Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Vermont at 2 a.m.
The breaking news staffer for Northern New England is Kathy McCormack at 603-224-3327.
Northern New England Correspondent Rik Stevens can be reached at 603-224-3327.
New England News Editor Cara Rubinsky can be reached at 617-357-8100.
For technical problems, please call (800) 882-1408.
To reach the photo department, call 617-357-8106. AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can also be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns also are available from customer support at 877-836-9477. The e-mail address for member contributions is apvermont@ap.org.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT
MONTPELIER, Vt. — An estimated 50,000 people in Vermont need treatment for addiction problems every year and don't get it, and efforts to expand treatment options for people addicted to heroin and other opiates are expected to increase pressure on the treatment system, the head of an addiction-treatment center told a state Senate committee Thursday. "We know that this is a chronic disease. If you're fortunate, half your folks will succeed, but half won't and will come back to have to try again, sometimes, again and again," said Bill Young, the executive director of the Maple Leaf Farm residential drug and alcohol treatment and recovery center in Underhill. "If you're looking at demand, demand is not going to go down initially, it's going to go up." By Wilson Ring. SENT: 370 words.
LOWE'S-LEAD POLLUTION
ST. LOUIS — Lowe's Home Centers has agreed to pay a $500,000 federal penalty in settling claims that its contractors in at least nine states, including Vermont, broke environmental rules for addressing lead paint dust during home renovation projects, two federal agencies announced Thursday. As part of the deal announced by the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency, the North Carolina-based home improvement retailer also pledged to adopt a compliance program for dealing with lead paint during the renovation programs offered through its more than 1,700 stores. By Jim Suhr. SENT: 500 words.
IN BRIEF:
DEATHS INVESTIGATED
STOWE, Vt. — Police in Stowe, Vt., are calling a suspected murder-suicide a "tragic act of domestic violence." Police say they believe 64-year-old Wayne Washburn killed his wife Katherine and then himself.
RECORD COLD
The sun is out and it's warming up after an unseasonably cold morning in northern New England. The National Weather Service says the temperature dipped to 22 early Thursday in Portland, breaking the old record of 24 set in 2003. In Montpelier, Vt., it was even colder at 14 degrees, breaking old record of 17, also in 2003. By The Associated Press.
MOTORCYCLE FATAL-SENTENCE
NEWPORT, Vt. — A 79-year-old woman accused of causing the death of a motorcyclist in Vermont last year has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of careless or negligent operation and has received a suspended sentence of six to 12 months.
CRUISERS CRUSHED
NEWPORT, Vt. — A Vermont man accused of crushing seven sheriffs' vehicles with a farm tractor is scheduled for trial in June. Police say 35-year-old Roger Pion of Newport was angry about an earlier arrest for marijuana possession when he drove his father's tractor over six police cruisers and a transport van owned by the Orleans County Sheriffs' Department in 2012. Officials said that caused about $300,000 in damage.
CONSERVATION NOMINATION
BENNINGTON, Vt. — A hunter education instructor in Vermont is one of six finalists for a national conservation award. Kevin Hoyt of Bennington was nominated by the National Youth Hunting Association for the ninth annual "Heroes of Conservation" award by Field and Stream magazine and Toyota.
BENNINGTON MONUMENT
BENNINGTON, Vt. — Vermont's Bennington Battle Monument is opening for the season this weekend. The 306-foot-tall monument opens on Saturday, April 19.
WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN
MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation is holding a public hearing on a water quality management plan for two Northeast Kingdom rivers. The first hearing for the Passumpsic and Upper Connecticut River Basin is Thursday in Brunswick at the Silvio O. Conte refuge visitor center located on Vermont Route 105.
___
If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to apvermont@ap.org. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.
MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Vermont and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click "All" or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
