WVTK Local & State News September 13, 2010

Weather Channel Meteorologist Ed Leevy says Scattered Showers and Thunderstorms possible today with a High In The 60’s.

Construction continues on the Cross Street Bridge. Grand opening day of the bridge is Saturday October 30th! Vehicles are not allowed on the bridge at this time and it’s very important that you NOT walk on the bridge either. The temporary wooden railings are not designed to protect pedestrians especially children. Your patience and understanding is much appreciated by the town!

Prep work for paving on Route 30 between Middlebury and Whiting continues. Sections from Cornwall village north will also be widened to accommodate bikers and runners. Be ready for some delays throughout the construction zone and be aware that the speed limit has been reduced to 40 MPH with fines doubled for speeding in work zones.

The owner of a now-defunct insurance company in Fair Haven has been charged with stealing $2,700 from one of her clients. Jody L. Hewes of Fair Haven insurance Inc., which went out of business this summer, has been charged with embezzlement. She took insurance payments made for home and auto insurance by an unidentified couple and deposited them into her own bank account.

The Crown Point State Historic Site will mark its centennial during the annual Festival of Nations. The Friends of Crown Point Historic Site have planned a reception at the site this Saturday (Sept. 18) at 1PM to commemorate 100 years as a state-owned historic site. The site will host an informal bring-your-own picnic hour prior to the centennial ceremony. The historic fort ruins at Crown Point became a permanently preserved state park April 22, 1910.The annual Festival of Nations will be held Friday & Saturday at the site. The event is co-hosted by Mount Independence.

Six helicopters with the Vermont National Guard departed Saturday in formation, destined eventually for Iraq. The choppers will first fly to Fort Hood, Texas for training. A total of 66 members of the Guard will be going with the helicopters, with many of them leaving today. The deployment will last about a year.

It's now full-speed ahead in the race for the next governor of Vermont. On Friday, a recount settled the question of who the Democratic nominee would be, with Peter Shumlin the winner in that five-way race. He's running against Republican and current Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie.

Descendants of Vermont Indian tribes have renewed hope for state recognition that some have sought for decades. A new state law creates a process for a Vermont board to recommend tribal recognition. The Abenaki seek such recognition to sell their crafts as Native American and seek federal funding for education and other benefits.

Say cheese: The Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site is hosting a festival dedicated to it. The Plymouth Cheese & Harvest Festival, set for Sept. 19 in Plymouth Notch, will feature cheese tastings, cheese making and a cheese recipe contest that's open to the public.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials say they're closing a popular Poultney fishing area for repairs. The fishing access area at Lake St. Catherine State Park has a propeller wash hole that drops off sharply at the end of the ramp and has started to undercut the concrete ramp. Starting Sept. 20, the access will be closed so the ramp can be extended. The closing is expected to last three weeks. Other lakes with state fishing access areas can be found on Lake Bomoseen, Lake Hortonia, Burr Pond, and southern Lake Champlain.

Vermont State Police say the case of a missing 78-year-old woman now has suspicious circumstances. Missing is Mary Pat O'Hagan of Sheffield. She has not been seen since Friday, when she came home and parked her car in her driveway. If anyone has any information about where she may be, they are urged to call the St. Johnsbury Barracks of the Vermont State Police.

The New York State Labor Department warns job seekers of a growing number of online employment scams that promise high pay for little work. Some of the scammers ask their victims to pay a fee for an interview that may never take place. Others ask for personal information before they will provide additional details about the fictitious job, that info then gets used for identity theft.

The Comfort Inn and Suites in Plattsburgh will be open by the end of the month. The hotel was partially destroyed by a fire in November of 2008. Since then, not only have the sections that were destroyed been rebuilt, including the lobby, health club, pool area and several rooms, but the entire place has been done over. Once they open, they expect to increase the workforce to 125 people.

Plans are still up in the air for 200 pre-school children after the YMCA Program at Edmunds Middle School was displaced. The Y had looked at leasing space in the Miller Center but remodeling the space would have cost too much. Burlington City Councilor Ed Adrian wants to take the issue up before the council meeting tonight on Monday to see if the city can help.

A resent study done by Livability.com ranked Burlington one of the top ten college towns in the country. Burlington came in number 8 on the list because of a number of factors including its scenic beauty, bike trails, and endless number of ski slopes. Gainesville Florida topped the list of Best of College Towns.