THETFORD—As the winter sun poured through the windows, filmmaker Malcolm Silver-Van Meter stood shrouded by light as he introduced the characters of his latest production.
“Where I come from is hugely important to me,” he said. Every gesture was nuanced by an almost holy reverence.
“The films that I make are personal.”
NEWBURY—Attorneys in the lawsuit between Newbury and the state over a proposed juvenile detention center on Stevens Place have until March to file briefs with the Vermont Supreme Court.
More than 120,000 customers in New Hampshire and Vermont were left without power in the immediate aftermath of a windstorm that swept through ahead of Christmas weekend. At least some could remain without power until the end of this week.
Howling winds arrived in the early morning hours of Dec. 23 as snow transitioned to rain in many locations. Wind gusts reached 70 mph in Burlington, according to the National Weather Service.
GROTON—An unoccupied home was destroyed by a two-alarm fire on Christmas morning in Groton.
Groton Fire Chief Wade Johnson Sr. said firefighters were dispatched to the blaze on North County Road at about 7:20 a.m. on Sunday for smoke coming from the tin roof and building.
VERSHIRE—At the Vershire Selectboard meeting on Dec. 20, selectboard members voted to pursue other bids for their proposed town garage build on Vershire Center Road. The decision came after a public meeting on the garage was held the previous week and the lone bid the town received came in over budget.
The lot, located at 815 Vershire Center Road, is just down the road from the current town garage at 608 Vershire Center Road. The new proposed garage site was purchased by voters in the summer of 2019 by the town from Susan Sargent.
GROTON—A long-gestating infrastructure project in Groton village designed to reroute stormwater and groundwater around the Community Building, under Route 302, and into the Wells River, will likely not happen until 2024.
The project will overhaul parking, the sidewalk, and a retaining wall at the town offices and fire station in the village.
NEWBURY—With the Newbury juvenile detention facility in litigation, Dr. Harry Chen, interim commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, said his agency is exploring temporary measures.
Meeting with the state’s Joint Oversight Committee on Dec. 22, Chen brought legislators up to date on the progress of finding temporary, yet secure, housing for violent juveniles and youthful offenders.
BRADFORD—Upper Valley Services has been fined $112,000 by Vermont Attorney General.
According to a Dec. 14 press release, the AG’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit has entered a settlement agreement with UVS to resolve investigations into three separate incidents.
BRADFORD—A very, very heavy and wet snowfall covered the area Friday and Saturday leading to snow days, power outages, cancelled or postponed events, and havoc on the roads.
Snowfall totals (in inches), courtesy of the National Weather Service, included Barnet (14.5), Benton (12), Bradford (17), Chelsea (17), Corinth (17.5), Groton (12), Lyme (12.5), Ryegate (10), Vershire (18.5), and West Newbury (14.5).
The power outages were widespread and extensive with tens of thousands of customers in both states losing power at some point. Most were caused by fallen limbs that accumulated heavy wet snow.
CHELSEA—Orange County spending is projected to decline next year under a draft budget outlined by assistant judges at a hearing last week. The budget, which partially funds the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, was prepared without input from either the outgoing sheriff, who lost his reelection bid last month, or the sheriff-elect, according to the two elected assistant judges.