Vermont

‘The real deal’: Unbeaten Bradley drawing notice from national college basketball voices

Published

6 months ago

November 26, 2023

‘The real deal’: Unbeaten Bradley drawing notice from national college basketball voices

Bradley is off to its best start in nearly 40 years and some college basketball experts across the nation are taking notice.

The Braves and coach Brian Wardle remained undefeated on Saturday night with a 79-70 victory over Vermont, the program’s best start since the 1985-86 team began 9-0 four decades ago.

We took a spin around social media to see what experts and fans were saying about the red-hot Braves, now up to No. 77 in the KenPom rankings.

The game: Bradley basketball stays perfect after winning big nonconference showdown with Vermont

What the experts were saying

“Bradley is now 6-0 with wins over UAB, Utah State, Tarleton State, Tulane, UTEP and Vermont,” national analyst Jeff Goodman posted Saturday night on X.com. “Brian Wardle has done a terrific job even after losing a few key pieces.”

John Fanta of Fox Sports called Bradley a “mid-major program to monitor” after the win over Vermont, pointing out the dynamic duo of Darius Hannah and Malevy Leons combining for 33 points and 13 rebounds in the home win.

“Three of Bradley’s six wins have come over KenPom top-100 teams,” Fanta wrote, “Brian Wardle is underrated.”

The social media account Mid-Major Madness simply reposted the winning score and wrote “Bradley is the real deal.”

What the fans were saying

Bradley fan @DavidNordhielm reposted the Mid-Major Madness sentiment and added a simple hashtag, directed at the voters in The Associated Press weely poll: “#RankBradley,” he wrote.

Another fan, @Connor_King39, agreed, saying with a 6-0 mark and three wins over top-100 teams, the Braves “better be getting votes.”

What Baseball Hall of Famers are saying

Well, at least one. Chicago Cubs great and Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins was in the crowd Saturday night at Carver Arena, cheering on the Braves as they remained undefeated.

What’s Jenkins doing in Peoria? The former MLB hurler has “friends who reside here and can be seen regularly at several local watering holes, usually after hunting or fishing trips,” the Journal Star’s Nick Vlahos wrote in 2018.

“Let’s go (Bradley). I am in the house tonight,” Jenkins wrote on X.com, along with a peace sign.

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Vermont

This website is unavailable in your location. – WPXI

Published

5 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

This website is unavailable in your location. – WPXI

“With a resounding purr of approval from the faculty, the Board of Trustees of the Vermont State Cat-leges has bestowed upon Max Dow the prestigious title of Doctor of Litter-ature, complete with all the catnip perks, scratching post privileges, and litter box responsibilities that come with it.”

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Vermont

Vermonters gather Eco-Fair in search of ways to make the grass greener this spring

Published

12 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Vermonters gather Eco-Fair in search of ways to make the grass greener this spring

WEYBRIDGE, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermonters gathered at an Eco-Fair in Weybridge in search of ways to make the grass greener this spring.

Weybridge Energy Committee hosted the event at Weybridge Elementary School. Visitors browsed booths featuring composting, home energy and heating solutions and lawncare.

Those looking for more energy-efficient ways to trim their lawns tested out lawn mowers through Mow Electric.

“It seems to work just as well as a regular lawnmower if not better, so then why not go electric if you can?” Sylvie Doutriaux of Weybridge said, testing out an electric mower.

And in honor of “No Mow May,” conservation organization Pollinator Pathway handed out native plant seeds, advocating for natural lawns safe for pollinators.

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Vermont

Rice Lumber makes history with Vermont's first outdoor electric forklifts

Published

20 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

SHELBURNE, Vt. (WCAX) – Rice Lumber makes history with Vermont’s first outdoor electric forklifts.

Chirping birds filled the air at the Shelburne construction company. In the distance, the faint purr of an electric forklift. “It’s peaceful out here in the morning when they’re running them,” Rice Lumber’s Taylor Carroll explained. “You don’t have a bunch of smoke and loud noises.”

This spring, Rice Lumber bought two Toyota 80-volt Electric Pneumatic forklifts. They’re the first outdoor electric forklifts in Vermont. Northern Toyota Lift’s James Jimmo hooked them up. “These guys have stepped up to the plate,” Jimmo said. “I think it’s gonna be really good.”

It took some persuading to get there. Rice Lumber owner Wes Carroll wasn’t too keen on ditching the company’s die-hard diesel forklifts at first. “He took the brochure and threw it in the garbage,” Jimmo laughed. “Then we started talking numbers.”

The price tag: $80,000 a lift, around $10,000 more than their diesel lifts. “At first we’re nervous of, you know, they’re obviously expensive and we have chargers and all that stuff, and it’s new to us,” Carroll shrugged.

Crunching the numbers, Jimmo found each lift would save the company an annual $8,000 on gas and service. With those savings, they’d make up the price difference in less than two years. Rice Lumber was sold and got a $6,000 rebate from Green Mountain Power. “It’s exciting. I never thought I’d be the guy cutting the carbon footprint in the state of Vermont like this,” Jimmo smiled. “Being the pioneer.”

The forklifts run around eight to 10 hours a charge and plug in on-site, cutting out a weekly 20 gallons of diesel. Plus, they can handle thousands more pounds than the old diesel lifts and offer more safety features. Carroll says even their oldest employees prefer the EV lifts over the four remaining diesel lifts. “It’s looking like they’re working out pretty well,” Carroll said.

Jimmo says he hopes Rice Lumber’s success story encourages other construction companies to make the switch. “I think when other people see what a good thing it is, they’ll jump on board,” Jimmo said.

Rice Lumber is waiting to see how the forklifts perform through the winter before replacing their entire diesel fleet.

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