Teenage Scribe a Man for All Seasons

By: Dexter Hill The weather column that runs in the weekly Hardwick (Vt.) Gazette comes from an unlikely contributor: a 14-year-old with a passion for meteorology. Tyler Molleur, a high school freshman, writes "Weather Watch," a five-day forecast included in each edition of the Gazette, which operates with only four full-time staff members and will celebrate its 120th birthday this year.

Last summer, Molleur wrote the Gazette's editor and co-publisher, Ross Connelly, asking to write the column; the note reportedly got lost among the newspaper's other mail. When Molleur called to inquire a second time, Connelly said he didn't have the budget to pay another staffer. But the youngster was not to be denied. "He was eager to try to get something out there," says Connelly. He told Molleur, "Well, send me some samples of what you've got."

From there, the two worked together on a format. Molleur would draft his five-day forecast, along with a summary of the previous week's weather. The teen would then either fax them to Connelly from school or personally deliver them to the Gazette's modest Main Street newsroom. Molleur even designed his own weather icons.

Molleur's fascination with the weather began at age 5 when Hurricane Floyd roared up the coast, knocking out power and closing schools. He has also written several news stories on major rainstorms, local flooding and related issues.