WVTK Local & State News February 22, 2010

A spokesman for Vermont Governor Jim Douglas says the governor is expected to defend the U.S. EPA's designation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant at a meeting of the National Governors Association. Douglas spokesman David Coriell says the governor has been a strong proponent of efforts to stem climate change.

Police say they are investigating inappropriate images on students' cell phones at a Vermont middle school. Investigators say the case began Wednesday when an official at Colchester Middle School discovered 1 of the images. WCAX-TV reports officials later found that that image and others were being distributed among multiple students.

It was a busy weekend for rescuers at the Stowe Mountain Resort. Officials said four skiers were brought down Saturday night and the second group was located at first light on Sunday. The skiers were cold but appeared to be uninjured. They all went off the trails and wound up on the other side of Mount Mansfield.

On March 3rd, voters in Moriah will be asked to almost $10 million in improvements to Moriah Central School, with no cost to local taxpayers. The new project would replace the school roof and heating boilers, renovate the school swimming pool and reconnect the facility to the power grid. A public information meeting is scheduled for tomorrow night at 7 PM in the school auditorium.

Schuyler Falls has been hit with a rash of graffiti. Police say someone has been spray painted some strange messages on signs at the Town Recreation Park. Graffiti is also sprayed on parts of the softball field, storage shed, a number of businesses, and even the playground. Anyone who might have information is asked to New York State Police.

David Paterson has launched his campaign for a full four-year term as governor. During a press conference on Sunday, he said he’s had a “difficult past few weeks,” but intends to press ahead. Paterson's announcement makes him the first Democrat in the race, but probably not the last. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is expected to challenge Paterson in a primary.

The mannequin taken from in front of the Waterfront Diving Center in Burlington has found her way home again. Pearl, as she’s known, was taken from her post outside of the Diving Center last Wednesday, a spot she had occupied for about 20 years. It was the second time Pearl has gone missing, but much like last time, she's managed to make it back again.

A prison guard is now behind bars accused of inappropriate conduct with 3 different female inmates. Police are investigating claims against 40-year-old Ed White, a corrections officer at the Northwest Correctional Center in Swanton. White is currently suspended from work and being held on $100,000 bail.

A Vermont company that makes protective masks for health care workers and emergency responders has laid off 35 employees as the spread of swine flu has declined. The masks have been made by Triosyn Corporation in Williston. The masks carry an iodine-based agent that filters the air being breathed in.

Stephen King's link to the American gothic will be the subject of a free lecture March 3 in Burlington. University of Vermont professor Tony Magistrale, who chairs the school's English department and is expert on Edgar Allen Poe, will examine King's work as it relates to Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain in a talk entitled "Why Stephen King Still Matters."