"The investigation found issues such as livestock kept below a kitchen area used by workers, inadequate insulation and heating, damaged screening and flooring, a privy [hole in a bench to poop through] too close to living areas, and an unlit, unventilated basement shower."
Learn about common household repairs and maintenance tasks every homeowner or renter should know!
During this workshop participants will learn about:
➡ Drywall Repair
➡ Patching holes, finding studs, choosing the right anchors
➡ Plumbing basics
➡ Clearing clogs, choosing the right chemicals, P-trap replacement, anatomy of sinks and toilets
➡ Electrical Fundamentals
➡ Changing a receptacle, replacing outlets & switches, fixing lamps, understanding your breaker box
These are skills that will save you money help you build confidence to tackle even bigger projects!
Learn More > https://app.glueup.com/event/home-essentials-101-drywall-plumbing-electrical-195382/
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What: Home Essentials 101 Workshop
When: Saturday, October 10th
Time: 9am-Noon
Where: Generator Makerspace in Burlington
I didn’t start building this because I thought Vermont needed another website. I started because two people I care about asked me for help, and I didn’t know what to tell them.
A coworker was ready to look for substance-use treatment but had no idea where to begin. I sat down and started researching programs, phone numbers, eligibility, and what the next step actually looked like. Around the same time, a friend was dealing with homelessness. I watched them spend time and energy they barely had calling places, reaching dead ends, and trying to understand programs that didn’t seem connected.
Their situations were different, but I kept seeing the same thing: help existed, but finding it was too hard — especially when someone was already exhausted, scared, or trying to survive.
I’m a student working two jobs and studying here in Vermont to become a substance-abuse counselor. I don’t have a big team or a big budget. I built Our First Step Connect in the hours around school and work because I wanted someone in that moment to have a clearer place to start.
The app is free and privacy-first. It brings together starting points for recovery, mental health, housing, food, safety, benefits, support meetings, workplace rights, and other local needs.
Try it: https://ourfirststepconnect.org
I also started a $5,000 GoFundMe to pay for resource verification, accessibility work, real-user testing, hosting, and basic outreach: https://gofund.me/09b1b4ba7
This is an independent, founder-led startup, not a nonprofit, and donations are not tax-deductible. If you can’t donate, trying the app and telling me what is missing or confusing would honestly mean a lot.
I know a website can’t fix a crisis or replace the people already doing this work. I just want the first step to be a little easier to find.
This does not replace 911, 988, medical care, legal advice, or counseling.
It talks about targeting sanctuary cities so I’m wondering if they’ll target Burlington again. As far as I’m aware, ICE has reduced activity in the Burlington area after community defenders showed them how they felt about their presence on March 11th and has stuck to rural areas where it’s harder to amass community defenders in a short time span.
Okay, this might sound weird, but has anyone else been noticing an unusual amount of dead squirrels on the roads lately?
I’ve been driving around Burlington and South Burlington pretty regularly all summer, and I barely remember seeing any. But recently it feels like I’m seeing them everywhere.
Sometimes they’re completely intact, and other times they’re pretty badly hit.
What’s really strange to me is that I’ll see one on a road, drive a little farther, turn onto another road or make a U-turn, and there’ll be another one. I’ve even noticed multiple squirrels around the same general areas.
Maybe I’m just paying more attention now, but it honestly feels like there are way more than usual. With all the college students moving back into the area, I even wondered if there could be some intentional thing going on, although I obviously have no idea and don’t want to jump to conclusions.
Am I crazy, or has anyone else around Burlington/South Burlington noticed this too? Is there something seasonal going on with squirrels right now?
