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January 28, 2017
Inspection stickers stolen from two Rutland dealerships
By Cassandra Loucy
cassandra@addison-eagle.com
RUTLAND — Over the weekend of Jan. 14, sometime between Saturday evening and the early hours of Monday morning, unknown suspects broke into two Rutland car dealerships and made off with several books of unissued inspection stickers, according to police reports. Troopers from the Rutland Barracks responded to Brileya’s Jeep-Chrysler and Shearer Honda — located just four miles from one another on Route 7— to investigate. At Brileya’s, the unused stickers were locked in a drawer, so after using a crowbar to break into the back door, the thieves pried the padlock off to get to the approximately 80 stickers that had not yet been used. “I’m finding it quite disturbing that they would go to this length to get an inspection book,” said Brileya in an interview with WCAX. “I’m hoping this is not a trend.” Stolen and fake inspection stickers are not a new occurrence. This past weekend, police officers stopped a driver in Cambridge and discovered that her car was Continued on page 10
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First refugees arrive in Rutland By Emma Lamberton elamberton@watchdog.org
Vermont Watchdog RUTLAND — The first Syrian refugee families have arrived in Rutland, one arriving Wednesday, and the second on Thursday. The leader of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program told Vermont Public Radio that the families would be staying with host families in Rutland. The identities of the host families are being kept confidential. VRRP Director Amila Merdzanovic said her organization would start looking for housing and jobs while getting children enrolled in school. “The privacy and security of these families are our first priorities. And we want to give them time to settle, to see where they are, to wrap their heads around that they’re here, and they’re safe and that life will resume,” Merdzanovic told VPR. Along with VRRP, Rutland Welcomes, a local grassroots organization supporting resettlement, has expressed concern that incoming refugees could encounter hostile interactions with Rutland residents due to controversies about the program. Don Chioffi, a leader of Rutland First, a group opposed to refugee settlement, said his group is out to protest corrupt government officials, not the refugees themselves. “We’re not protesting individuals. We’re protesting the secrecy of the program and the misinformation dispelled by the Continued on page 11
The enormous cost of cleaning up Lake Champlain became apparent this week when Vermont Treasurer Beth Pearce announced a multi-million-dollar annual funding plan that would take 20 years to fully realize.. For more, see page 7. Photo provided
VT Fish and Wildlife Dept. begins moose study By Cassandra Loucy cassandra@addison-eagle.com
MIDDLEBURY — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has begun a three-year study to gather information on the moose population in the state. According to the department, the species is becoming increasingly more threatened by a parasite known as the winter tick, or moose tick. This study will serve several purposes. Members of the Fish and Wildlife department will be able to determine causes of death for moose, travel patterns, reproduction rates, and more. As seasons in recent years have warmed up, the winter ticks have been more able to survive and reproduce in the winter. “Winter ticks have only started to affect moose Continued on page 13