C ourier COUNTY
Thursday, July 19, 2018
RESIDENTS FIGHT STATE FOR LOCAL CONTROL
Education meeting at the Newark Elementary School on Wednesday morning to hear final pleas against the mergers being proposed by the acting Secretary of Education, Heather Bouchey. Bouchey has proposed a merger of Franklin, Highgate and Swanton Elementary schools in Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union (FNWSU), as well as the merger of Sheldon, Bakersfield, Berkshire, and Montgomery. If that plan is ratified by the State Board of Education (SBE),
Residents Fight State for Local Control................1 Northwest Briefs...................................................2 Firefighters to Conviene in St. Albans..................3 Opinions...............................................................4 Franklin County Almanac.....................................6 Sports....................................................................8 Coming Events....................................................10 Property Transfers...............................................12 Social News........................................................14 State Filings Give Glimpse into Candidates’ Coffers.....................................15 Court Calendar....................................................16 Service Directory................................................16 Fun & Games......................................................18 Pbituaries............................................................20 Classifieds..........................................................22
Sheldon School’s oversight would be moved from the FNWSU to Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union (FNESU). Also being proposed by Bouchey is to merge Enosburg and Richford School Districts into one K-12 district. Enosburg School Board Member, Richard Bartholomew, represented the Richford and Enosburg boards who expressed concerns that the secretary’s plan did not have adequate safeguards in place to protect both districts.
If a merger was forced, Richford would take on the added debt from Enosburg’s district and also would not have equal representation on the new board. One member of the SBE noted to Bartholomew that the new district if approved, could always add new articles of agreement to their structure to protect the schools. “I’m not sure that Enosburg voters would be acting in their best interest to do so,” Bartholomew noted to the State Board. The comment was in regards to
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adding language to the agreement after a merger that may make it harder to close the smaller of the two schools later on if needed. The concern is that someday, a proposal could be put forward to the voters to close Richford High School to save money- with Enosburg being a much larger voting base, it would be likely that Enosburg voters could overwhelmingly push through a closure without the
$2,5 in 00 PR MONIZE EY
FRANKLIN COUNTY
2018
By Gregory J. Lamoureux County Courier NEWARK: One speaker from Charleston may have said it best when he said the fight to keep Vermont’s schools from being forcibly merged comes down to the State’s Motto, “Freedom and Unity.” That feeling was alive and well when more than 60 Franklin residents were joined by additional area residents from Montgomery, Richford, Enosburgh, Highate, and Sheldon at a State Board of
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County Courier
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July 19, 2018
SUNRISE/SUNSET Date Thu, Jul 19 Fri, Jul 20 Sat, Jul 21 Sun, Jul 22 Mon, Jul 23 Tue, Jul 24 Wed, Jul 25
july 19 - July 25
Sunrise 5:25:19 5:26:19 5:27:19 5:28:21 5:29:24 5:30:27 5:31:31
Sunset 8:32:06 8:31:12 8:30:17 8:29:19 8:28:19 8:27:17 8:26:14
Length of day 12:58:42 12:58:45 12:58:48 12:58:50 12:58:51 12:58:52 12:58:52
MONEY MADNESS (As of July 18th) Canadian Exchange Rate $1 U.S. buys $1.32 Canadian $1 Canadian buys 75.73¢ U.S. Energy Oil (Light Crude): $68.93/barrel Metals Gold: $1,226.80/troy oz Silver: $15.56/troy oz Platinum: $820.70/troy oz Copper: $2.76/lb Ag. Corn: $3.605/bushel Soybeans: $8.5775/bushel Wheat: $4.9425/bushel Livestock Lean Hogs: $0.5205/lb Live Cattle: $1.1075/lb Feeder Cattle: $1.545/lb
Bev Robtoy of Enosburgh enjoying the County Courier while visiting the Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, So. Africa.
Going Somewhere Special? Remember to take your copy of the County Courier. Pose at your destination and send it to att: Courier on the Road at countycourier@gmail.com or send submissions to: County Courier PO Box 398 Enosburg Falls, VT 05450
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Include your names, town of residence and location where the picture has been taken.
WEATHER FORECAST Thursday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy, with a high near 74. South wind 7 to 9 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a slight chance of showers between 8pm and 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in
thunderstorms. Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Light and variable wind. Saturday: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 90. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Sunday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 96. South wind around 7 mph. Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 8 mph. Monday: A 30 percent chance
of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny and hot, with a high near 93. Southwest wind around 8 mph. Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. West wind around 6 mph. Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Independence Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Light and variable wind becoming north around 6 mph in the morning.
• On Aug. 1, 1498, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sets foot on the South American mainland for the first time, at the Paria Peninsula in present-day Venezuela. Thinking it an island, he christened it Isla Santa and claimed it for Spain. Columbus, a deeply religious man, believed that Venezuela was the edge of the Garden of Eden. • On Aug. 4, 1927, the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers, is recorded for the first time during the legendary Bristol Sessions. A talent scout had set up a makeshift recording studio in an empty warehouse in Bristol, Tennessee, and recorded numerous then-unknown acts during the 12-day marathon. • On Aug. 2, 1943, future President John F. Kennedy is serving as commander of a torpedo boat in the Solomon Islands when his ship is rammed at night by a Japanese destroyer, cutting it in two. Kennedy’s heroics led to the rescue of the survivors from an island six days later. • On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare, a health insurance program for elderly Americans, into law. Former President Harry Truman was enrolled as the first beneficiary and received the first Medicare card.
County Courier
July 19, 2018 FIREFIGHTERS from page 3
do you call? Horses in a manure pit, cat in a tree (never thought I’d see that, but it happens),” said Lawyer with a chuckle, “structure fires, car accidents, alarm activations, and events like the flooding in Highgate, the fire departments were there.” Lawyer encouraged people to look into joining a local fire department. “We understand that people have lives, so we don’t require people to be at our meetings every week. Although new members will benefit from being around and learning on a weekly basis in the beginning,” said Lawyer, “We are a relaxed group, and we have fun when we meet.” Lawyer noted that being part of a volunteer fire department provides an outlet for those who want to help the community. “Why be a firefighter? I often think of that. I’m active, and I don’t like to stand by and watch someone going through something. It’s a great feeling to be able to go to someone in their worst situation and try to make that better for them,” said Lawyer, “Usually, when you get that call, someone is at their last resort. We are there to help them. It’s a drive that we have as firefighters. If you are looking to help people and want to be part of your community in a way that makes a difference this might be a good fit for you.”
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Some run from problems, Others run towards them. I join the rest of the community when I say, Thank You, Firefighters!
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Welcome Firefighters to Franklin County
Thank you for your dedicated service to your communities.
Thank you for your service to our communities!
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tools including a hand pulled cart and a diving bell,” said Larose, noting that the antiques within the department are very unique and rare, possibly some of the few remaining in the county. As to service, Larose agrees with the others in the county. “Everybody needs people,” said Larose, “we are fortunate in Enosburg that we have a lot of active people, but we are always looking for people. I’d love to see some young people join the department.” Two young people have also joined the Enosburg Fire Volunteer Fire Department in recent years. “Coming on as a cadet gives young people a taste of what it means to be on the fire department,” Larose said. While younger members may not be able to drive the fire truck, Larose, who spends time recruiting for the department at the Enosburg high school, does make sure that they get to be involved in plenty of hands-on activities. Larose welcomed the county’s women to come out and volunteer with the fire departments. Many departments have seen women join their ranks, and he hopes to see Enosburg follow that trend. St. Albans Town Fire Chief Harold Cross, who has been part of the fire department and the convention for many years, is eager to see a renewed sense of service in the local community. “In the fire service, we have always tried to look to the future and plan for the future. We need to see more people join our departments, especially young people. Our firefighters are getting older, and we need new, younger members,” said Cross. Michael Lawyer and the Franklin Volunteer Fire Department has entered a truck in the Apparatus judging event, but it was no small feat to accomplish. “It’s a white glove operation in and out,” explained Lawyer, “We’ve put trucks in the Apparatus competition before and won trophies, but it’s a lot of work to get the truck ready.” This year Franklin will serve the convention in a different capacity. “We are part of the setup for the event, and we will be cooking dinner for the delegates,” explained Lawyer, “It’s a hard industry with volunteers dwindling. We hope that events like this convention will bring people out and encourage them to want to be part of the departments.” Franklin has had two new cadets join the department recently. Norah Racine, who joined a year ago, and Brian Paradis who joined in the spring of 2018. “It’s great to see young people coming in. The average age of those in the departments is increasing, and this is a hard job; we value the help of young people starting out,” said Lawyer. The Franklin Fire Department has been looking for ways to reach out to the community, and this year the department held an open house to get more folks interested, but they are also utilizing even more
modern strategies. “We are opening our eyes to find ways to reach people through social media especially,” said Lawyer. Lawyer noted that although the main goal of being part of a fire department is to fight fires, other aspects are often overlooked. “It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a great camaraderie,” said Lawyer, “The firefighting community is one big family.” Often that family extends beyond the boundaries of the town each department serves. “We can’t fight a large fire alone, so we are always helping each other in the small communities,” said Lawyer, “Very rarely do you see a structure fire in Franklin County that doesn’t have more than one department on site.” Events like the Vermont Firefighter’s Convention helps that camaraderie to grow. “It’s a gathering of people who are dealing with the same thing; the games give a bit of a payoff for those who spend time training--it lets everyone let loose for a little while,” said Lawyer. The chance to let loose is appreciated by the men and women who attend the convention. Today, firefighters are responding to more calls than they have in the past. In Franklin, the calls per year have risen by fifty percent. “When anything happens, who
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