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Vol. 3 No. 18 • May 4, 2011
Community News, Sports, Arts, Entertainment and Food for Rutland and Southern Vermont
Hemp, hemp hooray!
Student art in the spotlight Student talent showcases at art center
Hemp crop may be boon to Vermont
By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield High School has always pr ovided a str ong program for students interest in developing their artistic skills. Each year , multiple art projects display student art pr oviding both a creative outlet and a chance to build confidence in public exhibition. This spring’s SHS Student Art Exhibit featur es artwork by Springfield’s students enrolled in kindergarten thr ough grade 12. The show will be open to the public at the MillerArt Center through Friday, May 27. To kick of f the exhibit program, faculty and students will host an opening reception 6-8 p.m Thursday, May 5. Setting itself apart fr om the earlier grades, all high school art work will be judged by instr uctors Patti Dean and Richar d CoFrancesco. Winning students will earn cash prizes that have been funded by IPG Corporation, with of fices in Springfield. Included among the artists are talented SHS students Brie Carleton, Sarah Gray, Mor gan Johnson, Samir Mann, Maggie Stevens, and Olivia Thayer. Located in Springfield, the Miller Art Center is an ideal locale for the student exhibit. The center is a prime attraction for local visitors and tourists, so students’ artwork should get some good exposur e. The historic former Whitcomb estate was built during the Civil War and extensively remodeled after World War I. The hours of the Miller Art Center located at the Springfield Art and Historical Society, 9 Elm Hill Rd., are Thursdays and Fridays 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (Editor’s Note: See photos of students being showcased on page 8.)
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By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com RICHMOND — Hemp is more than a plant — it’s a lightning od. r The hardy plant some call a weed has both passionate supporters and detractors. The plant, a unique sour ce for fiber and a dr ug called marijuana, is a native of Asia, but it has found a home in many temperate and neotropical climates. In Vermont, one of the largest supporters of the development of hemp as a commercial product, is the organization Rural Vermont, an advocate of the plant as a viable agribusiness her e. Now, the farm group has linked up with the national advocacy group Vote Hemp to celebrate and promote Hemp History Week May 2–8. In several political and agricultural communities within V ermont, there has been widespread support for hemp since the 1990s, but the road to growing hemp legally has been rocky. While Vote Hemp officials cite strong support here, based on the 2008 law which ended up legalizing industrial hemp in V ermont, they also note an odd federal law which now pr events local farmers from growing the plant — legally. To address this and other issues er lating to commercial hemp production, Rural Vermont has joined a national coalition to change the federal barrier. The organization wants to position Vermont as one of the first states to plant the versatile crop. According to Shelby Girar d of Rural V ermont, Hemp History Week calls for states coast-to-coast to return the plant to legal crop status. Unlike illegal marijuana, also a hemp plant, most commer cial hemp varieties do not produce the narcotic-like chemicals of marijuana; instead the plant’s amazing fiber is tough and versatile and can be processed for use in a multitude of products, he said. “Individuals and organizations across the country will be honoring See HEMP, continued on page 3
Hemp: Will this plant save Vermont’s agricultural future? Hemp advocate Mike Duckett in his field of commercial hemp. Photo courtesy of Vote Hemp
Making Rutland’s water better, safer By Lou Varricchio
several months. While Rutland’s water supply newmarketpress@denpubs.com is completely safe and among the RUTLAND — For the 18,500 best tasting in the state — at least according to one website survey residents of Rutland City and at www .usmayors.org — Rutland T own using Rutland City’s municipal water, the qual- haloacetic acid (HAA) levels ecent ity of their tap water will get a lot have been elevated in r better after new filters are up and years. Federal and state water quality r egulations r equire the running sometime next year. The city’s Department of Pub- city to lower HAA levels several part. lic Works (DPW) began testing a What are HAAs? series of its own experimental filHAAs or Haloacetic acids ar e ters last week in the cool, damp weak carboxylic acids, an altered subterranean piper oom inside form of or ganic acetic acid, also the city water plant in Rutland known as ethanoic acid, accordTown. ing to the EPA. Trace amounts of The city’s in-house “experiHAAs are also found in common ment,” accor ding to the DPW’s cider vinegar. HAAs are the comMike Garafino, will continue for
mon organic by-products of chlorinating water. Only filtering chlorinated water will reduce HAA levels. Most public works departments across the USA are dealing with the same issue — fluctuating levels of HAAs. In that sense, Rutland City’s water isn’t any different when compared to other chlorinated drinking waters. At the city’s water plant, Garafino is r unning a contr olled experiment with the three test filters. And, he will collect water samples, several times a week, over the coming months. An in-house chemical laboratory on the ground-floor of the See WATER, continued on page 3
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Rutland DPW is testing three different carbon-sand filters — designed and built in-house — to reduce HAA levels in city drinking water, per EPA regulations. Current HAA levels do not pose a health threat. Photo by Lou Varricchio
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