Thursday, May 13, 2010

WVTK Local & State News May 13, 2010

The Vermont House has passed a budget for next year. The spending plan includes a number of compromises by lawmakers and the governor. The compromises include rolling back tax increases they passed last year, both the estate and capital gains. The budget bill passed by a voice vote of 105 to 27. Governor Jim Douglas is expected to sign the bill.

Vermont lawmakers have approved a $76-million package of borrowing for capital construction projects. On the list: $6.5 million for school construction and $4.5 million for expansion of broadband Internet service. The bill also includes $4.7 million for a new Health Department laboratory in Colchester.

The construction company expected to build the new Crown Point Bridge is going to use as much local labor and subcontractors as possible. John Grady of the New York State Department of Transportation says the state is reviewing the $69.7 million low-bid provided by Flatiron Construction of Colorado. He says it's likely the bid will be approved later this month. Construction could then begin within days. The bridge is due to be finished in the late summer of 2011.

Business owners and residents in Rutland who turned out last night were supportive of the city's opinion that litigation may be the only way to solve the dispute over Moon Brook. The informational session was scheduled for people to learn more about the implications of new state regulations the city claims are being incorrectly assessed. Mayor Christopher Louras said he hopes to resolve some questions through questionnaires he asked the group to fill out and return.

A Rutland District Court judge decided yesterday that a plea deal sending accused murderer David Denny to jail for 22 years to life wasn't punishment enough for the alleged death of a Castleton State College instructor in 2008. 

Judge Thomas Zonay rejected the agreement on the grounds that the proposed punishment didn't align with other sentences handed down for second-degree murder.

Some new U.S. citizens took the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony at Neshobe School yesterday afternoon. The 41 new citizens came from all over the world. Some of the countries of origin include Russia, Austria, Italy, Nigeria, China and many more.

The Rutland School Board and the public will soon have more information on how much the city's school district is spending. The chief financial officer of the Rutland Public Schools district presented the board with a draft copy of a new quarterly financial statement showing year-to-date actual budget spending as opposed to the usual statement of budgeted expenses passed out once a year.

Fair Haven Union High School will apply to the state for between $300,000 and $500,000 in federal money to improve its students' academic performance. The School Board voted Monday to apply for a School Improvement Grant. The school became eligible after the state tagged it "persistently low-achieving" in March, based on its poverty rate and lack of progress in test scores from 2007 and 2008.

A federal judge has issued an order blocking Governor David Paterson from imposing furloughs on about 100,000 state workers. Unions representing state workers say a 20-percent loss in wages or salaries would constitute irreparable harm. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Kahn has scheduled a hearing on May 26.

Plattsburgh Mayor Donald Kasprzak says he will run for re-election in the fall. Since being elected in 2007, one of the mayor's biggest accomplishments has been the city finances. The city's general fund balance was a deficit of over $800,000, and now it is $2.4-million to the good. If re-elected, Kasprzak said he will focus more on development and growth in the city.

Police say 2 men have stolen a $3,000 painting from the Courtyard Marriott in downtown Burlington. According to investigators, the 2 men walked off Battery Street, popped the 6-foot painting off the wall and walked out. Hotel officials didn't notice for about a week since construction was taking place and a lot of people were coming and going at the time.

A hostel will be opening in Burlington next month. The new facility, called the Burlington Hostel, will have 48 beds and will cost $30 a night. The owners of the hostel say Burlington is lacking a facility with an international feel where people can meet others from all over the world. The hostel will be located at 53 Main Street, just up the street from the waterfront.

Lawyers for convicted killer Christopher Williams have appealed his conviction before the state Supreme Court. They say police questioned Williams before reading him his rights. They also claim a judge gave improper instructions to the jury that convicted him in a 2006 shooting rampage in Essex.

Police say a Burlington man fired a handgun out of moving truck on Interstate 89 in South Burlington. 30 year-old John Light was a passenger in the vehicle and police say he fired a round into the woods at the start of rush hour. He's charged with Reckless Endangerment.

Vermont's Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has bought a California coffee company. Green Mountain says the deal for Diedrich Coffee Inc., of Irvine, Calif., is worth about $300 million. The company says Diedrich accepted its offer of $35 a share.

It's quite a compliment when a national magazine lists your city as one of America's prettiest towns. Burlington was selected among 20 towns listed by Forbes.com, ranking second. A co-author of "101 Best Outdoor Towns" says Burlington has it all with a brick pedestrian marketplace, iconic white steeples and rolling hill spilling towards the waterfront. Cambria, California, was listed in first place. Lake Placid, New York, also made the list.