Vermont

A ‘living nightmare’: Haverford student speaks to fear among Palestinians

Published

6 months ago

December 1, 2023

A ‘living nightmare’: Haverford student speaks to fear among Palestinians

A version of this trauma has rippled out to Philadelphians of Palestinian descent and across the country.

Arab and Jewish communities in the United States have experienced rising hatred and violence since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 others hostage. Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza has since killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry.

Authorities are investigating Saturday’s shooting as a potential hate crime. Suspect Jason Eaton, a 48-year-old white man, pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder.

Abdalhamid, Ahmed, and Awartani each attended the Ramallah Friends School, a private institution with Quaker roots that sticks out as a well-funded school in the resource-choked West Bank. Swarthmore College Professor Sa’ed Atshan, a 2002 graduate of the school, advised Abdalhamid and Awartani as they applied to college in the U.S.

“It’s really shocking that this could happen in Burlington, Vermont,” said Atshan. The state has a progressive reputation, from its politicians to its ice cream companies.

“It reflects the extent to which the dehumanization of Palestinians and racism against Palestinians has become entrenched in the United States,” he said.

Tala Qaraqe, a close friend of Kinnan at Haverford who also grew up in the West Bank, said she still wears a keffiyeh despite her visceral fear of being targeted.

“If we keep just giving up on our identities … We’re just gonna have nothing left,” she told her mother over the phone, arguing about whether she should remove her checkered headscarf for safety on the SEPTA ride home.

Abdalhamid was Qaraqe’s cultural anchor as she adjusted to college life in Pennsylvania. Abdalhamid helped her with biology homework, turned casual conversations into philosophical debates, and held space for Palestinian voices on campus.

“I’m really honored to be his friend,” Qaraqe said.

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Vermont

Vermont Corporate Cup and State Agency 5k – The Montpelier Bridge

Published

3 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Vermont Corporate Cup and State Agency 5k – The Montpelier Bridge

The first female finisher was Alison Migonis, 37, of Waterbury, in a time of 19:55; she finished 15th overall. The second place female runner was Abbey Hybl, 31, of Colchester; her time of 20:29 placed her 44th overall. Photo by J. Gregory Gerdel.

The 41^st running of the Vermont Corporate Cup and State Agency Race had 1,952 participants, including both runners and walkers, and continues to be one of the largest races in Vermont. After seeing more than 4,000 participants in the 2019 event, races were canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 outbreak, explained race director Leslie Davis. Participation in 2023 was very similar to this year with 1,853 runners and walkers.

“We’re hoping to build the participation back up,” Davis said, noting that the increased incidence of remote working in both state and corporate offices likely has diminished both the energy and opportunities for recruiting teams among co-workers.

Davis also pointed out that individuals can sign up and run in the event without being on a team. The event, which began in 1980 as a state employee event with 23 participants, has been an annual project of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports since the 1990s. For 2024, Union Mutual was the presenting sponsor.

The fastest individual walker, and by a considerable margin, was Andrea Vogl, 48, a Burlington resident who finished in 34:09. Second overall, and also from Burlington, was Steve Dargy, 30, who finished the walk in 37:38.

Although many of the people in the walking event simply walk, race walking competitively involves a very specific technique, and the race organizers station judges along the course to be certain competitive walkers are using the proper form, which is to say, not jogging. The Corporate Cup website provides a video showing the proper technique.

Teams

Most of the participants, both runners and walkers, participated as three-person teams in one of several divisions: Corporate, State, Nonprofit, or Open. The overall winning team was in the Open division, male with a time of 52:58. The Dealer.com team 1 included Brent Towne (17:24), Silas Talbot (17:45), and Chris Coffey (17:49), all representing Cox Automotive. All three of them finished in the top 10 of the male runners.The complete results, and those of earlier years of the event, can be found at iResultsLIVE!

White man in grey tank top running in a street. — Avery Smart, 19, of Montpelier, set a blistering pace and took an early lead to win the Vermont Corporate Cup 5k in 16:02, finishing 39 seconds ahead of second place finisher John Stanton-Geddes, 42, of Burlington. Photo by J. Gregory Gerdel.

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Vermont

This website is unavailable in your location. – WPXI

Published

10 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

This website is unavailable in your location. – WPXI

“With a resounding purr of approval from the faculty, the Board of Trustees of the Vermont State Cat-leges has bestowed upon Max Dow the prestigious title of Doctor of Litter-ature, complete with all the catnip perks, scratching post privileges, and litter box responsibilities that come with it.”

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Vermont

Vermonters gather Eco-Fair in search of ways to make the grass greener this spring

Published

17 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Vermonters gather Eco-Fair in search of ways to make the grass greener this spring

WEYBRIDGE, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermonters gathered at an Eco-Fair in Weybridge in search of ways to make the grass greener this spring.

Weybridge Energy Committee hosted the event at Weybridge Elementary School. Visitors browsed booths featuring composting, home energy and heating solutions and lawncare.

Those looking for more energy-efficient ways to trim their lawns tested out lawn mowers through Mow Electric.

“It seems to work just as well as a regular lawnmower if not better, so then why not go electric if you can?” Sylvie Doutriaux of Weybridge said, testing out an electric mower.

And in honor of “No Mow May,” conservation organization Pollinator Pathway handed out native plant seeds, advocating for natural lawns safe for pollinators.

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