This coming Memorial Day our very own Hobbes will
make Vermont history by becoming the first canine to become a Police Dog in Two
Cities! Vergennes Police Chief George Merkel will officially add him to the
Vergennes Police Department as an honorary canine police officer. The honor
will mark the second city to honor our four-legged friend. Middlebury Police Chief
Tom Hanley added Hobbes to the Middlebury Police Department in February 2011. In
adding Hobbes to his department, Chief Merkel cited the dog’s work with
children and the work he has done with his co-host Bruce Zeman to make Vermont
a better place. The appointment will take place during a ceremony following the
Vergennes Memorial Day Parade and the Vergennes Police Chief is looking forward
to having a new canine member on the force noting that his story is an “inspiration
and is exciting for Vergennes and Vermont as a whole.” As for the duo’s future
plans, their first book, “Hobbes Goes Home,” is scheduled to be released in the
Fall of 2012.
The Vergennes Partnership wants the public to
consider the "new" Vergennes as a place to live, work and play. The
community organization will host a special event, "Back to the Future:
Destination Vergennes", a pictorial revue about the rebirth of the Little
City, this tonight from 6 – 7:30PM at the Vergennes Opera House. The show will highlight the
accomplishments of the Partnership since its 1999 inception with past and
present images of the city, a display, and tables for each Partnership
committee. The event will also be the launch for the Vergennes Wi-Fi Internet
project.
The Town of Ticonderoga is holding a public hearing
at 6 this evening to get public input on the town's housing, infrastructure and
economic development needs. Ti
Alliance President Justin Woods said the hearing would gain public input to be
used in applying for infrastructure grants. The session will take place at the Ticonderoga Community
Building.
This week the Middlebury Select Board approved an Agreement
with Efficiency Vermont for administration of the PACE (Property Assessed Clean
Energy Program) loan program for energy efficiency upgrades. The first round of
funding for energy upgrades and/or renewable energy projects will be available
this summer. Efficiency Vermont will provide marketing materials and
information about the program will be posted on the Town's web site.
The Middlebury Select Board adopted a resolution to
continue to work with ACTR to address burdens upon the Town, if any, consistent
with the intent of the DRB condition and to coordinate ACTR's proposed facility
sidewalk with the Town's planned project on Creek Road.
The Planning Commission shared proposed zoning
amendments on Flood & Fluvial Erosion Hazards for consideration by the Middlebury
Select Board. The Board must hold at least one public hearing on the zoning
amendments before adopting the new regulations. The Select Board forwarded the
proposed regulations to the River Task Force for review and
recommendations. The full text of
the proposed regulations will be available on the Town's website.
The Town Of Middlebury received nine bids from
contractors for the repair of under cutting of the banks of the Otter Creek
along Creek Road. The Board awarded the bid to Acker Excavating with a low bid
of $11,415. All necessary permits for the work will be obtained and the work is
eligible for 90% funding from FEMA.
The Middlebury Select Board re-appointed David
Hamilton as one of the Town's delegates to the Addison County Regional Planning
Commission at this weeks meeting.
Meanwhile given the short timeline for letters of interest after the
Select Board expanded the Advisory Board by two members, the Business
Development Fund Advisory Board recommended extending the deadline for letters
to June 1st and using non-traditional methods for reaching candidates, such as Facebook,
Twitter and e-mail lists of affiliated local organizations.
A Meeting on the South Street Road Construction
Project has been scheduled for May 31st at 5:30PM at MVAA on Collins Drive. The
purpose of the meeting is to present recommendations for traffic calming
measures on South Street developed in response to public input at a meeting on
the project in April. The recommendations will then be presented to the Public
Works Committee for review at a meeting on June 7th or 8th.
Middlebury Rotary Club’s Stephen Freeman Service
Above Self Award and the club's annual community service awards dinner took
place at the Middlebury Inn last week.
The Freeman Award was named after a life-long Rotarian. The recipient of that award was John
Derick. Derick’s volunteer work on
the Train Around Middlebury demonstrated a life long dedication to the
community. The recipient of the
Buster Brush Community Service Award was Greg Wry for ongoing service to the
community.
Members of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
Flotilla 15/13 will once again join with the Ticonderoga Elks in working to
make the 2012 Elks Fishing Tournament a success. The members of the Flotilla will be at the tournament on
June 2nd to promote marine/boating safety. Activities will include distribution
of materials and items that encourage the children, along with their parents to
keep an eye on fishing, boating and enjoying the water in a safe manner.
The Best Fourth In The North Committee is seeking
participants for the 2012 Best Fourth In The North Parade and Bed Race. The
Theme for the 2012 Parade will be “A Salute To Community Volunteers”. The Bed
Race will begin at 1:45 PM in front of the Ticonderoga Fire Department. The
parade will begin at 2:00 PM. The Grand Marshall for the Best Fourth In The
North Parade will be Bob Dedrick who is a dedicated volunteer in Ticonderoga
and truly is a leading example for the community. Parade and Bed Race
applications as well as rules and regulations are available on their Website or at the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce office. Applications must be in by June 25th.
Horace Nye supporters have organized a special day
to show their support for the county-owned facility Saturday, June 2nd at the Memorial
Park on Main Street. Task Force to
Save Horace Nye member Celeste Beeman said the event has been organized for
county resident’s to hold his or her own public hearing outside the walls of
the County Building. The event
will begin at 10AM and will include several guest speakers such as the Moriah
Town Supervisor. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with residents of
the home, family and friends of residents as well as the staff at there.
A farmers’ market is set to open on an open lot off
of Route 7 in Pittsford. It will be the town’s first ever farmers’ market. The
farmers’ market is a nonprofit organization approved the Vermont’s Secretary of
State Office. All they are waiting for now is their tax-exemption number. It
will be located on an empty land parcel owned by local business owner Mike
Blanchard, across from Winning Image Graphix on Route 7.
A Rutland company now has the backing of the
Vermont Chamber of Commerce as one of the top businesses in Vermont. On Wednesday, the Foley Family of
Companies was named outstanding business of the year at the Vermont Chamber
Business and Industry Expo. Company
president Mark Foley says his team of 150 people is the reason they won. The Foley family runs several
businesses statewide, which address items like laundry services and party
supplies to expanding development in Rutland.
Rutland teachers have a new contract with the
school board unanimously approving the deal. That happened last night, as it approved the four-year pact,
which gives teachers a raise each year of either close to or at
three-percent. Teachers will also
contribute from eleven- to 13-percent towards health care costs.
Police say two men have been charged with robbing a
clerk at the Midway Mobil on South Main Street at knifepoint about 11:20PM
Tuesday in Rutland. Police
arrested Shaun Batease and Adam Hornbeck after they were seen leaving the area,
tracked by a police dog and found to be in a local basement. They were jailed at the Rutland jail
and are due to be arraigned yesterday in Superior Court.
Middlebury resident and former Vermont Gov. Jim
Douglas, Gray Stevens and Bill Cleary are this year's LCI Lake Champlain
Heritage Award recipients. The
award recipients were recognized for their dedication to improving the health
of Lake Champlain and the heritage that makes area communities strong and
desired places to call home. The
three individuals receiving the 2011 LCI Lake Champlain Heritage Awards were
presented with their plaques at the Vermont Business Expo.
Governor Peter Shumlin says the state's economy is
headed in the right direction as the unemployment rate declines and the
business climate improves. Shumlin
held his weekly news conference in South Burlington, at the business expo
organized by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The annual event is the state's
biggest business-to-business trade show. So the economy was at the top of the
governor's talking points.
A private ceremony today at Camp Johnson honors the
state's fallen soldiers. Members
of the Vermont National Guard are attending, along with representatives from
the state and congressional delegations.
It's being held at the Fallen Heroes Memorial, which includes the names
of all Vermonters who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News:
Since January 14 small dairy farms in Vermont have
gone out of business. Miles Tudhope has known the dairy industry for more than
a quarter of a century. "There's
been good times and really a lot of struggles," said Orwell dairy farmer,
Miles Tudhope. The Orwell farmer
says his industry saw a tough year in 2009, "Some farms borrowed a lot of
money, I mean they borrowed some tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars to stay
in business." Just three
years later, more bad news, the price of milk is projected to fall. Add that
to," The feed prices, the fuel prices, every cost are going up and every
consumer out there knows," said Tudhope. 14 small dairy farms in Vermont have called it quits and
sold off their cattle. Tudhope doesn't seem surprised given what they've been
through, "It's the tipping point, the thing that makes them go over the
edge. They are tired. They've been doing it for 30, 35 years and they get
tired." Tudhope doesn't plan
on retiring anytime soon, "There are a lot of very successful dairy farms
in the state that are very prosperous and they will weather the storm and they
will be there in the future."
Governor Peter Shumlin has thrown his support
behind the plan to put F-35 fighter jets at the Vermont Air National Guard
base. Shumlin says he's proud that
the Air Force has made the Vermont Guard one of its top two choices for the new
planes. But the proposal has been
much less welcome among officials and residents in communities around
Burlington International Airport. They
worry about the noise the new generation planes will cause, especially in residential
areas that currently are relatively protected from the F-16s that are now based
in Burlington. But Governor
Shumlin says he thinks the noise will be offset by other factors.
On Wednesday, the City of Montpelier took a step to
make sure its drinking water remains safe. Recently the Vermont Supreme Court ruled the city couldn't
stop people from fishing, boating and swimming on Berlin Pond. While the court said the city couldn't
stop people from doing those things, the city decided it could try to stop
people from getting to the water. For
fishermen, who haven't cast a lure here in at least 85-years, Berlin Pond is a
dream. "You know there's got
to be some big fish in here. You just know it. You just got that gut
instinct," says Leo Williams, a fisherman. But this has become a nightmare for people in Montpelier who
have relied on the pond for their drinking water for 130-years. "My question is, this is our water
supply and this is important and how are we going to secure it?" says
Angela Timpone, Montpelier City Councilor. On Wednesday, the Montpelier City Council tried to figure
out what to do in response to a recent ruling from the Vermont State Supreme
Court. The court ruled the city
does not have the right to stop people from fishing, boating and swimming here. "We have a few concerns, invasive
species being in there," says Todd Law, director of public works. Law says people and boats could
contaminate the pond and the city's water supply. "We have essentially been in a holding pattern to
coordinate our response," says Chief Anthony Facos, Montpelier Police
Department. Facos says because the
city owns most of the land around the pond officers could patrol it and kick
people out who are trespassing.
That leaves just a small area on the water's edge not owned by
Montpelier and would still be open.
"As long as it's open, I'll be here many more times because I want
to get that one big bass," says Williams. The City of Montpelier will also look at long-term solutions
to stop people from using the pond again.
But for now, they hope warnings and possible citations from police
protect their water.
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Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon will
host the Swing Noire Trio this Friday at 7:30PM. Tickets are $15 per person. Based in Vermont, Swing Noire
plays Gypsy Jazz in the tradition of the world-famous Hot Club of France. Their
sound is reminiscent of the early days of jazz. Then on Sunday as part of the weekly jazz series at Brandon
Music get ready to take in the sounds of Jazz Vocalist Sharon Jones in the
Music Café at 7PM. Tickets are $15 in advance, and $18 at the door. Brandon
Music offers an Early Bird dinner special, which includes a ticket for the
Sunday jazz performance, for $25 per person. Get details about both concerts right now at www.brandon-music.net.
