Newport

NEWPORT — The Newport Police Department is investigating a weekend burglary at Harvest Equipment.

Police were dispatched to 29 Industrial Drive, for a report of a break-in on Sunday, at 8:44 p.m.

Police say the building’s glass front doors were shattered using a tractor hitch.

A variety of items had been stolen from the facility, including 13 chainsaws, a set of four John Deere Gator rims, and tires and a guitar.

Newport Police are actively investigating this incident and ask that anyone with information call Officer Colin Sykes at 802-334-6733.

NEWPORT — Police say they recently arrested a man in connection with a home burglary in Newport.

Joshua Mandigo, 23, of Newport, was arrested and charged with burglary.

Back in October police were dispatched to Glen Road for a report of a burglary.

Police say several items had been stolen, including a rifle, jewelry, gold coins, and cash.

During a separate investigation, Newport Police took possession of a suspicious firearm magazine, which was subsequently identified as one of the magazines stolen from the burglary victim.

The victim’s in-home surveillance system captured the burglary and investigating officers were able to identify Mandigo, who was known to police, as the suspect.

Officers located Mandigo at a home on Outlook Street, where he was located and taken into custody without incident.

Police say a search of the home yielded many of the items described as having been stolen from the victim’s residence, as well as another firearm that was reported stolen following a car break-in a week prior in Newport.

Mandigo had also removed a court-ordered GPS tracking device, and as a result, was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Vermont Department of Corrections.

The investigation remains active and ongoing, and Mandigo remains in the custody of the Department of Corrections.

NEWPORT — A convicted sex offender from Newport was recently sentenced to serve three to five years in prison.

The Orleans County State’s Attorney’s Office says that on October 22, 2019, 27-year-old Ryan John was in court for a sentencing hearing.

John pled guilty to a felony charge of aggravated domestic assault, a misdemeanor charge of sex offender registry failure, and a misdemeanor charge of false information to a law enforcement officer.

He was also facing two misdemeanor charges of violating conditions of release.

According to court records, the assault charge stems from an incident in 2018 when John allegedly shot a woman with a BB gun inside a vehicle.

Court records state that the BB was lodged 2 inches into her skin, and she needed to contact a surgeon to have it removed.

NEWPORT — Yesterday, to kick off Orleans County Capitol for a Day, Governor Phil Scott took a tour of Ready Set Grow and Newport Head Start.

The Governor and his staff were welcomed by community partners who helped get the innovative early childcare center off the ground.

Meeting with staff members, touring the playground and even stopping to color for a bit with some of the children, Governor Scott and his team said they were impressed with the facility.

“The Newport Early Childhood Center shows us what’s possible when local partners come together and think outside the box to serve their community,” Gov. Scott shared on social media.

Scott started his visit to Orleans County with a cabinet meeting at the Northern Star at the Gateway Center, before heading to the Newport Early Childhood Center.

He then went our a tour of the Northern State Correctional Facility, before lunch at the Coventry Village School.

After lunch, there was a presentation of the Spirit of the ADA Award to EM Brown & Son, in Barton, and a tour of Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend.

NEWPORT — At a recent statewide conference, The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board honored Tracy Zschau with the John Nutting Community Catalyst Award for her work on Bluffside Farm on the shores of Lake Memphremagog in Newport, and for her conservation work in the Northeast Kingdom over 22 years.

“Bluffside is very special for the community of Newport, for Vermont’s recreational economy, and for the ecology of the lake,” said Gus Seelig, Executive Director of VHCB.

In partnership with the City of Newport, VLT has been raising funds to build a bridge and bike path on the farm, connecting it to downtown Newport and with a recreational corridor that extends to the Canadian border.

“VLT’s involvement in Bluffside Farm was a turning point for Newport’s emerging outdoor recreation economy,” said Jessica Booth, Newport Parks and Recreation Director. “Tracy’s involvement has been a key to our success in developing connected bike paths around the lake.”

Facing a foreclosure auction in 2015, the Scott family, who had owned and cared for the property for many years approached VLT in hope of protecting the land.

After news of the foreclosure became public and the community spoke out in support of conservation, VLT purchased the farm.

With several large fields, mature forest and ecologically important sites, the 129-acre property sits between two unconnected recreational paths inside the city limits.

Given its significance, Zschau and others at VLT have worked tirelessly to collaborate with the community in establishing a vision for its future that protects the fields and forest while advancing community goals around recreation, education and economic development.

“This award is a shared honor with so many at VLT and the City of Newport who have played roles in our evolving and expanding work at Bluffside Farm,” said Tracy Zschau. “This project has taught us so much about the power of collective impact.”