Project to put pianos on streets

HANOVER, N.H. — Wanted: pianos to be played at bus stops, parks, general stores and other places in parts of New Hampshire and Vermont. 

To celebrate its 50th anniversary season, the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College is sponsoring a piano “street project.” 

The center is looking for old upright pianos.

The idea is to create works of art for the public.

Agreements are in place with multiple towns, businesses and property owners to place pianos around the Upper Valley in July, including Ledyard Bridge connecting Hanover to Norwich, Vt.; the Tip Top Building in White River Junction, Vt.; the Dartmouth Green; and the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich.

Teens accused of vandalism at school

CHITTENDEN — Two 16-year-old boys have been charged with vandalizing school buses. 

Police said Timothy Hughes and Ethan Snitker allegedly broke into buses Saturday night at Barstow Memorial School in Chittenden, took several fire extinguishers and urinated on the seats.

They have been charged with vandalism and trespassing.

Police also believe the two broke into the school, although they found no damage there. 

Man accused of forging checks

BENNINGTON — A local teenager was charged with five felonies Monday after police said they believed he had taken his mother’s checkbook and cashed four checks, for a total of $1,500, without her permission.

Dylan Mone, 19, of Bennington, was arraigned in Bennington criminal court on Monday on four felony counts of forgery, one felony count of obstructing justice and one misdemeanor count of petty larceny.

Mone, who pleaded innocent, was released without bail.In an affidavit, Cpl. Gary Shuhart of the Vermont State Police said he met with a Mone’s mother on Jan. 5. 

The woman told police she believed Mone had taken a book of checks and cashed four of them.

According to the woman, Mone told her, when she asked about it, that if she called the police, she would never get the back. 

The alleged threat led to Mone’s charge of obstructing justice.

The woman told police that Mone had been violent in the past and his family was afraid of him.

Shuhart said he spoke to Mone and Mone’s girlfriend on Jan. 5. 

According to Shuhart, Mone admitted to taking and cashing the checks and gave the police the checkbook. 

Shuhart said the checks had carbon copies and that police had copies of three of the four checks from the carbons.

Police probe reported assault

Rutland police are searching for a man who reportedly assaulted and groped a woman on Elm Street on Friday night.

City Police Sgt. James Tarbell said police were called to a residence on Elm Street by a 23-year-old woman who said she was attacked while walking on the street just before 8 p.m.

Tarbell said the man reportedly approached her from behind, knocked her to the ground and used force to fondle her in a sexual manner.

The woman was briefly hospitalized after the incident, he said.

She described her attacker as roughly 5 feet 7 inches tall with a thin build.

The man was wearing jeans and a hooded sweat shirt that obscured his face.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call city police at 773-1816.

Man sentenced to prison on meth charge

BARRE — A man has been sentenced to over six years in prison for making meth inside his Vermont home.

Thirty-five-year-old Ricky Moorhead was sentenced Monday.

The former Barre man was arrested after a small fire broke out at his home in June 2010.

Police said Moorhead was wanted by police in Kentucky for a parole violation.

Police: No known violations in fatal crash

HINESBURG — Police investigating a car crash that killed a Vermont teenager on his way to school say the driver appears to have obeyed the law.

Sixteen-year-old Zeke Kassel of Shelburne died on Friday.

He was a passenger in the back seat of a car that went off the road, down an embankment and struck several trees in Hinesburg.

The 17-year-old driver and his 15-year-old sister were not injured.

The three were headed to Champlain Valley Union High School.

Police the car was not speeding, and that the driver may’ve lost control after driving on some slush.

Lawmakers to hear from business on health care

MONTPELIER — Vermont business people who want to speak out about Gov. Peter Shumlin’s plans for health care reform have a chance to do so this week.

Two legislative committees will hold a joint hearing Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in Statehouse room 11 to talk about a bill under consideration to begin implementing the ambitious reform agenda approved in principle last year.

The plan calls for Vermont to adopt a health care exchange — or marketplace — called for under the federal health reform passed two years ago.

By 2017, it seeks to move Vermont beyond the federal reforms and toward a single-payer health care system.

Vt. gets 20-bed portable hospital

ESSEX JUNCTION — Vermont health officials are showing off the state’s new portable pop-up hospital.

Officials say the 20-bed hospital and mass care trailer is designed to respond to mass casualty and hospital and public health events and emergencies.

The hospital, which has its own source of electricity, running water, heat and air conditioning, can be set up quickly in emergency situations such as the outbreak of an illness that would require more hospital beds or used for routine events like flu clinics.

It’s one of two so far in the state.

The hospital was purchased using public health emergency preparedness grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The media will get a chance to tour the new hospital on Tuesday at the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds in Essex Junction. 

Another snow-turns-to-rain kind of day

You'll know this forecast.

This morning's snow showers will likely turn to rain by this afternoon as the temperature climbs into the upper 30s or low 40s.

Snowfall totals of about one-half inch to 1 inch expected. Precipitation will taper off tonight and then possibly return tomorrow.

High tomorrow in the mid 40s.

Good morning!

Welcome to the last day of January. Boy it's been an interesting weather month. It's been a long time since I experienced a January with so little snow and such warm temperatures.

I know a lot of folks don't like winter, but we need some in February.

Happy Tuesday.