More than 40 years after some Vermont children waiting for a school bus discovered a dead baby off the side of the road, state police have announced that they found the infant’s parents and that no charges will be filed. The deceased infant was found in Northfield on April 1, 1982, per the AP. Investigators determined that the deceased baby was a recently born boy, but his identity was unknown and an autopsy was unable to determine the cause of death. Evidentiary DNA testing was not available at the time and the case remained unresolved, police said.

In 2020, state police worked with a DNA company to do a genealogical analysis, with the work funded by donations. In 2021, the company provided possible names of the baby’s biological mother and father, who had ties to the Northfield area in 1982.

• The father: Vermont State Police said they contacted the individuals at their home in Maine and obtained DNA from them, which confirmed they were the parents. The father told police he left Vermont for an extended period in 1982 and did not know about the pregnancy or disposal of the deceased baby.
• The mother: She admitted that she unlawfully disposed of the deceased infant. She said she did not know she was pregnant and did not have any symptoms until she began to feel abdominal pain. She labored alone for several hours and lost consciousness, she told police. She said when she came to, she realized she had delivered a baby but the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and he did not survive. She said she planned to find a spot in the woods to bury him, but while walking in the woods she thought she heard voices and got scared. She slipped and the baby fell from her arms and she ran, police said.
• No charges: State police met with the county prosecutor about the case, who determined that charges of murder were unwarranted. Charges related to the unauthorized disposal of a dead body are beyond the statute of limitations.

(More cold cases stories.)

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont man who lost his job after he said a random drug test showed he had used medical marijuana off duty for chronic pain has appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court saying he should not have been denied a portion of his state unemployment benefits.

Ivo Skoric, 59, representing himself, told the justices Wednesday that he is legally prescribed the medical cannabis by a doctor and his work performance is excellent and not impacted by the medicine. Yet, he said, in January 2023 he was terminated from his job at the Marble Valley Regional Transit District in Rutland for misconduct after a drug test. He said his job was to clean and fuel buses, and he drove them into and out of the garage onto a lot. The misconduct disqualified him from the benefits, according to the state.

“As a medical cannabis patient in Vermont to treat disabling conditions under Vermont’s Fair Employment Practices Act disability provisions, I should be protected by state agencies. I should not be disqualified from receiving unemployment,” Skoric said.

A lawyer for the ACLU of Vermont, also representing Criminal Justice Reform, and Disability Rights Vermont, also argued that the benefits should not be denied.

Skoric had appealed to the Vermont Employment Security Board after he was found to be ineligible for state unemployment benefits for the weeks ending January 14, 2023, through February 18, 2023, and his maximum benefit amount was capped at 23 times his weekly benefit, according to the board.

In September 2023, the board agreed with an administrative law judge saying Skoric engaged in conduct prohibited by the employer’s drug and alcohol policy, “exposing him to discipline including termination of his employment,” and that because he was discharged for misconduct he was disqualified from those benefits.

The board wrote that it recognizes that Skoric engaged in conduct that is legal in Vermont and that he had “a legitimate and compelling reason to use medical cannabis for treatment.”

But “employers may set workplace policies that prohibit otherwise legal behavior,” the board wrote, saying that it agreed with the administrative judge that the minimum disqualification is appropriate.

The board later declined Skoric’s request for a declaratory ruling on whether the misconduct disqualification provision applied to the off-duty use of medical cannabis, which he asked the state Supreme Court to review.

Jared Adler, a lawyer representing the Vermont Department of Labor, said the court should affirm the board’s decision because he was discharged for misconduct for violating an acknowledged workplace safety policy and because “Vermont’s drug code does not guarantee unemployment benefits to people who test positive during a random drug screening.”

When asked by a justice if there’s a distinction between consumption and impairment Adler said there is but “there’s no clean way” for an employer to distinguish between consumption and impairment in the case of cannabis because, unlike other drugs, it can exist for an extended period of time in an individual’s system after consuming it. Skoric also said that even though he had used the medical cannabis off-duty, it can show up days later in someone’s system, which makes the testing meaningless.

There’s a balancing test for trying to protect both the public and an employer’s need to conform their policies with federal law, Adler said. Skoric acknowledged his employer received up to 60% of their funding for their business from federal grants, Alder said.

So it was extremely important to ensure that the employer adhere to these federal rules and not risk losing that revenue, Adler said.

Skoric said his position is that “off-duty use of cannabis for state-sanctioned medical purposes cannot and should not be qualified as misconduct by the state.”

“I should not have to choose between state benefits and the medical care (the) state granted me to use,” he said. “I should never be put in that impossible position to choose between benefits and the legal medicine I use.”

Vermont’s best high school tennis players are ready to square off this week at two sites in Burlington.

The state’s singles and double individual state tournaments begin Thursday and wrap Saturday with championship matches.

The girls tourney is slated for Burlington Tennis Club; while the boys will compete at Leddy Park.

Reigning individual boys champion Nathan Kim of Brattleboro is this year’s top seed, followed by Jackson Murray of Middlebury at No 2, Derin Suren of Essex at No. 3 and Oscar Anderson of Champlain Valley at No. 4.

In the girls singles tournament, Rutland’s Arikka Patorti is the No. 1 seed and Tabitha Bastress of CVU is ranked second. Julia Biedermann of Stowe is slotted third and Mount Mansfield’s Bea Molson, the 2022 champion, is fourth.

Vermont high school tennis: Past champions of the individual tournament

In girls doubles, Stowe’s Gabby Doehla and Kate Tilgner are chasing an unprecedented fourth straight state title. For boys doubles, the Middlebury duo of Milo Rees and Eddie Fallis top the field.

The draws:

(Editor’s note: This file will be updated Thursday, Friday and Saturday as tourney play unfolds and results are reported).

GIRLS SINGLES

Round of 64 (Thursday)

Molly Hershberg, BBA vs. Riley Austin, Essex

Round of 32 (Thursday)

Hershberg-Austin winner vs. Arikka Patorti, Rutland

Lily Collins, Rice vs. Leonor I. A. Vazquez, GCS

Aoife Crainich, BHS vs. Olivia Badilo, Col

Ada Krull, MMU vs. Anna Dauerman, CVU

Charlotte Stevens, Stowe vs. Kaitlyn Corbin, Essex

Claire Zimpfer, MAU vs. Cassie Bastress, CVU

Maren Lindstrom, BHS vs. Shelby Bechard, BFA

Maggie Pierce, Wood vs. Bea Molson, MMU

Julia Biedermann, Stowe vs. Salome Tchantouridze, U-32

Avela Krull, MMU vs. Phoebe Richardson, Col

Lulu Barr-Brandt, BHS vs. Anna Gallipo, Rutland

Sage Peterson, CVU vs. Wynne Adamson, SB

Hannah Knickerbocker, Essex vs. Allegra Muller, Mont

Mia Zilian, Wood vs. Francesca Tully, BBA

Violet Small, MAU vs. Elizabeth Lassner, Mont

Tess Nagy, Rice vs. Tabitha Bastress, CVU

Round of 16 (Thursday)

Matchups, TBD

Quarterfinals (Friday)

Matchups, TBD

Semifinals (Friday/Saturday)

Matchups, TBD

Finals (Saturday)

Matchups, TBD

BOYS SINGLES

First round (Thursday)

Wyatt Tuff, BBA vs. Kellan Bartlett, Midd

Sam Wick, BHS vs. Charles Young, Midd

Second round (Thursday)

Nathan Kim, Bratt vs. Tuff-Bartlett winner

Ziggy Babbott, CV vs. Lazar Milosavljevic, Grace Christian

Cristo Buckley, BBA vs. Milo Vinson, MMU

Nate McDonald, Rice vs. Carter MacDonald, Stowe

Oscar Crainich, BHS vs. Mark Richards, Bratt

Ethan Pastella, Stowe vs. Parker Vinson, MMU

Mateo Duracak, SB vs. Pedro Perez Lorente, Grace Christian

Oscar Andersson, CV vs. Wick-Young winner

Derin Suren, Essex vs. Tanner Ciufo, Rutland

Julian Fitz, U-32 vs. Malo Renault, Bratt

Anthony Klemm, Col vs. Lincoln Smith, U-32

Parker Guffey, Stowe vs. Yuyang Zhang, SB

Ethan Croke, Verg vs. Nevin Morton, BHS

Emmett Waite, R vs. Micah Whitmore, Grace Christian

Kaelen Lundberg, Wood vs. Visnhu Konnanur, Essex

Jack Beach, Rutland vs. Jackson Murray, Midd

Third round (Friday)

Matchups, TBD

Quartefinals (Friday)

Matchups, TBD

Semifinals (Saturday)

Matchups, TBD

Matchups, TBD

Finals (Saturday)

GIRLS DOUBLES

Round of 32 (Thursday)

Clio Barr-Brandt/Lila Fitzpatrick, BHS vs. Maya Williams/Harper Mait, BBA

Ella Lisle/Leonie Schwetlick, CV vs. Grace Marroquin/Gabby Sneddon, R

Harper Freund/Malise Sigler, Stowe vs. Estelle First/Ava Poehlmann, MMU

Round of 16 (Thursday)

Gabby Doehla/Kate Tilgner, S vs. Maddie Dutton/Abigail Richards, Col

Yvette Petrella/Meredith Wilcox, U-32 vs. Barr-Brandt/Fitzpatrick-Williams/Mait winner

Emma Barclay/Caroline McCormack, Rutland vs. Lisle/Schwetlick-Marroquin/Sneddon winner

Ella Maynard/Bridget Simone, SB vs. Freund/Malise Sigler-First/Poehlmann winner

Dieuna Beynnon/Kali Ali, B vs. Sam Scott/Geo Cuciti, Essex

Mohini Vallabhaneni/Katie McCullagh, Col vs. Lucy Andrus/Sarah Hailey, S

Christine Rottcher/Ella McCormick, R vs. Evangeline Clifford/Yorda Gebreselasie, SB

Finn Lofgren/Ellie Duprey, M vs. Addie Maurer/Ariel Toohey, CV

Quarterfinals (Thursday/Friday)

Matchups, TBD

Semifinals (Friday/Saturday)

Matchups, TBD

Finals (Saturday)

Matchups, TBD

Boys doubles

First round (Saturday)

Eben Wagner/Dorian Paquette, Bratt vs. Dylan Ingham/Ian Tillman, MU

Dash Tota/Luke Sampson, CVU vs. Robin Hokenmaier/James Bradley, SB

Quinn Moore/Max Ladner, BHS vs. Dietrich Caler/Noah Chester, Rut

Lucien Timmerman/Nate Meyers, Col vs. Miles Huyler/Ian Ritter, MMU

Baxter Harrington/Noah Doherty Konczal, Midd vs. Jay Eagle/Jules Butler, SB

Silas Cohen/Kyle Krieger, CV vs. Hugo Jercinovic/Brock Roick, Stowe

Iver Anderson/Nate Cook Yoder, Midd vs. Wilfred St. Francis/Leevi Kilpala, Rice

Isaac Blaisdell/Kaine Than, Col vs. Drew Zimmerman/Xavi Violette, Stowe

Second round (Friday)

Milo Rees/Eddie Fallis, Midd vs. Wagner/Paquette-Ingham/Tillman winner

Will Bradley/Omar Daoudi, SB vs. Timmerman/Meyers-Huyler/Ritter winner

Lucas St. Hilaire/Donovan Ho, Essex vs. Julian Pirie vs. J. Lahue, BBA

Ben Berg/Leo Bodett, Bratt vs. Harrington/Doherty Konczal-Eagle/Butler winner

Isaac Dunkiel/Daniel Wick, BHS vs. Blaisdell/Than-Zimmerman/Violette winner

Jackson Pals/Elias Frazer Olsen, Bratt vs. Lewis Pilcher/Henry Farrell, Essex

Quarterfinals (Friday)

Matchups, TBD

Semifinals (Saturday)

Matchups, TBD

Finals (Saturday)

Matchups, TBD

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Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.