WVTK Local & State News August 5, 2010

A man accused of holding up a bank Wednesday in Rutland is now in police custody. The robbery happened at the Berkshire Bank on West Street. Police say the suspect grabbed a teller and took five hundred dollars from her hand before taking off in a pickup. No one was hurt. Several hours later, 29-year-old Leon Forest was arrested at a campground in Goshen.

Brandon Police arrested a Rutland man last week for allegedly stealing tires and rims out of a garage on Franklin Street during the day. 22 year old Jalil Freitag has been charged with burglary and resisting arrest.

If you owe back property taxes in Brandon it’s now time to pay up. Letters to delinquent property tax payers are in the mail this week. There is over $230,000 owed to the town. The town overall collects roughly $6.8 million in property taxes annually. Unpaid taxes over the past seven years only come to $473,000.

According to the Vermont Department of Health Mosquitoes in Leicester have tested positive for West Nile Virus. This is the first evidence of West Nile Virus in Vermont this year. No human cases of West Nile Virus in the state have been confirmed since 2003. Health officials recommend that people take precautions to avoid mosquito bites like wearing long sleeves and pants and avoid outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are active.

Mount St. Joseph Academy in Rutland is looking for families to house students from New York City and International Nations. If you have a welcoming family and home this would be a great opportunity to help students who would like to attend MSJ. The commitment is for 10 months and comes with a monthly stipend. For more information contact Mr. Zancanaro at 775-0151 or atprincipal@msjvermont.org

The Pittsford Business Community Group invites you to attend the August business meeting and mixer at the Maclure Library tomorrow (Friday August 6th) at 5PM. Please bring your favorite beverage and a dish or item to share. Bring your business card to be entered for door prizes! Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information just visit Pittsford Business Community Dot Com.

A new report released by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont reveals that Farmers’ Markets continue to thrive, providing substantial support to the state’s vibrant agricultural economy. There are currently more than 80 Farmers’ Markets in Vermont. A link to the full report and information about National Farmers’ Market Week, which is currently underway, plus a full listing of Farmers’ Markets here in the state can be found at www.nofavt.org.

On Saturday, from 9AM to 11PM, the Rutland Long Trail Festival will return to the Vermont State Fairgrounds. This free event features a day of homegrown Vermont music and outdoor adventures geared toward the whole family. The festival's mission of creating "a celebratory gathering to inspire individuals to participate in the outdoors" has expanded its scope to include all outdoor activities with more exhibitors and nonprofit organizations. The festival showcases Rutland's close proximity to the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail.

Vermont Telephone Company in Springfield has won $116-Million in federal grants and loans to bring high-speed Internet to every corner of the state. The funding will allow VTel Wireless to design, engineer, and construct a wireless network. Company officials say the work could create as many as 1,800 jobs.

The results are out from the latest round of standardized tests and they show a drop in math and English across New York. But education officials are not worried. That's because the latest round of tests was purposely harder. The New York State Education Department said the tests had become too easy to pass.

Vermont's education commissioner is advising schools on how to trim their spending. This year the Legislature is asking school districts around the state to cut $23-Million. The commissioner released a list yesterday of exactly how much each school district is expected to cut. They must notify the commissioner by mid-December if they are going to meet their targets.

Citizens Bank customers will soon have more ATM options. Citizens Bank has entered into an agreement to place ATMs in Cumberland Farms stores across New England, including 24 in Vermont and 75 in New York. Installation of the ATMs began in June and is expected to be completed by September.

The New York Farm Bureau says its members are relieved at a state Senate "no" vote on a bill that would have granted certain labor rights to farm workers. Farm Bureau President Dean Norton says the bill would have had a devastating effect on farmers and rural economies across upstate New York.

According to documents filed in court this week, former Assemblyman Chris Ortlof has been giving police names in hopes of getting a reduced prison term. Ortloff gave police a detailed computer spreadsheet that led to the investigation of 15 suspected sex offenders, 2 of whom were arrested. Ortlof will be sentenced next Tuesday in an Albany courtroom.

A commission set up to help spur development along the U.S. Canadian in Northern New York and New England is accepting applications for grant money. The Northern Border Regional Commission will be awarding $1.3-Million to municipalities, nonprofits and other groups for transportation, telecommunications and other purposes.

UVM is offering students another way to save money on texts books. Instead of purchasing either new or used books, students can now rent some of their textbooks for the semester. The program is also available at Champlain College, Middlebury College, Lyndon State College, Vermont Technical College, Green Mountain College and Norwich University.