WVTK Local & State News August 2, 2010

A small plane crashed while attempting a take-off yesterday afternoon at the Middlebury State Airport. The Cessna 177 Cardinal ended up in a swamp at the end of the runway. While there was a small fire in the front of the plane, rescue crews kept it under control. Two people on board were taken to Porter Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Federal Aviation Administration investigators will be at the scene today.

Ticonderoga Police say a 32-year-old man is dead today after cliff jumping at Putnam Pond. They responded to the call at about 2:45 yesterday afternoon. His friends say he jumped from about 60 feet above the water and never resurfaced. The man's name is being withheld until his family is notified. Police do not consider his death suspicious.

After being vacant for nearly five years, the Eastman building on Merchants Row In Rutland has attracted some serious interest. According to the Downtown Rutland Partnership a local businessman is interested in possibly moving his business into the building that was formerly home to Eastman’s. They declined to identify the interested party, but described the business as an Internet-based catalog company selling everything from cleaning supplies to toys.

The town board is again seeking bids to upgrade the 1940 steam boiler in the Ticonderoga Community Building. It's the third time bids are being sought. The town engineer has estimated the project to cost about $100,000. The first request for bids attracted two interested contractors, both with prices in excess of $200,000.

Vermont consumers have a decision to make when it comes to covering overdrafts made with an ATM or debit card. New Federal Reserve regulations that take effect this month require consumers of banks and credit unions to “opt in” for standard overdraft protection to cover ATM and debit card transactions. 

Prior to the new rules, many financial institutions automatically protected customers using their debit cards with standard overdraft protection and charged a fee. Now banks need to have a customer’s consent before covering an overdraft from a debit card or ATM transaction.

Sponsored by the Moriah Chamber of Commerce, the 29th annual Champ Day will be held this Saturday in Port Henry. It will feature sidewalk sales, street vendors, entertainment, children's games, pony rides and a "Champ Hunt" starting at 9 a.m. Interested vendors can call the chamber president, Jack Woods.

The refurbished Ticonderoga airport is open for business. A grand opening ceremony July 27 marked the completion of a five-year, $3.2 million renovation project at the facility located off Shore Airport Road. The money for the project came from the Federal Aviation Administration and cost taxpayers nothing. The Ticonderoga airport handles 11,000 landings and take-offs a year, according to the FAA.

A deadline has come and gone without a contract between Hydro-Quebec and Vermont power companies. But a company representative says missing Saturday's agreement deadline was not a big deal. Officials say negotiations are still going on and they expect to announce a deal in the near future but couldn't say exactly when.

August is here, and the state primary election is coming up in three weeks. In order to vote in the August 24th election, you must register by August 18th. As for absentee or early voting, ballots may be requested any time before Election Day, but they have to be returned to the town or city clerk by the close of business on August 23rd, or returned to the polling place on Election Day.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a distress call Saturday night from a woman who said she was on a sinking boat in Missisqoi Bay on Lake Champlain. The call came in about 7:35 PM. Authorities searched for most of the night and into Sunday Morning and found nothing. Searchers did find the boat trailer parked in St. Albans along with the owner. No word on who the woman was. Authorities now believe the cell phone call was made on land from Canada.

New York has a long list of new laws. On Saturday, Governor David Paterson signed 83 bills into law. One of the laws bans the dangerous chemical, BPA, from being in plastic childcare products. It will take effect December 1. At least 6 other states have a BPA ban. Paterson also signed a law that bans drop-side cribs and another law that expands HIV, AIDS testing.

The Burlington Fire Department has lost a 23-year veteran of the department. Lieutenant Steven Costello was found by the members of his fire crew in cardiac arrest last Friday. The 46-year-old was on duty at the time of the incident. Costello passed away yesterday due to complications from the cardiac arrest.

The state of Vermont has designated downtown St. Albans a growth center, a move that will help the city streamline future development and pave the way for future benefits. The state's Downtown Development Board approved the St. Albans' growth center plan at its meeting on Tuesday.

The school board in Burlington, Vt., is looking at beefing up its policy on using surveillance cameras. The Burlington Free Press reports many cameras have been installed in the schools with details of who can see the tapes and how long they would be kept. The district installed 32 cameras in and around Burlington High School during the 2009-2010 school year. There are other cameras at the elementary and middle schools.