WVTK Local & State News August 24, 2010

Today is Primary Day in a number of states including Vermont. One of the biggest races on the ballot this year is the 5-way race for the democratic gubernatorial candidate to face Republican Brain Dubie in the general election in November. Polling places around the state are open until 7 PM tonight.

All parking on College Street and Academy Street, including the parking lot, will be available during today’s Primary Election voting here in Middlebury.

With a Republican runoff in the Addison-4 House district; a write-in campaign for the state Senate; two local men vying for lieutenant governor; and a five-way race for the Democratic nomination for governor that should give Addison County residents extra incentive to head to the polls for today’s primary election. Voter participation is usually low for mid-term elections. Officials in Vermont are particularly concerned about light turnout this year because of the early primary date.

Vergennes aldermen have taken a step toward determining the value of some land that the Vergennes ID school board deeded to the city earlier this year. The aldermen agreed to fund a topographical survey of the land off New Haven Road. The land runs behind homes on the east side of New Haven Road.

Vergennes aldermen have agreed to apply for a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant on behalf of the John Graham Emergency Homeless Shelter. Shelter officials hope to use those and other private grants and donations within the next year to complete a $500,000 upgrade of the building at the corner of Main Street and Monkton Road.

The Bristol Friends of the Arts and The Bristol Historical Society are sponsoring a show and retrospective of local artist Jack Wendel. He’s painted many local scenes and homes in and around Bristol. His work will be on display at the WalkOver Gallery and will open with a reception this Friday. This is the first time a significant body of his work will be seen together.

Police said an eight-month drug investigation ended with the arrest of a New York man over the weekend. Matthew J. Richardson of Flatbush, N.Y., pleaded innocent yesterday in Rutland District Court to three charges of aiding in the commission of a felony – one each selling heroin and cocaine and one trafficking heroin. If convicted on all counts, he could face a maximum of 45 years in prison.

Police in Fair haven are investigating how $1,600 disappeared from the town office last week. Police Chief William Humphries said they have not made an arrest, but a video system installed last year has helped with the investigation progress. They did not believe it was a town employee, based on observations and interviews.

Torrey Allard has become the 14th head football coach for Mount St. Joseph Academy. He takes over for interim coach Conrad Looney who had stepped up to fill Chip Forte’s place when he abruptly resigned the position on August 13th, just three days before the start of football practice.

By ten o'clock last night, nearly everyone had their power back after losing it Sunday night in fierce storms. Bennington, Rutland and Addison counties were hit hard, with about 14-thousand Central Vermont Power Service customers losing electricity around midnight.

If you're running for a statewide elected office, you may want the Professional Firefighters of Vermont on your side. The union says it has a 100% record of endorsing winning candidates for governor and lieutenant governor along with other races it's been involved in since 2002. This year, the 325-member group is supporting Republican Brian Dubie for governor and in today’s primary, Democrat Steve Howard for lieutenant governor and Democrat Jim Condos for Secretary of State.

More information will be released later today but there are reports that a Vermont solder may have been killed in Afghanistan. The Vermont Guard says it cannot confirm nor deny the death of 21-year-old Tristan Southworth of Walden. There are also reports that a second member of the Vermont guard was killed in the same incident.

The water in Plattsburgh appears to have a yellow tint to it, but officials say it's safe to use and drink. The Water Department received numerous calls yesterday complaining about the water. Officials conducted a number of tests and the results all show the water is safe. Often times, the water runs clear after running the tap for a few minutes.

The Winooski School Board has imposed a contract on teachers for the second year in a row. The school board voted 4 to 1 last night to impose the contract. Teachers are now looking at their options, which could include a strike. The imposition came after both sides failed to reach an agreement on a new contract after nearly a year of negotiations.

Police are investigating an armed robbery in Milton. Investigators say a man entered the Mobile Short Stop on Route 7 around 7 AM yesterday morning armed with a knife. The man demand money from the clerk and left with an unknown amount of cash. Police say the suspect may have fled the area in a silver sedan.

Vermont State Police investigating 2 fires in St. Albans say they are arson. Police say the first one happened Saturday, around 10:30 PM to a storage shed on Corliss Road. Police say only a portion of the shed was damaged. Police then returned to the same address early yesterday morning, but for a different shed. According to police, that shed was destroyed.

A 49-year-old man could spend the rest of his life in a Vermont prison. Edward Johnson of Barre was sentenced to 20 years to life under the habitual offender statute. Johnson's past convictions include attempted assault, arson and another case of exposing himself. He currently faces more charges. Johnson could go on trial for those charges sometime this winter.

A Plattsburgh man will be behind bars for the next 15-years for repeatedly preying on a young girl. 40-year-old James Bell was arrested earlier this year after authorities found out about his crimes against the girl, who had been younger than 13 when the incidents occurred. He is expected to be released from prison in 2022.