The news came on the heels of other strange spring tidings in Addison County: There were warnings of severe storms bringing high winds and flooding, followed by fire danger alerts. There were the multiple bear sightings around Chipman Hill, as a mother and her three cubs beat a path of destruction between backyard bird feeders and compost bins.

And then this: Ben Franklin, the five-and-dime that’s been a fixture of Middlebury’s Main Street since 1943, will close its doors in August.

Click here to continue reading this week’s “Faith in Vermont” column in The Addison Independent.