The Essex County Public Health Department has confirmed several cases of rabies in wild animals and domestic livestock in Essex County, N.Y. The most recent case was found in the town of Ticonderoga. A press release says, the Health Department is urging all residents to avoid contact with stray cats, dogs and wild animals. If you see a wild animal displaying unusual behavior, stay away from the animal and let the animal go away on its own. The Health Department says they will be offering rabies clinics in the next few weeks. Upcoming Rabies Clinics are scheduled on July 24th at the Moriah Town Hall in Port Henry; July 31st at the Essex Town Shed; August 2nd at the Wilmington Fire Hall; and August 9th at the Keene Town Hall. All clinics are from 6-7 PM. Vaccinations are offered at no charge; a donation of $5 per pet is accepted. If your pet has been injured from a suspected rabid animal, the press release says, to contact your veterinarian for medical care and the Essex County Health Department at (518)-873-3500.
Communities in Addison, Lamoille, and Orleans counties that suffered damage to public infrastructure during the storm of May 29, 2012 are eligible for reimbursement for eligible damage-related costs. Local governments, private non-profits, and Indian tribes are eligible to apply for Public Assistance. Eligible applicants that wish to apply for Public Assistance are strongly encouraged to attend one of two applicant meetings on July 10th and 11th. The Addison County meeting will take place at the Vermont State Police Barracks in New Haven Tuesday, July 10th at 2PM. Communities that have questions can call Ben Rose, Vermont Emergency Management Public Assistance Officer at (802) 585-4719.
A father and his son shared this year’s Better Middlebury Partnership Citizen of the Year Award. The BMP awarded its Outstanding Citizen Award to the duo of Roch and John MacIntyre of MacIntyre Services LLC. The MacIntyre family has been active in the local community for decades. According to outgoing BMP President Donna Donahue, “the Macintyre’s have “done a lot of helping with no publicity about it. They silently step up to the plate when people need them to.” In addition to the citizen award, the BMP awarded Vermont Hard Cider with its Business of the Year Award. Donahue said Vermont Hard Cider was an exceptional business; it also deserved credit because it chose to expand its manufacturing operation in Middlebury.
On Monday Vermont State Police responded to a burglary complaint at 1568 Hunt Road, New Haven. Further investigation revealed the point of entry was through the front door. Several pieces of jewelry, a computer, and cash were taken from the residence. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Vermont State Police in new Haven at 802-388-4919.
Vermont State Police are investigating the report of seven various complaints to include suspicious vehicle complaints, three burglary complaints (nothing was stolen), and a petit larceny case in the area of Lake Street & Arnold Bay Road in The Town of Panton. The incidents have occurred between June 1st and June 27th. On Monday Troopers from The New Haven State Police Barracks met with citizens in the Town of Panton for a Community Advisory Meeting. The citizens were advised of the various complaints, were provided advice as to how to safeguard their properties, and how to be vigilant to the recent suspicious activity and crime.
A former Vermont State Police trooper convicted of driving while under the influence has now pleaded guilty to a charge he drove with a suspended license. The attorney general's office says 40-year-old Joshua P. Lemieux of West Rutland entered the plea in court in Rutland to one misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended license.
A raffle has been added to the list of events at the Ticonderoga Area Car Show. Sponsored by the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce, the 20th annual car show will be held from 9AM to 4PM Sunday, August 5th in Bicentennial Park. The raffle, with a $3,000 top prize and a $2,000 second prize, is being added to help raise money for the event and other chamber programs. Raffle tickets are $10 each and are now on sale at the chamber office on Montcalm Street, at area businesses and by chamber volunteers. Tickets will also be sold at the Ticonderoga Wal-Mart July 13. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold. The drawing will be at the car show August 5th.
Federal lawmakers secured a total of $300,000 to be used to repair Jay and Black Brook water infrastructure damaged in Tropical Storm Irene. The Town of Jay applied for the grants jointly as part of a plan to replace the water-control panel near the Ausable River. The money helps recover another critical piece of public infrastructure torn apart on August 28, 2011.
Mental health advocates and civil libertarians are calling for a moratorium on police use of stun guns in Vermont following the death of man last week. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Mental Health Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid are among those calling for the moratorium.
Officials say Vermont's largest hospital and its unionized nurses have reached a tentative contract agreement. Fletcher Allen Health Care spokesman Mike Noble told the Burlington Free Press an agreement was reached with the Vermont Federation of Nurse and Health Profession at around 6 yesterday morning after all night talks.
A 25-year-old Vermont man is going to jail for a year after pleading guilty to charges he shot his best friend to death with what he had thought was an air gun. Nicholas Bell of Manchester pleaded no contest in May to charges of manslaughter, simple assault with a weapon and reckless endangerment for the 2010 death of 24-year-old Jeffrey Charbonneau.
A 16-year-old from Upper Valley who was struck by lightning over the weekend has passed away. Connor Cook was working at a farm in Post Mills Saturday when he was hit by a bolt of lightning. He was transported from the scene in critical condition and has been on life support ever since. Connor died yesterday at the hospital surrounded by his family.
Gov. Peter Shumlin says he wants to revive something like the Vermont Seal of Quality to signal to consumers they are getting a Vermont product that meets certain standards. Shumlin joined Commerce Secretary Lawrence Miller and Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross at a news conference yesterday to say the state is working on a new marketing campaign. Companies would have to meet certain criteria, which are still in development, indicating they have sufficient links to Vermont. The front-runner for the symbol that would be applied to the products is the moon-over-the-mountains logo widely seen on state websites. Miller says the symbol likely will be accompanied by a special code that can be read by smart phones, which then would display where a product and its ingredients are made.
Vermont's Chittenden Solid Waste District is
telling its customers not to eat or sell vegetables in gardens where bulk Green
Mountain Compost has been used this year if there are tomatoes or bean plants
with curled or stunted leaves. The
district says there are concerns some of its bulk products could be
contaminated with herbicides. In
the past three days, customers have reported certain vegetable plants have
shown signs of leaf curling and distortion consistent with herbicide exposure. The district has stopped selling bulk
compost, topsoil, raised bed mix, and microbe mulch from its Redmond Road
facility in Williston. The
district says bulk compost sold in bulk between mid-April and the end of May
could be contaminated. There is no
indication that bagged Green Mountain Compost products contain the herbicides.
Prosecutors say a New York couple has been
convicted of mortgage fraud in Vermont federal court. Prosecutors say between
2004 and 2006, Thomas Komasa and his wife Heidi made false statements and
documents to obtain mortgage loans to buy and refinance five parcels of
residential real estate in Chittenden County with plans of reselling them.
The Rutland Regional Planning Commission is hosting
an informational panel discussion on local involvement in the Public Service
Board process tonight. The panel
discussion, set for 6PM at the Rutland Intermediate School auditorium, will
address the roles that municipalities and the public play in contributing to
the Public Service Board process. The event is free and open to the public.
Rutland Intermediate School is located on Library Ave. in Rutland.
A stunning Theatrical Vermont Premiere is for this weekend! Grace Church of Rutland is honored to present the Rutland Area Chorus, Orchestra and Children’s Ensemble, stage performers and the Vermont Dance Collective in a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS at the historic Paramount Theater in downtown Rutland on Friday and Saturday under the direction of Rip Jackson. Leonard Bernstein’s MASS is a majestic hybrid of classical music, jazz, pop, blues and rock and promises to be the musical event of the year. This masterpiece, originally commissioned for the opening of The Kennedy Center in 1971 by Jacqueline Kennedy, and rarely performed due to its enormity, calls for a full professional pit orchestra, large chorus, children’s choir, Broadway-sized cast and musical theatre soloists, professional dance ensemble, and rock band. Tickets are $20 for evening performances for orchestra and loge; $15 for students under 17, balcony seats and all seats for the matinee. They are available through the Paramount Box Office at 802-775-0903 and at www.paramounttickets.org. For more information, please call the church office at 802-775-4301 (www.gracechurchvt.org).
Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon presents the classical piano and accordion duo, Annemieke & Jeremiah, this Friday at 7:00PM. Dutch classical piano virtuoso Annemieke Spoelstra and master accordionist from Vermont Jeremiah McLane make unique arrangements based on traditional folk melodies from the 18th to the 21st centuries. Tickets are $15. For more information just visit www.brandon-music.net.
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont & New York:
Peter Welch has more competition to keep his job as
Vermont's lone congressman. At the
University Mall Wednesday, James "Sam" Desrochers announced he is
running for U.S. Congress. This
might seem like an unusual place for a campaign event. But the political newcomer has owned a
watch store here for five-years and it's fittingly called "Time for
Change." "I've been
asked, "Do I really expect to win?" I say, "I hope so and why
not?" It all comes down to how many people vote for me," says
Desrochers. Desrochers says he's
going to rely on word of mouth because he promises to spend less than $500 on
his campaign. Desrochers, who is
running as an independent, says he was prompted to run because of the gridlock
in Washington D.C.
Vermont is bracing for a big decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. On Thursday, the court is expected to rule on the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's plan for universal healthcare. Vermont is working on its own version of universal healthcare called Green Mountain Care. The court's decision could impact it. If the court upholds the law, Governor Peter Shumlin says preparation for Green Mountain Care will continue full steam ahead. But, if the court strikes down the law, GMC will not receive roughly $400 million in Federal subsidies and tax credits that it would have been given through the Affordable Care Act. "I don't want to pretend that losing the $400 million of subsidy for middle class and low-income Vermonters struggling to pay for health insurance is not a blow. It is," Governor Shumlin said. Shumlin says that blow will not prevent him from pushing forward with his health plan. Opponents of Green Mountain Care say, it does not matter what the Supreme Court rules on Thursday. They say the plan is doomed. "It's unsustainable because you have to ask the fundamental question. How can you say you're going to save money when you don't know what you're going to spend?" State Senator Randy Brock and Republican candidate for governor said. The Shumlin administration has not announced how much Green Mountain Care will cost or how it will be paid for.
Nearly 50 of the cutest, tiniest soft-shell turtles are now part of Lake Champlain. Dozens of people released the turtles into the wild, in north hero. It took a lot of TLC. Staff members at Echo Lake and Aquarium have been taking care of them for several months. Two hours a day, every day...they were cleaned and fed. Releasing them into the Lake is helping build the population back up. “We spent 6 months raising these guys and actually releasing them and seeing them swim off is one of the most rewarding things of this program." Believe it or not, the spiny soft-shell turtles are threatened species in Vermont.
