WVTK Local & State News June 10, 2010

The construction of the new Lake Champlain Bridge is expected to bring hundreds of workers to Crown Point, making it an economic opportunity for local merchants. To prepare, the community may form its own chamber of commerce. A group of Crown Point residents met yesterday to discuss the formation of a local chamber. It agreed to meet again June 23 at 3 p.m. at the town hall. Currently Crown Point businesses can join the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce.

A Zamias Fund grant approved this week will likely allow the Paramount Theatre to replace its leaky roof this construction season. The grant was officially approved at the Monday evening Board of Aldermen meeting by a 7-to-2 vote. The grant will also allow the Paramount to leverage a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Grant of about $16,000 that will pay for the remainder of the $47,000 estimated roof replacement.

Plans to close a polling station in Mineville have been scrapped. The Essex County Board of Elections no longer has plans to shut down polling places in Mineville, AuSable Forks, Wadhams and Keene. In the town of Moriah the board of elections plan was to merge polling places in Mineville and Moriah.

A pool party and barbecue for families of the Vermont Army National Guard is set for Sunday at Northwood Park pool in Rutland. This year the Rutland unit deployed to Afghanistan in January. In total 1,500 Vermont troops left in 2010, the largest group of Vermonters to deploy since World War II.

Another radioactive leak has been reported at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Power plant officials say this time the cause was found quickly and resolved. They say it came from a one-inch relief valve in the plant's cooling system within Vermont Yankee and never got out outside. The leak was stopped Tuesday afternoon, and the valve was replaced early yesterday morning.

Rep. Peter Welch wants BP to stop paying profits to shareholders and buying TV ads until the oil spill disaster is over. Welch says the millions going to a public relations campaign and stock dividends would be better spent on cleaning up the environmental damage.

State environmental officials in New York are stepping up efforts to stop the spread of destructive forest pests in firewood. It is against the law to transport untreated firewood into the state or moving it more than 50 miles. Now authorities plan to set up checkpoints on the Adirondack Northway to nab violators. Campers at state campgrounds will have to identify the source of firewood they bring in. Violators can face fines and jail time.

The branch manager of CitiFinancial in South Burlington is facing charges that she took out loans under someone else's name. A Colchester woman was paying a mortgage loan, when she discovered 5 loans were made to her without her knowledge. Police say information on the loans led them to the local branch manager, 35-year-old Angela Feeley.

Police are looking for 2 teens that have been missing for several days. Hunter Pawlaczyk of South Burlington and Zoe Robb of Burlington were last seen going to bed in their separate homes Sunday Night. Parents notified police once they discovered that the teens and their bikes were missing. Authorities are now considering them runaways.

A Ticonderoga man, who shot a State Trooper, will spend the next 15 years in prison. During a several hour standoff 2 years ago, Trooper George Stannard was trying to disarm 40-year-old Donald McCray, who was suicidal at the time, when he was shot in his hand. Stannard has since lost use of his right-hand but still remains on the force because he is left-handed.

Bomb sniffing dogs are now on the job at the Burlington International Airport. They made their debut Tuesday. The team of 3 trained dogs and TSA handlers can also provide the same bomb detection security at bus and train stations. The director of the airport's TSA says the dogs can find explosives in seconds.

The numbers are in and Vermont Ski Areas saw an increase in visits this past season. The Vermont Ski Areas Association says the state's resorts had 4.1 million skiers this past season, that's up 1.4 percent over the previous season. Officials say Vermont resorts did surprising well considering less than perfect weather and the recession.

Ticonderoga town board meetings can now bee seen live on TV. For years the town board meetings have been taped and later shown on the community cable access channel provided by Time Warner Cable. Recently some people asked about televising the meetings live. You can now turn on the community access channel at 6 p.m. the second Thursday of each month to see the Ti meetings live.

Moriah's public access television channel has made major improvements thanks to new equipment. The new technology has been a great benefit to the channel, which is operated by Moriah Central School. The new system allows for a schedule of programming, better quality of picture and sound, immediate access from a remote location in the event of a school or town emergency and an improved and updated message board. The channel is also now in sync with the school website.