WTSA News For Your Wednesday, May 18th:
Vermont health officials say most state sponsored COVID testing sites will be phased out over the next two months. State Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says as the pandemic progresses with highly transmissible variants like omicron, the at-home instant testing has proved to be timelier and more useful than the PCR tests provided by the state-run clinics. He said the state will phase out the testing sites during May and June.
500 thousand dollars in brownfield revolving loan funds are coming to Southeastern Vermont. The U S Environmental Protection Agency made the announcement Tuesday, with the Windham Regional Commission as the recipient. Other Vermont Grants announced include 3 point five million in revolving loan funds to the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission, 599 thousand in site assessment money to the Addison County Regional Commission, and 370 thousand to the Lamoille regional Commission.
The newly formed Vermont State University on Tuesday unveiled its new logo and branding. Starting in 2023, Castleton, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College will merge to become one larger entity, Vermont State University. Vermont State University is branding itself as the heart of Vermont, a place for innovators, thinkers and doers who dream big. The goal of combining the four colleges to rebrand as one Vermont State University was critical to keep them open. The Vermont State Colleges System has struggled financially for years.
The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association has secured $637,000 in federal funds to support their Sugarhouse Certification Program. The maple industry circulates hundreds of millions of dollars locally and promotes tourism on a broad scale. Last summer, the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association launched its Sugarhouse Certification Program to invest in technical education and expertise for Vermont’s maple producers. Creation of the Program was also supported by a Specialty Crop Block Grant through Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
Beginning Thursday night at 6. DMI Paving (a contractor of the town) will be paving High Street from Main Street to Green Street. In addition, Highway crews will be milling and paving Main Street between High and Grove Streets. The work will take place overnight and is expected to be completed by Friday morning at 7:00 am. There will be no on street parking during this project and motorists should expect delays in the area and seek alternate routes. There will be no on street parking during this project and motorists should expect delays in the area and seek alternate routes. The rain date for this project is Thursday, May 26th.
A Springfield man is arrested for promoting recordings of sexual conduct. Authorities say David Shambo, 30, of Springfield was arraigned Tuesday on five felony counts of child porn. Investigators say the investigation lead them to an individual suspected containing files of child porn on a messaging app called Kik. Shambo was identified as the source of the suspected content. He plead not guilty at his arraignment and was released on conditions restricting him from accessing minors, the internet, and devices connected to the internet.
Vermont parents who have trouble finding baby formula are being encouraged to reach out to the Health Department. Help is on the way now that the FDA has given Abbott the greenlight to reopen its baby formula plant which has been closed since February due to safety concerns. But the FDA must first approve some safety changes before Abbott resumes operations. The company believes the plant can be up and running within two weeks but it will be another six to eight weeks before the formula hits store shelves. Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says if you need help, reach out to the Health Department.
LOTTERY NUMBERS:
TRI STATE PICK 3 4-7-3
TRI STATE PICK 4 2-4-3-6
LUCKY FOR LIFE 5-16-29-31-32 LUCKY BALL 14
MEGA MILLIONS 7-21-24-41-65 MEGA BALL 24
MASS CASH 3-6-10-13-19
WTSA SPORTS:
Jimmy Butler scored 41 points, and Miami had a 39 point 3rd quarter, which proved to be the difference in their 118-107 Game 1 over the Celtics. Jayson Tatum scored 29 points to lead Boston. Game 2 is Thursday night, tip-off is at 8:30.
Nathan Eovaldi gave 5 homeruns as the Astros crushed the Red Sox on Tuesday, 13-4. The teams play again tonight, Nick Pivetta on the mound for Boston, first pitch is at 6:10.
Aaron Judge hit his 13th & 14th homers of the year as the Yankees beat Baltimore, 5-4. The teams play tonight, Gerrit Cole on the mound for New York, first pitch is at 7:05.