THETFORD—Filmmaker Malcolm Quinn Silver-Van Meter grew up a quarter-mile from the Post Mills Airport, where at a young age, he saw hot air balloons rise through the morning mist. “As a kid, I called the sound of the hot air balloons filling up ‘the voice of dragons,’” Silver-Van Meter said in a recent interview. Over time, he grew to know the person behind the noisy aircraft: the late local collector, artist, and balloon maker Brian Boland. Next week, Silver-Van Meter’s short documentary about Boland, “The Balloonist,” will premier.

Vermont State University Interim President Mike Smith recommends discontinuing 10 programs at the newly merged school, according to a draft plan released last week.

EAST TOPSHAM—Over 30 people attended a public hearing on Monday night as the Topsham Selectboard solicited input on a dog bite that sent a local woman to the hospital.

WEST FAIRLEE—The true essence of a man cannot fully be known, unless that man was Fred Cook. Because by all accounts, he was a man true to himself, without any pretense.

WARREN—New Hampshire Audubon Society plans to turn at least part of a 545-acre tract near Warren village into a bird sanctuary.