College and beyond
Castleton alumni Natalie Sargeant and Joshua Levandowski, 2012 and 2014 graduates, have undertaken travel nursing, working with the agency Advantage RN, applying to hospitals that have need of both their skillsets. Assignments are 13 weeks long with occasional options for contract extension.
Last summer they worked in North Carolina, then spent the fall and winter in Phoenix, Ariz. They are anticipating working in the Northwest in the spring. Living in an RV gives them and their two English bulldogs a portable home away from home; working in a succession of different hospital environments is making them stronger professionals as they adapt to each unique setting.
They credit their experience at Castleton with giving them a solid foundation for their education and careers.
Castleton University students are taking finals the week of Dec. 19 through 23 with the residence halls closing at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23. That seems late, giving out-of-state students only Friday and Saturday to get home for Christmas. They return to campus Jan. 16 for the start of spring semester.
Green Mountain College students wind up their fall semester a little earlier, with residence halls closing Dec. 21. Classes begin the same day as Castleton, Jan. 16 .
Fair Haven dog dispute
Fair Haven’s Select Board considered a complaint registered by Laura Woods against Harley and Jake, a pair of dogs owned by Elmer and Pat Jones. Woods said that she and her husband had been walking their dog on a leash when it was attacked and traumatized by the Jones’ dogs that were unleashed.
Elmer Jones said that he was not home at the time of the incident, nor did his wife see the incident. He stated that neither of his dogs is vicious, the yard is fenced, and he strives to keep the dogs confined. The smaller dog had dug a way out of the yard, but that hole is now repaired.
Police Chief William Humphries noted that this is the first time that Jake and Harley have had a complaint against them. Although they were not registered at the time of the incident, they are now; nor have they been loose since the incident took place.
VSP moving outpost back to Castleton
The Vermont State Police is moving its outpost to Castleton as its office space contract with the Fair Haven Police Department expires Jan. 1, 2017. The outpost is a Rutland Barracks satellite office for six officers and a sergeant,
Outposts were common in Vermont, but faster communications and more portable equipment in cruisers have lessened the need for office time. The VSP outpost had been in Castleton for 30 years before moving to rented desk space in the Fair Haven Police Department about four years ago in a cost saving move. Besides the western Rutland County outpost, the only other one left in the state is in Lamoille County.
Contributing to the community
The Giving Tree is up at the Shaw’s supermarket in Fair Haven.
Thanks to the Fair Haven Police Department for using its largest cruiser in a Stuff-A-Cruiser campaign Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11, in the Fair Haven Shaw’s Supermarket parking lot. The final totals are in. Contributors gave 1,500 pounds of food, 85 pounds of pet food, and $309 cash to Fair Haven Concerned.
Special thanks to Bridget Sheldrick, Cohen Sheldrick, Blake Shedrick, Sgt. Dale Kerber and former Fair Haven Cpl. James Riehl for all their help.