WVTK Local News November 11, 2009

There was a rally in Albany, New York yesterday, calling for immediate action on the state's crumbling roads and bridges. Lawmakers, residents and emergency responders say Monday's news that the Champlain Bridge will be torn down highlights a growing problem. They say more than 100 of the state's bridges have a worse safety rating than the Champlain Bridge. North Country Senator Betty Little and Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward are among those leading the rally at the capitol.

Police say a missing 2-year-old Maine girl who was allegedly taken by her father has been recovered and is OK. Police tell Foster's Daily Democrat that Hailey Traynham was found in a Milton, New Hampshire home. The girl was found with her father, 38-year-old Gary Traynham, who has been arrested and is due to appear in court later this week.

A group of local and state leaders are teaming up to help the soon-to-be unemployed from Pfizer. The pharmaceutical giant announced that it is closing their plants in Plattsburgh, Rouses Point and Chazy. About 600 people will lose their jobs. The Pfizer Transition Coordinating Council met yesterday morning and will meet again in December.

A St. Albans woman was found guilty last night of trying to hire someone in 2007 to murder her estranged husband. Jurors deliberated for less than 3 hours before convicting 43-year-old Rebecca Wetter. Authorities say Wetter and her daughter hatched the murder scheme to get the 1-million-dollars in Fay Pelletier’s life insurance policy.

Over 100 people showed up last night for a meeting in Milton about a proposed wind turbine project for the top of Georgia Mountain. If built, it would be the first commercial wind energy project in Chittenden County. About two dozen people spoke at the hearing, and opinion was about evenly divided between those for and against the proposal.

The worst of the recession may be over, but a new economic forecast points to a "slow and weak recovery" in the New England states, with job losses likely to continue until the 4th quarter of next year. The report, released by the New England Economic Partnership, says the region lost about 346-thousand jobs since the beginning of last year.

Vermont fire investigators say the fire that destroyed the Putney General Store last week was arson. A $15,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for setting the November 1 fire. Authorities say that accelerants were used and that the fire was obviously set.

The state of Vermont has over $48 million in unclaimed property and some of it could be yours. It’s all money from dormant bank accounts, never-cashed checks or a forgotten security deposits. To see if the state has some of your money, just check the State Treasurer’s website at VermontTreasurer.gov.

A two-car crash sent two people to the hospital in Colchester last night. It happened on Route 7 between the intersections of Rathe Road and Hercules Drive at around 9:15. Police say 18-year-old Jacob Burnham of Milton was driving north when his vehicle crossed the center line, hitting a car driven by 46-year-old Patricia Ward of Colchester.

After attempting to escape his local prison sentence, Scott Miller is now being held without bail. The 31-year-old Plattsburgh man was caught in Montreal last weekHis drug arrest came during the investigation into the death of Plattsburgh teen Julia DelSignore, who overdosed hours after Miller provided her with some of the medications.

A Vermont prisoner is back in custody after police said he tried to escape with a deputy's gun. Police said 29-year-old Robert Blaise passed out in court and was taken to Middlebury Hospital. When a deputy went to adjust Blaise's leg shackles, police said Blaise grabbed the deputy's gun and tried to take off, but he never made it out of the hospital.

Many of the spending cuts now being debated in Albany would have a direct impact on local governments here in the North Country. In many cases, county employees deliver the health and social service programs funded by New York State. Officials say everything from jobs to health care could see painful reductions in the next year.

Visitors to Clarendon Gorge will have to be careful where they park or risk being ticketed by law enforcement officials. The Clarendon Select Board has adopted an ordinance that prohibits parking on either side of a section of Gorge Road from the intersection of Route 7B Central to the intersection of East Street.