The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 1

1 pe Itee Saturday, September 2, 2006 lV v4 Zoaz Custom Serving Vermont for 180 years www.burlingtonfreepress.com 50 cents a Cashman, target of critics, to retire Judge sparked firestorm after handing sex offender short sentence gon the WEBj -X. ers and cable news commentators. Cashman, who announced his retirement in a letter, could not be reached for comment Friday. He declined an interview request made through a court spokeswoman and did not respond to a telephone message left at his home. In January, he imposed the sentence on Mark Hulett, 34, of By David Gram The Associated Press MONTPELIER A judge who sparked outrage when he sentenced a sex offender to two months in jail said Friday he will retire.

Vermont District Court Judge Edward Cashman, 63, made no mention of the case that made him a target of heated criticism from lawmakers, editorial writ by the sentence, and a host of others who called Cashman soft on child predators and demanded his resignation. State Corrections officials later changed their policy for treating sex offenders, allowing Hulett to get treatment in prison, prompting Cashman to increase the sentence to a three-year minimum. See CASHMAN, 4A Cashman career notes, 4A Williston, who had been convicted for repeated sexual assaults on a young girl. The judge said it was the best way to get Hulett the sex-offender treatment he needed. The sentencing drew fire from Gov.

Jim Douglas, who said "all Vermonters are outraged" For past coverage, go to Sex-offender Sentencing under the Web Extra archive at the bottom of the Free Press home page. GLENN RUSSELL, Free Press file Vermont District Court Judge Edward Cashman. Team Tavern bums; Dog Milton sets start date back again Mold keeps schools closed until Sept. 18 owner presumed dead. I I Mltl mit IIHIUJ 'm' III 1 i 'I' Mini -Mil.

II II) i Hi 11 mil i XM VV .1 A I'M -T mint iii i iii mi mMm i By Lauren Ober Free Press Staff Writer Milton elementary school students will have to wait another week to hit the books after Friday's decision by the town School Board to postpone the school start date again. The board voted unanimously to delay school until Sept. 18 because work to remove mold is taking longer than anticipated. The board voted last month to delay until Sept. 11 to give cleaning crews time to decontaminate the building, where about a quarter of the rooms were affected by significant mold growth.

The work is going according to schedule, Superintendent Holden Waterman said, but the contractors didn't anticipate the amount of mold that was found. Waterman said he is confident that by Tuesday a "significant number of rooms" will be ready for use. In the coming months, the school will undergo construction to make permanent repairs to the roof, drainage and ventilation systems. On Aug. 24, the School Board approved $500,000 for the mold removal, but Waterman said school officials don't have an estimate for the large-scale repairs.

He did mention in a previous board meeting that some state money was available for these pending expenses. "We're working on permanent fixes so we won't have this type of problem in the future," Waterman said. In a letter to parents written Friday, Waterman explained that after administrators and board members toured the school and listened to the recommendations of the consultants, they all agreed that a later start would be in the students' best interest. The delay leaves parents, including Tawnya Stowell, mother of Tamara Murray, 11, and Ta-meka Stowell, 9, wondering what their children are going td do See MILTON, 4A JONAH M. the Free Press Fire and rescue team members clear the remains of the Dog Team Tavern after a fire destroyed the popular restaurant Friday morning.

Police suspect owner Christopher Hesslink was killed in the blaze. Restaurant a landmark for 60 years NEvkHAVEN (L MIDDtBURY the restaurant in his vehicle. Dozens of employees, friends, family and onlookers spent Friday watching as the charred, blackened restaurant was torn down, anxiously awaiting news about the owner and trading stories about what it was like to work for him. At about 4:20 p.m., a body was found to the right of the fireplace in the lobby of the restaurant. Vermont State Police Detective Lt.

Tim Oliver said the body would be brought to the state's chief medical examiner's office for an See DOG TEAM, 11A By Sky Barsch Free Press Staff Writer NEW HAVEN Police suspect Dog Team Tavern owner Christopher Hesslink, 42, was killed when the landmark restaurant burned early Friday morning in a fire police are calling suspicious. The fire destroyed the 60-year-old restaurant on quiet Dog Team Road and known for its sticky buns, ample portions and spinning relish wheel. The fire broke out around 2:25 a.m. Friday morning, and more than 50 firefighters from several "It's just a place, but it's a very special place." Tom Rood, former Dog Team Tavern employee Addison County agencies battled the blaze for hours. Investigators then spent more than eight hours sifting through the debris, searching for Hesslink, who was missing.

Hesslink's dogs were found behind Ernesto soaks the South, heads this way Soggy weekend here Taryn Bryant and her son, Tristan, make their way to a neighbor's house after their Norfolk, home flooded Friday. Ernesto was downgraded to a tropical depression but still knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people. By Sonja Barisic The Associated Press NORFOLK, Va. Ernesto weakened to a tropical depression Friday, but the storm still packed enough punch to dump more than half a foot of rain, knock out power to more than 300,000 customers and force hundreds of people from their homes. And it was far from finished.

On the eve of the Labor Day Tourists take shelter in Mexico as hurricane passes, 3A weekend, the storm prompted flash flood watches for wide sections of Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and central New York. "Nobody is relaxing until long after the storm has passed," Vir- See STORM, 4A TODAY: Rain spreading slowly north during the afternoon. Windy, especially along the western slopes of the Green Mountains. No flooding Is expected. Highs in the upper 60s.

TONIGHT: Occasional rain. Windy in" spots, lows in the 50s. SUNDAY: Cloudy with showers, highs in the 60s. MONDAY: Partly, cloudy, slight risk of a shower, highs near 70. I Ay -v-" wirr RICH-JOSEPH FACUN, I he Virginian Pilot Printed in the U.S.A.

on the Illllllll 11111 WEATHER Hi: 70 Low: 55 For up-to-the-minute news, sports and entertainment, go to INDEX Business 5A Deaths 4B Movies 2C Classified 5C Forum 9A Opinion 8A Vol. 179, No. 244 Comics 3C Horoscope Sports 6B (c) 2006 The Burlington Free Press Crossword ..1 3D 1C TV list 4C I 4 a www.burllngtonfreepress.com Available for home or oflice delivery. call toii-fre i-xm27-3126 Early sun, then thickening clouds..