20140419 theeaglevt

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April 19, 2014

Remembering mystery writer Diana Ramsay By Flanzy Chodkowski Monroe Street Books MIDDLEBURY Ñ When mystery writer Diana RamsayÑ whose real name was Rhoda Rebee BrandesÑ learned that the end of her life was near, she said she couldnÕ t imagine a better way to go than to be at home in Middlebury, Vt., in bed and watching a Major League Baseball game on television. Ramsay-Brandes died just that way, on March 31, the opening day of the 2014 baseball season. To say Brandes was an extremely private person would be an understatement. It is impossible to chronicle her life. There are only bits and pieces to patch together into some kind of incomplete mosaic. This much is known: Brandes was raised in New York CityÕ s Brooklyn Borough. She attended P.S. 197 and James Madison H.S. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College in 1956, graduating cum laude with honors in English. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Editor’s note: manure ban

On page one of last weekÕ s Eagle, it was not the editorÕ s intention to imply that MatthewÕ s Trucking has been spreading manure since the manure ban lifted; it has not. The file photo we used was taken in 2012 and was meant to illustrate the story. In fact, Matthews Trucking takes our local environment seriously and has invested over $400,000 in equipment to help prevent manure run-off through injection. This local company is part of a new group of farmers trying to bring awareness to the good that the agriculture community is doing to help keep the tributaries and Lake Champlain clean. We regret if some readers misinterpreted the placement of the file photograph. Ñ Lou Varricchio, editor, the Vermont Eagle

Serving more than 30,000 Readers Weekly

Local roads weathered a long, tough winter By Lou Varricchio

lou@addison-eagle.com ORWELL Ñ Town road and highway department officials from around Addison County gathered in Orwell last week to access conditions of area roadways after a long, damaging winter season. The foremen shared notes about local roads showing significant freeze-and-thaw damage, such as portions Route 125. A row of graders was lined up at the Orwell Town Garage for Orwell officials to inspect and decide which one the town might purchase. Most grader models are complex and have three axles. The graderÕ s engine and crew cab is positioned over the rear axles to balance the vehicleÕ s center of gravity. The third axle, located at the front end of the vehicle, is located near the blade which is positioned between these axles. Orwell Select Board members Walker James, Ted Simmons and Paula Barnes, among others, were on hand to inspect the graders on display. RIGHT: Dean Hanson test drives a new foreignmade road grader for the Town of Orwell along Sanford Drive last week. Orwell officials inspected several graders, domestic and imported, to decide the right one for the town might purchase. Test drives were made following a meeting of the Addison County Road Foremen group. Photo by Christy Alger

Horse owners advised of local diseases Spring is around the corner, and with its arrival comes the need for horse-owning Vermonters to ensure that their companions are protected from diseases transmitted by mosquitos, such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV). EEE is a mosquito-borne, viral infection that can cause severe neurologic disease in horses, with mortality rates approaching 100 percent. Although horses are the animals most susceptible to EEE, the virus can cause disease in other mammals such as llamas and alpacas and in emus. In all animals, the onset of clinical signs is generally three to ten days after a bite by an infected mosquito. Mammals infected with EEE most commonly exhibit neurologic signs including ataxia or incoordination, inability to stand, limb weakness or paralysis, seizures and death, while infected emus often develop hemorrhagic diarrhea. WNV infection can cause similar signs in horses, although those signs are often less severe, and the mortality rate that results from WNV infection is generally lower than that associated with EEE infection. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3


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