In this week's issue of Seven Days...

• On the cover: Vermont ACLU director Allen Gilbert is sounding the alarm about government intrusion. Is anyone listening?
• A small elementary school near the Canadian border bucks the achievement gap trend. What can other districts learn from the success of Montgomery's impoverished students?
• Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi has issued several scathing reports on the perilous state of the financial industry. He's in Burlington for a town meeting event on too-big-to-fail banks with Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday night.
• A bill in the House would offer Vermont student athletes greater protections from the effects of head injuries.
• Gun control efforts are dead at the state level, but Burlington isn't backing down from its push to ban assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition clips. Mayor Miro Weinberger even appeared in a PSA with other pro-gun control mayors.
• In Fair Game: Senate Democrats are regularly meeting outside the Statehouse in secret. Innocent strategy sessions, or violations of Vermont's open-meeting law?

Read these stories and more in print, online or on the Seven Days app.