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NT: First, can you give us a little background about yourself? Where are you from? Where did your grow up?
EM: I grew up in Brandon. I’ve always been a Vermont boy. Realistically, my story isn’t really that exciting. I grew up in Brandon and I made it all 17 miles south to Rutland.
NT: And that was after high school?
EM: Yes, after high school. I graduated in 03’
NT: How did you come across the “I Am Vermont Strong” idea? Where did it come from? What did it take to actually commit to it?

Jon Kaplan is the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, based out of Montpelier. Jon manages all bicycle and pedestrian-related initiatives for the state. Here, he answers a few questions about the current status of biking in Vermont, some initiatives that he is working on and where he hopes to see biking in the Green Mountain State in the future.
Q. Is the number of bikers growing in Vermont?

First, can you give us a little background about yourself and your history with the state? I love Vermont! I grew up in rural Hartland, Vermont, the son of a kindergarten teacher and an architect. I am a product of Vermont public schools, including graduating from Woodstock Union High School. During my junior year, I played second base on my high school baseball team and won a state championship at Centennial Field. I traveled outside of Vermont for college earning a B.A. at Yale University, where I double majored in American Studies and Studies in the Environment.

In 2010, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas signed an anti-texting law that banned texting while driving for anybody on the roads in the state. Vermont was the 27th state to pass such a law and more have followed. The Vermont law also prohibits any use of portable electronic devices, including cell phones, for drivers of 18 years of age or younger.
By law, texting is defined as “Reading or manually composing, or sending of electronic communications. Electronic communications include text messages, instant messages, or e-mails using a portable electronic device.”

by Casey Hurlburt
Vermont is full of opportunities for musicians and artists of all kinds, from open mics to all the various restaurants that show art. The Burlington South End Art Hop, which takes place in September every year, features artists all over Burlington’s south end and often there are musicians playing at the various venues as well. Then there are restaurants and coffee shops throughout the state that host musicians and show art.

Libby Smith went to Essex high school and the Essex Technical Center where she graduated from Engineering and Architectural Design in 1998. She played basketball, soccer, and golf in high school, where she was an All-State selection in all three sports. She went on to play basketball and golf at the University of Vermont. Smith was the only woman in the United States to play and compete on a Division 1 Men’s Golf Team for all four years while attending UVM.

by Casey Hurlburt
Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, founded in 1980, works with the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. USCRI is a national organization that helps refugees find permanent, safe homes where they can rebuild their lives. USCRI determines the talents and skills of refugees and immigrants and places them in communities where they will have opportunity.

As any longtime reader will tell you, comic books traditionally feature some awesome origin stories. From the bullet-strewn beginnings of Dick Tracy to the cosmic saga of the Silver Surfer, comics are famous for their secret histories and iconic backstories.

Perhaps then it's appropriate that the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction has an iconic origin story of its own.

by Ed Barna
During an illustrious or notorious 22-year career, depending on the point of view, David Giancola has blown up much of Rutland, Vermont, flooded its streets, crushed the county with ice, consorted with aliens, filmed and fought in court with Anna Nicole Smith, made a Christmas film that seems likely to be a permanent gift to the country – and has proved to any doubters that Vermont can be a base for making commercially viable films.

Born in Duxbury, Vermont, Stephen R Bissette is an award-winning comic book artist, illustrator, and writer. Bissette was one of the first graduates of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, and together with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben, was responsible for revitalizing the DC comic series Swamp Thing into a critically acclaimed horror classic.