WVTK Local & State News July 6, 2010

Utility companies throughout the area are watching the power grid closely, as temperatures climb into the mid-90s and higher. The next couple of days are expected to be some of the hottest since 2003. Officials say with a lot of businesses closed yesterday, that took a lot of stress off the power grid but as people return to work today, that could be a different story.

Potential outages and other disruptions on New England's power grid will be spotted more quickly as the region's grid operator installs new equipment paid for by federal stimulus money. ISO-New England says it will use an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to install high-speed sensors that monitor voltage and other conditions on the grid.

The Vergennes Lions Club is organizing a silent auction raise money for its community service efforts. This week’s auction will feature the wares of 23 local artists, each tasked with creating at least one clock to donate for the charity auction. 100 percent of the money raised goes back into the community. On Thursday the Lions will host an artists’ reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at Creative Space Gallery where all of the clocks will be on display. Bidding will begin that evening and in conjunction with the French Heritage Day, continue on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the gallery. You can also visit www.vlionsclocks.com to see all of the clocks up for auction.

The Vergennes Panton Water District Board has decided to request voter approval to upgrade the aging water treatment plant on Arnold Bay in Panton. This treatment facility supplies water to Vergennes and Panton as well as customers in Ferrisburgh, Waltham and Addison.

A week after approving double-digit water and sewer rate hikes, the Rutland City aldermen are taking a tough stance on a $1.2 million bonding request for a Library Avenue sewer separation project. The board’s Public Works Committee chose not to recommend that the question be placed on an upcoming election ballot for voter approval. The work is necessary because Library Avenue suffers periodic combined sewer backups that have affected structures throughout the area.

The Downtown Rutland partnership won unanimous approval from the aldermen’s Community and Economic Development Committee last week for a $3,000 request for Zamias Fund money that matches their own budget for a new website. The organization is planning for a new home on the Internet that will serve as a downtown information clearinghouse for tourists and prospective developers and business owners, as well as a portal for a calendar of events, a blog and individual downtown business owners to post their own updates.

Residents and business owners will have an opportunity to learn more about and comment on zoning changes being considered in Ticonderoga. The Ticonderoga Zoning Committee will host a series of five community open house meetings to answer questions, provide information and discuss details of the zoning revisions. Open houses have been scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month beginning in July and running through November. They will be held in the Community Building 4-7 p.m.

The body of a Vermont National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan is back in the United States. The guard says the body of Specialist Ryan Grady arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Independence Day. He was killed Friday when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by a roadside bomb near Bagram Air Force Base. There's no word yet on funeral plans.

As the state of Vermont starts a new fiscal year, Governor Jim Douglas say there are no plan for any state layoffs. Since the recession started, the governor has been an outspoken supporter of cutting back the size of state government. But he says it looks like revenues are stabilizing, so more lay offs won't be needed.

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas travels to Boston this week for the annual meeting of the National Governors Association. Douglas, who chairs the group, says the 3-day meeting from Friday to Sunday is expected to focus on the struggles states are having balancing their budgets given the still difficult economy. He says governors also will be talking about how states will play the roles given to them under the health reform bill recently passed by Congress.

The U.S. Department of Energy has scheduled public meetings on a proposed $3.8 billion power line running 420 miles from Quebec to Connecticut under Lake Champlain, the Hudson River and Long Island Sound. The line would carry up to 2,000 megawatts of hydroelectric and wind energy to the New York metropolitan region. Plans call for completion in 2015. The first hearing is Thursday in Bridgeport, Conn., followed by meetings in New York City, Yonkers, Kingston, Albany, Glens Falls and Plattsburgh.

Vermont is bucking the trend when it comes to home sales. Experts say, the first time home buyer is still driving the housing market, even after Washington ended its first time home buyer tax credit program. About 40 percent of homes sold recently were to first time homebuyers according to one local realtor.

Vermont and New York both have a law against texting while driving. Few people would dispute the danger involved in that. But what about texting while walking? New York and Illinois have considered it, but no bills have been passed. Just recently, it's reported The American College of Emergency Physicians issued an alert warning for both texting while driving, and walking.

The City of Plattsburgh is facing some deep cuts in state aid this year. Under the state's Aid and Incentives for Municipalities program, all cities, towns and villages will see a 5-percent cut for the 2010-11 budget year. For the city, that means a loss of over $143-thousand. The cuts are some of the trimmings lawmakers made to try an address a $9-billion deficit.

New York State Police have cancelled an Amber Alert for a missing 5-month-old girl. Police say Naomi Trinity Drake was taken from her foster family on July 2 in Jay, New York. Naomi was found safe in Tennessee with her biological parents, James Drake and Marina Trombley. New York State Police say they've been taken into custody.