WVTK Local & State News May 4, 2010

RetailVision will be laying off 20 employees. The company in Middlebury currently employs 70 workers but by the end August that will be down to 50. Some of the functions being handled in Middlebury will be moved to the company’s headquarters in Florida. Company officials say the cuts are in response to loss of a major contract.

The Addison Central Supervisory Union board has agreed to hire a mediator to help resolve some of the problems at the school district’s central office. A consultant conducted a study of the working environment back in February and found a number of problems between employees. The decision to hire the mediator came after the ASCU went though the study.

Voters in Bridport will go to the polls today to try to pass a school budget for next year. The new proposed budget is more than $6,000 less then budget that was voted down on Town Meeting Day. Although Bridport was one of the few towns to not pass their school budget on Town Meeting Day, this is the second year in a row that the budget was defeated the first time out.

The Middlebury Area Community Garden is looking for a new home. Organizers of the community garden just learned that the land behind Otter Creek Brewing will not be available this year due to all the construction and renovations at the brewery on Exchange Street.

Vermont lawmakers and the governor have come to an agreement on how to shore up the state's unemployment fund. If ratified by the House and Senate, the max an unemployment check would be is $425 a week. Employers will also have to pay about 60-percent more for unemployment insurance by 2012.

The man charged with shooting his son in 2006 has been sentenced to 5 years in prison with credit for time served. 53-year-old Bruce Bonnville of Peru pled guilty to the charges last month. After being sentenced yesterday, Bonnville swore at the judge promoting the judge to add another 30 days on to his sentence along with 3 years probation.

The main road though the village of Adamant is closed today after a beaver damn burst causing a flood. The damn on Adamant Pond broke last night just before 8 o'clock. No injuries were reported but several homes were evacuated and the main road though the village has a big washout. At one point the water was 4 feet deep. Adamant is a village in the town of Calais.

Route 108, the Smugglers Notch Road is now open to all traffic. The Vermont Agency of Transportation says motorists can now travel the shortcut between Stowe and Jeffersonville. The road is closed in the fall each year once the snow makes the road impassable. Officials opened the road yesterday morning at 7:44 to all traffic.

A homeless man pled not guilty to attempted murder charges. 53-year-old William Craig was arrested Sunday Night after nearby neighbors called police reporting a woman screaming in the woods near Red Rocks Park. South Burlington Police arrived on the seen to find Craig beating his ex-girlfriend. If convicted, Craig faces 20-years in prison.

A group of Plattsburgh State students are under investigation for allegedly beating a local man. The incident occurred some time last week at a house on South Catherine Street, near the intersection with Broad Street. Officials say the victim was treated at CVPH before being transported to Fletcher Allen Health Care were he underwent hours of surgery.

The Vermont Wood Pellet Company in North Clarendon plans to double its output of wood pellets thanks to a loan from the Vermont Economic Development Association and the Rutland Economic Development Corporation. Local loggers say this is good news because all the wood comes from within a 30 mile radius.

A local woman has won a quarter of a million dollars in the Mega Millions Game. Jason Tallman of Chateaugay was at the New York Lottery Website the other day checking the lottery numbers for his mother when he realized she had won $250,000. According to the press release, she bought the Quick Pick ticket at the Halfway House the night of the drawing.

Police have identified the person found dead in Lake Champlain near South Hero. They say it was 47-year old Michael Martel of Burlington. A kayaker spotted his body Sunday near Sunset Beach Road. An autopsy did not reveal any evidence of trauma or foul play.