Newport

NEWPORT — This Thursday the Journey to Recovery Community Center at the United Church is inviting the public to meet the new executive director, and take part in a free barbecue and concert.

The event will take place on September 19, starting at 5:00 p.m.

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet new director Shawn Gallagher and enjoy a very special presentation by musician Ben Fuller.

A Vermont native and country singer, Fuller, sold everything and moved to Nashville to make a name for himself in the country music realm.

Along the road, he faced his demons and found his purpose and drive.

He is committed to working to bridge the gap between individuals with and without substance use disorder, through music, encouraging dialogue on the topic with the intention of reducing stigma and bringing attention to the opioid epidemic.

NEWPORT — Mosquitoes collected in Newport City have tested positive for West Nile virus at the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory.

Each week, mosquitoes are collected at various locations around the state by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. 

As of August 27, the Department of Health Laboratory tested 11 mosquito pools, a group of up to 50 mosquitoes of the same species, collected in Newport City.

One of these pools tested positive for West Nile virus.

During the summer months, mosquitoes are regularly monitored at sites around the state for mosquito-borne diseases.

When the virus is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, most people don’t get sick, but some get symptoms like fever, joint pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The sickness can become quite serious in some people, and those age 50 or older are at the highest risk.

Only around one out of every 150 cases develop serious symptoms which primarily affect the central nervous system.

Vermont hasn’t had any reported human cases so far this year but the virus is consistently found in the state year after year since the disease was brought to the United States from overseas in the late 1990s.

COVENTRY — This Saturday, Washington Electric Co-op (WEC) is inviting its members and the public to tour its generation plant at Coventry Landfill.

Visitors are invited to learn how landfill gas is harnessed to become clean electricity that powers approximately 6,000 Vermont homes.

WEC’s Open House complements the Open House simultaneously hosted by Casella Waste Systems, owner and operator of Coventry Landfill.

Visitors to Coventry Landfill may enjoy facility tours, food, family activities, and door prizes.
Organizers say the event is on rain or shine.

About two-thirds of WEC’s electricity comes from its power plant that burns methane released from decomposing landfill waste.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas if released into the atmosphere.

In landfills, this gas is considered a renewable resource.

The Coventry power plant captures methane to create electricity.

“We love showing people that in Vermont, garbage can be used to turn on your lights and charge your electric car,” said WEC General Manager Patty Richards. “Instead of just flaring and burning the methane, we work with our partners at Casella to keep methane out of the atmosphere and put it to good use.”

NEWPORT — The Newport Police Department says they are investigating after a motorcycle was vandalized over the weekend.

On Saturday, Sept. 7, at approximately 9:14 a.m, Newport Police were dispatched to a Union Street home for a report of vandalism to a motorcycle.

Upon arrival, officers learned that the vehicle’s owner discovered it on its side.

Through an on-scene investigation, officers determined that the Harley Davidson’s gas tank has been punctured multiple times, as had the front fender and the leather seat.

The damage costs were estimated at $4,900.

The owner of the motorcycle could not identify anyone who could be a suspect, though a relative noted that she’d seen a man behaving suspiciously a few days before the incident and had seen the motorcycle on its side at that time.

Newport Police are actively investigating this incident and encourage anyone who feels they have information about the case to contact the department at 802-334-6733.

NEWPORT – Newport is set to receive a $100,000 community development grant.

Last week Gov­er­nor Phil Scott joined lo­cal, state and fed­eral part­ners to an­nounce over $2.7 mil­lion in com­mu­nity de­vel­op­ment grants to ten com­mu­ni­ties in six dif­fer­ent coun­ties through­out the state.

This grant to the city of New­port will go to sup­port the ren­o­va­tions and up­grades to the Gard­ner Park recre­ational fa­cil­ity.

“These grants al­low a com­mu­nity to iden­tify its own needs and work with part­ners to make it hap­pen, which is an ap­proach that makes a lot of sense and has been suc­cess­ful,” said Gov­er­nor Phil Scott. “Through new hous­ing, im­proved in­fra­struc­ture, re­stored his­toric build­ings and greater sup­port ser­vices to the most vul­ner­a­ble fam­i­lies, these grants strengthen Ver­mon­t’s com­mu­ni­ties, and when paired with lo­cal tax in­cen­tives gen­er­ate eco­nomic ac­tiv­ity to help them grow.”

NEWPORT — Police in Massachusetts say on Thursday they arrested three people, two of which are residents of Newport, for carrying a variety of drugs on I-91.

According to the report, at around 3:00 a.m. they stopped the vehicle in the northbound lanes of I-91 in Bernardston, when the driver allegedly failed to use the appropriate lane of the highway.

Once the vehicle was stopped, troopers found the driver, identified as Luke Perry, 30, of Newport, operating with a suspended license.

As he was arrested, troopers noticed a pipe apparently used to smoke crack cocaine on the floor of the vehicle and requested a drug-sniffing K-9 for a search of the vehicle.

Two passengers were removed from the car for the search, which police say turned up crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, and approximately 500 individual bags of heroin.

All three people riding in the car were arrested.

Perry was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws, possession of a Class A drug with the intent to distribute, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a motor vehicle equipment violation and a marked lanes violation.

A passenger in the vehicle, Eddie Torres, 33, of Bronx, NY, was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws, resisting arrest, possession of a Class A substance with the intent to distribute, carrying a dangerous weapon and failure to wear a seatbelt.

A second passenger, 29-year-old Mandie-Rae Perry, also of Newport, was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws, and possession of a Class A substance with the intent to distribute.

Police say all three were held pending arraignment in Greenfield District Court.

NEWPORT — The Children’s Literacy Foundation has awarded 10 At-Risk Children grants to New Hampshire and Vermont organizations serving low-income, at-risk, and rural children ages 12 and under for fall 2019.

Newport Head Start and Early Head Start were one of the award winners.

The grant provides a storytelling event with one of CLiF’s more than 65 professional authors, illustrators, or storytellers, an optional family discussion on the importance of reading together and tips for helping children develop strong literacy skills, a new onsite library of children’s books for the program partner, and two new books for each child to choose.

“The importance of literacy and family engagement is crucial for the academic and social development of our youth, and the opportunities that CLiF provide allow for programs with minimal funding resources that work with at-risk youth to be able to encourage, offer, and support literacy and family engagement in their programs and communities,” Forrest Carter from the Seabrook Adventure Zone said.

NEWPORT — SaVida Health, an outpatient medication-assisted treatment for opioid and alcohol addiction, is opening a new treatment center in Newport.

The center is scheduled to open September 12, and is located in the Hood Building at 79 Coventry Street, Suite 4C.

SaVida Health Newport will be the company’s third location in Vermont, with other practices in Bennington and Springfield.

The center will be administering medications like Suboxone, Sublocade, and Vivitrol, and clinical professionals will also deliver treatment that includes medical care, counseling, case management, and long-term support through either weekly, biweekly or monthly visits.

In particular, SaVida focuses on addressing the social determinants of health to support its patients who might be experiencing circumstances like food insecurity, homelessness, or unemployment.

This comprehensive and integrated approach to recovery is widely accepted as the most effective form of outpatient treatment for opioid and alcohol addiction today.

“While methadone is an option for patients requiring a highly structured daily program, there are far more benefits to the buprenorphine-based medicines we prescribe,” said Dr. Sue Cary, medical director at SaVida Health.

Unlike methadone, there is no euphoric high or cognitive impairment with buprenorphine. Because there is a ceiling effect, dose levels can be decreased over time. With methadone, patients build up a tolerance which requires an increase in dosage over time. Also, it is easier for most people to reclaim their lives with scheduled, weekly or monthly appointments” said Dr. Sue Cary, medical director at SaVida Health.

SaVida Health Newport is currently accepting patients for the week of September 12.

Once open SaVida says they can see most patients either the same day or the next business day.

NEWPORT — Vermont Route 191 in Newport, also known as the city’s “access road” to Interstate 91, has reopened.

Crews say during the closure they have completed the full-depth reconstruction of the roadway and replacement of the culvert located approximately 30 feet below.

The closed section of the road which began approximately one mile west of the Interstate 91 interchange and extended approximately 1,450 feet has been reopened to through traffic.

Route 191 will experience daily lane closures with one-way alternating traffic and shoulder closures with two-way traffic maintained throughout the duration of the project.

The project is anticipated to be completed in November 2019.

A combination of layers of rock, groundwater, and poor soil conditions have caused continuous slope movements since the construction of the roadway in 1971.

The Route 191 project was developed to address these conditions and prevent future slope movements from deteriorating the roadway further.

NEWPORT — A Newport Police cruiser was involved in a crash last night following a vehicle pursuit.

At around 10:10 p.m. on Wednesday, a Newport Police officer monitoring traffic on Mt. Vernon Street says he observed two vehicles traveling east in a 25 m.p.h. zone, including an SUV and a red sedan believed to be a Volkswagen Jetta.

Police say the sedan passed the SUV at a speed of 72 m.p.h.

The officer immediately activated his lights and sirens and pursued the sedan onto Pine Hill Road, east onto 191 Access Road and then east onto Schuler Road, where both vehicles lost traction.

Police say the sedan regained control and fled the scene without crashing, while the cruiser left the roadway and crashed into a tree.

The officer was transported from the scene with non-life threatening injuries and has since been released from North Country Hospital. 

Anyone with information about the red sedan involved in this incident is being asked to contact Newport Police at 802-334-6733.