Vt. bank heist is 2nd in two years

GROTON, Vt. (AP) – The local Merchants Bank branch was robbed Friday by a man who handed tellers a plastic bag and asked them to fill it with money, but showed no weapon, state police said.

The suspect was described as a white male about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a stocky build. He was wearing an orange T-shirt with a blue, hooded zip-up jacket. The suspect was last seen fleeing east from the bank on foot.

The same bank was robbed in November 2003. The man convicted in that robbery was sentenced in March to serve nine-years in prison.

Similarities cited in college mishaps

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) – The accident at Bennington College in late March in which two students fell through a window, one of them suffering fatal injuries, followed a similar accident in the same building four years earlier, a college spokeswoman said.

Bennington College spokeswoman Ellen Shulte said she was aware of the 2001 accident involving student Christian Panaite, but could not comment further on it.

The March accident that killed Kelly Muzzi, 20, of Troy, Mich., and seriously injured Laura Jawitz, 19, of New Haven, Conn., followed a 2001 incident in which Panaite crashed through a window in the same building.

Panaite said he was a freshman taking a break from rehearsals at Bennington’s Visual and Performing Arts building when he went outside to a small balcony and sat on a plastic chair. Panaite said a leg on the chair broke and he grabbed a friend to try to stop from falling. Instead, Panaite and the friend, Christian Petrov, crashed through the window and onto the studio floor.

Official predicts good apple crop

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – New Hampshire Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor says early varieties are apples are about to be picked.

Taylor said growing conditions have been good for apples throughout the summer. He said a good-sized crop is expected throughout the region with a wide range of varieties and sizes.

He said two of the best early apples are Paulared and Ginger Gold. Paulareds have a sweet-tart flavor with a hint of strawberry. Ginger Golds are sweet, tangy and juicy. Taylor said they are an excellent all-purpose apple and retain their crisp, white flesh when sliced, making them ideal for salads and fruit plates.

Motorcycle Fatal

ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – A New Hampshire motorcyclist has died from injuries sustained in a collision with a Ford Explorer.

Rochester police said Scott Nelson, 27, of Rochester was hurt Friday just before 6 a.m. when he collided with a vehicle making a U-turn on Milton Road near the entrance to the Route 202 bypass.

Police said Patricia Farnum, 49, also of Rochester, was driving south on Milton Road with Nelson behind her. When Farnum attempted the U-turn, Nelson collided with the Ford Explorer from behind.

Nelson was airlifted to Maine Medical Center where he died later in the day.

The accident remains under investigation. No charges have been filed.

Organic Feed

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Consumer demand for organic milk and other dairy products is booming in New Hampshire and the Northeast.

State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor said major buyers of organic milk are scrambling for additional supplies to keep up with sales. Stephen says H.P. Hood, Horizon Dairy and Organic Valley are offering $1 a hundredweight subsidies for producers in the one-year transition from conventional to organic. He said they’re also offering an incentive for signing up to go organic.

But Stephen said the down side for organic dairy farmers is the rising price for organic grain. He said operators are paying in the $400 per ton range for manufactured feeds. He said that’s close to double what conventional rations cost.