provided visitors with information about the Ira Allen House in Sunderland Andrew McKeever on the grounds of the Ira Allen House in Sunderland One of the events marking the 250th anniversary of the run-up to this battle was held on Sunday at the Ira Allen House on Route 7A and patriots from Connecticut and Massachusetts seized Fort Ticonderoga in New York history enthusiasts held events following in the footsteps of Allen and his Boys They did not yet live at the house in 1775 but the route to Ticonderoga for many soldiers from points south ran by the property “It seems like it could have been a stopping off point for the Green Mountain Boys to get water maybe a place for the night,” said Avis Hayden Ethan was captured at a Revolutionary War Battle in Quebec the Battle of Longue-Pointe on September 25 This occurred while he was leading an ill-fated attack on Montreal He was subsequently imprisoned by the British “After he spent three years with the British referring to the square room at left when one comes in the front door Later owners added on to the building and made other changes whose name she didn’t have immediately available The Allen brothers originally purchased the land “probably because Ethan's wife had family ties here And the Brownsons lived in Sunderland and owned a lot of land so it's probably what drew them here,” Hayden said “Ethan sold his share of this property to Ira in 1787 And we're not sure when Ira left Sunderland but we do know that it was 1796 that he deeded a quarter acre to the town for the Ira Allen Cemetery,” she said “So probably somewhere around then he was thinking of moving on.” The Ira Allen House is now a bed and breakfast inn said that someone searching with a metal detector on the other side of Route 7A found artifacts including the first official currency minted by the United States also known as the Franklin cent. Marvelli had a box of these items to show visitors a former member of the Sunderland Select Board and occasional contributor to the Bennington Banner and Manchester Journal helped organize the event and persuaded Hayden to participate "This is a chance just to kind of say 'we played our little role in all of this too,'" he said "And what's been really enjoyable to me over the past year or so is to really go into the weeds of some of the Revolutionary history that you don't really hear this much about You hear the grand narratives and everything but kind of what the lives of ordinary people were like and kind of what were some of their issues who really know more about this than I do," he said According to the official green historical marker at the roadside “Ira Allen lived on this site by the Batten Kill and as Treasurer and Surveyor General his “Office” helped shape the destiny of the Republic of Vermont Here Ethan’s family lived; here he dictated his freethinking “Oracles of Reason” in 1782 Among visiting members of the public was Dave Beriau so I want to come back and hear more about the history," he said “I'm a history teacher at Rutland High School and co-president of the Vermont Alliance for Social Studies often comes and participates at our at our conferences.” a recently retired English teacher with Mount Anthony Union For more information about upcoming Vermont 250th observance events, visit https://www.bennington250.org/ Mark Rondeau can be reached at mrondeau@benningtonbanner.com Get the latest headlines every morning in TheBeat We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Kaat throws out the ceremonial first pitch during the opening day ceremonies for Bennington Little League on Friday were recognized for their contributions toward the new indoor sports complex built on the Bennington Baseball Park property on Park Street Team Coggins Auto Group of the AA Division poses for a team photo during Friday's opening day ceremonies.  Bennington Little League held its opening day ceremonies on Friday which included a first pitch from a Baseball Hall of Famer.  Michael J. Mawson can be reached via email at mmawson@benningtonbanner.com A Bennington County man is accused of forging documents to resell a snowmobile that he had not fully paid off Sears then allegedly resold the vehicle to another party using forged paperwork He was issued a citation and due in Vermont Superior Court-Bennington Criminal Division on June 9 The station representative that can assist any person with disabilities with issues related to the content of the public file is Brittany Moroukian. She can be contacted at bmoroukian@wnyt.com or 518-207-4710 As a member of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions Shawn Sweeney is accustomed to seeing high-dollar construction estimates But when he found out how much it was going to cost to repair and restore the Bennington Battle Monument Officials at the Department of Buildings and General Services say decades of deferred maintenance have taken a toll on the 306-foot-tall limestone structure And they estimate the cost to rehabilitate the towering obelisk and keep it viable as a popular historic site “That is not something that I feel we can ask the taxpayers of Vermont to do,” Sweeney said “And it just doesn’t seem like it’s fiscally responsible.” More from Vermont Public: The Bennington Battle Monument is full of water. Saving it could cost $40M presented fellow members of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions on Tuesday with what he says is an alternative path forward that could cost as little as $10 million Instead of repairing and preserving the limestone that’s become saturated with an estimated 66,000 gallons of water And he said the copper would protect the building from new bouts of water damage in the future “And we have like a new old historic battle monument,” Sweeney said “And you’ve got a new structure that really talks about maybe our Vermont ingenuity Officials at the Department of Buildings and General Services said Tuesday's presentation was the first they’ve seen of Sweeney’s plan and that they weren’t prepared to weigh in on its merits said the state is still proceeding with planning for the next phase of its existing plan which involves erecting scaffolding and placing an envelope around the building to dry it out Trieschmann said the building is “structurally sound and safe” in the meantime and will be opening to the public on May 16 “for what we hope will be a most successful season.” Mary Morrissey said the $40 million price tag presents an enormous hurdle for people who are committed to saving the monument And she thanked Sweeney for his efforts to find a more fiscally realistic option “I’m very appreciative of you taking the time and concern of saving (the monument) if it was even thought of to be taken down or … something else we’d probably have World War III,” Morrissey said which drew about 40,000 visitors in 2024 and generated about $276,000 in direct revenue William Greer was also thankful for the concept But he said the stone exterior is fundamental to the building’s aesthetic Enter your email to sign up for The Frequency See more newsletters Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message Vermont’s tallest structure is in dire need of repairs and state officials say it will cost an estimated $40 million to save the Bennington Battle Monument The 306-foot-tall monument cost $102,000 to construct in the late 1880s But the price tag to keep it viable as a historic site — and popular tourist destination — will far exceed that figure director of preservation for Vermont State Historic Sites Duggan told lawmakers this week that the limestone tribute to a famous Revolutionary War battle has been entirely saturated by water And the damage has compromised both the structural elements and the elevator that takes tourists to the top “Calculating the amount of water that could potentially be held within the stone it’s about 66,000 gallons of water sitting in the monument today until something can be done about that,” Duggan said The state took over ownership of the building from the Bennington Battle Monument Association in 1953 in part because the organization could no longer keep pace with the cost of upkeep Decades of deferred maintenance since then have exacerbated longstanding problems that often keep the interior of the monument off limits to visitors State officials have no current funding plan to pay for even the initial drying out of the monument which Duggan said could cost as much as $10 million The longer the state waits to move forward with the project “Nothing is being done while we’re thinking about how to get some traction in moving forward And that is going to continue to increase the amount of deterioration as well as increase the costs,” Duggan said “We have to keep pushing the stone up the hill here to make sure that all the work that we’ve done in the last few years and all the money we’ve invested in the structure The state has spent nearly $1 million in recent years to make some repairs and assess the scope of the damage Nearly 40,000 people visited the monument in 2024 generating about $276,000 in direct revenue (That does not include economic activity related to those visits.) Springfield Rep the Democratic chair of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions said funding the repairs will be a “heavy lift.” But she said she’s committed to finding a path “It’s a very vital part to our Vermont history It’s vital to our tourist industry,” Emmons said “And we have to take care of our Bennington monument.” Day Trips in Southern Vermont: Bookish delights, vast views and art galore Emmons said any viable funding package will involve “partnerships” between the state and federal governments and national and local philanthropic organizations Local Bennington lawmakers will be working with members of Vermont’s federal delegation in the coming weeks to explore avenues for federal aid said that if the state can marshal the needed resources for the project then the monument will enjoy a long life in Bennington “If we do this correctly,” Trieschmann told lawmakers “we’re looking at another 100 years of this being a really good solid monument before it might need another checkup.” More from Vermont Edition: Examining the Battle of Bennington through history — and music Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message Marcus Martinez describes how PFOA affected his patients who were diagnosed with cancer He was speaking in 2016 at a New York Senate hearing in Hoosick Falls Saint-Gobain Performance Plastic's manufacturing facility at 14 McCaffrey St The launch of a thoroughly researched new book about the origins and human costs of PFAS will be held at Hoosick Falls Central School on Saturday — The launch of a thoroughly researched new book about the origins and human costs of PFAS will be held at Hoosick Falls Central School on Saturday Author Mariah Blake’s new book is titled “They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals.” Quality local journalism needs your support Access this story and all of our stories with 24/7 unlimited access Subscribe now for 99¢ Subscriber Sign In | Return Home A woman stands with a flag in distress at the Four Corners of Bennington during the May Day protest on Thursday Crowds converged at the main intersection of Downtown Bennington for another loud but peaceful protest against the actions of the current administration A May Day protest in Bennington brought together residents from throughout the county for the purpose of sharing their displeasure over the current political situation Enthusiasm was the theme of Thursday's protest in Bennington on May Day A biker brought the May Day Strong protesters to a fevered pitch by revving his engine repeatedly at the Bennington Four Corners on Thursday afternoon It was unclear if he was in support or in opposition of the protest An early protester at the May Day Strong event holds up her sign on Thursday afternoon in Bennington A flag in distress flew over the May Day Strong protest in Bennington late Thursday afternoon and evening A number of young families were represented at the May Day Strong protest in Bennington on Thursday Mayday — Help us save the USA," read one sign in a sea of hundreds at the May Day Strong protest in Bennington at Four Corners on Thursday A number of organizations joined forces to organize the event With May Day also being International Workers’ Day “a future that works for working families.” Actress Sophie Nyweide from a recent social media post.  The Bennington Police Department is actively investigating the death of Sophie Nyweide a childhood actress and resident of Manchester who was found in the early morning hours of April 14th BENNINGTON — The Bennington Police Department is actively investigating the death of Marion “Sophie” Nyweide a former child actress and resident of Manchester Nyweide was found in the early morning hours of April 14 near a makeshift lean-to at the flood wall near the Park Street riverbank in Bennington a place she allegedly frequented with friends Fourth graders march outside the Bennington Monument Students look at copper cup from the Catamount Tavern on display at the Bennington Museum Students watch as reenactors act out secret meeting at the Catamount Tavern in 1775.  Fourth graders take in view from the top of the Bennington Monument Fourth graders try "hoops," a colonial children's game Students inside the Old First Church during Ticonderoga event in Old Bennington Students watch reenactors on the spot of the Catamount Tavern in Old Bennington Reenactor shoots musket as students watch outside Bennington Monument Students look at miniature display of Bennington battle at Bennington Monument Students try their hand at using a quill at event Colonial reenactor waits for students outside the Old First Church in Old Bennington.  Vermont history was on display for fourth graders on Ticonderoga raid’s 250th anniversary weekend in Bennington OLD BENNINGTON — Vermont history was on display for fourth graders on Ticonderoga raid’s 250th anniversary weekend in Bennington A lucky group of local fourth graders got to see and touch some of Vermont’s most-celebrated history Thursday afternoon when one of its most famous sons returned to tell the tale of how the Green Mountain Boys played a critical part in defeating the British 250 years ago POWNAL – The American Revolution may have begun in Lexington and Concord on April 19 but less than two weeks later the rebellion’s epic… MONTPELIER — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board will hold two more public hearings on May 6 and 8 to get input on the Fish and Wildlife Department’s 2025 Antlerless Harvest Recommendation as well as proposed changes to white-tailed deer moose and turkey hunting regulations and the rules for transporting wild game meat from out of state Brave Little State is Vermont Public’s listener-powered journalism podcast Every episode begins with a question submitted by our audience we revisit the initial disappearances and trace the rise of the “Bennington Triangle” in the popular imagination Howard Weiss-Tisman: If you hang around downtown Bennington for a little while and ask people what they know about the Bennington Triangle Howard Weiss-Tisman: Have you heard of the Bennington Triangle?  Howard Weiss-Tisman: Never heard of it?  Bennington Resident 1: Don’t know about it Howard Weiss-Tisman: How long have you lived in Bennington Bennington Resident 2: I’ve been born and raised here.  Bennington Resident 2: Bennington Triangle Howard Weiss-Tisman: Tell me what you know.  Howard Weiss-Tisman: And born and bred in Bennington Bennington Resident 2: Born and bred in Bennington.  Howard Weiss-Tisman: And that’s all you know about it Bennington Resident 2: That’s all I know about it And all they found were his glasses and his timetable.  Howard Weiss-Tisman: And how do you know all this I think when you move here it’s one of the first things people kind of initiate you to Howard Weiss-Tisman: Have you heard of the Bennington Triangle Howard Weiss-Tisman: Five people went missing between 1945 and 1950 from the area that is now known as the Bennington Triangle a region that extends from downtown Bennington out into the rugged terrain of the Green Mountain National Forest and Glastenbury Mountain to the east There’s no plaque in downtown Bennington commemorating the disappearances Visitors don’t ask about it much at the state rest area who’s co-owner of a brewpub right along the main drag in Bennington says he doesn’t get too many questions about it at the bar every once in a while you’ll see it come up Howard Weiss-Tisman: It's just not really a big deal to most of the folks I've met who call southwest Vermont home and put Bennington Triangle into the search bar you’ll find people across the country — and around the world — are talking about it Video audio: The mysterious disappearances of Bennington Triangle in the heart of Vermont (video audio montage) Howard Weiss-Tisman: So how did the story about what is most likely five random disappearances become conspiracy theory fodder for podcasters YouTube creators and TV stations around the world I went to meet our question asker at The Daily Grind coffee shop in Claremont Howard Weiss-Tisman: Kevin Landry grew up in Concord He told me that he went through Bennington once or twice as a kid but he had never heard of the Bennington Triangle — until one night And he started flipping through his TV channels Howard Weiss-Tisman: He landed on a show called Unnatural World: The Scariest Places in America TV audio: Along the southwestern edge of Vermont’s Green Mountains is Bennington County Howard Weiss-Tisman: Kevin remembers Bennington as a nice little town surrounded by the Green Mountain National Forest It was not a place he considered to be one of the scariest places in America Howard Weiss-Tisman: And this all kind of piqued his interest He wondered what really happened to the five people who disappeared And he also wondered about all of these supernatural theories that were mentioned in the TV show And so I think the TV show was really sensationalizing it My name is Kevin Landry and my question is Howard Weiss-Tisman: So the first person to disappear from around Bennington was a guy named Middie Rivers a 74-year-old outdoorsman who wandered away from his hunting camp in November of 1945 And it was pretty big news around town when Rivers went missing The Vermont State Guard was called in and troops from Fort Devens only a single rifle cartridge and a handkerchief were found But the legend didn’t really take hold until the following year That’s when an 18-year-old Bennington College student named Paula Welden told her friend she was going for a hike on the Long Trail and never returned back to her dorm Jamie Franklin: Because Welden was a young 18-year-old girl who was a student at Bennington College Howard Weiss-Tisman: This is Jamie Franklin I’m the director of collections and exhibitions here at the Bennington Museum Howard Weiss-Tisman: We meet in the museum’s Regional History Room a soaring 19th century building with high ceilings and sober paintings of Bennington’s founding mothers and fathers looking down on the display cases book stacks and long wooden tables in the research room I ask Jamie to show me around and he takes me to the museum’s file cabinets Vermont in Bennington County from 1920 to 1938 Howard Weiss-Tisman: And there in the museum’s file cabinet and former New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth Jamie Franklin: You know the Paula Welden case was on the front page of the Bennington Banner for at least a couple of weeks after her disappearance There were articles running on a daily basis updating all the kind of up-to-date news Howard Weiss-Tisman: Bennington College shut down for a few days and the students helped search for her Missing person posters were plastered around town and volunteers stepped up to look for Welden But Jamie says the search was frantic and disorganized Jamie Franklin: Welden’s father was involved in politics in Connecticut and was very unimpressed and upset with the lack of coordination amongst the various authorities — the police Howard Weiss-Tisman: Welden’s father called in his own investigators A year later the Vermont Legislature created the Vermont State Police largely due to the painful shortcomings that were laid bare during the Welden investigation her disappearance remains an unsolved missing person case by the Vermont State Police three more people — five in total — had seemingly vanished from Bennington and the nearby Glastenbury Mountain wilderness a 68-year-old World War I vet with mental health issues got on a bus heading towards Bennington and was never seen again who was just 8 years old when he disappeared vanished from his mother’s truck after she left him while taking care of some business at the town dump was with her family at their camp near Somerset when she disappeared Her body was recovered the following spring The mystery of what happened to the five people kind of bubbled up from time to time The local paper would occasionally write a story if some kind of lead developed or around the anniversary of her disappearance if you didn’t live in southwestern Vermont you probably didn’t know too much about it Howard Weiss-Tisman: So five people went missing in the Bennington area between 1945 and 1950 And the disappearances were followed in the local press But it wasn’t until 1992 that a Vermont author named Joe Citro laid the foundation for what would eventually become an internationally discussed phenomenon Joe Citro: I wanted this commentary series to be about Vermont’s historic and folkloric past.  Joe had a recurring gig on Vermont Public Radio and a few times a month he would delve into what he likes to call Vermont folklore Joe Citro: So I was looking for stories that would kind of fit in that category Howard Weiss-Tisman: He’d tell stories about ghosts and monsters Mysteries and legends about abandoned villages dark forests and howling winds that blow through Vermont — the place he was born and raised Joe told the story about the five disappearances and he let loose the name: the Bennington Triangle Joe Citro: I was trying to use a seemingly familiar phrase “The Bermuda Triangle,” everybody knew about that It was just part of the process of being at the keyboard Howard Weiss-Tisman: And once the disappearances got a name Joe Citro: Each of these disappearances got a lot of publicity in its day Howard Weiss-Tisman: After a few years of telling his ghost stories on VPR Joe started writing a series of books on Vermont folklore and mysteries And he’d revisit the Bennington Triangle story in some of those books embellishing the tale a little bit each time He introduced the idea of an alien abduction He retold a story he thinks he heard somewhere about a man-eating rock on Glastenbury Mountain And he made his own connection to a local story about the Bennington Monster a Sasquatch-like creature that Joe read about in an old book about Vermont folklore More from Vermont Public: Thousands attend Adirondack Sasquatch festival Joe’s story of the Bennington Triangle grew more outrageous Joe Citro: I added some fanciful speculation that I didn’t believe little aliens came down and scooped the people up And that’s the thing about folklore and fact: there’s a weird alchemy that mixes them and even the creators can’t go back and separate them Howard Weiss-Tisman: Joe has written these stories down and sold some books through the years but the interest in Vermont folklore is probably mostly regional so any discussions of the Bennington Triangle stayed pretty local he started getting more and more calls from YouTubers and podcasters And in the dark corners of the World Wide Web the number of stories of what has come to be known as the Bennington Triangle exploded Maurice Hall: We’ve been knit together as a virtual village by media so what used to be locally contained is now global Howard Weiss-Tisman: Maurice Hall is provost at Bennington College and he’s done lots of research and writing on social media and communications He says that while legends like the Bennington Triangle are inherently regional the internet has introduced them to a whole new audience around the world Maurice Hall: Because of the algorithms of these platforms you can get lost in a rabbit hole Schmidt: I think human nature tends to want to have answers and tends to want to have bad guys responsible for bad things that happen and bad things happen more than I think the general public realizes Schmidt is a captain with the Vermont State Police is the guy who organizes the search when a Vermonter is reported missing And he’s also the one likely to investigate the body in the unfortunate situation when a missing person turns up deceased pin point that there’s this triangle where there's some sort of mysterious or otherworldly thing happening but it’s something I’m highly skeptical of versus I think this is just circumstance and we want to pin it on something because that makes us it makes us feel like we have a little more control over the world Howard Weiss-Tisman: So until he’s convinced otherwise says he’ll assume that each of the victims of the Bennington Triangle met their own tragic end Schmidt: Sometimes people do just disappear it’s not a super long period of time before that body is no longer recoverable it’s buried under leaves and decomposes and nobody sees it Howard Weiss-Tisman: The Vermont State Police Missing Persons list currently has 38 people on it But of the five missing people included in the Bennington Triangle story as the person who led to the creation of the state police But there are many more Vermonters who vanished whose names have been lost to history It’s not likely that we’ll ever really learn what happened to Welden or to the other four people who disappeared more than seven decades ago the story of the Bennington Triangle will be told Joe Citro says he’s grown kind of weary of the Bennington Triangle phenomenon and he says he turns down most of the requests for interviews he was juggling interview requests from Toronto And he doesn’t expect these requests to stop anytime soon There’s something in us that longs for the unexplained I try to be really clear that there is a line somewhere between reality and fabrication My responsibility is to let people know there is a line take care of who you listen to and what you believe This episode was reported by Howard Weiss-Tisman and produced by Burgess Brown Editing and additional production from Josh Crane and Sabine Poux Theme music by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network State regulators have approved a plan to build a new 12-bed psychiatric unit for adolescents at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington The Green Mountain Care Board signed off on the estimated $10 million project at a meeting on March 19, despite strong pushback from the Brattleboro Retreat which operates the only other inpatient psychiatric facility for adolescents in the state Brattleboro Retreat CEO Steve Cummings said the new adolescent beds in Bennington will cut down on the number of patients who seek care at the Retreat at a time when the hospital’s financial picture is already extremely tight “We track where all our patients come from and we get quite a few from over there,” Cummings said “And if we were to lose all or most of those patients the round figure would be about $10 million.” Major projects at Vermont hospitals have to be approved by the Green Mountain Care Board and the Retreat took part in the certificate of need hearings for the Bennington psychiatric unit Cummings said the Retreat challenged some of the data that Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and the state used to support the need to build a new adolescent psychiatric unit And he acknowledged the challenge in figuring out the appropriate number of beds available “I think we have to work with the state and the other mental health providers to strike a balance of how much capacity can we afford to have available all the time but not have so much that we’re overspending to have multiple beds open that never get used,” Cummings said The Retreat currently operates 23 beds for adolescents in Brattleboro and their capacity can be increased up to 27 beds Southwestern Vermont Medical Center wants to build an inpatient mental health unit for adolescents between the ages 12 and 17 on the ground floor of its Bennington hospital The Scott administration first put out a call for a new adolescent facility in 2021 and it asked for $10.5 million to support the project University of Vermont Medical Center at the time said it would build the facility in Burlington but then pulled out after facing its own financial challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic More from Vermont Edition: UVM's chief of child psychiatry discusses youth mental health and antidepressants When the Department of Mental Health put out a new request for proposals the Bennington hospital said it could add the adolescent beds even though it is in the southern part of the state “Certainly SVMC has not had an inpatient psychiatric unit so that is a big change,” said Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Trey Dobson patients from the entire state will be coming here so they can be transported SVMC is part of the Dartmouth Health network and the New Hampshire-based medical group will provide the clinical team to operate the unit Dobson said that partnership with Dartmouth Hitchcock encouraged SVMC to answer the state’s call for a new adolescent facility Along with the $9.5 million the Legislature included in the budget for construction the state is also supporting the new facility with $1 million to cover operational costs for the first year to ensure SVMC can get the program off the ground “We have seen an increase in youth experiencing symptoms of mental illness that require hospitalization,” said Vermont Mental Health Commissioner Emily Hawes and I hope we can meet the need of our communities.” The most recent Vermont Department of Health Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that many teenagers in the state are experiencing poor mental health More than a third of the students who took part in the survey said they experienced poor mental health most of the time or always during the past month More from Vermont Public: Survey shows Vermont youth mental health stuck in pandemic trough Hawes said more teenagers are waiting in emergency rooms for psychiatric care because inpatient beds are not available though she acknowledged that it is very difficult to build and maintain a system that is balanced with enough resources to serve adolescents ‘Do we have the right beds or not?’ Which is a valid question and also one of the most difficult ones to answer,” Hawes said I would say we want folks to have a choice psychiatric care vetted with physical care in a medical center And we also want facilities like the Retreat to thrive.” Southwestern Vermont Medical Center will apply for an Act 250 permit for the new unit and the hospital hopes to have the addition open in 18 months or so Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors K-9 Stark searches a vehicle last December in Bennington Gliffaud Gelin is walked out of the Bennington Police Station Wednesday after being arrested for kidnapping.  Destiny Torres is escorted out of the Bennington Police Station Wednesday after she was arrested for kidnapping aided investigating officers after a report of a violent kidnapping along Gore Road turned up a loaded and cocked pistol allegedly tossed out of a vehicle carrying the alleged victim BENNINGTON — Bennington’s young police K-9 aided investigating officers after a report of a violent kidnapping along Gore Road turned up a loaded and cocked pistol allegedly tossed out of a vehicle carrying the alleged victim Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInBENNINGTON (WOWT) - A nearly two-year construction project entered its next phase on Wednesday in Bennington In 2023, construction crews installed traffic signals at N 168th & State to improve that intersection Now they are onto the next section: N 168th & Ida Street Chad Boyes lives and works in northwest Omaha at any time during the day from the north to the south direction you might see traffic back up for a half mile plus,” said Boyes Construction & Permits Supervisor with Douglas County tells First Alert 6 once they are installed “It should make traffic flow a lot smoother than it does now with the stop signs removed,” said Ruff “With the school being right here it does get a lot of traffic in the mornings and the afternoons.” Ruff says another piece of the project include a new culvert and the sight distance on the east side of Ida Street is getting cut down a few feet “We will take that dirt down west of 168th on Ida Street and fill it in down towards the bottom of the hill to soften that hill down at the bottom,” said Ruff “That will be some of the biggest differences that people will see here when they come here in late fall.” Detours will force a slight adjustment to your commute so we go to that and this is the route that we take,” said Bennington resident Vicki I do not know what the next street will be but a little further down to get there Actually our church meets at the YMCA so that will be another detour we will have to take.” Vicki tells First Alert 6 says she looks forward to seeing more traffic lights in the area and especially as her community grows understands construction comes with more neighbors moving in “We have seen this we understand that this is part of it and we are excited for the growth,” said Boyes “But we are also reminding everyone to be patient as we move around our area.” he is happy to see more lights go up around the nearby school 168th so crossing that street is going to be a little bit easier for our families.” said Boyes Detours are set in four directions around the construction zone like Fort Street Commuters are asked to avoid driving through the surrounding subdivision to navigate around the closures First Alert 6 spoke with Bennington School District they did have to adjust two bus routes by just a couple of minutes due to the closures but say they have already alerted affected parents There is a detour in place to get to both bus drop off locations 168th and Ida Street is closed now through the end of fall There are currently no plans to reopen the street until construction is complete The public defender said in court on Wednesday that he suffers from ADHD and autism According to a Douglas County Court document obtained by First Alert 6 Investigates on Tuesday 23-year-old Spencer Rademacker followed Bennington Police activity on a scanner Rademacker is facing charges of attempted first-degree assault His parents told investigators that Rademacker struggles most at night and expressed frustration to investigators about the situation Text messages showed tense conversations between Rademacker and his mother about his activities Investigators also discovered that Rademacker had called First Alert 6 in December to get a story by Reporter Mike McKnight on the investigation taken down Phone data obtained by investigators showed he called four times then removed the call record from his phone when questioned about voicemails he left on the matter Rademacker told a deputy: “My name does not need to be on the damn news The whole world does not need to know my name.” While acknowledging his name didn’t actually appear in the reports he reportedly told the deputy: “...It sure seems like these people are trying to accuse me of doing.. sometimes when I wasn’t even doing anything to them I don’t understand why the news people got involved in this other crap It really made me fly off the handle [when the news became involved].” The court records show he had searched for information on the Fremont Police Department “minimum seconds needed for following distance,” and “steps to safely exit the highway.” Rademacker also reportedly was seen collecting scraps of metal from a “scrap pile” on a private property in Bennington in mid-October or November He also had a protection order filed against him by a relative of the property owner who alleged Rademacker had been following her around the Omaha area Sheriff’s investigators collected cell phone data that puts Rademacker in close proximity minutes prior to each of the four crashes The court documents also provided further details about each one: near 168th Street and Highway 36 after a driver hit a bicycle that was in the road Records show that Rademacker reported the crash saying he had noticed the bicycle in the road before the crash happened Investigators say Rademacker’s cell phone location data placed him at the scene about 13 minutes before the crash occurred deputies responded to a crash at the same location — again reported by Rademacker Investigators said that his cell phone location data showed him in the same vicinity at 11 DCSO deputies were called to the area of 157th and Bondesson streets after Rademacker reported a crash there at 8:36 p.m the vehicle had struck a large piece of concrete left in the roadway Investigators said that location data from Rademacker’s cell phone had him in the same area 21 minutes prior and again three minutes before the crash was reported deputies were called to 132nd Street and Highway 36 after a vehicle hit a “large metal object” in the road — again reported by Rademacker they approached a blue 2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk registered to Rademacker the vehicle “made a quick U-turn” and drove away He would tell investigators at a later date that he had traveled to Blair at that time he told them he had been at the scene and saw a vehicle swerve off the road to avoid hitting something that had been left in the road and the crash victims said they hadn’t removed anything from the road — as did Rademacker who said he saw the vehicle go into the ditch while he was stopped at a nearby stop sign but didn’t see deputies trying to approach his vehicle at the scene he was questioned about multiple debris-related crashes in the area; he said he calls 911 when he sees the crashes and that he will pick up debris he finds in roadways and “put it in his trash can.” The court record also shows that Rademacker told deputies about two other traffic incidents he had helped out with: one at 156th Street and Military Road and another while traveling to Fremont on Highway 36 No specific dates for those incidents were included in the affidavit The record states that in the first incident he told investigators that he followed a trail of antifreeze on the highway and found a vehicle Rademacker said he thought the vehicle had hit a chunk of concrete in the road but told authorities he didn’t witness the crash he told investigators he saw a vehicle pulled over on the side of the road with its hazard lights flashing Rademacker said that the driver spoke Spanish so he used a translator app to ask the driver if she had hit a bicycle with her vehicle He then said he told her the vehicle was leaking oil Get a first alert to breaking news delivered to your inbox. 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(WOWT) - Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies have made an arrest in a string of mysterious traffic incidents last year along Highway 36 First Alert 6 was there Monday as deputies brought 23-year-old Spencer Rademacker to the station He’s facing charges of attempted first-degree assault and felony criminal mischief The arrest comes almost exactly three months after a search warrant was served at the home of someone DCSO investigators referred to at the time as “a person of interest.” First Alert 6 Investigates was there and has since verified that person was Rademacker He sat in a detective’s car during the search and was allowed back in the home after about two hours Deputies have been investigating at least four incidents of drivers either hitting or swerving to miss large objects left on Highway 36 at night — from a coffee table to a chair a young married couple escaped with their lives after dodging what they thought was a television in the middle of Highway 36 on a dark night in December Their car crashed through a wire guardrail and slid into a ravine They told First Alert 6 that they saw a man standing on the shoulder right after the crash Sheriff Aaron Hanson alleges that was Rademacker who intentionally placed the object in the highway ”And resulted in him being able to see first responders responding and him being able to respond as a helper But worst-case scenario could have resulted in someone’s serious injury or death," Hanson said First Alert 6 Investigates found two other drivers who had hit objects placed on the same highway. The damage to their vehicles was not as extensive. Watch First Alert Live at 10 to hear their story Digital Director Gina Dvorak contributed to this report The Bennington Motor Inn on West Main Street was sold recently to new owners BENNINGTON – A well-known Bennington motel recently changed hands According to an April 22 entry in the town clerk’s property transfer listing, the Bennington Motor Inn was sold by Rajesh and Nimisha Patel to RAHA Hospitality LLC for $1,260,000 Town assessor records show the property at 143 Main Street was previously sold in 2005 for $615,000 RAHA Hospitality lists Pinal Patel as agent and has a corporate mailing address in Lenox which also is the address for the Wagon Wheel Inn in that town Jim Therrien can be reached at therrienjim76@gmail.com or by phone at 413-281-2646 Jockey Junior Alvarado rides Sovereignty to victory in the 151st Kentucky Derby Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths in the slop Trainer Bill Mott won his first Derby in 2019 when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first and was disqualified after a 22-minute delay Journalism found trouble in the first turn and jockey Umberto Rispoli moved him to the outside He and Sovereignty hooked up at the eighth pole before Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado pulled away — Sovereignty gave trainer Bill Mott a second Kentucky Derby victory This time there was no doubt about it and no asterisk The 3-year-old colt outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Derby in the slop on Saturday snapping an 0 for 13 skid by owner Godolphin rewritten or redistributed without permission A revote for the Bennington Select Board is now scheduled for April 28 BENNINGTON — The select board election held on Monday will be coming to a revote Following a review of the ballots from Monday’s vote to elect the Select Board Chair the Town Manager discovered that one ballot had been misread He promptly notified the Board upon realizing the error Tariffs are expected to hit the ski industry in different ways.  Selling quality product but in a context of education and face-to-face discussion is a corne… Finding that special treat for a canine friend is both about taste but also about health and… BENNINGTON – After working with children for many years Connecting people with the outdoors can be a calling but also a path and more than five years had passed when the first store … But no company makes it to 100 years without hard work Bill Deveneau is a man of humble perspective but yet understands the context of human behavi… Being a counselor to children in crisis requires both a steady hand and a warm heart JACKSONVILLE — About a hundred paces past the entrance to the North River Bakery Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInOMAHA (WOWT) - The 23-year-old facing charges relating to a string of Bennington area crashes late last year appeared in court on Wednesday morning Spencer Rademacker was charged in Douglas County Court with felony attempted assault which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted; and felony criminal mischief which has a maximum sentence of two years in prison The judge set bond Wednesday at $5,000/10% and scheduled a preliminary hearing for April 22 The public defender said in court on Wednesday that Rademacker suffers from ADHD and autism noting that lives with his parents and that he has previously been under a conservatorship The prosecutor didn’t object to the bail proposal but did note in court on Wednesday that Rademacker had been previously convicted of criminal mischief Court documents show they believe Rademacker was the person who reported each of the incidents to authorities “We assume that he likes to watch the accidents be the first one on the scene to render aid and to see the first responders respond it almost got someone killed and it could have gotten multiple people killed,” said Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson Sheriff’s investigators also collected cell phone data that they say puts Rademacker in close proximity minutes prior to each of the four crashes The court affidavit also showed that investigators were told Rademacker followed Bennington Police activity on a scanner The court records also show he had searched for information on the Fremont Police Department Newly elected Select Board members: [l-to-r] Tom Haley (incumbent) Locals vote at the Bennington Firehouse on Tuesday Incumbent Tom Haley and two newcomers were elected to the Bennington Select Board in a race that drew a total of 10 candidates The town budget also passed overwhelmingly on a vote of 1,518 to 654 and voters approved four of six proposed town charter changes which will next be reviewed by the Legislature A number of signs spoke to the feelings about the current administration's handling of foreign policy issues and against tariffs were everywhere.  The Four Corners intersection was heavily crowded with local activists on Saturday for the April 5 protest the protest at the Four Corners in Bennington was relatively peaceful and very vocal As a statement and tribute to the "Hands Off" group of protesters one activist walked the sidewalk with stuffed hands hanging off her body A crowd of well over 1,200 individuals braved the wet and frigid weather on Saturday to protest at all sides of the Four Corners intersection in Bennington with the protest expanding up both sides of the streets in each direction.  Jennifer Edwards of Battenkill Valley Pride stepped out in color at the Indivisible protest in support of the many issues that she hoped the government would keep their hands off of who stated that she ran a Bennington-based business was decked out in a worn Uncle Sam’s top hat Randall spoke about her appreciation for Cory Booker and the late John Lewis Bennington PD was on site to make ensure that the protest was safe for all at times materializing out of thin air and anticipating issues issues before they escalated All sides of the Bennington Four Corners were heavily lined with protestors for the April 5 event "Left over from the first term," a protestor shows off his Trump toilet bowl scrubber A family stands on the wall to the pocket park in Bennington the crowd had spread up all sides of the Four Corners intersection With signs from left to right are locals Bruce Smith over 1,200 local activists assembled at the Bennington Four Corners on Saturday with a number focused on demonstrating the fundamental right to gather peacefully to protest “It’s our fundamental right to come together — to fight for the future of our country,” said one protester a “born and bred Vermonter” from “one of our beautiful mountain towns.” Christopher Main at a 2023 Bennington hearing via video link A long-running court case involving a 2021 drug overdose came to a resolution Tuesday in Bennington with the defendant pleading to a felony count and a substantial jail and probation sentence BENNINGTON — A long-running court case involving a 2021 drug overdose came to a resolution Tuesday in Bennington with the defendant pleading to a felony count and a substantial jail and probation sentence Bennington Police responded to a call that a 22-year-old female had overdosed and had stopped breathing (WOWT) -As we look back nearly a year ago from the Arbor Day tornadoes one of the most notable tornadoes that was visible to a large portion of the area was the one that went through the Elkhorn & Bennington area and up to just southeast of Blair Around 3:30pm: It starts to form South of Hwy 92 and lifts to the northeast just east of the Platte River The tornado started to take its shape and it did quite a bit of damage along Center and Hwy 92 on the west edge of Douglas county It continues to lift to the northeast from there just grazing the Junkstock area as it lifted to the north 3:45pm: There was damage there and kept going as it formed into a little more defined tornado around the Ramblewood area about 15 minutes after it formed That’s where estimated winds of 170 mph were later found and EF 4 damage making it the strongest tornado of this entire outbreak that day 3:54: As you move a little farther northeast and the videos from the Bennington area were just as impressive and you can see the dark cone shaped tornado there It was doing damage as it moved along and continued to progress towards the northeast As it moved northeast it actually widened and it got to its widest path just over a mile wide to the west of Blair High Road You could see the trees that are still topped out in the area There’s groves of trees that still haven’t been taken down That continued to move to the northeast and passed over Hwy 75 just grazing Blair on the South side before it eventually lifted around 4:30 just into western Iowa It was on the ground for nearly an hour with an initial EF-3 rating that was later revised up to an EF-4 Peak winds got to 170 mph and it was on the ground for over 31 miles as it went through a large swath of the area It will certainly be remembered for years and decades to come More details on this tornado and the more than 2 dozen others from that day can be found here Get a first alert to severe weather approaching your area. Download the First Alert 6 Weather app A Labrador Retriever mix with a knife injury under his left eye at Bennington Police shelter facility A Bennington woman is facing five years behind bars for allegedly stabbing a Labrador Retriever mix in the face BENNINGTON — A Bennington woman is facing five years behind bars for allegedly stabbing a Labrador Retriever mix in the face was charged on Tuesday last week with one count of felony aggravated animal cruelty/torture for the previous day's violent stabbing of the canine which resulted in a nearly three-inch gash requiring four stitches under the dog’s left eye The Bennington woman who pleaded not guilty to stabbing her dog in the face has changed her plea to guilty Jill is your neighborhood news reporter for Northwest Omaha Jill is passionate about connecting with her community and telling the stories that matter to them (KMTV) — In previous unsuccessful bond elections opponents said they did not want their property taxes to increase Plas is now making another appeal to voters the Bennington School District is working to get voter approval to build a second high school I'm Jill Lamkins your Bennington reporter where that new high school could go on 180th and Military Plas who shares what it will cost taxpayers What's changed with this bond as opposed to the last two we listened to our community and what we heard from them is we want to make sure that the levy impact is as low as possible,” said Dr One of the main concerns neighbors have had with previous attempts at this bond issue was with how it would affect their tax dollars What went from a tax rate increase of 4.9 cents in the 2024 proposal has shifted to a zero-cent increase in this updated plan By lowering the project cost by $4 million increasing the use of district reserves by $3 million and paying down an additional $2 million in previous bond debt we've done several analyses to ensure that we what we're saying we're able to follow through on,” said Dr Plaus says that follow-through comes from anticipated growth including commercial development "We typically have been between 3% and 4% of our total valuation was commercial This last year it actually jumped up to 6% and so we can see them there's businesses that are popping up left and right around here and we know that that's going to continue into the future." Some neighbors shared with me on Facebook that they don't think there will be enough new businesses to support the continued residential growth But others like Bennington mom Michelle Miller thinks this needs to happen now that 5th grader will be entering a high school that's at 130% overcapacity I mean to me it's just as simple as the bottom line is we have to continue to invest in our kids and our community to me this this isn't a choice we have to do this,” said Miller If neighbors want to learn more about the bond they can attend an informational meeting open to the community The last meeting is on Tuesday Feb. 18th at 7 pm at Bennington Middle School. If you can't attend, we'll link more information here. Your gateway to environmental health knowledge Join the Environmental Health News community Toxic PFAS chemicals once linked to a closed ChemFab factory in Bennington are increasingly found in private wells and soils with new research showing contamination is spreading and intensifying Greta Solsaa reports for VTDigger. “We are seeing across the board PFOA levels continue to rise across our region and continue to be found well beyond the area of initial concern and the takeaways from this research are pretty clear — we need robust monitoring of all wells in the Bennington region for PFOA.” Center for the Advancement of Public Action PFAS contamination — short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — has become one of the most stubborn public health challenges of the modern industrial age. Used for decades in products ranging from nonstick pans to firefighting foam these synthetic compounds resist breaking down earning them the nickname "forever chemicals." In towns like Bennington where manufacturing once promised jobs and stability residents now live with a different kind of legacy: a toxic footprint that leaches through groundwater The science linking PFAS exposure to cancers and developmental harm — especially in children — is well-established yet federal and state regulators have struggled to keep up Bennington’s story is far from unique; it highlights how slowly government responses move when corporate pollution quietly permeates the environment leaving everyday people to grapple with invisible threats long after the factories have gone silent Related: What are PFAS? hand-picked by our editors and researchers We offer a host of daily and weekly options Nonprofit organizations MADE SAFE and Plastic Pollution Coalition released the new Healthy Pregnancy Guideto help parents-to-be navigate the challenges of making healthier living choices for babies and the planet a newsroom powered by Environmental Health Sciences It all improves the health of our communities A report prepared for state preservation officials recommends steps to repair and preserve the 306-foot Bennington Monument The cost estimates range as high as $40 million over several years The Bennington Monument as photographed in 1905.  The condition of the stone blocks used in the construction of the Monument was a prime focus on the recent assessment work the stones have absorbed thousands of gallons of water which has resulted in damage and deterioration Bennington Battle Monument under construction in 1887 Crane in front of building with one large block suspended Several men in work clothes standing on top of Monument and on ground OLD BENNINGTON – An engineering assessment of the Bennington Monument poses a challenge not unlike the one that drew hundreds of Patriots to this area in 1777 to fend of a British attack the enemy isn’t a contingent of Hessian or British soldiers but a joltingly high estimate for what is envisioned as a multi-year project to restore and preserve the 306-foot stone obelisk into the future OLD BENNINGTON — Facing a $40 million estimate to restore the Bennington Battle Monument In preparation for the March 4 Bennington Select Board election the Bennington Banner will be publishing a series of profiles on candidates Each candidate was asked to respond to the same three questions in no more than 500 words: What skills and experience would you bring as a Select Board member This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Curtis Gould at his trial in Bennington Wednesday It took a Bennington jury just forty minutes Thursday afternoon to find a Bennington man accused of fondling two co-workers at the Arlington Dairy Bar in 2021 not guilty on all counts BENNINGTON — It took a Bennington jury just forty minutes on the first day of a two-day trial Wednesday afternoon to find a Bennington man accused of fondling two co-workers at the Arlington Dairy Bar in 2021 not guilty on all counts was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious acts stemming from several alleged incidents between May 6 and May 25