Tuesday, May 25, 2010

WVTK Local & State News May 25, 2010

The Rutland City police sergeant fired last month is taking the city to court to get his job back. Former Sergeant David Schauwecker and his attorney say the city failed to follow its own rules in terminating Schauwecker. They say relying on the Chief of Police's opinion was in violation of a state statute. City officials say they will file a response in opposition.

The town of Middlebury will honor Sonny Cyr’s 42-year career with the Middlebury Department of Public Works. Cyr’s history of dedication and self-sacrifice won him a lot of friends, who mourned his passing in January. Middlebury officials will pay a lasting tribute to Cyr tomorrow at 3 PM when they will officially dedicate the Sonny Cyr Public Works Facility on Route 7 South.

Rutland Police investigating an armed robbery at a Subway restaurant on Woodstock Avenue in March say they uncovered clues that could lead to arrests in similar holdups in New York. Two months after a pair of men robbed the Subway, one of the men allegedly involved pleaded innocent Monday in Rutland District Court to a felony charge of assault and robbery. Rutland Police are still searching for the other robber.

The Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese has found a buyer for the headquarters located on North Avenue in Burlington. Burlington College has signed a purchase and sales agreement to buy the building and 32 acres of land overlooking Lake Champlain. The diocese is selling the property to help pay a settlement for 26 abuse cases.

There’s a new statewide mental health hotline is reaching out to farmers struggling to make sense of extremely low milk prices and the stress that accompanies prolonged economic downturns. The “Farm First” program puts licensed mental health professionals and social workers just a phone call away for Vermont’s farmers. The 24-hour hotline matches farmers dealing with a wide range of problems with professionals in their communities who can help them.

Police across both Vermont and New York have launched a 2-week seatbelt campaign called Buckle Up, Click It or Ticket. For the next 2 weeks, police and other law enforcement agencies will be conducting seat belt checkpoints and increasing their day-to-day enforcement. Officials say in 2008 alone, seat belts saved more than 13,000 lives nationwide.

The Obama Administration will help Massena clean up the old General Motors plant. GM closed the facility last year. $800-million dollars in federal funding is going to various cleanup projects across the nation and it's expected that much of the cleanup costs in Massena will be covered by those federal funds.

A St. Albans teenager has been charged with attacking a homeless woman in broad daylight. Police say 19-year-old Phillip Lacombe assaulted the 58-year-old woman in the Food City parking lot 3 weeks ago. Lacombe is charged with assault and robbery.

The owners of a South Burlington convenience store have reached an out-of-court settlement with the state over a gas leak 4 years ago. Gracey's Store on Williston Road will pay the state $35,000. 4-years-ago, the store had to shut down because of a strong smell of gasoline in the air. They later discovered an underground tank was leaking, contaminating soil and groundwater.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin says that if he's elected governor he's going to support small businesses, deliver high-speed Internet and cell phone service to every corner of the state in two years and promote renewable energy. Shumlin kicked off his campaign yesterday.

A family-owned business that started a year ago in Montreal has decided to move to Plattsburgh. Jersey Girl Homemade Flats and Twiggs opened in the Imperial Industrial Park yesterday. The 4 family members work together making flat breads and breadsticks. Right now, their unique breads are sold to mostly to grocery stores and restaurants.

Vermont Yankee is back online. The nuclear reactor in Vernon has been offline since the end of April. The plant shuts down every 18 months for refueling and scheduled maintenance. The plant will take several days to return to full power. Vermont Yankee provides one-third of the state's electricity.