WNTK Local News

A family altercation Sunday night in Hartland resulted in the arrest of a Hartland woman, reports the Vermont State Police-Royalton Barracks.

According to a press release, authorities responded to a family fight in Hartland at approximately 9:30 PM on Sunday, April 4th. An investigation into the incident uncovered that 47-year-old Becki Kolenburg had assaulted another resident of the household. Kolenburg was then arrested and transported to the Windsor Police Department for processing.

She was cited and released to appear in VT Superior Court, Windsor Criminal Division on Monday, April 5th at 12:30 PM. 

A single-vehicle accident in Rockingham Friday night resulted in the arrest of a Bellows Falls man on DUI charges.

According to a report from the Westminster-State Police Barracks, authorities responded to a report of a single-vehicle accident on Missing Link Road at approximately 9:30 PM on Friday, April 2nd. Upon arrival, police were able to identify the operator as 62-year-old Arthur Madore Jr. of Bellows Falls. An investigation yielded that Madore Jr. was impaired, and he was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was then transported to the Westminster Barracks to be processed.

Madore Jr. was later released with a criminal citation to appear in VT Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division at 11 AM on April 20th to answer to the charges of DUI #2 and Negligent Operation. 

The Bellows Falls Fire Department has released details on an early Thursday morning motor vehicle accident.

According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the department was dispatched to a motor vehicle accident at approximately 5:20 AM on Thursday, April 1st. Upon arrival at the accident near the intersection of Church Street and School Street, it was discovered that a pickup truck had run into a building, causing significant damage.

There were no injuries reported. The Fire Department was assisted on scene by the Golden Cross Ambulance and Bellows Falls Police Department. 

Further details have been announced regarding the Wednesday, March 31st officer-involved shooting in Claremont, reports E-Ticker News of Claremont.

According to the Deputy Attorney General Jane E. Young, members of the New Hampshire State Police SWAT Team, in accordance with the Claremont Police Department, responded to reports of a male barricaded at a residence on 247 Sullivan Street. Earlier on Wednesday, the Claremont PD had responded following reports of gunfire.

During the incident, gunshots were exchanged between the man and authorities, which resulted in his death. An autopsy was planned for later in the day on Thursday, April 1st, with additional information set to be released after the completion.

Reportedly, no law enforcement or civilians were injured in the incident.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the names of troopers are being withheld until the conclusion of formal reviews, and the involved troopers did not have body or cruiser cameras. 

In a Wednesday press release, the Lebanon Police Department announced the retirement of Police Chief Richard Mello.

According to the report, Mello joined the force in Lebanon on December 20th, 2015. He ends his New Hampshire law enforcement career after 28 years.

Of his time in Lebanon, Mello stated, “My time as Chief of Police in Lebanon has been the highlight of my 28 years in New Hampshire law enforcement. When I arrived in 2015, I set out to leave the agency better than how I found it, and I believe that, due to the work of a very dedicated staff, my goal has been met. I am proud of the work done by all over these past 5+ years and know that I am leaving the department in very capable hands.”

Reportedly, his replacement has been found in-house. According to City Manager Shaun Mulholland, Deputy Chief Philip Roberts will become Chief of Police on May 1st. 

A Claremont man was arrested Tuesday in Springfield, Vermont after fleeing the scene of an accident, according to the Vermont State Police-Westminster Barracks.

At approximately 5 PM on Tuesday, March 30th, the VSP received notice of a motor vehicle accident on Rockingham’s Missing Link Road. Reportedly, the vehicle at fault for the crash did not stop and continued traveling towards Springfield.

With assistance from the Springfield Police Department, the VSP were able to track down the vehicle near the intersection of Route 11 in Springfield. The operator, 26-year-old James Matthews of Claremont, disclosed during the investigation that he was aware he struck the other vehicle, and that he was under the influence of intoxicants.

Matthews was subsequently arrested for suspicion of DUI and Leaving the Scene of a Crime. He was processed at the Westminster Barracks and released with a criminal citation to appear in VT Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division on April 20th at 11 AM. 

The Springfield, Vermont Town Library is the newest recipient of an updated WIFI system.

According to a post on the library’s Facebook page, the upgraded WIFI is for the outside of the building. The upgrade was provided by the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center as part of their “projectConnect” program.

The new WIFI will not require a password and will show up on phones as “projectConnect by ITDRC.org.”

The post concludes by thanking ITDRC, “We are so thankful to this group and their #ProjectConnect for making access to our WiFi better for you!”

A propane leak in Chester forced the evacuation of a dental clinic on Monday, reports the Chester Telegraph.

According to a post from the Proctorsville Fire Department, the leak was discovered around 9 AM. Upon arriving at the scene, Chester Fire Chief Matt Wilson states that his crew used gas meters to detect the leak.

Once the leak was identified, a group of 10 to 15 individuals were bussed to the Springfield Health Center to keep warm. Wilson explained that with the high propane levels in the area, he could not let them start their vehicles.

The propane in the air was dispersed by hose attachments that “oscillate and create a fog pattern with air and droplets.” While emergency crews were on-site, technicians from Irving Energy stopped the leak and replaced the malfunctioning valve.

Reportedly, no injuries occurred during the incident. 

With Monday’s updated statistics, the state of Vermont has surpassed the 19,000 COVID-19 case threshold, according to the Vermont Department of Health.

On Monday, March 29th, 2021, 137 new COVID-19 cases were announced in VT, bringing the state’s total for the pandemic to 19,002. To date, 225 deaths in VT have been linked to the coronavirus, while 15,653 infected individuals have recovered.

At this time, 25 Vermonters are in hospital due to the virus, with four of them residing in intensive care units.

To date, 354,155 VT citizens have received a COVID-19 test, with a total of 1,316,669 having been administered. VT’s current seven-day percent positive average sits at 1.9%.

As of Friday, March 27th, 192,790(35.1%) VT residents had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 107,086 of them have received both doses. 

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services have released the latest COVID-19 update for Monday, March 29th, 2021.

According to their report, there were 272 new cases announced Monday, bringing the state’s total since the onset of the pandemic to 83,340. At this time, 2,785 of these cases are considered “active.” So far, 79,318 (95%) individuals who have contracted the virus have recovered.

There were no new deaths reported on Monday, keeping the total number attributed to COVID-19 at 1,237(1%).

Currently, 73 NH residents are in hospital because of the virus.

80 NH citizens are awaiting the results of their COVID-19 test.