Tuesday, January 5, 2010

WVTK Local & State News January 5, 2010

Most of the several dozen people who attended a public meeting last night in Vergennes regarding the design for the new Champlain Bridge prefer a modified network tied arch design for the replacement. It is the same design New Yorkers say they prefer, and the design a committee of officials chose. While nothing is official it is likely that is the design that will be built. A final design decision should come within the next two weeks or so with some of the specifics to be hammered out after that. Construction is still set to begin in the spring.

When customers of Central Vermont Public Service Corp. open their bills this month, they'll see a nearly 6 percent rate increase. The Public Service Board approved a 5.58 percent rate increase on New Year's Eve to take effect this month under the utility's alternative regulation plan. The average bill for a CVPS residential customer who uses 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity will see an increase of $4.08 a month to $77.57.

Even with the increase, CVPS said its rates remain among the lowest in New England.

The U.S. Census Bureau has launched a 100-day road tour to encourage residents of New England and upstate New York to complete the 2010 census as officials worry that some immigrants may ignore the forms. U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Wade joined officials in Boston to kickoff the aggressive national campaign two months before census forms are mailed. The push comes as officials fear immigrants might be too scared to fill out census forms. Advocates say that could hurt New England states since the area saw a rise in the immigration population over the last decade. Wade said officials will tour 70 venues around New England and will place advertisements in different languages. More than $400 billion in federal funds comes from census data.

American snowboarder Kevin Pearce remains in critical but stable condition at a Utah hospital with a brain injury he suffered when he fell while training. The 22-year-old from Norwich, Vt., is a top-ranked halfpipe rider. He was injured in Park City last Thursday.

Vermont labor leaders are asking lawmakers to allow the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to stay open 20 years past the expiration of its current license in 2012. Leaders of 15 construction unions say more than 600 people work at the Vernon plant and pay taxes to the state of Vermont.

Police says alcohol was involved in a fatal snowmobile crash in the town of Readsboro. Vermont state police say 18-year-old Jessica Bolognani fell off the back of a snowmobile on Saturday evening and was hit by another snowmobile that was following the sled she was on.

A Vermont woman battling her former lesbian partner for custody of their daughter wants her ex held in contempt. A lawyer for Janet Miller filed the request today in a Rutland court. Lisa Miller, who now lives in Virginia, was ordered to turn over the girl last week but hasn't done so.

The National Weather Service says 33.1 inches of snow fell at the Burlington International Airport from 7 a.m. Saturday to midnight Sunday. That was the most ever in a single storm. As Burlington copes with the record weekend storm, most people are taking in stride - some perhaps too much so. State police cited a driver on I-89 yesterday after stopping him from pulling a sled, with a rider on it, behind his car.

Jury selection is set to begin January 11th in the re-trial of orthopedic surgeon Joseph Abate, who's accused of molesting a patient, with testimony expected to begin the following week. Abate's initial trial, involving multiple patients, ended with a hung jury.