Year In Review 2007
photo by Mike Cameron Middlebury Firefighters respond to an 18 car train derailment off So. Pleasant
Street on Wednesday afternoon, October 22, 2007. Some of the rail cars contained
gasoline and fuel. Middlebury's downtown area was closed overnight and
businesses near the accident site reopened the next day after police and fire officials
declared the area secure once again. A week long recovery operation using heavy
equipment repaired the tracks and restored the train's cars to their original places
on the rails. Local police and firefighters are being applauded for their swift and
efficient management of the mishap. The transportation corridor was expected to
be open for rail traffic by weeks-end. |
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photo by Larney McGrath A 10p.m. blaze completely destroyed the Ferrisburgh Roadhouse Restaurant on Route 7 on Tuesday, June 19th, 2007. Fire crews from Ferrisburgh and surrounding towns battled the blaze for several hours. Intense heat and smoke hampered fire crews initially. The restaurants owners have said that
they plan to rebuild the popular eatery according to published reports. The restaurant recently changed hands. The Ferrisburgh Roadhouse used to be called Burdick’s
Country Kitchen under the previous owners. The original restaurant at this location was named Spahn’s Country Kitchen and was a popular dining spot during the 70’s
and 80’s. Cause of the fire is under investigation. |
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photo by Mike Cameron Senator Patrick Leahy, D announced Thursday, June 28, 2007 that the
Goodrich manufactoring facility in Vergennes is being awarded $32 million in
U.S. Army and Navy contracts.
A $6.9 million U.S. Army contract will go toward construction and installation
of Integrated Vehicle Health Management Systems kits and hardware to
support the monitoring of the Army’s Blackhawk helicopter fleet currently in
action in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A total of $25.1 million in U.S. Navy contracts will go towards building two
two systems that use a series of monitors and sensors to help pilots check the
status of their helicopter’s operational systems.
Senator Leahy, who helped secure the funding, is a senior member of the
Senate’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. |
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photo by Mike Cameron Middlebury Volunteer
Fire Department Chief Rick
Cole and Crewmembers
prepare to blast a suspicious
package with their high
powered water cannon after
it was discovered by the
town's parking control
officer under a drop box in
front of the Middlebury Post
Office at about 12:30 p.m.
on Friday June 15th, 2007.
Middlebury Police were
notified and Middlebury
Police Chief Tom Hanley
ordered the area around the
post office and upper Main
Street cordoned off and
buildings in the area evacuated according to bomb threat protocol.
The state's bomb squad was notified. After consulting with the bomb squad,
local firefighters moved the box deeper into the post office property near some large
trees where it was destroyed with a blast from the water cannon mounted on the
fire departments big ladder truck. By extending the ladder, firefighters were able
to safely maneuver the large high pressure nozzle over the box and destroy it.
Police later determined that the box and its contents did not pose a threat and that
the entire incident was a hoax. If apprehended the perpetrator could face local,
state and federal prosecution. |
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Here are some selected news shorts from The Valley Voice over the past year.
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