UVM Trustees Move Forward on $80m Athletic Facility Proposal

Burlington — University of Vermont trustees are moving ahead with a planned $80 million renovation of its athletic facilities.

The Burlington Free Press reported that trustees on Saturday approved a resolution to move to the next phase of planning on the proposal to build a new athletic complex on the school’s campus rather than moving downtown or to neighboring South Burlington. The proposal calls for building a 3,200-seat basketball venue and modernizing the hockey facility.

The timeline calls for design work to continue into 2018 with construction starting in early 2019 and concluding in 2022. The university still has to work out financing and to receive regulatory approval for the project.

Vermont Agriculture Agency Leaders to Hold Public Meetings

Montpelier — The new leadership of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is holding a statewide listening tour to hear from the public about the future of farming in Vermont.

Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts and Deputy Secretary Alyson Eastman are hosting four public meetings this month.

Tebbetts said he is inviting all farmers and all Vermonters interested in agriculture to attend. He says he wants to learn about the issues that matter most to farmers and how the agency can support them.

The meetings are planned for Friday at Lyndon State College theater; Feb. 16 at St. Albans City Hall; Feb. 17 at Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center in Brattleboro; and Feb. 27 at the Middlebury Parks & Recreation gym.

Delegation Says Review Won’t Affect F-35s Coming to Vermont

Burlington— The Vermont congressional delegation says a review of the F-35 program ordered by the Trump administration isn’t expected to derail plans to put 18 of them in the Green Mountain State.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders told the Burlington Free Press that the stealth fighter program is an example of wasteful spending that needs to end. But he said the fact remains that F-16 fighters are going to be retired, and that the Air Force has chosen the F-35 as a replacement.

The office of Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt, agrees that any changes resulting from the review “would not affect the aircraft destined for Vermont.” U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said the F-35s intended for the Vermont Air National Guard already have been built. They’re due to arrive in 2019.

Vermont and Weather Service Experts to Talk Flood Threat

Waterbury, Vt. — Experts from the National Weather Service and the Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security are going to begin their annual meetings to discuss the threat of spring flooding throughout the state from snow melt and rain

At each meeting experts will outline the spring flood outlook for specific Vermont rivers.

The first meeting is scheduled for Feb. 21 at the state Emergency Operations Center in Waterbury.

Additional meetings will be held Feb. 23 at the municipal offices in White River Junction; Feb. 28 at the Dana Thompson Memorial Park in Manchester; and March 1 at the Northern Vermont Development Association in St. Johnsbury.

Ice climber Rescued From New Hampshire’s Cannon Cliff

Franconia, n.h. — The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says an ice climber had to be rescued after falling 50 to 60 feet on Cannon Cliff.

Conservation officers say it took more than an hour to reach the climber and then 21/2 hours to get him down challenging terrain to a snowmobile.

Officials say 47-year-old Nick Pearson of Amherst, N.H, told them that his ice axes gave way Saturday, causing a long tumble that was eventually arrested by safety gear. He was taken to Littleton Regional Hospital for evaluation of a leg injury.

The 4,080-foot peak has a large cliff face that’s popular among rock and ice climbers. It’s also home to Cannon Mountain Ski Area.

— Wire reports