Talking heads
High honor
Rusty explores the TV coverage of Tropical Storm Irene.
Bruce Lisman named Distinguished Citizen by local college.
See page 4
MIDDLEBURY — Due to the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Ir ene, the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) was closed temporarily on Sept. 1. Under the authority of Secretary of Agricultur e’s Regulations, Colleen Madrid, forest supervisor for the Green Mountain National Forest, issued an order to close the GMNF . The or der prohibits the public from going into or being on any part of the Gr een Mountain National For est, until fur ther notice. Timed for the Labor Day weekend, the U.S. For est Service c ited p ublic h ealth and safety is of utmost concern. “We are working diligently to assess conditions across the Forest and moving to recovery to get the Forest open as safely and quickly as we can,” said Madrid. Forest Service chain-saw crews will be working through the holiday weekend to clear roads and trails and other crews will continue to assess the condition of bridges and other facilities that have been impacted by the recent storm. The GMNF asks that the public cancel forest visits until damage has been assessed, potential hazar ds have been addr essed, and the closur e or der has been withdrawn. Violation of closure order prohibitions can r esult is hefty fines or imprisonment. Any federal, state, or loc al officer or a member of any organized r escue or fir e fighting for ce in the performance of an of ficial duty is exempt fr om the closur e order. People inter ested in camping and hiking oppor tunities elsewher e in V ermont should visit: www .vtstateparks.com.
P.O. BOX 338 ELIZABETHTOWN, NY 12932 POSTAL PATRON
See page 9
Serving Addison and Chittenden Counties
Sept. 10, 2011
Green Mountain National Forest closed to public
FREE
ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEW MARKET PRESS/ DENTON PUBLICATIONS
Take one
Leicester residents watch rising water Leicester Jct. in path of Otter Creek torrent
By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com LEICESTER JUNCTION — Ray Lalumiere, emergency manager for the Town Of Leicester, has a lot on his mind this week. Lalumier e has the task of monitoring the town’s latest crisis—the rising water of the swollen, north flowing Otter Cre ek. For 20 years, Lalumiere has faithfully and cautiously executed his volunteer civic tasks—making sure Leicester r esidents and assets ar e protected from harm’s way. “In all my time as emer gency manager, there’s been nothing like Irene,” he said. At Leicester Junction, wher e the Otter Cr eek cr osses the Leicester Whiting Road and a vital portion of Vermont Railway track, r esidents are watching an increasing amount of water spill over the ro ad and rise to reach their homes. A small, fenced-in propane tank farm is located behind the historic Leicester Depot. The depot itself is now completely surr ounded by flood water.
Flood scene from Leicester Junction Photo by Lou Varricchio
see LEICESTER, page 6
Middlebury professor goes back to protest line
By John Grybos
jgrybos@denpubs.com WASHINGTON, D.C. — Longtime J ohnsburg r esident a nd M iddlebury College pr ofessor Bill McKibben’s civil disobedience display outside President Barack Obama's y ard i s w inding d own t o i ts Sept. 3 end. McKibben and others are protesting a planned oil pipeline pr oject, called the Keystone XL, that will run 1,384 miles thr ough the western U.S. and 327 miles in Canada, connecting Alberta to T exas. Because the pipeline crosses an international bor der, it r equires pr esidential appr oval. That led the protest to the White House. McKibben and others are br eak-
ing the law in the tourist-heavy area by occupying an ar ea wher e visitors ar e r equired to keep moving. When they don’t stay in motion and refuse to move when asked, the protesters are manacled and put into a paddywagon, said McKibben. They wer e r eleased a few hours later. The fi rst w eekend, Aug. 2 0 a nd 21, McKibben and others wer e detained in D.C. Metr o Police’s central cell block. McKibben spent two nights in jail befor e his court date. The judge, appalled at his tr eatment, dropped all charges. On Sept. 1, the protest’s website, tarsandsaction.org, counted 834 Author and activist Bill McKibben, a Middlebury College professor, addresses the crowd people a rrested i n t he d emonstra- at a civil disobedience protest.The event is scheduled to end Sept. 3, a total of two weeks tion with two days remaining. protesting outside the White House. see McKIBBEN, page 6
Suburban Propane
Photo courtesy of tarsandsaction.org
Take control of your energy costs... Today.
• Payment Plans • 24 Hour Emergency Service • Automatic Delivery • Certified Service Techs & Drivers 388-7212 • 800-591-6604 • 2242 Route 7 So., Middlebury
CON A B SIDER UD N OWG E T ! 74337