The town of Putney select board has decided to temporarily halt the operations of its fire department following the unexpected resignations of its longstanding chief and twelve volunteer members. The local officials in this community of 2,617 residents initiated an independent operational review, which was published in February, revealing the challenges faced at both state and national levels in recruiting and retaining on-call staff due to increasing demands from outside employment and training obligations within the department. Board Members past and present wish to extend their willingness to be part of the effort to vision, plan and rebuild the Putney Fire Department in collaboration with the select board and the community.
Public safety officials in Vermont are still calculating the number of cars and people that attended the total solar eclipse event. Despite heavy outbound traffic after the eclipse, there were no major issues reported, “People were very patient, respectful, rolling down their windows to say thank you to us,” said Newport Police Chief Travis Bingham, who described the crowds as the largest he’s seen in his 20 years of working for the Northeast Kingdom city.
Shant Michael Soghomonian, accused of setting fire to the office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, appeared in court on Tuesday. He faces a federal charge of damaging a building used in interstate commerce. Soghomonian, 35, arrived in handcuffs for a preliminary hearing at the U.S. District Court in Burlington. He remains held at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans and is scheduled to return to court THURSDAY today for a detention hearing. Security footage showed Soghomonian spraying a liquid near the outer door of Sanders’ office and then lighting it with a handheld lighter. The fire briefly blocked the exit, endangering the staff members inside. Sanders was not present during the incident.
During Monday’s total solar eclipse in Barton, a train collided with two vehicles parked too close to the railroad tracks, resulting in one woman being hospitalized with minor injuries. The crash occurred at 3:33 p.m., as reported by Vermont State Police in a press release issued on Tuesday. The incident took place during the eclipse’s totality between 3:27 and 3:30 p.m. in Barton. An investigation revealed that a Vermont Rail System train struck a Toyota Prius at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and High Street, damaging the vehicle’s passenger side mirror. Subsequently, the train hit a Ford Explorer driven by the woman, pushing it 5 to 10 feet into a Jeep Wagoneer. All three vehicles sustained minor damage, with police attributing the cause of the crashes to the vehicles being parked too close to the railroad tracks.
Windham Solid Waste is participating in an eclipse glasses recycling program. You can drop them off at the scale house. BUT, the Townshend Library is collecting glasses for them as well so all you have to do is drop them off at the library. Please pass the info on to your friends.
If you are an angler who would like to give back to the fishing community and want to share your love of fishing, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Let’s Go Fishing Program is currently seeking new volunteer instructors to take part in our educational fishing programs around the state. All levels of fishing experience are welcomed. The one-day training for new instructors on will take place on Saturday, May 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Fish and Game Department Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord NH. All materials and lunch will be provided to those attending. If you’re interested in joining, go to: https://wildlife.nh.gov/fishing-new-hampshire/learn-fish-lets-go-fishing-program. Once the form is completed and notarized, please email it to lisa.collins@wildlife.nh.gov, or mail it to Let’s Go Fishing, NH Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301 to reserve your seat in the program.
WTSA SPORTS FOR THURSDAY APRIL 11th 2024
THE CELTICS ARE BACK HOME TONIGHT AGAINST THE KNICKS, TIP OFF AT 730PM
THE BRUINS ARE TRAVELING TO PITTSBURG TO TAKE ON THE PENGUINS ON SATURDAY WHEN THEY DROP THE PUCK AT 8PM.
THE ORIOLES BEAT THE REDSOX YESTERDAY 7 -5. GAME 3 IS TONIGHT AT 7:10
THE YANKEES TOOK 2 OUT OF 3 AGAINST THE MARLINS. THE MARLINS BEAT THE YANKEES YESTERDAY 5 – 2. THE YANKEES PLAY THE GUARDIANS ON SATURDAY AT 6:10PM