WVTK Local & State News July 12, 2010

Early voting in Vermont's Primary starts today. The legislature, this past session, moved up the primary date from September 14th to August 24th. They also made another change so that voters can now request a ballot 45 days before an election. There are a lot of primary races this year including governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and auditor.

Vermont's Congressional Representative, Peter Welch, officially announced he is running for re-election. The democrat held his campaign kick-off in Waterbury Saturday. He seeks a 3rd term. Welch will face the winner of the Republican primary, which is a 3-way race between John Mitchell, Keith Stern and Paul Beaudry.

A beaver dam gave way here in Addison County over the weekend. Fire officials in Orwell said a small beaver dam in a wooded area on Sunset Lake Road gave out around 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. A 50 foot section of the road was under several feet of water, trapping 30 individuals at their homes or camps for several hours as the water drained.

The longtime head of Vermont's largest electric company is stepping down. Bob Young says he will retire next year after 15 years as president of Central Vermont Public Service. He says he will stay on as president, chairman and CEO until next May to allow for a smooth transition. Young, who will be 63 when he retires, says he and his wife want to devote more time to family, community service and the arts.

Authorities say a 26-year-old man who applied for Vermont driver's licenses three times this year using the identities of others has been charged with identity theft. Prosecutors say the man, whose real name is Bryan Wells, was caught by a clerk who recognized him from a photograph investigators had circulated.

The state on Friday awarded 765 moose hunting permits through a lottery. Winners of the 765 moose hunting permits have until July 26 to buy the permits from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. For residents, the permits cost $100. For nonresidents, the cost is $350.

Some agriculture universities across the country are reducing their cowherds as high feed, fuel and labor prices make it difficult to keep animals during tight economic times. The sales are taking place despite growing enrollment in agriculture programs. The University of Vermont, which is selling 255 Holsteins, plans to have faculty do research on private farms, a change that the school thinks will provide access to more cows, and reap more research. The school will keep 65 cows at its farm for research and teaching.

A new report by the Vermont Nature Conservancy shows that the climate across the Champlain basin is changing, and scientists say these changes will affect ecosystems and species in the area significantly. We’ve seen a two-degree increase in average annual temperature in the Champlain Valley, since about the 1970s. The temperature increase could mean that invasive species thrive in our area and animals native to Vermont that live in the lake could be threatened. The report also shows that the Champlain Basin could receive up to four to six inches more precipitation per year, as rain instead of snow.

Police in Winooski are looking for an elderly woman who's been missing since Saturday. 83-year-old Mary Nader was last seen on the front porch of her home. Her family says she wandered off just before midnight. Nader has dementia and has disappeared before. If you have any information, please call the Winooski Police Department.

Two 13-year-old boys had a close call over the weekend. They were swimming near the boathouse on the Burlington Waterfront when they felt an electric shook, paralyzing them. The father of one of the boys jumped in and was able to help the boys out. Workers with the Park's Department shut off power to the dock. They later found a boat's 120-volt electrical cord plugged into a 240-volt outlet, with the excess electricity energizing water in the area.

New York State Police have made an arrest in connection with a string of burglaries in the area. 24-year-old Zachary M. Dahl of AuSable Forks was arrested on Saturday. They say he allegedly burglarized a number of homes and businesses in Wilmington. He's also being charged with burglary at the AuSable Forks Elementary School.