Our columnist shares stray thoughts on political ads, online bullies and traffic patterns. Plus, a Vermont arts news roundup. buff.ly/SwHGkT0

A free workforce development program at the state’s flagship university aims to prepare Vermonters for work in the growing biotechnology field. The new initiative, a partnership between University of Vermont Professional and Continuing Education and the Larner College of Medicine, launched earlier this month with 32 students. Funded by a $2.7 million federal grant secured by U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), the 24-week course requires students to complete seven to 10 hours of online coursework and take part in one hands-on evening lab session at UVM each week. “At a broad level, we’re teaching core skills that make a lab function,” said program director Gerry Herrera, an assistant professor of pharmacology at the Larner College of Medicine. Those include using equipment safely, documenting work and analyzing data, as well as specific techniques such as how to operate a pipette, prepare solutions and use a microscope. buff.ly/IYMNiPJ

A judge has extended a temporary order against stalking to prevent a critic of Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak from physically approaching her. The October 15 ruling bars Aryeh “Ari” Moskowitz from coming within six feet of Mulvaney-Stanak until June 2027. Chittenden County Superior Court Judge Colin Owyang determined that Moskowitz had “threatened or made threats” against the mayor. The initial stalking order was issued in June, around the time Moskowitz was charged with criminal stalking and aggravated disorderly conduct over a series of attempts to engage with Mulvaney-Stanak. Following arraignment on those charges, Moskowitz was released on the condition that he not contact the mayor or come near her home, car or place of employment. Since early June, he has also been subject to a trespass order barring him from City Hall for 180 days. buff.ly/pzoxYus

"The pace of technological change can be unsettling, but as a newspaper publisher, I know hiding from it is not the answer," Paula Routly writes in this week's note. "That’s one reason Seven Days organizes the Vermont Tech Jam every year and writes about the subject in this anticipatory Tech Issue." buff.ly/yFnjjEs