By MIKE DONOGHUE
Islander Staff Writer 

​SOUTH HERO – The closure of the tiny South Hero Pharmacy and the buyout of patient records by giant Walgreens took less than a week, according to the owner.
The crush of the world-wide pharmaceutical industry on small independent stores coupled with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic was just too much for South Hero Pharmacy to handle, Riyaz Merali, the store owner and only pharmacist, told The Islander over the weekend.
Merali was reacting to negative social media postings from longtime customers that say they were given no notice of the South Hero Pharmacy closing, nor were they allowed to choose where to move their prescription business.  It was the only pharmacy in Grand Isle County.
Customers arriving for prescriptions on Friday found the pharmacy closed and learned Merali had transferred the patient medication records to Walgreens in Milton about 15 miles away.  He declined to say the price of the sold records, but said federal medical privacy laws were followed.
The sale to Walgreens was designed to ensure uninterrupted service for customers, said Merali, who also is known as “R.J.” 
He said unhappy customers are free to move to any pharmacy of their choice.
The Walgreens is almost a half mile further north on U.S. 7 than two other Milton Pharmacies:  Hannaford’s and Kinney Drugs, which has a drive-up window. 
Other local customers that travel more often toward Colchester or Winooski said they might have preferred a pharmacy in one of those communities and not have to detour to Milton.
Merali said his first preference was always to sell the store so the Champlain Islands would continue to have a local pharmacy – the only one for the five towns.
The current customer volume at the store was not enough for Walgreens to be interested, he said.  Walgreens also would have needed to add a second pharmacist to cover its more expanded hours, he said.
Independent pharmacies have felt the squeeze in recent years – especially with direct and indirect fees put in by industry middlemen, known as Pharmacy Benefits Managers, Merali said.  PBMs play a major role as they are positioned between pharmacies and insurance carriers, he said.  They help set medication prices.
Independent pharmacy owners also frequently get surveys about possibly selling, Merali said.
He said he had received surveys through the years, but as he was struggling, Walgreens made a strong pitch last Monday. By Wednesday a draft contract was available.  By Thursday it was a done deal and a district manager for Walgreens showed up that evening.  He came with large colored posters announcing the closing with a large picture of a Walgreens and a map to the Milton store.
COVID-19 pandemic cost Merali about a half dozen store employees, he said.  A couple were in the high risk category and a couple were students and did not want to deal with it.  At least one employee needed to home school a child, he said. That left Merali and two part-time employees to keep the store afloat since March.
A Walgreens spokeswoman has declined an interview, but issued a statement confirming that the corporation had reached an agreement with South Hero to acquire their prescription records.
Walgreens did not disclose the sale price.
The South Hero store has been renamed “Nadia’s Health, Wellness, Gift and Variety Store,” he said. It will feature non-regulated health and beauty products.
Nadia’s (named for his daughter) can be reached at (802) 372-6407.  The old drugstore phone number rings into Walgreens in Milton.
He said initial hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and probably 9 a.m. to 3 on Saturday.  Merali, who did open sometimes on Sundays during the summer, said he will consider those hours too.
South Hero Pharmacy, previously known McGregor’s Pharmacy, was incorporated by Merali in December 2013

By MIKE DONOGHUE,
Islander Staff Writer

​ALBURGH – Organizers for an early July 4th fireworks display in Alburgh said Sunday they are postponing the show due to electrical rainstorms forecast for early this week.
The special show – like nothing Vermont has ever seen – was planned for 9:20 p.m. Monday with a rain date of Tuesday evening, according to Matthew Lavigne of Green Mountain Fireworks.
But it looks like Mother Nature has other major plans for the skies this week.
“It is with great sadness that I must inform you that we are forced to postpone the fireworks display due to the impending electrical storms that begin today and are forecast to continue through the night of the 1st,” Lavigne said in an email Sunday.
“We would press forward if it were just rain and wind. Electrical storms simply make it too dangerous when there is more than a mile of copper wire on the ground in the middle of a ton of explosives,” he wrote.
The 20-minute show would be choreographed with appropriate Independence Day music and available for people through live streaming, he said. Lavigne said the Alburgh event would be greater than the fireworks show last year in Burlington, which spent $40,000.
A fireworks celebration in Grand Isle planned for Friday, July 3 is still set, according to Bill Champagne of the Island Center for Arts and Recreation (ICAR). The towns of Grand Isle, North Hero and South Hero are among those supporting the event, which has a rain date of Sunday, July 5.
In Alburgh, the idea is to postpone the fireworks show until possibly the fall or winter, Lavigne said. By that time, he said the hope is it will also be safer for crowds to gather.
The town of Alburgh had earlier pulled the plug on its annual parade and fireworks for July 4.
Green Mountain Fireworks later sought a town permit for its own show next to its business on U.S. 2 on Monday evening.
Alburgh residents were being encouraged to view them from home because of the musical scores that were planned to accompany the pyrotechnics, Lavigne had said.
The Alburgh Selectboard discussed the fireworks show during its special meeting on Thursday night. The plan was to have no parking along U.S. 2 near Green Mountain Fireworks. The Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department and Vermont State Police would be asked to help keep traffic moving, Lavigne said.
The show used the name: “A 1st for the 4th: Vermont’s COVID-19 Edition Fireworks Exhibition.”
It also was known as “The Fireworks Show That Comes to You” said Selectboard member Kenneth Millman, who was assisting with publicity. In order to get the full impact, people need to both hear the music and see the fireworks.
Millman said besides being live streamed to computers and smart devices via two South Burlington radio stations there also was a plan to re-broadcast the fireworks show on TV on Saturday July 4.
Lavigne said the hope was people enjoying the fireworks would consider supporting a Go-Fund Me Page for the Alburgh Family Clubhouse, a proposed new center designed to provide desperately needed childcare and afterschool programs in the community.
Lavigne said his company and the clubhouse will split the Go-Fund Me donations. About $750,000 of the $1 million goal for the clubhouse has been raised, officials said

By MIKE DONOGHUE
Islander Staff Writer
 
ALBURGH --  Authorities have found the body of a New York man who was missing and presumed drowned in Lake Champlain near the Alburgh Dunes State Park.

The body of Dennis Rabideau, 52, of Mooers Forks, N.Y. was located about 5 p.m. Thursday by state police divers, according to the Alburgh Volunteer Fire Department.

Rabideau will be taken to the office of the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy on Friday, Fire Chief Ron Kumetz said.  Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito, who was at the scene, ordered an autopsy.



Rabideau had jumped off a pontoon boat and into the water to go for a swim about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday and never resurfaced, officials said.  His companions tried to throw him lifelines to no avail, the fire department said.
​
First responders had searched Tuesday night and all day Wednesday with no luck.

The search resumed early Thursday morning with the Alburgh firefighters and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officials using the last known GPS tracking from the pontoon boat to start combing the area.

Rabideau and four other adults on the New York-registered boat departed from Chazy, N.Y. on Tuesday afternoon, Vermont State Police said.

The boat was near Alburgh Dunes State Park when  Rabideau jumped into the water, police said.  When Rabideau failed to resurface efforts by several other people on the vessel were unsuccessful in locating him.
Windy conditions pushed the boat away from Rabideau, and he was unable to return to the vessel, Detective Sgt. Richard Desany.

The Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department received the initial emergency call Tuesday evening and summoned several agencies.

Besides the sheriff’s department and state police, also part of the search were fire departments from Alburgh, Grand Isle, Isle La Motte, North Hero, Swanton, and Rouses Point, N.Y.; and a helicopter and motorboat from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

By MIKE DONOGHUE
Islander Staff Writer

GRAND ISLE – Plans continue to build for a July 3 fireworks display coordinated by the Island Center for Arts and Recreation (ICAR).

The towns of North Hero and South Hero have agreed to join in with Grand Isle, which had earlier approved the nighttime festivities, according to ICAR spokesman Bill Champagne.

The fireworks will be ignited at dusk from a high hill off Lover’s Lane in Grand Isle, he said.

Parking will be available at several sites, including the Grand Isle Elementary School, he said.  He said as more parking sites are secured they will be announced in The Islander next week.

Private funds were secured early on for the fireworks, but since the news story in The Islander last week, more people have made donations to make the night bigger, Champagne said.

“The more we get, the more we put on,” he said.

Local businesses, residents and clubs are welcome to donate to ICAR, which is a non-profit, to buy fireworks.  Checks may be mailed to ICAR, P.O. Box 121, Grand Isle, VT  05458. 
Northstar Fireworks of East Montpelier, a professional company, will be detonating the pyrotechnics, Champagne said.

A joint decision was made to go forward with the celebration after consulting with multiple groups.  Many were concerned about the need to have a positive event in the Champlain Islands in light of so many happenings getting cancelled or postponed due to the deadly COVID-19 virus.

Appropriate safety measures will be undertaken in light of the pandemic, Grand Isle Selectboard member Jeff Parizo said.

Gov. Phil Scott noted recently that while many towns were doing away with fireworks and parades for the July 4th holiday, he said some communities were still moving forward with state guidelines in mind.

​The town of Colchester is the latest to announce on its website that it was cancelling its 50th annual celebration, which included a Saturday full of activities, a parade, a 5K run and fireworks. 

By MIKE DONOGHUE
Islander Staff Writer
 
ALBURGH --  A swimmer is missing and presumed drown in Lake Champlain after taking a dive off a boat Tuesday evening near the Alburgh Dunes State Park, authorities said.
 
When the man did not resurface efforts by several other people on the vessel were unsuccessful in locating him, Vermont State Police said.

The name of the man is being withheld pending further investigation and notification of next of kin.
 
The Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department received the emergency call at 6:19 p.m.  Multiple police, fire, search and rescue personnel responded to the scene, but had no luck before calling off for the night.

Search and recovery efforts continued late into the night.  If they have no luck, the search is expected to resume Wednesday and will include the Vermont State Police Scuba Team.
​
The boat is believed to have originated at a marina in New York, Detective Sgt. Richard Desany said.
 
Police are interviewing witnesses and gathering additional information.
 
Besides the sheriff’s department and state police, also part of the search were fire departments from Alburgh, Grand Isle, Isle La Motte, North Hero, Swanton, and Rouses Point, N.Y.; and a helicopter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
 
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call state police at (802) 524-5993. 

By MIKE DONOGHUE
Islander Staff Writer

ALBURGH –  Alburgh voters approved more than a $6.6 million annual town school budget on Tuesday.

​The school budget passed 152-144 during day-long voting.  A special drive-by balloting process was used outside the Alburgh Municipal Offices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Voters also agreed 205-91 to ensure a previously approved $75,000 expenditure will be part of the town budget when the new tax rate for 2020-21 is set.

The money was authorized at the 2019 Town Meeting for the capital budget to help pay for replacing vehicles and equipment for the Alburgh Volunteer Fire Department.  The line item failed to make it into the town budget when compiled this year.  The missing item was uncovered a few days before Town Meeting Day, the Selectboard said.
There are 1,456 voters on the town checklist.

The proposed $6,680,217 school budget had more than $100,000 in cuts from a budget rejected on Town Meeting Day in March.  That $6,784,186 budget went down 334-268.

“The Alburgh School Board would like to thank the voters of Alburgh for coming out to vote on such a hot day,” School Board Chairman Michael Savage told The Islander.  It was the sixth straight day the temperatures hit above 90 degrees – a record for the month of June in Vermont.

“We expect the upcoming school year to be even more challenging educationally and financially than this year has been,” Savage said.

“This positive result allows our staff and students to focus on the hard work ahead.  We really appreciate the support our community has given our school in these extraordinary times,” he said.

By MIKE DONOGHUE
Islander Staff Writer 
ALBURGH – The longtime political phrase is: “Vote early, Vote often.”
Next week Alburgh plans a new slogan: “Vote by Driving In.  Vote by Driving Out.”
In the crazy world of COVID-19, voters are going to see a whole new way of voting and one special ballot item is leaving people scratching their heads.
Alburgh voters will consider a proposed $6,680,217 school budget from the School Board and a $75,000 question from the town Selectboard.
The $75,000 ballot item is the question confusing voters, Alburgh Volunteer Fire Chief Ron Kumetz said.
Voters in 2019 agreed to add $75,000 to the town budget every year to help fund the capital budget for replacement of vehicles and equipment for the Alburgh Volunteer Fire Department.  
Officials said a glitch surfaced when the 2020-21 budget was compiled this year and Town Clerk and Treasurer Donna Bohannon did not include the $75,000 line item in the final budget that the Selectboard approved and sent on to voters in March.  The mistake was discovered a few days before Town Meeting Day and the bottom line could not be amended, the Selectboard told voters.
Now a ballot item asks residents if the town should include the $75,000 previously approved in March 2019 into the 2020-21 fiscal budget.
The $75,000 is not new money to be added.  It is designed actually to ensure that when Alburgh tax bills are distributed that the previously approved $75,000 is covered.
Kumetz said he hopes that voters will support the ballot item.  He said the fire department believes a rejection will mean the Selectboard will still need to find the previously approved $75,000 somewhere else in the approved town budget for next year.
There will be an informational meeting Monday at 6 p.m. on June 22 at the Alburgh Community Education Center.   The plan is to keep people socially distant in light of COVID-19 and the meeting may be moved outside if a large crowd attends.
Balloting is planned from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23 at the Town Offices, but will actually be conducted outside.
Voters will drive up and remain in their vehicle while handed a ballot.  They will drive forward and mark their ballot.  They will then drive to the checkout point, provide their name again, and deposit the ballot in a ballot box.
This is designed to keep both voters and election workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early voting also is available for those calling the town offices.
The proposed $6,680,217 school budget is the same amount residents were expected to consider in April before COVID-19 spiked the election.
Alburgh’s initial school budget proposal of $6,784,186 went down, 334-268, on Town Meeting Day March 3.
The School Board has cut more than $100,000 for the new proposal.

By MIKE DONOGHUE
Islander Staff Writer

SWANTON – The shooting of  Swanton man has turned into a homicide and appears to be over a fight concerning petting a dog, officials said.

Kyle A. LaBelle, 32, of Swanton died from multiple gunshot wounds Friday night as doctors tied to save his life at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington, police said.

Police jailed James A. Mulholland, 22, of Swanton on a charge of first degree murder at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans early Saturday, records show.

Franklin County Deputy State’s Attorney Diane Wheeler said Judge Scott Kline, after finding probable cause for the murder charge, ordered Mulholland held without bail.

Wheeler said she expects Mullholland will be arraigned Monday afternoon in Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans.

The two men, who were believed to be acquaintances, got into an argument on 2nd Street near Greenwich Street in the village shortly before 3 p.m., police said.
​
Swanton Officer Dean Scott was in the area and arrived  quickly on the scene to take the shooter into custody, Wheeler said.

Police recovered a .22-caliber semiautomatic at the scene.

Preliminary reports indicate that about 11 shots may have been fired. 

The victims’ three children were in the area, officials said.
 
Investigators said the shooting was captured on at least two videos.  One was by a bystander and at least one other was from a security system at a home.

Initial reports indicated one man pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired several times at close range, striking the second man in the stomach and chest, police said.

Missisquoi Valley Rescue rushed LaBelle to the UVM Medical Center in Burlington due to the serious nature of the multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

Mulholland gave investigators a statement after being caught at the scene by Swanton Village Police, who are working with state police on the case.

Investigators  are asking anyone with information or who may have witnessed the shooting to call Swanton Police at (802) 868-4100.

Little is known about Mulholland.

LaBelle, who police initially said was 31, was arrested in April on a charge of suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, records show.

Trooper Dylan LaMere reported he made a traffic stop for an undisclosed reason on Lake Street in Swanton about 5:55 p.m. April 15, police said.

​Police took LaBelle to the state police barracks in St. Albans, processed for suspected DUI, and released on a citation ordering him to appear in criminal court on July 13.

​By MIKE DONOGHUE
Islander Staff Writer
UPDATE - 8:00 p.m.:  June 5, 2020
SWANTON -- A shooting in Swanton this afternoon has left one man in critical condition and another in police custody, authorities said.

Names of the men involved in the shooting, which was captured on two videos, were withheld pending further investigation in the breaking case, police said.
 
The two men, who are believed to be acquaintances, got into an argument on 2nd Street near Greenwich Street in the village shortly before 3 p.m., Swanton Police said.

A 22-year-old man pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired several times at close range, striking the other man in the stomach and chest, police said.

The 31-year-old wounded man was rushed by ambulance to UVM Medical Center in Burlington due to the serious nature of the multiple gunshot wounds, police said.  He was undergoing surgery Friday evening.

Swanton Police responded quickly and took the suspect into custody immediately.  They have asked for assistance from Vermont State Police.

At least one bystander recorded the shooting on video and a nearby surveillance system also captured it, police said. Investigators are checking the videos, processing the scene and conducting interviews.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the shooting or the events leading up to it is asked to call the Swanton Police at (802) 868-4100.


Original Post - 5:01 p.m. June 5, 2020

SWANTON -- A shooting in Swanton this afternoon has left one man in critical condition and another in police custody, authorities said.
The two men, both believed to be in their 20s, got into an argument on Second Street in the village about 3 p.m., police said. One man pulled out a gun and fired it several times at the other man, police said.
The wounded man was rushed by ambulance to UVM Medical Center in Burlington due to the serious nature of the multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
Swanton Police took the suspect into custody and has asked for assistance from Vermont State Police. This is an ongoing investigation.
Swanton police responded immediately to the scene, where the suspect was taken into custody. There is no threat to public safety.
The incident was recorded on video by at least one bystander and a nearby surveillance system. Police are reviewing the video evidence, processing the scene and conducting interviews. The investigation is in its early stages.
Names of the individuals involved are being withheld at this time pending notification of relatives and further investigation.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the shooting or the events leading up to it is asked to call the Swanton Police Department at 802-868-4100.

Greetings Islanders and welcome back to our summer residents and guests. Some of you are coming home and others are just coming to visit, maybe for the first time. Either way, we are glad you are here. 
Things have certainly changed in recent months in the Champlain Islands, across Vermont and throughout the United States.  Who knew what impact the COVID-19 virus would have on our family, friends and businesses.
Our stores, recreational spots, restaurants and other businesses in the Grand Isle County region are all looking to bounce back.  Some still have not been allowed to re-open.
At The Islander, we continue to have our share of struggles. Advertising, the life blood of any newspaper, had dried up. We are beginning to turn things around as businesses re-open and we continue cost cutting measures.
We recently kicked off a fund drive  -- “The Friends of The Islander” -- to help save the newspaper.   The Islander has been the number one source for news, advertising and community information for 46 years.  



​We greatly appreciate the financial support we have received from readers, fans, businesses and more.  It is making a difference as we move forward.
As we reported earlier The Islander used layoffs (with the hope to re-hire valuable team members), pay cuts and reduced hours to stay afloat. We’ve cut costs and reduced expenses as best we could.
While The Islander will continue to print and also be alive on social media, we will be closing our office above Hero’s Welcome in North Hero as of June 30.  
As more and more people are learning to work from home, we also have adjusted.  We will be able to use the rent for other operational costs.
It was a very tough decision -- one I have struggled with over the past couple of months. 
When I bought this paper several years ago, I searched for the perfect location. We have loved our spot overlooking Lake Champlain and being in the middle of a beehive with Hero’s Welcome, the Post Office, county courthouse and everything around us.  
We have always enjoyed people stopping in with news tips, advertisement or just to chat.  But in COVID-19 times those visits have stopped.
We still want to hear from you.  You can reach us by calling 802-372-5600 or emailing islander@vermontislander.com. I would be glad to meet you at your business or at one of our fine Island establishments.
At some point we will have another Islander office. But it will be some time before our state and country is back to “normal” or close to it.
We hope for those that have not made a donation to the “Friends of the Islander” or are just hearing now about our fundraiser, that you will consider some amount this week.
You can do so by mailing a check to The Islander, 2355 US Route 2, North Hero, VT 05486 or on our website: theislandernewspaper.com
We thank you very much for your support. Your notes have meant so much to the team and me. We are incredibly lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places with such amazing people. You, dear reader, are the fabric of our tightly woven community.