WVTK Local & State News May 26, 2010

State workers who usually report to the ASA Bloomer Building in Rutland should plan on starting somewhere else this morning. The building was shut down yesterday afternoon due to an underground propane leak. State workers should instead report to the Paramount Theater this morning at 8 for a briefing and alternate work locations.

The Ticonderoga School Board made more cuts to the budget for next year bringing the tax-levy increase down to 4.7-percent. The budget that was defeated a week ago had a tax-levy of 6.5-percent. A public meeting on the proposed budget will be held on June 7 at 7 PM at the High School. Residents will vote on the new spending plan on June 15.

Contract negotiations at Rutland Town School ended yesterday as members of the School Board imposed a one-year contract on teachers, which included step increases, but no overall salary increase. Teachers and the board have deadlocked on the issue of raises since July 2009, when teachers requested a 4 percent increase on the base for one year and board members proposed a salary freeze.

An ad hoc committee formed to overhaul Rutland city's housing policies is recommending at least one new addition to the city's zoning ordinances. The group is not done with its full review of the policies, but through City Attorney Andrew Costello last week recommended that the aldermen tighten an existing housing policy governing the number of unrelated people who can live in a single dwelling, and transform the policy into a zoning ordinance.

A Milton woman is facing a number of charges after leaving her 1 and 2-year-old children alone. Police say 27-year-old Georgia Castleman locked the kids in separate rooms Monday at about 5 PM, and took off for Burlington so she could go tanning and collect a $60 debt. Police were alerted to the situation and they arrived about 90 minutes after Castleman had left. She was not found until after 10 PM.

Select Board members in Fair Haven have asked the Vermont Department of Corrections to let them know when it places furloughed convicts in town. 

All five board members signed a letter asking the department to notify Fair Haven police of all convicts the Field Supervisory Unit places in the town, providing name, date of birth, address, criminal record, terms of supervision and a photograph.

As part of a plea deal, the Ticonderoga Town Highway Superintendent will resign today. At the same time, Pat Morrison is expected to plead of guilty to official misconduct in the Ticonderoga Town Court. Morrison allegedly bought thousands of dollars in unneeded supplies, took gift-card kickbacks, and bought sand from a family member without getting competitive bids.

State lawmakers are confused as to whether they can raise re-election cash. Legislators are barred from raising money from lobbyists while they're in session. The Legislature adjourned two weeks ago, but the body is still waiting for a response on several bills from Governor Jim Douglas. That means the session could technically still be open.

The Vermont Business and Industry Expo 2010 gets underway today at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington. The Expo is a chance for businesses to showcase their products and services and network with other businesses. The Expo gets underway this morning at 10 and runs till 5 PM and tomorrow from 9 to 4.

The LaChute Road Runners Club will again present the Duane Crammond Memorial Scholarship this spring. The $1,000 award will go to a Ti High graduate who participated in varsity cross-country and/or track & field who attends college full-time. The winner, selected by a scholarship committee, will be a person who reflects the strong academic, athletic and character traits of Crammond. Application deadline is June 11.

Ticonderoga Middle School, Crown Point Central School and Willsboro Central School are doing a good job preparing students for college. That's the assessment of a University of Michigan team studying the effectiveness of programs aimed at promoting college education. The Michigan research team was specifically studying the College For Every Student program.

The funding is in place, the environmental permits have been granted from the federal government, and now the City of Burlington is looking to get an ACT 250 permit for the new Champlain Parkway or the so-called Southern Connector. A public meeting was held last night with a presentation. 3 more public meetings will take place; the next is tonight at 6:30 at City Hall.

Due to advances in technology, 23 people are being laid-off at Fletcher Allen Health Care. A spokesman for the hospital say the 23 medical transcriptionists, some who are full and part time, are no longer need because of advances in speech recognition software and electronic record keeping. The layoffs will take effect on June 25.

Vandals have once again hit the Burlington Salvation Army. Monday Night a rock was thrown at the front door breaking the glass. This is the third time in a week that vandals have done damage to the organization. Vandals also hammered out windows on two of the group's vans. Employees say this comes at a time when sales and donations are down and the need is greater.

Police are investigating a break-in at McGregor's Pharmacy in South Hero. Authorities say this is the third time in 6 months that the pharmacy on Route 2 has been broken into. Someone smashed the front door around 3:30 yesterday morning and stole a number of items. If you have any information, please call the Vermont State Police.

The Plattsburgh Fire Department will be flushing more fire hydrants today. This time they will be in Center City Area from 9 this morning till 2 this afternoon. Residents are once again being reminded that the water from their faucets maybe cloudy or rust colored during the hydrant tests.