James, James, James…Were you feeling a bit of spring such that you needed to put the pedal to the metal of your beautiful green sports car last night? I mean who wouldn’t want to try a little Formula One action on Interstate-89 when the sap is running high?
Our brief story (from Vermont State Police) is that a normally discreet alternative energy activist friend of our Woodstock-Quechee community was stopped for having run up a Vermont State Police radar speeding clock to 106 mph very early this morning along Interstate-89 in the Rio Blanco area. When one does this, VSP gives out a charge of careless/negligent operation. Mr.Hurt has been cited to appear in Windsor County Court in May.
Maybe next time, try Arizona? Wyoming? How about Nevada? Lots of open road in Nevada. Or Utah? Bonneville Flats perhaps….And then, there’s Montana.
But, Vermont? Eh, not so much space here in Vermont and more chance of damaging people and things. Moose. What does a moose look like when hit by a vehicle clocked at 106 mph? Bleck! Save the Moose. And the Bobcats….(In an aside, regarding a recent Vermont Welcome Center story regarding a now-expired tasered bobcat, VSP suggests that if you possibly can, please avoid putting stunned wildlife in the back of your vehicle).
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 
Posted by wendy starr on March 29, 2012 at 11:35
I find this a bit much to exploit Jim’s police encounters with the entire Woodstock online community. I know , it’s public record , but there are limits.
I’m outraged you would publish this.
Wendy Starr
WEB Response: If we did not publish this report, it would be reverse favoritism to protect someone we know. It would be completely contrary to what has been publically stated in this Woodstock Early Bird in the past: That police don’t get to pick and choose the citizens upon whom they issue reports and neither do we. Not if we want the public to understand that there is (or should be) a universal fairness to how incidents are handled by police (and the press).
We pick and choose reports based on geography and relevance. We also pick and choose based on newsworthiness. This incident was not a case of you or me going 15mph over the speed limit in a 65 mph zone and getting a ticket. This is a case — the local subject notwithstanding — notable for speed — dangerous speed — more than 40mph over the established speed limit — that could have resulted in a death.
If people don’t want to draw attention to themselves from police or the press, they might consider not engaging in possibly illegal behavior that attracts attention.
Had anyone else in this community been pulled over for the reported violation, yes, they, too would be in this blog. However, since we do not get regular, throrough police reports from our local officials, it is hard to say what is going on within our Town and Village proper. Vermont State Police, however, have the means and professionalism to issue routine reports that are not based on who a person may or may not be. (Please see blog posts related to the untimely death of citizen Hasse Halley). WEB
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Posted by wendy starr on March 29, 2012 at 15:37
You may be missing the point.
I think, this time, your tongue and cheek comments went too far.
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Posted by Betty Frederick on March 29, 2012 at 13:43
Fair is fair…however, you don’t usually add the tongue in cheek comments to the VSP report.
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Posted by Julia Carlisle on March 29, 2012 at 13:56
Point taken, Betty. Nonetheless, please reference recent post concerning a St. Patrick’s Day DUI. Not uncommon to find “point-of-view” on this blog.
WEB readers are pretty familiar with a certain tongue in cheek style — hopefully only when appropriate. We do consider quite carefully what we write and how we write it but also appreciate the feedback. WEB
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Posted by Patsy Mathews on March 29, 2012 at 18:50
I agree with Wendy and Betty. This is potentially a very serious violation. To be making sport of it seems remarkably inappropriate.
WEB Response: You betcha’ it is a serious violation. That is why the news was posted. If you read the post again, you might notice a suggestion that driving this fast is a bad idea. You might also read further comments that this post rises to the level of news precisely because it IS serious and that death or harm might have come to the subject or others. We choose to make our points without a hammer over the head. Perhaps, this time it didn’t work. We’ll try again and try to do better. WEB
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Posted by Maury Lorenz on March 29, 2012 at 20:38
What’s the point here anyway, that someone was driving way too fast, or that it was one of Vermont’s own, an enlightened true believer in shutting down the oil industry and substituting turkey guts? I have known and liked and debated Jim Hurt since I moved to Woodstock 12 years ago and believe his driving too fast is unrelated and irrelevant to his opinions on energy. He’s OK.
WEB Response: Yup. He’s OK. We’re glad he’s OK. He is part of our local community and we have shared much coffee shop space together.
It’s a pretty simple news story: Someone many of us know from our community was clocked going waay too fast.
WEB’s associations or allusions are always personal and just about all we know about this discreet person (normally discreet) is that he actively discusses alternative energy with many folks in town including you.
There is no commentary on this person’s interests in energy. You are correct, this post is not meant to make any connections between driving fast and alternative energy. The two topics, are, as far as we know, un-related. Except they both pertain to Mr. Hurt as statements of fact.
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Posted by A. E. Norton on March 29, 2012 at 20:45
(a) I think you mean discreet, not discrete (which means distinct, separate); and (b), is it appropriate to name a miscreant in a public forum like this?
Sour tone notwithstanding, I am otherwise, and normally, a big fan of your posts!
A) Thank you for the correction on discreet. WEB did errrrrr.
B) We have a policy of naming locally known and formerly unknown miscreants (even those fully liked and respected aside from miscreant activities or alleged miscreant activities).
What would be wrong would be to name an unnamed local energy activist miscreant without name, leaving readers to simple conjecture through innuendo, when the Vermont State Police issued a report that includes the actual speeder’s name.
All sour tones notwithstanding, we appreciate the feedback from one and all. WEB
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Posted by vermontliberty on March 30, 2012 at 09:04
Hah hah, pretty funny, Julia. Keep up the good work. I don’t know Jim Hurt but he must be one of the beautiful people in Woodstock to have everyone so outraged by having his petard-hoisting made semi-public.
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