The life and times of Nettie Jones pg. 6
ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron
Historian Bill Powers’ narrative on the Vermont native Published by New Market Press, Inc.
August 18, 2018
Serving Addison, Rutland & Chittenden Counties
REMEMBERING LUCIEN DESABRAIS
SALISBURY | Lucien R. Desabrais, 88, died July 25, 2018 at his residence in Salisbury surrounded by his family. Lucien is remembered by many local shoppers for operating a laundry and Lucien Desabrais dry cleaning business for many years as well as being the helpful and knowledgeable clerk at Aubuchon Hardware on Court Street in downtown Middlebury. He was born June 15, 1930 in Proctor the son of Mose J. and Julia R. (Ladouceur) Desabrais. Lucien was a United States Army Veteran serving during the Korean War where he was stationed in Munich, Germany. Together with his wife they owned and operated Desabrais Laundry and Dry Cleaning for 27 years. » Desabrais Cont. on pg. 3
WELCOME CENTER: Officials of Addison County Fair and Field Days dedicated a new welcome center in honor of the late James H. Foster Jr., a local farmer and board member. The dedication was just in time for the annual fair’s opening day last week. The wooden structure cost $125,000 to construct, and it can’t be missed. Most fairgoers will pass through its main gate to enjoy amusements, various exhibits and vendor food. Photo by Lou Varricchio
State drops rabies bait
From News & Staff Reports THE V ERMONT EAGLE
Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals in Vermont. “The rabies bait packs are not harmful to adults, children, pets or wildlife, and you can’t get rabies from the bait,” said Vermont Public Health Veterinarian Natalie Kwit. Photo by Jim Gish
MIDDLEBURY | The annual Rabies Bait Drop, a cooperative effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the rabies, started on Aug. 8. The approximately week-long bait drop was part of a nationally coordinated effort to halt the fatal disease. Rabies vaccine, in the form of a sweetsmelling oral bait that is attractive to raccoons and skunks, was dropped in rural areas from low-flying aircraft and placed by hand in residential centers. Approximately 450,000 quarter-sized blister packs containing rabies vaccine were distributed in more than 110 Vermont communities in nine counties including Addison and Rutland counties. The airplane co-pilots controlled where the
bait falls by using an on/off switch. This allowed them to avoid dropping the bait on roadways, near homes and other places where people are most likely to be. Health officials said the bait packs were not poisonous, but they do ask that anyone who finds rabies vaccine bait to leave it undisturbed so that it can be eaten by the wild animals. “The rabies bait packs are not harmful to adults, children, pets or wildlife, and you can’t get rabies from the bait,” said Vermont Public Health Veterinarian Natalie Kwit. If the bait must be moved, use gloves or a plastic bag in case the blister pack is damaged. If your pet eats a bait, or if a child brings one home, let officials know by calling the Vermont Rabies Hotline at 1-800-4-RABIES (1-800-472-2437) or call the toll-free number printed on the bait. Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats, but un-
vaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies. The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal. So far this year, 16 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and seven of those have been raccoons. According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays–even baby animals. In addition to the bait drop, a USDA study in the region that began in 2015 is evaluating the impact of human residential density and vaccine bait density on the effectiveness of the oral rabies vaccine used in the bait. ■
Vermont ranked no. 5 in reading scores From News & Staff Reports THE V ERMONT EAGLE
MIDDLEBURY | With the Every Student Succeeds Act shaping state curriculums, and students getting closer to the end of their summer breaks, the personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its
report on 2018’s states with the best and worst School Systems. Vermont placed high in the rankings in the new online report. In order to determine the best school systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key measures of quality and safety. The data set ranges from pupil-teacher ratio to dropout rate to median standardized-test scores.
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Quality & Safety of Schools in Vermont (1=Best; 25=Avg.): 13th – Math Test Scores Fifth – Reading Test Scores First – Pupil-Teacher Ratio 27th – Median SAT Score Fifth – Median ACT Score 29th – Percentage of Licensed/Certified
Public K–12 Teachers 11th – Dropout Rate 26th – Bullying Incidence Rate First – Percentage of Threatened/Injured High School Students For the full report online, visit: wallethub. com/edu/states-with-the-best-schools/5335/. ■
SAVE $42,000 ON YOUR COLLEGE TUITION learn more at ccv.edu/savebig Savings calculated based on the published 2017/18 average cost of 60 credits at Vermont colleges and universities for in-state students. 191702