North Adams Transcript from North Adams, Massachusetts • 14

Public Voice Vermont Page B6 Saturday, September 18, 1999 The Public Voice 663-7942 ext. 282 Call anytime. Strong winds, rain wreak havoc, halt opening day at Tunbridge fair Edited by Kevin Moran Wars and a flu epidemic. Late Thursday night the swollen LkfTp a normal fair day, it's wall-to-wall people in here." Bill Murawski, the owner of the Tunbridge Village Store Associated Press TUNBRIDGE, Vt Welcome as it was after a summer of drought, the heavy rain left over from Hurricane Floyd wreaked havoc around Vermont, flooding fields and causing a wave of cancellations. The storm's strong winds left an estimated 25,000 without power.

One death was attributed to the storm in Vermont. Police said Francis E. Repucci, 69, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich, died early Friday after a tree fell on his camper at the Lake Champagne Campground in Randolph. The storm led officials of the World's Fair of Tunbridge to cancel a day of the fair, which was scheduled to begin Friday, for the first time since the hurricane of 1938. The rain and the wind Thursday night and Friday caused evacuations and closings all across the state.

The Melrose Terrace senior citizen complex and Glen Trailer Park in Brattleboro were evacuated for about nine hours because of the Whetstone Brook's rising waters. Residents were moved to an emergency shelter at the town's senior center. Back roads, especially dirt roads, washed out all around Vermont Landmark College in Putney canceled classes after access roads to municipalities to depend on water shipments from the National Guard and other sources. The water will help, although much more is needed to replenish aquifers. "As of today, there are over 300 farmers in Vermont who have failed or failing water systems on their farms," said Debra Marckres, the drought coordinator at the Vermont Department of Agriculture.

"It will help; it will definitely help." But many farmers who dont have electricity now need generators so they can milk their cows while power is being restored, shes said. "That's the problem today," she said. "We shifted right from one emergency management situation to the next" In Tunbridge, the fair has been a yearly event since 1847, apart from closures during the two World I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. What up with the new phone bill? First they added on a $2 surcharge for con-nectibility to outlying rural areas. Now we're being charged $3 for long distance service if we dont use it.

So, in other words, if you don't have anybody who lives out of town or you use a long distance service, you're being penalized $3 that's an additional $6 a month added on to a phone bill. I dont understand, if there's anybody out there who does understand, and can explain it, I hope you call the Public Voice or maybe a bunch of us could get together and find out what we can do about this ridiculous adding on phone bills that are too high to begin with. Just a comment on the first day of school photos in the Transcript Every year there is a photo of an unhappy kindergartner with tears in his eyes. Could we please see some photos of some happy faces for a change? Believe it or not, some kindergartners are very excited to go to kindergarten and school Whatever the causes have been about the wreck involving Princess Diana, one item has not been sufficiently publicized and that is the fart that out of the four people in that the oiily survivor was the only one who wore his seatbelt, Mr. Reese Jones, and I would like that to be mentioned.

It seems like the landlords in the MASS MoCA area are getting away with code enforcement more man other landlords that are trying to keep and take care of their property. There's got to be a son for this at the city hall It's about time they start being equal to all landlords in this city and seeing who's taking care of their property and who isn't There's got to be a reason why there's a hands-off policy on River Street Is this politics or this is a game? What blithering idiot decided to separate the day of the week from the date on the front page. Older people like myself don't want to look in red to find it, why not hide it in the want ads? Thank you. I just heard Commissioner Webber on the radio saying the state is reluctant to take eminent domain action against the owner of Cheshire Lake saying that most judges are prone to favor the owners of property. I cannot believe that any judge in Massachusetts would favor any owner who allows his property to deteriorate as has Mr.

Shea. The lake should be taken and he should be sued for literally destroying a valuable asset f' To the person mat commerced about Jerry Lewis' telethon the other day. Jerry Lewis has worked very hard for MDA most of his life. He spends a good part of the year traveling to contact all these big corporate sponsors that manage to donate a whole lot more money than people calling in would ever think of donating and he does this mostly at his own expense and does not take any money from the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I dont think the city should even consider selling part of St Anthony's lot Last Saturday about four o'clock, I tried to find a place to park.

St Anthony's parking lot was filled to capacity and MASS MoCA's lot was completely filled. If the banks want anther location, there's plenty of places to build on Ashland, State or River streets. Landmark Credit Union was considerate and found a place without taking away parking in the center of the city. Skepticism surrounds pipeline proposal First Branch of the White River; washed out a footbridge between a parking lot and the fairgrounds and threatened sheds full of animals waiting for judging the next day. The fair's other parking lot flooded.

At 2 fair officials had owners move the animals to higher! ground. At 6:30 a.m., when it; appeared the water would not rise any higher, they had them moved back. On Friday afternoon, vendors; and competitors waited out the' steady rain, drinking coffee and talking in groups. The fairgrounds were soaked and muddy. Inside the sheds, the animals; dozed in their beds of warm and dry.

The children who had traveled with them to show them played games or kicked a soccer ball around. Bill Murawski, the owner of the Tunbridge Village Store across from the fairgrounds, said he! expected to lose a lot of money because of the one-day cancella-, tion. He had stocked up on beer and other supplies for the weekend. On Friday afternoon, only about a dozen damp people milled around in his store. "On a normal fair day, it's wall-to-wall people in here," he said.

years. In exchange, he will help the FBI bring charges against. Steven "The Rifleman" Flemmi and James "Whitey" Bulger the two ringleaders of the predominantly Irish Winter Hill Gang who allegedly committed many violent crimes while acting as FBI informants. "I dont know why I'm alive, but I am," LaPiana told the Rutland Herald Thursday. "My future was taken away from me, but I got over being bitter about my injury I'm enjoying life.

This never stopped me." LaPiana, a 1955 graduate of Mount St Joseph Academy in Rutland, now lives at the Veterans' Affairs hospital in Long Beach, Calif. His brother, Michael LaPiana, still lives in Rutland. The two brothers talk on the phone every night and e-mail one another several times a day. They talk about music, baseball (both are Yankees fans) and their family. The two tease one another in the rugged, fraternal way that is bom of backyard scuffles and games of catch, but they share a tender bond that was forged the day Louis LaPiana was critically wounded.

Internet Access Man who shot Rutland man in Boston 26 years ago confesses mat the person Who is spanking his child ought to be left the campus were plagued with washouts. The washouts caused Putney town officials to declare a town state of emergency. Shelbume Museum closed for the day. The winds caused widespread power outages. Central Vermont Public Service, the state's largest utility, reported about 25,000 people initially lost power Thursday night In all, 18 utilities reported outages, and some might not be able to restore it all until Sunday, said Susan Allen, Gov Howard Dean's press secretary.

The National Weather Service reported that as much as seven inches of rain could fall by the time the rain was due to end Friday evening. After a summer of near-record drought the rain was not completely unwelcome. Many wells had run dry as the summer waned, leaving households, farms and entire fielded questions about their financing none has been secured yet, so they have not filed for state permits most of the meeting was given over to criticisms of the project Vermont Energy Park Holdings' Bennington power plant on an industrial site behind Mount Anthony Union High School would be about the size of a football field, with an emissions stack roughly 165 feet tall. Pollutants from the stack will fall below the levels deemed significant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to Thomas MacaulayofVEPH.

Several project critics, however, voiced concerns about the plant's location. Not only is the high school nearby, but so is the Vermont Veterans Home, a community park and the site of a proposed $23 million middle school. The only local residents to speak in favor of the project Thursday were the area's two manufacturing recruiters. "We think we are low-risk," said Bob West, the state's assistant chief information officer and Y2K coordinator. "We are very confident the system will run with no disruptions." Social Welfare Commissioner Jane Kitchel added, "People should not worry about getting health care." Medicaid and two other public health assistance programs pay the health care bills for 115,891 Vermonters with low incomes.

The federal government covers about 60 percent of the $340 million cost of these programs. Mountains be aWare with color with the Spirit of the Lorb BENNINGTON, Vt (AP) -A proposal to bring a natural gas pipeline and two power plants to southern Vermont is continuing to draw a skeptical response. Proponents of the project faced a deeply skeptical crowd at a public forum Thursday. Health and safety concerns, coupled with doubts about the project's economic, benefits, dominated the meeting, which attracted about 75 people "It feels like big business is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the southern Vermont rubes," local resident Abby Shapiro said to loud applause. The public forum, sponsored by the Bennington Select Board, was billed as an opportunity for townspeople to elicit information from the companies that hope to run an underground pipeline from Bennington to Rutland.

The 63-mile pipeline would be anchored by a 270-megawatt electric generating plant in Bennington and another one four times that size in Rutland. While project representatives Associated Press RUTLAND, Vt. A Massachusetts man who shot and crippled a former Rutland man during an alleged gangland slaying 26 years ago has confessed to authorities in Boston Louis LaPaina, who now is a quadriplegic and lives in California, was in a car with his best friend, Michael Milano, stopped at a traffic light in Brighton, when they were cut down by a hail of machine-gun fire. Milano was killed. The Boston Globe reported last week that John Martorano, a former hit man with the Boston-based Winter Hill Gang, struck a deal with federal authorities in which he confessed to committing 20 gangland murders.

A federal judge is expected to rule on the plea agreement soon. Among the slayings to which Martorano confessed was the killing of Milano on March 8, 1973 the shooting that also left LaPiana paralyzed. Martorano would receive a sentence of 12-15 years for his involvement in the killings under the deaL He could be free in less than eight alone and allow him to punish his cnUd in a way he sees fit I think if more parents punished their children a little bit more we'd have less of people shooting each other and whining about small things and thinking they deserve everything and being spoiled brats. Bring back punishment I cant for the life of me imagine why North Adams would need another bank, especially using the parking lot across from St Anthony's Church and Center. If already being used as a parking lot and people need it that work downtown.

They need a place to park and the traffic congestion mere would be absolutely horrendous for anybody to get in and out of mere. If they want to put a bank downtown, whafs wrong with that big parking lot behind Big If sitting there totally useless, if an eyesore and something should be done with it anyway To reach The Public Voice, dial 663-7942, ext. 282, anytime. The Transcript will not print comments our editors consider personal attacks, potentially libelous, confusing or in bad taste. Endorsements of political candidates are also not accepted.

We reserve the right to edit comments for grammar and coherence. Maple fails to show at hearing Federal government warns Vermont of Y2K problems with Medicaid r-vr r-i Delivery and Setup I 1 -Ypar llnlimit-Arl Wa When you buy a complete system starting at $799.99 Monitor 56k Modem 40XCD Player Intel Celeron 32 MB RAM Sound Tarrl 4 Computer Sales and Service Call M13743-3mft The Professional Building 17 MONTPF.I.TER, Vt (AP) The federal government says Vermont is one of seven states at a high risk of millennium bug computer problems that could affect Vermonters who get their health care through the Medicaid system. Federal officials say that if the state's Medicaid computer systems malfunction Jan. 1, it would be difficult to determine who is eligible for care and who should be paid for providing care. Vermont officials disagree with the federal govemmenf assessment and predict the computer systems will work fine.

Fire in the mteim will be abW iTFynioji ST. ALBANS, Vt (AP) Karen Maple, the home-schooling mother who spent two weeks in jail on contempt of court charges, failed to show up at the Social and Rehabilitation Services office with her son Friday as ordered. Maple, 36, of Bakersfield, was released from jail on Tuesday She was ordered on her release to take her 15-year-old son to Vermonfs child protection agency Friday at 9 am to have his educational needs Because Maple didnt show up as ordered she will remain in contempt ofcourt and also face fines of $100 a day The SRS district director said officials were "very disappointed" by her apparent decision to defy the order. 1 want to again be very clear that when her son is located, it is our plan to place him with her mother," said Daniel Conder, the 4l I STONE DAMAGED WE'VE GOT YOU TRIPLE COVERED. TTW Wfotrei to jdk.

Toro nclor 4 yam ww cm it. litl H'taM tnaan. Witt aapnMI TYKt befcm. fcJ hnn mi a tW ule fea-dmi mt nxfcy. SRS district director.

"We are continuing our efforts to find her soa" Earlier this week, when the judge ordered Maple to bring her son to the Friday morning appointment, she said she feared that SRS officials would take her son into state custody Maple has been home-schooling her son without the required state certification for three years. Maple was sent to jail on Sept 1 for contempt of court after she failed to produce Trevor so he could be evaluated by SRS and by education officials. Under Vermont law, parents are allowed to school their children at home but must submit an annual report to the state Department of Education describing the academic program. School officials in Bakersfield determined that Trevor needed special education services because he was behind on reading and other language stalls. fcV: aaoDDDrj MKwsomi 7W A CSufoVflUflfi MA T)JHA1 if fhr mnrp infhrmaHnn Depot Street Adams.

MA 01220 WMeel Horsi 8-25 liar Engiat Rldir Nip Brifp A SimM engine with electric un 5-ioeed vmmma 25" Recyderiioia Add better for more vcraiility 8-6 Saturday 8-5 LJ3 vvmivi vrivv vri ivtyirai i Fri-fe October S-12, 1999 WINDSHIELDS REPAIRED SCRATCHES REMOVED 7 WWhetlKorji 12-32 XL Tractor l2hpcpsmcKul gredeeflcne 3-ipecd-Shift-oa-llKGa- JT mowing, dnk imdjrd Mi ari. uwvMaae or biger WKfcNllorM 261-1 Tractor OHVavMchyXoMrr far Mnnng decks fc3r5r JACK TAYLOR ft worship teams from across the state. JacR Taylor has become a major voice in the present renewaf movement Jack is an international convention speaker and author of 12 books. SCHEDULE friJay. Tuesday RPlACSiDT 1 I jj NOT REQUIRED 1 'J 0 0 9:30 am-Workshops on Revival General Session novus Method K0VU3 OF MASSACHUSETTS MAPLE GROVE EQUIPMENT SALES SERVICE RENTALS 110 Leonard SL.

Adams 743-21 18 3:00 pm Revival Video 7:00 pm Evening Service No IU (Entire (yfeftpe Green Mountain Christian Center Harwod Hill 7A North Exit 2 off U.S. 7 Bennington, 802-447-7224 emaiLjohn217sover.rgt Phono J. Ltll 743-1003 wm Monday-Friday EiDDaaoaDaaaPBDgnnaDBaBB.