Archive - Jul 2012
July 19th
ORLEANS, VT - A tractor trailer hauling a large base section of an industrial wind tower hit a snag Thursday on Interstate 91 South just before the Orleans exit, where the road is being resurfaced. The trailer tipped and the turbine part came to rest in the grass, twisting the trailer and leaving the wheels suspended in the air.
No injuries were reported. When contacted, a spokesperson for Green Mountain Power said the company was just learning of the incident, which had already gone viral on Facebook and made the WCAX-TV news less than an hour later.
WATERBURY, VT - The word is out: Gov. Peter Shumlin likes Camel's Hump more than Lowell Mountain, at least that's the way wind opponents are interpreting Shumlin's remarks on Wednesday's Mark Johnson Show on WDEV Radio in Waterbury.
Shumlin strongly defended his position to allow Green Mountain Power to construct wind turbine towers on the Lowell ridge tops, even though, at least legally, the governor doesn't get to "allow" or "prohibit" the construction of a wind project, the Vermont Public Service Board does.
ORLEANS COUNTY – Concerns are growing in North America over plans for transporting crude oil derived from Canadian tar sands through pipelines - possibly through the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
Energy transportation company Enbridge Inc., headquartered in Alberta, pipes tar sands crude oil from Alberta to Michigan, but has recently announced plans to send the heavy oil from Ontario to Montreal, through a pipe called Line 9.
NEWPORT, VT - A bridge construction worker took a long dive off a non-existent pier when he fell into Lake Memphremagog yesterday.
The Newport City Police Department, the Newport City Fire Department, and Newport Ambulance Service responded to Rail Road Square for a water rescue.
Fire officials said the worker, from Reed and Reed Construction, may have had a seizure before he fell 15 to 20 feet into the lake. Co-workers rescued the victim with a boat owned by the construction company and brought him to the boat launch on the Causeway.
Reed and Reed is working on the Long Bridge project.
NEWPORT–Nine runs in the second inning sealed the fate for the Lake Region 2 team as the North Country Orioles picked up the 11-0 win on Wednesday in the opening round of the 14-U Babe Ruth League Championship.
The deck was stacked against LR as they played the entire game with only eight players, and sent Devin Royer, who up until this point had never pitched at the Babe Ruth level, to the mound.
Royer gave it his all, but the Oriole bats were just too much to handle.
July 18th
NEWPORT CITY – The planning commission continues to support a central heating plant that would distribute heat via underground pipes to commercial, public and residential buildings. Local woodchips would power the plant.
BARTON - Three years after being appointed principal at Lake Region Union High School, Andy Messier, in an effort to improve math scores, launched an innovative summer school math program that will extend into the school year.
Responding to unsatisfactory test results in math based on statewide testing, Vermont's Department of Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca called earlier this year for schools to focus on ways to improve scores.
DERBY – The Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) approved a 140-foot turbine in Derby despite the concerns from a neighbor and others and without holding a hearing as requested and without further investigation.
The PSB issued the Certificate of Public Good (CPG) July 11.
The turbine will sit on Michele Judd's property at the top of Herrick Road.
SOUTH BURLINGTON–The 14-U OEC Lightning packed up their gear and headed over to Chittenden County as the Orleans County representatives in the 14-U Babe Ruth State Baseball Tournament.
The Lightning, a collection of some of the top ball players in this area in that age group, did not have a good showing, losing their first two games to exit the tourney earlier than most expected.
Game one kicked off at 11:00 AM on Saturday as OEC squared off against Suburban, a team representing Winooski and Colchester.
By
Submitted by Phil White
“It’s right over you!” Those were the words from the Newport City Police Dispatcher, when we called in to see how far away the thunderstorm was. The violent, spot storm that hit us immediately, without warning, with gale force winds and lightning less than 4 miles from Newport’s Gateway Center put an end to Ray Gandy’s historic attempt to be the first person to complete a 50 mile international swim, double crossing Lake Memphremagog, from Newport to Magog and back.
