The superintendent of the Springfield prison has been placed on administrative
leave after allegations of misconduct. The Department of Corrections on
Thursday did not offer any details about the allegations against Michaela
Merrill. She took over the superintendent’s job at the Southern State
Correctional Facility two years ago after Mike Lyon left the job. He had also
faced allegations but was cleared of any wrongdoing after an investigation. The
assistant superintendent will serve as acting superintendent.
A 24-year-old Congolese woman living in Vermont for the past four years on a
permanent resident card has been ordered released on bond after she
was detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents earlier this
month. Esther Ngoy Tekele was ordered released on a $7,500 bond on Thursday,
with the full amount paid for by the Vermont Freedom Fund. She was due to be
released from custody as early as this afternoon.
The Utilities Division will continue with a sewer line repair project on Elliot
Street, Monday, July 21, through Wednesday, July 23. Elliot Street will be closed
between the entrance to Harmony Lot and Church Street between 7:00 am and
7:00 pm. The Transportation Center’s Elliot Street Entrance will be closed on
Monday and Tuesday, and the Flat Street entrance will remain open. All
pedestrian access to the parking Garage will remain open throughout the
project. The Harmony Parking Lot will remain open and on-street parking will be
limited during this work.
Authorities are investigating a fight at a farm in Panton that resulted in two
people going to the hospital. It happened Thursday evening around 5:30 p.m. on
Jersey Street. Vermont State Police say two farmworkers, both men in their 20s,
got into a fight. One of them grabbed a broken bottle and stabbed and slashed
the other, leaving them with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was
taken to UVM Medical Center, along with another person with a head injury
who police say was also involved. No arrests have been made so far, and the
names of all those involved are being withheld at this time.
State officials have announced that LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults can
continue getting support through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, despite the
federal pilot program ending. The original “Press 3” pilot program began back in
2022 and aimed to “connect LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults with counselors
trained in affirming care.” Funding for the project officially ended in June, and
the LGBTQIA+ line became unavailable July 17. The line is available 24/7. All
calls and texts are answered by crisis counselors at Northeast Kingdom Human
Services plus Northwest Counseling and Support Services.
Teen Street will be held on Saturday, July 19, from 5 to 9 pm in the Preston Lot
on Flat Street. Teen Street means food trucks and live music by local youth
musicians, like the Emily Margaret Band, NCP Sound, Technicolor Ltd, and The
Jackets. There will be an inflatable obstacle course, Kona Ice, a two-on-two
basketball tournament, live screen printing, jewelry making, and a teen art
market. 802 Soul Kitchen’s food truck will be there, and the Sunshine Lemonade
Company will offer boba lemonade.
A Winchester man is headed to state prison following his sentencing
Wednesday for a high-speed crash last year that resulted in the death of a 24-
year-old passenger from Massachusetts. Dylan Morse, now 21, received a
sentence of seven to 18 years from Cheshire County Superior Court Judge Anne
Edwards in connection with the March 2023 crash in Hinsdale that killed Richard
Miner Jr., of Greenfield. Morse pleaded guilty to multiple charges under a
negotiated plea deal, including four counts of manslaughter, along with second-
degree assault, reckless conduct, and driving after license suspension.
Vermont singer-songwriter sensation Noah Kahan is pleading with fans to
respect his family’s privacy. In post on Instagram Wednesday, Kahan asked fans
to respect his family’s privacy. He says some fans are crossing a line as they
explore the setting of his hit album “Stick Season,” which he has described as a
love letter to his hometown of Strafford. “My family are real, normal people
who live and work in their homes and want to feel safe and unbothered,” Kahan said. “Please don’t go to their houses.” His “Stick Season” album has been streamed more than 1 billion times.