WVTK Local & State News February 15, 2010

David Schauwecker is the Rutland City police officer at the center of a pornography probe that state police said Friday lacks sufficient evidence to bring charges. Schauwecker's name hasn't been formally released. But in a copy of the city police payroll report for the week ending on Feb. 6, Schauwecker, a sergeant, was the only officer who received administrative leave pay.

The Federal Highway Administration has signed off on an estimated $34 million rail project that would take Omya's marble ore-hauling trucks off Route 7 between Pittsford and Middlebury. The spur would cross under Lower Foote Street and Route 7, then cross at grade level over Halladay Road before connecting to the mainline. The project also includes a 2,050-foot trestle that would bridge over the Otter Creek and Creek Road and a 2.2 acre loading facility allowing the potential for other Middlebury-area shippers to access the main rail line. Once completed, the marble ore would be shipped south to Omya's calcium carbonate processing plant in Pittsford.

As lawmakers in Montpelier try to close a $150 million budget gap, advocates for the low-income, disabled and senior citizens in Vermont are warning against deep cuts in programs. They say the cuts could lead to higher costs in the long run by forcing residents to go on food stamps or enter nursing homes.

The city of Rutland has accepted a $3.8 million settlement with companies that designed and built a faulty roof at the city's water treatment plant. The city's treasurer says Rutland has already spent more than twice that amount on repairs in the last five years since learning the roof was in danger of collapsing.

Olympic skier Hannah Kearney should be in for quite a welcome home celebration in her home town of Norwich. On Saturday, Kearney became the first American to capture a gold medal in Vancouver. She defeated the defending champion, Canadian Jenn Heil, in the women's moguls.

Burton Snowboards is laying off 15 workers at its Burlington headquarters. Company officials said two employees also were cut from its Irvine, Calif., office. Burton said Thursday that the layoffs represent less than 2 percent of the company's work force worldwide, which totals 950. Officials said 420 employees remain in Burlington. The company added that it has reinstated salaries that were cut eight months ago and restored merit raises for employees.

A legislative committee has voted unanimously to recommend moving Vermont's state primary election from mid-September to late August. A new federal law requires that ballots be sent to deployed military and other overseas voters at least 45 days before an election. But with the September date, election officials said they wouldn't be able to certify the primary results and get the general election ballots printed and sent on time. The Burlington Free Press reports that the House Government Operations Committee voted Friday in support of changing the date, but it faces challenges when it goes to the House floor next week. Republican Gov. Jim Douglas wants the state to seek a waiver from the new federal requirements.