Memorial planned Irasburg. for young Willie. hearing on plan 1B April 28 11 the Chronicle THE WEEKLY JOURNAL OF ORLEANS COUNTY TWO SECTIONS, 48 PAGES VOLUME 43, NUMBER 17 APRIL 27, 2016 ONE DOLLAR In Newport Jay Peak is School budget A happy hunter alarmingly is narrowly short of money approved by Joseph Gresser by Joseph Gresser Jay Peak may not have enough money to keep going through the summer, said Michael NEWPORT — The Newport City Elementary Goldberg, the Florida lawyer put in charge of School budget squeaked to victory by the overseeing the collection of EB-5 projects centered narrowest of margins Tuesday. Only about a around the ski resort. tenth of the city’s voters — 344 — went to the “I have learned that the Receivership Entities polls and passed the budget 174 to 170. are in dire financial position and in danger of not The budget calls for $5.71-million in spending having sufficient funds to continue operating for the school, about $176,000 more than last beyond the very immediate future,” he wrote in a year, or a difference of 3.17 percent. declaration directed to the U.S. District Court for Spending per equalized pupil will be $13,420, Southern Florida. about 8.8 percent higher than the per-pupil Mr. Goldberg was given control of Jay Peak spending rate for the current school year. and the other assets of its owner, Ariel Quiros, by This was the school’s second try at getting federal Judge Darrin Gayles on April 13. As the approval for a spending plan. court-appointed receiver he has been On Town Meeting Day, an earlier version that investigating the finances of a network of called for spending of $5.74-million was defeated companies connected with Jay Peak’s EB-5 by a margin of 388 to 490. project as well as those of the ski resort itself. It was about 3.55 percent higher than the The SEC has alleged that Bill Stenger and 2015-2016 budget. Dominick Daigle, ten, of Irasburg got his first turkey Mr. Quiros misused about $200-million of The budget passed Tuesday was trimmed by during the youth weekend on April 23. The turkey investor money in the EB-5 projects. about $20,000. Most of the reduction in spending weighed 18.5 pounds, and had a nine-inch beard and According to Mr. Goldberg, Jay Peak needs came from the principal’s budget. a one-inch spur. For more hunting photos, please between $7-million and $11-million to get it The school’s new principal will be paid about see pages twenty-one and thirty-two. Photo courtesy of Laurie Carpenter through the summer. In addition, he said, the (Continued on page twenty-seven.) (Continued on page thirteen.) Barton Village Trustees DUI formula EB-5 Proposed solar Suspicions too simplistic, project would arose in 2010 judge says by Tena Starr benefit village by Joseph Gresser by Elizabeth Trail A suspicious Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) started questioning Bill NEWPORT — State forensic experts will have Stenger and Ariel Quiros, owner of Jay Peak and BARTON VILLAGE — A pair of young solar to rewrite their manuals if the Vermont Supreme Q Burke, back in May of 2014. But they weren’t developers appeared before the Barton Village Court upholds a decision issued by Judge Howard the only ones who were suspicious, and they Trustees at their meeting Monday with a VanBenthuysen Monday. certainly were not the first. proposal to make the village a beneficiary of a The judge, sitting in the Criminal Division of Four years earlier, in 2010, John Carpenter, 335-kilowatt solar project. Orleans County Superior Court, said in a written who was then controller at the ski area, told Mr. The village would be able to use about 10 opinion that state experts do not take enough Stenger he believed something was awry, percent of the net metered power produced by the individual factors into consideration when according to SEC documents. For one thing, he project to offset electric bills for the school and calculating what a person’s blood alcohol level could not get access to the accounts at financial municipal buildings. was more than two hours earlier. services company Raymond James, held by Mr. Although final numbers will replace the The decision concerns what the judge calls Quiros, which he’d repeatedly asked for, he told computer model as time goes on, the arrangement “relation-back testimony,” meaning calculations the SEC in a so-called “declaration.” could potentially save the village as much as intended to show how quickly a person’s system Mr. Carpenter’s quotes here come from that $244,483 over the course of the next 20 years. rids itself of alcohol, and hence what that person’s document. “And if we over-generate, you get that power blood alcohol level was at some time before he or The SEC is alleging that the Northeast free,” Victor Veve said, “because we can’t she took a Datamaster breath test. Kingdom EB-5 projects were actually a giant monetize it.” The Datamaster is an instrument used by Ponzi-like scheme, in which $200-million of Brothers Will and Victor Veve have put in police to check blood alcohol levels. The breath investor money was misused. several commercial solar installations in the test is preferred by law enforcement agencies Mr. Stenger and Mr. Quiros say that when northwestern part of the state. because it’s considered to be accurate by courts investor money came in it went into escrow (Continued on page twenty-four.) and it does not require as intrusive a procedure accounts at the Chittenden Bank (now People’s as a blood test or urine sample. United Bank) until the investors were cleared for Under Vermont law the test is considered to immigration, at which point the money was be good evidence as long as it’s administered transferred to Raymond James. within two hours of stopping the person arrested. There were budget overruns on early projects, A Datamaster test given after two hours must Mr. Carpenter told the SEC, and it looked like (Continued on page twenty-eight.) (Continued on page sixteen.) Page Two the Chronicle, April 27, 2016 the Chronicle LaClair given quilt of honor Index Kingdom Calendar .................................8B-13B Letters to the Editor ....................................4-8 Obituaries................................................2B-4B Perimeter ........................................................9 Ruminations................................................16B Advertising Sections Auctions & Real Estate ............................4B-5B Auto..........................................................28-31 Building Trades ........................................6B-7B Classified Ads.......................................14B-15B Hair................................................................15 Jobs................................................................26 Pets................................................................24 Restaurants & Entertainment................9B-11B Children’s Books & Pastimes Maurice E. LaClair of Barton receives a quilt of honor for his service in World War II. Pictured, from left to right, 158 Main St., Newport, VT • 802-334-2322 are American Legion Department of Vermont Sergeant At Arms Fred Stebbins, Mr. LaClair, Commander Casey Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-4. Closed Sun. & Mon. Tomkins of Barton Legion Post #76, and state Legion Commander Fred Latour presenting the quilt of honor to Mr. www.widerthanthesky.com LaClair, who served in Burma during World War II. Photo by Pete Cocoros Youngs win Best in Show at maple festival Brian and Carole Young of Glover received the Best in Show award for their golden color delicate flavor maple syrup (formerly known as “fancy”) at the fiftieth annual Vermont Maple Festival in St. Albans on April 23. Photo courtesy of Carole Young BOOKING FOR APRIL. Waterfront Plaza, Newport • 334-2610 www.CityCinemaNewport.com Wednesday is date night! All seats only $5. Booster seats for kids! 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