Logan Scelza with his dogs Echo, left, and Kato at a Hartford High School baseball game on May 4, 2015, in White River Junction, Vt. (Valley News - Tris Wykes) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Logan Scelza with his dogs Echo, left, and Kato at a Hartford High School baseball game on May 4, 2015, in White River Junction, Vt. (Valley News - Tris Wykes) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: Valley News file photo

Dog Park Committee, City OfficialsTo Meet Today in Wake of Shooting

Hartford — In the wake of a shooting that left a dog dead, the Watson Upper Valley Dog Park Committee is holding a meeting today to review the park’s rules and regulations.

On Saturday, Logan Scelza, an off-duty police officer, resolved a fight between his husky and a pit bull owned by Lebanon resident John Justin Demers, by shooting the pit bull, an event that sparked a widespread and passionate public debate.

Parks and Recreation Executive Director Tad Nunez said on Wednesday that he and Hartford Police Chief Phil Kasten will be at the meeting to discuss positive ways to improve management of the park. The meeting is not a forum to debate the circumstances of the shooting, Nunez said. The shooting is the subject of an active investigation by Vermont State Police.

According to the agenda, the committee will review relevant town ordinances, the respective roles of town employees and dog park volunteers, education of dog owners on park rules and etiquette, and enforcement of dog park rules.

The meeting will be held at 12:30 p.m. on the first floor of Hartford Town Hall.

School Janitor Pleads GuiltyTo Providing Alcohol to Minor

White River Junction — A 58-year-old South Royalton School employee accepted a plea agreement on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to providing a minor with alcohol.

Windsor Superior Court Judge Theresa DiMauro fined Gary Roberts $600 for the misdemeanor offense.

Roberts, a janitor at the school, initially faced a felony charge of distributing marijuana to 19-year-old Amanda Lyman, a part-time teaching assistant, on school grounds between August 2015 and March of this year.

As part of the plea agreement, the state dismissed the felony charge. According to a police affidavit, Roberts gave Lyman beer, but didn’t provide it to her on school property.

Lyman was also cited into court in March on an allegation that she provided false information to police when an officer asked about her involvement with Roberts. Her case is confidential, according to a court clerk.

South Royalton High School Principal Dean Stearns said on Wednesday that Roberts and Lyman no longer work for the district.

Necropsy to be PerformedOn Dead Whale That Washed Ashore

Rye, n.h. — A necropsy was performed on an 18-year-old dead humpback whale that washed onto rocks near Rye State Park.

Fishermen had reported seeing the whale’s corpse floating 20 miles out to sea on Sunday. Officials believe it had been dead for several days before washing ashore.

About 20 people from the New England Aquarium performed a necropsy Wednesday on the 45-foot whale, identified as a female named Snow Plow.

The Seacoast Science Center’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team has been working with the town over the disposal of the mammal.

The plan will be to dispose of the carcass by burial after the necropsy.

Snow Plow had been observed by scientists since she was a calf in the southern Gulf of Maine.

New Hampshire City to CoverLaconiaFest’s $63K Shortfall

Laconia, n.h. — The New Hampshire city of Laconia has found a way to cover a more than $63,000 shortfall resulting from a music festival that ended early.

The city plans to tap into its Motorcycle Week account that has about $117,822. Mayor Ed Engler says using the account means taxpayers won’t be on the hook.

LaconiaFest was scheduled to take place from June 11 through June 19 but failed to draw a crowd, despite big-name acts.

Performances scheduled for June 18 and June 19 were canceled.

Promoters of concert series left without paying their share of the cost of safety and emergency services.

The state Attorney General’s Office recently launched an investigation into complaints from workers claiming they weren’t paid.

State to Distribute Water After Chemicals Found in Wells

Amherst, n.h. — The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services says it’s expanding the distribution of bottled water to include 113 more properties in Amherst affected by contamination of potentially cancer causing chemicals in private wells.

Water will be issued to residents within a half-mile of the former Textiles Coated International facility. Tests have found elevated levels of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate in wells near the facility.

Officials say no wells outside the half-mile radius have shown levels above the state limit.

PFOA, used in non-stick coatings, was first found in more than 50 wells in towns surrounding the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics facility in Merrimack, N.H.

Lightning Most Likely CauseOf Vermont Lakefront Home Fire

South Hero, Vt. — Vermont fire investigators say lightning is the suspected cause of a fire that consumed the home of the CEO of the state’s largest electric utility on the Lake Champlain shoreline in South Hero .

The blaze at the home of Mary Powell of Green Mountain Power and her husband, Mark Brooks, was reported at around 7 p.m. Tuesday as strong thunderstorms moved through the area.

No human fatalities or injuries were reported, but two dogs and two cats died in the fire.

In a text message to the Burlington Free Press, Powell said the aftermath of the fire was “rough.”

Mike Bishop of the South Hero Fire Department said some rescue workers were treated for minor injuries.

Bishop says the flames were contained in about 30 minutes.

— Staff and wire reports

Correction

John Justin Demers, the owner of the pit bull who was shot to death, lives in Lebanon.