WVTK Local & State News June 21, 2010

A head-on crash on Route 7 in Rutland Town yesterday afternoon sent a man in a wheelchair and three other people to the hospital with minor injuries. 

No one was killed in the accident just past Pinnacle Ridge Road on the Rutland Town / Pittsford border but all four people involved in the two-car crash were sent to Rutland Regional Medical Center suffering from minor injuries like bumps and bruises. The accident remains under investigation and it’s unsure if alcohol or speed were factors in the crash.

A new law takes effect on July 1 that is intended to help clean-up Lake Champlain. Starting next Thursday, stores in Vermont are no longer allowed to sell dishwasher detergent containing phosphorous. The ban follows the phosphorus ban in laundry detergent that's been in place for more than 3 decades. Phosphorus is known to feed the toxic blue-green algae blooms in the lake.

The Moriah Shock Facility will remain open. On Friday, the New York State Assembly passed the governor's Protection Bill. The senate is expected to pass the bill today. The Protection Bill keeps Moriah Shock open but does not include provisions for The Lyon Mountain Correctional Facility. It is still slated to close.

The Department of Health is reminding parents and caregivers to watch young children closely and teach them not to touch, taste or smell wild mushrooms. 4 cases of children eating wild mushrooms have been recently reported in Vermont. Health officials warn that as little as one bite of a toxic mushroom could cause serious illness or death.

A pack of cigarettes is about to get more expensive in New York. This week's emergency spending bill includes a $1.60 increase to the cigarette tax, making it the largest in the country. Lawmakers say the new taxes will generate around $440-Million in revenue. The legislature will vote on the new emergency-spending plan today.

Killington’s economic development plan is to reach some of the 80 million people who live within a day’s drive of Vermont. 

The job now belongs to former Killington Resort employee Suzanne Dundas. 

She was hired last week as the town marketing, media and events coordinator working in the Office of Economic Development and Tourism. Her first task is to pitch the town’s summer concert series, every Thursday at the town’s recreation fields on River Road beginning July 15.

One man is in critical condition and several other people are now homeless after a house explosion in Swanton over the weekend. Witnesses say parts of the roof blew clear off the house Saturday morning damaging 3 cars and 2 nearby homes. The cause remains under investigation but police do not believe it is suspicious at this time.

Senator Chuck Schumer is proposing a national measure that would prohibit sex offenders from working as karate instructors, youth coaches, carnival workers, clowns, magicians, or dance instructors as well as a number of other jobs in the private sector. The measure would cover people who are paid or volunteer to do the work.

Some good news for job seekers... The number of Vermonters without a job declined slightly in May -- according to statistics released by the state Labor Department. The state's unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in May, down 1.1 percent from a year ago. Vermont was one of ONLY THREE states -- along with Minnesota and Oregon -- to see a drop of 1 percentage point or more.

A Vermonter taking part in the LCI Fishing Derby has broken the record for the largest Lake Trout. Dana Laduke, of Bomoseen caught a Lake Trout Saturday weighing 16.77 pounds. The previous record was just under 16 pounds. Laduke is in the running for a $30,000 prize. Laduke says he will likely split the prize money with his team.

Police believe they have found the body of a South Burlington man who's been missing for months. 29-year-old Beck Shultz was last seen in February near the Winooski River. Authorities conducted a number of searches. His body was recovered last week. Police say his death was not suspicious and the investigation is closed.

An 83-year-old man was arrested over the weekend for going the wrong way on Interstate 89. William Barrett of Barre was seen by a number of drivers traveling north in the southbound lanes of the interstate near Berlin. Police had to use a rolling roadblock to stop Barrett. Authorities say his license was already under suspension for previous violations.