Rutland Daily Herald from Rutland, Vermont • B7

B7 Rutland Daily Herald Wednesday, March 20, 2013 In Brief to locate her and another $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person, or people, responsible for her disap Concerns over wild boar in Vt. COLCHESTER Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials are worried about wild boar in the state. The invasive exotic species is found in 38 states. Vermont Public Radio reported that the department is concerned that the boar could escape captive hunting facilities in Vermont. The fear is that the boar would prey on birds that nest on the ground and endangered plants, as well as other animals on private property.

The department is asking the Legislature to ban possession and importation of the animals. Scott Darling, wildlife program director for the department, said the boars are very aggressive. Tax filing help is available BURLINGTON Ver-monters making $57,000 or less are eligible for a free tax filing service. The service is a public-private partnership between the Internal Man pleads guilty in threat case A prison inmate accused of sending threatening letters to Gov. Peter Shumlin has pleaded guilty to three federal charges related to the threats.

Dakota Gardner, 22, changed his plea from innocent to guilty on the three charges Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Rutland. Gardner, who was found mentally competent to stand trial last week, changed his plea after accepting a deal from the U.S. attorney's office. Prosecutors agreed to drop a fourth charge against him and to grant him sentencing credits for accepting responsibility for the crimes in a timely fashion.

Gardner, who could serve a maximum of 1 5 years behind bars on the remaining charges, is scheduled to be sentenced July 15. Last year, Vermont State Police were notified of a threatening letter that had been sent to Shumlin 's office from an inmate at the Springfield prison. Police said Gardner guidelines" and she would receive credit for timely acceptance of responsibility. The terms of the deal also dictate that Brisson, who served as clerk for 26 years, pay back $400,000 in restitution. No date has been set for a change of plea hearing.

9 years since teen disappeared MONTGOMERY Vermont State Police investigators are marking the ninth anniversary of the disappearance of Brianna Maitland. The then-1 7-year-old Maitland was last seen on March 19, 2004 when she was leaving her job at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery. Her car was found the next day adjacent to an abandoned farmhouse not far from her workplace. Investigators believe Maitland was a victim of foul play and they continue to receive and investigate leads. Maitland's family continues to offer a $20,000 reward, including $10,000 Revenue Service and commercial tax software companies.

Those with incomes of $57,000 or less are eligible to use Free File's easy filing software, and anyone can use the service's online fillable forms at no cost. Nearly 36 million Americans have already used Free File, according to the IRS. The software can be accessed on the IRS website at www.freefile.irs.gov. Additionally, Vermonters making less than $51,000 may be eligible to receive free help preparing their state and federal returns through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Also, Vermonters age 60 and older may qualify for help under the Tax Counseling for the Elderly program.

Rep. Peter Welch, is reminding Vermonters of the programs. For information on how to access these programs, Vermonters can call 800-906-9887 (for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) and 888-227-7669 (for Tax Counseling for the Elderly) Staff and wire reports pear ance. Man convicted in frostbite abuse MONTPELIER A 42-year-old St. Johnsbury man has been given five years' probation after he pleaded guilty to forcing his 14-year-old son to shovel snow and exercise outside barefoot and wearing a T-shirt, resulting in frostbite.

Robert A. Stone Jr. was convicted of aggravated domestic assault on his son. Temperatures were below freezing in mid-January last year when the boy was outside. Stone pleaded guilty in the criminal court in Caledonia County.

Under the terms of his probation, he got a five-year deferred sentence, must have mental health counseling, take a parenting education course and not engage in violent or threatening behavior. thing. You could find anything you want to read in there." The Friday night event includes a $10 cover charge and will include light refreshments and a cash bar. The next day, the book sale will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The silent auction is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. nington in encouraging legislators to pass a bill giving all Vermont towns the ability to assess the tax. "I think we've got enough to worry about," he said. New Selectman Mark Tessier also opposed the proposed legislation.

"I don't think we want to be associated with it," he said. Brooks directed Town Administrator Julie Sharon to inform Bennington officials that Wallingford "respectfully" declines any effort supporting a 1 percent local option sales tax. ing stereotypes. "It's inappropriate," Sears said. Sen.

Richard McCor-mack, D-Windsor, said, "If the point was that it was local and not a foreign answering service, that's a valid point. They could have made it without the stereotype." Rep. Kesha Ram, D-Burlington, who has been active as a legislator in human rights issues and whose father was born in India, commented in an email: "I applaud Neighbor-Works' goal to improve the Walmart Continued from Page B5 accepted the request. With the appeals dismissed, local permits granted by the town of Bennington a little more than seven years ago are now filed. However, the appeal of the Act 250 permit, issued by the state in 201 1, is still pending because of a second appeal filed by the owners of the Mount Anthony Country Club.

The club's owners have also ap threatened violence against Shumlin and his family while he was in prison after a 2009 arrest in Bratdeboro for aggravated assault. Weybridge clerk to plead guilty Former longtime Weybridge town clerk and treasurer Karen Brisson has been charged federally with embezzling money from the town and has reached a plea agreement offered by federal prosecutors, according to records filed in U.S. District Court in Vermont. Brisson, who prosecutors say stole $400,000 from the town between 2006 and 2012, stands charged of a single federal count that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail. But under the terms of a plea agreement signed by Brisson and federal prosecutors, the former clerk would be sentenced at the "low end of the sentencing spaces left.

Only three are rented, he said. But he said the group was talking to a women's clothing store and that someone was interested in the space formerly occupied by the Moles Eye Cafe, which was in the basement of the building. A lot of the old retail space in the back of the building has been taken over by the Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College, which have become anchor tenants in the revitalization effort. The two colleges are expected to bring about 300 students daily to the downtown area, a big boost to Main Street. Construction will take a year, Stevens said.

The main contractor for the project will be Breadloaf Construction, he said, and it is already soliciting bids for electrical, mechanical and sprinkler work. He said during the summer he expects there will be a couple of hundred workers on the project every day. Stevens said one portion of the building, the so-called Ballroom, which covered 4,000 square feet, was going to be taken by a local office, and wouldn't have to be cut up into smaller spaces. "It was that space that pushed us over the spot," he said. susan.smallheer rutlandherald.com the thrush or of other species at risk from climate change, and we need to start acting like we know that." Meagan Racey, a spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service's Northeast region in Hadley, said the agency would review the notice once it receives it.

The Fish and Wildlife Service completed a 90-day review in August and found that the habitat of the Bicknell's thrush faces threats from climate change and forestry, energy, and recreational development, such as ski areas. "Like other migrating songbirds, the Bicknell's thrush is further challenged by the impacts of larly like that it's an old historic building. Our trustees do an incredible amount of work and we want to support them." For more information about the gala, contact Fjeld at 236-4510 or Tucia.suarez rutlandherald.com indictment, Hendler took the money he sold from the vehicles and deposited it into another personal banking account. None of the funds went back to Java Pop the indictment said. Hendler's attorney Bradley Stetler declined to comment about the recent plea agreement.

christian rutlandherald.com nic insensitivity had been raised in Vermont, which is more than 90 percent white. Earlier this month, the Caledonian-Record newspaper in St. Johns-bury came under fire for running a full-page banner supporting its local high school basketball team in a championship game against Rice Memorial High School of South Burlington. The newspaper banner said "Go 'Toppers Fry Rice," with the latter two words printed in pretend Chinese script. decision reversing that decision was.

It really reversed not just that one decision but what had become a trend in Act 250 (proceedings that was) whittling away citizens' rights." he said. Alan George, a Rutland attorney who represents the applicant locally, could not be reached Tuesday but in February, he said he couldn't speculate on when the project might start until the outstanding appeal is resolved. patrick.mcardle rutlandherald.com The day will include a children's story hour, Vermont author readings and music provided by local garage band Feral Godmother. "The library is a source of community power," Fjeld said. "It provides information for people.

It's a safe place to go." She added, "We particu Deal Continued from Page B5 urged him to sell them off because of the company's precarious financial situation. Hen-dler sold three of the vehicles to the dealer that he bought them from and the fourth automobile was sold to a relative of Hendler, court records stated. But according to the efficiency of homes in Rutland County, but to promote their work by making fun of another culture is in poor taste," Ram said. "It also makes bad economic sense for our communities, as there are many Vermont residents and visitors of South Asian descent that would find this alienating and insulting. Perhaps comedians don't mind being offensive, but a community organization in Vermont should." It was the second time in less than two weeks that charges of cultural or eth pealed a state-issued storm water permit.

According to Shupe, the case has also set an important precedent because the Vermont Environmental Court overturned a decision by the local Act 250 commission which prevented the VNRC and the citizens group from having party status in the case. "I can't emphasize enough the extent to which the citizens were wronged by the (Act 250) district commission and how significant the court Library Continued from Page B1 the $1 to $2 range. "We have maybe 2,000 hardcover books and probably 3,000 paperback books," Fjeld said. "We have a ton of books. Every Tax Continued from Page B1 "I don't think it's necessarily anything we would want to institute," he said.

Tift said Vermonters were overtaxed and he was unhappy with legislators considering additional revenue sources with "a gas tax, soda tax and a tax on just about anything you can think of." Selectman Gary Fredette said the town should notjoin Ben Housing Continued from Page B5 D-Burlington "I was shocked at the implication that the only person you would want to talk to on the telephone was a white Vermonter." Some lawmakers called the ad demeaning to South Asians. Sen. Richard Sears, a Bennington County Democrat, said an agency getting government support NeighborWorks gets federal grant money should not run ads us changing climate on its breeding and wintering areas," the agency said. "The loss of high-elevation forests, shift in available food, and increase in extreme weather could affect the survival of this species." The service then began a 60-day period when it invited more information on the bird and its habitat. Following that period, the service said, it would issue a 12-month finding on the center's petition.

That finding has not been issued and the bird also is not on the service's listing work plan for 2013 to 2018, released last month. Because of the possible litigation, Racey said she could not comment on why the bird wasn't on the plan. Brooks Continued from Page B5 a fire in April 201 1, and a local group stepped in after the original owner abandoned plans for rebuilding the historic hotel after about a year. Mesabi LLC is made up of Stevens, who runs an engineering and architectural firm in downtown Brattleboro, and local attorney Craig Miskovich, and three local business owners: Drew Richards, Peter Richards and Ben Tag-gard. Brooks House still has some residential and retail space available, but he said practically all of the space designated for offices has been rented.

So much so, that Stevens and his partners are thinking about reinstating a plan to put a third story on a wing off the Harmony Parking Lot to accommodate offices. "We have verbal commitments that have pushed us over the top. And we have several more that we are meeting later this week," he said. Renting retail space still remains a big challenge, he said, with only three of the eight retail spaces rented. "Retail space has not gone as fast as the rest," he said, noting the project only has a few apartments but has five retail Thrush Continued from Page B1 a conservation advocate at the center's Northeast office.

The office on Tuesday notified the Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Interior that the group plans to file a lawsuit. "Last year was the warmest year on record in the United States, with record storms, drought and fires," Matteson said. "The disappearance of a plucky brown bird nesting at the tops of mountains may not be as dramatic, but all these events point to a world increasingly hostile to life as we know it. Our fate is not separate from that of 31 Come for the Stay for the friendships nmm.i.i,n.iiw Passages at tfke Paramount AMADEUS LEOPOLD: CLASSICAL MUSIC SERIES viovm 2013 8:00 PM Spacious one and two bedroom residences with kitchens and sunrooms Dining services Housekeeping and maintenance Transportation services Wellness and fitness programs Social and cultural activities Pet friendly community Library, woodshop, gardens, and more FORMERLY, HAHN-BIN mar 22 lTfie (ja6Ces AT EAST MOUNTALN 1 Gables Place, Rutland, VT 05701 Call Jay Grimes or Randi Cohn at 770-5263 for availability or a tour.

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