The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 13

The Burlington Free Press Tuesday, October 23, 2007 www.burlingtonfreepress.com 3B In Brief Settler's Farm founders featured at library talk S. Burlington police arrest robbery suspect Free Press Staff Report Christa Alexander and Mark Fasching of the Jericho Settler's Farm are this year's keynote speakers for the 10th annual Deborah Rawson Lecture. Their presentation will be delivered at 6:30 p.m. today at Deborah Rawson Memorial Library. The mission of the lecture series is to help residents of Jericho and Underhill "maintain and enhance a sense of place within their world community." The late Deborah Raw-son was the author of "Without a Farmhouse Near," which chronicles the transition of Jericho and Underhill from rural dairy farming communities to suburban neighborhoods.

Alexander and Fasching founded the Jericho Set- Free Press Staff Report A suspect was arrested by South Burlington police minutes after an armed man robbed a convenience store on Shelburne Road early Monday morning. John Keppler, 30, of Burlington was charged Monday with armed robbery and driving while under the influence after he allegedly entered the Jolley Short Stop about 3 a.m., displayed a gun and demanded money, police said. He fled in what was described as a dark-colored sport utility vehicle. He was reportedly wearing a red, white and blue sweater, blue jeans, a green hood and a dark scarf covering part of his face. Police said an officer who responded to the robbery spotted a dark-colored SUV and followed it to another convenience store at the in fuel bills.

Heating aid hasn't kept pace with the mushrooming cost of fuels, he said. After the panel discussion, the crowd broke up into small groups and brain-stormed more ideas to share with the poverty council. Cynthia LaWare, secretary of human services, sat with one group. This was the second forum she had attended, and she said she plans to go to at least three more. "I'm here to hear what the communities are saying about what their needs are," ft POVERTY: Panel listens to ideas representatives from each of the state's political parties.

Vermont 15 bridge to close for work CAMBRIDGE The so-called "wrong-way" bridge on Vermont 15 will be closed beginning today for repair. The bridge will remain closed through Sunday. Traffic will be detoured along a combination of Lower Pleasant Valley Road, Upper Pleasant Valley Road and Church Street. The closure is necessary so crews can prepare to pour the bridge's concrete deck and allow time for the concrete to cure, according to a news release by the Vermont Agency of Transportation. Berlin police seek 2nd car in fatal crash BERLIN Berlin police seek information regarding a second vehicle that may have been in the vicinity of a fatal crash Friday night on Vermont 62.

The crash, in which the 16-year-old driver died and a passenger was seriously injured, occurred near the Barre City-Berlin town line. Police are investigating the cause of the crash and have information that another vehicle was traveling in the same lane as the vehicle involved. Police want to speak with the operator and occupants of the second car. Police also are looking to identify and speak with two males who may have been at the crash scene after the crash occurred. Anyone with information should call Officer Daniel R.

Gowans at 223-4401. Middlesex man injured in crash, bridge jump MONTPELIER A man from Middlesex was listed in critical condition Monday night after he crashed his car on Interstate 89 in Montpel-ier, then jumped off a bridge over the Winooski River. Vermont State Police say Steven Tucker, 32, was taken to Central Vermont Hospital in Berlin, where he was stabilized and transferred to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington. When Berlin police responded to the 1 a.m. accident, an officer discovered a car that had crashed into a concrete abutment of the tersection of Shelburne Road and Swift Street.

The officer confronted Keppler, the driver, who was found to have a wad of cash. The officer also found a red, white and blue sweat shirt, a green hood and a dark-colored winter hat on the front seat. A black handgun was spotted under the driver's seat, police said. Keppler pleaded not guilty to two felonies, assault and robbery with a weapon and third offense of driving under the influence, during his arraignment at Vermont District Court in Burlington. He was ordered jailed for lack of $50,000 bail at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, according to court records.

The case remains under investigation, police said. she said. With state officials in the midst of developing budget plans for next year, LaWare said, "This is critical information." Mayor Bob Kiss thanked the council and the Legislature for deciding to attack poverty. "There are plenty of people who are being left behind," he said. "I hope before 10 years are over, you will have changed the face of Vermont." Contact Nancy Remsen at 651-4888 or nremsenbfp.burlingtonfree-press.com.

1 "Oar. Accomplice sentenced in Backward Bandit case Christopher Adams, 27, of Burlington was sentenced Monday to 2'A years in prison for his role in the string of so-called Backward Bandit robberies this winter, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Burlington. Adams admitted in federal court that he drove the robber, Matthew Maskell, to and from heists Jan. 28 in Colchester and Jan.

29 in Jericho, then bought drugs with the proceeds, according to prosecutors. Adams, Maskell and two other accomplices, Gerald LaFlam and Ashley Pen-niman, have pleaded guilty to related federal charges. Sentencing is scheduled for early 2008 for LaFlam, Maskell and Penniman. Chief U.S. District Judge Williams Sessions III sentenced Adams to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $2,160 in restitution, according to prosecutors.

Delaware sex offender arrested in Burlington One of Delaware's most wanted sex offenders was arrested Monday near the intersection of Church and Cherry streets in Burlington, the U.S. Marshals Service office in Burlington said. Jonathan E. Fox, 22, of Sea-ford, had been a fugitive since April 3, when Sussex County, Delaware, authorities issued an arrest warrant against Fox for failing to register as a convicted sex offender, the Marshals Service said. Delaware State Police said they learned Fox lived in Burlington in 2006 and suspected he was back in town, the Marshals Service said.

U.S. marshals and Burlington police arrested Fox Monday. Chittenden County Sheriffs drove Fox to Vermont District Court in Burlington, where Fox was ordered jailed without bail, the Marshal's Service said. He agreed to be extradited to Delaware. Panel to discuss global warming A panel, "As the World Burns: Liberating Responses to Global Warming," will critique the limitations of Al Gore's proposed solutions to climate change at 7 p.m.

today at Burlington College. The three panelists Brian Tokar, April Howard and Cara Taussig will discuss Gore's "limited approach to citizencorporate action" and will discuss experiences on the ground during Latin America's biofuel craze, according to a press release from TowardFree-dom, the event's sponsor. Tokar is an author and activist, and a faculty member at the Institute for Social Ecology in Plainfield. Howard is a teacher and editor at UpsideDownWorld.org, a Web site on activism and politics in Latin America. Taussig is a partner in Cham-plain Valley Co-housing and works with local sustainabil-ity groups.

A $5 donation is requested. St. Michael's cancels town-meeting event COLCHESTER A St. Michael's College-sponsored town meeting scheduled for ioday has been canceled, college officials said. The event was to feature Jericho tier's Farm in 2002.

The farm initially concentrated on flowers, herbs and vegetables, but the family's offerings now include pasture-raised meat and eggs. They will talk about the past, present and future of the farm, and the importance of local sustainable agriculture. Previous Deborah Raw-son lectures have included a conversation about voluntary simplicity led by Richard Czaplinski of the Vermont Earth Institute; a panel discussion on maintaining a sense of community moderated by Will Raap of Gardener's Supply and a lecture by landscape analyst Kerstin Lange on how to read the landscape to develop a deeper sense of place. have money or time to take their children to libraries, to read to them or expose them to museums or dining out. "What I see with a lot of children is they are bright and capable of learning, but they come in behind," Radley said.

"They just haven't had a lot of experiences." Shana Casava described living in poverty for much of her life. She bounced among shelters growing up and later, as an adult, found herself homeless. She said people from poor families often don't have the money to buy their children the equipment or supplies they need to participate in sports or other activities. "So they end up in the street," Casava said. "Make places for them to go.

I really think more activities should happen for these kids." Markley suggested expanding the program that helps clients pay back rent because it could save more families from losing their homes. "It's so restrictive," she said. Tim Searles, executive director of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, called for more money to help people pay information that is needed to solve this mystery and locate Brianna," the Web site said. The Web site includes 16 profiles of missing people; all but the most recent cases are available on the site. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE JARRETT The nicest Man On The Planet! Continued from Page IB her life around, she said.

She has hopes and dreams that her children will know a better life. "I want them to be able to go to college, to get a job, to do what I haven't been able to do," Baker said. Baker and Markley were members of a panel asked to describe the biggest challenges facing low-income Vermonters and some strategies that work that could help the poor climb up the financial ladder to a better life. Members of the Vermont Child Poverty Council, created by the Legislature, want to hear potential remedies, because the council has a challenging mandate: plan how to cut the child poverty rate in half within 10 years. The council will hold forums in every county.

This was the third. Nancy Radley, a first-grade teacher at H.O. Wheeler School in Burlington, said more preschool programs would broaden the cultural and literacy experiences of children from low-income families. She noted that parents struggling to make ends meet often don't GoldpyStsndsrd Carpet and Furniture Cleaning Compare and you'll discover the difference the patented Duraclean foam process makes. Safe, thorough cleaning of your carpets and furniture are all done on location.

WE ALSO CLEAN AREA RUGS Help sought to find missing Pick Up Delivery Available bridge. As the officer approached the car, Tucker got out of the car and jumped off the bridge. He fell 42 feet before landing along the Winooski River, police said. Early indications say alcohol and drugs were factors in the crash, said police. Police investigate thefts from Williston cars WILLISTON Police are investigating a string of thefts, in which items were stolen from cars in parking lots in Williston late last week.

Between Thursday night and Friday morning, someone forced his way into four vehicles that were parked in three parking lots on Boyer Circle, police said. Stolen items include three Pioneer CD radios; one Si-rius satellite receiver; a gold wedding band; and a VCR TV movie player. The items are valued at about $1,450, police said. The cars also sustained an "extensive amount" of damage, according to police. Anyone with information on the thefts should call the Williston Police Department.

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