Boonville News

As expected, Lewis County legislators at a special meeting Wednesday formally endorsed the start of a county bus system, possibly sometime next month.

Small towns are often described as "sleepy," but thanks to a group of spirited volunteers, Lyons Falls is "alive" with activity.

Brandy Leigh Eggan, daughter of John and Sandra Kowal Eggan, of Boonville, NY, has been named Val... Photo 1 of 5 Sydney Marie Laramie, daughter of Mark and Tina Laramie of Boonville, NY has been named Salutator... Photo 2 of 5 Angelique Foote is the 2009 Co-Salutatorian at the Brookfield Central School District.

Harney J. Corwin and Dorothy K. Duflo at first might seem to have little in common.

Police: Girl Dies After Parents Pray for Healing Instead of Seeking Medical Help Wednesday, March 26, 2008 WESTON, Wis. — An 11-year-old girl died after her parents prayed for healing rather than seek medical help for a treatable form of diabetes, police said Tuesday. Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said Madeline Neumann died Sunday. "She got sicker and sicker until she was dead," he said. Vergin said an autopsy determined the girl died from diabetic ketoacidosis, an ailment that left her with too little insulin in her body, and she had probably been ill for about 30 days, suffering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness. The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, attributed the death to "apparently they didn't have enough faith," the police chief said. They believed the key to healing "was it was better to keep praying. Call more people to help pray," he said. The mother believes the girl could still be resurrected, the police chief said. Telephone messages left at the Neumann home by The Associated Press were not immediately returned. The family does not attend an organized church or participate in an organized religion, Vergin said. "They have a little Bible study of a few people." The parents told investigators their daughter last saw a doctor when she was 3 to get some shots, Vergin said. The girl had attended public school during the first semester but didn't return for the second semester. Officers went to the home after one of the girl's relatives in California called police to check on her, Vergin said. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. The relative was fearful the girl was "extremely ill, dire," Vergin said. The girl has three siblings, ranging in age from 13 to 16, the police chief said. "They are still in the home," he said. "There is no reason to remove them. There is no abuse or signs of abuse that we can see." The girl's death remains under investigation and the findings will be forwarded to the district attorney to review for possible charges, the chief said. The family operates a coffee shop in Weston, which is a suburb of Wausau, Vergin said.

Boulder man gives up custody of dog taped to fridge Man’s girlfriend charged with felony animal cruelty after taping incident By John Aguilar (Contact) Thursday, April 16, 2009 Rex, a 2-year-old shiba inu, was taped up to a refrigerator by a woman in an act of revenge against her boyfriend, according to police. The dog is pictured in his cage at the Humane Society of Boulder County on Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Paul Aiken / The Camera / April 15, 2009. BOULDER, Colo. — The owner of a dog found wrapped in packing tape and stuck to the side of a refrigerator has given up custody of his pet, according to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. Rex, a 2-year-old shiba inu, will be put up for adoption as soon as he goes through some basic training and behavior modification exercises at the shelter, CEO Lisa Pedersen said. “Our training staff is working with him to get him over his fear issues, to get him more socialized with people so he can trust humans again,” Pedersen said. The dog’s owner, Bryan Beck, 21, signed over custody Thursday, the same day Boulder’s Animal Care and Control Department ticketed him on suspicion of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Beck’s girlfriend, 20-year-old Abby Toll, was charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals during a brief hearing Thursday at the Boulder County Jail. Police arrested the two Tuesday after officers responding to reports of a fight at Beck’s East Aurora Avenue apartment found Rex bound and stuck to the refrigerator, upside down. According to a police report, Toll said she taped the dog up because she was mad at Beck for refusing to get rid of it. Toll, a University of Colorado environmental design major, let her lawyer do the talking Thursday as Boulder County Judge Noel Blum read the list of charges against her. She was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and introducing contraband to the jail, both felonies, because officers said she had a trace amount of heroin on her when she was booked; plus third-degree assault and second-degree criminal tampering, both misdemeanors.

A burn ban has been declared in Jefferson County. Emergency officials report that the declaration comes after several brush fires in the region including 1 that burned several hundred acres on Wednesday. The ban is in effect until Tuesday & supercedes any existing burning permits. Violations of the burn ban could result in fines of up to $500. The ban may be continued if dry conditions continue. Meanwhile, Lewis County is still under a red flag warning by the National Weather Service due to so-called explosive fire growth potential. According to the warning, an extended period of dryness has allowed fine fuel cells, such as leaf litter, twigs, small brush, & dead grass to become very dry. That, combined with warmer temperatures, low humidity, & gusty winds could lead to fires that spread quickly & become difficult to contain.

Boonville Firemen called out 7 times in March The Boonville Fire Company was called out a total of 7 times during the month of March. Fire Chief Dave Pritchard reports that 2 were service calls with 2 motor vehicle accidents, 1 false malfunction, 1 structure fire, & mutual aid was given to Western once. The fire company was out of service for a total of 4 hours & 7 minutes with an average of 23 firefighters responding. The Boonville Fire Company Ambulance responded to a total of 50 calls in March, using 300 man-hours.

Community Events for 4/18/09: A divine mercy celebration will be held tomorrow at St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church in Houseville at 3 p.m. with confessions beginning at 2. All are welcome. The next Christian Country Chatter gathering will take place tomorrow from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Chatterbox Restaurant on State Street in Carthage. The Black River Valley Fiddlers will perform tomorrow at the Carthage Elks Lodge from 1-5 p.m. The Boonville Cub Scouts will have a pancake breakfast tomorrow at the Boonville VFW Post from 7-noon. $5 for adults, $3 for children 5-12, under 5 free. A Knights Of Columbus Brunch will be held tomorrow St. John’s Church Hall in Lyons Falls from 8-noon. $6 for adults, $3 for children, under 5 free. The Adirondack Group of Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at Nichols Memorial Presbyterian Church in Old Forge.

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The captain of the cargo ship who was saved in a daring rescue from Somali pirates last week by Navy SEALs arrived home this afternoon to a hero's welcome. But in his first remarks, Phillips quickly set aside talk of his bravery. "I'm not a hero, the military is," he said. Phillips praised the military, saying it did the impossible by saving him. He also recognized his crew. "We did what we were trained to do," he said. After landing at Burlington International Airport at about 4:30 p.m., Phillips was surrounded by family members before he could even get off the plane. As he walked across the tarmac, one daughter kept her arm around him as tears streamed down her face. Phillips, 53, returned home just nearly a week after his ordeal in the Indian Ocean. Phillips emerged as a hero after heavily-armed Somali pirates seized his ship, carrying a cargo of humanitarian aid, on April 8. He spent five days as a hostage -- sharing a little lifeboat with his four captors, before Navy SEAL snipers killed three of the pirates last Sunday. Phillips emerged unscathed from captivity and hailed as a hero after surrendering himself to the pirates in return for his 19-man crew's safety. Meanwhile, the small town of Underhill spent the past two days preparing for Phillips' return. There was a "Welcome Home Captain" sign in front of the Stitch In Time yarn shop, a "Welcome Home Captain Phillips" sign in front of Browns River Middle School and a "Welcome Home Captain Phillips" tar paper sign affixed to a red barn across the street from the family's home. Just as telling were a pair of posterboard signs on the fence in front of Phillips' home. "Thank You for Your Prayers," read one sign. "We're so, so proud of him," said Lynn Coeby, alongside her mother Eleanor Coeby. "We think that he has such character and morals and ethics to potentially put his life at risk for his crew, and we wanted to be here to say we think he's a good man."