WTSA News for your Thursday, May 16th:
A fatal AT V crash in Rockingham is being investigated. Vermont State Police were called to private property off of Brockway Mills Road. in Rockingham just before 5 P M Tuesday. The operator of the ATV was identified as 76-year old John Weinzierl, of Rockingham. Weinzierl was pronounced deceased at the scene. The cause of the crash and cause of Weinzierl’s death is pending the results of an autopsy.
A water main project in downtown Brattleboro is nearly complete. Public Works Engineering Tech Joshua Carnes says Main Street has been repaved in the vicinity of High Street, and major roadwork has been completed. Zaluzny Excavating will repair the damaged sidewalk section early next week, and the Brattleboro Highway Department will re-stripe the lines and parking spaces at their earliest opportunity.
The Vermont House Wednesday gave preliminary approval to an increased state minimum wage on a vote of 90 – 53. House Democrat Matt Trieber of Rockingham presented the bill on the house floor, and says in 2020, the bill approved by the House today increases wages annually by 2.25 times the inflation rate the bill puts more money in Vermonters’ pockets and more money back into the Vermont economy. The annual wage growth in this bill will occur unless there is a major economic downturn. House Speaker Mitzi Johnson says more women than men are working in minimum wage jobs and the bill helps provide a Vermont that works for all of us, not just the select few.
Governor Phil Scott has signed legislation that modernizes Vermont’s financial service laws. The bill overhauls the Department of Financial Regulation’s non-depository licensing to consolidate, modernize and streamline compliance. State officials say the law will simplify doing business in Vermont for Fintech companies and other non-depository licenses and will reduce compliance costs for the department and the industry.
The Brattleboro Police Department hosted representatives from the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and former officials from the U.S. Department of Justice. The presentation touched on why hate crime laws exist, what constitutes a hate crime and how protected speech can descend into an unlawful threat. Brattleboro Police Chief Michael “Gunny” Fitzgerald said it’s important to understand hate crimes because hate activity in Brattleboro and across the country has increased. The event was open to law enforcement agents from around the state. About 40 people attended the training, including about a dozen from the Brattleboro Police Department.
Bestselling author Cheryl Strayed will speak at the Latchis Theater June 25 in celebration of Brattleboro Area Hospice’s 40th anniversary. A Wild Life: Growing Through Life’s Challenges is an evening of inspiration, wisdom and storytelling with Strayed, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild. Tickets can be purchased online at brattleboro hospice dot org.
LOTTERY NUMBERS:
TRI STATE PICK 3 9-4-5
TRI STATE PICK 4 6-9-4-8
TRI STATE MEGABUCKS 6-13-14-21-40 MEGA BALL 2
TRI STATE GIMME 5 7-11-15-20-32
POWERBALL 7-17-33-61-68 POWERBALL 4
MASS CASH 9-30-31-34-35
Game 4 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final is tonight. Boston leads Carolina 3 games to 0 and look to close it out tonight when the puck drops at 8pm.
Locally, Bella Powell had a pair of doubles, a triple and drove in four runs to power the Brattleboro varsity softball team to a 16-1 victory over Windsor on Tuesday. Hailey Derosia (5 K’s, 0 BB, 0 hits) and Leah Madore (5 K’s, 0 BB, 3 hits) each pitched three innings to combine for the win. The 9-3 Colonels will host Mill River on Friday at 5 p.m. You can catch the game on 99 5 The Beast beginning at 4:45 tomorrow.
Sarah Andersen struck out seven, walked two and scattered five hits to pick up the win as the Leland & Grey Rebels mercied Burr and Burton yesterday 21-6 in five innings. Abby Lowe (2 RBI, 4 runs) had a team-high three hits for the winners. Izzy Ameden went 2-for-4, drove in four runs, and crossed the plate three times. Ansley Henderson contributed with a pair of hits and a couple of runs scored, while Hannah Landers added a double. Leland & Grey improved to 5-5 with the win.