April 5, 2007
By CYRUS LEVESQUE
BRISTOL — Last year the Mount Abraham Union High School switched to a greener, cheaper mode of warming the building when it installed a wood chip-fired heating system. That idea began with a simple science class project by Jessie-Ruth Corkins and Christi Kroll.
Now, Corkins and three other MAUHS students are shooting for a more ambitious goal: switching much of the state to biofuels.
The four students over the last several months have developed a plan to promote the production of fuel pellets from switchgrass, a hardy prairie grass believed to hold promise for producing ethanol or other biofuels. They would begin with a fuel pellet factory sponsored by both the state and federal governments. The goal is to have half or more of Vermont’s heating energy come from pellets in 10 years.
April 5, 2007
By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDLEBURY — When the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association (MVAA) takes to the road, it’s usually to respond to a serious accident or medical emergency. The adrenaline is pumping and time is of the essence.
But this past Saturday, March 31, MVAA members finally went on a casual road trip, one in which they — and not their patients — were the center of attention. The occasion was the “2007 Vermont Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Conference and Awards Banquet,” where the MVAA scooped up a whopping three of the seven statewide awards handed out during the evening, including the prestigious “2007 Vermont Ambulance Service of the Year” citation.
“I would say the people of Addison County, and those in particular served by the MVAA, have a great deal to be proud of,” said Dan Manz, EMS director for the Vermont Department of Health, which coordinated the awards presentation at the Sheraton Conference Center in South Burlington.
