No one thought it could happen here in Brandon: a crime of such depravity that it defies comprehension. A young, virile specimen of a duckie was viciously attacked in order to eliminate him as competition in the July 4th Duckie Race in Brandon, leaving the once-strapping bird wondering if he’ll ever paddle again.

The Olympian god Apollo has a deep resumé, including the god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the sun and light, and even poetry—not among the highlights, however, are Braggart and Spurned Lover.

Renowned artist and Brandon resident Warren Kimble made a huge splash in the 1990s putting his distinctive twist on 19th-century folk-art styles, creating a whimsical world of white New England houses and wildly proportioned farm animals. One of those animals turned out to have more significance in his life, and to Brandon as a whole, than he probably anticipated: the pig.

In their continued resistance to proposed tax hikes, voters once again rejected the Brandon town budget and the Otter Valley Unified Union budget at the ballot box on Tuesday.