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ST. JOHNSBURY
Felon Denies Hitting
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PAGE B1
PAGE A3
PAGE A3
ST. JOHNSBURY
PATRICIA PRUE WANTS TO PLEAD GUILTY
Will Take Life Sentence
Deal In Exchange For
Communication With Allen
PHOTO By TOdd WellingTOn
Patrice Lumumba is led into
Caledonia Superior Court
Monday.
BY ToDD WEllinGTon
Staff Writer
ST. JOHNSBURY
Patricia Prue wants to plead guilty to murdering Melissa Jenkins in exchange for a life
prison sentence but a judge wants her to undergo a competency evaluation ﬁrst.
Prue, who is scheduled to go to trial in
LSC GRADUATE
CHARGED WITH
DRUG DEALING
“That she would accept, at her relatively young age, a sentence
of life in prison ... raises serious questions about the current
scope and intensity of her disorders and symptomology.”
— Defense Attorney Brian Marsicovetere
March for the kidnapping and murder of Jenkins, is demanding that she be allowed to accept
a plea agreement offered by prosecutors last
month for the sole purpose of being allowed
to communicate with her husband – convicted
murderer Allen Prue – as they both serve
lengthy prison sentences.
The development came to light through a
request for a competency evaluation ﬁled in
Caledonia Superior Court Monday by Patricia
Prue’s defense attorney, Brian Marsicovetere
of White River Junction. The motion details
an offer on Nov. 12 by the Caledonia County
State’s Attorney’s Ofﬁce that Patricia Prue reSee Prue, Page A6
Patricia Prue
File PHOTO
NORTHEAST KINGDOM
INTERSTATE ROLLOVER
SNOWMOBILE
SEASON BEGINS
Former Soccer
Star Accused
Of Selling
Cocaine, Heroin
BY SAllY Cook
news Correspondent
BY ToDD WEllinGTon
Staff Writer
A former star soccer player at Lyndon State College has been accused
of dealing cocaine and heroin from
his Hill Street home.
Patrice Lumumba, 24, pleaded not
guilty to seven felonies in Caledonia
Superior Court Monday including
three counts of selling cocaine, one
count of possessing cocaine, two
counts of selling heroin and one
count of possessing heroin.
Caledonia Superior Court
Judge Robert Bent set conditions
of release including an order that he
only be released into the custody of
a responsible party if approved by the
court. Lumumba would also be subject to a 24 hour curfew if released
and prohibited from possessing a cell
phone or using any Internet accounts.
PHOTO By dAnA gRAy
Capt. Brad Reed of the St. Johnsbury Fire Department maintains control of the legs of Donn Lathrop, 76,
Lyndon Center, after Reed fell backward while carrying Lathrop to a waiting stretcher on Interstate 91, near
Exit 20 in St. Johnsbury Monday morning. Assisting Reed is Tom Reed of CALEX. Lathrop was driving a 2009
Hyundai Accent when he lost control of the car, which left the road and rolled near some ledges in the median. Trooper David Upson investigated and reported that it appears Lathrop suffered a medical condition
before losing control of the car. Lathrop was taken by ambulance to NVRH as a precaution.
See Dealer, Page A6
Snowmobile clubs across Vermont are ready for
the fun to begin today, the ﬁrst ofﬁcial day Vermont
Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) 4,700 miles
of trails open. Frozen ground and 4 inches of
groomed snow are prerequisites. So, watch for trail
groomers during the day or night right up until the
end of the season April 15.
The latest bulletin from VAST trail manager
Matt Tetrault indicated in some areas trail openings
could be delayed by a week, because of downed or
drooped trees due to the last soggy storm that
brought down many power lines across the state.
But many trails out in the open should be good to
go.
“Everything is marked, signed and ready to go.
All we need is a little cooperation from Mother Nature,” said Ross Page, trail master of the Bayley
Hazen Snowmobile Club based in Peacham.
His club’s volunteers, including four new members of the team, have been busy rerouting some
trails plus de-brushing the many miles of trails
See Snowmobile, Page A6
VERMONT
Widespread FairPoint Phone Outages Continue Across State
INSIDE
VOL. 177, NO. 111
TODAY: Mostly cloudy,
snow and/or rain evening
© T HE C ALEDONIAN -R ECORD
Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . B6
Entertainment. . . . . . . B4
For the Record . . . . . . A2
Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1
Television . . . . . . . . . . B5
HIGH: 35
LOW: 31
NATION
MIDDLESEX, Vt. — December is normally a busy time of year at Vermont Musical Instrument Repair, with people
clamoring to get their clarinets and trombones fixed up for holiday concerts. But
owner Jeff Vovakes’ phone has been silent
for a week.
He’s one of an unknown number of Vermonters without phone service as winter
storms cause system troubles and FairPoint
Communications’ striking workers don’t
show up to fix them.
FairPoint, which offers landline phone
AP PHOTO
A Green Mountain Power crew cuts limbs overhanging power- and Internet service in Vermont and other
lines in Waterbury Thursday. While electric crews have restored states, does not post updates several times a
power following last week’s storm, FairPoint outages have day on outages, as Vermont’s electric utilities do.
gone unﬁxed because of the ongoing strike.
“I can tell you that on Friday, we were
aware of 40 instances where there are individuals or businesses who have had no telephone service for a minimum of three weeks,
many much longer than that,” said Jim
Porter, telecommunications chief with the
state Department of Public Service.
Porter said about 600 consumer complaints were made to his department about
FairPoint — about five times the normal
amount — since locals affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Communication Workers of America
went on strike in October.
FairPoint did not immediately reply Monday to requests for comment.
As a winter storm swept through Vermont
a week ago, Vovakes’ power went out along
with his phone. “The power came back on
right away. I’ve never even seen a FairPoint
truck,” he said.
Why Oil Is Down By Half,
And What It Means For You
–––––
Police Storm Cafe To End Sydney
Hostage Siege; 3 Dead, Including Gunman
REGION
BY DAVE GRAM
Associated Press
Page A7,8
Details on Page A2
$
18,005,752,062,514
“The budget should be balanced; the
treasury should be refilled; public
debt should be reduced; and the arrogance of public officials should be
controlled.” –Cicero, 106-43 B.C.
See Phones, Page A6
Vermont Storm Cleanup
Nearly Complete
–––––
Gas Prices Fall Another
6.5 Cents In
New Hampshire
Page A5
NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK
Population: 319,613,000
Your share: $56,336.28
He said he was working on switching at
least one of two phone lines to FairPoint
competitor Comcast, so that he can get his
business back up to its normal eight to 20
phone calls a day and resume taking payments by credit card.
“I’ve got to have credit card transactions
… A majority of my customers pay by credit
card,” Vovakes said.
Mike Spillane, business manager with
IBEW Local 2326, said he was sorry to hear
of the consumer troubles with FairPoint.
“At the end of the day, it’s us providing a
service to our fellow brothers and sisters in
Vermont,” he said. “That’s what’s important
to us. We’re absolutely ticked off (and) truly
sorry for what everybody’s going through.”
Spillane said the company has made demands for $700 million in labor concessions
WINTER CONCERT
Wednesday, December 17, 7:00 p.m.
Fuller Hall
Hilltones, Chorus, Band, Jazz Band, String
Ensemble and Bell’s Angels
Free and open to the public
DUE TO THE CHANCE OF BAD
WEATHER ON WED., DEC. 17, WE
ARE CANCELLING CHHC HOSPICE
BINGO. WE ARE RESCHEUDILING
IT FOR WED., JAN. 21, 2015.
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Customer Appreciation Day
TUESDAY, DEC. 16 • 8-6:30
20%
OFF*STOREWIDE
*Cannot combine discounts. Standard exclusions apply.
Natural Provisions
537 Railroad St., St. Johnsbury, VT
Online? Check us out:
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THe ReCORd • TueSdAy, deCemBeR 16, 2014
FOR THE RECORD
OBITUARIES
JAMES EDWARD JACKSON BURKE
1932-2014
James Edward
Jackson Burke, 82,
of Baldwinsville,
N.Y., passed away at home on
Saturday with his family by his
side. Born on Dec. 12, 1932, in
Burlington, Vt., he was the son of
the late Walter John and Marguerite Charland Burke. He
served in the U.S. Marine Corps,
and was honorably discharged
with the rank of Sergeant.
Jack married Rutheda Whitney
on April 3, 1954 … they recently
celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. He graduated from Syracuse
University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in American History. He
was named to the national honor society Alpha Sigma Lambda, and received the Newcomen Award in recognition of Contributions to the
Cause of Material History. After 32 years as Plant Engineer, he retired
from Crouse Hinds in 1988.
Following retirement, he founded CNY Genealogy Research, specializing in Irish and French Canadian Genealogy. He wrote and published
two books on his own families’ genealogies. He was a member of the
American Legion Post 1276, the Baldwinsville Rod and Gun Club, and
a former member of the Syracuse Pistol Club. He was the Assistant Scout
Master for Troops 189 and 389 of the Boy Scouts, and was a member of
the Order of the Arrow. Over the years, Jack was very dedicated and involved with St. Augustine’s Parish, and was recently awarded the Immaculata Award from Bishop Cunningham.
Jack’s proudest accomplishment was his family, and he loved spending summers at their family home in the Adirondacks.
Survived by his loving wife Ruth Whitney Burke; his children:
Michael (Kay) Burke, Kelly (Edward Sharp) Burke of Greensboro, N.C.,
Patricia (Bill) Karl and Brian (Robin) Burke; brother Walter (Joanne)
Burke of St. Johnsbury, Vt.; grandchildren: Jamie (Bruce) DeVore, Benjamin Sharp, Jackson Sharp, Whitney Karl, Sarah Karl, Logan Karl, Natalie Karl, Lauren Burke, Kathryne Burke and Erin Burke.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Dec. 17, 2014, at St. Augustine’s Church,
7333 O’Brien Road, Baldwinsville. Burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Baldwinsville. The family will recieve friends 10 a.m.-11 a.m. before the
mass. Contributions: In lieu of ﬂowers donations may be made to St.
Augustine’s Church or the Wounded Warrior Project, 1120 G Street NW
Suite 700, Washington DC 20005.
MARIE ELAINE COURCHESNE REID
1921-2014
Marie Elaine Courchesne Reid,
93, of Newport, Vt. passed away
peacefully on Dec. 9, 2014 in Barton, Vt. She was born on Nov. 14,
1921 in Derby, Vt. to Edmond and
Marie (Moeykens) Lippens. She
married Leo Courchesne on Oct.
4, 1943 who predeceased her in
1961. On Dec. 21, 1974 she married Jesse Reid who predeceased
her in 1983. In 1940 she received
her teacher’s certiﬁcate from Lyndon State College and in 1968 she
completed her bachelor’s degree
in education from Lyndon State College. She was an elementary teacher
whose ﬁrst year was a one room school house on Buck’s Flat in East
Charleston, Vt. In 1980 she retired from Newport Elementary Schools.
She was a member of the Retired Teachers Association and St. Mary’s
Church of Newport and the Daughters of Isabella.
She is survived by her children: Susan Green of St. Petersburg, Fla.,
James Courchesne and his wife Penelope of St. Johnsbury, Vt. and Sara
Williams and her husband Jerry of St. Johnsbury, Vt. Her grandchildren:
Travis and Trace Green; Ian, Payson and Sean Courchesne and Thomas
and Jeremy Williams. Her great grandchildren: Robert, Madison and Sydney Green; Téa, Seth, Maya, Josh, Sean, Caitlyn and Connor Courchesne.
She is also survived by her siblings: Lucille Meunier of Newport, Vt;
Harold Lippens and his wife Patricia of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; Annette
Trombly of Derby Line, Vt; Jeannine Martin of Bryan, Texas and several
nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by the following siblings; Paul
and Pauline in infancy, Leonard Lippens, Rosalie Guyette, Madeline
Nault, by her brother-in-laws Arthur Guyette and Hazel Nault and her sister-in-laws Ruth and Freda Lippens.
Funeral services were held on Friday, Dec. 12, 2014 at the Curtis-BritchConverse-Rushford Funeral Home in Newport. There will be a spring interment in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Newport on Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 11
a.m. Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to
the American Cancer Society, Vermont Division, Inc., 55 Day Lane,
Williston, Vt. 05495. On-line condolences at curtis-britch.com.
RICHARD MOREHOUSE JR.
1939-2014
Richard Morehouse
Jr. of Concord passed
away at home on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014 at the age of 75.
He was born in Concord, Vt. on
Oct. 19, 1939, the son of Richard
and Lucille (Robillard) Morehouse. Sometimes referred to as
‘Gordie, he graduated from Concord High School in 1957. Richard
served in the Army until 1961 as a
heavy equipment operator in Germany.
When Richard returned from the
service, he worked for Austin Constructions as a heavy equipment operator. Over the years Richard was a typical farmer; he could make anything work, whether as a logger, farmer, plow truck operator plowing
snow at the radar base in East Haven or for the Town of Concord.
Richard operated his own trucking business and his own sawmill. He
enjoyed sugaring, raising and racing his own horses, hunting, ﬁshing,
anything outdoors, and especially John Deere tractors. He taught many
children how to ride through 4-H program. He loved spending time with
all his grandchildren and step-grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife Phyllis: his son Ceylon Morehouse and
wife Vickie of Concord; two grandchildren Travis Morehouse and
Mindy Windrows (husband James) both of Concord; great-grandchildren
Evan and Marissa; his mother Lucille Morehouse of Concord; a very
close aunt Dottie Morton; brother John Morehouse and Jackie Crawford
of Concord; sister-in-law Marilea of Concord; three step-children and
their families: Samuel Pylypczuk and Doreen Gage of Moultonborough,
N.H., Richard Avery and wife Elizabeth of Madison, S.D., David Avery
and wife Cindy of Alton, N.H.
He was predeceased by his daughter, Wanda Cote, his father Richard,
Sr., and his brother Harry.
Visiting hours will be held at the Sayles Funeral Home this Friday
evening from 6 to 7:45 p.m. and will conclude with a prayer service led
by the Rev. Anne Hockridge. Burial will be in May at the Grove Cemetery in East St. Johnsbury.
Memorial contributions could be directed to Concord F.A.S.T. Squad,
PO Box 113, Concord VT 05824.
Memories and condolences may be shared privately at
www.saylesfh.com. The Sayles Funeral Home is located at 525 Summer
St. in St. Johnsbury.
LORI GERVAIS
1962-2014
Lori Gervais, 52, of Lyndonville passed away Dec. 12, 2014 after a
lengthy illness.
She was born on Feb. 21, 1962 in St. Albans, Vt. She was the daughter
of Robert and Lucille (Badger) Gervais.
She is survived by her husband Arthur Magoon of Lyndonville, one
son, Scott Gervais of St. Johnsbury, one stepson, James Gray of East
Haven, two stepdaughters, Katlyn and Christina Magoon of Fla., two
brothers, Raymond Gervais of St. Johnsbury and Paul Gervais and his
wife April of East Burke, one sister, Tina Hamel and her husband Jeremy
of St. Johnsbury, and by one grandchild, Colby Gervais.
A memorial Gathering will be held at the American legion located on
Maple Street in St. Johnsbury on Saturday Dec. 20, 2014 from 1 to 3
p.m.
In lieu of ﬂowers, memorial contributions may be marked in Arthur
Magoon’s name to help with the funeral expenses for Lori. Donations
may be sent to Pearson’s Funeral Home, P.O Box 336, Lyndonville, VT,
05851.
Pearsons Funeral Home located at 70 Church St. in Lyndonville is in
care of the arrangements.
ARLENE GRACE MADORE
1936-2014
Arlene Madore, 78, of St Johnsbury died Friday, Oct. 31, 2014 at The
Pines Rehabilitation and Health Center in Lyndonville, Vt. She was born
in Sherburne, Vt. on Feb. 1, 1936. Daughter of Herbert and Ruth (Royce)
Howe.
Arlene married Edward Madore who is now deceased. Survivors include her three sons, Joseph Madore of Barre, James Madore of Northﬁeld and Timothy Madore of Daytona Beach, Fla. and one daughter
Lorraine Jensen and son in law Earl Jensen, seven grandchildren and
two great grandchildren.
She was predeceased by three brothers, Maurice Howe, Albert Howe
and Henry Howe and two sisters, Luna Johnson and Juanita Bailey.
Arlene was laid to rest in Bridgewater, Vt. at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
PREMIUM CHRISTMAS TREES
Trees $15 to $28
DENNIS LEONARD OLSZOWY
1941-2014
Dennis L. Olszowy, 73, of Waterford, Vt. and formerly
of East Haven, Vt. passed away on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014
in the presence of his loving family.
Dennis was born on March 15, 1941 in New Britain, Conn. to Walter and Constance Olszowy. He graduated from New Britain High
School in 1959, and attended colleges and technical schools for engineering. Dennis served six years in the Air Force Reserve as a ﬂight
line aircraft mechanic. He was employed at Hamilton Standard for
seven years, where he worked on and helped design air inlet and fuel
controls for the SR71 Spy Plane, B70, F111 and fuel control for the
747. Dennis also worked on the air conditioning system for the Lunar
Lander and the Apollo backpack for the space suit. During his 14
years at Raymond Engineering, he worked on several different Saﬁng
and Arming devices such as the MAU 116 for a bomb, and fusing
control devices for missiles including the Tomahawk and Harpoon
missiles. During Dennis’ six years as a self-employed consultant, he
worked under the company name of Leonard Patrick Associates. His
expertise was used in ink jet print head design, advanced copier concept design, and emergency lighting systems for military helicopter
evacuation. In later years he put together computers for resale.
In 1981, Dennis moved to Vermont and built his home on a peaceful mountain in East Haven, which he later shared with his mother
Constance, his wife Laurie of 16 years, and his stepdaughter Megan
who he has loved as his own. Dennis enjoyed tinkering, snowshoeing,
going to the Weathervane Theatre, playing cribbage, and watching
Boston Red Sox games.
Dennis is survived by his loving wife Laurie C. Olszowy; his
mother Constance L. Olszowy; his stepdaughter Megan Durocher;
his brother Damon Olszowy, his sister-in-law Eydie and her husband
Kevin Aremburg, as well as his nephews Adam and Ryan Aremburg;
and other extended family members and close friends. Dennis was
predeceased by his father, Walter C. Olszowy in 1985.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. John’s Catholic Church in
St. Johnsbury, Vt. on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 11 a.m., with a reception
to follow. There will be no calling hours. Burial will take place at
Maple Cemetery in Berlin, Conn. Monday, Dec. 22 at 10 a.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to Norris Cotton Cancer
Center North, 1080 Hospital Drive, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819; or to
Caledonia Home Health Care & Hospice, 161 Sherman Dr., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819.
Condolences and cards may be sent to P.O Box 4393, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819. Arrangements are under the care of Sayles Funeral
Home, 525 Summer St., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819. Memories and condolences may be shared privately at www.saylesfh.com.
Dennis requested that his sincerest thanks be extended to: the doctors and nurses of NVRH, especially those of the second ﬂoor and intensive care unit; Dr. Gregory Ripple; Father Bernard Gaudreau;
Norris Cotton Cancer Center North; the Rite Aid Pharmacy staff in
Lyndonville, Vt.; and his Hospice Care nurses and aides. Laurie and
Megan also appreciate your compassion and care for Dennis.
“I am blessed.” – Dennis L. Olszowy
RUSSELL (RUSS) THERRIEN
Russell (Russ) Therrien, 92, of
Cabot, Vt., passed peacefully Dec.
2 at Calvin Coolidge Nursing
Home, Northampton, Mass.
Beloved husband for 67 years of
Doris (Cheney) Therrien. Loving
father of Gwenn Therrien of
Wakeﬁeld, Mass., Alan Therrien
and his wife Sue of Boxford,
Mass., Dale Therrien and his wife
Donna of St Johnsbury, Vt. and
Janet Decker and her husband Al
of Florence, Mass. Cherished
grandfather of Heather McGinnis
and husband Gary, Timothy Therrien and wife Ginger, Michele Voner and
husband Jeff and Jonathan Decker. Doting great-grandfather of Gavin and
Cale McGinnis, Lillie and Zachary Therrien and Daniel and Andrew
Voner. He is survived by his two sisters Ruth Merryﬁeld of Groton, Vt.
and Eula Foster of Bristol, Conn., sister-in-law Mildred Therrien of Westford, Vt., plus many nieces and nephews.
He is predeceased by his brothers Wendell, David, Ralph and Everett ,
step-brothers Chester, Maurice and Leon Morey, brothers-in-law Ralph
Merryﬁeld and Cecil Foster, grand-daughter Gretchen Therrien and sonin-law Michael Blake.
A life-long dairy farmer, he and wife Doris retired in 1984 but he continued ﬁshing, vegetable gardening and Christmas tree farming and sales.
They travelled throughout the US , eastern Canada and Puerto Rico. His
favorite trip was their cruise to Alaska. But most important to him was
time spent with family and friends.
A memorial service and interment will be scheduled in the spring, announcement to follow. In lieu of ﬂowers, donations may be made in memory of Russ to the Cabot United Church, PO Box 127, Cabot VT 05647,
or to the Cabot Volunteer Ambulance Service, PO Box 32, Cabot VT
05647.
The Czelusniak Funeral Home of Northampton, Mass. has been entrusted with arrangements.
Come or Call Anytime
802-626-8075
PINEBERRY FARM
1514 Vertical Mile Road, Wheelock, VT
www.pineberryfarm.com
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PUBLIC MEETINGS
BRIGHTON
principal’s report, superintendent’s
Elementary school board, Fri- report, old, new, other business,
day, Dec. 19, 4 p.m.
executive session if needed.
CONCORd
wATERfORd
Planning/zoning board, ThursSchool board, Wednesday, Dec.
day, Dec. 18 HAS BEEN CAN- 17, 6:30 p.m. Citizens to be heard,
CELEd.
principal’s report, FY ﬁscal report,
FY16 draft expenditures budget,
LOwELL
announced tuition for 2015-16, upSchool board, Wednesday, Dec. date on building projects, execu17, 6 p.m. Public comments, ﬁnan- tive session if necessary.
cial report, committee reports,
Teak’s Lock Service
(Formerly Wescott’s Lock Service)
Providing you service in vehicle/home entry,
lock repair, deadbolt, mortise lock & door
handle installation, re-keying, master keying,
carpentry work, etc.
We look forward to serving you and your security needs!
802-535-8916 or 802-535-8905
(we accept all major credit cards)
CALEDONIAN Black Cyan Magenta Yellow
THe ReCORd • TueSdAy, deCemBeR 16, 2014
A3
LOCAL
JEAN L. CLARK
1930-2014
Jean L. Clark, 84, a long-time
Manchester, N.H. resident, died
peacefully Monday morning, Dec.
15, 2014.
Jean was born in Lyndon, Vt. on
Sept. 12, 1930, the daughter of the
late Harold Learmouth and Arlene
(Mathews) Learmouth
Jean graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont in 1949,
and spent many years as a Dental
Assistant in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Her
greatest love and passion was for
her family to whom she was ﬁercely loyal. She proudly celebrated her
60th wedding anniversary with her loving husband William Clark on
April 3, 2014.
Jean is survived by her husband, Bill Clark; her two daughters Cheryl
Cornish and husband Craig, and Deborah Covatis and husband Bill; 3
grandchildren, Jennifer Donovan, Nicholas Covatis and wife Kathleen,
and Scott Covatis; three great-grandchildren Kylie Donovan, and Lily
and Emma Covatis; her sister Carolyn Holland and husband Donald;
and many nieces; nephews; and dear friends, including her best friend
and conﬁdant Jeannine Bernier of Manchester.
She was predeceased by her sisters Ann Langmaid, and Phyllis Locke.
Calling hours will be held from 4-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 17,
2014, with a memorial celebration beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Goodwin
Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 607 Chestnut St., Manchester. In
lieu of ﬂowers memorials may be made to the New Hampshire Association for the Blind, 25 Walker Street, Concord, NH, 03301. Please visit
www.goodwinfh.com to sign the online guestbook.
Jean will be dearly missed and always remembered with a smile.
CABOT
SANTA’S LITTLE HELPERS
FELON DENIES HITTING
GIRLFRIEND WITH CAR
BY JEnnifER HERSEY ClEVElAnD
Staff Writer
PHOTO By dAnA gRAy
St. Johnsbury School students Hailey Parrish, 14, and Hunter Verge, 14, carry
toys into the ﬁre department Monday to donate to the Santa Fund. The students
are part of a Community Service Learning Group at the school. Group members,
said advisor Eric Matte, chose the Santa Fund to support through a penny war
fundraiser. Verge and Parrish joined students Alexander Gates, 13, and Callahan Beck, 13, on a shopping spree Monday, purchasing the toys for Santa Fund.
Pictured in back is ﬁreﬁghter Conrad Lavarnway.
GIVING BACK
Local Forecast
Today: Thickening clouds by midday. Highs in the low to mid 30s.
South to southeast winds less than
10 mph.
Tonight: Cloudy with snow showers
or sleet likely, mixing with or changing to freezing rain or rain late. Lows
from the upper 20s to the lower 30s.
Light winds, variable to southeast.
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy with rain
or freezing rain early, then all rain by
around noon. Highs in the mid 30s.
Winds remaining light, variable to
southeast.
Extended Forecast:
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy
with a mix of rain and snow showers
early, then snow showers likely.
Lows in the mid to upper 20s.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy with snow
showers likely. Highs in the lower
30s.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy,
snow showers likely. Lows in the low
to mid 20s.
Friday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered
snow showers or ﬂurries, mainly
over high terrain. Highs in the lower
30s.
Friday Night: Chance of a mountain
snow shower in the evening, otherwise mostly cloudy with lows in the
middle teens.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Highs in
the mid to upper 20s.
Daily Weather Highlights
Clouds will be thickening by midday,
ahead of surface low pressure moving
eastward across the Great Lakes, and
resulting in a slight chance for a rain
shower toward sundown. Areas of mixed
precipitation or rain will then develop
across the region tonight, leading to slick
travel conditions tonight and tomorrow
morning. It all then appears likely to
change over the rain showers by around
noon. As low pressure moves into the
Maritimes and the winds become northwesterly later in the week, snow showers
will linger on Thursday, mainly in the
north, before becoming more restricted
to the mountains by Friday. High temperatures will trend slightly above average
– and for the most part at least slightly
above freezing – from tomorrow though
Thursday, before the trending cooler for
the weekend. There’s the slight chance
that a coastal storm will impact the region on Sunday. However, the recent
trend among the various computer models has been to push this system offshore, says Chris Bouchard of the
Fairbanks Museum weather station.
CONDITIONS AT
4 P.M. YESTERDAY
Cloudy
TEMPERATURE
Temp. at 4 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Maximum past 24 hours . . . . . . . . .34
Minimum past 24 hours . . . . . . . . .25
Yesterday’s average . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Normal average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Maximum this month . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Minimum this month . . . . . . . . . . . .-6
Maximum this date (2008) . . . . . . .50
Minimum this date (1917) . . . . . . .-29
HUMIDITY
79%
DEWPOINT
22
WINDS
1 mph, 4 max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NNE
BAROMETER
30.04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steady
PRECIPITATION
New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Trace
Total for Month . . . . . . . . . . . .2.30 in.
Normal Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.49 in.
SNOWFALL
Past 24 Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Trace
Monthly Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.1 in.
Season Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29.8 in.
Season Norm To Date . . . . . . .16.7 in.
Snowpack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.5 in.
ALMANAC
Sunrise today . . . . . . . . . . . .7:17 a.m.
Sunset today . . . . . . . . . . . .4:09 p.m.
Length of day . . . . . . . .8 hrs. 51 min.
DEGREE DAYS
Average temp. difference below 65°
Yesterday* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
To date since July 1 . . . . . . . . . .2248
To date last year . . . . . . . . . . . . .2459
* calculated for the day before yesterday
PHOTO ByTOdd WellingTOn
St. Johnsbury Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Will Rivers, left, accepts
donations of toys and $100 cash from Wes and Paula Ward - owners of Wes
Ward Auto on Portland Street Friday. The donations were raised by customers of the shop.
The Numbers
GIMME 5 (Monday)
3-12-30-31-38
DAILY PICKS (Monday)
day draw — Pick 3: 6-3-6; Pick 4: 6-2-3-6
evening draw — Pick 3: 2-0-2; Pick 4: 6-1-6-4
MEADOW LEASING
Littleton, N.H.
Ground Level Containers
20’ - 40’
Office
Trailers
Storage Trailers
28’ - 48’
1-800-762-7026 • 603-444-7026
Let Us Help You With All Your Storage Needs.
47
Years
Black Cyan Magenta Yellow
NEWPORT CITY — A Cabot man allegedly
punched his girlfriend repeatedly, ran over her legs
with his van, and then hit her with the van’s tire as
she tried to escape him at a friend’s house in Greensboro Bend last Monday.
On Tuesday in Essex Superior Court-Criminal Division, defendant Thomas Lussier Jr., 34, pleaded not
guilty to two felony counts of aggravated domestic
assault, two misdemeanor counts of domestic assault,
and a misdemeanor count of driving after suspension.
No bail was imposed, and Lussier was released on
conditions forbidding him from contacting, abusing,
harassing, or being within 300 feet of his girlfriend,
Amber Cote.
Lussier faces a potential maximum sentence of 35
years if convicted of all charges.
Hardwick Police Department Senior Patrolman
Daniel Locke responded to a 911 call from Cote at
10:30 a.m. Monday.
Cote said they’ve been a couple for about a year
and that Lussier had driven her north from
Williamstown for a child custody hearing. They
stopped at a friend’s house on Wendell Drive in
Greensboro Bend to get ready because they had no
electricity at their house.
Cote said she and Lussier got into an argument in
the driveway and Lussier punched her in the back of
the head, causing her to lose the ability to hear in one
ear, Locke wrote.
Cote tried to walk away, but Lussier followed her
and punched her in the back of the head two more
times, Locke wrote.
Lussier grabbed Cote’s purse and dumped its contents on the ground. As she was on her hands and
knees collecting her belongings, Lussier backed his
van over her legs, leaving her body partially under
the vehicle, Locke wrote.
Despite her injuries, Cote was able to stand, and
as she attempted to walk away, Lussier drove the
van’s tire into her leg, Locke wrote.
Cote tried to get back into their friend’s home, and
Lussier caught her on the porch, punching her in the
head, records say. When Cote called 911, Lussier
punched her again while she was on the phone with
the police dispatcher.
Cote said Lussier told her that she was “causing a
scene and that this was the last time I was going to
cause a scene,” Locke wrote.
Lussier is a former resident of Plainﬁeld, East
Calais, Barre, Barton and Greensboro Bend.
Lussier, who had tattoos that say “USDA Grade A
Meat,” “Mack Daddy,” “White,” and “Pride,” has
convictions on his record for two prior felonies and
17 prior misdemeanors.
CALEDONIAN Black Cyan Magenta Yellow
A4
THe ReCORd • TueSdAy, deCemBeR 16, 2014
Todd M. Smith, Publisher
OPINION
Dana Gray, Executive Editor
Editorial Comment …
DCF Data Breach
Last month an employee for the Vermont Department of Children
and Families mistakenly sent an email, to undisclosed recipients,
with the social security numbers of 66 local foster parents.
According to Jennifer Hersey Cleveland’s reporting, DCF knew
of the security breach immediately and sent a follow-up email, explaining the mistake and asking recipients to delete the information.
But the DCF didn’t notify any of the people, whose conﬁdentiality it betrayed, for more than a month. During that time, there have
reportedly been multiple attempts to steal the identities of some of
those affected. It won’t disclose the names of the email recipients,
to those whose identities are being hijacked, because… try to hold
your laughter now… it’s conﬁdential.
Oops, sorry, DCF Commissioner Ken Schatz says. But tough luck
about those falling credit scores.
The department, still reeling from its systematic failures to protect tortured and murdered babies, apparently revoked the license
from one foster parent who dared to complain about the breach, the
failure to notify her, and the refusal of the DCF to co-operate in
damage control.
We wouldn’t expect anything more from the poster child for failing bureaucracies. But the DCF’s “Ghengis Khan” approach to customer relations is short-sighted and sad, as the good people it relies
on to provide critical foster care are rightly going to tell the department to pound sand.
We think an investigation might be in order.
Rick Jensen
Cigarette
taxes killed
Eric Garner
Would police have
harassed Eric Garner or
his wife if the government had
no ﬁnancial interest in the selling of taxed cigarettes?
Eric Garner posed no direct
threat to police, and if Staten Island police were engaged in actual community policing instead
of Ofﬁcer Pantaleo’s style of aggression-policing, Garner might
be alive today.
Here are some painful facts
about Eric Garner’s death. Some
are facts that liberals viscerally
reject and others are those denied by some conservatives.
Eric Garner’s death was
brought on by Ofﬁcer Pantaleo
choking him and the subsequent
crush of half a dozen police ofﬁcers holding his head and body
to the ground. Watch the video.
Read the coroner’s report.
Eric Garner could just as well
have had a heart attack and died
had police never touched his
neck.
Eric Garner would likely be
alive today if he were healthy.
The coroner conﬁrmed the
death is a “homicide.” “Homicide” is not murder. “Homicide”
simply means a person died at
the hands of another. Not all
homicides are crimes. Personally, I’m surprised the grand jury
did not ﬁnd the case worthy of
at least negligent homicide.
There was a report of a ﬁght,
but when police approached
Garner in front of the beauty
supply store on Bay Street, the
cell phone video shows they
were more interested in whether
he had been selling “loosies,”
single cigarettes from untaxed
packages.
That brings us to the core
issue. Garner’s widow tells us
that the killing of her husband
had nothing to do with race. She
and Eric were often harassed by
police, calling them “Cigarette
Man” and “Cigarette Man
Wife.”
Why would the police be so
obsessed? Is it simply because
they are immersed in quality-oflife policing? Unlikely. Is it because Mr. Garner had
accumulated a resume of more
than 30 arrests dating back to
1980 on charges such as assault,
resisting arrest, grand larceny
and multiple charges for illegally selling cigarettes? More
likely.
But why such anger
directed toward Garner? Why did so many
police ofﬁcers directly
supervised by a black
female police sergeant
at the scene need to
take him down on the street unprovoked?
The police are told what to
enforce and this was enforcement of New York taxes. Senator Rand Paul was the ﬁrst
conservative to bring this up nationally.
Consider this: New York City
cigarettes are taxed at nearly six
dollars per pack New York
brings in over one and a half billion dollars in cigarette tax revenue each year.
DailyFinance.com reported
earlier this year that nearly 61
percent of New York smokers
light up butts illegally smuggled
into the state. That’s another billion dollars Democratic Mayor
Bill DiBlasio can spend on
whatever social needs he sees
ﬁt, like another marketing campaign against charter schools.
Eric Garner and low level
criminals like him are interrupting the ﬂow of tax revenue to the
liberal Democrats who use the
police to quell the broken ﬂow
of tax revenue.
In order for big government
to “solve all of our problems,”
the government needs unlimited
resources: more taxes. In order
for big government to collect all
of these taxes, it needs enforcement: police. This is something
liberal elites either deny or fear
you realizing.
Thus Eric Garner and his wife
became enemies of the state, invoking the wrath of police who
were instructed by their superiors to get such “dangerous” men
and women off the street.
Liberals who claimed this is
all about quality-of-life policing
are wrong. Arresting turnstile
jumpers, for example, has resulted in recovering dozens of illegal guns over the past couple
of years.
Quality of life policing has
shown impressive results. Abusive enforcement of these laws
results in riots.
Be aware that expanding government and its costs expands
the number of incidents in which
the” Sheriff of Nottingham’s”
enforcers might justiﬁably kill
citizens during the course of preventing the loss of tax collections … including some rogue
ofﬁcers doing so unjustiﬁably.
© 2014 RiCk JenSen
In My Opinion…
UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE IS THE ANSWER
TO PROPERTY TAX CRISIS
BY RoB RoPER
Here’s the puzzle the Vermont
Legislature must solve regarding
education ﬁnance reform:
How do you lower the cost of
educating our kids so we can cut
taxes, while maintaining or improving high student outcomes?
How do you stay within the lines
of the Brigham Supreme Court decision that guarantees all students
equal access to a tax base while respecting local control, yet also
dealing with the reality that Vermont’s K-12 system has lost
25,000 students since passage of
Act 60?
The answer has been under Vermonters’ noses for nearly a century
and a half. It’s parent-driven
school choice. Currently, 93 Vermont towns (about 5 percent of the
K-12 population) take part in a
program called “town tuitioning”
that allows them to send their kids
to any public or approved, non-religious independent school with
the publicly ﬁnanced tuition dollars following the child.
This system has been tested. We
know it works. It is rooted in Vermont history and Vermont values.
And, it is wildly popular in the
communities that have it.
Here’s one example of why. In
the Northeast Kingdom, where a
predominant number of towns are
“tuitioning,” parents of high
school-aged students can choose
between the independent town
kids than last year, two less staff
members, better programs, and an
overall savings of right around
$200,000.”
Better Outcomes. The communities that enjoy tuitioning have
given rise to some of Vermont’s
most dynamic education opportunities. Before the public school in
Winhall “went independent” in
1998 and became a tuitioning
town, the school had some of the
lowest test scores in Vermont (as
well as the state’s highest per pupil
cost). But after a decade and a half
of steady improvement (FY13),
the independent Mountain School
at Winhall 8th graders scored 13
points above the state average in
reading, 16 points above state average in math, and 19 points above
the state average in writing. And,
the school is achieving these results are for signiﬁcantly less than
the public school average per-pupil
cost.
Compatible with Brigham. Almost any other funding mechanism imaginable will run into
problems with the Brigham court
decision that spawned Act 60.
However, a statewide education
tax that funds tuition scholarships
to every individual child would
comply with Brigham. In fact, it
would go beyond the fairness of
Brigham’s requirement that every
kid have equal access to the tax
base, and ensure every kid gets
equal funding for their education
(with allowances made for children with special needs).
Greater Local Control. After Act
60, the idea of “local control” of
education has become more of an
illusion than a reality. Moving to a
choice-based system should return
power to the most local of levels –
families and schools. Principals
and local school boards need to be
granted the freedom to innovate.
Raising the money to fund tuitions
will be a state responsibility, but
how to spending it will be entirely
local.
Consolidation. It is a sad fact
that Vermont’s k-12 system has
lost roughly 25,000 students (over
20% of the population) since the
passage of Act 60. As a result,
some level of consolidation is necessary. By empowering parents to
vote with their feet in the best interests of their kids, we will better
ensure that A) consolidation is an
organic, people driven process and
B) the best schools will be rewarded and supported.
Any major change in how we
pay for and deliver education will
be complicated, and moving to a
school choice system will certainly
be so as well. Many details will
need to be worked out. But it is the
simplest, most transparent, fairest
option available, and the one most
likely to provide the most satisfying rewards.
Rob Roper is president of the
Ethan
Allen
Institute
(www.ethanallen.org) He lives in
Stowe.
man. Pigs look us straight in the
eye and see an equal.”
Think about it.a pig unlocks his
cage, ﬂies out the back of a moving truck on the interstate, runs off
into the woods where he successfully evades coyotes, werewolves
(I mean humans), and braves the
elements. After two lonely weeks
in the woods, he allows himself to
be caught by friendly hunters and
makes the WCAX news—not once
but twice. Hello! This pig leads a
more illustrious life than most of
us ever will. He’s a trailblazer, adventurer, and giver of hope when
we need it most. Extraordinary animals deserve a different fate.
As I watched the story last
week, I hoped Farmer B. wouldn’t
see it. I wanted Bethany (aka
Howdy) to live. But when the 2nd
report aired, I was surprised the
owner didn’t ﬁnd Howdy’s
shenanigans at all inspiring or
amusing. What Burmeister from
Burelli Farm in Berlin said was
brutally truthful. “What happens to
pigs on a farm is eventually they
end up being roast pork and bacon
and ham.” Well that’s hogwash! I
reckon I’ll rewrite the script for a
Disney fairytale version where
Howdy lives out his life happier
To the Editor:
Winston Churchill said “Dogs than a pig in $#&!, takes ﬂying leslook up to man. Cats look down to sons and doesn’t end up beside my
pancakes.
Does every animal have to share
this dystopic future? If you answer
yes, you need to take a long, hard
look into your cold, dark soul. We
share the world with many creatures and they’re simply not all
meant to be fodder for our culinary
desires and bottom lines. Animals
teach us wonderful things. We
need to spare the great ones, even
if they’re tasty on a spit.
Howdy’s name says it all. Hey
Ya’ll, he’s trying to communicate
with us. He’s clearly a social Ham
who deserves a stage, not the frying pan. If Obama can pardon a
turkey, surely Mr. Burmeister can
ﬁnd a heart (perhaps clogged by
too much bacon fat) to pardon this
little porky. I’m also sure there are
Vermonters who would adopt this
ancient symbol of wealth, good
luck, happiness and honesty.
I just had a birthday; I was born
in the year of the pig—1971.
When I blew out the candle, I
wished the Governor would pardon Howdy from the smokehouse.
Sure, I get it. Farmers raise animals for a living. I eat meat too,
having recently enjoyed a venison
supper at my brother in law’s. But
there should always be exceptions
to the rule. Howdy is more valu-
academies, St. Johnsbury Academy and Lyndon Institute, smaller
independent schools such as the
East Burke School, Burke Mountain Academy (specializing in educating and training winter
athletes), the Cornerstone School
(focusing on kids with special
needs), or from roughly eight public schools in Vermont and New
Hampshire, all within reasonable
driving distance. Similar choices
exist for middle and elementary
students.
Of course, these parents can
choose any approved independent
or public school regardless of geography, and some have used their
tuition dollars to educate children
out of state or even internationally.
This kind of competition spurs diversity and excellence, and every
Vermont child should be able to
beneﬁt from these kinds of options.
So, how does this apply to our
current education ﬁnancing puzzle?
Lowering the Cost. Vermont’s
independent schools operate using
more efﬁcient, creative business
models than their public school
counterparts. As such, they are
successfully educating-students for
roughly 15% to 30% less than the
public schools.
Just one year after the public elementary school in North Bennington “went independent” and
adopted tuitioning based choice for
the district, principal Tom Martin
commented, “We have two more
Letters to the Editor…
Take back
our schools
To the Editor:
In the Caledonian-Record on
December 2nd front page was a
picture of a care with a sign posted
in the back window, Town of Sutton, Take Back Our School.
The sign was the reason CNSU
superintendent Victoria Scheutler
told the owner of the care she had
to leave school on Monday. This is
all on the front page of the Caledonian-Record. If it is not correct
I am sorry but that is what I read.
On Wednesday, December 3, I
attended a Sutton School board
meeting and heard the chairperson
Celeste Girrell state, the board
can’t do anything until the investigation is completed. She also
stated it will only get worse if we
combine more schools to each district.
The governor has asked for a 2
cent increase in school taxes for
next year.
Now I ask why shouldn’t each
and every tax payer be putting out
signs to take back our schools. We
need local control! Our elected
school board members have no say
in whether our principal be suspended while an active investiga-
tion is being completed only the
superintendent can do that!
The question was raised, who
supervises the superintendent?
Seems no one had an answer. It
was suggested you call Secretary
Rebecca Halcomb, at the Agency
of Education: 802-479-1030 or
email at [email protected].
When signs were put out Take
Back Vermont in yards and on
cars, I didn’t read or hear anyone
was told to leave the state because
of the signs. Why on earth in
America where we are or I thought
we were allowed to express our
opinions and have freedom of
speech would a Superintendent
have the right to tell a person they
have to leave school for a Take
Back Our School sign?
Please let’s all take a look at
who is running our schools and
take back our schools we need and
want local control. Not one person
who isn’t even a taxpayer in our
town. Support our school boards
and give them the control they
need to run our schools!
Linda Britt
Sutton, Vt.
When pigs ﬂy
Black Cyan Magenta Yellow
See letters, Page A5
CALEDONIAN Black Cyan Magenta Yellow
THe ReCORd • TueSdAy, deCemBeR 16, 2014
A5
NEW ENGLAND
VERMONT
REGION
Storm Cleanup Nearly Complete
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) —
The number of power outages
from last week’s storms continued
to dwindle Monday while the state
began totaling the costs and
worked to determine if the damage
was severe enough to qualify for
federal disaster assistance.
By late afternoon Monday, the
number of statewide outages
dropped to 837.
Green Mountain Power, the
state’s largest electric utility, said a
tree that fell on a line in Barnard
forced the utility to cut power to
about 1,500 customers in Windsor
and Orange counties Monday afternoon, but once the tree had been
cleared and the power turned back
on their outage number dropped to
196.
“This storm has caused intense
damage statewide,” said GMP
spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure.
The Vermont Electric Cooperative said Monday its outages had
dropped to about 260. The utility
expects its storm costs to reach between $3 million and $4 million.
Over the course of the storm
that hit a week ago and continued
for several days, more than
130,000 customers were without
power for a time and it’s possible
some customers lost power more
than once, she said.
Gov. Peter Shumlin and the Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
asked the Federal Emergency
Management Agency on Monday
to do a preliminary damage assessment, needed to determine if federal aid is warranted.
“This storm was hard on tens of
thousands of Vermonters, some of
whom were in the dark for several
days or more,” Shumlin said. “Private and municipal utilities spent
millions of dollars replacing poles,
paying crews, and hiring contractors from out of state in restoring
power to Vermonters as quickly as
they could.”
Meanwhile, the Vermont Transportation Agency said keeping
roads clear after last week’s storms
cost the state about $2.2 million.
The agency said that after the
storms began, crews plowed or
treated roads continuously, covering 185,000 lane miles.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Overall Homeless Count Down
In N.H., But Up For Veterans
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A
report on homelessness says New
Hampshire’s overall homeless population has decreased by 3 percent, but
says there’s been an increase among
veterans and chronic cases.
In a report out Monday, the New
Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness says the overall decrease
started in 2011 thanks to the collective work of agencies, policymakers
and others. It says more resources are
needed, including continued investment in affordable housing.
The homeless count in New
Hampshire was estimated at 1,685 in
2013; it’s estimated at 1,635 in 2014.
Veterans make up about 11 percent
of the total.
“While signiﬁcant federal investments have helped to house many
veterans over the course of the past
three years, adequately serving the
ﬂow of veterans returning from recent conﬂicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
remains a challenge for many communities,” the report said.
“Chronic homelessness” is deﬁned as an individual or family with
at least one disabled adult who has
been continuously homeless for over
one year, or has experienced four
episodes of homelessness in the past
Letters
Continued from Page A4
able alive than dead. My cousin
uses farm animals in her therapy
practice and I think Howdy would
make a smokin’ therapist. We
could all learn to be more assertive, brave, independent and
self-determined. Send him to the
Big Apple instead of stufﬁng his
snout with one. He’d have a client
list 10 blocks long.
They say that pigs are smarter
than dogs, but I would wager that
this pig is smarter than most of us.
If I were in his hooves, I would
hope somebody would take a stand
and save my curly pink tail. I am
sad this story of inspiration is destined to become sausage links for
mufﬁn-topped Americans obsessed with stufﬁng their pie holes.
If you don’t think pigs are cool,
then you didn’t grow up watching
the Muppets. Nor did you read
Charlotte’s Web. But that’s okay,
ONLINE?
Check us out:
► www.caledonianrecord.com
► www.orleansrecord.com
► www.littletonrecord.com
three years.
The report shows that there’s been
a 35 percent increase in the number
of chronically homeless people in
state from 2012 to 2014. The total
population rose from 253 in 2012 to
341 in 2014. The biggest increases
were reported in Hillsborough and
Rockingham counties.
The report said family homelessness had increased sharply following
the most recent economic recession,
but that there have been gradual decreases with the number of families
living in shelters or on the streets.
The state’s population of homeless
people in families decreased by 10
percent from 779 people in 2012 to
704 people in 2014.
There was a decrease of over 4
percent in homelessness among
school-age children, the ﬁrst time in
several years.
The coalition said next year, there
will be a chance in the way that the
homeless gain access to key services
in New Hampshire. Known as Coordinated Access, this new system will
direct people who become homeless
to one regional location where they
can be quickly assessed and then referred to the intervention that will
best meet their unique needs.
take a moment now to learn about
this intelligent, loving creature in
The Whole Hog by Lyall Watson.
Check out the story of Esther the
wonder pig, or Pru the amazing pig
who saved her owner. It just might
change your mind.
Kristin Calkins
Hartland, Vt.
BRIEFS
Penalties range from a misdemeanor to a felony depending on the amount
of money diverted. The law also requires anyone convicted to make restituMONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont’s National Life Group is going to tion.
be inaugurating its new solar power installation.
Over the last couple months National Life installed more than 2,000 panels
University hosts social innovation challenge
on about four acres of the company’s property, just south of its headquarters
building in Montpelier.
DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — A competition that challenges participants to
The panels will produce 500 kilowatts of electricity and they will help the develop solutions to some of society’s most pressing social and environmencompany produce more than 15 percent of its own power needs.
tal problems is wrapping up at the University of New Hampshire.
National Life is working toward the goal set by the city of Montpelier of
Finalists in the New Hampshire Social Venture Innovation Challenge will
becoming the ﬁrst “net zero” state capital in the country, meaning that all of present their projects at the Durham campus on Monday. They’ll also hear
the energy consumed in town would be produced or offset within the city. from Eric Schwarz, founder of Citizen Schools, which provides hands-on
apprenticeships to students in low-income communities. He is being honored
as the “innovator of the year” by the university’s Carsey School of Public
$814K offered for projects after plant closes Policy.
The competition features a student track and a community track. The
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) — Five Windham County projects have been top student-led project will win $5,000 cash, while the top community project
selected to receive $814,000 in grants after the Vermont Yankee nuclear will get $10,000.
power plant shuts down.
Last year after the plant’s owner, Entergy Nuclear, announced it was closGas prices fall 6.5 cents in New Hampshire
ing the plant, it agreed to contribute $10 million over ﬁve years for economic
development in the county. But Gov. Peter Shumlin said when he reviewed
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Gas prices in New Hampshire have fallen 6.5
the 24 proposals, he found most didn’t offer the “transformational new jobs cents per gallon in the past week to an average of $2.69.
and economic opportunity we were hoping for.”
Gasbuddy.com, which surveyed 875 gas stations in New Hampshire, says
He said he’s asked Commerce Secretary Paul Moulton to revamp the ap- that’s 12 cents more than the national average, which fell 8.3 cents last week
plication process to encourage creative partnerships and attract new capital to $2.57 a gallon. Gas prices in New Hampshire are 69 cents per gallon lower
and ideas. Grants are going to the Bellows Falls Area Development Corp.; than they were a year ago, and 24.6 cents per gallon lower than a month ago.
the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp.; the Sustainable Timber InvestThe national average decreased 33.2 cents per gallon in the last month and
ment Exchange; the Strolling of the Heifers; and United Way Windham is 67 cents a gallon less compared to a year ago.
County.
National Life to inaugurate new solar project
Vt. girl recovering from brain surgery in Boston
BOSTON (AP) — A 9-year-old girl whose friends from a Vermont music
school traveled to Boston Children’s Hospital so she could ﬁnish a holiday
concert she’d been unable to complete after falling ill is recovering from surgery.
Sophie Fellows underwent surgery Friday to remove a brain tumor, the
day after an emotional concert at the hospital.
Sophie had been stricken with severe headaches during a performance
earlier this month and was unable to ﬁnish.
About two dozen of her fellow students and her teacher, Carolyn Bever,
joined her in Boston on Thursday to ﬁnish the Christmas show. Sophie said
it lifted her spirits.
Her family said in a statement that Sophie was smiling and talking after
surgery, and even requested chocolate pudding.
Doctors say the week ahead will be critical in determine her recovery.
Man walks out of store with $1K worth of toys
ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Police are looking for a man suspected of
stealing $1,000 worth of toys from a store in Rochester, New Hampshire.
Police say surveillance photos show the man pushing a cart full of toys
out of the store on Dec. 9. WOKQ-FM reports the store was a Wal-Mart.
Police said when an employee confronted the man, he jumped into a
nearby SUV being driven by a woman.
Dartmouth accepts 483 early decision students
HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — The ﬁrst 483 members of Dartmouth College’s
Class of 2019 have received their admission offer.
The college notiﬁed early decision applicants of their acceptance on Friday.
By applying through the early decision program, the applicants made Dartmouth their ﬁrst choice and agreed to attend if admitted.
The students were from a pool of nearly 1,900 early decision applicants,
a total that was 10 percent higher than last year. Ofﬁcials estimate that when
they enroll in September, early decision students will comprise about 40 perGovernor to discuss ﬁnancial exploitation law cent
of the incoming class. Among the accepted students who attend schools
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Gov. Maggie Hassan is going to be discussing that rank students, nearly 90 percent are in the top 10 of their high school
a measure she signed into law that strengthens the penalties for ﬁnancially class.
exploiting the elderly and other vulnerable New Hampshire citizens.
The bill establishes clearer deﬁnitions of the crime of ﬁnancial exploitation,
which includes intentionally abusing the trust of an elderly or impaired adult
to gain access to their money and assets.
The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2015, makes it a crime to use the person’s money or assets for personal gain rather than to provide them with food,
clothing, shelter and other care.
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CALEDONIAN Black Cyan Magenta Yellow
THE CALEDONIAN-RECORD
A6
TUESDAy, DECEMBER 16, 2014
LOWELL
REALTOR: CELL TOWER WOULD HURT HOUSE VALUES
have to be dropped by 15 to 20
percent because of the cell tower,
she said.
“It is my professional opinion
LOWELL — A real estate agent
that the placement of the cell tower
warned a customer that a new
in the middle of town would have
telecommunications tower in the
a very long-lasting effect on propcenter of Lowell would hurt property in the village. I know of no
erty values already depressed by
other town in Vermont that has a
wind turbines.
cell tower placed in such a highly
T-Mobile wants to install a cell
visible location.
tower on property near the Lowell
“It would be best for all the
Fire Department, but two neighproperty owners if another location
bors are ﬁghting that choice.
could be found for the
T-Mobile has aptower,” Rooney conplied for an Act 250
“The
impact
of
the
cell
tower
on
cluded.
permit from the DisWhile the Act 250
your
properties
would
be
huge.”
trict 7 Environmental
commission does not
Commission. At a re— Nancy Rooney, of New England
have the authority to
cent hearing, neighconsider the impact of
Landmark
Realty
bors
Edward
a project on property
Wesolow and Gary
values, the impact on
Warner Sr. questioned
“Property values in Lowell took aesthetics is an Act 250 criteria.
the location of the 140-foot tower
a hit when the wind towers were And aesthetics affect property valin the middle of the town and
installed on the mountain there ues.
asked why the tower did not go
Wesolow said in a letter to the
and, in my professional opinion,
somewhere else.
haven’t recovered from that,” commission that he has other proWarner even offered another lofessionals willing to discuss the
Rooney wrote.
cation, with a promise to provide
“The impact of the cell tower on impacts on aesthetics.
the rent check from T-Mobile to
Wesolow said his family is
your properties would be huge. Inthe ﬁre department.
stead of views of Jay Peak from working to return the historic charThe commission held a hearing
the back windows, you would be acter to one of the homes he owns,
and then sought information from
staring at a 140-foot-tall ugly and lamented the potential loss of
T-Mobile and the neighbors.
metal tower. No buyer is going to all the time and money into the
Parts of Lowell are in the viewwant to purchase that,” she wrote. project if the cell tower is apshed of the 21 ridgeline wind turThe property’s sale price would proved.
bines erected by Green Mountain
Power on Lowell Mountain.
In his response to the commission, Wesolow included a letter
from his Realtor, Nancy Rooney of
New England Landmark Realty of
Stowe. He has two properties near
the cell tower site, both listed for
sale.
In the letter, Rooney questioned
the location of a cell tower in the
center of any village – saying it
would be unprecedented in Vermont.
BY RoBin SMiTH
Staff Writer
Prue
Continued from Page A1
solve the murder charges against
her by pleading guilty to 1st degree
murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder in exchange
for a sentence of life in prison
without parole.
All other pending charges
against Patricia Prue – including
aggravated murder, improper disposal of a dead body and multiple
counts of possession of child
pornography – would be dismissed
under the terms of the proposed
deal.
“The offer was promptly rejected through counsel, who was
aware of Mrs. Prue’s position at
the time and, to be certain, followed up with Mrs. Prue shortly
thereafter to reconﬁrm her position,” wrote Marsicovetere in his
competency motion.
“On or about Dec. 8, 2014, Mrs.
Prue contacted counsel and ad-
vised that she wanted to accept the
state’s offer. There were no interests in further negotiations that
were realistic, except that Mrs.
Prue wanted counsel to negotiate a
sentence that permitted her and her
husband to communicate in writing during their time spent in jail.
This represented a stark and sudden deviation from Mrs. Prue’s
prior position in this matter,” wrote
Marsicovetere.
Marsicovetere has been planning an insanity defense for Patricia Prue claiming she suffers from
multiple personality disorder and
that he was concerned that her recent attempts to accept the state’s
deal were an indication of her
worsening condition.
“That she would accept, at her
relatively young age, a sentence of
life in prison without the possibility of parole, with the only conceivable beneﬁt being that she may
write letters to her husband, and
when nothing requires him to respond in kind, raises serious ques-
tions about the current scope and
intensity of her disorders and
symptomology,” wrote Marsicovetere. “Subsequent conversations
with Mrs. Prue have only reinforced the concerns.”
On Monday Judge Robert Bent
ordered the evaluation saying the
court would be “reluctant” to accept a guilty plea from a mentally
incompetent person.
The hearing – to determine if
Patricia Prue is mentally competent to stand trial – is now scheduled to be conducted by Dr.
Jonathan Weker of Montpelier on
Dec. 24, at 2 p.m. at Chittenden
Correctional Facility in South
Burlington.
Allen Prue, was convicted by a
jury in October on all charges related to the kidnapping and murder
of Jenkins. He is scheduled to be
sentenced on Wednesday. Prosecutors say they will ask the court to
impose a sentence of life in prison
without parole.
Phones
negotiate further.
Spillane said one union offer
remaining on the table would be
Continued from Page A1
for workers to switch to health
and that the unions have offered coverage offered by the national
more than $200 million in sav- IBEW, a savings of $7 million
ings to the company but that the for the company.
company has not been willing to
for
Subscription
File PHOTO
Highly-tuned machines blast off in clouds of snow and smoke during snowmobile drag races
in Newport last winter.
Snowmobiles
Continued from Page A1
through not only his town but part of neighboring
Barnet as well.
Those jobs took about $12,000 worth of materials
and work, plus volunteers spent countless hours meeting and greeting what he called “very gracious”
landowners. But, the cost of maintaining trails just
got higher, as the club’s groomer suffered a major
breakdown and is now in the shop to be ﬁxed, he said.
This year, volunteers also put up a billboard to generate more funds and help businesses advertise their
services.
“A lot of businesses beneﬁt from snowmobiling,”
Page said. “It does a lot for the economy. A lot of
other clubs are doing that too.”
In a report to the Vermont subcommittee on public
lands in June 2013, then VAST Executive Director
Alexis Nelson said the economic impact to the state
from snowmobiling had been adjusted to $350 million. In 2003, a study by Johnson State College reported it was $550 million.
Page said Saturday, it appears that not as many
people are buying early memberships this year. Last
year “early bird” sales before trails open were 99 percent of what his club expected to sell plus a few more
later. Page doesn’t think lagging trail pass sales is
about snow.
“The biggest trouble is the economy,” Page said.
“People just can’t afford to buy the equipment and
pay the dues.”
Fees for state residents were up $20 to $120 for a
trail pass, another $200-$300 for insurance and $25
for state registration. For out-of-state residents, the
trail fee is $25 more.
Paige Robinson, secretary of the Caledonia County
Snowmobile Trails Club, couldn’t agree more.
“It gets very expensive,” she said, estimating the
cost of a new snowmobile ranges between $5,000 and
$15,000 depending upon the machine. “And gas, oil,
TMAs (Trail Maintenance Assessments) and insurance have all gone up. Liability insurance is required,
and full coverage is more depending upon the sled.”
“It’s still early, but so far we’ve sold about 175
TMAs. Most years we sell about 800,” she said Saturday, three days before the early bird deadline.
Robinson works a non-related full-time job and volunteers as club secretary and selling tickets.
Sales of trail passes to out-of-state residents are
running about ﬁve to one resident, she said. Out-ofstate residents are coming into All Around Power in
St. Johnsbury and buying ﬁve, six or seven at a time.
But, slow early trail pass sales aren’t telling the
whole story behind snowmobiling scenes, according
to All Around Power owner Spencer Hudson.
“Sales are very good. I haven’t seen interest like
this in 10 years,” Hudson said Monday morning. “I
have more pre-sold (snowmobiles) this year than I
have had in the last seven or eight years. It seems that
people from down country are very excited about the
coming season. That early snow we had really
helped,” Hudson said enthusiastically.
He said earlier that morning the Polaris representative in Vermont reported that sales are up across the
state and company goals were being exceeded. Polaris, he noted was a popular brand, but that he carries
several brands of machines.
Waterford resident Dexter Willson, who is a member of the St. Johnsbury Sno-Blazers and active in
snowmobiling since 1970, said he believes that interest in the sport might be declining at least in this part
of the state.
“This past year there were 24,000 trail passes
sold,” he said, referring to information in a recent
VAST newsletter. In 2000, there were 40,000 snowmobilers in Vermont.”
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Continued from Page A1
As of Monday evening Lumumba
remained jailed at Northeast Regional Correctional Facility in St.
Johnsbury.
Caledonia County States attorney
Lisa Warren had asked the judge to
set bail for Lumumba at $150,000.
Lumumba was a top scorer with
the LSC Men’s Soccer team until
graduating with a degree in human
services this year. The Northern Vermont Drug Task Force targeted Lumumba this fall and allege they
watched as Lumumba repeatedly
drove his silver 2011 Mercedes Benz
C 300 sedan from his home at 728
Hill Street in Lyndonville on multiple
occasions in November to sell drugs
Black Cyan Magenta Yellow
In Caledonia County there were 16 clubs, now
there are 13, he said. Statewide there are 128 community-based clubs, and there are 120 groomers caring
for the trails. The sport though, is still evolving, he
said.
Willson said when he started snowmobiling in
1970, riders did not need permission to cross private
land. Then when they found so many landowners
were going to close trails, VAST was developed, rules
of riding and liability were set out, and a board of directors was formed. And they realized they needed
permission from landowners.
Willson served as Caledonia County’s director
from 1979-84 and then as vice president, president
and treasurer of VAST. He also taught snowmobile
safety for many years and still does. On Dec. 7 he
taught a class of 16 in Waterford, but remembers back
when he taught a class of 58 at All Around Power.
The rules have changed. Now a club needs to have
25 members to be formed, but existing clubs with 10
members are grandfathered in. And riders have to be
at least 12, although Willson said he’s taught much
younger children in the safety class over the years.
“Like schools, I hate to see small pushed into big,”
said Willson, a retired teacher and school bus driver.
He remembers David Greenwood took his class at 5
years old. He couldn’t read all the questions so his
dad helped with that, and he knew enough correct answers to get a 96, Willson said.
“The future is anybody’s guess…We have terriﬁc
snowmobiling here in Vermont. But some winters
aren’t so great, so people wait to see what weather we
get (before buying trail passes),” he said. “I wish I
had a crystal ball and could see improvement.”
Fairbanks meteorologist Steve Maleski obligingly
went looking for his “crystal ball,” when asked to predict what this winter will be like.
“If I was a betting man, I think odds favor near normal and maybe slightly lower temperatures for the
core of winter,” Maleski said, “and, near to slightly
above average snow.”
So far there has been more precipitation coming
down in the form of snow than rain, which is a good
sign. A lot of the long term forecast would depend
upon whether the fairly active south branch of the
polar front goes to the south like it has been doing or
moves more to the north, he noted.
“It’s always tricky to predict long term forecasts,”
Maleski said, explaining that even a slight variation
to the north in the course of the polar front would
bring more snow.
As for the complaint that “back in the day” winters
were always colder and there was more snow than
now, Maleski said there is some truth to that.
“I think we are gradually losing exceptionally cold
nights. About 40 years ago, the number of 30-40
below zero mornings numbered about ﬁve per winter,
but that is no longer the case,” he said. “Now there
are about two mornings that are 30 below or more in
ﬁve years and the frequency is dropping. The trend is
25-35 below zero (for the coldest nights), and wetter
winters with more mixed precipitation,” he said.
Extra work on the trails in derby
Last week’s heavy snow made a great base to start
the snowmobiling season, but while welcome, the
snow and ice was too much of a good thing.
The Drift Dusters Snowmobile Club ofﬁcials said
volunteers not only had to prepare the trails over the
weekend but they had to clear downed trees and limbs
to do it.
Groomers were out in force Monday, with the trails
open today.
Season passes to use the network of Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) trails are available at www.driftdusters.com/TMA or at a local
vendor.
Staff writer Robin Smith contributed to this report.
to a cooperating individual working
with police. Police also tracked Lumumba’s movements using a GPS
device placed on his car.
On Saturday night, Dec. 13, at 11
p.m. drug task force members and
members of the Vermont State Police
executed a search warrant at Lumumba’s home and said they found
drugs and guns including a .40 Caliber handgun in Lumumba’s closet
and a .20 gauge shotgun in Lumumba’s kitchen.
According to a drug task force afﬁdavit, police said they also seized
4.3 grams of cocaine and a gram of
heroin and “other bags containing
heroin and cocaine in other bedrooms of the home.”
The other bedrooms, according to
the report, belonged to “Lumumba’s
roommates.”
Police said Lumumba confessed
to importing and selling $700-$1,000
a week of cocaine “to college students.” But the afﬁdavit also states
that Lumumba denied selling heroin
because “heroin could kill someone.”
“Lumumba said that he worked
for a subject that was bringing the cocaine he sold from New York,” reads
the task force report. “Lumumba further said he does not deal with the
main boss he only deals with someone who works for the main boss.”
According to court documents,
Lumumba has been employed for
two years at “Frat Life Entertainment” in Burlington and Lyndonville.
If convicted on all the charges Lumumba faces a possible sentence of
55 years in prison.
CALEDONIAN Black Cyan Magenta Yellow
THe ReCORd • TueSdAy, deCemBeR 16, 2014
A7
NATION & WORLD
Police storm cafe to end Sydney hostage siege;
3 people dead, including gunman
SYDNEY (AP) — The deadly siege began in the most incongruous of
ways, on a sunny Monday morning inside a cheerful cafe in the heart of Australia’s largest city. An Iranian-born gunman burst in, took 17 workers and
customers hostage, and forced some to hold a ﬂag with an Islamic declaration
of faith above the shop window’s festive inscription of “Merry Christmas.”
It ended after midnight with a barrage of gunﬁre that left two hostages and
the gunman dead, four others wounded, and a nation that has long prided itself on its peace rocked to its core.
After waiting 16 hours, police decided to storm the Lindt Chocolat Cafe
early Tuesday when they heard a number of gunshots from inside, said New
South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione.
A loud bang rang out, several hostages ran from the building and police
swooped in amid heavy gunﬁre, shouts and ﬂashes. A police bomb disposal
robot also was sent into the building, but no explosives were found.
“They made the call because they believed that at that time, if they didn’t
enter, there would have been many more lives lost,” Scipione said.
Amid Sydney siege, Aussies use IllRideWithYou
hashtag to show solidarity with Muslims
Some Australian social media users sent a message of solidarity to Muslims as the Sydney cafe siege went on for almost a day, offering to accompany
anyone who felt intimidated on public transit.
The Twitter hashtag (hash)IllRideWithYou had been used more than
90,000 times by early Tuesday, as tweeters tried to allay fears of anti-Islamic
attacks on Australia’s streets.
Hostages were held for more than 16 hours inside Sydney’s Lindt Chocolat
Cafe by a gunman who had a ﬂag bearing an Islamic declaration of faith that
has been used in jihadi imagery. That prompted speculation that the siege
could ignite retaliatory violence against Muslims.
Sydney resident Rachael Jacobs wrote on Facebook that she had seen a
woman on the train remove her headscarf and offered to walk with her.
That spurred a Twitter campaign in which users offered to travel on public
transit with those in Islamic dress who felt insecure. Users were encouraged
to supply details of their travel routes to ensure their online gestures were
practical.
Republicans say Cruz enabled Democrats to
seek conﬁrmation of 23 nominees
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unhappy Republicans say Sen. Ted Cruz of
Texas has given President Barack Obama a present this holiday season — a
gift certiﬁcate good for conﬁrmation of 12 judicial appointments, not long
after the voters had delivered the Democrats a lump of coal in midterm elections.
Cruz, a tea party favorite and potential 2016 presidential contender, disputed the claim through his spokesman on Monday.
But there was no dissent that Democrats, who must turn over power to
Republicans in January, were in position to conﬁrm not only the judges, but
11 other appointees before the Senate wraps up work for the year.
Among them are nominees that Republicans have sought to block for two
relatively high-proﬁle posts. They are Vivek Murthy to become surgeon general and Sarah Saldana to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the
agency that will oversee the new administration policy on immigration that
Cruz wants to defund.
At the root of the dispute lay a combination of the Senate’s all-but-indecipherable rules, Cruz’s attempt to use their murky corners to his advantage,
and a bipartisan desire of many lawmakers to ﬁnish work for the year and
return home for the holidays.
WORLD BRIEFS
Settlement growth also was strong beyond Israel’s separation barrier, seen
by many as the basis for a border between Israel and a future Palestinian
state.
The ﬁgures reﬂect Netanyahu’s continued support for settlement construction, even while repeatedly stating his commitment to the eventual establishment of an independent Palestinian state as part of a future peace agreement.
They also could be a topic of discussion as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
meets with Netanyahu and European ofﬁcials this week over a promised
U.N. Security Council proposal dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conﬂict.
While Israeli leaders and prime ministers of all political afﬁliations have
allowed and sometimes encouraged settlements, the U.S. and Western allies
have dwindling patience for their construction.
From the beginning of 2009 until the beginning of 2014 — Netanyahu returned to ofﬁce in March 2009 — the Jewish settler population in the West
Bank grew 23 percent, to 355,993 people. In comparison, the overall population has grown 9.6 percent to just over 8 million in that time. Figures for
2014 are not expected before late next year.
US Marine charged with murder in
October slaying of Filipino transgender
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine government prosecutors
charged a U.S. Marine with murder Monday in the killing of a Filipino, saying the suspect acknowledged attacking the victim after he found out she was
a transgender woman.
Prosecutor Emilie de los Santos said there was “probable cause” that Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton, who has been detained since shortly after
the October incident, killed Jennifer Laude, whose former name was Jeffrey,
in the motel room where the victim’s body was found in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila. She had apparently been strangled and drowned in a toilet
bowl.
“It’s murder,” de los Santos told reporters after ﬁling the charge against
the 19-year-old Pemberton before a regional court. “It was aggravated by
treachery, abuse of superior strength and cruelty.”
Among the evidence submitted by de los Santos and other prosecutors
were statements by Pemberton’s three Marine colleagues who went bar-hopping with him on Oct. 11 in Olongapo, a former liberty town when the U.S.
Navy was at the vast Subic Naval base, now a bustling commercial Freeport
and recreation hub.
Pemberton and some of his colleagues later picked up women at a disco
bar and separately checked in at nearby motels, then returned to their ship
after midnight. Witnesses saw Pemberton check in with Laude at a motel
room, where he was seen leaving shortly before the discovery of the killing,
prosecutors said in their statement to the court.
Police altering policies and procedures after
heated nationwide reaction to recent killings
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — With tensions running high over the killings
of blacks by police, departments around the country are changing policies
and procedures to curb the use of deadly force, ease public distrust and protect
ofﬁcers from retaliation.
New York City plans to issue stun guns to hundreds more ofﬁcers. The
Milwaukee department is making crisis-intervention training mandatory. And
in Akron, Ohio, police have begun working in pairs on all shifts for their own
safety.
Police departments are constantly updating training. But some of the more
recent measures have been prompted by rising anger toward police. And in
some cases, departments are making sure to let the public know about these
See Briefs, Page A8
SERVICE CENTER
I-91 EXIT 22 ROUTE 5 • ST. JOHNSBURY, VT
Nick Pilotte, Service Advisor
Pat Wheelock, Service Manager • Josh Bagley, Service
Authorities look for mental health clues
in ﬁght to stop ‘lone wolf’ attackers
LONDON (AP) — A radical Muslim killed a soldier outside Canada’s
Parliament. A right-wing extremist opened ﬁre on buildings in Texas’ capital
and tried to burn down the Mexican Consulate. An Al-Qaida-inspired assailant hacked an off-duty soldier to death in London.
Police said all three were terrorists and motivated by ideology. Authorities
and family members said they may have been mentally ill. A growing body
of research suggests they might well have been both.
New studies have challenged several decades of thinking that psychological problems are only a minor factor in the making of terrorists. The research
has instead found a signiﬁcant link between mental problems and “lone wolf”
terrorism.
Israeli settlement construction in West Bank
Now academics and law enforcement ofﬁcials are working to turn that recontinues surge under PM Benjamin Netanyahu search into tools to prevent deadly attacks.
“It’s never an either-or in terms of ideology versus mental illness,” said
JERUSALEM (AP) — The population of Jewish settlers in the occupied Ramon Spaaij, a sociologist at Australia’s Victoria University who conducted
West Bank has continued to surge during Prime Minister Benjamin Ne- a major study, funded by the U.S. Justice Department, of lone wolf extremists.
tanyahu’s years in ofﬁce, growing at more than twice the pace of Israel’s “It’s a dangerous cocktail.”
overall population, according to newly obtained ofﬁcial ﬁgures.
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NATION & WORLD
A8
Briefs
land, which President Barack Obama has publicly backed, but it doesn’t include key Israeli — and U.S. — conditions such as Palestinian recognition
of Israel as a Jewish state.
Continued from Page A7
An American veto would upset Palestinians and perhaps some Arab allies
changes.
frustrated by years of diplomatic gridlock. Several are ﬁghting alongside the
“It’s not a mistake or a coincidence that a lot of these departments are pub- U.S. right now against the Islamic State group.
licizing their training or are perhaps revamping their training guidelines and
Bemoaned at both ends of the spectrum,
things like that in the wake of these really high-proﬁle incidents,” said Kami
Chavis Simmons, director of the criminal justice program at the Wake Forest
spending bill a triumph of divided government
University School of Law in North Carolina and a former federal prosecutor
WASHINGTON (AP) — After drawing opposition from both ends of the
in Washington.
political spectrum, the $1.1 trillion spending bill cleared for President Barack
Protests, largely peaceful, have ﬂared across the country after grand juries Obama’s signature stands as a triumph of divided government.
in recent weeks declined to indict white ofﬁcers in the fatal shooting of 18It’s the ﬁrst of its kind for a while, and may also be the last.
year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the chokehold death of
“Remember this bill was put together in a bicameral, bipartisan way,”
Eric Garner in New York City. Both men were black and unarmed.
House Speaker John Boehner said. Large numbers of lawmakers on both
Kerry, Netanyahu meet in Rome as talk of UN
making Mideast peace push causes headaches
ROME (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry met Monday with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the U.S. and Israel developed their
responses to a draft U.N. resolution that would set a two-year timetable for
an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord.
Before departing for the talks in Rome, Netanyahu took a hard line and
said he would not allow others to dictate conditions for negotiations that
might compromise Israel’s security. For the U.S., however, the issue is trickier. The Obama administration is reluctant to do anything right now that can
be perceived as interference in Israel’s upcoming election in March, but it is
being pressed by close allies to endorse a negotiating framework that largely
adheres to U.S. policy.
The resolution proposed by France still hasn’t been formally introduced.
The draft speaks of the 1967 Mideast borders as the basis for dividing the
Holiday
OPEN HOUSE
Thursday 3pm - 7pm
Drop by the Co-op for amazing samples!
Special guests – Eden Ice Cider will be pouring
tastes of their perfect additions to your house table.
Sample Delicious Belgian beer, our newest
sparkling wine, local cheeses and more!
Buy raffle tickets for beer or wine, gift baskets,
get a massage, nice member sales on produce,
the best beer available in St. Johnsbury,
stocking stuffers galore and everything you’ll
need to make this season delicious.
sides of the political divide would rather forget parts of the bill, as evidenced
by relatively close votes, 219-206 in the House and 56-40 in the Senate.
The legislation quietly locks in billions of dollars in spending cuts that the
tea party-strengthened Republicans extracted from Democrats in recent years
in a tumultuous string of battles. Equally without much fuss, it reduces
stafﬁng at the agency the GOP dislikes the most, the Environmental Protection Agency, to levels last seen in 1989.
Yet it maintains funding for President Barack Obama’s health care program that Republicans loathe so heartily that they shut down the government
last year rather than spend any money on it. And it provides additional money
for health research that Democrats favor, and most of what the administration
sought to combat Ebola.
Chicago thieves adopt ‘crash-and-grab’ tactics
for brazen, tightly choreographed burglaries
CHICAGO (AP) — All the burglars use the same audacious tactics: A vehicle crashes through a storefront in the wee hours and up to six people in
dark clothing and ski masks pour out, grabbing whatever they can with the
speed of a NASCAR pit crew. Then the thieves dash out over the broken
glass to a waiting getaway car. Since September, at least a dozen “crash-andgrab” burglaries have been reported at retail businesses in Chicago and the
surrounding suburbs. Some targeted high-end businesses, including a Neiman
Marcus store on the famed Magniﬁcent Mile. Others struck less afﬂuent locations such as a pawn shop on the South Side and clothing stores on the far
West Side. The thefts have made shop owners nervous, and police are still
pursuing their ﬁrst arrest.
“Everybody’s on edge. Everybody’s worried it’s going to happen to them,”
said Randy Cohen, who has been in the pawn-shop business for some 40
years and never seen this kind of fear among fellow business owners.
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TUESDAy, DECEMBER 16, 2014
Why Oil Is Down By Half,
And What It Means For You
BY JonATHAn fAHEY
AP energy Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of
oil has fallen by nearly half in just six
months, a surprising and steep plunge
that has consumers cheering, producers howling and economists wringing
their hands over whether this is a good
or bad thing. The price of a barrel of
oil is just under $56, down from a
summer high of $107, and lower than
at any time since the U.S. was still in
recession in the spring of 2009.
So what’s going on? A global imbalance of supply and demand that is
rippling across the world economy, for
better and worse.
SUPPLIES GO BOOM
Years of high oil prices, interrupted
brieﬂy by the recession, inspired
drillers around the world to scour the
earth’s crust for more oil.
They found it. Since 2008 oil companies in the U.S., for example, have
increased production by 70 percent, or
3.5 million barrels of oil per day. To
put that in perspective, that increase
alone is more than the production of
any OPEC member other than Saudi
Arabia.
As U.S. production was ramping
up, turmoil in the Middle East and
North Africa reduced supplies from
Libya, Iran and elsewhere. A balance
was struck: Increasing supplies from
outside of OPEC and from Iraq’s recovering oil industry helped meet rising demand around the world as other
OPEC supplies waivered.
But now those OPEC supplies look
more certain despite continuing turmoil, and those non-OPEC supplies
have swamped the market. OPEC estimated last week that the world would
need 28.9 million barrels of its oil per
day next year, the lowest in more than
a decade. At the same time, OPEC
countries plan to produce 30 million
barrels of oil per day next year. That
supply surplus is sending global prices
lower.
dEMANd GOES BUST
Global demand is still expected to
grow next year, but by far less than
many thought earlier this year. The
economies of China, Japan and Western Europe – the top oil consumers
after the United States – all appear to
be weakening. Oil demand falls when
economic growth stalls.
The U.S. is still the world’s largest
consumer, but more fuel-efﬁcient cars
and changing demographics mean de-
mand for oil and gasoline is not increasing. The Energy Department predicts a slight decrease in gasoline
demand next year even though the
price is expected to be sharply lower
and the economy is expected to grow.
THE HAPPY CONSUMERS
For drivers, shippers, airlines and
other consumers of fuel, there’s nothing not to like about the drop in oil
prices.
The national average gasoline price
has fallen for 81 straight days to $2.55
a gallon, its lowest level since October
of 2009, according to AAA. It’s $1.15
a gallon cheaper than its high for the
year, saving U.S. households $100 a
month as they shop for holiday presents. “Any time gas prices go down
that is a good thing,” said Randy
Daniels, 30, who was shopping recently at the Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta. “An extra 20 or 30 bucks in my
pocket goes far.”
Diesel and jet fuel prices have also
plunged, helping boost the proﬁts and
share prices of airlines and shippers.
Heating oil is the cheapest it has been
in four years, reducing home heating
prices just in time for winter for many
in the chilly Northeast.
THE wORRIEd ECONOMISTS
Falling fuel prices act like a tax cut
and help boost consumer spending,
which in turn accounts for 70 percent
of the U.S. economy. But economists
are growing concerned that there are
other, more troublesome forces at play.
The depth of oil’s plunge could be a
signal that the global economy is
struggling even more than economists
think. A weak global economy could
hurt the U.S. economy by reducing exports, employment and spending,
which together could outweigh the
economic beneﬁts of cheaper fuel.
THE PROdUCERS’ PAIN
For oil companies, oil-producing
states, and oil-exporting countries, the
oil price collapse is painful.
Oil companies generally keep producing oil from wells they’ve already
drilled, but lower prices sharply reduce
revenue and force them to cut back
spending on new exploration projects.
BP announced last week it would try
to trim $1 billion in spending next year
in a move that analysts say could result
in thousands of job cuts.
States that rely on taxes from energy production such as Alaska, North
Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas will see
lower revenues and some have already
had to trim budgets.
VERMONT PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD NOTICE
2015 Energy Efficiency Charge
Since 2000, Vermont electric bills have included an Energy Efficiency Charge (EEC).
Funds collected by the charge pay for energy efficiency services designed to save money
by reducing Vermont's electricity needs. This notice contains the new EEC rates that
take effect starting with bills sent out February 1, 2015.
Redeem your rebates at quicklane.com
The EEC pays for an organization called Efficiency Vermont to provide energy efficiency
services to most of the state. For more information, including technical advice, education, rebates and other financial incentives for homes, farms and businesses, contact
Efficiency Vermont toll free at 1-888-921-5990 or at www.efficiencyvermont.com.
Quick Lane®-installed retail purchases only. Limit one redemption per customer. $70 Michelin, Goodyear, Dunlop, Continental, Pirelli, Hankook, Yokohama, and Bridgestone tire rebate
by prepaid debit card or apply to an active Owner Advantage Rewards® account. Owner Advantage Rewards payment by mail-in form only. $70 credit card rebate by prepaid debit
card only. Subject to credit approval. Complete purchase must be made on the Quick Lane Credit Card. Offer valid between 10/1/14 and 12/31/14. Submit rebate by 1/31/15. Cannot be
combined with any other tire manufacturer-sponsored or Quick Lane Credit Card rebate/offer. See participating Quick Lane for vehicle applications, rebate and account details.
Purchase 4 Tires
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69 95
MOST CARS &
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be required on some vehicles. Extra charges if
adjustments are needed. Taxes extra. See Quick Lane
Manager for details. Expires 11/30/14.
VT STATE
INSPECTION
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ONLY
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YOUR
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Energy efficiency benefits Vermont in two ways: first, using less electricity lowers the
bills of individuals who take steps to reduce their power use; second, and more importantly, when statewide use goes down, it reduces electric utilities' total system costs,
which would otherwise be paid by all electric customers through rates.
Customers of most Vermont electric utilities. Effective on February 2015 bills,
the EEC rates for all customers except those of the City of Burlington Electric Department
(BED) will be:
Residential:
Commercial:
Non-demand customers
Demand customers
12
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• Brake Inspection
95
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• Vehicle Check-Up
• Fluid Top-Off
• Battery Test
• Filter Check
• Belts & Hoses Check
*Retail purchases only. Up to five quarts of Motorcraft® oil and oil
filter. Taxes, diesel vehicles and disposal fees extra. Hybrid battery
test excluded. Offer valid by 11/30/14.
Industrial:
Non-demand customers
Demand customers
Street and Area Lights:
Current EEC rates
2015 EEC rates
$0.01091/kilowatt hour
(kWh)
$0.01173/kWh
$0.00928/kWh
$0.00605/kWh plus
$0.9290/kilowatt (kW)/
month
$0.01008/kWh
$0.00648/kWh plus
$1.0543/kW/month
$0.00657/kWh
$0.00444/kWh plus
$1.0514/kW/month
$0.00719/kWh
$0.00484/kWh plus
$1.1344/kW/month
$0.0093/kWh, determined
by multiplying the light
wattage by 360 hours/
month
$0.0101/kWh,
determined by
multiplying the
light wattage by 360
hours/month
BED customers. Effective on February 2015 bills, the EEC rates for BED customers
will be:
Residential:
Commercial:
Non-demand customers
Demand customers
Industrial:
Non-demand customers
Demand customers
Street and Area Lights:
Current EEC rates
2013 EEC rates
$0.00798/kWh
$0.00899/kWh
$0.00709/kWh
$0.00429/kWh plus
$1.1286/kW/month
$0.00809/kWh
$0.00497/kWh plus
$1.2370/kW/month
$0.00571/kWh
$0.00379/kWh plus
$1.4752/kW/month
$0.00650/kWh
$0.00429/kWh plus
$1.6896/kW/month
$0.0071/kWh, determined
by multiplying the light
wattage by 354 hours
per month
$0.0081/per kWh,
determined by
multiplying the
light wattage by 354
hours per month
BED rates differ from the rest of the state because BED provides energy efficiency services to its own customers. BED customers with questions about their EEC rates or about
energy efficiency services can contact BED at 802-658-0300.
EEC rates are calculated separately for each customer group using each group's electric
use and payments. Changes in usage within each group result in different percentage
changes in EEC rates for different groups.
For more information about the charge, please contact your local utility or the Vermont
Department of Public Service Consumer Hotline at 1-800-622-4496.
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