WNTK Local News

On Thursday, officials from the Vermont Department of Health announced the detection of two COVID-19 virus mutations in the state, reports NBC 5.

The mutations, said to be associated with a variant first identified in the United Kingdom, were detected in Burlington at a wastewater testing program. According to the VT Department of Health, these findings are a “strong indicator” that the variant is present in the state.

A spokesperson stated, “Wastewater sampling is a pooled sample of many different community members, and only looks for the presence of two specific mutations, so this should not be considered definitive finding of the variant.”

Samples of positive COVID-19 test specimens in VT have been being sent to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention laboratories to help detect mutations on a consistent basis. Health Commissioner Mark Levine states, “This is a new stage of the pandemic here in Vermont. It is not, however, surprising. We expected that variants could be circulating in Vermont, and now that looks to be the case.”

While the new variants are still being studied, they are believed to be a more highly transmissible form of COVID-19. 

A Connecticut man was arrested Tuesday night in Vermont following an incident of erratic driving, reports the Vermont State Police-Westminster Barracks.

At approximately 8 PM on Tuesday, February 9th, troopers from the VSP pulled over a vehicle on Interstate 91 Soutbound after observing the vehicle swerve off the highway and into the median. An investigation of the vehicle yielded that the driver, 30-year-old Steven Basora of Hartford, CT, had been drinking. He was subsequently arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Basora was then transported to the Westminster State Police barracks to be processed.

He was later released with a citation to appear in VT Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division on February 23rd at 11 AM to answer to this charge. 

A major expansion is in the works for Dartmouth College’s Hopkins Center for the Arts, reports the Associated Press.

According to the report, the school plans to create three new recital halls, upgrade the Center’s technology to share and broadcast Dartmouth-originated works worldwide, as well as other improvements. So far, Dartmouth has reached one-third of its $75 million fundraising goal for the project.

On Wednesday, it was announced that the Snohetta architectural firm will be leading the expansion and redesign.

The redesign of Dartmouth’s “The Hop”, an arts facility opened in 1962, marks a milestone in the school’s over $180 million investment into its art district. This move follows in the footsteps of the investment into the Black Family Visual Arts Center and the Hood Museum of Art’s redesign and expansion. 

A Springfield, Vermont man has been charged in connection with a snowmobile violation that occurred on Friday evening, reports the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

On Friday, February 5th, a VT Fish and Wildlife Warden was reportedly conducting a snowmobile safety checkpoint at Grafton’s CCC Camp. At approximately 8 PM, the warden was approached by three snowmobiles while he flashed a blue light to indicate the checkpoint. One of the crafts, an older model green Arctic Cat, refused to stop and fled east on VAST trails.

An investigation yielded that the riders had departed from a residence in Rockingham. With assistance from the VT State Police, the warden responded to the residence, where they located a vehicle registered to 29-year-old Christopher Thomas of Springfield. Officers attempted to locate Thomas at his home, but were unable to find him. Following an incident later on Friday evening, Thomas was found with the assistance of the Springfield Police Department, and admitted to not stopping at the checkpoint.

Thomas faces a maximum of two years in prison and over $2,500 in fines. He was cited to appear in Windham County Superior Court on March 30th to answer to the following charges; attempting to elude, providing false information, and having a modified muffler on his snowmobile.  

A South Royalton man was arrested on Sunday following a single-car accident in Royalton, reports the Vermont State Police-Royalton Barracks.

On Sunday, February 7th, at approximately 5:40 PM, the VSP responded to a single-vehicle accident on South Windsor Street in South Royalton. They were joined on the scene by members of the Royalton and South Royalton Fire and Rescue Departments.

Upon arrival, it was discovered that a 2017 Toyota Prius had run into a tree head on. The vehicle sustained front-end damage and the airbag had been deployed. The operator of the vehicle was identified as Jonathan Steele, 26, of South Royalton. While authorities conducted their investigation, it was discovered that Steele was impaired. He was transported to Lebanon, New Hampshire’s Dartmouth-HItchcock Medical Center to be treated for possible injuries.

He was then cited to appear in VT Superior Court Windsor Criminal Division on April 13th at 8 AM to answer to the charge of DUI. 

The Vermont Law School will be receiving a $3 million federal grant to continue running the National Center on Restorative Justice, reports the Associated Press.

The program was created at the Royalton-based school in 2019 in partnership with the US Department of Justice, the University of Vermont, and the University of San Diego. The program aims to provide education to future generations of juvenile and criminal justice professionals with alternative approaches to the criminal justice system.

In a statement on Tuesday, US Senator Patrick Leahy said, “We need to rethink our approach to the entire justice system.” Vermont Law School is reportedly the first school in the country to host such a center, which offers a degree program, summer institute, and creates education chances for incarcerated individuals.

According to the Community Justice Center Network of Vermont, the term restorative justice is a, “victim-focused, community-based approach,” to responding to crimes which centers the harm experienced by individuals and, “what needs to happen to make things better.”

In recent decades, the restorative justice approach has been adopted by schools and courts to a alternative to suspensions and sentences. 

The Town of Lebanon has joined a joint community power project, reports the Associated Press.

On Wednesday, February 3rd, the Lebanon City Council voted to become the second New Hampshire city to sign on. The vote means that it will become part of a coalition of municipalities that aim to purchase renewable energy in bulk from a statewide wholesaler.

Reportedly, the Community Power Coalition of NH will oversee the administrative work to allow places to aggregate their purchasing power and to choose their energy source.

Eversource, along with other similar utility companies, will continue to distribute electricity to customers under the deal. 

The town of Unity is set to hold a public hearing to discuss the possibility of a broadband internet bond.

According to a Facebook post from E-Ticker News of Claremont, the meeting will take place at 7 PM on Thursday, February 11th at the Unity Town Hall.

The bond being discussed would cost a proposed $1,749,375, which would go towards constructing, furnishing, and installing facilities and equipment to provide Fiber Optic Broadband Network throughout the town.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is being conducted by the Unity Select Board. 

A Cavendish resident who had been reported missing has been found safe, according to a press release from the Vermont State Police-Westminster Barracks.

Reportedly, on Wednesday, February 3rd, the VSP launched a missing adult investigation at approximately 6:10 PM. Louann Prior, 55, was reported missing by her caregivers in Cavendish. Prior stands 5’5″, weighs approximately 200 pounds, has long reddish-brown hair, and brown eyes. Prior to being found she had last been seen wearing black leggings, a pink sweater, a yellow winter jacket, and yellow shoes. She is considered to be a vulnerable adult with multiple medical and mental health disorders.

According to an update released by the VSP at 3:17 AM on Thursday, she was found safely and returned to her home. 

A Lebanon Police Officer has been named the recipient of the Meritorious Police Service Award.

According to a release from the Lebanon Police Department, Senior Officer Jeremy Perkins received the honor for responding to an emergency call of a suicidal individual. The individual had cut their throat and was in need of medical attention.

Perkins was the first officer to arrive at the scene, where he immediately began a dialogue with the distressed citizen. He was able to build a rapport with the individual, which led to the de-escalation of the situation and their compliance to surrender the weapon.

Officers from the Lebanon PD are trained in crisis intervention, which played a key role in the successful outcome of the incident.