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Police investigating after dogs killed in Albany

Published on in Albany/Newport/News

ALBANY — A local family is grieving after their dogs were killed, and state police say they are investigating to find out who may be responsible.

The dog’s names were Tyler and Casper and belonged to a family in Albany.

On Tuesday, August 13, the animals went missing from the family home sometime between 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.

Police say on August 17, two deceased dogs matching those belonging to the victim were found near Town Hill Road near the intersection of Manley Road in the town of Wolcott.

A fisherman and his son found them thrown over a guardrail at the road.

Tyler had been a pet for almost 12 years, and the family had owned Casper for just over 3 years.

Police say both dogs were healthy and did not suffer from medical ailments at the time they were last seen.

Anyone with information in regards to the incident is asked to contact the Vermont State Police Derby Barracks at 802-334-8881.

You can also contact “Justice for Tyler and Casper” at (802) 673-2466, and visit their facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Justice-for-Tyler-and-Casper-111991490162562/

Newport City Promise Community Early Care and Learning Center achieves 3 STARS

Published on in Newport/News

NEWPORT — The Newport City Promise Community Early Care and Learning Center has been awarded 3 Stars by Vermont’s Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS).

Participants receive recognition for demonstrating quality programming that exceeds licensing requirements by the State of Vermont.

This achievement represents great effort and serious commitment on the part of the center.

“This achievement confirms the Newport City Promise Community Early Care and Learning Center’s commitment to providing quality early childhood programming,” Reeva Sullivan Murphy, Deputy Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families, said.

The STARS program is Vermont’s quality recognition system for registered home providers, licensed programs including children’s centers and school-based Pre-Kindergarten programs, and school-age programs.

Programs are recognized for achievements in five areas:

1. Compliance with licensing regulations.
2. Qualifications and training of program staff.
3. The program’s connections with families and with the community.
4. The practices of the program and its strategies for improvement.
5. The strength of the programs operating policies and business practices.

Awards for achievements in these areas begin at one star and increase to five stars.

The Newport City Promise Community Early Care and Learning Center is located at the United Church on 3rd Street in Newport.

The center serves infants and toddlers and has a full-day preschool program for 3 to 5 years old.

$250,000 awarded to help grow outdoor recreation economy of the NEK

Published on in Newport/News/Northeast Kingdom/Vermont

NEWPORT — More money and organizational support will be available in 2020 for NEK towns and nonprofits working to expand or improve local trail-based outdoor recreation options.

The assistance comes thanks to a cooperative effort spearheaded by the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative (NEKC) and Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA). 

The federal Northern Border Regional Commission this month awarded $250,000 to NVDA for a multi-pronged effort to grow the outdoor recreation economy in Caledonia, Essex and Orleans counties.

The project will assist in marketing the region as a trail-based destination through improved mapping, business tie-ins, and multi-town connections.

One component will distribute sub-grants of $10-40,000 each to support 5 to 10 community-level projects to build trails or supporting infrastructures such as kiosks, parking, and village traffic calming.

“More than twenty towns and organizations came together to develop this project,” said Katherine Sims, NEKC Executive Director. “Cooperation was the key to our success in this highly competitive grant process.”

Last year, a task force convened by the NEKC recommended a focus on connecting community outdoor recreation assets to downtowns and food-based and creative businesses.

That was one of five major initiatives to support regional economic development presented in its report, From Strength to Strength.

Following that, the Collaborative coordinated planning meetings involving towns and other organizations across the region.

Many of them had been working on trail-based projects independently.

“Trails are often what create those connections to our downtowns and businesses, but there are many more projects in the development phase than there is funding available to build them,” said Dave Snedeker, NVDA Executive Director. “This should help address that gap.”

In addition to providing funding for specific local projects, the project will also launch the NEK Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative, a working group facilitated by the NEKC.

That group will solicit project applications this fall with awards to towns and trail networks made in early 2020.

The group will also provide input on plans for marketing of existing recreational assets, as well as share best practices and lessons learned as projects are developed. 

Road closures in Coventry this week

Published on in coventry/Newport/News

COVENTRY — Two roads in Coventry will be closed this week, one starting tomorrow.

Coventry Station Road will be closed for road maintenance from Route 5 to Cotnoir Road, starting Monday, August 19, through Friday, August 23.

In addition, Glen Road will be closed to all thru traffic for culvert replacement starting Wednesday, August 21, through to Saturday, August 24.

Contact the town office for any questions, or for further updates.

Police looking for Coventry man

Published on in coventry/Newport/News

COVENTRY — Police say they arrested a Coventry woman on several active arrest warrants, and are still looking for a 26-year-old man following an incident on Thursday.

At around 4:40 p.m. a Sheriff’s Department deputy attempted to conduct a motor vehicle stop on Coventry Street in Newport, after identifying the operator as Tharen Amidon.

Police say Amidon has active arrest warrants.

According to the report, Amidon failed to stop and a pursuit ensued.

The pursuit ended in Coventry, where all occupants of the vehicle bailed out on foot into the woods.

Newport Police Officer Lillis and his partner K-9 Ozzy conducted a track from the vehicle which led to the discovery of Beatrice Amidon, 46, of Coventry.

She was arrested and lodged on several Vermont warrants and a New Hampshire no-bail warrant.

Police say efforts to locate Tharen Amidon were unsuccessful.

The Sherriff’s Department is asking anyone who has knowledge of Tharen’s whereabouts, to contact law enforcement.

Orleans County residents arrested in statewide drug sweep

Published on in coventry/Newport/News

NEWPORT — The Vermont Drug Task Force announced a multi-week arrest sweep that has concluded with the arrests of numerous people accused of dealing drugs throughout Vermont, including six Orleans county residents.

According to police:

Monica Capron, 40, of Newport is charged with sale of fentanyl x2,
  
Meagan Blake, 31, of Coventry, is charged with sale of crack cocaine x5, sale of heroin x1  

Kayla Wright, 25, of Newport, is charged with sale of Heroin x1, sale of crack cocaine x1 

Kassandra Medellin-Oliver, 32, of Newport, is charged with sale of heroin x3.

Justin Morgan, 27, of Newport, is charged with sale of crack cocaine x2.

Erik Polite, 39, of Newport, is charged with sale of crack cocaine x1.

Corey Green, 45, of Orleans, is charged with sale of Crack Cocaine x2, Sale of Heroin x1.

Ashley Penniman, 35, of Newport, is charged with sale of Sale of Crack Cocaine x1.

Allen Marsh, 50, of Newport, is charged with Sale of Crack Cocaine x4.

During the past several weeks, the Vermont Drug Task Force arrested 59 suspects on charges of selling and distributing heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine. 

The investigations resulted in 53 individual charges of selling heroin, and 43 individual charges of selling crack cocaine, among other charges.  
 

New exhibit “AOENOIC” by sculptor Sterling Trail opening at the MAC

Published on in Arts and Entertainment/Newport/News

NEWPORT — The MAC Center for the Arts will be opening a new exhibit, ANECHOIC, by sculptor Sterling Trail.

The opening reception takes place on August 23, from 5-7 p.m. in the Downstairs Gallery, located at 158 Main Street, in Newport.

A truly unique title, ANECHOIC, defined as free from echo, artist Sterling Trail describes his work as ”focused on aesthetic.”

“Aesthetic is how an object is made, the choices made by the maker to uncover a cohesive form,” Trail said. “I hope that my works capture a balance. I hope that the reader will either find an understanding in my work or an aesthetic enjoyment.”

Trail’s work is distinctive and one of a kind. His art is the reimagining, repurposing, and redesigning of hardscapes.

“I see discarded machines, their vacant husks laying scattered, partially submerged in the annual sediment of the summers now past. These machines are the corpses of function, returned to the earth, devoid of a conduit beyond the artist’s appreciation for their form. I can’t tell you what these forgotten things will be tomorrow or the day after, all I can tell you is what they were made from,” he explains.

“I have made the journey down the old road, through trees and shallow puddles to another world that is divided by an intersection. The world I seek is obscured by a vacancy of necessity; it was left behind by its previous stewards who only dealt in abandonment. Now all that remains of the ritualistic discarding of functionless articles are the remnants of machines and structures, submerged under accretions and deposits made annually by the silent sentinels of the forest.”

This sculpture exhibit is a first for the MAC Center for the Arts and celebrates emerging artists.

Curated by Victoria Mathiesen, Andrea Strobach and Arlene Goldberg, MAC has hosted several exhibits this season by touring artists, members, and invited artists.

These exhibits are free and open to the public.

Stop in to see this extraordinary display of modern art. ANECHOIC runs through September 22.

For more information, please visit www.maccenterforthearts.com or call 802-334-1966.

Burglary at Auto Pro Gas in Derby

Published on in Derby/News

DERBY — Police say that a business in Derby was burglarized over the weekend. 

On Monday morning police received a report of a burglary at Auto Pro Gas, located at 205 US Route 5.

Police say someone forced entry into the store and stole a large sum of cash and a DVR with the video surveillance footage.

Police say the incident took place sometime between the evening of Saturday, August 10, and Monday morning.

Anyone with information about this incident is being asked to contact the Vermont State Police in Derby. 

Out of the Darkness Walk to fight suicide September 7 in Newport

Published on in Newport/News/Northeast Kingdom

NEWPORT — Volunteers from around the Northeast Kingdom are joining the quarter of a million people who are walking in towns across the United States to draw attention to the fight for suicide prevention.

The annual Out of the Darkness Walk will be held at Gardner Park at 10:00 a.m. on September 7.

This walk supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s education, research and support programs and its bold goal to reduce the annual U.S. rate of suicide 20 percent by the year 2025.

“Suicide touches one in five American families,” Mary Butler, AFSP Vermont Board member, said. “We hope that by walking we will draw attention to this issue and keep other families from experiencing a suicide loss. Our ultimate goal is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.”

The Out of the Darkness Walk is one of more than 550 Out of the Darkness, Community, Campus, and Overnight walks being held nationwide this year.

The walks are expected to unite more than 300,000 walkers and raise millions for suicide prevention efforts.

Last year, these walks raised over $21 million for suicide prevention. Locally, the walk raised over $15,000 and had over 200 participants.

“These walks are about turning hope into action,” said AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia. “The research has shown us how to fight suicide, and if we keep up the fight the science is only going to get better and our culture will get smarter about mental health.”

You can register to walk, start a team, or donate by visiting www.afsp.org/Newportvt

If you want to support the walk but unable to be there on the 7th, join everyone at the Eastside at 6:00 p.m. for a benefit dinner. Tickets are $25/person and available from Lillian Bathalon at 802-744-2493.

Congratulations local Vermont High School Completion Program graduating class of 2019

Published on in Newport/News/Northeast Kingdom

LYNDON — Last week Northeast Kingdom Learning Services (NEKLS) celebrated their Vermont High School Completion Program graduating class of 2019.

Master of Ceremonies was Chris Hardy, who welcomed the large crowd of family and friends and introduced the 15 of 58 graduates who chose to attend the cap and gown ceremony.

Local graduating students in attendance included:

John Mayhew Sr. of North Troy, Silas Worthington of Island Pond, Abigale Jordan of Troy, Skye Wheeler of Morgan, Rashonda Cherry of St. Johnsbury, Celine Gibson of St. Johnsbury, Kamrin Ivone of Orleans, Tyler Ivone of Orleans, Amanda Farley of Charleston, Christina Deslandes of Barton, Tammy Cornell of Newport, Christina Bennett of Orleans, Dante Letzelter of Glover, Lyla Gilbert of Craftsbury, and Caleb Cerutti of Woodbury.

Jodi Woodard, NEKLS Board of Directors Chair, congratulated the graduates on achieving a goal that would set them on the path to the next steps in their lives.

The featured guest speaker was Jess DeCarolis, director of Student Pathways at the Vermont Agency of Education, who gave an inspiring speech urging the graduates to believe in themselves and to pursue their dreams.

Student speakers were also featured at this year’s ceremony.

Frank Sawicki, NEKLS Learning Center Manager in Canaan, read an essay from Canaan graduate Steven Bashaw, who was unable to attend graduation.

St. Johnsbury Learning Center graduate Celine Gibson performed a rendition of “Mr. Tambourine Man” on her ukulele, which she had learned to play as part of her High School Completion Program plan.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of diplomas to the graduates by High School Completion Plan managers Tricia Musgrove, Suzanne Pelletier, and Sarah Roy, as well as by Learning Center managers Frank Sawicki and Joseph Sylvain.

Applause and cheers filled the room when the graduates turned their tassels and opened the door to their next adventure.

Police say fire in Newport considered suspicious

Published on in Fire/Newport/News

NEWPORT — Investigators say that a fire that broke out in Newport early this morning is considered suspicious.

The structure fire took place at a residence on Prospect Street at around 1:23 a.m.

Authorities say that the fire started in a room on the first floor of the two-story structure.

The windows in the room broke from heat and pressure, and the fire began to exit the building through the windows and extend towards the second floor.

Fire personnel were able to suppress the fire quickly, preventing any subsequent fire spread or further damage to the building or other surrounding structures.

The building contained two separate apartments.

The second-floor apartment had been vacant for some time and the tenants in the first-floor were in the process of moving out and not currently residing there. 

Witnesses told police they’ve seen people entering and exiting the first-floor apartment on a regular basis, and several people were seen entering and exiting the apartment shortly before the fire was reported. 

There were no reported injuries, however, the building sustained extensive first-floor fire, smoke, and water damage.  

Fire investigators responded to the scene later this morning and began an origin and cause investigation.

According to a statement issued by investigators, the cause remains under investigation and is considered suspicious. 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Michael LaCourse at the Derby Barracks at 802-334-8881, Sgt. Charles Moulton at the Newport City Police Department at 802-334-6733 or by contacting the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program(VATAP) hotline at 1-800-32-ARSON(1-800-322-7766).

The VATAP will pay up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Barton man facing charges after kicking in apartment door

Published on in Barton/Newport/News

BARTON — A 21-year-old resident of Barton is facing numerous charges following an incident early this morning in Newport Center.

Police say Zackery Champagne is being charged with burglary, unlawful trespass, simple assault, and resisting arrest.

The incident took place at around 5:45 a.m. when police received a call from a 45-year-old woman at an apartment in Newport Center, who stated that Champagne had kicked her door in, causing the door to hit her in the head as she was standing in the doorway.

She advised police that Champagne fled into the field behind the apartment building.

Police say when they arrived, Champagne was seen in the bushes behind the building and fled from police.

A K9 track was set up with the assistance of the Newport Police Department.

US Border Patrol was also in the area to assist and located Champagne walking along Vermont Route 105 in Newport Center.

He was taken into custody for the incident, as well as an active arrest warrant out of Orleans county.

68-year-old swimmer sets record on Lake Memphremagog

Published on in Newport/News

NEWPORT — A 68-year-old mother of two and grandmother of three swam the 25-mile length of Lake Memphremagog between Newport, Vermont, and Magog, Quebec in 24 hours and 8 minutes.

In doing so, Pat Gallant-Charette, of Westbrook, Maine, became the oldest person to swim the length of Lake Memphremagog in compliance with the general standards for channel crossing and open water marathon swimming.

She set off from the EastSide Restaurant in Newport at 10:11 p.m. on July 31, and cleared the water in Magog at 10:19 p.m. on August 1, 2019. 

She also set the record for the longest time to complete a swim the length of the lake. 

As she stepped ashore in Magog, she became the fourth person to complete the Triple Crown of Lake Monster Swims, swimming the length of Loch Ness on August 19, 2018, and the length of Lake Tahoe on August 8, 2018, both when she was 67-years-old. 

Gallant-Charette already had an extraordinary record of accomplishment, including swimming the English Channel twice, the Catalina Channel, as well as Tsugaro Strait, North Channel, Kaiwi Channel, all completed after she turned 60 years old.

She earned her induction into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer earlier this year.

During this swim, she was escorted by Phil White, Director of Kingdom Games, piloting a pontoon boat named Lucky, and her sister-in-law, Jean Murdoch-Gallant, who has crewed for most of her storied swims.

The swim is part of a series of expeditions and solo swims the length of Lake Memphremagog known as “In Search of Memphre,” organized and hosted by Kingdom Games.

Water temperatures were 74 F the length of the lake. The air temperature was in the high 50s at night and rose to the mid-70s during the day. Winds were 2 to 5 mph from the south during the first few hours of the swim. 

As the sun rose, the winds shifted and varied from light to up to about 10 mph.

At about 2/3 of the way into the swim, she experienced an injury to her lat which prevented her from lifting her right arm out of the water. 

She tried backstroke and breaststroke to loosen herself up, but she could not resume a full crawl and she had slowed down considerably. 

Making matters worse, Gallant-Charette encountered the pull of the River Magog at the northeast end of the lake during the last mile.

After her swim, she called the swim “a beast,” and “one of the five toughest swims” she has completed.

Ex-guard sentenced to 3 months for smuggling Buprenorphine into Newport prison

Published on in Newport/News

NEWPORT — Grant Vance, a former correctional officer at Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport, was sentenced to three months of incarceration.

On the same day, the judge also sentenced Gregory Paradis, an inmate with whom Vance conspired, to 15 months of incarceration.

According to court records, between 2003 and 2018, Vance was employed as a Correctional Officer at Northern State Correctional Facility (NSCF) in Newport, where Paradis was an inmate.

During the summer of 2017, administrators at NSCF began an investigation into the smuggling of controlled substances into the facility.

Administrators spoke with six confidential informants who all stated that Vance was smuggling buprenorphine.

Vance routinely brought the buprenorphine into the facility on Thursdays, obscuring it within a hollowed-out marker of the same type used by prison staff.

On Thursday, June 28, 2018, a federal search warrant for the defendant was executed as he arrived at work.

In Vance’s possession was a marker containing 61 buprenorphine strips.

According to inmates, a single strip of buprenorphine could be sold for as much as $600.

Vance received the buprenorphine by mail from former inmates and family of current inmates.

Postal records detailed seven packages being sent to his P.O. Box during the year leading up to his arrest.

After smuggling the buprenorphine, he gave it to Paradis, who then distributed it to other inmates.

According to court records, Vance also smuggled cigarettes and marijuana into the facility.

Newport man sentenced to 90 months in jail

Published on in Newport/News

NEWPORT — A Newport man will spend 90 months behind bars for burglarizing a pharmacy as well as several firearms offenses.

Daniel Greenwood, age 43, was sentenced to 90 months in jail.

Greenwood had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in October 2017 and to a burglary of the Kinney Drugs in Cambridge that same month.

At the time of offenses, Greenwood had absconded from state supervision and was a fugitive during late 2017.

He was arrested in late 2017 in Massachusetts and charged in connection with another burglary offense for which he is currently serving a sentence.

The firearms possession charge relates to a burglary of a residence in Thetford, on October 21, during which Greenwood attempted to steal the homeowner’s hunting rifle.

The homeowner, however, arrived home during the burglary and forcibly took back his rifle as Greenwood was fleeing the scene.

Greenwood has a prior federal firearms conviction, according to the charges.

The pharmacy burglary charge is a federal crime because Greenwood is alleged to have stolen over $500 in controlled substances during the burglary, which occurred on the night of October 15 when the pharmacy was closed.

AOT reports low fatality rate on Vermont highways in 2019

Published on in Newport/News/Vermont

NEWPORT — According to a new report by the Agency of Transportation (AOT), Vermont has seen a low number of fatalities on the state’s highways for the year to date.

Statistically, Vermont experiences approximately 25-35 fatalities on its highways through the end of July.

This year, there have been 13 fatalities.

“While the reduction in the fatality rate so far this year is worth noting, we must be mindful that thirteen people lost their lives,” said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn. “One fatality is one too many.”

The report suggests that there are several possible reasons for the lower fatality rate so far this year.

One predominant reason is that motorists are making better decisions.

AOT highway safety experts believe that there is greater public awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“We need to be vigilant with our highway safety efforts to continue moving toward our goal of zero deaths,” said Keith Flynn, Manager of the Behavioral and Data Units in the State Highway Safety Office.

While the number of fatalities fluctuates from year to year, the low 2019 fatality date is noteworthy.

Through the end of July, in 2018, there were 36 fatalities; in 2017, there were 31; and in 2016, there were 36.

Lowering the fatality rate and reaching the goal of zero fatalities is a common effort. Each driver’s behavior affects everyone else on the road.

The AOT is asking all motorists to commit to one another and keep lowering fatalities by slowing down, putting phones away when we drive, and not driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Youths compete in Orleans and Essex counties 4-H dairy show

Published on in Essex County/Newport/News/Orleans

BARTON — A total of 56 “4-H’ers” from ten area 4-H clubs took part in the annual Orleans and Essex Counties 4-H Dairy Show, recently held at the Orleans County Fairgrounds in Barton.

The youths, ages 8 to 18, competed for ribbons and championships in both fitting and showmanship and conformation contests.

The show judge was Shayne Brus from Ayers Cliff, Quebec.

In fitting and showmanship, the focus was on the exhibitors and how well they handled their animal.

Isabel Hall was named the Senior Fitting and Showing Champion. The Junior Fitting and Showing Champion was Christin Haynes. Both 4-H’ers are from East Montpelier and are members of the Udderly Crazy 4-H Club.

Capturing first in their respective fitting and showmanship contests, arranged by age, were:

Novice (age 8 and first year in 4-H): Talon Michaud, East Hardwick

Novice (ages 9-13 and first year in 4-H): Ryder Curavoo, Berlin

Junior (ages 9-10): Cash Mosher, Derby

Junior (age 11): Cristin Haynes, East Montpelier

Junior (ages 12-13): Livi Russo, Lunenburg

Senior (ages 14-15): Caroline Kirby, East Montpelier

Senior (ages 16-18): Isabel Hall, East Montpelier

In the conformation classes, organized by age and breed of animal, the judge looked at the physical structure, condition, and appearance of each animal.

Championships were awarded as follows:

AYRSHIRE:

Senior Champion and Grand Champion: Abagail Hurd, Hardwick, with her two-year-old cow.

Junior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion: Livi Russo, Lunenburg, with her winter calf.
Junior Reserve Champion: Abagail Hurd, Hardwick, with her spring yearling.

BROWN SWISS:

Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Olyvia Fortin, Newport, with her spring calf.

Junior Reserve Champion and Reserve Grand Champion: Olyvia Fortin, Newport, with her fall calf.

GUERNSEY:

Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Cody Trudeau, Hardwick, with his spring yearling.

Junior Reserve Champion and Reserve Grand Champion: Cody Trudeau, Hardwick, with his winter yearling.

HOLSTEIN:

Senior Champion and Grand Champion: Ryanne Nadeau, Derby, with her three-year-old cow.

Senior Reserve Champion and Reserve Grand Champion: Cash Mosher, Derby, with his two-year-old cow.

Junior Champion: Isabel Hall, East Montpelier, with her fall calf.

Junior Reserve Champion: Ryder Hoffman, Berlin, with his summer yearling.

JERSEY:

Senior Champion and Grand Champion: Livi Russo, Lunenburg, with her two-year-old cow.

Senior Reserve Champion: Zoe Young, West Glover, with her two-year-old cow.

Junior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion: Abel Brown, Sutton, with his winter calf.

Junior Reserve Champion: Lane Pickard, Derby, with his winter yearling.

MILKING SHORTHORN:

Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Nora Demaine, West Glover, with her fall calf.

Junior Reserve Champion and Reserve Grand Champion: Max Demaine, West Glover, with his summer yearling.

To learn more about the 4-H dairy program in Essex and Orleans Counties, contact Lindy Birch at (802) 334-7235, ext. 481.

The MAC Center to present “Yves Klein: The Man Who Invented Blue”

Published on in Arts and Entertainment/Newport/News

NEWPORT — As a special presentation on the final weekend of the MAC Center’s stunning exhibition “Blue: an Exploration of the Colour,” local artist, filmmaker, and MAC Center member Bradleigh Stockwell will present a lecture about “Yves Klein: The Man Who Invented Blue.”

This event will take place on Saturday, August 17, at 2:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

When he died in Paris in 1963 at the age of 34, Klein was a successful artist and poised for international fame.

In his brief career, he created many of the performance and artistic techniques which would become standard practices in the decades to come.

Among his most notorious was creating art in front of an invited audience as musicians performed.

More important was his creation of a special type of blue paint, now known as International Klein Blue.

Klein made it his artistic signature, applying it to large canvases, sponges, sculptures, massive murals, and even models who became, in his words, “living paintbrushes.”

The MAC Center exhibition includes a large work created with “IKB.”

Mr. Stockwell’s lecture will include a live demonstration of this hue.

Also on the program: a fascinating filmed interview with Klein’s widow, Rotraut.

This film is being shown by special arrangement with Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark.

Please note that this half-hour film contains brief, artistic, but explicit female nudity.

Gallery hours at the MAC are Mon-Sat 10-5 and Sun 10-6.

For more information visit http://www.maccenterforthearts.com or call 802-334-1966.

Two men arrested after boat theft in Newport

Published on in Newport/News

NEWPORT — Police arrested two individuals following the recovery of a stolen boat early yesterday morning.

Kyle Lowe, 34, of Newport, was arrested and given a citation for operation without owner’s consent and resisting arrest.

Robert Ingram, 35, also of Newport, was arrested and given a citation for operation without owner’s consent.

At 12:04 a.m. on Tuesday, police say they responded to the East Side Restaurant on a report that two men had stolen a boat with an outboard motor from the adjoining marina.

Police spoke with a witness and located the boat in the middle of the lake.

Newport Police subsequently began coordinating with Border Patrol agents, who launched their own vessel after Lowe jumped into the water and began to swim while Ingram allegedly rowed further away.

When he reached the shore, Lowe was located underneath a gazebo and officers attempted to take him into custody.

Police sat he actively resisted through the arrest.

Ingram was taken into custody after the stolen boat was intercepted by Border Patrol agents on the lake.

Ingram was given a citation to appear in court at a later date and held overnight due to his alleged intoxication.

Lowe was cited for his alleged violations and held on three unrelated arrest warrants.

Area students kick off shadowing week at North Country Hospital

Published on in Health/Newport/News

NEWPORT — This year marks the thirteenth year that North Country Hospital has supported Medquest, the week-long healthcare job shadowing program.

High school sophomores in northeastern and central Vermont have to apply for this special opportunity to participate in a structured, educational healthcare program.

They will be learning about medical careers while shadowing health professionals, acquiring basic medical skills, and exploring career and educational goals all while making new friends.

The students will travel to several hospitals in the northern part of the state.

The program is sponsored by Northeastern Vermont Area Health Education Center.

Attempted burglary in Brownington

Published on in Brownington/Newport/News

BROWNINGTON — Police are seeking the public’s help in locating two men who tried to break into a home in Brownington early this morning.

At around 12:30 a.m. police say they received a report of two male subjects who attempted to gain entry into a residence on West Road.

The subjects were seen on surveillance cameras with their t-shirts over their heads, however, faces were still partially visible.

One subject walked up to the front door and attempts to open it.

The door was locked at the time.

The homeowners told police that their vehicle had been rummaged through, but nothing was taken.

Anyone who may have information regarding this incident, or possibly recognizes the men in the photo, is being asked to contact the Vermont State Police Derby Barracks at 802-334-8881.

Photo by Tanya Mueller.

Grant awarded to fight aquatic invasive species throughout Memphremagog watershed

Published on in Newport/News/Northeast Kingdom

NEWPORT — The Memphremagog Watershed Association (MWA) has been awarded a grant to provide oversight services for multiple regional aquatic invasive species prevention and control projects.

The grant award of $83,673 covers 12 projects through the Memphremagog watershed at the following locations:

Shadow Lake, Island Pond, Maidstone Lake, Lake Memphremagog, Salem Lakes, Seymour Lake, and Lake Willoughby.

Funded projects include greeter programs, invasive species management programs as well as a project that will focus on an international message between the United States and Canada regarding invasive species spread prevention.

Greeter programs focus on inspecting watercraft and the education of boaters to the importance of limiting the risk of spreading invasive species.

In waters that are impacted by invasives, the health of the water body is impacted by increased biomass and ecological food chain anomalies, which can lead to limited recreational uses that effects fishing, swimming, and boating.

In some cases, toxic algal blooms are more likely due to the impact of invasive plants on the ecosystem.

The MWA says the rule of thumb is “clean, drain, and dry.”

It’s important for individual users to help out and inspect their own watercraft by checking the trailer, motor, wells and fishing equipment for aquatic plants that may be hitchhiking.

This doesn’t just help out the waterbodies but could prevent a person from receiving a ticket for transporting aquatic plant or animal material.

The transport of all aquatic plants, plant, parts, or other aquatic invasive species to or from any Vermont surface water is illegal.

You can be fined up to $1,000.

Many area lakes have been impaired with at least one invasive species, with Eurasian Milfoil being the most prevalent.

The plant invasives are a nuisance due to the fact that they out-compete native species and overgrow the system.

Boating and swimming can be seriously impacted in areas where Eurasian Milfoil and other invaders have taken hold.

In Lake Memphremagog, four invasive species can be found. The three plant invasives include Eurasian Milfoil, Curly-Leaf Pondweed, and Starry Stonewort.

The animal invasive found in Lake Memphremagog is the notorious Zebra Mussel.

Zebra Mussels are very tiny and sharp. They will cog pipes and attach to any solid surface at densities of up to 800,000 individuals per square meter.

They are very resilient and can survive in stagnant conditions for up to 30 days out of the water.

The reproductive part of the lifecycle, called a veliger, is microscopic. The microscopic veligers can be found in the cooling water of boat motors, live wells or any standing water.

Decontamination with hot water of 140 degrees F is the only known way to fully clean exposed equipment.

If you’re leaving Lake Memphremagog and launching in another lake, a 30-day drying out period is recommended, or undertake a hot water decontamination.

The following area lakes have decontamination stations:

Lake Memphremagog at the Gateway Center, Shadow Lake, and Seymour Lake.

In addition to the greeter programs, several area waterbodies have also received funding for invasive species management.

This can take the form of cutting and harvesting with a hydrorake, suction harvesting, and benthic barriers.

While individual waterbodies have programs to prevent or manage invasive species, it will take everyone who uses these waterbodies to pitch in.

Photo by Tanya Mueller.

Aquafest kicks off this Saturday in Newport

Published on in Newport/News

NEWPORT — The summer event Aquafest will be swimming through international Lake Memphremagog and Newport this Saturday, July 27.

Aquafest is a community tradition and brings together many community partners.

One of the highlights of this year’s parade is the JeKulu Dance and Drum Theater. A traditional West African Performance and educational ensemble bringing the Spirit of West African Music and Dance to New England since 1993.

“Here in Newport, lake is life,” local resident and Parks and Recreation Director Jessica Booth said. “Some might say that Lake Memphremagog is our identity here in the city. Aquafest is an opportunity for us to celebrate all the things that make life on the shoreline so special.”

The schedule is as follows:

5:30 a.m. Kingdom Swim Begins // Prouty Beach
9:00 a.m. Newport Farmers Market //Gardner Park
10:00 a.m. Blue Art Exhibit Opens // Mac Center
10:00 a.m. Joshua House Benefit Yard Sale // 44 2nd Street
1:00 p.m. Aquafest Parade // Main Street
3:00 p.m. Cornhole Tournament // Gardner Park
7:00 p.m. Street Dance – Last Kid Picked // Main Street

“Aquafest is another fantastic Newport event celebrating the beautiful lake we live on and our community,” local entrepreneur Hannah Cornelius said. “It gets everyone together and reminds us who our neighbors are and that we are all in this together.”

AARP awards $24K Community Challenge Grant to the city of Newport

Published on in Newport/News

NEWPORT — AARP recently announced that the city of Newport is one of the awardees for its 2019 AARP Community Challenge grant program.

The city will receive $24,172.35 for the Prouty Beach connector project, which is expected to contribute to Newport’s development of an outdoor recreational economy.

By connecting two established segments of recreational trails, the trail will form a 7-mile waterfront recreational corridor that will connect downtown Newport to the Canadian border, where it will link to a series of high-use recreational trails.

This recreational corridor should increase pedestrian and biking traffic into downtown, helping to promote business growth.

“We are very pleased to direct resources to these projects as a way to support and encourage local community development initiatives aimed at creating more livable, engaging and healthy communities,” said Kelly Stoddard-Poor, community outreach director at AARP Vermont.

The Community Challenge grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative which helps communities become great places to live for residents of all ages.

“There were a number of really exciting proposals to consider this year and it was a difficult selection process,” Stoddard-Poor said. “We look forward to watching these projects come to fruition.”

Truck stolen, damaged in Barton

Published on in Barton/Glover/Newport/News

BARTON — Police say someone took a truck for a joy ride in Barton, causing substantial damage to the vehicle.

At some point on Saturday night, someone stole a truck owned by 62-year-old Paul Labrecque of Barton.

Labrecque’s vehicle, a 2015 Chevy truck, was taken from his driveway located on Glover Road.

Police say the subjects caused substantial damage to the truck and returned it in the early morning hours on Sunday.

According to the report, another vehicle parked in the driveway was gone through and change stolen from inside.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Vermont State Police.

Police are reminding the public to lock vehicles and do not leave keys inside while unattended.

Bonvechio promoted to Executive Vice President and CFO at Community National Bank

Published on in Derby/Newport/News

DERBY — Community National Bank President and CEO Kathy Austin recently announced the promotion of Louise Bonvechio to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Cashier and Corporate Secretary of Community National Bank and Treasurer and Corporate Secretary of Community Bancorp.

Bonvechio has worked for Community National Bank for over 25 years.

“Louise is very deserving of this promotion as she competently manages all aspects of the Bank’s fiscal functions while providing outstanding leadership for the organization,” Austin said.

This year she completed the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and earned a Leadership Certificate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Bonvechio is very involved in serving the local communities.

She is Board Chair of Rural Edge, a Director and Treasurer of the Emory Hebard State Office Building Condo Association and a member of the ReNewport Catamount Arts Creative Hub committee.

She recently served as a Trustee and Treasurer of the Goodrich Memorial Library and chaired the ReNewport Community Visit, a Vermont Council on Rural Development program.

Other recently held positions include a member of the Regional Advisory Board for the North Country Career Center and a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Member Advisory Panel.

Bonvechio was presented with the Vermont Bankers Association’s Outstanding Community Service Banker Award in 2017.

She and her husband Brian make their home in Newport.

Larry Labor receives prestigious honor

Published on in Health/Newport/News/Northeast Kingdom

NEWPORT — Longtime local pharmacist and retiree of North Country Hospital Larry Labor, BS, RPh, has been officially named a Legend as part of the Legends Scholarship program at North Country Hospital.

Created in 2010 to honor exceptional and legendary healthcare professionals, The Legends Scholarship program is dedicated to serving the needs of our community, and of local students pursuing a career in healthcare.

Legends are nominated by their peers and the criteria include individuals who have provided outstanding care, whether it be clinical or non-clinical. For decades, they have contributed greatly to the patient-centered culture at North Country Hospital and the impact they’ve made has been positive and significant.

Pharmacy Technician, Bonnie Davis, spearheaded this nomination, and read a moving nomination letter at the official ceremony Thursday.

His honorary plaque of Stewardship will hang alongside the other Legends of North Country.

It was clear at the ceremony that Labor considers the hospital his second family.

“Through the decades of service, I have had the privilege of working with the finest providers, as well as forward-thinking trustees and I am honored to have had this opportunity.”

Other North Country Hospital Legends include Merrilyn Barry, Dr. Robert Trembley, Dr. David Alsobrook, Dr. Thomas A.E. Moseley, and Cecile Gelineau, RN, who had the idea of creating a new healthcare scholarship fund.

Those who wish to honor Larry Labor and North Country’s Legends by donating to the Legends Scholarship Fund can send contributions to:

North Country Hospital, Attn: Wendy Franklin, Development/Foundation Office, 189 Prouty Drive, Newport, VT 05855

Or, by visiting www.northcountryhospital.org/make-a-donation/.

Derby man held without bail after alleged assault

Published on in Derby/Newport/News

NEWPORT — Police say they arrested a habitual sex offender earlier this week after he allegedly assaulted a local woman.

Timothy Souliere, 56, of Derby, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with lewd and lascivious conduct, unlawful restraint, simple assault, and habitual offender.

He was arraigned yesterday in Orleans District Court and was held without bail.

On Tuesday, July 16, police say a woman reported that she had been attacked by Souliere on July 11, in a hallway of an apartment building on Governor Drive.

Police say Souliere was known to the woman.

According to a statement issued by police relating to the incident, an investigation indicates that Souliere assaulted the victim while she was walking to her apartment.

Souliere is a registered sex offender and is on the Vermont Sex Offender Registry for life.

He is a habitual offender with two felony convictions of lewd and lascivious conduct in Vermont as well as a felony conviction of sexual assault in Arizona.

Emerald Ash Borer detected in Derby Line

Published on in Derby Line/Newport/News

DERBY LINE — The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed that insects collected from ash trees in Derby Line are emerald ash borers (EAB).

This is the first detection in Orleans County.

Landowners and other residents of Derby and surrounding towns are urged to look for signs and symptoms of the insect and report suspicious findings on vtinvasives.org.

Based on tree symptoms, EAB had already spread to this location before it was first detected in Vermont last year.

Although this is a new location in Vermont, the Coaticook and Memphremagog Regional County Municipalities, due north of Orleans County in Quebec, have been part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s EAB regulated area since January 2018.

EAB is likely to be present in other locations within ten miles of known infestations.

In addition to Derby, this area includes Newport City and Holland, and parts of Newport Town, Coventry, Charleston, Brownington, Morgan, and Norton.

Moving any infested material, especially ash firewood, logs, and pruning debris, can quickly expand the infestation.

One important recommendation is to obtain firewood locally.

Authorities say if you’re going camping this summer to leave your firewood at home.

It is still illegal to bring untreated firewood from out of state into Vermont.

EAB larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves water and sugars up and down the trunk.

It was first discovered in North America in the Detroit area in 2002, and over the past seventeen years, it has decimated ash populations.

EAB is known to occur in 35 states and five Canadian provinces.

Orleans man pleads guilty in moose poaching case

Published on in Newport/News/Westmore

NEWPORT — An Orleans man who dragged a cow moose eight miles behind his truck after shooting it in a Westmore hay field, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges.

Authorities say 22-year-old Gerin Fortin was in Orleans Superior Court on June 26 where he pled guilty to taking a moose in closed season and taking a moose by illegal means.

Several other related charges were dismissed.

Fortin admitted shooting a cow moose in September of 2017 in a remote Westmore hay field using the headlights of his truck.

Using his truck, he dragged the moose 8 miles over pavement to the outskirts of Orleans before abandoning the moose to rot.

Fortin was sentenced to serve 60 days on state work crew, plus probation, ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution, ordered to attend alcohol counseling, and he was ordered to forfeit the firearm he used.

Fortin also lost his privilege to hunt, fish and trap for three years in Vermont and all member states of the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact.

The truck used to drag the moose was repossessed by a lienholder.

Chief Warden Col. Jason Batchelder credits the public’s help in bringing this case to a close.

“Many of the fish and wildlife violation cases investigated by Vermont State Game Wardens come from members of the public who care enough to provide information,” Batchelder said. “You can help by reporting a violation with a phone call to a State Police radio dispatcher, or anonymously by calling the Operation Game Thief phone.”

The toll-free Operation Game Thief line is 1-800-752-5378.

Orleans County residents named to Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame

Published on in Newport/News/Northeast Kingdom/Westfield/Westmore

NEWPORT — The Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame recently announced the 2019 inductees. Now in its 17th year, the Hall has inducted 80 Vermonters to date.

Joanna Samuelson Lidback, of The Farm at Wheeler Mountain in Westmore, was inducted as a merging leader, and Jack and Anne Lazor, of Butterworks Farm in Westfield, were inducted for lifetime achievement.

Emerging Leader: Stepping Up to Become the Next Generation of Leaders (age 40 and under) Joanna Samuelson Lidback, Westmore

Lidback is a farmer, agricultural business consultant, 4-H volunteer, and family farm advocate.

Together with her husband Adam, she owns The Farm at Wheeler Mountain, a family dairy farm located in Westmore.

Lidback earned a BS in Applied Economics and Business Management from Cornell, and an MBA from Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business. She is currently employed as Business Consultant for Yankee Farm Credit.

In this role, she helps dairy farmers with the challenges of developing business, estate, and succession plans.

Her love of farming extends well beyond the boundaries of Vermont. She is a Board Member with the Global Farmer Network – a non-profit advocacy group led by farmers from around the world.

She has also testified on behalf of Vermont farmers before the US House and Agriculture Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee in Washington, D.C.

Lidback was honored by the American Jersey Cattle Association with the Young Jersey Breeder Award in 2016. S

She was an active member of the Agri-Mark Young Cooperators Program and served as a YC Representative from 2012-2015.

She is also active in the Vermont Farm Bureau and currently serves as First Vice President of the Orleans County Farm Bureau.

She and Adam are raising three young children together on the family farm.

Lifetime Achievement: 30+ Years of Outstanding Service to Vermont Agriculture, Jack and Anne Lazor, Westfield

Jack and Anne Lazor began farming in 1976. For more than forty years, they have built a reputation for producing outstanding organic yogurt, stewarding the land, and advocating for organic agriculture.

Their Butterworks Farm grass-fed yogurt is sold in nearly 80 groceries and coops across Vermont and in neighboring states.

Together with a dedicated team, they produce some of the finest organic yogurt available.

Anne and Jack have been a steadfast team in farming, family, and life.

Jack is a teacher and a member of the “Agrarian Elders,” a group of twenty-four pioneers considered to be the founders of organic agriculture in the U.S.

Over the years, both he and Anne have devoted themselves to teaching the next generation of farmers how to raise animals, steward the land, and produce products ethically and sustainably.

Farming is a family affair for the Lazors, who raised their daughter, Christine, together at Butterworks.

Today, the Lazors enjoy sharing their love of agriculture, and Butterworks Farm, with their grandchildren.

Man facing numerous charges after bizarre incident at Lakehouse Saloon in Barton

Published on in Barton/Newport/News

BARTON — An East Haven man is facing a slew of charges following an incident at the Lakehouse Saloon in Barton early this morning.

Police say 51-year-old Benjamin Clarke is being charged with aggravated assault on law enforcement, disarming law enforcement officer, impeding public officer, criminal threatening, aggravated assault, unlawful mischief, aggravated disorderly conduct, unlawful trespass, and resisting arrest.

According to police, Clarke entered the bar around midnight and was asked to leave by the bouncers.

Police say he refused and began throwing pool balls at patrons inside the bar, striking one man in the face with them.

He was taken outside by the bouncers where he produced a knife and began threatening them and the other patrons at the bar.

According to the report, Clarke stated several times he was going to blow up the towns of Barton and St. Johnsbury.

He then crawled across the parking lot and slashed a woman’s tire.

Shortly after slashing the tire, police arrived on the scene.

The bouncers told police that they believed Clarke had taken several doses of LSD or PCP.

Police say Clarke began to attack them on the scene by punching a trooper in the head, attempting to disarm the trooper, and threatening to kill them.

Clarke was ultimately taken into custody and transported to North Country Hospital for treatment and evaluation.

He was remanded to the custody of Vermont Corrections however remained at North Country Hospital for evaluation.

He was held on lack of $75,000.00 bail.

Police looking for dirt bike rider

Published on in Newport/News/Northeast Kingdom

NEWPORT — The Orleans County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s help identifying the operator of a red Honda dirt bike that took off from law enforcement today.

Police say at approximately 1:00 p.m. the operator took off from police and “showed no regard for the lives of anyone else on the trail system.”

Police say he was in a group with a new style blue Polaris RZR 1000 Turbo, a red Polaris 4-wheeler, and a red CF-Moto UTV.

According to police, information gathered suggest the individuals may live near the Johnson area.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

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