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Serving Addison and Chittenden Counties
Sept. 3, 2011
Champlain Bridge arch connected
McKibben arrested at protest in Washington
Bridge deadline expires Dec. 13
By Andy Flynn
By John Grybos
andy@denpubs.com
jgrybos@denpubs.com WASHINGTON — Environmentalist and longtime J ohnsburg r esident Bill McKibben was arrested outside the White House while pr otesting a planned oil pipeline in the western U.S. Aug. 20, and charges were dropped Aug 22. McKibben spent Sat urday a nd S unday n ights i n jail, and was due in court Monday afternoon. When presented to the court, the judge was of fended at the way McKi bben and his protesters wer e tr eated and dr opped all char ges, freeing M cKibben to r esume his protest. After getting his cell phone back fr om police Tuesday m orning, M cKibben used his first call to contact the staff of Denton Publications. McKibben, w ho s ummers i n J ohnsburg, N .Y. and winters in Middlebury, Vt., said police ar e still arr esting pr otestors, though not detaining them nearly as long as the first wave was detained. The anti-pipeline demonstration is becoming one of the lar gest demonstrations of its kind in decades, said McKibben. He noted that the Martin Luther King Jr . memorial is being dedicated, and he's pr oud to follow the example of civil disobedience put forth by the famous civil rights activist. He was interred for two nights and thr ee days at central cell block, “which is pr etty much exactly as much f un a s i t s ounds like.” He said the lengthy confinement w as u sed t o deter other protesters see McKIBBEN, page 9
PORT HENRY — It was a muggy 65 degrees at 5 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26 in Port Henry, N.Y. Stars glistened in the dark sky and a slim cr escent moon hung over Lake Champlain as r esidents and visitors str eamed into the boat launch adjacent to Velez Marine to watch Flatir on Construction workers move the Champlain Bridge ar ch 2 miles to its new home at the bridge site between Crown Point, N.Y. and Addison, Vt. Two tugboats moved the 1.8 million pound, 402-foot ar ch, which sat on two barges, one on each end. The trip began around 6 a.m. As the arch was pivoted in the bay at Port Henry, onlookers saw thr ee flags hanging from the steel span, a Vermont state flag for the east side of the bridge, a NewYork state flag for the west side of the bridge and an American flag in the middle. “It’s certainly been exciting,” said Moriah Town Supervisor Tom Scozzafava, who watched the ar ch leave Port Henry.
Kayakers Cindy Myrick, of Bridport, and her father Bob Payne — formerly of Middlebury and now of Albuquerque, N.M. — watch the 1.8 million pound arch arrive at the Lake Champlain Bridge the morning of Aug. 26. The bridge will connect Addison, Vt. and Crown P oint, N.Y. and is expected to open by the end of 2011.
see CHAMPLAIN BRIDGE, page 6
Photo by Andy Flynn
Tropical Storm Irene hits Vermont hard By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com
The long-troubled River Street Bridge over the New Haven River remains closed after the passing of tropical storm Irene. The river water reached nearly to the bridge’s decking, at the height of the storm, Aug. 28 Photos by Lou Varricchio
M I D D L E B U RY — H u r r i c a n e Irene, downgraded to a tr opical storm b y t he t ime i ts o ut f ringes reached V ermont in the early morning hours of Aug. 28, lived up to all the Weather Channel hype. The giant storm deliver ed high winds—some gusts up to 65 miles per hour—and heavy rains—in some places up to 8 inches and more—to the Gr een Mountain State. Especially hard hit were the southern and northcentral por tions of the state wher e narr ow mountain valleys funneled Irene’s torrential rainfall over alr eady heavily saturated ground. Downed trees, power poles and
mudslides created a transportation nightmare especially in the Montpelier, Bennington and Brattleboro areas. The Rutland area also experiencing flooding. An unidentified woman died when she was swept awa y in the rising Deerfield River after watching the spectacle with her boyfriend. FEMA mov ed its emer gency management c enter o ut o f d owntown Montpelier Aug. 28 as the Winooski River was on the rise. Sections of downtown Montpelier are now underwater. Vermont Gov . Peter Shumlin said Vermont was especially har d hit by the tropical storm due to the state’s rugged terrain. see IRENE, page 8
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