Archive - Jan 2012 - Page
January 26th
MIDDLEBURY — In 1996, Robert Gold was blind sided by oncoming pickup truck as he sat at an intersection in Manchester, N.H. The accident left him with traumatic brain injuries that ended his lucrative dental practice and drove friends and family away.
But the accident gave Gold, now a Middlebury resident, a second life as a self-taught artist. Although he can no longer wield the tools of his former trade, Gold has turned to a vocation where he combines photography and painting to create works of beauty in a unique style.
MIDDLEBURY — The ID-4 school board is considering a comprehensive makeover of Mary Hogan Elementary School’s recreation areas, an initiative boosters will likely complete in phases using grants, donations and volunteer labor.
David Raphael, principal of Middlebury-based LandWorks, on Monday presented Middlebury’s ID-4 board with some ideas for replacing the aging-but-popular Kidspace apparatus while adding some new amenities and landscaping.
The board liked what it saw, according to ID-4 board Chairwoman Karen Lefkoe.
It’s not easy being scatterbrained.
My mind is constantly running in different directions, and I forget things. Just keeping track of my car keys occupies a good portion of my brain each day, and the portion that’s left can’t handle the remaining workload. I forget not only what things I need to do, but also whether I have — or have not — already done them. You can’t imagine the trouble this gets me into.
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury police cited Brian Alexander, 22, of Lincoln, Mass., for driving under the influence, following a stop on Court Street on Jan. 21. Police said they pulled over Alexander because they had seen him driving erratically.
Police said they measured Alexander’s blood-alcohol content at 0.158 percent. The legal limit for driving is 0.08 percent.
In other action last week, Middlebury police:
“Believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things,” said the hallowed Penn State Coach Joe Paterno.
As far as I could ever tell, during my formative years growing up in Pittsburgh, Pa., the only thing that ever did tie the two sides of the state together was Joe Paterno.
MIDDLEBURY — Residents in the Addison Central Supervisory Union towns of Bridport, Cornwall, Ripton, Shoreham, Salisbury and Weybridge will soon vote on 2012-2013 elementary school spending plans that in many cases reflect small increases in spending but decreases in education property taxes.
The proposed budgets, according to ACSU interim Superintendent Gail Conley, show a commitment by school directors to keep expenses low.
FERRISBURGH — Ferrisburgh selectmen on Tuesday approved a roughly $1.619 million town budget for fiscal year 2013, but on Town Meeting Day Ferrisburgh voters will have the option of adding up to $79,000 to that bottom line.
The selectboard’s spending proposal does not include about $29,000 of charitable donations that Ferrisburgh residents typically back in March, plus two articles that would create capital funds: $30,000 for the town’s fire department and $30,000 for the public works department.
Knowing that presidential candidate Mitt Romney would release his income tax returns this week, I was prepared to write a column pointing out that the Massachusetts Republican was not one of us. We all knew he was rich, but how rich?
Then I saw the numbers and it gave me pause. Sure, “Willard” (as it says on his 1040 tax return) Romney is a millionaire several times over. But the numbers I’m talking about are the ones provided by other candidates.
