News 2008-06-06 Andanh.com

Sanders to campaign for Obama Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Vermont senator says he'll make a case for the Democrat among independents around the country

Douglas defends lake cleanup Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:52:00 EST
Douglas blasts EPA while opponents blast Douglas on lake cleanup Related coverage

Entergy changes Vt. Yankee tune Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
At least three times when its purchase of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant was under review in 2001 and 2002, Entergy Corp. said publicly that it would assume the costs of decommissioning the plant. Now Entergy is saying something different.

Texas, Vt. raids had similar results Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
While there are many differences between the Vermont raid on Island Pond in 1984 and the decision by Texas officials to take into custody 430 children amid allegations underage girls were being forced to marry older men, there are many similarities.

New Colchester town offices almost ready Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
The end of crowding is near. Colchester town employees will move into spacious new digs in early August.

State wins review of Essex suspect's records Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
The Corrections Department must hand over copies of murder suspect Christopher Williams' records from his nearly two years in custody

Consultant costs mount at UVM Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
University will pay about $1 million a month to update data-management and accounting system

Program aims to help businesses save money, the environment Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:01:00 EST
The Vermont Earth Institute, Chittenden Solid Waste District and 10% Challenge have teamed up to host Carbon Lite Lunch, a program that helps businesses reduce electric bills and solid waste and explore transportation alternatives for staff members

VEOC hosts employee ownership conference Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
The sixth annual Employee-Ownership Conference at Champlain College sponsored by the Vermont Employee Ownership Center in Burlington will focus on issues such as social responsibility and the employee-ownership movement

SBA awards presented to RehabGYM owner Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Gym offers offers rehabilitative and fitness programs to people of all ages and abilities.

'Go Green' tour highlights off-the-grid homes Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:59:00 EST
Tour will benefit the Bixby Memorial Library in Vergennes

After Dark: Punk rockers throw an 'Anti Jazz Fest' Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:53:00 EST
242 Main puts on rock show to protest Discover Jazz Festival

Vermont vibes with Taryn Noelle Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
The Free Press chatted with a few local musicians about jazz. We share their words. Others will appear in the coming days.

Editorial: Obama nomination an American milestone Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:11:00 EST
The Illinois senator's campaign, as well as Sen. Hillary Clinton's dogged run, expanded the realm of possibilities in American politics to the credit of this nation.

Column: Obama must regain the initiative Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
The first imperative is to stop retreating and regain the initiative -- starting with a clear assertion of his absolute right to choose his own running mate.

Letters to the Editor Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
The Free Press publishes thousands of letters to the editor every year. Here are today's letters:

My Turn: Population key to global food crisis Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Policymakers are missing the point if they believe producing more food will solve the problem of hunger when the increase in population outstrips the increase in food production.

SPORTS: Thursday's Vermont games/tournament results and Friday's schedule Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:13:00 EST
Thursday's high school tournament results as reported to the Free Press Sports Department and Friday's schedule. Check for updates on scores and stories or check Friday's print and/or online editions for details.

High school baseball/softball pairings announced Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:30:00 EST
The Vermont Principals announced the pairings for the high school state tournament in four baseball and four softball divisions Wednesday.

Carney to coach football Seahorses Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Former Spaulding coach to replace Marrier at BHS

Vermont scores Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Wednesday's results and summaries

Essex claims golf crown Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:11:00 EST
Hornets claim Division I golf title, record; Burr and Burton and Peoples also crowned

Obama's moment Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Barack Obama is now the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidency, setting the stage for a historic election contest against John McCain. ...

Sense of community Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Crucial decisions about education still remain in the hands of voters and local officials. That is what the Springfield School Board showed on Monday when it voted to consolidate three elementary schools into two. ...

N.H. firm acquires Vermont Tubbs Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:07:00 EST
BRANDON -- Financially strapped Vermont Tubbs is being sold to a New Hampshire furniture company. But the future of the high-end furniture maker in Brandon with its 87 employees remains in question. ... - By BRUCE EDWARDS Herald Staff

Vermont Rally rolls into Rutland Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:09:00 EST
From "rumble" beginnings comes the state's first Vermont Rally, an event organizers hope will attract families, music lovers and motorcycle enthusiasts who make the ritual ride from Americade to Laconia every year. ... - By PATRICIA MINICHIELLO Herald Staff

Man pleads guilty in attempted store theft Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Robert J. Sylvester III learned on Wednesday the drug habit he relied on to escape reality will now leave him facing a very different reality of three to eight years behind bars. ... - By SARA-MEGAN WALSH Herald Staff

Man rolls vehicle in alleged DUI-5 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
A Benson man is behind bars after rescuers freed him from a truck crash allegedly caused by his fifth offense of driving under the influence. ... - By SARA-MEGAN WALSH Herald Staff

Police: Spitting woman needed restraint Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
A Townshend woman is being held in jail after allegedly stealing food from the Price Chopper while intoxicated and driving away. ... - By SARA-MEGAN WALSH Herald Staff

Students learn leadership at O'Brian youth forum Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Amanda Gokee of Rutland High School said she will remember the energy and passion inspired by the Hugh O'Brian Leadership Conference for the rest of her life. ... - By KAYLA TOHER Herald Correspondent

The Sky This Week: Heart of the scorpion Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:38:00 EST
The red supergiant Antares, fiery heart of Scorpio the Scorpion, blazes low in the southeast. Ten thousand times as bright as the sun, hundreds of times larger than our own sun, Antares is dying. ... - By DR. ERROL POMERANCE

Surplus assigned to improve town Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:36:00 EST
The Fair Haven town budget surplus built up in the town's coffers through the past 10 years was appropriated on Tuesday to improve town infrastructure and the beauty of the town, and to invest in the youth of Fair Haven. ... - By DAWSON RASPUZZI Herald Staff

Town to require permits for large events Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:37:00 EST
Despite being a fan of Jamaican soul/reggae music, Rutland Town Administrator Joseph Zingale will now start enforcing an ordinance that would "be jammin'" any plans for future large-scale reggae festivals. ... - By PATTY MINICHIELLO Herald Staff

Man denies charge after renewed fracas Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
A Rutland man is being held at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility after pleading innocent to aggravated domestic assault in Rutland District Court recently. ... - By DAWSON RASPUZZI Herald Staff

School budget nixed again Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
Rutland Town voters have defeated a proposed $7,558,290 school budget for the third time. ... - By SARA-MEGAN WALSH Herald Staff

Teen pleads innocent to car break-ins Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
A Rutland teen is facing felony charges alleging his friends helped him celebrate his birthday by breaking into cars in West Rutland. ... - By SARA-MEGAN WALSH Herald Staff

Clarendon board talks town line Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
CLARENDON -- A brief agenda made for quick work as the Clarendon Select Board addressed a number of issues in a short amount of time during a recent meeting. ... - By SANDI SWITZER Herald Correspondent

Congdon gets 22 to life: Judge gives maximum term under plea deal Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:17:00 EST
Aaron Congdon showed emotion Tuesday, but it was too little and too late to sway a judge from sentencing him to 22 years to life behind bars. ... - By BRENT CURTIS Herald Staff

Purr-fect evening Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:31:00 EST
A gray cat sits in some greenery on Church Street in Rutland on a recent evening. ...

Body found in hospital parking lot Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
SPRINGFIELD -- A decomposed body found in a car in a remote area of a parking lot at Springfield Hospital still hasn't been identified, according to Springfield police. The body was discovered by hospital security on Sunday evening, and Springfield police oversaw the removal of the body that night, according to Springfield Police Lt. Mark Fountain. "We're not ruling anything out at this point," Fountain said, when asked about the possibility of foul play. Fountain said that the vehicle, which had Vermont license plates, was located in the main lot near the entrance to the hospital, but in a remote location in the newest section of the lot, which had been recently expanded. He declined to identify the vehicle in which the body was found. The police lieutenant refused to say whether the body found in the vehicle was male or female. "A lot can happen to a body in a week," he said. Police were waiting for results from an autopsy performed earlier in the week by the office of the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner before making a final determination on the cause of death. According to a report, the hospital security examined the vehicle after visitors to the hospital complained of a foul smell coming from the vicinity of the vehicle, which had been in the same location for about a week. "It is believed that the body was there nearly a week," said Fountain, who refused to say whether there were any missing people reports from Springfield Hospital. Hospital officials didn't return telephone calls Thursday. Fountain said the department had been told by the chief medical examiner's office that they might have identification complete by the end of the week. Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com. ... - By SUSAN SMALLHEER Herald Staff

AOT faces Route 9 corridor of death Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:14:00 EST
BENNINGTON -- The Vermont Agency of Transportation is planning brightly colored signs and a device that will communicate with truckers through citizen's band radio for a corridor of Route 9 where two people were killed in April but local legislators looked for more during a meeting on Wednesday. State Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, called for the meeting at the Bennington town office to follow-up a similar meeting in April in Montpelier. Sears brought together the Agency of Transportation, Vermont State Police and several local legislators to discuss safety measures for a section of Route 9 that descends steeply down a mountain and ends in a sharp curve. Truck driver Kenneth A. Middlebusher, 42, of Deptford, N.J., lost control of his tractor-trailer on the road on April 16, according to police. The truck overturned and hit two oncoming cars, killing two of the men who were in one of the cars, Jeffrey Lamore, 29, of Stamford, and Thomas Peterson, 31, of Readsboro, and injuring the driver of the other car. Another out-of-state truck driver, Deborah Brown, 43, of Haworth, Okla., had a similar accident on April 23 although no other vehicles were involved. Brown was trapped inside her truck but escaped serious injury. Middlebusher was charged with a felony count of grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle resulting in a fatality. Police said Middlebusher was driving too fast and failed to shirt to a lower gear or properly secure his truck's heavy load of paper rolls. Scott Rogers, a traffic safety engineer with the Agency of Transportation, said signs in the area would be replaced with signs with a strikingly bright yellow background to catch the attention of drivers. Rogers said two new signs would be added in the area, a 25 mph speed limit sign near the truck escape ramp on Route 9 and a sign urging truck drivers to check their brakes. Both Brown and Middlebusher failed to use the truck escape ramp and Brown was cited for driving with defective equipment, according to police. Rogers said there also plans for an alert system that will be broadcast over citizen's band radio. "There will be a warning to alert truckers that there's a steep grade coming up and they need to pay attention," he said. Rogers told legislators the signs should be in place by July and the radio alert system by the fall. According to Rogers, the Agency of Transportation is also looking to create an area on the side of the road on Route 9 in Searsburg where police could safely conduct inspections. Department of Motor Vehicles' Enforcement Division's Chief of Safety Capt. William "Jake" Elovirta said his department said his department's patrols in the area had more than doubled. A presence is maintained about 45 percent of the time in the area since the April accidents, Elovirta said. In May, there had been 415 trucks stopped and 36 inspections conducted with three drivers prevented from driving and six trucks taken out of service because of violations, according to Elovirta. Lt. Reg Trayah, commander of the Shaftsbury barracks of the Vermont State Police, said his officers' efforts included stopping almost 40 trucks on May 5 and conducting more than a dozen inspections. Between April 16 and May 31, Trooper William Deveneau conducted 18 inspections and put two trucks out of service, one for defective brakes and one for an improperly stored load. However, Elovirta said that the number of violations officers found were lower than the national average for safety stops like the ones that had been conducted. Legislators at Wednesday's meeting asked about the possibility of putting up different kinds of signs like the signs that alerted drivers to the "Click It or Ticket" campaign or radar-carts that let drivers know how fast they are going. Rogers said the Agency of Transportation could look into the availability of the carts. Traffic Safety Engineer Amy Gamble, with the Agency of Transportation, pointed out that traffic studies showed that 60,000 tractor-trailers used Route 9 annually and most did so safely. "We really need to size the solution to the problem. I think we should start with the lower cost, least intrusive solutions first and see how they perform," she said. Rep. William Botzow, D-Pownal/Woodford, said he was concerned that truck drivers were not being alerted early enough to know that the problem with Route 9 wasn't just the descent but the sharp curve at the bottom. Several people at the meeting said truck drivers who had not slowed down by the time the curve was visible were unlikely to be able to do so. The problems in the area, officers said, are primarily caused by out-of-state drivers who don't know the roads in Vermont. Sears scheduled another meeting on safety on Route 9 for Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. at the Bennington town offices. Contact Patrick McArdle at patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com. ... - By PATRICK McARDLE Herald Staff

New town clerk named Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
SPRINGFIELD -- A Brattleboro lawyer and lifelong Springfield resident has been named Springfield's new town clerk. Meredith Dexter Kelley was appointed to replace retiring Town Clerk Bonnie Reynolds by the Springfield Select Board on Monday night, according to Town Manager Robert Forguites. Forguites said Kelley was the top candidate out of eight people who applied for the position. Reynolds is retiring at the end of June after more than 30 years in the town clerk's office. Forguites said Kelley, who got married over the weekend to Springfield resident Patrick Kelley, was on her honeymoon and couldn't be reached. He said she got married on Saturday, knowing she was the top pick and would probably be appointed on Monday by the Select Board. Forguites said Kelley was well known in the community for her school volunteering and community work. She has dual bachelor degrees in history and women's studies from Pennsylvania State University and graduated from Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire. She has worked for the past three years in a law firm in Brattleboro, he said, first as a clerk and then as an associate attorney. According to the resume she submitted to the board, she is a lifelong resident of Springfield and attended Union Street School, Park Street School, Riverside Middle School and graduated from Springfield High School. She graduated from the high school in 1997. She was also a lifeguard and swimming instructor for the Springfield Parks and Recreation Department while a student, and served stints as junior varsity and assistant varsity cheerleading coach at Springfield High School. Additionally, she has been a member of the production team for the Apple Blossom Cotillion for several years. The cotillion is the chief fundraising activity for the Springfield Hospital Auxiliary. Mark Blanchard, chairman of the Springfield Select Board, couldn't be reached for comment on Kelley's appointment. But Forguites said Kelley will be starting on June 16 and will work with Reynolds for a couple of weeks before Reynolds leaves the town office. "She is very well known in the area," said Forguites. Select Board member Terri Benton said the board interviewed all the candidates and decided on Kelley, but she declined to comment on the selection. Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com. ... - By SUSAN SMALLHEER Herald Staff

Springfield school building panel faces continuing challenges Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
SPRINGFIELD -- Construction delays, school expansion and the future of Park Street Elementary School are just some of the challenges faced by the recently appointed K-5 Building Committee. On Monday, the School Board voted unanimously to appoint five members of the community who had expressed written interest in serving on the committee: Scott Adams, Mark Blanchard, James Dunn, Herb Jamison and Ken Smith. Two School Board members will join them: Vice Chairwoman Jeanice Garfield and Marilyn Thompson. In a vote that was swift and unanimous, the board appointed Smith and Blanchard as chairman and vice chairman of the building committee. Smith said he has overseen several plant expansions and multimillion-dollar line expansions during his tenure as the plant manager at Hancor Technology Innovation Solutions in North Springfield. "Granted, teaching kids and plastic pipes are different, but they're both about turning out a good product and in this case the product is a good school for our kids," Smith said. Smith said the use of Park Street will be one of the issues his committee will have to address following a May 13 vote by residents to cease using the building as an elementary school. "Do we need 90,000 square feet for a couple of programs and administrative offices?" Smith asked. "It's a very expensive building to maintain." Blanchard, who is the director of engineering at Springfield Hospital and Select Board chairman, had a more definite idea of Park Street's future. "Sell it," Blanchard said. "If you can't afford to operate something, you can't afford to keep it." "My own feeling is we could keep it as a community resource," Jamison said. "I wouldn't want to move out the administration too quickly." Jamison previously served on the Downtown Design Commission from 2004 to 2007 and said the revitalization of downtown and the elementary school construction are components to attracting new residents. "When someone comes to town the first thing they notice is the downtown," Jamison said. "The first thing they ask is, 'How are the schools?'" Adams, who spent 20 years in the construction trades and is now an assistant fire marshal with the Division of Fire Safety, expressed conditional support for the two-school consolidation plan. "I think consolidation makes sense," Adams said, "but there's still this big question about Elm Hill." Under the consolidation plan, Elm Hill will more than double in size, from 24,373 square feet to 51,373, and Adams said the building committee should begin the permit process early to ensure the construction can actually take place. "I'd hate to get a few months into the process only to find we can't go forward," Adams said. The Building Committee will also confront building projects that apparently are months behind. On Monday, Lee Dore of Dore & Whittier Architects Inc. told the board Baybutt Construction is behind schedule at Elm Hill and Union Street. Dore said on May 9, Baybutt issued a schedule indicating they would complete their work at Elm Hill in December and not October as originally scheduled. Dore said the first phase of work at Union Street, which was scheduled for completion in July, will not be completed until October. On May 16, Baybutt submitted a schedule indicating they would accelerate work at Elm Hill to meet the original completion date, but Dore said during a site visit on May 28, it appeared that items on the schedule that were supposed to have been completed were not. Representatives for Baybutt could not be reached for comment. Dunn said delays and overruns would be a central issue for the building committee. "I was very concerned that unless you have some competent oversight of these projects, there will be delays, increased costs and a decline in the quality of the final product," Dunn said. Dunn said he has been a Springfield resident for 60 years and recently retired after spending a career overseeing capital projects in the biotech industry ranging from $500,000 to $200,000,000. "The key to keeping schedule is to have frequent meetings to identify the problem areas that might cause delays," Dunn said. Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com. ... - By JOSH O'GORMAN Herald Staff

Yankee to store low-level waste at plant Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:38:00 EST
VERNON -- Entergy Nuclear will begin storing its low-level radioactive waste on-site, after its long-time disposal site in South Carolina closes next month. Entergy Nuclear is not alone in the disposal problem, as the Chem-Nuclear LLC site in Barnwell, S.C., takes radioactive waste from 36 states. Vermont is without a site to accept the waste from Vermont Yankee and the state's hospitals, which also produce low-level radioactive waste, despite the state's 1992 compact with Maine and Texas to build a waste facility in Texas. Entergy Nuclear spokesman Robert Williams said Tuesday the closure wouldn't pose a problem for Vermont's reactor. "That's not a problem here. We have storage capacity for low-level waste. We're anticipating the opening of the Texas facility," said Williams, adding he didn't know when the Texas site would open. The closure of the Chem-Nuclear site comes as Entergy Nuclear has temporarily solved its high-level radioactive waste problem. Last month it opened a high-level radioactive storage facility outside the plant. It moved one steel and concrete cask containing 68 nuclear fuel assemblies to the facility, which is immediately north of the reactor. Stephen Wark, spokesman for the Department of Public Service, said the closure of Chem-Nuclear would not affect the state's hospitals, since they produce a lower-level radioactive waste than the nuclear reactor. The hospitals can ship their waste to a facility in Utah, he said. Wark said Entergy has told the state it has 10 years of storage capacity for its low-level waste. Vermont Yankee produces "B" and "C" grade low-level waste, he said, and the Utah facility won't accept that waste, which contains a higher level of radioactivity. Williams estimated that Vermont Yankee produces 500 cubic yards of low-level radioactive waste in a year. That figure doesn't include a refueling outage. An outage typically produces about 900 cubic yards of contaminated material. "We ship filters, resins and some irradiated metal to Barnwell," Williams said. Other materials, such as clothing and tools contaminated with radioactivity, are shipped to the facility in Utah. Williams said it was the state's responsibility to provide a low-level waste facility. Wark said the proposed Texas site, which is in the permitting process, is near the New Mexico border. Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Entergy, like other nuclear operators, had been reducing the amount of waste it produces and ships in recent years. "They are doing a better job of planning for outages," Sheehan said. He said Energy Solutions operates a low-level radioactive waste facility in Clive, Utah, that only accepts Class A waste. He said that about 95 percent of all the low-level nuclear waste is produced by nuclear reactors. Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com. ... - By SUSAN SMALLHEER Herald Staff

Students provoke war debate Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
WESTMINSTER -- About two dozen students from Bellows Falls Union High School walked out of class 30 minutes early before the end of school Tuesday to protest the war in Iraq. Parading a giant white dove, holding protest signs, chanting "Give Peace a Chance" and flashing the peace sign, the students said they wanted to increase students' awareness of the issues behind the war. The anti-war protest spawned a small counter-demonstration from pro-military students, who heckled the peace demonstrators, prompting Principal Chris Hodsdon to keep the two groups of students separated. Hodsdon said all the students who left class early would face disciplinary action, but he said he doesn't discuss individual student disciplinary cases. "Students are supposed to be in class," said Hodsdon, standing outside the high school before the protest began. He told reporters that all disciplinary cases would be handled on an individual and confidential basis. "Today is a usual school day," he said, noting that teachers were trying to finish up their curriculum before final exams begin in the coming weeks. Students walked out at 2:15 p.m., and the last class period of the day ends at 2:45 p.m., he said. "I encourage you to go back to class," the principal told the students. Standing nearby was Stephen Fine of Athens, chairman of the BFUHS board. Fine said he was there to lend support to Hodsdon. Michael McDougall, 16, a sophomore at the high school, organized the rally and urged the students to stay outside. None returned to class. McDougall said he felt that military recruiters took advantage of his classmates. "Bellows Falls is a fairly poor area and it makes it a prime place for recruiters," he said. Many students are ignorant about the war, or "they believe that the images coming back from Iraq are Photoshopped," he said. "There's a great deal of denial." "When you ask them who they are going to vote for in the presidential race, they say McCain and when you ask them about Barack Obama, they say 'he'll get rid of all the guns.'" McDougall said. McDougall told the two dozen students that while other fellow students questioned the purpose of the walk-out, he said the protest had already accomplished what it set out to do -- raise awareness about the war. "Every table at lunch today was talking about the war," said McDougall, a sophomore from Bellows Falls, saying that was the goal he wanted to accomplish. McDougall has been meeting with members of the local peace group for more than a year, and the two 'counter-military recruiters' who work in local schools. Jane Newton of South Londonderry, a longtime peace activist, said that she and Gary Cheney of Springfield, a Vietnam War veteran, work in high schools to talk to students about the full effects of enlisting in the military. Hodsdon, 42, a graduate of Bellows Falls himself, is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and spent more than 10 years in the Navy before returning to Vermont to become an educator. He said he firmly believed in the right to civil protest and peaceful demonstration -- after class. "We've got final exams coming up, and they could have just as easily done this at 2:45 p.m.," said Hodsdon. "People could still make their point." The anti-war protesters sparked a counter-protest from about eight fellow students who said they were pro-military and supported the war in Iraq. Colton Trudo, 18, a senior from Bellows Falls, wrote on his chest "Support The War," and he pulled up his shirt to show other students. Trudo said he had enlisted in the Air Force, and planned on joining immediately after graduation. "I want to serve my country," said Trudo, who also objected to the small number of students from nearby Compass School, a private alternative high school, who came to Bellows Falls Union High School to join the protest. "Why can't they protest at other schools?" Trudo complained. Trudo was joined by several other students, who also walked out of their last class, including two sophomores who said they planned on joining the Marines after graduation, Cody Monty, 15, and Josh Pratt, 16, both of Bellows Falls, said they supported the war and wanted to join the military. The principal said about 10 percent of the graduating class joins the military after graduation, which in Bellows Falls amounts to 10 students a year. Newton and Cheney, the two 'counter-recruiters,' said of all the high schools they work in, they encountered the most hostility at Bellows Falls. Newton said she had received personal, hostile letters, while Cheney said students had thrown food at them. "Usually it's french fries or Tater Tots," Cheney said, who tried to speak with Trudo about his plans to enlist. Trudo was seeking student support as well. "Do you support the war?" he asked a student who was walking out of the school at the correct time. "What war?" the student answered. "He's in the eighth grade," Hodsdon said. Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com. ... - By SUSAN SMALLHEER Herald Staff

Leaders demand Entergy assurance Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
MONTPELIER -- Two leading lawmakers called Tuesday for guarantees that there is enough money for decommissioning the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant before a change in corporate ownership of the plant can proceed. Gov. James Douglas' administration should have sought those guarantees in a recent filing before the Public Service Board, House Speaker Gaye Symington and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin said at a Statehouse press conference. The two Democrats sent a letter Tuesday to the Public Service Board asking that concerns about the adequacy of the decommissioning fund be addressed before the corporate restructuring is approved. "Vermont citizens stand a good chance of having to provide hundreds of millions of dollars to finish cleaning up the plant" without those assurances, Symington said. Douglas vetoed a bill that would have required that the current owner of the plant, Entergy, put up financial guarantees to cover the cost of decommissioning when the plant shuts down -- a process estimated to cost more than $700 million. Last week the administration -- through the Public Service Department -- asked state regulators reviewing the proposed corporate restructuring for additional financial protections to make sure the new company, Enexus, will be stable. "It starts out as a below-investment grade company with a thin balance sheet," said Commissioner of Public Service David O'Brien. The company would essentially owe $4.5 billion to Entergy. But the department did not ask the board to specifically address the decommissioning issue. That is because the change in corporate ownership does not change the status or agreement of the decommissioning fund, O'Brien said. "It doesn't change anything. The sale doesn't change the underlying risk" related to decommissioning, O'Brien said. There is no risk that Vermonters will have to pay for decommissioning the plant, O'Brien said. If there is not enough money in the decommissioning fund, the facility will be put into "Safestor" or closed up but not completely disassembled until the fund grows enough to cover the cost. "I am not a big fan of Safestor," O'Brien said. But that proposal pre-dates the plant's ownership by Entergy. One of the main reasons Douglas vetoed the Legislature's decommissioning bill was that he believed requiring financial guarantees from Entergy for disassembling the facility would have increased electric rates after 2012 if the plant wins a new operating license. But requiring Enexus to owe Entergy less in the transaction or asking for an agreement that Entergy will back the new company up -- some of the ideas the department suggested to the board -- will not drive up rates, O'Brien said. "I don't see it in the same way," he said. Besides, O'Brien added, the important thing is that the matter is decided through the quasi-judicial board process not through a political process. "We thoroughly reviewed the facts in a regulatory process," he said. "This Legislature has increasingly wanted to cross the line" into regulatory matters, O'Brien said. Symington and Shumlin disagreed, saying that if the legislative proposal would have driven up rates, so would the department's plan. "How does the same argument not hold for what he is proposing now?" Symington asked. The idea that lawmakers are getting involved in an area in which they don't belong is silly, Shumlin said. The Legislature has been involved in Yankee's request for dry cask storage and will be involved in the decision -- perhaps next year -- of whether the plant should continue to operate, Shumlin said. The debate over the sale of Vermont Yankee and the decommissioning fund is further complicated by the fact that Symington is running against Douglas in the fall gubernatorial election. Symington and Shumlin said their announcement Tuesday was about the Legislature's business, not politics. "I remain Speaker of the House just as Gov. Douglas remains governor of the state of Vermont," Symington said. "I am standing up for the work of the Legislature." There had been a dust-up over what happened in the final hours of negotiation over the decommissioning bill that Douglas ultimately vetoed. Department officials said Tuesday they proposed to legislative leaders a compromise under which there would have to be enough money for decommissioning the plant by 2032, whether Yankee's license is extended or not. Rep. Robert Dostis, D-Waterbury, chairman of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, said he talked with a member of the administration about the proposal, but because the bill was not in his committee, he did not work on the plan or talk about it with leadership. Steve Wark, a department spokesman, said that other legislative leaders also knew about the idea and turned it down, but he said he wasn't sure who they were. "We are very clear in our recollection that this compromise was proposed and offered to leadership. It was never accepted," Wark said. However, Symington, Rep. Warren Kitzmiller, D-Montpelier -- chairman of the Commerce Committee that handled the bill in the House -- and members of the two committees all had no recollection of the proposal, they said. "That conversation was never held in the committee of jurisdiction in the House," Kitzmiller said. "I may be getting to the age where I forget some things but I never would have forgotten that. It would have made a whole lot of difference." Wark disagreed, however. "I know there were other legislators in leadership positions that were involved," he said. "A blind eye was turned to it." Contact Louis Porter at louis.porter@rutlandherald.com. ... - By LOUIS PORTER Vermont Press Bureau

Vt. DMV joins safety campaign Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST
GUILFORD -- During the next two days, Click It or Ticket won't be the only campaign checking for seat-belt compliance. Through Thursday, the Department of Motor Vehicles will take part in Roadcheck 2008, which reviews the safety of commercial vehicles traveling in and through the state. Roadcheck is an international event, with checkpoints throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. Vermont's checkpoint is at the old welcome center on Interstate 91 in Guilford, but inspectors will also patrol Routes 5, 9 and 142. Vehicle and driver inspections allow inspectors to not just help ensure immediate safety on the highways, but it also helps them gauge industry safety as a whole, said Capt. Jake Elovirta, chief of safety for the DMV. "This event is done every year and we try to do it at the same place," Elovirta said. "It allows us to get a baseline measurement of where the industry is and gives us an idea of what to focus on in the coming year." In all, 28 law enforcement officers will conduct the inspections, Elovirta said, and by Tuesday afternoon the inspections had already nabbed one drunken driver who was operating a delivery truck. Reached by cell phone, Elovirta was in the process of issuing a ticket to a driver who had entered the state and driven past seven signs instructing him to pull over for inspection. Like Click It or Ticket, this year's inspections are focusing on seat-belt compliance. According to the DMV, recent studies have shown that only 65 percent of truck drivers obey the federal law requiring them to wear a seat belt. Elovirta said inspectors will perform a ground-up inspection -- including the truck's brakes and gas line. Inspectors will crawl underneath vehicles to check for leaking fluids. Inspectors will also check to see that the truck's load is properly secured. Investigators believe that it was a combination of high speed and an improperly secured load that caused a tractor-trailer to overturn on Route 9 in Woodford and kill Jeffrey Lamore, 29, of Stamford, and Thomas Peterson, 31, of Readsboro on April 16. In addition to checking the vehicles, inspectors will ensure that drivers are fit for duty, Elovirta said. Inspectors will check the driver's license, medical records and operator's log, in which the driver is required to record his hours of work. Under federal law, Elovirta said, a commercial truck driver can drive no more than 11 cumulative hours in a 24-hour period, which must be followed by 10 hours off. Inspectors will actually conduct a roadside audit -- checking fuel and toll receipts against the times in the operator's log to see if the driver was working when he claimed to be resting. Inspectors will even check the thickness of the mattress in the truck's sleeping berth to ensure it's sufficient for a good night's sleep. A truck that successfully completes inspection will receive a sticker good for three months that allows the truck to bypass future inspections. "The industry likes that, because if the wheels aren't rolling they aren't making money," Elovirta said. Elovirta said the I-91 entrance to Vermont sees a lot of commercial traffic. Many drivers will get off in Brattleboro and travel Route 9 to Albany, connect with Interstate 89 to go to Burlington or just keep going to Canada. In the past, Elovirta said, inspectors would see between 800 and 1,400 trucks a day, but this year fewer trucks will pass through the checkpoint. Citing the rising cost of fuel, fewer trucks are on the road, Elovirta said. Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com. ... - By JOSH O'GORMAN Herald Staff

BBA, Komline top dogs in Division II Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:37:00 EST
MIDDLEBURY -- Burr and Burton Academy has been handed its share of close losses at the golf states lately so the Bulldogs happily welcomed a 326-329 victory over Harwood in the boys Division II championships at Ralph Myhre Golf Course Wednesday. ... - By BOB FREDETTE Herald Staff

Hartford sizzles, but finishes 2nd Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:06:00 EST
MIDDLEBURY -- The biggest thing that has changed in Division I boys golf over the past few years is team depth. There have always been a handful of players that could shoot at or under par. Now there's a handful on several teams. ... - By CARLETON LAIRD Herald Staff

Wolves outdo Northfield for title : Peoples Academy captures first golf crown since 1993 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:59:00 EST
MIDDLBEURY -- It was expected to be a tossup between Northfield and Peoples Academy for the Division III boys golf championship. After all, they had split four regular-season meetings. ... - By CARLETON LAIRD Herald Staff

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