Addison County and World War I pg. 3
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VERMONT
June 23, 2018
Police nab Home Depot thieves
Published by New Market Press, Inc.
Serving Addison, Rutland & Chittenden Counties
By Lou Varricchio
THE V ERMONT EAGLE EDITOR
RUTLAND | On June 8, 2018, at 6:30 p.m., Vermont State Police in Rutland received reports of multiple individuals who entered the Home Depot in Rutland and were actively stealing items. Troopers responded to the area and encountered the individuals in the Home Depot parking lot. Troopers identified the individuals as Sarah Lee,36, Nathaniel Newton,33, Nicholas Doane, 31. and Christopher Coccia, 42. During the investigation, troopers recovered items on the above individuals and within a vehicle owned by Newton that had been stolen from the Home Depot. Troopers have seized a second vehicle that is believed to be connected to the theft and are currently applying for a warrant to search the vehicle for potential evidence. While investigating, troopers asked for and obtained consent to search Lee and her vehicle. During the search, troopers found Lee to be in possession of 5.7 grams of crack cocaine. During the arrest of Newton, Troopers found 1.8 grams of crack cocaine on Newton’s person. » Thieves Cont. on pg. 2
Ju n e is D a i r y Month » pg. 8
FEEDING TIME: These Holstein milking cows are chomping down their morning feed at a Nop Brothers & Sons farm along Middle Road at the Salisbury town line. Photo by Lou Varricchio
Gov. Scott blocks pro-gun posts By Lou Varricchio
THE V ERMONT EAGLE EDITOR
Part 1 MIDDLEBURY | Some conservative Vermonters are upset regarding Gov. Phil Scott’s recent campaign-promise fl ip-flop over gun control in the wake of an averted shooting at Fair Haven Union High School by a Poultney teen. And their less than gentle social-media comments, allegedly being deleted from the governor’s Facebook page, are now getting the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union. Jay Diaz, a staff attorney at American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont, told True North Reports that his office has received several complaints from Vermont gun owners whose comments, critical of Gov. Scott, have been blocked by the governor’s official Facebook page. “We’ve heard from a number of individuals who said that they have been blocked from posting on the governor’s official Facebook page,” Diaz said. “These are pro-Second Amendment rights people whose comments (against the governor’s recent support of state gun control) have been deleted. We are collecting and reviewing their comments.”
ACLU Vermont attorney Jay Diaz: “We’ve heard from a number of individuals who said that they have been blocked from posting on the governor’s official Facebook page. Vermont Law Foundaton photo
In addition to the recent Facebook incident, ACLU Vermont’s Diaz revealed that Scott’s staff also blocked negative comments on the governor’s Twitter page last summer. Diaz noted that such complaints are becoming
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more common and noted that several ACLU lawsuits against the Trump administration’s blocking of social media comments are pending by the states of Arizona, Kentucky, and Virginia. Another New England ACLU chapter, ACLU Maine, announced that it was suing Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) for deleting comments from his official Facebook page that disagree with his viewpoints. “This is an emerging First Amendment issue in Vermont in the Digital Age,” ACLU Vermont’s Diaz added. “The New York Southern District Court ruled that Facebook pages by public officials are considered as public forums, so a public official can’t just selectively block public comments you don’t like.” “People are upset over this and it’s understandable,” Diaz said. “They comment in public and then they find they are shut out.” In response to complaints, Gov. Scott’s Communication Director Rebecca Kelley told TNR that any blocked accounts or deleted commented would be done for a valid reason. “Any deleted comments or blocked accounts would be due to violation(s) of our posted social media policy,” she said. “...We use a Facebook feature that automatically hides posts that use profanity.” » Scott Cont. on pg. 14
LAWSUIT FILED OVER LOCAL MOSQUITO SPRAYING
From News & Staff Reports THE V ERMONT EAGLE
LEICESTER | The Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, on behalf of Toxics Action Center, is challenging a state of Vermont decision allowing pesticide spraying in the Champlain Valley that it claims “threatens water resources and people’s health.” The lawsuit alleges that the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation allows the BLSG, Brandon-Leicester-Salisbury-Goshen (and Pittsford and Proctor), insect district to spray pesticides without first following state requirements designed to protect public health and the environment. The pesticides—malathion and permethrin—are alleged to be harmful chemicals that have been used to control mosquitos, but are also reported to be harmful to public health, aquatic species, and the environment. » Lawsuit Cont. on pg. 6
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