MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-0, 0-0 B1G) will host the University of Vermont Catamounts (1-0, 0-0 America East) for the first time in program history on Friday, Nov. 8. The game can be streamed on B1G+ with Marisa Cate and Phoenix Ferrari and can be heard on KFAN+ with Tanner Hoops and Lynnette Sjoquist on the call.

Minnesota (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs Vermont (1-0, 0-0 America East)
Stream: B1G+
Tip Time: 7:01 p.m. CT
Radio: KFAN+ 96.7 FM and the iHeartRadio app (Tanner Hoops and Lynnette Sjoquist)
Location: Williams Arena

Scouting the Catamounts
• Vermont comes to Dinkytown after defeating Missouri 62-46 last week in its home opener
• The win over Missouri is Vermont’s first win over an SEC school, they are now 1-11 vs the Southeastern Conference
• The Catamounts held Missouri to 12 points across the second and third quarters
• Anna Olson was selected to the America East All-Conference Team
• The Catamouns return two of their top scorers from last season in Olson (11.6 ppg) and Keira Hanson (8.1 ppg)
• 2022 America East Rookie of the Year Catherine Gilwee returns after missing all last season with an injury
• Olson hails from Monticello, Minn., and had 18 points against Missouri

I Bet You Think About Anni
• Graduate transfer Annika Stewart came off the bench and led the Gopher offense in Minnesota’s home opener
• Stewart had 18 points, four rebounds, and one steal
• The Plymouth, Minn., native tied her career high in three-pointers made with three
• Notably, her 18  points contributed to Minnesota’s 50 bench points scored

Look What You Made Me Do
• Transfer Taylor Woodson had a career night on Monday, tying three personal bests 
• The forward tied her bests in rebounds (5), offensive rebounds (4), and most field goals made (5)
• Notably, her 10 points contributed to Minnesota’s 50 bench points scored

…Ready For It?
• Junior Mara Braun opened the season with a stellar game against Central Connecticut State
• Through 24 minutes, the guard had 17 points, five assists, two steal, and one rebound

State of Grace
• Sophomore Grace Grocholski had her 37th career start on Monday
• The North Prairie, Wis., native competed for 26 minutes, tying her career high in steals (3), and scoring three field goals.

Award Watch
Junior Guard Mara Braun was named to the 20-player watch list for the 2025 Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last Tuesday. Named after the first player, male or female, selected to an All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual award in its eighth year recognizes the top shooting guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates for North Tartan. On her AAU team, Mckinney averaged 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 steals. For the Skippers, McKinney played at the varsity level at Minnetonka since her seventh-grade year.

New Kids on the Block
Minnesota’s roster features two true freshmen in McKenna Johnson and Tori McKinney. Johnson hails from Wilmot, Wis., and was an early enrollee last season and did not see any game action. In high school, Johnson was a No. 60 ranked in the top 100 ESPN rankings. During her final high school season, the 5-9 guard averaged 26.1 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per contest. She competed for the Wisconsin Flight Elite program, where she helped lead them to the EYBL Final Four in 2023. 

A Minnetonka, Minn., native, McKinney joins the ‘U’ after a prep career playing for North Tartan. On her AAU team, Mckinney averaged 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 steals. For the Skippers, McKinney played at the varsity level at Minnetonka since her seventh-grade year.

Tactful Transfers
• Graduate Alexsia Rose joins Minnesota after playing her senior season at UMass. With the Minutemen, Rose averaged 3.1 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game and 1.5 assists per game.
• Minnesota native Taylor Woodson was added to the Gophers’ squad after competing at Michigan during her freshman season. For the Wolverines, Woodson played in 32 games and averaged 8.9 minutes, 1.9 points, and 1.7 rebounds.
• After four seasons at Nebraska, Annika Stewart will compete for the Gophers during her graduate season. With the Huskers, she played in 111 games and scored 572 points and snagged 268 rebounds. She also excelled in the classroom, as a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a 2023 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
• Hailing from Apple Valley, Calif., Jordan Brooks comes to Minnesota after spending one season at CSU Bakersfield after playing at Victory Valley College.

Vermont State Police have closed an investigation into an incident that prompted the suspension of Woodstock Police Chief Joseph Swanson, with no criminal charges being brought.

Adam Silverman, a state police spokesperson, stated in an email Tuesday to VTDigger that “VSP was unable to move forward with the case due to the reported victim’s declining to cooperate with the investigation.”

Silverman added, “As a result, there was no review by the prosecutor’s office.”

Swanson was placed on paid administrative leave from his post as Woodstock’s police chief on Oct. 15 “as a precaution following a report of his alleged involvement in an incident” on Oct. 13, Woodstock Municipal Manager Eric Duffy stated in a press release last month. 

Duffy at that time would not comment regarding the nature of that incident nor on Swanson’s “alleged involvement” in it. Duffy said the matter had been referred to the state police to conduct an investigation.

Swanson’s attorney, William Vasiliou of Langrock, Sperry and Wool, emailed a statement to VTDigger on Thursday morning concerning his client. 

“Chief Swanson is glad that the investigation into the incident that occurred on High Street earlier this month is closed,” the statement read. “Chief Swanson wants the community to know that he fully cooperated with the investigation by VSP, and at no time was he suspected of committing any unlawful act.”

The statement added that Swanson was a witness to the incident and “acted to deescalate a situation that an unnamed person initiated during a minor traffic jam.”

As for job status as police chief, according to the statement, “(Swanson) looks forward to putting this matter behind him, and we expect that he will return to work in the very near future.”

VTDigger submitted a public records request on Oct. 18 to the town of Woodstock seeking information related to the incident.

However, late last week, through attorney Matthew Bloomer, the town withheld most of the material related to the matter. Some documents were provided but were so heavily redacted that the nature of the allegations that prompted an investigation could not be discerned. 

Bloomer largely cited the then-ongoing state police investigation and the possibility that providing the material to VTDigger could impede that probe as reasons for withholding and redacting the information.

VTDigger renewed its request for the materials earlier this week after state police confirmed the probe had been closed. As of noon Thursday, the town had not provided any further information, nor did Duffy respond to a question about Swanson’s current job status.

Swanson became Woodstock’s police chief in July 2023 after having worked for the law enforcement agency for many years since first joining the force as a part-time officer in 2000.

Woodstock Police Sgt. Christopher O’Keefe has been serving as acting Woodstock police since Swanson was placed on paid administrative leave last month. 

On Wednesday morning, Vermonters learned Donald Trump is their president-elect.

And Wednesday afternoon, Vermont Public reporter Elodie Reed crisscrossed Franklin County to hear how residents were feeling.

This story was produced for the ear. We highly recommend listening to the audio. We’ve also provided a transcript, which has been edited for length and clarity.

Elodie Reed: I visited farms, front yards, flower shops, restaurants, laundromats, a food shelf and a hair salon.

Some people felt happy about Trump winning. Some felt sad about Kamala Harris losing. Some people didn’t have strong opinions either way.

Some did have strong opinions, but didn’t want their neighbors to know about them.

And one person, citing their diversity, equity and inclusion work, as well as their gay son — said they planned to leave the country because of Trump’s victory.

Of the couple dozen people I spoke to, only a few felt comfortable sharing on the record, with their full names attached. No women wanted to be recorded.

Here’s 55-year-old Robert Ovitt, at his family’s farm in Fairfax.

Robert Ovitt: Trump is a good situation. You know, better than Harris, obviously, in my book, so. 

Elodie Reed: What are you hoping his presidency changes in your life? 

Robert Ovitt: Well, hopefully we get some taxes straightened out and the world straightened out a little bit. He isn’t afraid to step up to the plate. We figured that out last term.

Especially Vermont’s getting stupid. You know, the taxes are just phenomenal. Property taxes, too. I mean, it’s crazy. Makes it makes you think that you should, can’t live here no more.

Elodie Reed: When did you find out about Trump winning?

Robert Ovitt: This morning.

Elodie Reed: Do you remember, like, what you felt?

Robert Ovitt: “Ahhhh,” that’s how I felt. 

Elodie Reed: “Ahhhh”?

Robert Ovitt: Yes, delighted.

Elodie Reed: I also met Robert Ovitt’s son, Kyle, who was sweeping out a truck bed.

Elodie Reed: What are you up to right now? 

Kyle Ovitt: Oh, getting ready to go cut some firewood. 

Truthfully, I didn’t even vote. I mean, I’m not really — I wasn’t really too keen on either one of them, but I definitely feel that Trump was definitely the better elected president at this point. I’m not quite sure how it’s going to go the next four years with everything that’s happened in the last couple months, as far as the tries — the assassination attempts.

I’m gonna live my life the same way, no matter what, who becomes president, who becomes what. That’s why I don’t really get into politics too much. I kind of just, you know, have a farm family and live the way I live.

Elodie Reed: What do you see as the future of this family farm?

Kyle Ovitt: Hopefully keeping it going? Unfortunately, we had to sell our dairy cows quite a few years ago, in the ’90s, because of that, and we got into excavation and trapping. We keep the sugaring, you know, as a hobby, but also for our agricultural tax rate. But hopefully we can keep it going with the way society is going.

Elodie Reed: Is there anything you wish your president would do that would have an impact on your life?

Kyle Ovitt: Absolutely. Help the, you know, lower-income people, and that’s the biggest thing I disagree with, with Trump is, you know, he wants to raise taxes on the lower class, and, you know, middle class or whatever, and nothing for the higher class.

Well, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, you know. And that’s just the way it’s been for the last 20 years, you know, probably longer than that, but I’m only 35, so.

Elodie Reed: After spending time with the Ovitts, I drove through Fairfield and into Sheldon, where John Gorton and several volunteers were working in the local food shelf.

John Gorton: I’m the lay minister who serves the Sheldon Methodist Church. And we operate this rather sizable food shelf operation here.

I’m very disappointed. A lot of people talked about the economy. Apparently that was one of the main drivers, was the economy. And people say, was I better off in 2019 when Trump was president? The trouble is, the conditions that existed in 2019 will never exist again. We live in a totally different world today.

Before the pandemic hit, we were serving about 100 families a month. In February of 2020, just as the pandemic hit, we almost immediately doubled to about 200 families.

And then once the pandemic started wane, we actually dropped down a little bit for a few months. And then the effects, as the effects of inflation came in, it started growing and growing, growing. Today, right now, this month, we serve about 400 families.

I’m not very optimistic. I had a meeting this morning of leaders of social service providers out in St. Albans for Franklin County, and the mood was pretty somber, because we’re concerned that the need for our services is going to skyrocket and the federal resources that might support social services work will essentially be dried up.

You know, as a lay minister and a preacher, I studied the Old Testament. And if you think about the history of the Jewish people, the Israelite nation, as espoused in the Old Testament, through the Old Testament, they go through periods where they’re being very righteous. They’re doing things correctly. They’re being very morally right, and then they fall away, and they kind of forget about God and what they should be doing, to serve God, and fall down, and they’ll come back. And many times when they fall down, there are bad things that happen, like they got into slavery in Egypt.

But if you read through all those stories in the Bible, there’s a group of people who are always referred to as the remnant, and those are the people who remain faithful to their relationship with God and their calling to serve other people. And I feel like that’s what we’re going to see in this country. And the meeting I had this morning with a lot of other service providers, people who provide services to marginalized people, we all had the same feeling. We’re the remnant, and we are the people who, no matter what else happens, no matter how many bad things happen in the country or even around the world, we will be the ones who will remain faithful and will serve other people, no matter what. No matter what happens.

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