WVTK Local & State News August 26, 2010

Base course asphalt will be installed today and tomorrow on the finished side of the roundabout. This will mean increased truck traffic and possible lane closures. Please pay attention to traffic controllers and do not use cell phones in construction areas. The Morse Road Railroad Crossing will be closed again from 5PM today through 6AM Friday for rail replacement. Residents should plan to park vehicles on the west side of the tracks while the crossing is closed.

There still is no clear-cut winner in the Vermont Democrat Gubernatorial Primary. The unofficial results show Peter Shumlin with a 190-vote lead over Doug Racine; and Deb Markowitz coming in third place. Shumlin is claiming victory but neither Racine or Markowitz have conceded. They both say they are waiting for the official results to be released.

Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Dunne is conceding he can't win the five-way race for his party's nomination. In an e-mail to supporters sent late Wednesday morning, Dunne said it was clear he could not win the race.

Nearly 100,000 Vermonters cast ballots in the primary this year, out of about 445,000 registered voters, roughly 23 percent. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Dalton said worries about the effect on turnout because of changing the primary date in response to federal requirements were legitimate, but ultimately proved unfounded.

Since there is no official winner of the Vermont Democrat Gubernatorial Primary, the AARP has postponed a scheduled debate between Republican Brian Dubie and his Democrat counterpart. The debate that was scheduled for tonight has been postponed till September 26.

The body of a missing Lake Clear woman has been found. Troopers found the body of 37-year-old Carrie Bailey yesterday around noon. Bailey had been missing since Friday night, but her family didn't report her missing until Monday, when she was supposed to come home from a camping trip. Police will not say if they suspect foul play. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

The trial of a Proctor man charged with attempted murder for a 2008 shootout with a Vermont State Police sergeant entered its fourth day with two of John Walters' daughters taking the stand. The state rested its case in the morning following the testimony of a ballistics expert. Defense attorney Matthew Harnett then moved for an acquittal, arguing that the state had not shown Walters intended to kill the sergeant. The judge denied the motion. The trial continues today.

A South Burlington mother now admits she drove drunk with kids in the car. Williston police say 37-year-old Mary O'Neil had 7 kids in her SUV back in March when she was driving at more than 4-times the legal limit. O'Neil pleaded guilty to drunk driving and was scheduled to be sentenced yesterday but the judge recommended she get treatment first.

Glens Falls National Bank & Trust Co., known as one of the nation's strongest banks, has earned BauerFinancial's highest 5-Star Superior rating for strength and stability. Glens Falls National has earned this top 5-Star rating for 13 straight quarters. Established in 1851, they operate through 29 offices located in five counties in upstate New York.

A Vermont man has come forward to claim the largest prize given to any one player in the 25-year history of Tri-State Megabucks. Frank Sullivan of Gilman, Vt., bought the winning ticket for the Aug. 4 drawing at Top of the Hill, a convenience story in Dalton, N.H. He said he plays the New Hampshire Lottery about twice a week but bought only one ticket for the $12.5 million Tri-State Megabucks drawing.

A swimmer is safe after being rescued from Lake Champlain. The Coast Guard says 18-year-old Anna Jeffken was rescued Wednesday by a good Samaritan on a passing sailboat. It's believed that Jeffken had set out on a three-mile swim from Appletree Bay to Juniper Island when she became tired.

Vermont's only professional basketball team is coming back for another season, along with its head coach, Joe Salerno. Fans now run the Frost Heaves, which is a team in the Premier Basketball League. The group of fans raised one hundred-thousand dollars to stay in the PBL, and say the team is ready to play in the 2011 season, but still hope to raise another two-hundred-thousand.