WTSA News For Your Friday, September 15th:
An investigation that began in the summer of 2021 resulted in the Vermont Drug Task Force arresting 38-year-old Damar Ausby, of Brattleboro on charges related to the sale of narcotics. Ausby is charged with distributing both fentanyl and crack cocaine in the Brattleboro community. Ausby was arrested and processed at the Brattleboro Police Department and released on a citation to appear before the Vermont Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division to answer the charges.
Vermont Senator Peter Welch is leading a coalition that is calling for inclusion of the Reducing Exposure to Burn Pits Act in the final version of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024. The proposal, which was included in the Senate-passed NDAA, builds upon the Honoring our PACT Act and would help protect service members from exposure to toxic substances. It would direct the Department of Defense to explore alternatives to burn pits for waste disposal, helping to prevent veterans’ exposure to toxic substances in advance.
Governor Phil Scott on Thursday announced the appointment of Denise Reilly-Hughes as secretary of the Agency of Digital Services and Jason Batchelder as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservations. Reilly-Hughes was appointed deputy commissioner of ADS in January of 2023. She has served as interim secretary since July, following the retirement of Secretary Shawn Nailor. Commissioner Batchelder previously served as the Colonel of the Vermont Fish and Game Warden Service from 2014 until he retired in 2022. Batchelder will now lead DEC’s 300 employees working to promote clean air, clean water, and healthy communities in Vermont.
An Antrim, New Hampshire man was indicted in connection to fraudulently receiving veteran disability benefits. Christopher Stultz, 49, was indicted on one count of making False Statements to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Stultz will appear in federal court in Concord at a later date. According to the charging documents, between January 2003 and December 2022, Stultz falsely represented to the Department of Veterans Affairs that he was unable to use both his feet, thus obtaining veteran disability benefits that he was not entitled to for almost two decades.
The Vermont Department of Mental Health is proud to announce and welcome Wendy Shapiro as the Chief Executive Officer of the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital. Shapiro’s background in human services spans more than three decades, encompassing both direct service roles and high-level leadership positions. She most recently served as CEO of Clarion Psychiatric Center in Clarion, Pennsylvania. Shapiro will lead the state facility charged with providing recovery oriented psychiatric treatment and care for individuals whose illness or mental health-related actions may require periods of involuntary commitment.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has been awarded U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding to conserve habitat for the federally listed Indiana and Northern long-eared bats in Vermont. With the acquisition of approximately 200 acres in Addison County supported by this grant, the department is seeking to conserve summer roosting, foraging, and commuting habitat for these federally endangered bat species.
LOTTERY NUMBERS:
TRI STATE PICK 3 3-0-0
TRI STATE PICK 4 0-0-4-0
LUCKY FOR LIFE 9-19-23-26-47 LUCKY BALL 18
MASS CASH 8-17-23-28-34
WTSA SPORTS:
On the day when the Red Sox fired Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom, the team went on to beat the Yankees, 5-0 in the first game of a doubleheader, thanks to Trevor Story’s three-run homer. The Yankees beat the Red Sox in the nightcap, 8-5, thanks to a monstrous Grand Slam from Aaron Judge. Boston is at Toronto tonight, Brayan Bello on the mound for Boston, first pitch is at 7:05. The Yankees are at Pittsburgh tonight, Gerrit Cole on the mound for New York, first pitch is at 6:35.
The Eagles beat the Vikings in Thursday Night Football last night, 34-28.
Locally, in Boys Soccer, Brattleboro lost to Burr & Burton on Thursday, 6-1. In Girl’s soccer Brattleboro beat Green Mountain, 10-1. In Field Hockey, Brattleboro lost to Bellows Falls, 9-1.
Tonight, Brattleboro takes on Mt. Anthony in Bennington in Boy’s High School Football, in the annual Elwell Trophy game. You can hear the game on your home for Bears sports, 99 5 The Beast, and 99 5 The Beast Dot Com, beginning at 6:45 with the Bears Pre-Game Show.