David Carr Award for Investigative Reporting
“The Loss of Grace: In Vermont’s Juvenile Lockup, a Girl Endured Violence and Isolation. She Wasn’t the Only One. And It Was No Secret,” by Joe Sexton
Judge’s comment: “… this comes out on top because of its deep research, exquisite writing and emotional impact. Often in investigative journalism, as with the X-Files, ‘The truth is out there.’ But even when much is in view in scattered places, an effort like this still must find it, make connections and do the additional reporting to see the entire complex story, make sure it is ironclad, and tell it with the deftness that allows readers to not only understand, but feel it. What resulted was a deeply moving wake-up call to Vermont that society’s struggles with mental health, troubled children, governmental malfeasance, and broken lives is not someplace else’s problem. Yes, it can happen here — and did.”
Jim Ridley Award for Arts Criticism
Stories by Margot Harrison, including:
“Book Review: If It Sounds Like a Quack... A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine, Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling”
“Film Review: Anatomy of a Fall”
“Book Review: Revenge of the Scapegoat, Caren Beilin”
Judge’s comment: “This writing is so compelling that I’m set to watch a French movie and I quit reading to order the If It Sounds Like a Quack… A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine book.”
News Story
“Vermont’s Relapse: Efforts to Address Opioid Addiction Were Starting to Work. Then Potent New Street Drugs Arrived,” by Colin Flanders
Judge’s comment: “This is a meticulously reported piece that painstakingly and heartbreakingly lays out the monumental challenges associated with drug abuse. Every new subheading of the story revealed another eye-opening set of facts about how the ever-growing problem has touched some aspect of your community — from the addiction service agencies, to cold-weather shelters to the local Little League field. The weaving in of personal stories from Amanda, Kelly, Tyler and the others added the human element that pulled everything together and gave the piece heart beyond the necessary [interviews] with law enforcement, legal people and addiction specialists. I appreciated the use of hard data throughout.”
Right-Wing Extremism Coverage
“A Chilling New Documentary With Vermont Connections Chronicles the Growing Threat of Radicalized U.S. Military Veterans,” by Ken Picard
Multimedia
“Stuck in Vermont: Peter Harrigan Collected 600 Barbie Dolls in 30 Years, With Support From His Husband, Stan Baker, Who Collects Ken Dolls,” by Eva Sollberger
Judge’s comment: “Lovely story that isn’t just about a WHOLE LOT of dolls, it’s also about the men behind the collection and their role in Vermont history. Nicely done.”
Cover Design
Diane Sullivan, Rick Veitch, Luke Awtry, Harry Bliss
Judge’s comment: “From the standpoint of what a cover should do (engage readers, draw attention, highlight key content, be consistent across issues while providing different material), this [entry] has it all. The talents of so many artists, photographers, designers and writers are on display here, a symphony of delight that compelled readers to look inside.”
Feature Story
“Flower Powerhouse: Melinda Moulton Has Blended Business Savvy and a Hippie Ethos to Transform Burlington” by Ken Picard
Vermont startup Beta Technologies has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to fund its drive to pioneer electric aviation. On Saturday, October 23, Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark and its first customer, Martine Rothblatt, CEO of United Therapeutics, will speak in person during a special keynote presentation at the end of the 2021 Vermont Tech Jam.
About Beta and Kyle Clark
Based at Burlington International Airport, Beta Technologies is trying to do something that’s never been done before: manufacture a fleet of battery-powered aircraft capable of transporting people and cargo, and design the battery-charging infrastructure to support it.
Hundreds of companies around the world are racing to build battery-powered planes; air travel is a significant source of the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. Beta is one of the leaders of the pack. It has already received orders for planes from customers including United Parcel Service, aka UPS.
Vermont native Kyle Clark founded Beta in 2017. He’s a pilot, engineer and former hockey pro who had a vision for an electric aircraft that could take off and land like a helicopter, then fly like a fixed-wing plane. One of the company’s other competitive advantages? Martine Rothblatt, Beta’s first customer, who now serves as one of the company’s directors.
About Martine Rothblatt
Rothblatt has been blazing trails for decades. A regulatory attorney, she cofounded Sirius Satellite Radio and helped develop the technology that made it possible. In 2013, she was the highest-paid female CEO in the U.S., earning $38 million. She’s also a pioneer in the field of digitizing human consciousness. The ambassador for her efforts in that realm, Vermont-based Terasem Movement Foundation, is a robot, Bina48, created using the downloaded memories of her wife, Bina.
In the 1990s, one of the couple’s daughters was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a fatal disease. In an effort to save her daughter’s life, Rothblatt researched possible treatments and started a biotech firm, United Therapeutics, to pursue them. Today the company sells five FDA-approved medicines that treat the disease; her daughter now works for the company.
Still, the only cure for the disease is a lung transplant, and there’s a severe shortage of available organs. So United Therapeutics plans to manufacture them. To deliver the organs to recipients in time, the company needs a special kind of aircraft. That’s where Beta comes in.
A July 31 Bloomberg Businessweek article about Rothblatt and her quest outlines the challenges and Martine’s extraordinary background as a lawyer and a trans woman who came out in her forties. The story quotes Liana Moussatos, an analyst at an investment firm, who’s been tracking Rothblatt’s work. “Martine is a different kind of person in general,” said Moussatos. “Once she has her mind set on something, she’s going to figure it out.”
In a special keynote presentation, Seven Days writer Chelsea Edgar will moderate an in-person conversation between Clark and Rothblatt about how they met, what led them to work together, and how their unique partnership has the potential to change Vermont — and the world.
More than 40 local employers will be hiring at the Tech Jam, which takes place at Hula, a lakeside tech campus in Burlington. The job fair portion of the event runs from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., and 1:30-3:30 p.m. Beta Technologies will also be hiring at the event. Tech Jam attendees can try its MobileDome flight simulator, which will be parked outside Hula.
The presentation begins at 4 p.m., and requires a ticket for Session #2 of the Tech Jam, $10 in advance, $15 on the day of the event. A reception will follow with light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Register for the event, and find more information, including a list of Tech Jam exhibitors, at techjamvt.com.
Masks will be required indoors at the Tech Jam in accordance with CDC guidelines.
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