Yesterday a male identifying himself as George
Demarais of Middlebury called 9-1-1, and said he "wanted to die via
suicide by cop,' and that he would be in the woods behind his home. Immediate attempts were made by
officers of the Middlebury Police Department to reach Demarais by phone, but
the calls went unanswered. Police
responded to the area to locate George and were unable to determine if he was
in his home or not. Concurrent
investigation determined he lived in the home alone. Due to the threat of "suicide by cop," officers
were placed in a perimeter around the visible front of the home, pending repeat
efforts to contact Demarias. Late
in the afternoon, Demarais came out of the home carrying a long gun, and
approached Case Street. Sgt. Jason
Covey called to him, asked him to drop the gun, and attempted to speak with
him. Demarais turned and walked to
the rear of the home towards the woods carrying the gun. Officers found a note taped to his
vehicle that said "Come and get me, I hope you can shoot straight, because
I can." Officers later
located George on a steep slope behind the home, when he began firing at
them. There was an exchange of
gunfire, during which Sgt. Covey made further efforts to convince Demarais to
surrender. George continued
firing, and in the exchange of gunfire, Demarais suffered a fatal wound. At this time, it is not known if the
wound was self inflicted, or caused by police gunfire. During the attempt to locate and
contain Demarais, Case Street was closed between Cobble Road and Quarry Road
for several hours. The
investigation of the incident was turned over to the Vermont State Police,
under the auspices of the Addison County State's Attorney.
A special event is taking place this Saturday, “For
Carly - A Night in Remembrance” from 7PM – 10PM at Spartan Arena Rutland. The community is hosting this event to
remember Carly Ferro and to raise money for the VT Golf Association Scholarship
Fund. Join in for a night of skating, where proceeds from skate rentals will be
donated, a silent auction, door prizes and a live DJ. To make a donation send a
check to: Vermont Golf Association, Attn: Scholarship Fund, PO Box 1612, Rutland
VT 05701-1612 or e-mail dave@vtga.org.
Rutland’s Police Chief says the death of Carly
Ferro in a crash allegedly caused by a man huffing chemicals has the city
searching for answers to the broader problem of drug and chemical abuse. The drug use suspected in this instance
comes from a legal aerosol product, easily obtained and intended for common
household uses. Police Chief James
Baker tells Vermont Public Radio he and other community officials are talking
about educating residents more about drug use.
A limited number of copies of a book that tells the history of the original Lake Champlain Bridge are being made available to the public at no charge. The 65-page booklet, titled "Spanning the Decades: The Lake Champlain Bridge Story," is illustrated with photos, paintings and memorabilia that tells the story of the span that was built in 1929 to connect Crown Point and Addison. It was closed in October 2009 after being deemed unsafe and demolished two months later. The new Lake Champlain Bridge opened last November. The publication is available at the Crown Point State Historic Site, the Lake Champlain Visitors Center in Crown Point, the Chimney Point State Historic Site in Addison and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes.
A limited number of copies of a book that tells the history of the original Lake Champlain Bridge are being made available to the public at no charge. The 65-page booklet, titled "Spanning the Decades: The Lake Champlain Bridge Story," is illustrated with photos, paintings and memorabilia that tells the story of the span that was built in 1929 to connect Crown Point and Addison. It was closed in October 2009 after being deemed unsafe and demolished two months later. The new Lake Champlain Bridge opened last November. The publication is available at the Crown Point State Historic Site, the Lake Champlain Visitors Center in Crown Point, the Chimney Point State Historic Site in Addison and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes.
Ownership of Middlebury-based Beau Ties Ltd. of
Vermont changed hands last week as the existing ownership group including
principal shareholders Bill Kenerson and Deb Venman sold the assets of the
company to a group led by David Kramer and David Mutter. The company will remain in Middlebury
and plans call for added investment in equipment and marketing with the hopes
of creating job growth in the area. The company is recognized for offering its
national customer base distinctive, quality American-made products hand-sewn in
Middlebury.
The Vermont State Police in New Haven are
investigating the theft of a private road sign owned by Doug Perkins on Lake
Dunmore Road in Leicester. The name
on the private road sign is “Triangle Square Circle”; it was stolen sometime
between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning of this week. Anyone with information is encouraged
to contact the Vermont State Police New Haven Barracks at 802-388-4919. Information
can also be submitted online at www.vtips.info
or text "CRIMES" (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS.
A sewer project now under way in Ticonderoga may be
a template for future works in the community. Work to separate the sanitary sewer from storm water in the
St. Clair Street and Wayne Avenue area is saving money, while utilizing town
resources. The project will cost
about $350,000 when complete in November. The town received no grant money for
the work, so district residents will pay the cost. The Town saved $50-70,000 by doing some of the work themselves.
High Peaks Hospice and Palliative Care has issued a
challenge to all Essex County schools to help raise funds to benefit those in
our communities who are facing a life-limiting illness during November, which
is National Hospice & Palliative Care Month. For the month of November H-P-H-P-C is asking schools in
Essex County to come up with and run fund raisers on its behalf. Some ideas for
fund raising include, but are not limited to: car washes, dances, and penny
collections. The funds raised will then be donated to H-P-H-P-C for direct
patient care. Fundraiser ideas do need pre-approval. Interested school
administrators should contact Ingrid Roemischer at 942-6513 or iroemischer@hphpc.org
The Town of Jay has temporarily closed the Jersey
Bridge in the hamlet of AuSable Forks to repair the heat-trace and sewer-pipe
insulation located along the side of the span. Work is scheduled to be
completed by the end of the day Monday, October 15th, at which time the bridge
will be reopened.
The town’s Planning Commission is making it clear
that a marijuana dispensary is not welcome in Fair Haven. Commission members confirmed they are
working on prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries as part of an update to
the town’s zoning ordinance. The
commission first discussed dispensaries when Act 65, which authorized four
medical marijuana dispensaries around the state, was approved by the
Legislature last year.
A Vermont telecommunications company is among the
winners of the Federal Communications Commission's first "mobility fund
auction." VTel will use the
money to expand wireless coverage along 941 miles of Vermont roadways,
primarily in Orange and Caledonia counties, but also in parts of Washington,
Chittenden, Addison and in other parts of the state. The Springfield-based telecommunications provider must complete
its project within three years and make the network available to other
providers for roaming so that as many consumers as possible can benefit from
the new networks.
Travelers can follow Vermont’s historic highways
exploring haunted sites from the southwest “Bennington Triangle,” where a
number of hikers mysteriously went missing between 1920 and 1950, to Lake
Memphremagog on Vermont’s northern border where the ghost of General “Mad”
Anthony Wayne has been spotted walking across the top of the lake, and many
mysterious places in between. Visitors are encouraged to have their own ghostly
experience now through November with special packages starting at $60 per
person based on double occupancy. Blackout dates may apply at all properties.
For more ghost stories and information on booking these special offers, please
visit www.vermontvacation.com
or become a fan on Facebook and Twitter.
Some local New York state distilleries are getting
a chance to sell liquor at fairs and farmers' markets across the state. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed
legislation Wednesday. It will
help those farm distilleries grow by providing them the same access to
potential business as wineries and breweries already have. He says now they will be able to
play a bigger role in the state's economy. The new law will also allow them to do more tastings
around the state.
Dental care will not be part of Vermont's universal healthcare plan when it goes into effect. The Green Mountain Care Board made the decision late yesterday afternoon by a vote of 3-to-2. It comes down to money, and the high cost of including dental coverage in the plan. While hundreds of people stressed the need for better dental coverage, research showed adding it in would end up costing Vermonters nearly 90-million dollars.
Dental care will not be part of Vermont's universal healthcare plan when it goes into effect. The Green Mountain Care Board made the decision late yesterday afternoon by a vote of 3-to-2. It comes down to money, and the high cost of including dental coverage in the plan. While hundreds of people stressed the need for better dental coverage, research showed adding it in would end up costing Vermonters nearly 90-million dollars.
Governor Peter Shumlin walked out on a news
conference yesterday afternoon when questions probed a land deal where he's
building a home. Shumlin said he
was looking to buy a particular 182-acre farm in East Montpelier to live while
he's governor, but friends wanted to live there permanently. The friends bought it and sold him a
27-acre parcel for 35-thousand dollars.
When pressed for details, the governor stated he didn't want to talk
about details of his private life and left.
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is fired up
over a TV ad. Gillibrand who is up for re-election this November is demanding
TV stations immediately pull an Arizona Super PAC's ad that accuses her of
costing New York jobs since she supports the Affordable Care Act. The senator's D.C.-based attorneys have
sent letters to local stations saying the ads that have been running across New
York seek to "damage her reputation" and are "misleading and
deceptive." They say the ad
features citations of real news articles that ran under very different
headlines in actual publications.
A teen from South Glens Falls was arrested after
making a terroristic threat.
Authorities found that 16-year-old Forrest Taylor made a threat
regarding the community using Facebook.
He was taken into custody, arraigned and sent to jail. Taylor is due back in court next week.
Vermont landowners can now connect with hunters who
wish to hunt in their areas through a new feature on the Vermont Fish &
Wildlife Department web site. The
department has developed an online system where hunters can register for
permission to hunt in certain areas of the state. That came about after an
advisory group of landowners, hunters, foresters and wildlife biologists
recommended the state investigate issues of deer eating saplings and doing
damage to forestry land and hunters unable to access private lands. The department says landowners can now
go to the website and contact hunters to hunt deer on their property. A get connected quick link is on the
web site under "'items of special interest."
The Brandon Town Players proudly present “A Night
On The Town In Brandon”, a vaudeville style variety show incorporating skits,
sketches, solos, duets, small groups and large chorus numbers. Performances are
this Friday & Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM in the Brandon Town
Hall. Tickets are $8.00 in advance, $10.00 at the door. Tickets can be
purchased at Carr's Florist & Gifts or at the door the night of the
show. www.brandontownhall.org
Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon presents
Pianist Diana Fanning and Dieuwke Davydov on cello in a benefit concert on this
evening at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $15 and all proceeds will benefit the Compass
Music and Arts Foundation. The internationally acclaimed Davydov-Fanning Duo
will present a program featuring colorful and exciting works ranging from Shostakovich
to Brahms. Compass Music and
Arts Foundation is a new and developing non-profit organization striving to be
the foremost venue in Vermont for all types of music and artistic media.
Compass Music and Arts Foundation is dedicated to enriching life through a
deeper appreciation of music and the literary, performing and visual arts. The
purpose of Compass Music and Arts Foundation is to help bring art in all its
forms to the people of Vermont and beyond. For information or tickets, visit www.brandon-music.net.
The combination of everyday trash items and
exquisite art will be a focal point of this weekend's event as Sustainable
Rutland presents the fourth-annual Trash 2 Art contest and exhibit as part of
downtown Rutland's Harvest Fest. Trash
2 Art is an amateur art competition, which encourages participants to create
durable artwork using surplus materials, trash, used items or anything else
that could potentially end up in a landfill, with the ultimate goal of
transforming trash into art. Each
contestant will submit an art piece to be displayed at the event's exhibit on
from 11 AM to 3 PM Saturday in downtown Rutland. Submissions will be on display in The Pit at the
intersection of Center and Wales streets where spectators can view and vote for
their favorite piece.
The foliage change appeared to intensify during the
misty, atmospheric weather of last weekend. Near peak to full color change is
expected along the spine of the northern Green Mountains and is beginning to
emerge in the central Vermont valleys.
Leaf-peepers can also easily stay up-to-date on the color progression of
Vermont’s foliage by calling the Fall Foliage Hotline at 1-800-VERMONT or click HERE!
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont
& New York:
In the Vermont Public Television studios Thursday,
all the candidates for governor got a chance to debate. They included Dave Eagle, Liberty Union
Party, Cris Erickson, United States Marijuana Party, Emily Peyton, Independent,
Randy Brock, Republican Party, and Peter Shumlin, Democratic Party. The race has been dominated by Brock
and Shumlin. That's because polls
show Shumlin far ahead, even of Brock.
"I think this is a crucial time for Vermont. Time for Vermont to
move off the direction we're going," says Brock. Despite his lead in the polls, Shumlin has raised a ton of
money to keep his job, now topping more than $1-million. "I hope you stick with what
Vermonters have done historically and give this governor a chance to complete
the work that we've begun," says Shumlin. There are still four more Vermont gubernatorial debates to
go, though don't expect to see all the candidates at them.
We all know how frustrating poor cell phone
reception can be, and rural Vermonters know it's more than just a nuisance,
signal strength can mean life or death. VTel was awarded money that should make
things better. "Can you hear
me now? Can you hear me now?" Governor Peter Shumlin joked. We've all experienced that annoying call, but what
if what you're saying needs to be heard? What if something went wrong? "It could be an assault, a
domestic assault, it could be a car crash where somebody's trapped in their car
and they would be ok if they could reach out to somebody," Washington
County Sheriff Sam Hill said. Well,
cell phone reception in rural areas is about to improve. The federal government
gave VTel two million dollars to put toward their 60-million dollar project.
Governor Peter Shumlin made the announcement at a press conference in
Montpelier Thursday. He also made a bold statement about broadband. "We have promised to have high
speed Internet access to every last mile of Vermont in December, 2013." To be exact, 941 miles of Vermont
roadways will have better cell phone coverage. The Washington County Sheriff
says this will improve the ability to respond to calls. "From East Montpelier, out to
Hardwick, there is essentially no service," Sheriff Hill said. People living in, or passing through
Orange and Caledonia counties will benefit the most, also parts of Chittenden,
Addison and Washington counties. "There
are many dead spots throughout the county that we would like to have taken care
of," Sheriff Hill said. The
new cell towers are scheduled to go up in the next few months. The project must be completed in three
years, and VTel has to make this new coverage available to people with other
cell phone providers for "roaming," so that as many people as
possible can benefit from the network.
Linda Thibault worked to put up Halloween
decorations Thursday on her South Burlington home. She says she loves her house, and doesn't mind living next
to the Burlington International Airport.
"I'm used to the planes going by," said Thibault. But she's not accustomed to seeing the
type of full-page letter that appeared in the local paper Thursday. "It was nice to see [the
ad]," said Thibault. The
letter came from nearly a dozen local real estate leaders. It was written by Pomerleau Real Estate
President Ernie Pomerleau. He says
the group wanted to address the effect the F-35 fighter jet would have on the
local housing market if it came to South Burlington. Some fear, because they are louder than F-16s, they will
drive down property values. "There's
no data that shows that it has happened, and there's no data that shows it's
going to happen," said Pomerleau.
Pomerleau insists timing played no part as to why this letter came out
now. Even though air force leaders
say their impact study is nearly complete and a decision on whether to bring
the aircraft to South Burlington could be made by early next year. But military leaders say if it doesn't
come to South Burlington, there's a chance the National Guard would leave the
area. Something Pomerleau says
can't happen. "Our concern
is, if you lose 1,100 jobs, and you impact that airport, negatively at this
point, that's going to impact housing," said Pomerleau. It's not just about property values;
some believe the jets are a waste of money. That's because it will cost the government billions to make
them. But military leaders say
they're necessary because the F-16's are out-dated.
