WTF, Burlington? [Re "Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak Will Prescreen Police Press Releases," January 9, online]: I'm just checking in from central Vermont: Has everyone in Burlington completely lost their mind? When the Burlington police chief dares to point out publicly that a criminal with "nearly 2,000 police encounters and more than three dozen convictions, including six felonies" is still roaming the streets because Vermont's judges refuse to apply the "habitual criminal" law to him and lock him up for good, Burlington's Progressive mayor, Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, doesn't respond by calling for replacing irresponsible judges; she responds by demanding that the police chief not issue public statements without clearing them with her first! Heaven forbid that anyone in Burlington's government publicly prioritize the protection of the public over the protection of "alleged" criminals — who, after all, might be completely innocent in their 2,001st police encounter! And the citizens of Burlington just elected this person mayor? "Planet Earth calling Burlington — come in, Burlington!" David Humphrey Strafford Majestic Memories [Re "Majestic Meetup: Industry Veterans Open a Neighborhood Bar and Casual Eatery in Burlington's South End," January 8]: Majestic Car Rental was only a short-timer in that building. It would have been good for your story to include the original history. The building was a longtime Shell gas station owned by Winston "Winnie" Whittemore and his wife, Connie. The Whittemores, including their three daughters, were Burlington originals. Whittemore always made sure the property was in tip-top shape, including a garden of petunias along the east-side perimeter of the lot that he planted and personally maintained every day. He not only had two mechanics but he also gave jobs to local high school kids to pump gas, including yours truly and Steve Koss. Ted Cohen Burlington More to the Shannon Story ["Joan Shannon to Retire From Burlington City Council," January 2, online] raised two significant concerns: first, about Seven Days' coverage itself. The article was little more than a repackaging of the Burlington Democratic Party's press release and failed to dig into a significant backstory: that Joan kept her name on the ballot until three days after the deadline for anyone else to add their name. This strategy no doubt had a chilling effect on others being willing to run, as they would have had to assume that they were running against her. (I challenged Joan at the caucus two years ago and got flattened.) While…