Lyndonville

LYNDON — Police are investigating a reported assault/abduction that took place early Sunday morning.

The incident occurred near the dorm area of Lyndon Institute at around 1 a.m.

Police say a male subject believed to be approximately 5’8” to 5’10” attempted to grab a female who had been walking alone near the parking area of the lower practice fields at the time.

The female victim was able to get away, and no injuries were reported.

Lyndonville Police Chief Jack Harris notified Lyndon Institute staff of the incident.

Anyone with information regarding this case is being asked to contact Lyndonville Police at 802-626-1271.

LYNDONVILLE — An arrest has been made following a fatal hit-and-run that took place in Lyndonville on Saturday.

According to police, interviews and surveillance video showed the operator of the vehicle at the time of the crash was Gary Hale, 41, Lyndonville.

On Saturday, members of the Vermont State Police located the victim, identified as Mattie Lynn Hale, 46, of Lyndon, deceased just off the travel portion of Route 5 in the town of Lyndonville.

Police say the woman sustained multiple injuries consistent with that of being struck by a vehicle, and evidence at the scene suggested that the vehicle involved in the crash was a silver Ford Fiesta.

Police later located a silver Ford Fiesta with heavy front-end damage at an apartment complex in Lyndonville.

After locating the vehicle, the driver and the passenger were found at a nearby residence.

Gary Hale was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with death resulting, which is a felony. He was lodged at the Northeast Correctional Facility for lack of $15,000 bail.

The passenger, Katrina Haslam, 47, also of Lyndonville, was charged with accessory after the fact and was released with a citation.

Both Gary Hale and Katrina Haslam will appear in Caledonia Superior Court on Monday.

LYNDON — An 80-year-old woman from Lyndon was killed in a single-vehicle crash on I-91 this morning.

Police say she was a passenger in the vehicle and identified as Hugette Thompson. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at around 9:40 a.m.

The driver, Richard Thompson, 85, also of Lyndon, was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained in the crash.

Police say Thompson entered I-91 South at exit 24, and was traveling on an uphill grade and around a left curve.

The car drove off the right-hand side of the road and onto a grassy shoulder, where it traveled approximately 200 feet through the grass before striking a rock outcropping and overturning onto its roof.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to call 802-748-3111 and ask for Trooper Lewis.

LYNDONVILLE – A proposal to unify Lyndon State College and Johnson State College under one administration is moving forward.

Spearheaded by Chancellor of Vermont State Colleges, Jeb Spaulding, the merging of the two schools would create one larger and expectantly stronger college with two distinct campuses, each with its own identity.

According to the proposal, Lyndon and Johnson will share administration and academic programs while retaining their names.

Spaulding presented the recommendation to the Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees and received a provisional approval to combine the colleges by July 1, 2017, with Dr. Elaine Collins as the recommended president of the unified college.

The board of trustees will make a final decision, based on a unification report and analysis by Spaulding, at a trustee meeting in September.

According to Spaulding, unification will combine the best qualities of the colleges, increase opportunities for students, focus limited resources on students and learning, and allow both campuses to succeed.

“I understand that unification represents significant change, and that the Lyndon family has had its share of change in the past few months,” a statement issued by Spaulding reads. “At a time when all of our colleges are challenged by external pressures like declining demographics, increased competition, low state support, and competition from new delivery modes, we must be proactive and position ourselves for a strong future. We must reach a critical mass of students in order to balance budgets. Shared administration and robust academic programs will help us get there.”

The unified college will have a single accreditation and budget, and each campus will have its own identity.

The NCAA has confirmed that each campus is allowed to have its own mascot and array of sports teams under the unified model. The Lyndon State Hornets and the Johnson State Badgers would continue to compete in a Division III conference.

LYNDONVILLE — Lyndon State College unveiled the third and final phase of Veterans Park, a “Wall of Honor” plaque displaying the names of LSC faculty, staff, and students who have served in the armed forces. It was part of the annual Veterans Day ceremonies held on the Northeast Kingdom campus.

Now officially complete, the Veterans Park is comprised of the lettering on the wall overlooking the pond, a memorial bench with the seals from all branches of our military, and the Wall of Honor. Every year on Veterans Day, new names will be added to the wall as the list of recognized LSC service men and women continues to grow.

Today’s event, put on by the Lyndon State College Veterans Association, paid tribute to the 120 current and former faculty, staff, and student veterans. Current LSC Veterans Association president Heather Morris recited the names from Lyndon’s new Wall of Honor.

“Throughout Lyndon’s 100 plus year history, faculty, staff and students, both men and women, have faithfully served in America’s Armed Forces,” said Thom Anderson, LSC Veterans Association advisor and Associate Academic Dean. “These sons and daughters of Lyndon have demonstrated their willingness to put country before self, patriots who serve for the greater good and who don’t seek glory or recognition or personal gain.”

Lyndon State College was recently given the 2016 Military Friendly School Designation from Victory Media.

Currently, Lyndon has 45 veterans enrolled at the college, 38 of whom receive some sort of tuition benefit. There are also 14 students who are dependents of veterans who are receiving tuition benefits so that they may attain a college degree.

Lyndon is also a member of the Yellow Ribbon Program, which makes additional funds and scholarships available for veterans beyond the GI Bill entitlement. Military spouses also receive tuition benefits at Lyndon State College, and out-of-state veterans are eligible for in-state tuition rates.

LYNDONVILLE — Police have arrested a Newark man after they say he drove his vehicle into the Miss Lyndonville Diner on Monday evening.

The incident happened at around 9:45 p.m., when police received a call of a motor vehicle crash at the Miss Lyndonville Diner on Broad Street.

Responding troopers located a man who was later identified as Jared Anderson, 24, of Newark, walking away from the scene.

Police say Anderson had driven his vehicle into the diner causing damage, and that he was under the influence of intoxicants at the time of operation.

Anderson refused to take a preliminary breath test. Police say he also provided false statements as to his involvement in the collision.
 
He was taken into custody and processed at the St. Johnsbury Barracks for the charges of DUI, false information to a law enforcement officer, and leaving the scene of an accident. He was issued a citation to appear in Caledonia Court at a later date.
 
Police say the case is still under investigation pending the execution of a search warrant.

Anyone who witnessed or has information regarding this incident is asked to contact Trooper Rancourt at the St. Johnsbury barracks.

LYNDONVILLE — Police say that a lone male robbed a store in Lyndonville at knifepoint.

Vermont State Police received a call at 5:30 a.m. regarding an armed robbery that took place at the M & M Beverage Center in Lyndonville.

Police say the man entered the store, displayed a knife, and demanded money from the store clerk.

The store clerk gave the man all the cash in the register, and the man took off on foot.

The suspect is described as being approximately 5’09” to 5’11”, and around 170-180 pounds. He was wearing a neon green T-shirt, dark colored sweat pants at the time. He also had a red bandanna covering his face.

No one was injured during the robbery.

The Vermont State Police and Lyndonville Police Department are continuing with the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Vermont State Police in St. Johnsbury at 802-748-3111.

Below is a surveillance photo from the incident:

LYNDONVILLE — State police say that a woman hit a black bear while traveling on Interstate 91 on Tuesday.

The accident took place in the southbound lane, between St. Johnsbury and Lyndonville, at around 9:15 p.m.

Melissa Bushey, 45, of Barnet, was nearing mile marker 134 when the bear came down into the roadway. Bushey was unable to avoid the collision.

Police say that after the accident Bushey drove to the State Police Barracks in St. Johnsbury, to report hitting the animal.

Her vehicle sustained minor damage to the front bumper and undercarriage, but she was uninjured.

The bear was later located and removed from the roadway.

LYNDONVILLE — The annual Northeast Kingdom College Night for high school students and parents will be held on Monday, March 30 on the campus of Lyndon State College.

The free college fair runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. High school sophomores, juniors, and their parents are particularly encouraged to attend to meet admissions representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities from New England and across the U.S. offering liberal arts as well as technical and business-oriented studies.

Back by popular demand, the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. will offer free college planning workshops before, starting at 4:15 p.m., and after the college fair. Topics include finding colleges that fit, specifics on how to apply, SAT/ACT test prep and strategies, writing an admissions essay that sets you apart, and navigating college costs and financial aid.

Free food will be provided to workshop attendees, and attendees will be entered in drawings for a chance to win an iPad Mini or $500 college savings account.

For more information and to register for workshops, visit http://www.vsac.org/CollegePathways.

Students and parents say the workshops offer important information and insights to the college process.

“It’s awesome to see all these people here because they’re all going through the same steps as me and I know everyone’s feeling the same,” Mount Mansfield Union High School student after past workshop in Chittenden County.

Don’t miss this great opportunity, a double feature with two programs in one night, for Northeast Kingdom students and families to get information and resources needed for applying and preparing for college.

LYNDONVILLE — Police are looking for a driver who hit a pedestrian in Lyndonville early Tuesday morning, leaving the man injured before fleeing the scene.

Police say that the incident happened at around 12:15 a.m., when Joel Boucher, 25, of Lyndonville, was walking south on the edge of the northbound lane of Broad Street.

He was in front of the Passumpsic Bank when a dark colored Jeep, traveling north, struck him.

Police say that the driver of the Jeep did not stop to see if Boucher was hurt, instead, continued to travel north into Lyndonville.

Boucher was injured during the hit-and-run, sustaining injuries to the left side of his body.

Vermont State Police are requesting anyone with any information regarding this incident to call the Vermont State Police at: 802-748-3111 or NEK Crime Stoppers at: 748-2222.

LYNDONVILLE — Police are saying that a 65-year-old man from Lyndonville was hospitalized after being assaulted on Sunday by three men while he was inside his car.

The incident happened Sunday night at around 11:15 p.m., at Nick’s Gas and Go.

The victim, Almond Fletcher, told police he had been assaulted by the men while he was parked behind the gas station.

He described one of the men as being shorter, with dark hair and a beard, possibly in his 20’s.

Fletcher suffered injuries after the attack requiring him to stay at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital for treatment.

Police have not yet released descriptions on any of the other attackers. The investigation is ongoing and State Police are asking anyone with information to contact Trooper Jason Haley at 802-748-3111.

LYNDONVILLE — Lyndon State College’s Electronic Journalism Arts Department has been ranked sixth in an annual nationwide survey in NewsPro magazine. The 2014 poll was distributed on TVWeek.com and to members of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), with 673 respondents participating.

The University of Missouri at Columbia’s School of Journalism handily claimed the top spot in the 2014 survey, trailed by second-place University of Georgia and third-place Northwestern University. Lyndon, with a total enrollment of 1,400, was the smallest school to make the list; Missouri boasts 2,250 students in the journalism department and a total enrollment of more than 34,000.

According to the NewsPro article, “The Electronic Journalism Arts department at 1,400-student Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vt., had a strong showing for the second straight year — and, like the Missouri School, was favored for its in-the-trenches approach to teaching.” Lyndon is one of a handful of colleges in the country that produce and broadcast a daily televised news program staffed entirely by students.

In addition to the News7 telecasts, students in the department produce content for web, mobile, and print-based media. Together, these real world experiences form Lyndon’s Vermont Center for Community Journalism (VCCJ), the capstone activity for the department’s majors. The program has won more than 80 regional and national awards in the last 10 years.

One news professional explained to NewsPro, “Lyndon State College is a small school made up of a very few students in the Broadcast Journalism Department. The students turn out a nightly, live broadcast of local news in the Northeast Kingdom and surrounding towns of Vermont (and New Hampshire). Not only has this journalism program taken home Emmy awards, they consistently turn out an amazing 5:30 broadcast on the backs of only the students!”

A statement from the department’s faculty noted, “The Electronic Journalism Arts department is extremely honored to see Lyndon State College in the top 6 list of leading graduate and undergraduate journalism education programs in the United States. The survey results verify that our graduates leave with the skills and work ethic needed to make a positive impression in the industry.”

College President Joe Bertolino added, “Hats off to all the hard working students, faculty, and staff for making this happen.”

Syracuse University and Columbia University tied for fourth place, while Arizona State University and the University of Oklahoma tied for fifth place. Rounding out the top 10 were Indiana University, Boston University, New York University, and the University of Florida.

A total of 607 of 673 respondents answered the question about their professional status; of those, 260 (42.8%) said they were news professionals. Additionally, 169 (27.8%) answered non-news professionals, 104 (17.1%) identified as students, and 74 (12.2%) said they were educators.

FERDINAND — A 52-year-old woman was taken to North Country Hospital before being transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center on Saturday, after crashing her snowmobile in the town of Ferdinand.

Authorities say that Renee Martin, of Bow, New Hampshire, was traveling with several other snowmobilers west on the VAST 142 Trail at around 11:30 a.m., when she attempted to negotiate a sharp curve near a stream crossing. Martin traveled off the trail on the side of a bridge, crashing into several rocks in the stream.

She ended up pinned under her snowmobile in the stream before being rescued by the other snowmobilers riding with her.

Lyndon Rescue and the Brighton Fire Department responded to the scene.

Martin was transported to North Country Hospital and then transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. According to a statement issued by the Vermont State Police, Martin suffered a “significant lower body injury.”

The crash is sill being investigated by members of the State Police Recreational Enforcement Division from the Derby Barracks.