Archive - Sep 12, 2011
When Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont two weeks ago, Vermont’s highway crews were on the front lines of the disaster. Throughout the night of the storm, I was in contact with men and women who were battling floods and torrential rain to close unsafe roads and try to assess damage to bridges and highways, often at great personal risk. The work of these highway maintenance workers during and after the flood has been nothing short of heroic. They’ve showed how much we Vermonters are capable of when the chips are down.
BRISTOL — The Middlebury Union field hockey team earned a hard-fought, 1-0 win at Mount Abraham on Friday in a game that saw both sides take turns carrying play.
The difference proved to be the first 15 minutes of the second half, when the Tigers dominated and got a goal at 23:46 from senior forward Chrissy Ritter.
ADDISON COUNTY AND BRANDON — Inn and hotel operators in Addison County and Brandon are concerned that Vermont’s recent portrayal as a storm-ravaged state might be discouraging some prospective tourists. But they remain buoyed last week by rebuilding efforts and are confident that bookings will be strong for the critical fall foliage season.
VERMONT — As heavy rains and high winds from Tropical Storm Irene roared through Vermont on Aug. 28, local emergency teams, news outlets and state disaster management officials sought to keep up with incident after incident happening across the state.
But as roads washed out, power went down and travel throughout the state became increasingly difficult, Internet technology and social media stepped into the spotlight.
PANTON — A small group of Panton residents last week rejected a plan to borrow $40,000 to repair the cupola that sits atop Panton Town Hall, but town selectmen may not yet be ready to order its removal.
Panton officials have in recent years discussed renovations to Town Hall that would include bathrooms and a kitchen that could transform the building into a community and visitors’ center.
But first they must deal with the structure’s leaky roof, and that means solving the problem of the deteriorating cupola.
BRISTOL — An Addison County man who originally offered police information on a break-in at a Bristol convenience store eventually was implicated in the crime when police found images of a suspect who looked remarkably like the man on a store surveillance video.
On Aug. 26, at a hair past midnight, Bristol Police Officer Randy Crowe responded to the alarm at the Champlain Farms convenience store on West Street in Bristol. Crowe found the new glass door — installed two days earlier — smashed.
MIDDLEBURY — Bakery Lane will be closed at its northern entrance (fronting Main Street) for up to a month beginning Monday, Sept. 12, to accommodate repairs to the brick façade of the Dyer Block, Middlebury officials confirmed on Friday.
ADDISON COUNTY — The Addison County Chamber of Commerce honored businesses, organizations and individuals at its annual meeting and awards ceremony on this past Thursday at the Middlebury Inn.
More than 100 local professionals were in attendance to watch the chamber grant four main awards: the Business Education Partnership Award, the Business of the Year Award, the Buster Brush Citizen of the Year Award, and the Community Achievement Award.
