VUHS students are hosting a dinner to raise funds for a return trip to D.C. Page 5
December 5, 2009
The Middlebury Panthers men’s hockey team wins 7-3 over no. 7 Wisconsin-Stout.
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Vergennes appoints new police chief By Lou Varricchio newmarketpress@denpubs.com VERGENNES — Vermont police veteran George Merkel, age 55, is Vergennes' new chief of police. Merkel was selected by city aldermen last week to head up the Vergennes Police Department. He was a Middlebury police officer and K9 unit handler starting in 1997. A native of Glen Cove, Vergennes Police Chief N.Y., Merkel is a distinGeorge Merkel guished Vermont Army Photo by J. Kirk Edwards National Guard veteran, a former game warden at the Salisbury Fish Hatchery, and a former Vermont State Police trooper. Merkel is a member of the Knights of Columbus fraternal service organization and a resident of New Haven. Merkel told The Eagle that the new police chief will face challenges. “I am very excited about this opportunity, but I know there will be challenges,” he said, “that’s part of the job. I am very honored to have been selected for this position. But I will
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Kubricky Construction chosen for ferry work ADDISON — The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) this week chose Kubricky Construction to do the Vermont land work associated with the new, temporary ferry service at the Crown Point Bridge location. Kubricky has already begun mobilizing equipment and staking out ground in preparation for full-scale construction to begin on Monday. The New York Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has also engaged a contractor for similar work on the New York side of the lake. Construction in New York began late last week. Work being done on land to construct approach roads to the lake are a precursor to the in-water construction of the new ferry docks. Both VTrans and NYSDOT are finalizing construction plans for the docks, and in-water construction is expected to begin in early December. “Things are progressing smoothly,” said VTrans Secretary David Dill. “All the permits needed for land construction are in hand and work has begun. We hope to have the all clear for water work next week.” Construction of new ferry docks became necessary when the Champlain Bridge abruptly closed due to safety concerns. VTrans and NYSDOT plan to demolish the bridge and construct a new one. The new, temporary ferry is needed to carry vehicles across Lake Champlain until a new bridge is open.
EXTINCT TUSKER — Little is known about Vermont’s Ice Age giants but studies have revealed human-made projectile points were used to hunt shaggy mastodons in the Champlain Valley. A replica of the elephant-like baby and adult—10-feet-tall at the shoulder—is shown here at a new New York State Museum exhibit in Albany. By 10,000 B.C., over 100 species, including giant mastodons and moose-elk, had disappeared from Vermont’s landscape. Mastodon bone fragments were found in Bristol gravel beds in the 1880s, proof that the creatures roamed our backyard. Photo by Lou Varricchio
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