The Whiting area could see its first measurable snowfall of the season this afternoon and tonight. To date, we have seen significant snowfalls to our north, far to our south and up in the mountains to the east and to the west.
Snow is falling in northern Vermont at this time. Just north of Middlebury, a light rain is falling. That is expected to change to a wintry mix and to snow fairly quickly, as a cold front moves southward through the state. As of 3:30 p.m., no precipitation was yet seen in Whiting.
Overnight temperatures are expected in the high teens, with a wind chill near 10° F.
29 November 2012
25 November 2012
EEE, mosquito-control meetings this week
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| The culiseta melanura mosquito is linked to the spread of EEE. |
- Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 7-9 p.m.
- Sudbury Town Hall in Sudbury, Thursday, Nov. 29, 7-9 p.m.
24 November 2012
Warm weather gives way
Most of Thanksgiving week was amazingly warm throughout the North Country. Temperatures in the fifties were ten degrees or more above average. Days here in Whiting basically were calm, sunny and dry. But things changed abruptly today.
After a fairly calm morning, winds picked up in the early afternoon. The winds made temperatures in the thirties feel as though they were in the high teens. A few snow flakes were seen flying around during the day and a brief snow shower occurred just a few minutes ago.
The expected low temperature for tonight is around 19 degrees. With the persistent wind, that will feel about ten degrees colder.
17 November 2012
Ski season arrives
It's ski season in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
Though recent unusually warm weather set back snow-making efforts, Sugarbush (shown in photo - in the Town of Warren about an hour and a quarter from us in Whiting) was able to open on schedule today, with seven trails - five miles and 38 acres available. Killington (only about an hour from Whiting) has been open since Nov. 5 and today had 21 open trails - seven miles and 73 acres available.
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| Photograph courtesy of Sugarbush Resort. |
Nice turnout for Turkey Bingo
16 November 2012
State officials visit for discussion of EEE, mosquitoes
About 60 people crowded into Whiting's Town Hall last night for a public meeting on the mosquito-transmitted disease Eastern Equine Encephalitis. Information was provided by a panel of state officials, including Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen, entomologist Alan Graham of the state agriculture agency, and epidemiologists Erica Berl and Patsy Kelso.
The panel had a request of Whiting residents: a bit of their blood. "We're looking to test about 200 to 300 people from each impacted town," explained Berl (perhaps unaware that the entire population of Whiting is around 400). Vermont has acquired approval from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to test the blood of human residents in area towns for the presence of EEE antibodies. Those antibodies would show that individuals had been exposed to the EEE disease without exhibiting its life-threatening symptoms. The Vermont Department of Health is working with the Town of Whiting to set up a voluntary and anonymous blood testing program, with blood draws possibly scheduled to coincide with annual Town Meeting in March.
Ms. Berl noted that residents would not be informed of the results of the tests on their blood and nothing other than EEE antibodies would be tested. "It would be a truly selfless act," she said.
Only a handful of EEE cases are known to exist in humans each year. (Click here for CDC information on EEE.) Severe EEE infections can be fatal. Two residents of this region - an 87-year-old man in Brandon and a 49-year-old man in Sudbury - died from the disease in the past year. (The Brandon victim, former educator Dick Breen, experienced an EEE outbreak the previous year among his flock of emus, which left many of the large birds dead.) However, health authorities believe the severe infections occur only in a small percentage of those humans bitten by EEE-carrying mosquitoes. Many others may be bitten and have no symptoms or very mild symptoms. The blood testing program is expected to provide better numbers for gauging the extent of EEE exposure in humans and the rate of severe infections in that population.
The state officials discussed mosquito-monitoring efforts, lab testing done on trapped mosquitoes and blood drawn from deer and moose felled by hunters around the state, as well as the aerial spraying of Anvil (Sumithrin) insecticide that was performed in the Whiting-Brandon-Leicester area in early September after the state discovered its first-ever human cases of EEE.
According to Mr. Graham, the aerial spraying resulted in a dramatic reduction of overall mosquito populations in the area, but Mr. Graham was unable to provide specific data on the targeted culiseta melanura mosquitoes known to spread the EEE virus through interaction with infected birds.
Some Whiting residents expressed appreciation for the aerial spraying efforts as well as interest in aligning Whiting with regional "mosquito districts," such as the Brandon, Leicester, Salisbury and Goshen Insect Control District, which supervise mosquito control efforts. Other residents were concerned about the costs and side effects of pesticide application. Town Selectboard Chair Ellen Kurrelmeyer asked state officials if it was necessary to join or create a district in order to engage in townwide mosquito control and said she would check into the town's authority and insurance for performing its own control measures.
A few Whiting residents complained that the state was not more active after learning of the EEE outbreak at an emu farm in Brandon in 2011. The implication was that additional steps could have been taken to avoid the infections that cost two people their lives. Dr. Chen said he also questions whether more could have been done. But he explained that ground-based spraying of mosquitoes was performed after that outbreak and a program of monitoring for EEE in regional mosquito populations was put in place. One resident feared that the rare emus were somehow involved in transmitting the disease. The panel was unanimous in its opposition, noting that emus originated in areas where EEE is entirely unknown. As birds, they are preferred as targets by the disease-carrying mosquitoes, but they do not retain the virus for very long. EEE, Ms. Berl explained, exists in birds for a very short time, either vanishing after that time or resulting in the death of the bird.
Resident Paul Quesnel noted the some government agencies seemed to be at cross-purposes over the mosquito issue and local taxpayers looked to be caught picking up the cost of their conflicting programs. He referred to a USDA program under which easements are purchased "at one thousand or two thousand dollars an acre" to take active farmland out of service and turn it into restored wetlands. The increased wetlands result in an increase in mosquito populations. Mr. Quesnel noted that the government-sponsored growth of the wetlands also was causing an increase in water levels in adjacent active farmland and reducing crop yields from those areas.
Mr. Graham noted that, while the new restored wetlands certainly were a source of mosquitoes, they were probably not a source for the mosquitoes most related to the spread of the EEE virus. The culiseta melanura typically resides in underground "crypts" within acidic hardwood swamps that feature, for example, mature maple trees. The adult mosquitoes of this breed travel into small channels in the root mat of the trees to lay their eggs in the protected watery environments within. The mosquitoes, he said, overwinter as larvae.
These unusual tendencies of the culiseta melanura mosquito create control problems. Mr. Graham noted that mosquito larvicide, such as the naturally occurring bacteria bacillus thuringiensis (BT), would be highly effective against the moquito larvae if it could be delivered to where the larvae reside and grow. The mosquitoes' use of underground crypts makes that virtually impossible. As a result, he said, control measures must be directed against the adult mosquito population.
Ms. Berl explained that ground spraying against mosquitoes, such as performed by the BLSG District, may not be effective in more rural communities, like Whiting. That spraying is done from trucks driving along the roads. There are many areas in Whiting that could not be reached by truck spraying, making aerial spraying for mosquitoes the only workable option. Mr. Graham added that the mosquito populations that tested positive for the EEE virus last summer were far from any roads.
Panelists were asked about whether a human vaccine for EEE existed or could be created. While a vaccine for farm livestock has been in use for many years, Dr. Chen said no vaccine has ever been created for humans. He said he did not anticipate any vaccine would be created, as there are very few human cases of EEE and vaccine side effects would be more widespread than its benefits.
The panel acknowledged that much about the EEE virus remains a mystery. There is no explanation as to why the virus seems to fluctuate from year to year. "Just because we had it here this year doesn't mean it will be back next year," Mr. Graham said. The virus previously has exhibited a pattern of taking a decade off between outbreaks. Also a puzzle is what becomes of the virus during the winter and how so much of the deer and moose population across the state - even in areas where EEE mosquitoes are completely unknown - came to possess antibodies for EEE, indicating exposure to the virus at some time in the past. (Officials explained that there is no EEE risk to humans involved with the consumption of deer meat.) No one could say for certain whether the presence of EEE antibodies in a person's blood provided any meaningful protection against becoming ill with EEE at some time in the future. Ms. Kelso said some lasting protection is associated with antibodies related to West Nile Virus, another mosquito-borne illness, and EEE could be similar, but there is no useful data on that issue.
The panel is scheduled to hold similar meetings in Brandon and Sudbury at the end of this month. The Brandon meeting is set for Otter Valley Union High School, 7-9 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The Sudbury meeting will be held at the Town Hall, 7-9 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 29.
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| Alan Graham, entomologist with the Vermont agriculture agency, speaks to Whiting residents last night. |
Ms. Berl noted that residents would not be informed of the results of the tests on their blood and nothing other than EEE antibodies would be tested. "It would be a truly selfless act," she said.
Only a handful of EEE cases are known to exist in humans each year. (Click here for CDC information on EEE.) Severe EEE infections can be fatal. Two residents of this region - an 87-year-old man in Brandon and a 49-year-old man in Sudbury - died from the disease in the past year. (The Brandon victim, former educator Dick Breen, experienced an EEE outbreak the previous year among his flock of emus, which left many of the large birds dead.) However, health authorities believe the severe infections occur only in a small percentage of those humans bitten by EEE-carrying mosquitoes. Many others may be bitten and have no symptoms or very mild symptoms. The blood testing program is expected to provide better numbers for gauging the extent of EEE exposure in humans and the rate of severe infections in that population.
The state officials discussed mosquito-monitoring efforts, lab testing done on trapped mosquitoes and blood drawn from deer and moose felled by hunters around the state, as well as the aerial spraying of Anvil (Sumithrin) insecticide that was performed in the Whiting-Brandon-Leicester area in early September after the state discovered its first-ever human cases of EEE.
According to Mr. Graham, the aerial spraying resulted in a dramatic reduction of overall mosquito populations in the area, but Mr. Graham was unable to provide specific data on the targeted culiseta melanura mosquitoes known to spread the EEE virus through interaction with infected birds.
Some Whiting residents expressed appreciation for the aerial spraying efforts as well as interest in aligning Whiting with regional "mosquito districts," such as the Brandon, Leicester, Salisbury and Goshen Insect Control District, which supervise mosquito control efforts. Other residents were concerned about the costs and side effects of pesticide application. Town Selectboard Chair Ellen Kurrelmeyer asked state officials if it was necessary to join or create a district in order to engage in townwide mosquito control and said she would check into the town's authority and insurance for performing its own control measures.
A few Whiting residents complained that the state was not more active after learning of the EEE outbreak at an emu farm in Brandon in 2011. The implication was that additional steps could have been taken to avoid the infections that cost two people their lives. Dr. Chen said he also questions whether more could have been done. But he explained that ground-based spraying of mosquitoes was performed after that outbreak and a program of monitoring for EEE in regional mosquito populations was put in place. One resident feared that the rare emus were somehow involved in transmitting the disease. The panel was unanimous in its opposition, noting that emus originated in areas where EEE is entirely unknown. As birds, they are preferred as targets by the disease-carrying mosquitoes, but they do not retain the virus for very long. EEE, Ms. Berl explained, exists in birds for a very short time, either vanishing after that time or resulting in the death of the bird.
Resident Paul Quesnel noted the some government agencies seemed to be at cross-purposes over the mosquito issue and local taxpayers looked to be caught picking up the cost of their conflicting programs. He referred to a USDA program under which easements are purchased "at one thousand or two thousand dollars an acre" to take active farmland out of service and turn it into restored wetlands. The increased wetlands result in an increase in mosquito populations. Mr. Quesnel noted that the government-sponsored growth of the wetlands also was causing an increase in water levels in adjacent active farmland and reducing crop yields from those areas.
Mr. Graham noted that, while the new restored wetlands certainly were a source of mosquitoes, they were probably not a source for the mosquitoes most related to the spread of the EEE virus. The culiseta melanura typically resides in underground "crypts" within acidic hardwood swamps that feature, for example, mature maple trees. The adult mosquitoes of this breed travel into small channels in the root mat of the trees to lay their eggs in the protected watery environments within. The mosquitoes, he said, overwinter as larvae.
These unusual tendencies of the culiseta melanura mosquito create control problems. Mr. Graham noted that mosquito larvicide, such as the naturally occurring bacteria bacillus thuringiensis (BT), would be highly effective against the moquito larvae if it could be delivered to where the larvae reside and grow. The mosquitoes' use of underground crypts makes that virtually impossible. As a result, he said, control measures must be directed against the adult mosquito population.
Ms. Berl explained that ground spraying against mosquitoes, such as performed by the BLSG District, may not be effective in more rural communities, like Whiting. That spraying is done from trucks driving along the roads. There are many areas in Whiting that could not be reached by truck spraying, making aerial spraying for mosquitoes the only workable option. Mr. Graham added that the mosquito populations that tested positive for the EEE virus last summer were far from any roads.
Panelists were asked about whether a human vaccine for EEE existed or could be created. While a vaccine for farm livestock has been in use for many years, Dr. Chen said no vaccine has ever been created for humans. He said he did not anticipate any vaccine would be created, as there are very few human cases of EEE and vaccine side effects would be more widespread than its benefits.
The panel acknowledged that much about the EEE virus remains a mystery. There is no explanation as to why the virus seems to fluctuate from year to year. "Just because we had it here this year doesn't mean it will be back next year," Mr. Graham said. The virus previously has exhibited a pattern of taking a decade off between outbreaks. Also a puzzle is what becomes of the virus during the winter and how so much of the deer and moose population across the state - even in areas where EEE mosquitoes are completely unknown - came to possess antibodies for EEE, indicating exposure to the virus at some time in the past. (Officials explained that there is no EEE risk to humans involved with the consumption of deer meat.) No one could say for certain whether the presence of EEE antibodies in a person's blood provided any meaningful protection against becoming ill with EEE at some time in the future. Ms. Kelso said some lasting protection is associated with antibodies related to West Nile Virus, another mosquito-borne illness, and EEE could be similar, but there is no useful data on that issue.
The panel is scheduled to hold similar meetings in Brandon and Sudbury at the end of this month. The Brandon meeting is set for Otter Valley Union High School, 7-9 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The Sudbury meeting will be held at the Town Hall, 7-9 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 29.
09 November 2012
Whiting votes for Obama, Sanders, Welch
Official results of the Nov. 6 elections won't be posted by the secretary of state for another few days, but unofficial tallies show that 133 of Whiting's 188 voters (70.74%) supported the reelection of U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. That is a slightly higher percentage than the 67.21% that supported the Democratic ticket across the State of Vermont. Republican challengers Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan earned only 31% of the popular vote in Vermont and had only 54 supporters in the Town of Whiting.
Nationally, the Democratic Obama-Ryan ticket secured at least 61.2 million votes and 50% of the popular vote, while gathering at least 303 electoral votes. The Republican challengers earned 58.2 million votes, 48% of the popular vote and 206 electoral votes. Florida's official election results and the fate of its 29 electoral votes remain uncertain, but the Democats appear to have won a narrow victory there, raising their electoral margin to 332-206.
Whiting voters supported the reelections of Democrat Peter Welch to the U.S. Congress by more than 81% (Welch won his race with 72.23% of the statewide vote and 150 Whiting votes) and Independent Bernie Sanders to the U.S. Senate by 77.4% (Sanders won with 71.25% of the statewide vote and earned 144 votes in Whiting). Just over 56% of Whiting voters backed the reelection bids of Governor Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, and Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, a Republican (Shumlin was returned to office with 58.1% of the statewide vote; Scott won with 56.8%).
William H. Sorrell, Democrat, won reelection to the position of Vermont attorney general. He secured just over 67% of the vote in Whiting. Also in the Nov. 6 elections, Democrat/Progressive Doug Hoffer was elected auditor (59% in Whiting, 51.5% statewide), Democrat Jim Condos was reelected secretary of state (89.8% in Whiting, 86.8% statewide) and appointed incumbent Democrat Beth Pearce won election as treasurer (51.6% in Whiting, 52.5% statewide).
Democrats Claire Ayer and Christopher Bray won seats in the State Senate representing Whiting and other Addison County towns. Independent Will Stevens was reelected to the Addison-Rutland seat in the State House of Representatives. He was running unopposed.
Nationally, the Democratic Obama-Ryan ticket secured at least 61.2 million votes and 50% of the popular vote, while gathering at least 303 electoral votes. The Republican challengers earned 58.2 million votes, 48% of the popular vote and 206 electoral votes. Florida's official election results and the fate of its 29 electoral votes remain uncertain, but the Democats appear to have won a narrow victory there, raising their electoral margin to 332-206.
| Governor Peter Shumlin |
William H. Sorrell, Democrat, won reelection to the position of Vermont attorney general. He secured just over 67% of the vote in Whiting. Also in the Nov. 6 elections, Democrat/Progressive Doug Hoffer was elected auditor (59% in Whiting, 51.5% statewide), Democrat Jim Condos was reelected secretary of state (89.8% in Whiting, 86.8% statewide) and appointed incumbent Democrat Beth Pearce won election as treasurer (51.6% in Whiting, 52.5% statewide).
Democrats Claire Ayer and Christopher Bray won seats in the State Senate representing Whiting and other Addison County towns. Independent Will Stevens was reelected to the Addison-Rutland seat in the State House of Representatives. He was running unopposed.
Legally Blonde, the Musical, at OVUHS
Tickets are $8 for students and seniors and $10 for adults. They may be purchased at the Otter Valley library during school hours and at Carr's Florist in Brandon. Evening performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 15, 16 and 17. A 2:30 p.m. matinee is scheduled for Nov. 18.
Mosquito control, EEE meetings in area
Experts from the Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Agriculture will discuss Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and mosquito control efforts at three upcoming meetings in the Whiting area. The first meeting will be held at the Whiting Town Hall, 6-8 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 15. (Update: For a report on this meeting, click here.)
The second will be at Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, 7-9 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The final meeting will be at Sudbury Town Hall, 7-9 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 29.
EEE and West Nile virus are potentially deadly diseases transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. EEE was detected in Whiting and Brandon for the first time ever this past summer. Two people died after being diagnosed with EEE.
State officials will review surveillance data and efforts taken to control mosquitoes in 2012 and will discuss plans for tracking and control of illness-carrying mosquitoes in 2013.
The second will be at Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, 7-9 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The final meeting will be at Sudbury Town Hall, 7-9 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 29.
EEE and West Nile virus are potentially deadly diseases transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. EEE was detected in Whiting and Brandon for the first time ever this past summer. Two people died after being diagnosed with EEE.
State officials will review surveillance data and efforts taken to control mosquitoes in 2012 and will discuss plans for tracking and control of illness-carrying mosquitoes in 2013.
05 November 2012
Nor'easter expected Wednesday-Thursday
Here in Vermont, according to WCAX, the storm could produce a wintry mix of precipitation overnight Wednesday to Thursday and a slushy snow on Thursday morning. The mountains, which already have been experiencing light snowfalls, should receive additional snow on Thursday afternoon, while the precipitation changes over to rain in the valleys. The weekend weather is expected to be dry and warmer.
Vote on Tuesday, Nov. 6
Election Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 6. Races will be decided for U.S. President, U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, Vermont Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor of Accounts, Attorney General, State Senate, State House of Representatives, High Bailiffs and Justices of the Peace.
The polls at the Whiting Town Hall will open at 10 a.m. and will close with all other Vermont polling places at 7 p.m. That is an hour earlier than the other states of the New England region and two hours earlier than adjacent New York State.
Like many of Vermont's smaller towns (including the area towns of Shoreham, Sudbury, Ripton and Orwell) , balloting in Whiting is done by paper ballots counted manually. Larger towns and cities in the state have been moving toward Accu-Vote optical ballot readers in recent years.
A total of 461,070 Vermont residents are registered to vote in the general elections tomorrow. That is believed to be a record total for the state, though official counts have only been kept since 2006. The total is about 8,000 more than the 453,011 eligible to vote in the last Presidential election in 2008. Secretary of State Jim Condos, who is running for reelection, predicted a 70 percent turnout of Vermont's voters on Election Day. Vermont voters are not designated with political party affiliations.
Vermont is considered a solidly Democratic state in the Presidential election. In an Aug. 21 poll conducted by Castleton College, President Barack Obama outpolled Republican challenger Mitt Romney by a 62% to 25% margin. The state's Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin is also favored to win reelection. The Castleton College poll found him leading Republican challenger Randy Brock by a 60% to 26% margin.
According to Electionprojection.com, the State of Vermont is the second least conservative state in the United States, and voted almost 30% less Republican in the 2008 Presidential Elections than the national average. Vermont has been trending Democratic in Presidential Elections since 1992.
03 November 2012
Dusty mountains
The Green Mountains are not so green this morning. Just as our colorful fall foliage departed, Mother Nature kindly decided to give us another form of decoration.
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