High winds have caused power outages in parts of
Vermont. Just over 1,000 utility
customers remained without power early this morning. On Tuesday evening, about
9,000 customers were in the dark. The
outages are mostly in Bennington, Rutland and Windsor counties.
According to the Vermont Health Department the
first man to contract the deadly eastern equine encephalitis, Scott Sgorbati,
of Sudbury, passed away Tuesday morning.
He was 49. Sgorbati’s death
marks the second fatality in Vermont attributed to EEE, a rare virus contracted
through the bite of an infected mosquito that affects only about six Americans
a year. Health Commissioner Harry
Chen expressed his condolences to the man’s family in a press release sent
Tuesday evening. The second man to
contract EEE in Vermont, Richard Hollis Breen of Brandon, died September 4th
after contracting the virus five days earlier.
Road construction taking place throughout the week
in Essex County includes work on Route 9N in Port Henry. Traffic will be reduced to a single
lane in alternating directions from Bridge Road to County Route 2 due to road
construction over Grove Brook at Island Way. Also Amy Hill Road in Crown Point. Crews are paving the roadway this week. Meanwhile town-wide road construction
is taking place in Ticonderoga. Crews
are performing various paving projects throughout the town. Please slow down
and use extra caution these and other construction zones.
Former Vermont Deputy Attorney General Chester
Sawyer "Chet" Ketcham passed away on Sunday. He was a resident of the
Lodge at Otter Creek retirement community in Middlebury. He divided his time
between Vermont and Florida. Chet was born Dec. 6, 1927 and hailed from one of
Vermont's oldest families; the Ketcham family first arrived in the former
independent republic in 1785. He
attended elementary school in Salisbury and graduated Brandon High School in
1945. He later attended the University of Vermont and Yale University Law
School.
According to Vermont State Police Traffic lights
were shot out on the one-lane Route 116 Bridge in Bristol. Two of the bridge's
south bound, timed signal lights were destroyed. Drivers coming from both directions must stop for traffic
crossing the narrow, one-lane bridge.
Witnesses in the area reported a grey Toyota truck might be
involved. The incident occurred
sometime around 12:30 AM on Tuesday.
Troopers received a report of gunshots in the wooded vicinity of the
bridge. The one-way bridge has
been the scene of ongoing vandalism and traffic accidents.
According to a Vermont State Police an
investigation into a Benson arson that took place on August 16th has led to two
suspects, 17-year-old Jordan McCoy of Brandon and 15-year-old Brandon Yandow of
Leicester. As a result of the
state investigation, Yandow and McCoy have been issued citations to appear in
Rutland District Court October 29th to answer to the charges of arson second
degree. Anyone with any
information regarding this fire is asked to contact the Vermont State Police at
773-9101 or the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program at 1-800-32-ARSON
(1-800-322-7766).
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce September
“After Business Mixer” will be held today at the Best Western Plus
Ticonderoga Inn & Suites from 5:30 to 7 PM. Sponsors providing door prizes include George Sperry Marine Survey,
The Martin Agency and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The chamber’s “After Business Mixers” provide a networking
forum for area business people in addition to showcasing the site of the host
as well as promoting the door prize sponsors. All area chamber members,
business people and their employees are invited to attend. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
There’s a new energy in Ticonderoga and you are
invited to come hear more about it at the Steering Board reception next Monday
the 24th at Eddie's Restaurant on Rte 9N in Ticonderoga. Find out how you can get
involved. While mingling with
other guests, there will be appetizers starting at 5:00 with a cash bar and a
presentation starting at 6:00 PM.
Please join them and hear more about what's happening in Ti.
A county bridge in Jay had emergency work due to
suspected structural damage. The
Essex County Public Works Committee learned this week that Rolling Mill Hill
Bridge was closed two days last week for engineering assessment. The County Department of Public Works
Superintendent said engineer’s detected structural deficiency in the span,
stemming from floods after Tropical Storm Irene last year. Fierce river
currents undercut the riverbed around the western abutment. The Department of
Public Works is awaiting engineering studies to determine the extent of damage
and what next steps to take to fix the bridge structure.
A new report compiled by the Trust for America's Health, an obesity advocacy group says obesity is a growing health problem for the country, and it's projected to get much worse over the next 18 years. The study ranks states with Number One being Mississippi, having the highest percentage of obese adults in the nation at 35-percent. On that list Vermont fared well, ranking 45th with 25-percent of the adult population considered obese. By 2030, that number could nearly double at 49-percent. The lowest state in the survey is Colorado, with an adult obesity rate of just over 20-percent.
A new report compiled by the Trust for America's Health, an obesity advocacy group says obesity is a growing health problem for the country, and it's projected to get much worse over the next 18 years. The study ranks states with Number One being Mississippi, having the highest percentage of obese adults in the nation at 35-percent. On that list Vermont fared well, ranking 45th with 25-percent of the adult population considered obese. By 2030, that number could nearly double at 49-percent. The lowest state in the survey is Colorado, with an adult obesity rate of just over 20-percent.
The trustees of the Vermont Veterans Home in
Bennington are going to begin planning for a future without funding from the
federal government. Last week the
trustees revealed that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would
stop paying for the care of veterans at the home due to deficiencies that
included failure to report abuse in a timely manner and improper dressing of a
wound. Another inspection is set
for September 28. If the deficiencies are not corrected, funding will end September
30.
The Vermont man who lost the state's Republican
primary to run for the U.S. Senate is asking a court to strike President Barack
Obama's name from the state's November election ballot. The lawsuit by H.
Brooke Paige, of the town of Washington, claims Obama is "not a natural
born citizen" because both of his parents were not born in the United
States.
A Vermont judge has ruled that Martha Abbott is the
winner of the Progressive Party primary election for governor. Abbott has
withdrawn and won't run in the general election. But under Vermont law, that
doesn't throw the race to the second-place finisher, write-in candidate Annette
Smith.
The ongoing investigation into the overtime charged
by a former Vermont State Police trooper has found that he wrote 973 traffic
tickets over 12 years that were never given to a motorist or filed with the
court. That conclusion is among the latest findings in an investigation into
alleged time-sheet padding by Sergeant Jim Deeghan, a former state police
patrol commander in Chittenden County.
A Vermont man charged with driving a tractor over
seven police vehicles and crushing them is facing another charge. The Orleans County court says Roger
Pion was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of driving with a suspended
license. Pion already faced 14
criminal counts after police say he drove his dad's tractor over six cruisers
and a van at the county sheriff's department in Derby on August 2nd.
A Toronto-based airline is expanding its seasonal
service to Vermont during the ski season this winter. Porter Airlines will
offer four roundtrip flights weekly between Toronto and Burlington starting on
December 15th, up from two weekly flights last season. Governor Peter Shumlin
announced the renewed partnership on Tuesday at the Burlington International
Airport.
A major piece of federal funding for an expansion
of Plattsburgh International Airport has been approved. Three grants totaling $6,554,491 has
been awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration. The money will go toward
finishing the design phase of the terminal expansion, for a water-and-sewer
project to serve the larger facility and for runway rehab. Construction on the
terminal expansion is scheduled to begin next spring.
State officials are set to unveil New York's latest
installment of the Civil War battle flag exhibit at the Capitol. The head of
the state parks system and representatives from the Division of Military and
Naval Affairs plan to open the new exhibit, titled "1862: Red, White and
Battered," this afternoon.
Brandon Music, on Country Club Road in Brandon will
present Sayon Camara & the Landaya African Rhythm Ensemble this Thursday at
7:30pm in the Music Cafe. General Admission is $12. Sayon will perform in
Brandon with the Landaya African Rhythm Ensemble, led by the award winning
musician and composer, Dave “the Kobra” Kobrenski. For details and ticket information just visit www.brandon-music.net.
Life wasn’t always difficult at 18th Century Fort
Ticonderoga. Sometimes, things were very sweet. A “Chocolate Covered History” symposium will be held at the
fort Friday and Saturday, October 12th and 13th. It’s billed as a celebration
of chocolate, wine and spirits. The symposium will feature presentations on the
role chocolate played throughout history, including its 18th century use at
outposts like Fort Ticonderoga.
For more information just visit www.fort-ticonderoga.org.
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont
& New York:
Whooping cough is on the rise in Vermont! 2-hundred-72 cases have already been
reported this year. That's 3 times
the number *all* of last year! People
whooping cough, also called "pertussis", have severe coughing fits,
which can last for weeks. It's
particularly dangerous for children under one. But health officials say everyone
should be vaccinated. “For older
teenagers and adults who are going to be near children if you've never had a
pertussis vaccine you can get one right now” children should also get a
pertussis booster shot around the age of 11.
A hot topic that has many in the county of Lamoille
divided. It's over the decision of whether or not to say the pledge of
allegiance before every school board meeting. The Lamoille Union School Board
meeting started with the pledge of allegiance, but that sound of people
reciting it, in unison, is one you won't again hear at every meeting. It was a
decision that had many get up from their seats and walk out. "The pledge of allegiance means
something to me," said, Everett Demerick, who served in Korea 52 years
ago. He feels the decision is
appalling, "This is the blackest mark on American history in Lamoille
County." After hearing
comments from the crowd of more than a dozen in support of saying the pledge,
the board voted. The outcome was 3-3 with chair of the board, Steve Reber
breaking the tie and voting against the motion. Some members on the board who
voted against it say, it was because of a feeling of being forced. "I consider myself a great patriot
and I'm willing to say the pledge but I don't want to feel obligated,"
said a member of the school board who voted down the motion. And the superintendent of the district,
who is ineligible to vote, says he understands both sides and hopes somehow
they can find common ground, "I think the vote has been taken and now we
do our work and see where it goes," said Joe Ciccolo, Superintendent of
Schools. But Demerick has other
ideas on how to solve the problem, "I want to see 2/3 of the board replaced."
