Top Stories for Tuesday April 11, 2006

Keeping Her Eyes On The Prize...
By Mike Cameron
    Sam Connor enjoys a challenge. Throughout her high school career she has enjoyed expressing her thoughts and ideas through oratorical competition.
    Her ability to convince people is remarkable and she has done so consistently since her freshman year at Vergennes Union High School when she won her first oratorical contest sponsored by the American Legion.
    Sam was also the winner of the Vermont Rotary Oratorical contest expressing the theme “Service above Self.”
    To the uninitiated, oratorical competition can be confusing. Rules, regulations and judging criteria are very specific and leave little or no room for error. Perhaps this phrase will make the process a bit more clear. You alone need to convince a panel of  judges that they should be sold on your presentation. But that’s just the beginning, now add an auditorium filled  with a hundred people and place the judges in the audience at random.   [ more ]

Mild Weather Expected To Impact Trout Season In Positive Way
By Chris LaFoy
   Saturday, April 8th, marked the opening of the trout fishing season in Vermont. In addition to trout, small and large mouth bass season is open for catch and release. Although the weather this year has been quite unique, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is expecting a large turnout for opening weekend. Trout season is seen by the Fish and Wildlife Department as a introduction to a long year of fishing in Vermont. An estimated 120,000 people, of which 80,00 will be Vermont residents, buy Vermont fishing licenses each year.
    Fishing for trout this early in the season can be a tough task, but the Fish and Wildlife Department has posted some helpful tips on their website. Pointers include instructions as to where the fish are likely to be in the river. According to the website, deep pools of water with a slow current are good places to start and often trout are found behind large rocks where they are likely to feed.  [ more ]

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