WVTK Local & State News May 14, 2010

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington settled 26 lawsuits at once, with a settlement of $17.6-million. The cases were due to be tried all together this fall. Many of these cases involved the defrocked Reverend Edward Paquette. Yesterday, Bishop Salvatore Matano announced the settlement and expressed sorrow for the victims.

Vermont Prison Inmates doing time in Tennessee started a riot Wednesday night. It happened at the West Tennessee Detention Facility, a privately run prison just outside of Memphis. 35 male inmates refused to return to their cells for the night and began damaging property inside their housing unit. No guards or inmates were injured during the incident.

After firing up a $12 million biomass plant to burn wood for heat last winter, Middlebury College is hoping to turn manure from the county’s dairy farms into an alternative form of heating fuel to power the campus. The college could be the first in the state to use bio-methane to replace heating oil. If all goes according to plan, the college could be burning bio-methane as early as the fall of 2011. In total, the investment would cost around $9 million.

The Middlebury select-board plans to create an ad hoc committee to look at potential new economic development strategies for the town as well as new ways to support existing activities that are currently being met by financially strapped volunteer associations.

A retired Rutland businessman announced yesterday he is seeking the Republican nomination to run for Vermont's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, the third Republican seeking to unseat Democrat U.S. Rep. Peter Welch. John M. Mitchell the former CEO of Vermont Marble Co. said he decided to run "to put America back on the right course" after watching the economy sink, people lose jobs and businesses produce diminishing profits.

Boaters are urged to use caution while on Chittenden Reservoir this summer because of lower-than-normal water levels. This is the result of a $2 million project by Central Vermont Public Service. The utility will be upgrading the East Pittsford hydroelectric station from August through November and that requires the water level to be lowered as much as 4 feet so CVPS can better manage rainwater from storms.

The Vermont Achievement Center is working to renovate and furnish a temporary homeless family shelter on its Park Street campus. VAC is renovating a two-story house on the east edge of the center grounds. Formerly used as rental office space, the house is being converted to a three-bedroom and two-bedroom shelter for families trying to get back on their feet. They hope the shelter will open sometime this summer.

After two failed budgets, the Benson School Board has shaved off another $22,350 and is trying again. A vote on the proposal is scheduled for early next month. There will be an informational meeting at 7:30 p.m. June 7 in the Community Hall. Polls are open there the next day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The fiscal year ends June 30. The Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union business manager said that if the district does not have a budget in place by then, it would borrow money to begin the year at 87 percent of the previous year's budget.

The Legislature passed a plan to make changes to the Current Use Program. It allows landowners to conserve large tracts of land and pay less in taxes. Lawmakers want to have people in the program pay a one-time fee and higher taxes if they take their land out of current use. Douglas is opposed to the bill because he says it will hurt land conservation. If it is vetoed, lawmakers say they probably will not return to Montpelier to try a veto override.

New York State businesses are about to pay more for electricity. That's because a state program to provide low cost power is about to expire and there are no plans to extend it. Lawmakers left Albany Wednesday without a deal on the power for jobs program and they aren't due back until Monday leaving businesses unsure about their futures.

Authorities at the Champlain Border Crossing found an unclaimed bag on a bus that contained nearly a million dollars worth of ecstasy. Customs and Border Protection officers were inspecting the bus early Monday morning. Officials are still working to determine whom the bag belonged to. No arrests had been made.

A developer is waiting for final approval to build a new hotel on Route 3 in Plattsburgh. A sketch plan for the 4-story, 91-room hotel was presented to the Town of Plattsburgh Planning Board earlier this week. Town officials say final approval of the new The Fairfield Inn And Suites, which is a part of the Mariott family, could take a couple of months.

A jury has found a Burlington man guilty of sexual assault. Police say 51-year-old James Burke raped a 26-year-old woman in 2004. The victim, who was homeless at the time, says she believes she was slipped a date drug. After being read the verdict, Burke promised to appeal the decision. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

A division of the Department of Homeland Security is planning to hold a hearing on May 22 on a plan to build a new border station at Morses Line. Customs and Board Protection is planning to upgrade the port of entry facilities at the little-used Morses Line, but a local dairy farmer says the plan will take too much of a valuable hayfield.

The Committee on Temporary Shelter, or COTS, is once again asking for the community's help. A couple of weeks ago, they held their largest fundraiser of the year, the COTS Walk. And for the first time in history, they did not reach their goal. They had set a goal of raising $175,000. After counting all the donations, they are still about $40,000 short of reaching their goal.

Students in Beekmantown have a chance to win a car. The school's junior prom is scheduled for this Saturday, and the school is hosting an after prom party. Students who stay for the duration of the party can win many prizes, including a pre-owned Pontiac Grand Prix GT, which was donated from Knight Automotive in Plattsburgh.

Curtis Lumber on Tom Miller Road in Plattsburgh will be holding a Fire and Child Safety event tomorrow from 9 to 2. During the event, the District No. 3 Volunteer Fire Department will be there with a smoke simulation trailer and fire trucks speaking to families about fire safety and prevention. The Clinton County Sheriff's Department will also be on-hand taking fingerprints of children and offering Safe Child ID cards for parents.

Starting Monday, the southern end of the Burlington Bike Path will be closed. The Parks and Recreation Department will be re-paving the section between the water treatment facility and the barge canal. The section being re-paved should only be closed from Monday to Friday.

It will be a memorable graduation, especially for two students receiving their diplomas at St. Michael's College. That's because they became engaged yesterday before hundreds of witnesses. Graduating senior Jamie Gordon was delivering the college commencement speech, and at the end proposed to another graduate, Rachel Roy. She gave him the thumbs up making it official.