WVTK Local & State News January 25, 2010

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch through Tuesday morning. A Wind Advisory is also in effect until 4 PM today for Eastern Addison and Rutland County. Weather Channel Meteorologist Ray Stagich says to expect heavy rain throughout the day and windy. We could see 1 to 2 inches of rain. Today’s High around 45.

With nearly two inches of rain predicted for some places across the Champlain Valley, Vermont and Upstate New York, Vermont Emergency Management said the storm may cause a few problems. VEM spokesman Mark Bosma said the rain could melt snow, break up the ice and cause ice jams. It also doesn't help that temperatures are expected to be well above freezing. The agency began preparing for possible flooding Sunday. "There's a possibility, it's not a slam dunk, but we still want people to be ready for whatever this storm could bring," Bosma said.

A Bristol man was charged Saturday morning with lewd and lascivious conduct for allegedly exposing himself to a woman as he delivered the morning newspaper to her house. Jerry Gorton, 45, is due in Vermont District Court in Middlebury on Feb. 22. State police Senior Trooper Andrew Leise said Gorton exposed himself to a 78-year-old woman who immediately shut her door on him and called police.

Hundreds of people are expected to attend a community rally in support of keeping the Moriah Shock Incarceration Facility open. The rally at 4:30 Thursday Afternoon will be held in the Port Henry Knights of Columbus building on Main Street. The facility is one of only four shock camps in the state and has 102 employees and 170 inmates.

Vermont State Sen. Doug Racine has formally kicked off his campaign for governor. The Burlington Free Press says Racine, who announced more than a year ago that he was running for governor, held a kickoff rally Saturday in Winooski with about 75 supporters. The 57-year-old former lieutenant governor lost a bid for governor in 2002.

A New York City man is being held on $500,000 bail following his arrest in Vermont for allegedly stabbing his partner to death in their Manhattan apartment. Police in Manchester told the Rutland Herald that 31-year-old Justin Waller was arrested Saturday afternoon at a friend's home in Manchester.

Vermont National Guard leaders and the state's congressional delegation will travel to Indiana to observe soldiers training for their deployment to Afghanistan. Vermont Adjutant General Michael Dubie will lead a delegation of Guard officials to Camp Atterbury today. About 1,500 members of Vermont National Guard are being deployed.

Norwich University is hosting a series of lectures on forensic science. The third annual CSI Symposium will be held Thursday and Friday in the school's Dole Auditorium. Famed criminologist Dr. Henry Lee is scheduled to speak on Thursday.

Burlington International Airport reports that its traffic was a bit off in 2009, after a record year in 2008. About 1.42 million passengers boarded planes or landed at the airport in 2009, down about 90,000, or 5.9 percent, from a year earlier.

Jay Peak Resort is offering free skiing to family members of deployed National Guard members. Immediate family members of deployed National Guard members are eligible for free season passes, as well as discounts on rentals and lessons.

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas and legislative budget writers have cleared the way for four companies to get millions of dollars worth of employment growth incentives. Douglas and members of the state's Emergency Board voted to raise the cap on the incentives from $10 million to $23 million.

The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is urging anglers sent a questionnaire about their fishing practices to complete the survey and send it in. The department mailed the survey to 4,500 Vermont anglers and 900 nonresidents who bought fishing licenses.