Phil Scott Appoints New State Attorney

jessica appointmentVERMONT- Last weekend, Governor Phil Scott appointed Jessica Zaleski as Caledonia County's latest State Attorney.

Since October, Zaleski was acting as the county's interim prosecutor after Lisa Warren, the former State Attorney for the county, was selected to be a Superior Court Judge.

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Life as an EMT

EMT Thumbnail 1NEK-Emergency Medical Services have been around in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom since the mid nineteenth century, but even in the past twenty years EMS services have seen a shift in how they provide medical care during emergencies.

 

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Drug Task Force Focuses Aim on NEK

 

 

PressConfSAINT JOHNSBURY-  Federal officials have been cracking down on drug trafficking in Vermont, and recently, the Northeast Kingdom has become a focal point. Leading to the creation of a multi-agency coalition task force. “We remain in the midst of an epidemic that will not end through law enforcement action alone,” said Agent Kevin Black with the Drug Enforcement Agency.

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Going Solar Hurts Local Business

Solar PanelsLYNDONVILLE- People are now being less dependent on utilities for electricity than ever before. While the result of going green is good for the planet, it is reducing the amount of green flowing into local electric companies’ pockets.  However, it is not always about the money, in some cases, it’s all about reliability. 

 

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Kingdom East Personnel and Negotiations Committee Plan Next Years Budget

ThumbnailTemplateDONOTSAVEOVER copy 2Lyndon- The Kingdom East Personnel and Negotiations Committee gathered to discuss the budget for next year on Wednesday night. The main topic discussed was the health care and insurance provided to teachers and support staff throughout the entire school system.

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Changes in Dairy Farming

Dairy Farm ThumbnailDERBY-Dairy Farming has been been an industry in the Northeast Kingdom for decades, but in recent years farmers have been doing new things to keep production and buisness up.

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5A in Westmore Almost Back Open

5A WestmoreWESTMORE- Workers from the Vermont Agency of Transportation have been chipping away at the two week project to secure some of the rocky slopes along a portion of Route 5A in Westmore. The project, which began last week was sparked back in March, when a boulder came crashing down off of Mount Pisgah, and onto Route 5A blocking the roadway.

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Hemp Harvesting

hemp thumbnailLyndonville-Hemp Harvesting is happening around Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom. As fall is coming to an end, farmers and hemp distributors alike are cashing in on their efforts.

 

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State Tax Credits Helping Local Businesses

Tac CreditsNEK- Lyndonville and Saint Johnsbury are two of fourteen towns across the state who recently received tax credits, helping them to revitalize their downtowns. As more and more businesses have been popping up in the towns, both Lyndonville and St. J have been making a serious effort to revamp their designated downtown districts. 

 

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Peacham Elementary School Going Green

Solar ArrayPEACHAM- A solar array on the rooftop of the Peacham Elementary School has finally been installed, however it still needs to be connected.

 

The project, installed and owned by catamount solar, is expected to not only help the school save money, but also eliminate the risk of power failures.

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Title Ten Cuts Planned Parenthood

pp thumbnailLyndon-Around the Northeast Kingdom and Vermont, title 10 cuts could begin to make acess to healthcare from Planned Parenthood harder on Vermonters.

The title ten cuts were put in place in July, but that hasn't stopped locations from staying open and committed to providing healthcare.

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Vaping Epidemic

VapesSaint Johnsbury- The first case of pulmonary illness related to vaping in Vermont has been confirmed. In a report from the Vermont Department of Health, one confirmed case and five other potential cases are currently under investigation. As of September 11th, three hundred and eighty cases and six deaths have been reported to the CDC from 36 States and one U.S Territory.

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Hemp in the Northeast Kingdom

HempfestEAST BURKE- Since 2013 the hemp industry in Vermont has been growing like a weed. More and more farmers are starting to get into the business, especially here in the Northeast Kingdom.

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Doing Business in the Northeast Kingdom

NEK chamber thumbnailAround the NEK- For all its scenic beauty, the Northeast Kingdom has not traditionally been the easiest region of the state to start a business in.

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Vermont Goes Green

go greenThe Northeast Kingdom- Dr. Janel Hanrahan, an associative professor of Atmospheric Sciences said that we know humans are the cause of climate change, and that we have the power to stop it. So local governments, business, and companies are taking noticing and working hard to keep vermont known as the "Green mountain State".  

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Breakout Bakery

breakout picSt. Johnsbury- Darryll rudy and Barbara Edelman have been in town for over a year, putting in everything they have to make food worx enterprises break out bakery come to life. "you know what, i am 75 years old and this is it for me. This is where my heart is and come hell or high water, we are going ot make this happen", said rudy, food Worx' executive director.

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Climate Change Threatens Vermonts Sweetest Industry

Climate changeThe Northeast Kingdom- The maple tapping industry is at risk due to man made climate change, and that could be mean a loss of millions of dollars for Vermont's economy. Right now, according to the University of Vermont's center for rural studies the maple tapping industry brings in between 317 and 330 million dollars in sales to the state per year.

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Vermonts 1st World Cubing Association Competition

cubing picEast Burke- On Saturday, Burke Mountain hosted Vermont's first ever world cubing association competition. The event had well over 80 participants from over 5 countries. According to the World Cubing Associations website, "The World Cube Association governs competitions for mechanical puzzles that are operated by twisting groups of pieces, commonly known as 'twisty puzzles'.

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A Green Industry

green industryNORTHEAST KINGDOM- The cannabis industry has made a lot of headway in the past several years. The two most common derivatives of the cannabis plant are THC and CBD. Though THC has not been federally legalized yet, CBD was made federally legal in December of 2018. This leaves room for further research about the medicinal qualities and applications of CBD as well as the opportunities for growers, processors, and retailers.

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A Tax Many Wouldn't Be Able to Afford

carbon taxNORTHEAST KINGDOM- It is no secret that heating homes with oil in Vermont is very costly, especially with such long and brutal winters. Here in the Northeast Kingdom, many homeowners are feeling the effects of an already high price of home heating oil. In 2016, a tax was put on home heating oil and propane which raised the cost about two cents per gallon.

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Maura Murray's 37th Birthday

murrayNorth Haverhill, NH- On Saturday May 4th, Fred Murray, friends, and supporters of his missing daughters case released doves in her honor at the spot where Maura went missing 15 years ago. Saturday marks Maura's 37th birthday, she was a 21 year old Nursing student, she was very athletic, and loved to hike with her father. To this day, the reasons why Maura was heading north on route 112 the night she went missing is still unknown.

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KILOS For Pounds

bradLyndonville-Brad Collins turned to social media last month to put his beard at risk in support for the Lyndonville Dog pound

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Cold Water Safety

Cold Water SafetyLYNDONVILLE- With all of the nice weather that has graced the region over the past few days, has led many outdoor enthusiasts to come out of hibernation. However, those who are eager to get out on the water, may want to take some precautions first.

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Police Week

Police WeekST. JOHNSBURY- May is National Police Memorial month, it is a month dedicated to Police Officers who made sacrifices in the line of duty.

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An Epidemic Spreading like Wildfire

opioidNORTHEAST KINGDOM - There is no denying that the opioid epidemic is an issue across the nation. Though the problem may be very present in the street, it has been deeply rooted within the medical field. Medical professionals treating chronically ill patients have the obligation to prescribe but monitor doses of narcotic pain medication in a way that does not result in addiction. According to Stefanie Sigmund, APRN, there is a lot that goes into treating a patient's pain.

Read more: An Epidemic Spreading like Wildfire