The record rainfall has
caused near flood stage on waterways statewide; causing fast moving and
dangerous swimming conditions. Officials
with the Vermont Department of Health, urge everyone who plans to swim in a river
or stream to use extreme caution. Officials
say the dangerous waters also present safety issues for the rescue
workers. During the past few days, they
have been called out more than five times.
And with more rain possibly on the way, officials say to be safe, just
don't go swimming in the streams or rivers.
Rivers and streams are not
the only concern right now; Lake Champlain is approaching flood stage too. 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.
Danilo Lopez was supposed to
be deported from the United States on Friday, July 5. He's still here. Lopez was given the chance to apply to stay
in the U.S. on the very day he was supposed to voluntarily deport to
Mexico. He's been in the U.S. for 6
years, and has a lot of supporters from Vermont senators to other undocumented
workers. He's well known after he fought
to get legal driver's licenses for undocumented farm workers in Vermont. His legal status was discovered after a
traffic stop in 2011, and he's been fighting to stay in the country ever
since. It will take 10 to 14 days for
Lopez to find out if he can stay in the U.S.
Vermont Gas is taking issue
with a recent study that its proposed Addison County pipeline would increase
greenhouse gases. The company was
responding to allegations raised by the Conservation Law Foundation that they
failed to account for methane emissions leaked during the lifecycle of natural
gas. The Company, in a filing to the
Public Service Board, said CLF's report failed to take into account the
emissions of greenhouse gases from the production, refinement and
transportation of oil. Despite concerns
from some activists, State officials continue to support the effort. The Public Service Board is expected to begin
hearings on the project in September.
A South Burlington man is
jail after leading police on a high speed chase. According to reports, 22-year-old Michael
Brooks was not wearing a helmet and sped through several red lights and drove
on sidewalks from Airport Drive to the roundabout in Winooski before he was
captured when his bike stalled out.
Brooks now faces a slew of charges, including possession of a stolen
motorcycle.
A Bristol man drowned on
Thursday. A 26-year-old Bristol man was
swept away while swimming in the New Haven River between the twin bridges on
Route 116 north of 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.
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.
Officials from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency will be in Vermont this week to assess damage from
recent flooding in various parts of the state.
The FEMA team will be making stops in Chittenden, Washington and Windsor
counties tomorrow and may add Lamoille and other counties to the list,
depending on what the weather does between now and then. State and local road crews have been
scrambling to repair numerous road wash-outs during the storms of recent weeks.
The Town of Plattsburgh
plans to use a $690,000 bond to move two pending projects forward. Town Supervisor Bernie Bassett said $290,000
would be used to purchase over 93 acres of property that includes the Cadyville
Recreation Park and surrounding lands from Clinton County. The remaining $400,000 would be used to
acquire the street lights and associated equipment in the town from New York
State Electric and Gas.
Winooski residents will have
their say on the F-35 tonight. The City
Council is holding a public forum on the Air National Guard's bid for a new
fleet at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is in the
Claire Burke Chamber at City Hall.
Rutland Regional Medical
Center is cutting jobs to save money. The
hospital hopes to lose about 100 jobs through attrition. About 12 workers could
be offered reassignment. It blames $4
million in federal cuts to Medicare reimbursements. Rutland Regional is also outsourcing its IT
department.
A man in Pittsford will be
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.
