WVTK Local & State News March 30, 2010

A West Rutland man has been convicted in the stabbing death of his girlfriend's ex-husband. Trevor Herrick was found guilty yesterday of second-degree murder in the 2009 slaying of 52-year-old Kerry Munger, of Benson. Prosecutors say Herrick stabbed Munger during an argument in the parking lot of the Diamond Run Mall.

A runaway 13-year-old has been found safe and sound. Police put out an alert for the boy who ran away from his home in Mount Holly Sunday. Police were particularly concerned because an out-of-state truck was reported near where the boy had been seen hitchhiking. But police say the teen was found safe and sound yesterday morning in the Clarendon area.

A jury has found 51-year-old Robert Kolibas of Williston guilty of drugging and inappropriately touching a 13-year-old girl. The girl, whose name is not being released, was sleeping over as a guest of Kolibas’s daughter. Kolibas claimed the sleeping pills he mixed into a smoothie were intended for his wife. He could face more than 30 years in prison.

Peru Central School could eliminate several positions and cut programs under its 2010-11 spending plan. Officials say the cuts are a response to cuts in state aid, declining enrollment, and steep cost increases. The majority of reductions the board is considering fall in the category of personnel.

Schools and municipalities around Vermont will get some help with making renewable energy and conserving energy, thanks to $5.8 million in grants. The money for the 147 grants is coming from federal stimulus funds. The money will go into a variety of efforts -- including new insulation for buildings and more efficient lighting.

The Rutland Creek Path has moved one step closer to becoming reality. The city received word that it is being awarded a $300,000 transportation enhancement grant from the Agency of Transportation for the Creative Economy-driven project. The award will allow the group to break ground on the first section of the two-mile path, which is planned to stretch from the edge of Giorgetti Athletic Complex and Pine Hill Park to the College of St. Joseph on Dorr Drive. The first section of the path will take the project to State Street.

The results are in from the annual Doyle Poll taken on Town Meeting Day. 96-percent of those questioned believe texting while driving should be banned. 74-percent said cell phone use while driving should be banned all together. The poll also showed that 31-percent of respondents said yes to re-licensing Vermont Yankee, that’s down from 40-percent the year before.

New York's Senate has approved emergency spending that will keep the state operating, as lawmakers leave Albany for the Passover-Easter vacation. The new fiscal year is likely to begin Thursday without a final budget. Gov. David Paterson forced lawmakers to consider what he calls a "bare-bones" emergency spending bill.

A Vermont man who allegedly held police at bay during a three-hour standoff says he's not guilty. Prosecutors say 39-year-old Jonathan G. Fenimore leveled a rifle at police Sunday during the confrontation at his Burlington home. No one was hurt in the incident. Fenimore was ordered yesterday by the courts to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

A St. Albans man who was pulled from his burning home last week has died from his injuries. 73-year-old Orville Fields was rescued from his home on Nason Street by two people who were driving by and saw the flames. Fields suffered severe burns to his legs and lower torso. Investigators say the fire was accidental but have not determined the cause.

The deaths of a husband and wife in Morrisonville have officially been ruled a murder-suicide. Patrick and Rose Maynard were found dead from gunshot wounds in their home on Route 3 Friday morning. Police are looking into reports that the couple had been having marital problems as a possible motive.

Lawyers for the man accused of killing his 12-year-old niece Brook Bennett asked a judge to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in his case. In a 186-page motion filed yesterday, attorneys for Michael Jacques argued that since the state of Vermont doesn't have the death penalty, it shouldn't be applied in the federal prosecution of Jacques if he's convicted.

Clinton County is one step closer to selling 600 acres of property off Route 3 in Plattsburgh. The Federal Aviation Administration approved last night to seek requests for potential buyers. People or companies will have 90 days to submit offers for the county to review. The process is expected to take about four to six weeks.

A boy, not even old enough to drive, is under arrest for stealing 45 road signs worth about $2,000. According to police, the signs were stolen in Essex, Georgia, Fairfax and Westford. Authorities are not releasing the boy’s name or age. Police made the discovery while trying to resolve a family dispute. The boy faces grand larceny charges.