Cavendish Update 1/8/21: Calendar Contest/Covid/History of Capital Violence
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Photo from 2008 CCCA Calendar
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1/8/21
1. Cavendish Info
2. Has the U.S. Capital Been attacked/stormed before?
3. Covid update
4. Events
1. CAVENDISH INFO
• Cavendish Village PO Repair: Repairs were being made to the driveway and parking area of the Cavendish Village post office on Thursday. While long overdue, it’s hoped that more extensive renovations will be made this summer when 131 is repaved.
• Cavendish set to go live with their EV Charging Station: Cavendish’s new Electric Vehicle Charging Station is expected to be up and running by the end of the week, marking the successful achievement of a five-year goal and offering free electric vehicle charging for at least the first year. The EV charging station, a Level 2 240-volt unit, is installed next to a single designated parking space along the Proctorsville Green on Depot Street and is the pride of the town’s Energy Committee, which includes Board Chair Peter LaBelle, Mary Ormrod, and the late Dan Sullivan. VT Journal
• Cavendish Calendars Looking for Photos: Once again it’s time for the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association calendar contest. The theme for 2022 is Bees and Beekeepers in Cavendish. If you have a photo you would like to submit relating to bees and that was taken in Cavendish, and you are a resident, (and that includes second homeowners) there are several ways to submit it to CCCA. You can use snail mail by sending it to P.O. Box 605, Cavendish VT 05142, or you can drop it off at Crows Bakery on Depot St. in Proctorsville. Alternatively you can email it as an attachment to cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com. Submission deadline is April 1, 2021. All photos must be in landscape format. Print photos should be on 8”x10” non-glossy finish paper, digital photos should be minimum 3MB. All photos become the property of CCCA upon submission. All pictures received will be considered for publication. Actual photos may not be returned and all photos may be used in products created by the CCCA. For more information, please call Robin at 802-226-7736 or email cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.
• New Vermont Laws in 2021: Abenaki hunting licenses, state parks signs, higher minimum wage.
• Gov. Phil Scott’s Inaugural Address: In his third inaugural address Thursday evening, Gov. Phil Scott (R) pledged to focus this legislative session on “weathering the remaining storm” of the Covid-19 pandemic and “laying a foundation” to rebuild the state’s economy. Scott’s speech came one day after supporters of President Donald Trump descended on the U.S. Capitol and participated in violent riots that sparked national unrest. In response to the chaos in Washington, D.C., Scott called Wednesday for Trump to resign or be removed from office. VT Digger
2. HAS THE US CAPITAL BEEN ATTACKED/STORMED BEFORE?: Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capital building by extremist Trump supporters was a horrifying sight to witness, with some comparing it to 9/11, and many questioning whether anything like this has ever happened before.
In its 220 year history, this is not the first time the Capital building has been scarred by violence.
In 1814, the British occupied, looted and burned the U.S. Capital, though it wasn’t fully destroyed thanks to a sudden rain storm. Since then, the following attacks have taken place:
• July 4, 1915: Erich Muenter, former professor of German at Harvard University, exploded three sticks of dynamite in the Senate reception room. There was building damage but no one died. Muenter said his attack was in response to American financiers aiding Britain against Germany in World War I.
• March 1, 1954, a group of armed Puerto Rican nationalists fired onto the House Floor from the public galleries wounding five U.S. Representatives. Within a matter of moments, normal House proceedings were thrown into chaos creating a scene etched into the memories of Members, staff, and Pages.
• Nov. 7, 1983: an explosion ripped through the second floor of the Senate. Just minutes before the explosion, someone claiming to be from a group named the Armed Resistance Unit called a Capitol switchboard warning of a pending attack, saying it was in retaliation for US military actions in Grenada and Lebanon.
• 1998: A mentally ill man fired at a checkpoint and killed two Capitol Police officers. A nearby statue of Vice President John C. Calhoun still bears a bullet mark from the incident.
As troubling as these current events are, particularly since the last time such a large scale attack happened was over 200 years ago and then it was by a foreign power, the Capital Building and the American people have weathered through and will do so again.
3. COVID UPDATE: While much is competing for our attention, please take note that the new variant strain of Covid has been detected in Saratoga Springs, just a hop, skip and a jump from VT. On Wednesday University of VT Medical President Stephen Leffler, said, “We should assume it’s already in Vermont.”
New Covid Strain: This strain is at least 50% more transmissible, though mortality and morbidity are the same and the vaccines currently being administered are believed to be effective against it. A new report from Imperial College London found that a greater proportion of children were infected with the new strain compared to the older version of the virus. It's not clear yet if its mutations make it better at infecting children, or if younger people were just more likely to be exposed to it.
Viruses like to self-replicate in order to increase their transmission rate, so a new variant isn’t surprising and in fact, there are now a lot of variant strains of Covid. This one grabs our attention because: it spreads quickly; has a higher “secondary attack rate,” which means each case infects more people; and those infected appear to have a higher viral load, carrying perhaps 10-100 times more virus in their nose and throat.
The prevention message hasn’t changed. By following the Covid 3-mask on faces, 6 faces, avoid crowded spaces along with the state’s requirement of no social gatherings, and avoiding any non-essential travel, you will significantly reduce your risks and help to slow the spread.
Covid in Cavendish: On January 2, dGBody Works in Proctorsville posted that they would be Closing for two weeks. COVID positive for Denise. All clients and close contacts were notified immediately and Denise choose to make her status known in order to help reduce the shame that so often accompanies such a diagnosis. On Dec. 24, Cavendish appeared for the first time on the state’s table of towns with 6 or more cases. The majority of these cases occurred in the prior two weeks. As of Dec. 30, Cavendish is registering 8 cases, which means in the last week alone, two more residents tested positive for the virus. Incidence by town is published on Friday afternoons, and will be posted to the Cavendish VT Facebook page as soon as it’s available.
Covid in Windsor County/Statewide: Southern VT is becoming a bit of a hotspot and Windsor County is now among the top 3 counties in the daily reports. The state’s seven day positivity rate is 2.7%. This means that 2.7% of all tests are coming back positive. While higher than previous months, it hasn’t reached the state’s threshold of 5%. As of yesterday, there have been 8,403 cases in VT and 155 deaths. There are 36 patients in VT hospitals, with 8 in the ICU.
Modeling: The state’s modeling, as of January 5 shows a 20% increase in new Covid cases in the Northeast region. Note that there was a drop off in testing during the holidays, so the data is a bit skewed. While travel was down by 50% by Vermonters, there were more out of state visitors during the recent holiday period than at any point during the pandemic.
"When can I get my Covid vaccine?" : If you are a front line health care worker, or a resident of a long term care facility (i.e. nursing home), you are part of Group 1A and vaccinations of this group should be completed by the end of January. There is no longer a "group B." Instead, VT is going with an "age band" system whereby the first group will be those aged 75+ and/or who have a serious underlying health condition(s), e.g. heart disease, cancer, COPD etc. The state will be issuing a list of who qualifies as having a pre-existing condition shortly.
The VT Dept. of Health (VDH) has asked that people not call their primary care provider, hospital of health department, as "when it's your turn" you will be notified. There is no "list" that you can get your name on.
Currently, the state is using both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Health Commissioner Levine noted Tuesday that both the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are rapidly approaching approval, which will significantly increase availability.
Vaccines will be distributed via health centers, health departments, hospitals and designated vaccine sites. For more information, see VDH’s Vaccine page.
Note that VT has been significantly hampered in distributing the vaccine due to reduced doses from the federal government and inconsistencies on deliveries. None the less, VT has one of the highest vaccine rates in the country and as of Tuesday has given a first dose to 3.1% (close to 18,000) of the population over 16 years of age.
Local Resources: If you need to quarantine either from exposure or because you have Covid, local resources are available to help you:
- CHS Cares Closet: Masks (cloth and disposable), books, toys, craft supplies. Open 24/7. All free. Located next to the steps of the Cavendish Historical Society Museum.
3. UPCOMING EVENTS:
JANUARY 11 (MONDAY): Cavendish Select Board meeting via Zoom
JANUARY 15 (FRIDAY): Municipal Utility Payment Due
JANUARY 18 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King Day Town office closed
FEBURARY 3 (WEDNESDAY): The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library's Spoilers Club. will meet via zoom on Wednesday, February 3 at 7:00 to discuss the modern western "Yellowstone" starring Kevin Costner. All three seasons of which are available to borrow from the library. FMI: 226-7503
FEBRUARY 15 (MONDAY): President’s Day, Town Office Closed.