Newport
On Monday, a Claremont District Court judge arraigned Travis Bunnell on felony sexual assault and indecent exposure charges. Those charges are now superceded by two identical Class A felonies, with a maximum penalty each of 10 to 20 years in prison. Bunnell is currently being held at the Sullivan County House of Corrections on bail.
Hartford
The planned outage, which is scheduled to begin at 3 a.m., is expected to affect the utility’s customers on Old River Road, Center of Town Road, parts of Route 4, and in the Kings Highway area.
The purpose of the outage is to transfer the customers to a new, more reliable line, according to the release. If the maintenance is postponed due to inclement weather, it will be rescheduled for the following Saturday, April 30.
Montpelier
Saint-Gobain filed a complaint in Washington Superior Court last week on the state’s interim ground water standard that set a level of 20 parts per trillion. Saint-Gobain also filed another appeal in Vermont’s Environmental Court questioning the science behind the state’s safe drinking level.
Environmental Conservation Commissioner Alyssa Schuren said the state used the most recent studies available.
Saint-Gobain is paying for drinking water sampling of private wells in the Bennington and North Bennington area to see if they’re contaminated with PFOA.
Meanwhile, Gov. Peter Shumlin said Tuesday a company called APU has agreed to cover costs related to PFOA contamination at the former Warren Wire manufacturing plant in Pownal, Vt.
Littleton, n.h.
The Moore Reservoir straddles the two states, with the communities of Littleton and Dalton on the New Hampshire side and Waterford and Concord on the Vermont side.
Biologists are concerned that walleye could eat wild trout in the area.
A proposal to introduce Walleye to the reservoir was debated three years ago.
Candia, n.h.
Wednesday’s hearing in Candia District Court was to determine whether there’s enough evidence against 30-year-old Kyle Tasker to send the case to a grand jury for possible indictment. The Republican from Nottingham resigned in March, a week after his arrest on three drug charges and a charge of trying to lure a minor for sex.
Police say he communicated with a 14-year-old girl over Facebook, offering to get her alcohol and marijuana and proposing sexual contact. Police say he tried to meet the girl but was instead met by law enforcement officers who were engaging in an undercover operation. Tasker and his attorney haven’t commented on the charges.
Merrimack, n,h.
Taylier Tibbetts, of Merrimack, filed a police report in November alleging her son had been abused by his father. The GoFundMepage, set up shortly afterward, had a photo of her son showing a bruise on his ribs. The page, which sought money for a lawyer, has since been removed.
The 20-year-old Tibbetts was charged Sunday with making a false report. The father hasn’t been charged with a crime.
Tibbetts said she didn’t lie to police. She had no comment when asked if she digitally edited any photos. She’s scheduled to appear in court May 24.
Portsmouth, n.h.
Peter Forbes, environmental engineering program manager for the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center, also told board members Tuesday night that the Air Force has spent about $15 million in addressing water contamination at the base over the last two years. The city of Portsmouth closed the Pease base’s Haven well in May 2014 after high levels of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid were found in its water supply.
The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says studies have shown that PFC exposure may be linked to several health risks, including cancer.
— Staff and wire reports