Woman Walks from New Orleans to Vermont

A Pennsylvania woman set out on a 1,100 mile journey that ended in our region, her goal was to raise awareness of global warming.

65-year-old Greta Browne spent the past five months walking the entire length of U.S. Route 11 which runs from New Orleans to Rouses Point, New York. As a lifelong activist, Browne began her Climate Walk to bring attention to what she believes is one of the most pressing challenges we face, but admits that it may take a while for others to catch on. Browne said quote--"I always consider myself just a drop in the bucket, change and awareness is very incremental, I know it takes me a long time to actually go with something sometimes. We're resistant so my goal was not to do too much, I didn't have a big goal, it was just to raise awareness and be one of those little dots in people's awareness."

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Shoreham School Opening Late

School is starting about two weeks later than Shoreham...


That's because there's mold and asbestos on the school that workers are trying to clean out. The Addison County Independent reports that on August 27th, Addison County Supervisory Union officials announced the school would open on Sept. 14, almost two weeks later than the original date of September 2nd. In a letter to Shoreham families, ACSU superintendent Lee Sease said that the delay is due to the need to remove mold and asbestos in the school. It was discovered during a routine carpet cleaning in early July. Officials said the mold is creating air quality issues throughout the building. When the ACSU consulted an expert about the problem, the expert recommended that the carpets be replaced in affected areas.

Firefighter killed returning from call

A volunteer firefighter was killed yesterday after he lost control of the fire truck he was driving and hit a telephone pole. State police say 55-year-old Kenneth Frizzell Jr. died as he was returning from a fire call. He was thrown from the truck and pronounced dead at the scene. Frizzell was a member of the Town of Charleston Volunteer Fire Department. State police say the truck was totaled.

State teachers start school without contracts

Vermont teachers start the school year this week, and many will be working without union contracts. The sagging economy has some unions scaling back their demands for pay hikes, settling instead for increases. Joel Cook of the Vermont-NEA says more districts than usual will be continuing negotations into the fall. Locally, Rutland City still has two union contracts awaiting approval.

Another Vermont inmate dead in cell

A Vermont prison inmate who surrendered to his probation officer after learning he was the target of a drug investigation was found dead in his cell. 49-year-old Michael Crosby appeared to be sleeping in his cell at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility but was unresponsive when guards tried to wake him up last Wednesday. Crosby is the second Vermont inmate to die in recent days. Twenty-three-year-old Ashley Ellis died August 16th at Northwest State Correctional Facility three days after she began a 30-day sentence stemming from a highway accident. An autopsy on Crosby is pending to see if drugs played a part in his death.

Schools preparing for swine flu

State health and education officials are advising school administrators and nurses on how to prepare for the upcoming flu season. Schools are opening this week and officials are taking the threat seriously. Rutland Superintendent Mary Moran posted information on the district's Web site. She said H1N1, or swine flu is still with us, even in the final weeks of summer. She added that the virus will be circulating during fall and winter along with the regular flu. A new vaccine being developed to prevent swine flu is expected soon, and the state may make students a priority for that vaccine.

Assistance for low income wood users

Low-income Vermonters who use wood for heating their homes can take advantage of the state's Wood Warms program. Those who meet income eligibility requirements are eligible for up to two cords of wood each heating season. About 400 cords of seasoned wood will be available starting September 15th. The wood will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested Vermonters can apply to local community action agencies starting tomorrow.