MEXICO — Police Chief Roy Hodsdon was breathing a sigh of relief Thursday morning that the department’s 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe is back in service.

He said a garage replaced the SUV’s motor last month and the department got it back May 1. That night, Lt. Dan Carrier was driving it during a drunken-driving patrol on Route 2 when he tried to stop a speeding vehicle and the oil pump blew.

It was initially thought to be a blown engine. However, Hodsdon said he was relieved to learn it was just the oil pump. Because the rebuilt engine was still under warranty, the fix didn’t cost the department anything.

— Terry Karkos

Careful with the cargo

MEXICO — Woodstock Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Tonya Prentice took her class to the Mexico Recreation Park on Thursday to release 151 endangered Atlantic salmon fry they had raised from eggs since February.

To reach the Swift River, they had to carefully work their way down an eroded, steep riverbank full of slippery pine needles and exposed tree roots. Prentice told the students, especially the pair carrying the fish in a cooler, to be careful.

“Go slow, no pushing,” she said.

A student could be heard telling the pair, “Don’t wipe out while carrying that (cooler).”

Prentice added, “Yeah, don’t lose the fish on the way down. That would not be good.”

The children — and the fish — made it safely down to the river.

tkarkos@sunmediagroup.net