Weekly Roundup - Norwich News, for week ending February 2,2013

Norwich Sidewalks Turning Blue This Winter

Thursday, 01/31/13 5:50pm

Charlotte Albright, VPR News: 

MP3

When it gets really cold, people, it's said, turn blue.

Well, in Norwich, so do the sidewalks, after they have been treated with de-icer. Town Manager Neil Fulton says there's a good reason for that.

"The purpose of the blue is so we can see it. It could have been red and green.  I've kidded some people that come next Christmas is we're going to ....do red and green instead of blue-maybe we'll be patriotic and do all three colors." Fulton said.

He's had some poly-syllabic explaining to do about the day-glo liquid brine the town is experimenting with this year.

"So it's 30 percent magnesium chloride plus the corn carbohydrates that lowers the freezing temperature of it which means it's more effective at lower temperatures. It's not as slick as other products." he said.

Fulton says this mixture has anti-corrosive agents which makes it more environmentally friendly than the typically applied sodium chloride, and he says it does not harm pets who lick it. 

"We're hopeful that if the costs are right and our experience as an effective de-icing agent are right it's something we will use in the future because it's going to cause less harm to the vegetation next to the sidewalks," Fulton said.

Read the rest of the story.  Listen to the report.

Recovering Snowboarder Pearce Keeps Busy

Plenty Of Work For Pearce
By Jared Pendak Valley News Staff Writer
Saturday, February 2, 2013


Kevin Pearce may not be competing in snowboarding events any longer, but that hasn’t stopped the former Olympic hopeful from making an impact in his sport.
Still recovering from a traumatic brain injury suffered while training in Utah three years ago, the Norwich native has become an ambassador for snowboarding safety during his recovery process.
Pearce’s message and endearing personality have been featured on both the big screen and national television lately. A film produced by HBO depicting his story and recovery, The Crash Reel, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last month and will air on TV this summer and fall.
Just last week, Pearce provided on-air commentary for ESPN during snowboarding events at the Winter X-Games, the largest extreme sports competition in the U.S.
Read the rest of the story.

Cahill Under Consideration For State's Attorney

The search for the new Windsor County state’s attorney has begun.

By Christian Avard, Rutland HeraldJanuary 28,2013

Two candidates are vying to replace outgoing State’s Attorney Robert Sand, whom Gov. Peter Shumlin recently appointed to develop a new DUI court system. According to Windsor County Democratic Committee Chairman William Kuch, 78 delegates will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at Damon Hall in Hartland to nominate the new state’s attorney.

Once they have selected a nominee, the committee will inform Shumlin and Shumlin will make a decision on the appointment. According to Kuch, many Windsor County Democrats will be watching the process very closely.

“It may not be as high profile as appointing a state senator, but there’s a lot of interest. Both candidates are very qualified,” Kuch said.

David Cahill, Democrat of Norwich, is a Windsor County deputy state’s attorney interested in becoming the new state’s attorney. He has served for seven years at criminal court in White River Junction.
Read the rest of the story.

LINKS:
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/97345/norwich-sidewalks-turning-blue-this-winter/
http://www.vnews.com/search/4147355-95/film-pearce-snowboarding-family
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130128/NEWS02/701289959