One of downtown Middlebury's busiest streets
reopened on Friday. Seymour Street
had been closed to through traffic since May 31. The street had been closed at
Main Street and at Elm Street.
Seymour was reconstructed from Main Street north past the main fire
station. The street and sidewalks were lowered as part of this project. Access to businesses and residences
north of the fire station are open again.
The Middlebury Business Development Fund Advisory
Board will be hold their meeting this afternoon at 3:30 in the Main Conference
Room at the Town Offices. Today’s
Agenda items include a review of the June 18th meeting along with
discussion, review and revisions to the Statement Of Need and Work Plan. The next meeting date will also be
set.
A high-speed chase led by Vermont State Police
troopers ended in a crash on Route 17 in Bristol after a man called VSP to
report that his car had been stolen from his Bristol property. Police located
the car traveling on Route 17. Attempts by troopers to stop the driver failed. The 'carjacker', 20-year-old Jacob
Bachand of Leicester, crashed the car when he lost control of the vehicle.
Police reported that he hit a telephone pole and a tree. Bachand sustained
minor injuries as a result of the crash.
State Police have charged him on several violations including attempting
to elude law enforcement authorities, excessive speeding, driving under the
influence, as well as several others.
Vermont's U.S. Marshal says federal agents and
Vermont law enforcement officers captured a fugitive member of the Bloods
street gang in Salisbury. 35-year-old
Jamal Hall of New York was arrested last week. Hall was arrested on warrants from New York charging him
with possession of a firearm, assault, criminal sale of a controlled substance,
criminal possession of a controlled substance, and parole violations.
Vermont State Police say a 10-year-old boy has been
killed in a lawn mowing accident in Benson. Police say Maxwell Burns was mowing a field for a family
friend on Friday when the mower overturned. The mower rolled down an
embankment, trapping Maxwell underneath it. Rescue workers tried to revive the boy, who was taken to
Rutland Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police are investigating the incident.
Foreign-owned Gaz Métro has finalized its
acquisition of Central Vermont Public Service Corp. The utility is now under
the name of Green Mountain Power. CVPS's
operations are being merged with the Canadian-owned Green Mountain Power
Corporation. CVPS' office in
Rutland will remain open. Company
officials said they were not planning any staff layoffs.
Rutland-area outdoor enthusiasts will have
something new to celebrate in July.
Work on the new Rutland Creek Path will begin Monday, July 9th
near the Northwest School on Pierpoint Avenue. A groundbreaking ceremony at 10AM
will kick off several weeks of construction work on the path. Several years in the planning, the path
will provide bicyclists and walkers with another trail for exercising. The Rutland Regional Planning
Commission, Rutland Creative economy, and the City of Rutland are making the
path possible.
A 13-year-old Ticonderoga girl has been arrested
and charged with vandalism in downtown Ticonderoga. The girl was charged yesterday with third degree criminal
mischief. Her case will be handled by Essex County Family Court. Vandals
destroyed flower boxes on the Montcalm Street Bridge June 25th, the second time
in the past three years the flowers have been ruined.
The Ticonderoga town board has authorized a parking
ban for the Fourth of July from 10AM to Midnight on the south side of Burgoyne
Road from Tower Avenue to Frazier Bridge Road, on the north side of Burgoyne
Road from Frazier Bridge Road to Mt. Hope Cemetery, on the north of side of
Burgoyne Road from Canal Street to State Route 22, on the south side of Cossey
Street to Rock Street and on the north and south sides of Cannonball Path.
Burgoyne Road will be completely closed during the fireworks display. Penalties will be imposed for those in
violation.
Six residents of Essex and Franklin counties,
including a man who once led police on a high-speed car chase, were arrested in
a drug sweep. Police said the six
sold drugs to an undercover police officer in the area over the past year;
authorities say the investigation showed they possessed and sold cocaine,
Ecstasy and other drugs. Arrested
last Thursday, they were arraigned on felony drug charges and sent to Essex
County Jail without bail, with a September 13th court date set.
A proposed meat-processing plant in Ticonderoga has
won Adirondack Park Agency approval.
The APA Board of Commissioners has OK’d the Adirondack Meat Company
project, which will be the first U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified
meat-processing facility inside the Adirondack Park. The Adirondack Meat
Company will be located in the Town of Ticonderoga. According to the Meat
Company, the business will employ 12 full-time and two part-time employees. The
company anticipates the project will support jobs for 24 full-time and six
part-time workers in related industries.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce will host
their ongoing Open Houses with the North Country Small Business Development
Center and OneWork Source in July.
The North Country Small Business Center will be at the Chamber office on
Wednesday, July 11th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Services provided by
the North Country SBDC are normally available directly at the Chamber office on
the second Tuesday of each month unless otherwise advertised. The Ti Chamber
will also host a OneWorkSource and the InternetXpress @ Your Library services
Open House at the Chamber office on Wednesday, July 18th from 10:00 AM to 3:00
PM. For more information on the Open Houses at the Chamber Office visit www.ticonderogany.com,
email chamberinfo@ticonderogany.com or call 518-585-6619.
Federal funding for public transportation in
Vermont is expected to climb more than 50% in the next two years, which should
be a boon to the state's commuter buses.
Sen. Bernie Sanders says a transportation bill that passed Friday
increases funding for public transit in Vermont from its current $6.2 million
to $9.5 million in 2014. Overall,
the state will reap $464 million in the next two years from the bill, with most
of the money to be used to fix roads and bridges.
The state of Vermont's top environmental official
has three words about a smart meter that's soon going to be installed in her
home: "I can't wait." Deb
Markowitz, secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, has written an op-ed
column touting what she sees as the benefits of the new generation of digital
electric meters. Critics say the
meters pose health risks and are an invasion of privacy, but Markowitz says
they'll enable power companies to track electric usage more closely and respond
to power outages more efficiently. She also says they point to a future when
more families will have smart appliances that will be able to be controlled
from a cell phone.
A new program intended to help financially troubled
New England dairy farmers by raising money and educating consumers about the
benefits of local farms isn't providing as much assistance as it would like
because it has had to pay taxes on the money it takes in. The Keep Local Farms program last year
helped 1,370 farmers around New England to the tune of $100 each. But an audit
that the program had sought found that it owed $63,000 in taxes, or nearly a
third of the $220,000 raised over two years. The program, whose funds were handled by a dairy
cooperative, is now reorganizing to have the funds managed as a nonprofit. It's
also rethinking how the money will be used so it will provide a greater benefit
to farmers.
Fort Ticonderoga’s role in the community, now and
in the future, will be discussed during a public forum. Fort administrators have invited
community members to join them for a meeting Thursday, July 12th at 6:30PM at
the Ticonderoga Community Building.
Fort Ticonderoga recently completed the initial phase of its
comprehensive plan with the assistance of global destination planning
consultants, PGAV. Phase one articulates Fort Ticonderoga’s long-term vision to
be the premier military history site in North America. Fort leaders will also
present information current programs at the historic site.
Brandon Music’s Jazz Series is moving to Thursday
nights starting this week! Join them July 5th for NY Jazz Vocalist
Teri Roiger at 7:30pm. This is the first concert in the new Thursday night jazz
series, which will run throughout the summer. The series, previously held on
Sunday nights, has been very well received by patrons who have expressed their
enjoyment and awe with comments like: “Such wonderful music!”; “Just
incredible!”; “What a treat! … A slice of metropolitan culture.” General Admission for the Thursday
night series is $12. Brandon Music offers an Early Bird dinner special, which
includes a ticket for the jazz performance, for $22 per person. Reservations
are recommended. Get details now
at www.brandon-music.net.
The Adirondack Waterfest is coming to Penfield
Museum in the Crown Point hamlet of Ironville. The 18th annual event will be held Friday, July 13th
from 10AM to 4PM. It is a free day of water-related exhibits and events,
entertainment and food. For more information call the Essex County Soil &
Water Conservation District at 962-8225.
Huntington Gorge has claimed another life. Over the weekend, a young Burlington man
drowned there, the 25th person to die in 40 years at the popular swimming
spot. This time it was on Saturday
afternoon, when the 24-year-old man from Burlington was swimming with friends
in the area of the falls. They say
he was caught in a current and whirlpool, and was dragged under. Others managed to pull him out a short
distance downstream and despite rescue crews performing C-P-R for about 30
minutes he could not be revived.
If all goes as planned, the popular bike and
pedestrian route across Lake Champlain between Colchester and South Hero should
re-open next year. The Island Line
causeway was badly damaged by the spring floods of 2011, and on Saturday, a
bicycle advocacy group launched the final phase of its fundraising campaign to
pay for the repairs. Local Motion
is spearheading the "Big Fix" campaign, which picks up the 25-percent
federal emergency funds will not.
About half a million dollars worth of repair work will begin in mid-July.
The weekend-meteorologist for Fox-44 has a new
gig: She's the new Miss Vermont
2012. Chelsea Ingram won the crown
Saturday night, competing against nine other contestants from around the
state. Her platform issue is heart
disease, and she will speak all over the state through next year's rein trying
to get government, business and community groups involved in more heart health
programs. As Miss Vermont, Ingram
receives nine-thousand dollars in scholarships, more than 12-thousand-dollars'
worth of prizes, and will represent the state in the Miss America pageant in
Las Vegas.
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont
& New York:
People will soon have to leave the butts behind
when they visit Vermont State Parks.
That's because a legislative committee has approved a smoking ban. Right now people are allowed to smoke
anywhere at the parks, but in about two weeks that will change. Recreational areas, such as the beach
at the Sand Bar will be smoke free.
There will still be other areas for people to smoke, but park leaders
say they received hundreds of cigarette complaints. Some park goers say they're a fan of the new ban. "I think that it's a lovely idea.
I think that when one person smokes it affects not just the individual who is
smoking, but everyone around them too," said Noah Jacobson-Goodhue. "I don't want to smell it. It's
bad for the environment, it's bad for me, and it's bad for my kids. It's just a
horrible smell in general," said Christine Orr. The ban will go into effect 15 days from today. Park leaders say they will put signs up
to let people know where the designated smoke-free locations will be.
Yesterday marked the last day of the Champlain
fishing derby. The outdoor expo
also took place with people lined up waiting for the doors to open at noon. The expo was family and kid friendly...
The first 300 kids got a free fishing rod and reel. As for the competition... The final weigh in took place at 4
Sunday afternoon. "We target
families and especially young children because if we can expose them right now
to this fishing and let them see what's going on, we may have fishing fans for
life. Its great for the sport, its great for FLW, its great for families". The winner this year was David Dudley
of Lynchburg Virginia. He reeled
in a combined weight of just over 78 pounds of fish over the four-day event.
