WTSA News For Your Friday, May 29th:
New Hampshire has 101 new positive test results for COVID-19, for a total of 4,386. Cheshire county has one new positive diagnosis, there were 9 new deaths for a total of 232.110 people are in the hospital.
Three new covid 19 cases in Vermont, including one in Windham County, and one new death from the virus. The current numbers, 974 positive tests, and 55 deaths. 17 people are hospitalized under investigation for covid, and 44 others are being monitored at home.
Marlboro College and Democracy Builders today announced a signed contract for sale of the 500-acre college campus in Marlboro. Democracy Builders will use the campus for an innovative new model of higher education that will dramatically reduce costs and improve outcomes for low-income and first-generation students in particular. Upon state Attorney General and Agency of Education approval, Democracy Builders’ Degrees of Freedom program will offer a hybrid degree that will bring cohorts of students to the campus for multiple residencies each year and continue the tradition of higher education on Potash Hill.
A Pittfsfield Vermont man is facing drug charges in Windham County. 45- year old Scott Chandler was stopped by state police Sunday, and information from the stop led authorities to apply for a search warrant and seize the vehicle. Tuesday, Chandler was injured in a motorcycle crash on Route 5 in Westminster. The crash was the end result of a police pursuit from near the state police barracks. A later search of Chandler’s car allegedly turned up 600 glassine bags of fentanyl (approximately 12 grams), 21.5 grams of crack cocaine, 15 grams of powder cocaine, and various items of drug paraphernalia. Chandler was transported to Springfield ER and later flown via DHART to DHMC where his condition is currently stable. The circumstances surrounding the suspicious actions at the barracks as well as the events leading up to and involving the crash are currently under investigation.
Early ballots are now available for the Windham Southeast School district’s special meeting on June 30. Residents of Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford and Putney will be able to vote from 10 to 7, with Brattleboro voting at the Windham Southeast business office on Green Street, in Dummerston at the Town Office, in Guilford at the Broad Brook Community Center and in Putney at the Putney Central School. Early ballots are available for the special vote, which deals with officers and budgets.
Vermont’s Department of Financial Regulation says a premium relief plan submitted by Northeast Delta Dental, Vermont’s largest provider of dental benefits, has been approved. In total, $2.89 million in premium relief will be provided to approximately 70,000 Vermonters after the suspension of most dental services due to COVID-19. The premium relief will generally be equal to one month’s premium and will be reflected as a credit on a customer’s July premium bill. The state is actively reviewing refund plans submitted by other dental insurers and encourages all dental insurers to determine whether Vermonters have overpaid and promptly file a plan to reduce or refund premiums.
Mobilization of National Guard troops has been extended, and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen is applauding the move. The senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee says extending this order allows eligible Guard members to access the education and retirement benefits they deserve and will continue to bolster New Hampshire’s response to this public health emergency. Shaheen had asked for an extension until June 30th for the New Hampshire National Guard’s status under the National Guard Title 32 authority. The Trump administration instead put in place a deadline of June 24th which is one day shy of the 90-day period that would allow eligible personnel to qualify for benefits.
Green Mountain Power has launched a new package of incentives and programs to help customers save money and help small businesses get back on their feet following the COVID-19 economic shutdown. GMP is increasing rebates on heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, electric mowers and electric bikes now through the end of August, and will launch a solar credit sharing program in June, as well as a new way for customers to reduce energy use that also raises money for the Vermont Food Bank.
LOTTERY NUMBERS:
TRI STATE PICK 3 0-3-6
TRI STATE PICK 4 4-8-2-1
LUCKY FOR LIFE 1-13-36-41-44 LUCKY BALL 1
MASS CASH 6-12-13-15-28
WTSA SPORTS:
Chase Elliot’s streak of bitter defeats in NASCAR’s frantic first push of rescheduled races finally ended with his first Cup victory of the season. Elliott won Thursday night in the rain-delayed event at Charlotte Motor Speedway to close a packed 12 days for NASCAR. The event, postponed Wednesday night, was the fourth Cup race since the series resumed racing May 17. Elliott had two frustrating losses in that span, including defeat Sunday night in the Coca-Cola 600 when a caution flew two laps from the finish with Elliott leading.
Hundreds of minor league baseball players were cut Thursday and hundreds more are expected to lose their jobs as the sport grapples with the near certainty that the minor league season will be canceled, sources told ESPN. Team officials said a vast majority of the players likely would have been released toward the end of spring training even if baseball hadn’t been halted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to sources. But the cuts en masse, which could wind up numbering more than 1,000, nevertheless reverberated around the game, sources said. Released players expressed fear that their careers would be over, and those whose teams hadn’t yet made cuts prepared for a tenuous next few days, sources said.