/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/B5ZX2MTB4BFKVFCARYG5A7T66I.jpg "Vermont lawmakers get firsthand look at flood damage ahead of next session")
JOHNSON, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont lawmakers are beginning to figure out how to prepare for the next big flood. Tuesday, a key committee got a firsthand look at the damage from July’s devastating floods and the price tag for the cleanup.
Their visit comes ahead of a legislative session where money for short-term recovery and long-term mitigation will be tight.
The Lamoille County town of Johnson is still recovering from flooding more than two months ago. The wastewater plant, which was underwater, is partially back up and running.
“There’s a temporary transfer switch, a temporary generator. All thousands of dollars a month,” Johnson Town Administrator Erik Bailey said.
The health center down the street also took on several feet of water and is closed until further notice.
“The building was flooded up just over the windows. Everything inside was ruined,” said Geoff Butler, the executive director of the Johnson Health Center.
Homes were damaged, too. Rick Auperlee had waist-deep water on the first floor of his home on Railroad Street. He’s lived there for 34 years and is now faced with a difficult choice.
“Is it worth investing the time and the money in the property in staying here, or seriously look into the buyout program,” he said.
One street over, Johnson’s Sterling Market, post office and liquor store– which all flooded before– have plans to reopen.
Vermont House and Senate lawmakers surveyed the flood damage Tuesday to get a better sense of what flood victims will need when the Legislature convenes in January.
“We’re going to have to calculate on how much we’re spending on all of these disasters and think long term about where we want to make investments now as a state and federal government to be more resilient,” said Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden County.
Tropical Storm Irene’s cleanup and recovery cost around $700 million. Vermonters paid about $200 million of that with the rest coming from the federal government.
While the total cost from this year’s storm is still being tallied and it’s unclear how much the state can afford, recently lawmakers reallocated $20 million from broadband to business relief. And next year, with COVID cash already allocated, lawmakers predict difficult decisions ahead like whether to raise new revenues or cut back on other programs like broadband, housing, child care or others.
“Where we put that money and where we put the housing should be a question about how we move forward smart with housing and not make people make the choice of, ‘I’ve been flooded three times, should I move back into the same place?’” said Sen. Richard Westman, R-Lamoille County.
That includes rethinking development patterns in and outside of our downtowns, loosening up Act 250 exemptions for projects outside of floodplains, and developing outside of downtowns and on higher ground.
But revisiting Act 250 or the proverbial third rail in Vermont politics may be easier said than done. The Senate committee says they will be meeting again next month and bringing in more experts, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, to begin long-term planning.
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CARY, N.C. — The stakes are the highest they’ve ever been for Vermont soccer: Win Monday night and claim an NCAA national championship.
The Catamounts, who have knocked out three of the top-seven seeds in this NCAA Tournament, are ready for another big-stage chance. Vermont (15-2-6) meets No. 13-seed Marshall (15-1-7) at 8 p.m. Monday at WakeMed Soccer Park on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
“It doesn’t matter what is their record or what is their ranking. We just believe in ourselves,” Vermont star striker Yaniv Bazini said.
Vermont would be the first unseeded national champion since Marshall accomplished the feat during a field-shortened 2020 tournament. Akron, in 2018, was the last unseeded team to reach a full tournament of 48 teams. And the 2006 UC Santa Barbara squad was the last unseeded champion in a full field.
“Now it’s the final game. I’ve been saying that every single round since the knockout, and now it’s the best time to show Catamount soccer,” Bazini said.
Here’s what to know about the Vermont-Marshall matchup:
Playing in their 14th NCAA Tournament and fourth in a row, the Catamounts rocked Iona 5-0 at home in the opening round before going on the road for their next three victories to advance to the College Cup semifinals.
Vermont outlasted seventh-seeded Hofstra 2-1, beat San Diego 1-0 in overtime and then dropped No. 2-seeded Pittsburgh 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Vermont’s quarterfinal appearance was its second in three seasons after a three-decade wait between bids.
At the College Cup, Vermont rallied to force overtime before outlasting Denver 4-3 in the penalty shootout to book a spot in the program’s first championship game.
Vermont’s 10 NCAA tourney victories since 2022 are the most of any team in the country over that span, and the Cats’ 11 goals in this year’s tourney lead all teams.
After earning a first-round bye, the Herd cruised past Furman 4-0 at home in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In the third round, also at home, Marshall struck twice in the first half to earn a 2-1 victory over North Carolina State.
The Herd traveled to Dallas for their quarterfinal showdown vs. No. 12-seeded SMU. Marshall turned a 1-0 halftime lead into a 3-1 advantage by the 76th minute, holding on for a 3-2 triumph to seal its College Cup berth.
In the semifinals, Marshall banked on an early strike to stun No. 1 Ohio State for a 1-0 decision.
► Goals scored: Vermont (46), Marshall (45).
► Goals per game: Vermont (2.0), Marshall (1.96).
► Goals allowed: Vermont (18), Marshall (19).
► Goals allowed per game: Vermont (0.78), Marshall (0.78).
► Shots: Vermont (338), Marshall (275).
► Shots on goal: Vermont (142), Marshall (119).
► Corner kicks: Vermont (131), Marshall (104).
► Fouls: Vermont (280), Marshall (252).
► Yellow cards: Vermont (35), Marshall (59).
► Red cards: Vermont (0), Marshall (4).
► Yaniv Bazini: 14 goals, 2 assists.
► Maximilian Kissel: 10 goals, 2 assists.
► Sydney Wathuta: 1 goal, 14 assists.
► Max Murray: 4 goals, 4 assists.
► David Ismail: 3 goals, 3 assists.
► Marcell Papp: 4 goals, 1 assist.
► Zach Barrett: 1 goal, 5 assists.
► Niklas Herceg (goalie): 6 shutouts, 10 goals allowed in 15 games and 85.5% save percentage.
► Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos: 15 goals, 5 assists.
► Marco Silva: 5 goals, 2 assists.
► Tarik Pannholzer: 2 goals, 5 assists.
► Pablo Simon: 4 goals, 1 assist.
► Rai Pinto: 4 goals.
► Alexander Stjerngaard: 2 goals, 4 assists.
► Aleksa Janjic (goalie): 8 shutouts, 10 goals allowed in 15 starts and 79.6% save percentage.
Two former Burlington High School stars have played a role on this year’s Catamounts: Redshirt sophomore Nash Barlow and redshirt junior Karl Daly.
Daly has appeared in eight matches this fall, picking up his first career point, an assist, in the 5-0 win over Fairfield. Barlow made his college debut on Sept. 7 vs. American and has seen action in 12 more games. He scored his first goal in the 5-0 triumph over Harvard.
And associate head coach Brad Cole is a South Burlington High School graduate who played for the Catamounts from 2010-14. He was a senior captain for Vermont as a senior.
Cole returned to the Vermont staff ahead of the 2023 season for his second coaching stint with the Catamounts.
Vermont soccer vs. Marshall will broadcast nationally on ESPN+, which is ESPN’s subscription-based streaming service.
The Vermont soccer vs. Marshall game starts at 8 p.m. eastern Monday at WakeMed Soccer Park at Cary, North Carolina.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
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Marshall will face Vermont for the 2024 NCAA Division I men’s title on Monday night when they meet in the Men’s College cup final in Cary, North Carolina.
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Vermont State Police said they arrested a suspect wanted for shooting a St. Johnsbury police officer early Sunday morning in a house right next to the one where he lived and where the shooting occurred.
Scott Mason, 38, of St. Johnsbury was taken into custody around 2 a.m. after he was located inside a residence at 251 Portland St. in St. Johnsbury, the house next door to the location where St. Johnsbury police Capt. Jason Gray was shot and seriously injured on Friday afternoon.
The town of St. Johnsbury and the FBI had each offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to Mason’s capture.
The shooting occurred around 4:30 p.m. Friday when St. Johnsbury police responded to a report of a domestic violence incident at Mason’s apartment at 261 Portland St. Gray was shot one time and taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he continues to undergo treatment. He is expected to survive.
Shortly after midnight Sunday, state police said they obtained a search warrant for 251 Portland St. and converged on the residence along with members of several other local law enforcement agencies.
Mason was brought to the state police barracks in St. Johnsbury for processing, after which he will be transported to jail on an arrest warrant for charges of attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault on a law-enforcement officer resulting in serious bodily injury. He is also facing other unrelated charges.
No further details have been released. State police said they will provide additional updates as they become available.
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