Two days, too much
Student honored
Forty-eight hours after the Summer Solstice and there’s a ton of stuff to do.
Vergennes Union H.S. teen recognized for land stewardship.
newmarketpress@denpubs.com MONTPELIER — On June 15, the Vermont Department of Labor announced that the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for May 2012 was 4.6 percent. The state data for May show no change from the April statewide unemployment rate. National unemployment is on the rise, now at 8.2 percent, while Vermont unemployment remains flat. Vermont has the fourth lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. “The May jobs numbers confirmed the volatility seen in April’s data which was related to seasonal fluctuations,” according to Department of Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan in a news report. According to Noonan, the seasonally adjusted Vermont data show the Vermont total labor force decreased by 800. May posted the third straight month of declines to the state’s total labor force. Noonan confirmed that the seasonally adjusted data for May reports an increase of 3,300 jobs over the April data. State government added jobs during the period while leisure and hospitality, which includes professional as well as low-wage cleaning and room service positions, had the largest movement with a reported job increase of 5.5 percent. Manufacturing reported some job gains, too. But the state continues to lag in the construction sector which not keep up with past hiring trends (minus 500 jobs).
P.O. BOX 338 ELIZABETHTOWN, NY 12932 POSTAL PATRON
Serving Addison and Chittenden Counties
June 30, 2012
By Lou Varricchio
ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEW MARKET PRESS/ DENTON PUBLICATIONS
See page 11
See page 4
Construction sector down 500 jobs in Vermont
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Divers recover body of 53-year-old swimmer By Lou Varricchio newmarketss@denudes.coma MIDDLEBURY — The body of Yaird Mousse of Middlebury, who drowned June 21 shortly before 7:27 p.m., was recovered from the bottom of a submerged channel in Otter Creek. The site of death is below Middlebury Falls, in Frog Hollow, in downtown Middlebury. The body was located by Vermont State Police divers at 10 a.m. June 22. Mousse was described by several sources, including police and friends, as being either 53, 54, or 55 years of age. Mousse, a resident of Middlebury, was reported missing at 7:27 p.m. June 21 by three companions. The companions were also eyewitnesses and said the man was swimming in the center of Otter Creek; he went underwater and never resurfaced, they said. Middlebury Police Chief Tom Hanley said the center of Otter Creek, below the falls, contains a current of approximately 2 miles per hour. Hanley said the VASS divers found the victim exactly where they had believed him to be located. See DROWNING, page 7
Vermont State Police dive and surface teams searched for the body of drowning victim Yaird Mousse in the Otter Creek near Frog Hollow in Middlebury June 22. Photo by Lou Varricchio
Starksboro farm offers cornucopia of Vt. food products From News & Staff Reports newmarketpress@denpubs.com Starksboro — With all the gloomy news about the future of dairy farming and other traditional agriculture mainstays in Vermont, news about the Rockville Market Farm in Starks-
boro is worth shouting about. This noteworthy farm is a full-service operation that has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. The farm boasts seasonal vegetables, pig-producing fresh pork, and eggs. The operation is known in New England for its farm innovations and business acumen.
The farm appears online as documented by award-winning Vermont photographer Natalie Stultz (see attached image). Her website is a showcase of Vermont farm pictures. Stultz has helped Rockville upgrade the farm's website, too. Rockville products are available at the Burlington Farmers Market as
well as through several area retail outlets but mostly the operators like to sell to their CSA. The public is invited to visit the farm for the July 13 fresh farm dinner. Attendees are asked to bring a lawn chair. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for youth.
Residents find ways to cool off when it's hot, hot, hot By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com
Bathers cool off at the Dog Team Falls in New Haven June 21. Photo by Lou Varricchio
MIDDLEBURY — A near-record heat wave gripped Vermont June 2021 to mark the opening hours of the summer of 2012. Temperatures reached the mid 90s in Addison and Rutland counties. Combined with the heat index, indicating high humidity, made the skin temperature feel like 99 degrees during the peak of the heat wave. Local residents sought immediate relief from the heat by either plunging into area ponds, swimming holes, and backyard pools, or by running through cooling fountains of water
created by lawn sprinklers. "I absolutely love the waterfall," said heat-wave bather Patti SmithLambert, 20, a student at Community College of Vermont in Middlebury. She spent the afternoon of June 21 swimming below Dog Team Falls located along Dog Team Road in New Haven. "It's the best way to stay cool. It's a very laid-back party atmosphere." Smith-Lambert said a Vermont State Police trooper intervened in a parking lot altercation at the falls Wednesday, but didn't hassle bathers. Cooler, more seasonal day-time temperatures, in the low to mid 80s, returned during the weekend.