This Week in History
10 years ago:
Dover Police Chief Randy Johnson and Wilmington Police Chief Joe Szarejko expressed skepticism about Gov. Peter Shumlin and the Vermont Legislature’s plans to allow adult consumption of marijuana. They warned of increased costs connected to enforcement, such as the need to train more officers as DREs, or drug recognition experts, to perform specialized sobriety tests for drivers suspected of driving after having used marijuana. Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark said it would fall to local departments to purchase blood test kits for processing drivers suspected of driving after using marijuana, since the drug couldn’t be detected by a breathalyzer.
15 years ago:
Mount Snow owner Peak Resorts, a privately-owned company, announced plans to take the company public. The company filed a proposal with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for a $40-million initial stock offering. The company planned to use the proceeds to pay down debt incurred in the development of their Mount Snow ski area, and to use the rest for working capital and “general corporate purposes.” The filing indicated that Mount Snow was the company’s largest and most lucrative ski area, producing $30 million in revenue and 447,100 skier visits in 2010. The company’s total revenue from its 11 resorts in 2010 was $89.9 million.
20 years ago:
Wilmington resident Ann Manwaring announced her bid for the House seat vacated by Rep. Bob Rusten. Manwaring was the third candidate to throw her hat in the ring, following Patience Merriman, of Whitingham, and Alan MacDougall, of Wilmington. Manwaring said the statewide property tax and its impact on local taxpayers was the number-one issue in the district.
25 years ago:
The weight of late winter snows collapsed a number of roofs and even some complete structures in the valley, including a gazebo at Crafts Inn, and a large section of a barn roof on Higley Hill Road. Even some houses were damaged by ice and heavy snow.
Whitingham School students learned about cryptology from Professor Michael Olinick, of Middlebury College, as part of a lecture series paid for by the Expanding Horizons Program of the Vermont State Mathematics Coalition.
30 years ago:
For the Tustin family of Readsboro, politics was a family affair. Just a few weeks after 14-year-old Adam Tustin was picked to serve as a page at the Statehouse in Montpelier, his father Jonathan Tustin was tapped by Gov. Howard Dean to serve as a legislator after the resignation of the previous office holder.
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department warned that fish in Harriman Reservoir and Grout Pond had rising levels of mercury, although not enough to prevent occasional consumption by anglers. One wildlife biologist told The Deerfield Valley News that fish in Harriman and Grout Pond contained lower levels of mercury than canned tuna.
35 years ago:
Dover music teacher Robin Colson was murdered near her Newfane home by two inmates of the Woodstock Community Correctional Center who had escaped from a work release program at Townshend State Park. In 2011, a memorial fund created in Colson’s honor announced that, since 1993, it has donated almost $500,000 to local organizations that she supported.
40 years ago:
Whitingham School canceled a student trip to Spain after the United States bombed targets in Libya in retaliation for Libyan involvement in terrorist attacks against European allies.
The pending sale of Carinthia Ski Area to SKI Ltd. (the owner of Mount Snow at the time) was temporarily blocked by Windham Superior Court after a group of “dissident stockholders” brought a suit against Carinthia owners Diana and Walter Stugger. Mount Snow planned to install a new quad chairlift west of Carinthia Ski area.
45 years ago:
Local tour boat operators Dick Joyce and Peter Carroll were concerned that a record low water level at Lake Whitingham would slash their business. Carroll, who also owned and operated the Matterhorn Lodge, said he expected to lose as many as 200 bus tours over the summer. Joyce said he served nearly 20,000 tourists each year. If the water level at the lake wasn’t returned to normal levels, Joyce said he would offer tours on the Connecticut River, leaving from Brattleboro.
55 years ago:
Mount Snow’s Sandy Taft was crowned Miss Vermont at a pageant in Rutland. Ed Pickett, editor of The Mount Snow Valley News, was the master of ceremonies.
Mount Snow and Haystack were closed for the season, but Carinthia Ski Area remained open.
The Legislature voted to extend legal, voting, and drinking rights to 18-year-old Vermonters.
