WVTK Local & State News March 24, 2010

A Rutland police sergeant Wednesday will answer to criminal charges. Sergeant David Schauwecker has been under investigation since last summer since suspected child pornography was allegedly found on a computer he had logged onto last July. State Police say the sergeant will appear in Rutland District court to answer charges of filing a false report to authorities and neglect of duty by a public officer. Those charges are not related to child pornography but he has been under the microscope for all of his actions since last year.

The Vergennes Police Department and Crime Stoppers are offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects who robbed the Marble Works Pharmacy in Vergennes on February 4. Police say the unidentified man enter the pharmacy brandishing a handgun. He then made off with an unspecified amount of prescription drugs.

Rutland school officials and administrators talked Tuesday about substantial changes that could affect how the district provides a public education — from proposed state directives to Rutland High School's new federal designation of being low-performing. Rutland High School Principal Bill Olsen explained to the School Board what he knew and didn't know about why his school was named "persistently low-achieving" — ranked as one of 10 schools in the state as high need by the Vermont Department of Education two weeks ago based on a poverty and testing measurement required by the federal government.

Shaws Supermarkets is cutting 4-percent of its full-time employees company-wide and that means some Vermonters can expect layoffs. The company won’t say exactly how many Vermont jobs will be cut. Officials say the layoffs have nothing to do the ongoing labor dispute in Southern New England. They also add that they have no plans to sell or close any stores in the state.

Swanton Police are investigating a robbery at Rexall Pharmacy in Swanton. Police say someone walked into the pharmacy around 2:30 yesterday afternoon and demanded medication. He then left on foot. Police are looking for a white man, about 30-35 years old, around 6 feet tall, who weighs about 220 pounds.

Opening arguments are expected to come today in the trial for Robert Kolibas. The Williston man is accused of inappropriately touching a teenaged friend of his daughter's during a sleep over. Authorities say Kolibas gave the girl a drug-laced smoothie. Jury selection in the case took the better part of the last 2 days.

State officials say 7 campgrounds and 2 day-use areas in the Adirondack and Catskill forest preserves will not open this year because of the state’s fiscal crisis. One of those is Taylor Pond, a popular campsite in Black Brook. The Department of Environmental Conservation says the sites were selected based on use and proximity to other campgrounds.

Supporters of stronger penalties for drunk drivers rallied at the Vermont Statehouse yesterday. Friends and family of Nick Fournier, who was killed by a drug driver going the wrong way on Interstate 89, want tougher drunk driving penalties. Some lawmakers support the move but bills have stalled in committee. They say they will return every year till a new law is passed.

A Vermont company that makes instant baby formula has been sold for $800-Million. PBM Nutritionals in Georgia has reportedly been purchased by Perrigo. Reports indicate the company expects the purchase to increase sales at the company by $300 million in the first year. The company is hiring now and holding a job fair today.

The owner of the Comfort Inn in Plattsburgh, which was destroyed by a fire, hopes to re-open this summer. The fire in November of 2008 destroyed the hotel on Route 3 along with Perkins Restaurant and Legend's Sports Bar. The owner, Terry Meron, hopes to open the hotel in June and the restaurants a few months later.

Vermont State Police say they have found the remains of a missing Swanton man. Police say 41-year-old Kenneth Murray of Swanton was reported missing on May 4, 2007. Murray's skeletal remains were found in a wooded area off of Lake Road on Monday. Authorities say the cause of death is undetermined but say there are no signs of foul play.

The Town of Plattsburgh wants to spread the word about a new carbon-monoxide-detector law and a ban on open burning. The law, which took effect on February 22, requires new and existing single-family or multi-family buildings to have carbon-monoxide detectors. And due to the large number of wildfires each spring, there is now a ban on burning between March 15 and May 15.

Ben & Jerry's ice cream has a new boss. Jostein Solheim, a veteran executive with parent company Uniliver, has been named CEO of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream. He succeeds Walt Freese, who recently stepped down after 8 years on the job. Solheim has worked for Unilever for 14 years in 5 countries.

Home sales in the Northeast rose in February as the economy showed signs of recovery. The National Association of Realtors also said that Northeast sales were 13 percent higher compared to a year ago. The Burlington housing market saw the largest price increase for existing home sales in the Northeast, at 12 percent.

An 11-year-old girl is leaving Vermont as the 2010 "Rotten Sneaker" champion of the United States. Trinette Robinson of Bristol, Connecticut, was crowned yesterday in Montpelier at The 35th annual National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker contest. The runner up was 6-year-old Madilyn Taylor of West Jordon, Utah.