Glover

NEWPORT — According to the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center one Vermonter dies by suicide every three days in Vermont, and for every suicide, there are 32 attempts.

Northeast Kingdom Human Services has taken these statistics seriously and since January has provided over twenty training sessions in the area.

NKHS has adopted the evidence-based training platform of “Zero Suicide” and QPR.

QPR stands for question, persuade, and refer.

The training provides the education about how to question someone who may be suicidal, how to persuade them that it is okay to need help, and how to refer those struggling to get the help they need.

Suicide has long been something that is uncomfortable to discuss.

This training is a way to provide the tools and language to take the stigma around suicide away.

The other part of the training that is important, is recognizing the social pressures that many of our youth are facing today.

Social media ads a component of pressure and social maneuvering that was never present in the past.

These training sessions help children and adults recognize the realities that local children are living with today, and how to seek help when they need it.

Many children feel that they should not tell an adult about a friend who is suicidal, because they do not want to lose their friend.

Part of the training is encouraging people that it is better to lose a friend than lose a life.

Providing training to school teachers and college professors, parents, and students is taking the destigmatization and education around suicide to the next level.

When the program was implemented at NKHS, they provided just one training in November and one in December.

NKHS also participated in two wellness fairs to educate and raise awareness for suicide prevention, one at the Blue Mountain School, and one at St. Johnsbury Academy, as part of a community suicide awareness evening.

Both events were packed, which showed organizers the need for outreach and education even more.

The requests for these training sessions are increasing dramatically which shows the direct need for this service in the local community.

Glover Community School is the first school in the region to be creating a pilot program, where the training will be done in a three-part series, with staff first, then parents, then students.

The staff training session at the school has already been completed.

GLOVER — A sugarhouse was found destroyed by fire yesterday in Glover.

The incident took place at 760 Young Road.

Police say Merle Young Jr. arrived at the property at 9:00 a.m. to find the building completely burned.

Young had been at the property on March 3 with family members attempting to thaw frozen water pipes.

He left at approximately 7:00 p.m.

Police say during the night the building caught fire, going unnoticed and completely burning until it self extinguished.

Glover Assistant Chief Jobe Breitmeyer contacted the Department of Public Safety Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit to request assistance with an origin and cause investigation.

Authorities say the cause of the fire could not be determined because of the complete destruction and consumption of all combustible materials.

Police say the fire is not considered suspicious at this time.

GLOVER — Police are investigating a single-vehicle crash that took place northbound on I-91 this morning.

At around 7:45 a.m. police were notified of the crash near mile marker 153 in the town of Glover.

The uninjured driver was identified as a 17-year-old man from Waterford.

Police say the driver told them that a silver Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck went to pass him and then swerved, causing him to lose control of his vehicle.

According to the driver, the pickup truck sped away without stopping.

Police say the truck is described as having a blue bumper sticker with white lettering on the driver’s side bumper, and a Vermont plate.

The driver of the Silverado is also reported to have been a male.

Anyone with any information regarding this truck is being asked to contact Corporal Amy LeClair, at 802-334-8881.

GLOVER — Three men from Connecticut are accused of stealing a 1931 Ford that was being stored in Glover, as well as being in possession of heroin at the time.

At around 8 p.m. last Wednesday, police say they were on the lookout for a stolen antique 1931 Ford Model A that had been taken from a barn in Glover, owned by 52-year-old Brian Perron

The classic automobile was witnessed being loaded onto a trailer with Connecticut plates by a neighbor who watched the whole thing take place with a pair of binoculars.

Another neighbor tipped Perron off that the vehicle was stolen when he saw it being hauled down the road, thinking it had been sold.

Shortly after reporting the theft to police, troopers observed a vehicle matching the description headed southbound on Interstate 91 in Ryegate.

Police stopped the vehicle, and during the course of the investigation learned of heroin inside.

David Whalen, 32, Jason Tamborini, 39, and Daniel Garrita, 32, all of Middletown, CT, were taken into custody for grand larceny and possession of heroin.

All three men were lodged for lack of bail.

GLOVER — The death of a 41-year-old Newport man found in the Barton River has been ruled an accidental drowning by Vermont’s Chief Medical Examiner.

Travis Stuart went missing last Tuesday while working at a farm in Glover. A tractor he was using was found at the edge of a field at around 11:30 a.m., but Stuart was gone. He was last seen tedding hay at the farm, near the Junction of VT-16 and VT-122.

When he did not report back to the farm or his home in Newport, his mother became increasingly concerned and notified police.

Authorities began searching for Stuart that evening. At around 10 a.m. on Wednesday they located his body in the Barton River, approximately a half a mile from where he went missing.

His death has been ruled an accidental drowning.

Stuart was remembered by many in the area as a hard working, reliable and friendly man.

The Glover Community Church will be holding a remembrance lunch on Saturday in honor of Stuart.