WVTK Local & State News August 19, 2010

If you have pets and live in the Hinesburg area, you may want to keep them inside. Dozen of people say theirs cats are missing and some residents have reported seeing a quick-moving, brown creature running around. They suspect that there may be a fisher, a type of weasel with sharp teeth, living in the area.

Rutland City parks are on their way to becoming smoke-free zones. The Charter and Ordinance Committee voted 3-0 this week to recommend banning the use of tobacco products in city parks and playgrounds. The recommendation will go before the full board of Alderman at its regularly scheduled meeting next month.

The State Board of Education has voted to replace the New England Common Assessment Program with a new test using national assessment standards. That means after 2013 the NECAPS will be a thing of the past. States that agree to the national standards become eligible for millions of dollars in grant money.

The Arts Council for the Northern Adirondacks announced changes in its Strategic Opportunity Stipend grant program. Artists can now request support ranging from $200 to $1,500. Also, deadlines will now be two times a year instead of three. SOS grants are designed to help individual artists of all disciplines take advantage of specific, unique opportunities that will significantly benefit their work or career.

Rutland City will decide on a $350,000 bond issue for improvements on routes 4 and 7 in November. Some on the Board of Aldermen hope to do the project without borrowing any money by applying for a grant and using funds already set aside. The project will extend the left turn lane from Strongs Avenue up to Clover Street and replace sewer lines and storm water drainage from West Street to Strongs Avenue.

Vermont's Public Safety Department says it has fixed the glitches in the sex offender registry. A resent audit found several errors, including names that didn't belong on the list. The Public Safety Department will present their new policies for managing the system to lawmakers before putting offender's addresses online.

There are some law changes coming soon for teenage drivers in New York. Starting in September, drivers under 18 can only have one passenger under 21 who is not a family member. Teenagers will also have to complete 50 supervised hours behind the wheel before getting their license. The DMV hopes the law changes make the road safer for everyone.

Police in Plattsburgh say they have captured the prime suspect in a rash of recent burglaries. While investigating some of the break-ins, police noticed a pattern and decided to stake-out an office in the Healey Avenue Plaza. They caught 25-year Jon Headley in the act. He is now being held at the Clinton County Jail for lack of bail.

The man that was rescued from a burning building in Winooski has died. Officials say the fire on West Street appears to have started on the back porch around 1:30 yesterday morning. Winooski Police say firefighters found 26-year-old Kaldon Goodwin unconscious in a downstairs apartment. He was taken to Fletcher Allen Health Care, where he was pronounced dead.

Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom will receive $5.5-Million-Dollars to extend advanced high-speed Internet access to its most rural customers. Company officials say they already provide 100-percent high-speed Internet coverage to their customers in Addison, Chittenden, and Washington Counties. They say they will use the funding to provide even faster connections.

Police say the death of a woman discovered late yesterday afternoon in South Burlington is apparently from natural causes. Her body was found along Interstate-189 and Route-7 in South Burlington. Police say that area is known to be a place where homeless people often camp. According to investigators, the woman had some sort of illness.

A Starksboro man has pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and robbery charges. 29-year-old David Dean says he was part of a big cocaine ring that operated out of a South Burlington car detailing shop called Rizzo Brothers. Federal agents busted the alleged ring earlier this year, arresting 20 people.

Hunters will have more chances to bag a wild turkey this fall. The shotgun season is increasing from seven to nine days, bow hunting is being expanded statewide and some areas will be open for shotgun hunting for the first time.

The New York State Department of Transportation will host a public meeting tonight to present information about a proposed project to replace the Route-22 bridge over Interstate 87 in Plattsburgh. One of the plans to keep traffic flowing while the bridge is being replaced is to use a temporary bridge. The meeting is scheduled from 5 to 7 PM at the Town of Plattsburgh Offices.