Despite new outages that
continued to occur yesterday morning, Green Mountain Power expected to restore
service to most customers affected by the remnants of Hurricane Sandy by
midnight last night. Some
individual outages in the most rural and hard-hit areas are likely to last into
today, as there are hundreds of outages affecting small numbers of customers,
but an army of workers is making steady progress on more than 43000 outages
wrought by the storm. GMP President
and CEO Mary Powell said “The merger of GMP and Central Vermont Public Service,
along with the massive influx of resources we obtained from out of state, have
paid big dividends in restoring service so quickly - working as one company,
we’ve been able to move large numbers of people to the worst-affected areas.” GMP said power is expected be
completely restored in Franklin, Chittenden, Addison, Orange, Essex, Caledonia
and Washington counties as of last night.
Most customers in Rutland, Windham, Windsor and Bennington counties
should also be back online as well, but pockets of outages will likely last
into today. As of 10 PM Tuesday, Green Mountain Power has now restored service
to all but 1,427 customers affected by the remnants of Hurricane Sandy. For
updates you can visit GMP’s Website.
A few minor power outages
from Hurricane Sandy were all that hit the North Country overnight Tuesday as
the storm fizzled out. Essex,
Franklin and Clinton counties operated their Emergency Operations Centers for
24 hours, and all three reported few problems as the storm moved through.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin
says he and other officials are grateful the state escaped passage of
Superstorm Sandy without more significant damage. Shumlin said Tuesday the state is now willing to offer
support and assistance to other states hit harder by the storm, including
sending two Vermont National Guard helicopters to New Jersey. He said he also
would be in contact with Gov. John Lynch in New Hampshire and Gov. Dannel
Malloy of Connecticut. Shumlin
also said he was pleased Vermont was fully prepared for the storm. He said
Vermont learned its lessons from last year's Tropical Storm Irene and he was
grateful for help from other states in its aftermath.
The National Weather
Service says the maximum wind gust reported in Vermont during Superstorm Sandy
was 72 mph atop Mount Mansfield. A
gust of 61 mph was reported in Lyndon Center and there was a 60 mph gust in
Underhill. The Weather Service
says several locations reported gusts in the mid-50s. On Monday officials had forecast the possibility of gusts
reaching 100 mph on top of Mount Mansfield and up to 80 mph at other locations. But the storm sped up unexpectedly
prior to making landfall in New Jersey, changing the forecast for Vermont and
sparing the state more severe damage.
American Red Cross
volunteers from Vermont and New Hampshire are heading south to help with relief
efforts from Superstorm Sandy. A
half dozen volunteers from the Vermont & the New Hampshire Upper Valley
American Red Cross will be leaving today to help with the operations of
shelters in other states. An
estimated 258 Red Cross shelters opened Tuesday night assisting nearly 11,000
people as the storm pummeled the East Coast with high winds, rains and a surge
of seawater. The volunteers will
head to a staging area in White Plains, NY where they will get their
assignments.
Amtrak is expected to
offer modified Downeaster service between Portland and Boston starting today
following the storm. Amtrak's
Downeaster canceled several runs Monday night and Tuesday morning between the
two cities after Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast. The Adirondack service to and from Montreal, Québec, and the
Ethan Allen Express to and from Rutland are cancelled today because of track
damage in New York.
The Addison County Chamberof Commerce has announced to its members a partnership with Group
Transportation Services that offers a transportation management program. The
program enables members to save time and money on a range of shipping and
receiving services. To demonstrate its saving potential, GTS offers a free
initial analysis to any ACCOC member. The results of the analysis identify
tangible and intangible savings to potential clients. You can contact the Addison County Chamber Of Commerce for
more information.
The Paramount Theatre will
present the Middlebury Actors Workshop production of Shakespeare's
"Richard III", on Friday November 9th at 8 PM. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for
students and are available online at www.ParamountLive.org and through the Paramount Theatre Box Office
located in downtown Rutland. Charge by phone orders can be placed by calling
802 775-0903. The production is partially supported by a grant from the Vermont
Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Village of Port Henry
and all associated departments will be closed on Monday November 12th in observance
of Veterans Day. Due to the
closure, the regularly scheduled meeting of the Port Henry Village Board has
been canceled and rescheduled for 7 PM Tuesday November 13th at the Village
Hall. The public is welcome to
attend.
With two lawmakers in opposition,
Essex County is approaching an override of the state’s 2 percent tax cap. A local law is required if the County
Board of Supervisors wants to exceed the tax cap, which would be adjusted to
2.5 percent for Essex County.
According to County Manager Daniel Palmer Because of state mandates, the
county would have to lay off more than 100 workers to meet that cap. With a budget that’s up $13 million so
far over last year, the tax cap would allow just a $383,600 tax-levy increase. The
final vote on the cap override is at 10 AM Monday November 5th in the Old
County Courthouse at Elizabethtown.
The Ticonderoga Area
Chamber of Commerce will host an Open House with the North Country Small
Business Development Center on Tuesday November 13th. Services provided by the North Country
SBDC will be available at the Chamber office typically on the second Tuesday of
each month. According to Matt
Courtright Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, the open
house will be from 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM for the month of November due to the Small
Business Seminar being held that morning from 8:00 – 9:30 AM. That seminar will discuss different
marketing options and best practices to get the most of your advertising
dollars. In addition, the Facebook seminar, which was scheduled for Tuesday,
October 30th is being rescheduled due to the weather. For details on all
seminars and open houses just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
A 21-year-old Vermont man
is facing charges of poaching two deer in Fair Haven earlier this month. A police officer and a game warden were
patrolling for illegal hunting on the night of October 19th when they say they
spotted a vehicle with a light shining into a field and witnessed the driver
fire a rifle at a deer. Authorities
arrested 21-year-old Joshua Newton of Poultney. Police say they found a rifle with a fired cartridge casing
in the vehicle. The next day evidence was found in the field indicating the
deer had been wounded. The animal was not found. Newton also is accused of shooting a deer a week earlier and
leaving it in the field. If
convicted, he faces fines and restitution of up to $5,000.
Ticonderoga’s downtown Halloween Fest is coming
up! Hundreds of ghosts, goblins
and other creatures are expected for the fright fest Wednesday, October 31st. Sponsored by the Ticonderoga Montcalm
Street Partnership, local businesses and organizations displaying a pumpkin in
a window will welcome children in grade 5 and younger along with their families
for trick-or-treating from 3 to 4:30 PM.
Montcalm Street will be closed to traffic from Sunshine Laundry to the
1888 building during the event for the safety of all participants. All the details can be found HERE.
Ticonderoga’s veterans will be honored with the
sixth annual Veterans Memory Walk. The event will be held Sunday November 4th
at 1 PM at Mount Hope Cemetery. Veterans
Day is Sunday, November 11th. Mount Hope Cemetery sits on the site of a
colonial log fort that guarded the mills at the lower falls on the La Chute
River and the portage between Lake George and Lake Champlain. Following the
program refreshments will be served at the Hancock House in Ticonderoga. For additional information, contact the
Ticonderoga Historical Society at tihistory@verizon.net
or 585-7868.
Although tens of thousands of Vermonter lost power
from the winds of Hurricane Sandy, the state is considering itself lucky. On Tuesday, Green Mountain Power was
dealing with several thousand outages, but once those are back on line, crews
will be leaving Vermont to help others in the Northeast. Other Vermont power companies are
planning the same thing. Governor
Peter Shumlin says it's time to remember the other states, which kicked in last
year when Tropical Storm Irene hit and to pay it forward. Meanwhile Rutland, the city anticipated
to have the most damage when Hurricane Sandy hit Vermont, spent much of
yesterday cleaning up. Local
leaders say the city actually dodged a bullet with Mayor Chris Louras saying
the storm was not over-hyped, and there were lessons learned about being prepared.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says New York State will
rebuild better and smarter in the wake of the devastation brought by Hurricane
Sandy. Cuomo says New York has to
rethink how it builds its infrastructure and transportation, saying weather is
getting more extreme. The governor
didn't use the words "climate change," but did say, "anyone who
says there is not a dramatic change in weather patterns I think is denying
reality." President Obama
previously approved a disaster declaration for New York, which will help with
the rebuilding costs.
U.S. Forest Service officials in Vermont and New
York are urging extra caution for those who may want to venture out in the
woods in the days following the storm. The Forest Service says overhead dangers
may remain present even after the weather clears, with branches or even whole
trees set to fall. Another concern is that streams and rivers may be swollen.
A special Vermont state panel that has the
authority to spend money when lawmakers aren't in session is set to vote on
nearly $8 million in funding to help low-income residents heat their homes this
winter. It would be the second
year in a row that the state has had to step up to fill in where the federal
government has left off in funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance
Program, or LIHEAP. The Vermont
Emergency Board is set to meet Wednesday to approve about $7.9 million in state
funding for the program, to alleviate concerns that while federal support is
being level-funded, heating fuel costs are rising. The Emergency Board is made up of the four legislative money
committees, as well as the governor.
New York corrections officials say they plan to
closely monitor sex offenders released on parole during Halloween. The monitoring program, in its seventh
year, places special conditions on those parolees. The corrections agency's community supervision staff is
responsible for 2,440 sex offenders on parole statewide. Special conditions require the parolees
starting early Wednesday afternoon, or following the end of their workday or
program, to remain at home until 6 AM Thursday morning. They are also prohibited from
participating in any Halloween activity, wearing any costume or mask and
opening their door to trick-or-treaters.
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News Your Voice in Vermont
& New York:
A native Vermonter is missing and feared lost in
the Atlantic Ocean. 63-year old Robin Walbridge of St. Johnsbury was the
Captain of the "HMS Bounty," a tall sailing ship used in several
major movies. The "HMS
Bounty" left Connecticut Thursday, and was headed for Florida, but Monday
morning, the ship was swallowed by the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. On board, 16
crew members... one from Vermont, Captain Robin Walbridge. I spoke with his
sister by phone Tuesday. "My
gut tells me my brother's no longer with us, and he's gone out doing what he
loved," Lucille Walbridge Jansen said. After the Bounty took on water, "the waves were between
18 and 32 feet high," Walbridge Jansen said. And the engine failed, everyone except Walbridge abandoned
ship. 14 people were rescued, one was found dead. Captain Walbridge is still missing. "Even if they never find him, his
heart and desire was to be buried at sea," his sister said. The experienced boater knew the waters
would be rough, even took a course recommended by the Hurricane Center,
"he was watching over everything, making sure everything was safe,"
Walbridge Jansen said. Most of
Walbridge's family has moved out of Vermont, but we did find one of his
cousin's who lives and works in Barre. She didn't want to do an on-camera
interview, but did talk with me off camera and says as long as search and
rescue crews continue their efforts, she'll continue to have hope. Walbridge was born in St. Johnsbury,
and graduated from Montpelier High School in 1967. Because of Sandy, the school
was closed when I stopped by Tuesday, but I found a custodian who let me in and
led me into the library. As we turned the pages, we found Robin Walbridge. His family is clinging to the hope that
this isn't his lasting image. If
Robin Walbridge is still alive, he's been floating in the Atlantic Ocean since
about five Monday morning. The
Coast Guard plans to continue their search.
If there's a candidate on
the ballot you'd like in office, you better be registered to vote. Today is the last day you can do so in
Vermont. The election is a week from yesterday, and if you haven't registered,
all you have to do is contact your town clerk. In presidential election years, voter turnout is typically
70-percent in Vermont. Secretary
of State, Jim Condos said, "every vote really does count, the last
election cycle in 2010, we had two members of the House of Representatives,
here in Vermont that won by one vote.”
Next Tuesday, polls close at 7 PM.
