Your host today is Darren Marcy
This is a collection of weather updates, late sports, breaking news and advice for getting your work day under way. Welcome to Vermont Today!
Well, I see you survived Monday with Cristina and she simply covered this place up with news. I'm too tired for chit-chat and haven't had my coffee yet, so I'll save my big personal news for 7 a.m. But that doesn't mean you have to wait for the news from Vermont and around the globe. Let's roll it.
Free beer and pirogis at tonight's Green Drinks
MONTPELIER — Skinny Pancake is hosting its monthly "Green Drinks" event tonight in the lobby of City Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Green Drinks is held once a month and includes free beer and food.
Tonight's sponsor is 1% for the Planet, which purchased 50 pints of beer for attendees.
Green Drinks is billed as a networking opportunity for entrepreneurs interested in environmentally conscious businesses to meet other like-minded individuals.
At tonight's event there will also be Eastern European dumplings called pirogis provided by Pirogi Union of Burlington.
Sanders says Justice confirms it won't intervene
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., today welcomed official confirmation by the U.S. Department of Justice that it would not intervene in a lawsuit in federal district court over the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.
The plant owner, Louisiana-based Entergy Corp., sued the state of Vermont after the Vermont Senate last year voted 26 to 4 not to renew a state license for the 40-year-old reactor.
“I appreciate the Justice Department's decision,” Sanders said. “Vermont has a right to choose an energy future that emphasizes energy efficiency and sustainable energy and does not include an aging, problem-plagued nuclear power plant. The federal government has no role to play in that decision.”
Police looking for suspect who broke Drawing Board window
MONTPELIER -- Police are asking for help finding a woman in her 60s who allegedly kicked and broke the front window of the Drawing Board on Main Street.
The incident occurred Monday at approximately 7:42 a.m., according to the press release.
Anyone with information should contact the police department by calling 802-223-3445.
Brattleboro shooting
Big, and sad, news out of Brattleboro this morning.
Susan Smallheer has been chasing this story all morning but couldn't get official confirmation until just a little bit ago. Susan will stay on the story and Chief Photographer Vyto Starinskas is on the scene as well.
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BRATTLEBORO - A 59-year-old man was shot and killed by a fellow worker at the Brattleboro Food Co-op on Tuesday morning, police said today.
The co-op opened today at 8 a.m. and the shooting took place at 8:15 a.m. inside the store, police said.
Brattleboro Police Chief Eugene Wrinn would not release the identities of either the victim or the suspect. He said police have a 59-year-old man in custody who was arrested at the scene.
Employees of the Brattleboro Food Co-op, some of whom were clearly upset, gathered outside the store, waiting in the parking lot to be interviewed by police detectives.
Co-op store general manager Alex Gyori also was at the scene this morning, talking with workers and witnesses in the co-op parking lot, which had been cordoned off with police tape.
Two crisis counselors were available to provide assistance to the store's employees.
The store is closed. A hand-lettered sign was propped up at the entrance of the co-op that said the store would be closed today. It apologized for the “inconvenience.”
Customers who drove up to the co-op were being turned away, as were vendors. Throughout the morning, employees gathered in the parking lot, crying and hugging each other.
Rain more likely
As the weather guessers predicted, it's looking more likely rain may pay a visit in the coming hours. According to Weather.com, the best chance for rain is at about 4 p.m. when there is an 80 percent chance for rain. The temperature is in the upper 70s to low 80s.
What's it look like where you are? Is it raining yet. Are you tired of rain yet? Let me know at [email protected].
Sox and Twins, first pitch at 8:10 p.m.
The Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins will hit the field tonight in game two of their series.
After last night's heroics by Big Papi, in which the big man had four hits and three RBI, including the game winner in the ninth inning, the Sox will be looking to Eric Bedard.
Bedard will be making his second start for Boston after being acquired at the trading deadline.
Bedard will face Twins' starter Francisco Liriano.
First pitch is slated for 8:10 p.m. at Target Field.
Find the game on NESN on television, WEEI on the radio and affiliates.
Vt man dies at music festival
MARSHFIELD — Vermont State Police say a 27-year-old man has died after being found unresponsive at a music festival.
Police say Casey Hammond, of Burlington, was found in a tent at the fourth annual RhinoFest Music Festival, a three-day outdoor event, at about 10 a.m. Sunday.
Hammond was taken to Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, where attempts to resuscitate him failed.
An autopsy is planned.
Sanders announces homeless shelter funding
Speaking today at the Samaritan House homeless shelter in St. Albans, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced $237,500 in federal help for seven shelters throughout Vermont.
The senator was joined by Linda Ryan, executive director for development at the Samaritan House, to announce the $30,000 renovation project funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The six other shelters sharing funds that Sanders helped secure are:
• Upper Valley Haven in White River Junction; $39,000
• Committee on Temporary Shelter in Burlington; $38,500
• Open Door Mission in Rutland; $35,000
• Morningside Shelter in Brattleboro; $35,000
• Dodge House in Rutland; $30,000
• John Graham Shelter in Vergennes; $30,000
“The expansion and improvement of these seven shelters will provide some comfort and stability to those Vermonters who have lost their homes,” Sanders said. “In fact, these shelters provide homeless Vermonters with not just a place to sleep, but an opportunity to start rebuilding their lives.”
Game warden: Foxes not a problem
Brent Curtis went to the Rutland Police Commission meeting Monday night where the topic was foxes.
A Vermont game warden told Rutland residents who attended the commission meeting that foxes spotted near Northeast Elementary School don't pose a threat.
Have you spotted any foxes or had any run-ins with wildlife?
Feds in Vt. arrest man facing deportation
DERBY LINE — A Honduran man is in custody and facing deportation after he was arrested at a Vermont border crossing while trying to enter Canada.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection says a 41-year-old man identified as J. Enamorado was arrested Sunday by agents at the U.S. Route 5 port of entry in Derby Line.
The agents determined that Enamorado had previously been ordered deported, but he did not leave the country.
CBP officials say Enamorado is now being processed for deportation.
Assistant Port Director Brad Loughran says the arrest shows CBP officers are focused on their jobs of keeping fugitives off the streets.
Vt. delays new welcome center in Bennington
BENNINGTON — Bennington officials say they're not happy that the state of Vermont is delaying for a year plans to open a new welcome center.
Officials in Bennington had been planning to mark the opening of the welcome center and the second section of the Bennington bypass highway project next spring.
But David Burley of the state Department of Buildings and General Services says the original schedule was too aggressive and it would have cost too much to have construction under way on the center during the winter.
The Bennington Banner (http://bit.ly/oxc1QR ) says the project will now be put out for bid in November with construction due to start next spring with the opening in 2013.
The welcome center will feature views of the Bennington Battle Monument and Mount Anthony.
Welch, Shumlin expected at Winter in August
The Winter in August event, which has been moved to the Animas Valley Mall because of the threat of rain, will feature two politicians.
Congressman Peter Welch and Gov. Peter Shumlin are expected to speak at the event.
The pair are both in the area and their schedules
Bernie's most recent poll
Sen. Barnard Sanders is seeking opinions on the economy and Wall Street.
To take Sanders' poll, head on over to Sanders' web site.
Fair Haven board to meet
The Fair Haven Select Board meets tonight at the municipal offices tonight at 7 p.m.
They will discuss the adoption of a Hazard mitigation plan that will be sent to the Rutland Regional Planning Commission.
Discussion on the cemetery deed and a computer user policy from the town's tech committee are also on the agenda at tonight's meeting.
The meeting is slated to end around 9:45 after warrants are approved and signed by the board.
Work proceeds on antique train car site
A vintage train car chugged slightly closer to Rutland last week, metaphorically speaking, as organizers finished siting work for the installation.
The plan remains to put the retired 1913 Vermont Railway car by the downtown station, but Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce executive vice president Tom Donahue said surveying work pushed the planned site farther into the parking lot.
“Instead of putting it right up against the fence, we determined a better location would be 30 feet east where the second line of cars is,” Donahue said.
This location would consume 11 parking spaces, as opposed to nine in the previous plan.
“You can move around the train,” Donahue said. “It'll be much more visible from Merchants Row and it avoids sewer, water and electrical pipes that sit under there. It's a net of two spaces but you gain so much more.”
Next, Donahue said, the chamber needs to get the exact weight of the car so it knows how big a crane it will need to lift the train car. Vermont Rail System will build a rail bed on the chosen site, the crane will lift the car off the track and onto the rail bed, and then a shelter will be built around it — a condition attached to Vermont Rail System's donation of the car to the city.
“If it's in the elements, it rots,'' Donahue said. “This basically protects it from the elements.”
Donahue said they also want to be able to light it up at night and are looking at solar power systems.
“It's more of an open pavilion-type structure,” architect Ed Clark said. “It's kind of based on the rail station that's there.”
Clark said discussions were ongoing on how to best protect the car from vandalism. He said a cage-structure that could be open during the day was possible, but that it was all down to budget.
“The more we add to it, the more cost we have to incur,” he said. “Vandalism is a concern and we're looking at ways to deal with it.”
Donahue said he was staying optimistic about vandalism. He said White River Junction has a similar display that has not suffered any vandalism.
“We're modeling this on White River,” he said. “It's key to have it open so people can see it. White River did a really good job. It's open, they have it lit and there's no vandalism.”
Donahue said the chamber is expecting to need about $40,000 and has $10,000. He said they are looking into the possibility of state transportation enhancement grants.
“We're getting down to it,” he said. “I felt (this) was the closest we've been to getting it done.”
Poultney committee to meet Wednesday
POULTNEY — The Poultney Pedestrian Facilities Scoping Study committee is set to meet this week to discuss updated alternatives to the project.
Gail Henderson-King, landscape planner and architect with the project, will meet with Poultney residents on Wednesday at the Poultney High School library at 6 p.m.
Henderson-King will lead a discussion on the updated alternatives to the pedestrian and bridge project in East Poultney, including the preferred and recommended bridge and sidewalk options and the advantages for each.
Winter in August moved to Diamond Run Mall
Thomas L. Donahue, executive vice president/CEO of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, announced that because of the threat of rain this afternoon, the Winter in August event originally planned for Center Street Alley has been moved to the Diamond Run Mall.
The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. near KMart.
Bennington man charged with pot possession
BENNINGTON – A Park Street man was charged with a felony on Monday after police said they discovered more than half-a-pound of marijuana in his basement on July 15.
Patrick J. Adams, 24, of Bennington, was arraigned in Bennington criminal court for possession of more than two ounces of marijuana. Adams, who was released without bail, pleaded innocent to the charge.
In an affidavit, Officer Andy Hunt of the Bennington Police Department, said he was dispatched to Adams' home on July 15 around 5:20 a.m. for a domestic disturbance. After arriving at the home, a woman there told Hunt that Adams' girlfriend had threatened to harm herself with a weapon.
Hunt said he found the woman in the basement. According to the affidavit, the woman was no longer in possession of a weapon but Hunt said the woman gave him permission to enter the basement, at his request, so he could speak with her.
While he was in the basement, Hunt said he saw an open black trash bag filled with what he believed was marijuana. Police confiscated the suspected marijuana and weighed it at the police station.
According to Hunt, the material weighed 9.4 ounces or about 0.58 pounds.
If convicted, Adams, whose criminal history includes convictions for possession of marijuana, resisting arrest and possession of stolen property, could be sentenced up to three years in prison.
Man accused of assault in Bennington
BENNINGTON – A School Street man is facing a mandatory minimum of one year in jail after police said he punched another man while taking his wallet on June 6 in Bennington.
Christopher J. Hulbert, 20, of Bennington, was arraigned on Monday in Bennington criminal court on a felony charge of assault and robbery with bodily injury resulting. The charge, to which Hulbert pleaded innocent, carries a mandatory minimum penalty of one year in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
In an affidavit, Officer William DiNunzio, of the Bennington Police Department, said he met with Donald Morse, 18, and his father on June 12. Morse said he had been assaulted on Main Street around 9 p.m.
Morse told police he was riding a bicycle on Main Street when two men ran up to him. One of the men, who Morse later identified as Hulbert, wrestled him to the ground and took his wallet and cellular phone, according to Morse's statement, while another man poked his fingers in Morse's eyes and knocked him off the bicycle.
DiNunzio said Morse picked Hulbert's photograph, and the second man's photograph, from a photographic line-up on June 26.
According to the Bennington County State's Attorney's office, charges are pending against the second man.
DiNunzio said Hulbert gave police a written statement on July 2 which said that he had given Morse $130 for a game but never received the game. Hulbert said Morse wouldn't answer his phone so Hulbert “started looking for him.”
Hulbert, who does not have a criminal record, was released without bail on Monday.
Manchester chamber announces concert
The Manchester and the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce will host "Manchester¹s own Susan (Pufahl) Robinson and her husband Dana to a special performance on August 16th at 6PM on the Factory Point Green."
They had this to say about the duo:
"Dana and Susan Robinson are two guitar-playing, banjo-frailing, fiddle-sawing, and harmony-singing interpreters of the American experience. Their unique blend of contemporary songwriting and traditional Appalachian music bring to their performances a deep understanding of Americas musical heritage."
Volunteers needed
SPRINGFIELD — Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont is looking for volunteers who are comfortable with computers to help seniors with Medicare D enrollment.
Training is provided.
For more information, call Marlene Eddy at 885-6636 or toll-free 1-866-673-8376, ext. 130.
Dear Washington
Jason Gibbs, former spokesman for Gov. James Douglas, candidate for Secretary of State, and current marketing guru for Ski Vermont, asked a question on his Facebook page that I think just about everybody would agree with.
"...Dear Washington DC: Enough already. We'd really like to see a real and persuasive plan to create more and better paying private sector jobs."
As you can imagine, the initial comments on his post are all supportive.
It seems everybody is looking for some leadership out of their leaders.
Red Sox win behind Ortiz
MINNEAPOLIS — David Ortiz had four hits and three RBIs, delivering the go-ahead single with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to an 8-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.
Ortiz, a former Twin, hit a two-run homer in the sixth and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Jarrod Saltalamacchia added a homer and two RBIs to help the Red Sox win for the fifth time in seven games and move 1½ games ahead of the idle New York Yankees in the AL East.
Marco Scutaro chipped in three hits and Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 25th save.
Jason Kubel had a homer among his three hits and two RBIs for the Twins, who have lost five in a row.
Alfredo Aceves (8-1) gave up one run in an inning in relief of Tim Wakefield for the victory. Wakefield gave up five runs — three earned — and eight hits with five strikeouts.
Glen Perkins (3-2) gave up two runs — one earned — in 1 2-3 innings to take the loss.
Vt. school shooter seeks new trial
BURLINGTON — The man serving three life sentences for killing two teachers during a Vermont shooting spree five years ago is seeking a new trial.
Thirty-two-year-old Christopher Williams claims his attorneys and the judge in the case made repeated errors and he should be acquitted or at least given a new trial.
On Aug. 24, 2006 Williams shot four people, two fatally, during a rampage through Essex, including at a local elementary school, after the ending of a romantic relationship with a teacher.
Williams says he is seeking “relief with legal merit.”
The Burlington Free Press says Williams claims his defense attorneys at trial and during appeals were ineffective, and that the judge made rulings that were legally unsound.
A hearing is set for October.
11-year-old girl laid to rest
CANAAN, NH — Family members and friends are gathering to mourn the loss of a northern New Hampshire girl in the school gymnasium where she played basketball. Eleven-year-old Celina Cass, whose body was found week ago in the Connecticut River, was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Lancaster on Monday. The celebration of her life was scheduled Monday night at the Canaan School gymnasium with more than 200 people expected to attend. Samples of the girl's art work as well as photographs, stuffed animals, and notes and other keepsakes sat on tables that flanked the podium where a picture of Cass was placed. Her death has been called suspicious but an autopsy failed to pin down the cause of her death and toxicology tests are pending.
