At about 2:30 p.m. on February 6, VT Troopers were called to the scene of a two-car fatal crash at the intersection of East Street and Market Road in the Town of Bridport. According to the investigation, John Terry from Ripton VT was killed traveling west on Market Road, failed to stop for the stop sign, and entered the southbound lane of East Street, where it collided with the second vehicle, driven by Keith Betourney from Bridport, VT which was traveling south on East Street. Keith was taken to Porter Hospital for minor injuries. The collision caused both vehicles to leave the roadway and roll over several times before coming to a stop.
Jason Struthers, who has been the subject of criticism from his suburban neighbors due to his cannabis farm and duck operation, testified against legislation that could shut him down in two committees on Tuesday. Sen. Bobby Starr, D-Orleans, who has represented agricultural communities in the Northeast Kingdom at the Statehouse for more than 40 years and has a good understanding of farming, wanted to hear directly from Struthers. Struthers visited Starr’s committee in the morning before going to House Government Operations on Tuesday afternoon. H.549, a bill that would prohibit outdoor cannabis cultivation in especially densely populated areas, is being considered by representatives there. The fate of Struthers’ farm operation is dependent on two separate appeals of Essex Junction’s zoning board — one by Struthers and one by some of his neighbors — that are working their way through the state’s environmental court. It will also depend on what happens in the House committee, which is preparing a new draft of the bill.
Lawmakers consider pushing back school budget votes as they rethink property tax cap. The new idea would nix the universal 5% cap on homestead property tax rate increases created by Act 127. Instead, legislators would implement a property tax discount system only for districts that are being negatively financially affected by the new law.
The 42 year old former Buckland and Bernardston Mass police officer Jacob Wrisley has been sentenced to four to five years in state prison and five years of probation. Wrisley pleaded guilty Monday in Franklin County Superior Court to eight charges of child pornography. Prosecutor Assistant District Attorney Anne Yereniuk said thousands of child pornography images were found across Wrisley’s devices.
How many Vermonters are unhoused? The state’s best answer is likely incomplete. As Vermonters get turned away from shelter, more are likely living outside — making them harder to count and harder to help. While it’s relatively straightforward to count people staying at shelters and in state-sponsored motel rooms, the task at hand was far more elusive: tallying the number of people living outside. As the nature of homelessness in Vermont changes, so could the state’s ability to count people who are unhoused. That could impact the public’s understanding of the problem — and the state’s attempts to combat it.
On February 5th, the City of Keene reported an error in utility bills dated January 26, 2024. The bills contained incorrect information, including an incorrect payee name and an invalid phone number. The city will issue corrected bills within a week. Customers should disregard the initial bill and wait for the corrected version. Those who have already paid need not take any further action. Payments can be made to the City of Keene Revenue Collector, online, or in person at City Hall. The City acknowledged the errors earlier, attributing them to a recent transition to a new billing system. An audit of the billing is underway, with more information to follow.
Vermont State Police are investigating a suspicious death in Pownal.
The investigation began Tuesday at about 3 p.m. when police received
a report of an altercation on Chickadee Drive. Responding troopers
found an adult man dead at the scene. The victim’s body was sent to
the medical examiner for an autopsy to determine the cause and
manner of death. The man’s name is currently being withheld. As of
right now, no one is in custody and police say they don’t believe there
is a broader threat to the community.
Police are investigating after finding the body of a woman in Troy,
Vermont, on Tuesday. Police said they found the woman during their
search for 29-year-old Kayla Wright, of Derby, who was first reported
missing on Feb. 3. Wright had last been seen the morning before, and
officials said they were concerned for her welfare. The remains of the
woman have been sent to the Chief Medical Examiner,s Office in
Burlington to determine her identity and the cause of death.
Flooding this past summer combined with other severe weather
caused nearly $70 million in damage to Vermont farms, according to a
new report released Wednesday. The Vermont Agriculture Recovery
Task Force’s Extreme Weather Impact & Recovery report details some
of the greatest impacts on farmers, from a severe shortage of feed
crops due to flooding to fruit and berry crops lost in a hard frost in
late May. The report found that 70% of those surveyed had no crop or
livestock insurance to cover their losses. The task force was established in August to coordinate recovery efforts, compile data, as well as provide recommendations to improve the state’s response in the future.
Vermont State Police are investigating after human remains were
discovered in Fairfield in an area where crews have searched for a
missing man. Authorities say they received a call around 2 p.m.
Tuesday reporting they had discovered possible human remains in a
woodline near Barry Road in Fairfield. Responding troopers found a
body in the woods near the area of Castle and Menard Roads. It’s the
same area where police have conducted extensive searches for
Timothy “Timmy” Jettie, 59, of Fairfield, who was last seen in October
and was reported missing since December. The body was taken to the
medical examiner for an autopsy to confirm the person’s identity and
determine the cause and manner of death.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday released a new
report detailing what he calls a rigged system that allows drugmakers
to charge Americans the highest prices in the world for prescription
drugs. Sanders chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions. The report from HELP comes as Medicare starts
its first-ever negotiations with drugmakers over the cost of 10
expensive medications. Drug companies have argued the negotiations
could chill their research and development, leading to fewer new
medications.
WTSA SPORTS FOR FEBRUARY 8th 2024
IT WAS THE CELTICS OVER THE HAWKS LAST NIGHT 125 – 117
THE CELTICS HAVE WON 2 STRAIGHT AND STILL THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE AT 39 AND 12. THE C’s HAVE THE NIGHT OFF AND ARE BACK ON THE COURT FRIDAY AGAINST THE WIZARDS, TIP OFF AT 730PM.
THE CANUCKS VISIT THE BRUINS TONIGHT AT THE GARDEN, THE BRUINS ARE LOOKING FOR A WIN AFTER THE LOSS TO THE FLAMES, THEY DROP THE PUCK AT 7 TONIGHT.
The Patriots are targeting T.C. McCartney as their next quarterbacks coach, sources say. McCartney most recently served as Cleveland’s TEs coach and was the Broncos QBs coach in 2019. He now reunites with Alex Van Pelt in New England.
IN LOCAL GIRLS BASKETBALL, THE YELLOWJACKETS VISIT THE BRATTLEBORO BEARS TONIGHT, TIP OFF AT 7PM. REMEMBER TO CATCH THE ALL THE ACTION ON OUR SISTER STATION 995 THE BEAST AND STREAMING AT 995THEBEAST.COM WITH GIL BURNS ON THE CALL TONIGHT.