Officials with Vermont ’s
health and agriculture agencies are planning to discuss a new plan to react to
the threat of mosquito-borne viruses.
State officials plan to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Wildlife Services office to track and respond to cases of Eastern Equine
Encephalitis and West Nile virus. Officials will share the details of the plan
with the public on Wednesday in a meeting at the Brandon
Town Hall 5 to 7 PM .
A Bristol man
drowned on Thursday. A 26-year-old Bristol
man was swept away while swimming in the New Haven
River Bristol
village. Members of Middlebury Technical
went out into the water Thursday afternoon in an attempt to locate the victim,
but according to a VSP statement, a violent rainstorm forced them to suspend
operations due to dangerous conditions.
Officials recovered the body at 10:15
Friday morning. The victim was
identified as 26-year-old Steven Orvis of Bristol .
Two Vermont
cities are holding public meetings to discuss potential noise problems from a
proposal to base F-35 fighter planes at the Burlington
International Airport South Burlington and
Winooski. The South Burlington City
Council voted last year to oppose the new fighter jets while Winooski has
remained neutral. The South Burlington
Meeting starts at 6 o’clock at Chamberlain
Elementary School 6:30 at City Hall.
A man in Pittsford is in court today to answer to charges of
second-degree murder. Christopher
Sharrow is accused of killing his girlfriend early Friday morning, with the
couple’s three children home at the time.
Neighbors called 911 after hearing loud screams from what they thought
was a family fight, and troopers forced their way in, finding the body of
Kristen Parker. The three children, all
younger than eight, are now under the care of other relatives.
High water levels in Lake Champlain
are causing some concern after days and days of rain in Vermont . Water levels usually are highest in April and
recede throughout the summer until the end of the year and then increase during
March. This year, Lake
Champlain water levels have been steadily going up. The National Weather Service says lake shore
properties should keep an eye on the water levels over the next few weeks and
watch out for any flood warnings.
More than 200 volunteers are going to be monitoring Lake
Champlain this summer for signs of blue-green algae blooms. Heat and low winds encourage growth of the
toxic blooms. Peak season for them is in August. Authorities say boaters, swimmers,
water-skiers, waders and pet-owners should avoid contact with blue-green algae.
Children are at higher risk because they are more likely to drink the
water. The volunteers have been trained
by the Lake Champlain Committee which, along with the Department of
Environmental Conservation, assists with surveillance and sample collections. They also are working with the state Health
Department.
