BRADFORD—Oxbow High School joins a number of other schools in the Upper Valley with a COVID-19 diagnosis. Students will spend this week entirely in remote learning, through at least Oct. 23.
“This is the first confirmed case we are aware of in our staff or student body,” Orange East Supervisory Union Superintendent Emilie Knisley wrote in response to a question from the Journal Opinion. “We are following the Vermont Department of Health protocols closely.”

BRADFORD—Wondering what is happening this Halloween? Festivities will vary from town to town as COVID-19 safety measures take precendence this year.
And you do not need to wait until Halloween weekend. There are plenty of events getting underway this weekend.
Haverhill plans a Haunted Trail Oct. 23 and 24 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at 26 Rowley Road near Cemetery Road.
An online announcement describes the trail where a 700-square-foot tree house and haunted hundreds of square feet of “living hell awaits thrill seekers.”

BRADFORD—With high energy anticipation, 15 runners awaited the 9 a.m. launch from the Devil’s Den Trailhead on Wright’s Mountain on the morning of Oct. 10.
The 24-hour DD Ultra Run was organized by ex-Marine and Corinth resident Jason Mosel to raise money for the Josh Pallotta Fund, a nonprofit named in honor of the young Marine who died by suicide on Sept. 23, 2014.
Mosel fought his own battles with alcohol and depression, but emerged safely with the help of vigorous athletics and now works tirelessly to help other veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.

BRADFORD—Scores of Newbury residents have signed a petition asking the selectboard to hold a town vote on dissolving the Oxbow Union Unified School District.
The petition asks that the board hold a vote for Newbury residents to withdraw from the new OUUSD as soon as June 30, 2021.
As of now, the petition has attracted more than 90 signatures which have been verified by the Newbury Town Clerk. The petition is on the agenda for the Oct. 14 selectboard meeting.

HAVERHILL—There has been a recent uptick in the amount of attempted dog thefts reported in the Haverhill area.
On Sept 6, Haverhill Animal Control Officer Andrea Brissette posted this on Facebook: “I have heard a lot about dogs being stolen out of vehicles and out of their own yards. It seems to be a growing issue in our area.” She went on to advise people not to leave their animals unsupervised and to leave their dogs at home when they have to run errands.
Under that post, Haverhill resident Pauline Corzilius commented that a car with Vermont license plates recently pulled up to a woman’s yard in Bath and attempted to lure her dogs into their car, a report confirmed by the Bath Police Department. They were not successful. BPD said they are investigating the incident.
She also noted that there was a similar rash of dog thefts about four years ago in the St. Johnsbury area.
Brissette said she does not have many details, other than a few reports of possible attempted thefts. And it does not sound like any dogs have actually been stolen.
Still, dognapping is not unheard of and British authorities have reported an increase in dog thefts since the pandemic as dog prices have risen.
In the United States, an estimated 2 million animals are victims of dog theft each year. High-value breeds are at the highest risk of being targeted to be resold for a profit. It’s a scheme known as “dog flipping.”

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