Vermont

Remnants of Debby bring high winds, power outages and downed trees to Vermont

Published

2 hours ago

August 10, 2024

Remnants of Debby bring high winds, power outages and downed trees to Vermont

Update 9:30 p.m.:

The remnants of Hurricane Debby hit Vermont with high winds Friday, causing tens of thousands of power outages and making some roads impassable.

As of Friday night, just under 47,000 electric customers were without power, more than half of them serviced by Green Mountain Power.

The winds were stronger than had been forecast, Green Mountain Power wrote on social media. “We will provide restoration times as we can, but right now new damage is coming in. This is a multi-day restoration event.”

The Middlebury Police Department asked all residents to stay off the roads Friday night due to “severe windstorm damage” and noted that Route 116 was completely shut down.

The original article from Friday afternoon is below.

With Debby tracking westward into the Adirondacks, Vermont is now expected to dodge the worst of the storm. But that doesn’t mean that the state is out of the woods.

State officials warned Vermonters to stay vigilant Friday and overnight, as the post-tropical cyclone brings more rain and high winds to an already flood-battered landscape.

“Even though we don’t expect to see as much damage as we once did from this storm, there’s still going to be challenges, especially in the Northeast Kingdom, after many areas saw significant rainfall over the last 30 days,” Gov. Phil Scott said at a Friday morning press conference.

Swift-water rescue teams are already staged across the state, Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said. Already, state officials have received an emergency declaration from the White House, which will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide the state with additional search and rescue teams and partial reimbursements for emergency expenses.

After a rainy summer — and back-to-back floods in July — public safety officials are particularly concerned about saturated soils and already-high rivers. There have already been sharp rises in the Mad River and Winooski River, Morrison said, and the Passumpsic River reached flood stage early this morning in East Haven.

In Plainfield, town officials told people who live near the Great Brook to evacuate to higher ground ahead of expected waters rising later Friday.

The storm is also expected to bring sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph. That could down trees and power lines, and Morrison said it’s “highly likely” that there could be power outages across the state. There’s also a potential for isolated tornadoes, particularly in southern Vermont.

A tornado watch has been issued for the following areas until 10 p.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service:

Essex County, New York
Addison County
Bennington County
Rutland County
Windham County
Windsor County

“Stay safe, Vermont. While Debby is not packing as big a punch as we anticipated, it will impact us. There will be damage. There will be various types of flooding. It will be a challenging next 18 hours,” Morrison said.

Flood recovery resources

For state road closure information, visit newengland511.org or follow @511VT on X. (For local road closures, use the Waze app or monitor town communications, such as a website or Facebook page.)
You can sign up for alerts from the state at vtalert.gov.
The latest forecasts and water levels for specific rivers are provided by the National Water Prediction Service.
Find power outage information at vtoutages.org.
To find more resources and services, and to report flood damage, call Vermont 2-1-1 or visit vermont211.org.
For a list of state resources and guidance about flooding, visit vermont.gov/flood. The guidance includes returning home after a flood, cleaning up, and dealing with mold.
Find flood recovery information in multiple languages at vem.vermont.gov/flood/translation.
To request cleanup help from volunteers and groups, call the Crisis Cleanup hotline at 802-242-2054.
For mental health support, call 9-8-8 or call or text the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990.
To register through the state to volunteer, visit vermont.gov/volunteer.
If flood waters reached your private well or spring, order a drinking water test kit through the Vermont Department of Health.
Find flood-prone areas near you with the Vermont Flood Ready Atlas.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.

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Vermont

University of Vermont president picked to lead the University of Arizona

Published

9 hours ago

August 9, 2024

Press Room

University of Vermont president picked to lead the University of Arizona

Suresh Garimella, president of the University of Vermont since 2019, has been selected to serve as the new leader of the University of Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. — Suresh Garimella, president of the University of Vermont since 2019, has been selected to serve as the new leader of the University of Arizona.

The Arizona Board of Regents voted Friday to hire Garimella to replace Robert Robbins, who has served as president of the Tucson-based university for the last seven years and planned to resign when his contract ended or earlier if his successor were picked sooner.

Robbins’ exit comes after the university experienced a budget shortfall stemming from a miscalculation of cash reserves.

Robbins, who had accepted responsibility for the crisis, has said some of the school’s financial troubles also were due to unpaid loans the university provided to the athletics department in recent years. Resources were drained ahead of the school’s move next year from the Pacific-12 Conference to the Big 12, according to Robbins.

Robbins has been credited with driving improvements in student retention and leading a successful fundraising campaign for the university.

Before leading the University of Vermont, Garimella served as executive vice president for research and partnership at Purdue University.

The University of Arizona had about 42,000 undergraduates and another 11,000 graduate students last school year.

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Vermont

Who’s Elle St. Pierre’s husband? A Vermont dairy farmer who was her high school prom date

Published

16 hours ago

August 9, 2024

Press Room

Who’s Elle St. Pierre’s husband? A Vermont dairy farmer who was her high school prom date

Biggest US track and field stars to watch at Paris Olympics

120 track and field athletes will represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics. Here’s the athletes you can expect to medal and possibly break records.

Track star Elle Perrier St. Pierre has made her home state of Vermont proud at this year’s Olympics, qualifying for a chance at a medal in the women’s 1500m final after clinching third place in the semis yesterday, Aug. 8.

At every race, her biggest supporter can be seen cheering her on from the sidelines – her husband, Jamie St. Pierre, who she works with at their dairy farm. Both are from the small agricultural town of Montgomery, Vermont, with a population of only 1,000 people, the St. Pierre’s have known each other all their lives.

Learn everything you need to know about the couple’s story below.

Who is Jamie St. Pierre?

Jamie St. Pierre grew up in Montgomery, Vermont, the same town as Elle Purrier.

While Elle Purrier St. Perrier graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in nutrition, Jamie St. Pierre studied animal science at Cornell University. He has traveled the world learning different dairy farming techniques, visiting places like Italy and China.

St. Pierre now works as a dairy farmer at his family’s farm, Pleasant Valley Farms, the largest family-owned dairy farm in the state. Elle St. Pierre, who grew up on a dairy farm herself, helps manage the place when she is not running.

Despite his busy schedule with dairy farming, Jamie St. Pierre always finds time to help his wife train.

“I will follow along with her on my bike through the trails near our home, that’s the only way I can keep up,” St. Pierre said to The Burlington Press back in 2021, prior to Elle St. Pierre competing in the Tokyo Olympics. “She is competitive as all hell and wants to win.”

After Elle won first in the 5000m and third in the 1500m at the Olympic trials in June, she said on Instagram that she could not have done it without her best friend Jamie.

“He’s always my biggest supporter,” St. Pierre wrote in her caption. “He believes in me more than anyone, even more than I believe in myself at times.”

Timeline of Jamie and Elle St. Pierre’s relationship

► 2002: Jamie St. Pierre and Elle Perrier met at 7 years old at a 4H cow exhibition at an agricultural fair.

► 2010: Jamie asked Elle to prom their freshman year at Richford Junior Senior High School. They have been together ever since.

► 2018: Both graduate from college.

► 2020: Jamie and Elle St. Pierre get married at Pleasant Valley Farms.

► 2023: The couple’s first son, Ivan, is born.

More Olympians from VT: Bronze for Maher! Vermont native, US women’s rugby sevens win historic medal in Paris

How to watch Elle St. Pierre at the Olympics

St. Pierre will go for gold in the women’s 1500m final Saturday, Aug. 10 at 2:25 p.m. EST. The race will be available to watch live on the NBC channel, or through streaming on Peacock and all NBC platforms.

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Vermont

VPA announces changes to H.S. basketball tournament

Published

24 hours ago

August 9, 2024

Press Room

VPA announces changes to H.S. basketball tournament

Video: Vermont scores go-ahead TD at 2024 Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl

Vermont rallies with two touchdowns in fourth quarter for 26-21 win over New Hampshire in the 71st Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024.

For the first time in recent memory, the Vermont high school boys and girls basketball basketball semifinals held annually at Barre Auditorium will undergo significant changes.

The Vermont Principals’ Association and the Barre Tournament Committee have announced scheduling alterations to enhance the fan experience for the Division II, III and IV Final Four contests at Barre Aud.

Each division’s semifinal games will be played on the same night. Previously, D-II and D-IV were split up during the week before a Saturday championship tripleheader.

More: Fair Haven girls basketball unseats North Country with second-half comeback in D-II final

The changes take effect for the 2025 tournament.

“These changes are aimed at optimizing the tournament for players, coaches, and most importantly, the fans who make this event so special,” said Lauren Thomas, the VPA’s assistant executive director, in a statement.

The new semifinal schedule at Barre Auditorium

The new schedule for semifinals:

Division IV: To be played Monday night at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45.
Division II: To be played Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45.
Division III: To be played Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45.
Additional note: Championships will remain in the same order on Saturday: D-IV, D-II and D-III.

New protocol for spectators at Barre Auditorium

The VPA also announced a new protocol for fans who plan on attending semifinal games at Barre Aud. Upon conclusion of the first game, officials will ask spectators to vacate the gym before the start of the second semifinal.

“This strategic adjustment ensures that both games and their respective spectators have ample access to seating within the Barre Auditorium without disruption,” a VPA news release stated.

Last year, the VPA sold 10,178 online tickets for the 12 games played at Barre Aud (six semifinals, six title games), according to data the VPA provided to the Burlington Free Press.

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

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