WVTK Local & State News April 7, 2010

Charlotte voters have again rejected the school budget. The revised budget of over $7-million was $57,000 lower than the spending plan proposed on Town Meeting Day. The school board will have to look for more cuts and present another budget to the voters. Final school budgets must be sent to the Department of Education by June 30.

45 more Vermont guard members are being deployed over-seas. The air guard's 158th Security Forces Squadron is being sent to Saudi Arabia to help guard military locations. The airmen will be honored in a deployment ceremony tomorrow morning. They will spend a couple weeks training at Fort Bliss in Texas before leaving for the Middle East.

Internet speeds are getting faster in Vermont. Comcast announced the new, faster service yesterday. It’s called “wide-band” and it will deliver speeds of up to 50 MegaBytes-Per-Second. That means you could download an HD movie, which is about 6 GigiBytes, in 16 minutes. Right now the service is available in 29 communities around the state.

Despite the urging of some residents, the city will not try to reverse last week's defeat of three voter-approved charter amendments. City Attorney Andrew Costello said he does not think there's anything the city can do to change the State’s mind or take legal action against the State. On Friday, the House Government Operations Committee unanimously voted "no" on charter amendments that called for 10-year term limits on the mayor and aldermen and would have required all municipal and school employees to begin paying 20 percent of their health care premiums.

Rutland, Barre and other Vermont cities and towns are giving a cool reception to a plan to release prison inmates early to save the state money. The state expects about 270 people convicted of nonviolent crimes to be let out under a bill moving through the Legislature.

There's been a recent increase in child abuse in Vermont. Tuesday, Gov. Jim Douglas proclaimed April Prevent Child Abuse month. Last year, about 740 kids were abused and advocates put out pinwheels on the Statehouse lawn to raise awareness about the problem. Experts say Vermont is seeing a spike in infant homicides. Three of the last five murder victims in Vermont have been babies. Officials say prevention is key and also being watchful and reporting if you see any problems. The state has just launched a new website aimed at helping protect children. There is information on prevention and how to notice something may be wrong. You can visit the website at http://dcf.vermont.gov/protectkids

A judge has given a mother 2 to 10 years in prison for failing to protect her daughter from sexual assault. The 34-year-old woman pled guilty to allowing men sexually assault her daughter in her Williston home for several years. She was convicted of being an accessory to a sexual assault. The girl, who is now 14, was in court for today's sentencing.

Governor Jim Douglas has declared April, child abuse prevention month. According to Prevent Child Abuse Vermont, Shaken Baby Syndrome is on the rise in Vermont. A recent study found that for every one known case of shaken baby syndrome, there are about 150 cases that go unreported.

The Canadian Dollar is now at par with the U.S. Dollar. And this is welcome news for businesses across the North Country. The favorable exchange rate coincides with a new marketing campaign set to start this month to promote the Adirondack area. Analysts say Canadians should get used to seeing their currency at these levels for some time.

An Essex Junction woman charged with killing her niece will now face first-degree murder charges. Charges have been upgraded for 30-year-old Latonia Congress. Police say she stabbed her 16-year-old niece last October. If convicted, Congress could face 35 years to life in prison. In January, her lawyers rejected a plea deal, offering 25-years-to-life.

A Plattsburgh woman has been sentenced to two years in jail for abusing her infant son. 21-year-old Naomi Mason pled guilty to endangering the welfare of a child. Investigators say Mason, back in December, grabbed her 7-week-old son's arm so hard that it broke. Doctors also discovered several other injuries. The child is in state custody.

Watching the sky yesterday, you may have noticed some unusual sights -- military aircraft closely pursuing other planes. It was part of a training exercise for fighter plane pilots to practice intercepting civilian aircraft. The exercise is part of Operation Noble Eagle, which began after the 9/11 attacks.

UVM Women's Basketball Coach Sharon Dawley has left the Catamounts. She has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Massachusetts. It took Dawley only 7 seasons at UVM to become the program's all-time leader in wins. She also has coached the team to the NCAA tournament the past 2 years