WTSA News For Your Thursday, July 6th:
Vermont State Police have identified the child who died in a UTV crash in Newfane Saturday night. 7-year-old Finley Conlon of Pepperill Massachusetts, and five other children were riding on a UTV driven by his father 40-year-old, Matthew Conlon, on Lost Mile Road. They say Conlon lost control on a curve and the vehicle flipped. Finley was transported to the hospital where he later died. The other passengers suffered minor injuries. Police say they do not believe Conlon was impaired.
The state of Vermont has reached an agreement to settle all pending and potential Kingdom Con lawsuits related to the Jay Peak EB-5 projects. In a statement, the state says 64 individual plaintiffs agreed to settle all pending and potential cases related to the eight EB-5 Jay Peak projects. The state says the $16.5 million settlement would be paid out over three years and will be paid into the Jay Peak receivership. The state will also continue to support green card pursuits by investors, and if that’s successful, the state would reduce the settlement payment by $4 million.
The Vermont state police advisory commission has released the results of eight matters that came before them in the last half of 2022. Of the eight cases, seven arose as the result of a concern raised internally by members of the Vermont State Police, while one came to the attention of supervisors following a report from the community. Two cases involved multiple troopers. Two cases resulted in findings that the members violated VSP policy. Two of the complaints were determined to have represented no policy violation. In three other cases, the troopers involved resigned before the internal investigation review process concluded. In the final matter, the internal investigation was paused during the pendency of a criminal case.
Applications are now being accepted for free energy assessments of municipal buildings throughout Vermont. This next phase of the Municipal Energy Resilience Program will document conditions and make recommendations for improvements to building envelopes, heating and cooling systems, and other projects to make towns more efficient and resilient, including recommendations to incorporate renewable sources in building energy systems. Municipalities will be eligible to apply for the free assessments, and once completed, apply for up to $500,000 to make recommended improvements. Nearly 100 towns have already been awarded $4,000 under the MERP Community Capacity Building Mini-Grants program that was a precursor to this larger effort. Applications for these funds remain open and municipalities are encouraged to apply.
More Vermonters now have access to fresh, local produce across the state through the “Farm to Family Coupon” program. $164,000 in coupons are now available to help eligible Vermonters buy locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets and farm stands. Coupons are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and may be used at any of the 60 markets and farm stands enrolled in the program this summer Vermont households with incomes at or below 185% of the federal poverty level and households participating in the Vermont Department of Health’s WIC Program ) are eligible for the program. People can apply through their local WIC office or local community action agency. Dial 2-1-1 for local agency contact information.
Vermont and New York are among 10 states intending to sue the EPA over wood stove standards. In a letter to the EPA last week, the states accused the agency of failing to review and ensure emissions standards by allowing the continued sale of appliances that could worsen pollution. The EPA’s Office of Inspector General released a report in February saying their 2015 performance standards are flawed and lack clarity. Those performance standards were scheduled to receive an update earlier this year but that never happened. “There are no systems in place for certifying and testing these wood stoves,” said Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark. Under current EPA rules, woodstoves are being tested and certified by third-party labs using different methods. “Right now, we have a regulation they haven’t followed. It expired in May — or was due in May. Every eight years they’re supposed to review those performance standards and they haven’t reviewed those performance standards,” Clark said.
LOTTERY NUMBERS:
TRI STATE PICK 3 0-7-9
TRI STATE PICK 4 8-9-3-1
TRI STATE GIMME 5 12-17-19-30-37
TRI STATE MEGABUCKS 1-12-23-28-33 MEGA BALL 6
POWERBALL 17-24-48-62-68 POWERBALL 23
MASS CASH 2-6-20-21-26
WTSA SPORTS:
Brayan Bello pitched seven strong innings to help lead the Red Sox past the Rangers last night, 4-2. The teams play again tonight, with Kutter Crawford on the mound for Boston, first pitch is at 7:10.
Ryan O’Hearn homered to help power the Orioles past the Yankees last night, 6-3. The teams play again tonight, Luis Severino on the mound for New York, first pitch is at 7:05.