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By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com RUTLAND — Rutland residents love their intown sports rivalries, especially in high school football and basketball. Along with Rutland High School, MSJ-Mt. St. Joseph Academy—the city’s only parochial high school—makes up the Marble City’s dynamic duo of sport. That’s why it was big news when Andrew Costello, secretary of the Rutland Catholic Schools Board, and Principal Sandra Wilkes were on hand when Jeff Cassarino was named the new head coach of basketball last week. Cassarino took over MSJ’s downsized football program last year, so it was a bit of surprise to hear he had been appointed the head coach of the MSJ varsity boys’ basketball team. But from all accounts, Cassarino is the right man for the job. Cassarino’s pick calls to mind MSJ’s legendary Coach Barry Brannon who led multiple sports to state championships. Cassarino inherits a winning tradition at MSJ. He takes over the Green Wave program that won the Division II state championship earlier this year; it has consistently ranked as one of the top teams in Vermont—regardless of division. “Through sports, I firmly believe studentathletes can, and do, learn valuable life lessons,” Cassarino said in a news statement. I want our students to work to excel in the classroom and be leaders in the school.” Cassarino, a Rutland native, has a winning coaching resume. He has command of the whole field of secondary school athletics including football, basketball, and baseball. See CASSARINO, page 9
P.O. BOX 338 ELIZABETHTOWN, NY 12932 POSTAL CUSTOMER
Vol. 4 No. 35 • September 5, 2012
Community News, Sports, Arts, Entertainment and Food for Rutland and Southern Vermont
MSJ names Cassarino to coach basketball
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Arson, theft reported at Mt. Holly By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com MT. HOLLY — Cindy Kleeman, 58, of Bradford, N.H., reported that a home she owns, located at 5456 Route 155 in Mt. Holly, was burglarized and a fire set inside sometime on Aug. 24. The fire was no longer burning when Kleeman entered the house, but Mt. Holly Fire Department volunteers responded as a precautionary measure to ensure that the fire was extinguished. No injuries were reported. Det. Sgt. Michael Manley from the Vermont State Police Fire Investigation Unit reported that he is working with an investigator from the Vermont Department Fire Safety as part of a fire origin and cause investigation. Manley noted that the residence See ARSON, page 6
LITTLE CHEFS — Kurn Hattin Homes Director of Residential Services Karen Lansberry works with several of the children at the institution’s Cooking Camp in Westminster last week. The children completed the camp with a useful cookbook to keep for future reference. Kurn Hattin is a residential school for children at risk. Photo by Kim Fine
Costly, controversial Middlebury rail spur on hold By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com MIDDLEBURY — A costly Middlebury rail spur project that was opposed by neighbors is on hold, according to an Omya official. Omya Florence plant manager Jim Stewart said the $32 million public-private project, which was supposed to reduce Route 7 truck traffic between the foreign-owned company’s open-pit Middlebury calcium carbonate mine and its processing plant in Florence, is on hold indefinitely. Stewart blamed the bad economy on the deci-
sion. “It’s going to lie dormant for now," Stewart told news reporters. “I don't believe we can economically go for it.” The project increased in size and scope over the years including a massive, 2,050-foot trestle spanning the Otter Creek and Creek Road and a multi-acre ore handling facility that would have negatively impacted residents in the vicinity. Brandon merchants and residents pushed for the project, weary of the Omya truck fleet driving through town in a daily basis, while Middlebury neighbors, that would have been affected by the
rail spur, opposed it. “This is very good news for all us local residents,” said Michael J. Lobner, III, a long-time renter living on Halladay Road. “Downtown Brandon’s problem was just being shifted to residents of Middlebury to deal with; we would have had to bear the burden of the rail noise and locomotive diesel pollution. This thing better be dead for good now.” The project idea was first proposed in 1991 at $7.5 million, but the cost of the spur increased as the years and environmental studies mounted. See RAIL SPUR, page 6
Donovan concedes in attorney general primary race By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com MIDDLEBURY — Rising Vermont liberal Democrat, and big labor friend, candidate T.J. Donovan of Chittenden County conceded the Democratic primary race for attorney general to incumbent Attorney General William Sorrell (D) Aug. 29. Sorrell, who describes himself as a corporate “giant killer”, won by approximately 600 votes in the hotly contested 2012 primary race. Donovan said he will campaign for Sorrell’s reelection in November. Sorrell will face long-time Vermont resident and Republican Jack McMullen. In 2004, McMullen was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from Vermont. He is a Navy veteran who served on the staff of Admiral Rickover overseeing the retrofit of advanced technology reactors into the Navy’s nuclear fleet.
T.J. Donovan, with wife Jess, conceded the Democrat Party primary race for attorney general to William Sorrell in Burlington. Photo by Myra Lowe
THIS WEEK Pets of the Week ..........2 Hiking with dogs tips......3 Rusty DeWees ..............5 Local Flavor ..................5 36074
Crossword Puzzle ..........8 Classifieds....................10-11
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