MONDAY Â Â EDITION
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT
Vol. 27 No. 3
Middlebury, Vermont
X
Monday, April 6, 2015
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Lovin’ a red convertible
44 Pages
75¢
Declining milk prices worry farms
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Producers  receiving  36%  less  than  in  2014
Vergennes eyes recreation options
By  ZACH  DESPART ADDISON  COUNTY  —  Dairy  farmers  in  Addison  County  and  across  Vermont  are  weathering  a  VLJQLÂżFDQW GHFUHDVH LQ WKH ZKROHVDOH price  of  bulk  milk,  a  trend  that  shows  no  sign  of  reversing. And  what  a  difference  a  year  can  make.  The  price  per  hundredweight  of  milk  peaked  last  year  in  New  Eng- land  at  more  than  $25,  an  all-Âtime  record.  This  month  farmers  expect  to  be  paid  about  $16  per  hundred- weight,  or  cwt,  a  unit  of  measure  that  equals  about  11  gallons. The  price  of  milk  has  long  been  volatile,  and  dairy  farmers  do  their  best  to  anticipate  price  swings  and  plan  accordingly. “We’ve  been  experiencing  these  ÀXFWXDWLRQV DERXW HYHU\ PRQWKV or  so,â€?  said  Marie  Audet  of  Blue  Spruce  Farm  in  Bridport.  “We’ve  become  quite  resilient,  and  we  try  to  plan  for  it.â€? (See  Milk  prices,  Page  35)
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Monkton  Central  board  warns  school  budget  revote
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Happy  feet RIPTON  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOL  second-Âgrader  Beth  McIntosh  and  Jeh  Kulu  Dance  and  Drum  Theater  member  Sidiki  Sylla  keep  their  eyes  on  each  other  while  rehearsing  a  dance  at  the  school  last  Thursday  morning.  Jeh  Kulu,  a  traditional  West  African  performance  group,  was  at  the  school  last  week  working  with  all  grades  to  stage  a  celebration  on  Friday  night.  See  more  photos  on  Page  30. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
By  ZACH  DESPART MONKTON  —  The  Monkton  Central  School  board  on  Thursday  evening  warned  for  voter  consider- ation  a  new  spending  proposal  that  shifts  resources  within  the  school  without  increasing  the  size  of  the  budget. The  sum  of  the  proposal,  around  $2.82  million,  is  $200  less  than  the  version  voters  rejected  on  Town  Meeting  Day  by  a  tally  of  231  to  178. If  passed,  the  budget  would  repre- (See  Monkton,  Page  43)
Survey shows local health insurance trends By  JOHN  FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY  —  Addison  County  residents  have  been  register- ing  in  decent  numbers  for  medical  insurance  through  Vermont  Health Â
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residents  have  enrolled  thus  far  for  insurance  plans  through  Vermont  Health  Connect  (VHC),  according  to  Melanie  Clark,  one  of  a  handful  of  part-Âtime  “navigatorsâ€?  who  are Â
helping  steer  citizens  to  affordable  plans.  That  1,430  represents  3.9  per- cent  of  the  county.  Statewide,  5  per- cent  of  Vermonters  have  enrolled.  (See  Health  care,  Page  18)