Rutland Daily Herald from Rutland, Vermont • A7

Southern Vermont Windham Windsor Bennington Rutland Daily Herald A7 Thursday, August 28, 2014 In Brief Springfield Hospital pleads case By RICK JURGENS VALLEY NEWS STAFF MONTPELIER Executives of Springfield Hospital told a hearing of the Green Mountain Care Board on Tuesday that the hospital was on track to post a $1 million operating loss in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, then faced skeptical questioning about the hospital's request for a 5.1 percent revenue increase. "If I give you this money, what does it get me in the next 10 years?" Al Gobeille, the board chairman, asked the Springfield executives who traveled here to seek state which is seeking $1.1 billion in revenue, and Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, which is seeking $59.9 million. The board members seemed less interested in hospital budget specifics than in ideas about how to change the incentives and constraints that channel the $2 billion torrent of revenue flowing through the state's hospitals each year. Fletcher Allen Chief Executive John Brumsted offered this advice: 'You've got to have the people who See Case, Page A8 approval for a $55 million operating budget for fiscal 2015.

"Sell me on it, guys, because right now I'm not buying it." Board members worried that Springfield's financial woes would continue. They asked how long the hospital would continue to provide financial support for an affiliated clinic that also receives federal financial subsidies no end was anticipated, executives said and urged them to explore additional ways to collaborate with Dartmouth-Hitchcock, as a number of other hospitals in the region have done in recent years. Gobeille said during a break in the hearing that the five-member board, which had instructed the hospitals to submit budgets with net patient service revenue increases of no more than 3 percent, would probably vote on Springfield's request in early September. The board reviews budget proposals from all 14 Vermont hospitals. On Tuesday, the board heard from executives from Springfield and three other hospitals, including Fletcher Allen Partners, the state's largest medical institution, WINDHAM ALL AFLUTTER White, Balint win Senate primary By SUSAN SMALLHEER STAFF REPORT BRATTLEBORO Sen.

Jeanette White, D-Windham, and newcomer Rebecca "Becca" Balint won the two Democratic nominations for Windham state senate in Tuesday's primary. With 21 of 24 towns reporting to the Vermont secretary of state, White was top vote-getter with 1,906 votes, or 40 percent of ballots cast, with Balint, a Brattleboro resident, receiving 1,365 votes, or 28.8 percent. Coming in third was Roger Allbee of Townshend, with 1,050, or 22 percent, with Joan Bowman of Putney receiving only 398 votes, or 8.4 percent. White, a resident of Putney, is seeking her seventh two-year term in the state Senate. White was top vote-getter in most towns, with the exception of the towns clustered around Allbee 's hometown of Townshend.

Balint, a Brattleboro educator and newspaper columnist, was making her first run for office and had raised the most money of all four candidates approximately $13,000, including a $1,000 donation from Hollywood's Jane Lynch of "Glee." Balint said Lynch was a personal friend who texted her Tuesday night with congratulations. Balint, 46, who has taught in Londonderry, Guilford and Marlboro, said the focus of her campaign was economic development for Windham County and issues See Windham, Page A8 N.J. man admits Vt. crack sales WHITE RIVER JUNCTION An alleged member of the Jersey Boys drug gang has pleaded guilty to selling crack cocaine in Springfield last year. Daniel "Chubbz" Ramos, 22, of Newark, N.J., made a plea deal Tuesday in which he admitted to a felony count of selling crack cocaine.

The deal is for six to 30 months in jail, with all but six months suspended for probation. He will get credit for the time he has already served in a Vermont jail and be returned to New Jersey to continue his probation. Ramos, who had been in jail in New Jersey where he still faces several weapons-related charges, voluntarily waived extradition to Vermont in March. Ramos, whose criminal history in New Jersey includes convictions on robbery, burglary and weapons charges, was identified as a Springfield drug dealer in June 2013 by a police informant, according to court records. Detectives said their informant set up a purchase of $100 worth of crack cocaine and then investigators watched as Ramos handed the drug through the window of a car to the informant.

Woman says man 'hunted' her down BENNINGTON A Manchester man was ordered held without bail after being accused by his probation officer of stalking-like behavior two months after pleading guilty to violating an abuse prevention order against another woman. Sean C. Campbell, 39, of Manchester, was arraigned in Bennington criminal court Monday for violating conditions of his probation. He pleaded innocent to the charge. Campbell was placed on probation for nine to 12 months in June after pleading guilty to violation of an abuse-prevention order.

In that case, police said they were responding to a woman who had gotten an abuse-prevention order against Campbell in March. The woman said on April 7, Campbell was in his sport utility vehicle outside her workplace in Bennington. Police said as they were putting Campbell inside a police cruiser on April 7, he said to them, "Would you guys do me a favor? Could you please give (the woman) a wedding ring and flowers I bought for her?" In an affidavit filed Wednesday, Vermont Department of Corrections Probation Officer Gina Condo said a different woman had told her that Campbell had come uninvited to her Peru home. The woman said in a sworn statement that Campbell had "hunted" down her new home after she ended a relationship with him. "(He) won't stop, won't leave me alone.

It's creepy that he hunted me down and threatened he would come back." Condo said the new accusations violate Camp-bell's probation conditions against engaging in threatening or harassing behavior. Staff reports ALBERT J. MARRO STAFF PHOTO A dainty white cabbage butterfly flies from flower to flower near the Ludlow train depot. Sheriffs new HQ set to open Tuesday expires Sunday. "Now, we've got to sort through a lot of boxes and pretty much get moved in, but we're on target.

It's been difficult as far as keeping the time line. It was a pretty aggressive time line to begin (with) in May and be in here by the end of this month, but we've been on task," Schmidt said. Schmidt said there were many improvements made in the new building. With the help of contractors and some of the department's deputies, the interior footprint of the building has took a hands-on approach with some of his deputies, getting the building, which has been an auto dealership and a research and development site for Plasan Carbon Composites in the past, ready for Tuesday. Schmidt first spoke with the Bennington Select Board at the end of April about the possibility of moving his department.

Four months later, the goal is just within reach. Schmidt said he had to move quickly because the department was leasing its building on Lincoln Street from Green Mountain Power. The lease By PATRICK MCARDLE STAFF WRITER BENNINGTON The Bennington County Sheriff's Department will be closed Friday but will reopen Tuesday in its new location on Route 7, according to Sheriff Chad Schmidt. Schmidt said the department's home on Lincoln Street will be closed at the end of the week so members of the department can move the rest of their equipment and belongings. After Labor Day, the new headquarters of the department will open to the public.

On Wednesday, Schmidt PATRICK MCARDLE STAFF PHOTO The sheriff's will move out of the former site of the Bennington See HQ, Page A8 County Sheriffs office on Lincoln Street at the end of the week. STATE After primary, rematch set in Vermont US House race By NEAL P. GOSWAMI VERMONT PRESS BUREAU MONTPELIER Mark Donka emerged as the victor Wednesday in the GOP primary for U.S. representative, setting up a rematch of two years ago when Rep. Peter Welch, easily defeated the Hartford police officer.

The three-way contest remained very close into Wednesday, but the Associated Press called the race for Donka around 2:45 p.m. The AP, using returns it collected independently from town and city clerks, determined that Donka beat Donald Russell by just 321 votes. The secretary of state's website Wednesday showed that 244, or nearly 89 percent of the state's 275 precincts, had reported results. Donka, according to the secretary of state's numbers, had amassed 3,749 votes, or privilege of my life, and I'm thankful for the support I received today and over the years," Shumlin said in the statement. "In the last four years we've made great progress together, and I'm incredibly proud that Vermont is leading America in so many ways.

With one of the nation's lowest unemployment rates, the top solar job creation ranking See Race, Page A8 34 percent. Donald Russell was second with 3,566 votes, accounting for 32 percent of the vote. Donald Nolte was third with 3,121 votes, or 28 percent. Donka will go on to challenge Welch, first elected in 2006, who did not have a primary challenge. Meanwhile, Democratic Gov.

Peter Shumlin is now certain to face off against Republican Scott Milne. Shumlin, who is seeking a third term, easily defeated primary challenger H. Brooke Paige as expected, receiving 78 percent of the vote. Shumlin was so confident that he scheduled his vacation during the primary. His campaign issued a statement on his behalf Tuesday night after his race was called by the Associated Press.

"Serving as Vermont's governor is the greatest.