WVTK Local & State News March 25, 2010

A Rutland police sergeant accused of taking evidence from a case he wasn't involved with and then lying about it to investigators pleaded not guilty yesterday in Rutland District Court. Sergeant David Schauwecker is charged with neglect of duty and making a false report to law enforcement authorities. The charges stem from an investigation launched last fall into whether Schauwecker had viewed child pornography on his work computer. Investigators couldn't prove that the images in the material involved children under the age of 16. Schauwecker is on paid leave from the department.

Construction will soon start again on the Cross Street Bridge in Middlebury. A portion of the span across Otter Creek was built before winter. Project engineers say they are trying to be sensitive to local needs. Contractors will take a break during Middlebury College graduation but there will be some impact to summer traffic. Construction is set to begin April 5 and will continue throughout the summer. The bridge is scheduled to open October 10.

Help is on the way for businesses losing money because of the closure of the Lake Champlain Bridge, but what kind of help remains to be seen. The Vermont House of Representatives last week approved an aid package with $350,000 in loans and $150,000 in grants. The funds are part of a larger bill dealing with stimulus money. The two bills are now likely to go to a conference committee composed of House and Senate members who will work to reconcile them.

Money matters take center stage at the statehouse today. Lawmakers are slated to take up the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year, along with bills on taxes and transportation spending. The spending plan includes some cuts in human services as the state tries to close an expected $150 million budget gap.

Funding for the Olympic Regional Development Authority and Moriah Shock still remains up in the air. The State Assembly budget plan calls for funding both entities while the Senate plan doesn’t. Both plans however, still call for the closure of the Lyon Mountain State Correctional Facility. It’s now up to the budgeting committees to come up with a compromise budget plan.

The results are out from the National Assessment of Educational Progress exams and they show Vermont is at the top of the class in reading. Vermont 4th-graders are second only to Massachusetts in reading, while Vermont 8th-graders are number one in the country. Vermont students took the NAEP math exam last year and performed at similar levels.

The man charged with robbing Zuke’s Corner Store last year has plead guilty to the indictment against him. Police say 27-year-old Anthony Vallee robbed the store with an air pistol and made off with $720. Without a plea deal, the Plattsburgh man admitted to robbing the store. Vallee will now be sentenced on May 24.

One person is dead after a horrific crash on Interstate 89 in Georgia. The force of the crash caused a tractor trailer to burst into flames and forced police to shut down Interstate 89 for hours last night. Vermont State Police say the car was heading south on I-89 when the driver crossed into the median, became airborne, and slammed head-on into the truck.

Police in Burlington are still investigating an attempted robbery and assault on North Union Street. Police say 2 men approached a woman late Tuesday Night and demanded money. When she refused, they pushed her down and ran. The 2 unidentified men are still at large. If you have any information, call the Burlington Police Department.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has appointed a new senior resident inspector for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. David Spindler will be one of two inspectors at the Vernon reactor, acting as the federal agency's eyes and ears at the plant. He previously had worked at the FitzPatrick nuclear plant in New York State and was a reactor operator in the U.S. Navy.

Some South Burlington Residents want to put a curfew on the Burlington International Airport. In fact, they’ve started a petition to deter planes from taking off or landing during the overnight. The noise ordinance would charge airlines a fee for using the runway during those hours. Residents say the planes not only make a lot of noise, they sometimes shake their houses.

First, she won an Olympic silver medal in women's halfpipe. Now, snowboarder Hannah Teter can claim an ice cream flavor all her own. Teter of Belmont showed up at a Burlington Ben & Jerry's scoop shop Tuesday to introduce the ice cream maker's newest flavor: Maple Blondie. The ice cream features maple ice cream, blonde brownies and a maple-caramel swirl. Proceeds from the sale of Maple Blondie will benefit Teter's charity Hannah's Gold.