WVTK Local & State News September 2, 2010

Construction of the East half of the roundabout continues. All parking from Park St. to the Otter Creek Bakery driveway has been removed permanently. Please be aware of traffic pattern changes in the downtown construction zones, pay close attention to traffic controllers and do not use your cell phone while travelling in these areas.

Prep work for paving on Route 30 between Middlebury and Whiting continues. Be ready for some delays in one-way traffic zones. Be aware that the speed limit has been reduced to 40 MPH and fines are doubled for speeding in work zones.

Vermont State Police have found a missing 23-year-old woman. She is being treated for hypothermia after being pulled from the waters below Bartlett Falls in Bristol yesterday around noon. The woman, whose name is not being released, was last seen Tuesday night leaving a family gathering. She was taken to Porter Hospital for treatment.

The longtime owner of The Book King in Rutland and one of downtown's most vocal and active supporters passed away on Tuesday. Steve Eddy died suddenly at the Rutland Regional Medical Center. He was 70. 

Friends, business owners and city officials expressed shock at Eddy's passing, calling it a huge loss for the community and the downtown he worked to revitalize.

Rutland residents will have a chance to weigh in at the November election on whether the city should be run by an elected mayor or a hired manager. After a failed effort to put a binding question on the general election ballot, the aldermen agreed that a nonbinding straw poll of the electorate was the best way to proceed.

A convicted murderer and sex offender is expected to be released into the Rutland Town community after serving 19 years of a 20-year-to-life sentence. Andrew S. Wood was convicted in 1992 of strangling a handicapped man to death during a robbery of the man’s home on Aug. 24, 1991. Prior to the murder, in 1990, Wood was convicted of a sexual offense.

More than 1,000 people packed a high school gym to honor a Vermont GI killed in Afghanistan while trying to rescue a fellow soldier. Wednesday's funeral ceremony at Hardwick's Hazen Union School honored 21-year-old Sgt. Tristan Southworth of Walden. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas and Vermont National Guard Adjutant Gen. Michael Dubie presented his family members with a Vermont Patriot Medal.

A Swanton cheese plant that closed earlier this year is set to reopen with a new owner thanks to almost $385,000 in assistance from the state of Vermont. Swan Valley Cheese says it will create 55 jobs over the next several years. Gov. Jim Douglas says that in addition to restarting cheese production and providing jobs, the plant will also provide local dairy farmers a place to sell their milk.

New driving laws are in effect for teenagers in New York. First-time drivers under the age of 18 can only have 1 passenger under the age of 21 who is not a family member. New drivers also have to have a certain amount of hours of driving experience including 15 hours of night driving before they can get their license.

Representative Peter Welch says he will go on his third trip to Afghanistan this week. While he is there, he plans to meet with military and government officials. Welch also says he wants to visit with some of the 1,500 Vermont National Guard soldiers deployed in the country. Welch will be traveling to the region as part of a 6-member congressional delegation.

The Ticonderoga Federal Credit Union recently presented a check to the Moriah Chamber of Commerce to help fund the Labor Day celebration in Port Henry. A longstanding tradition in Port Henry, this Labor Day Weekend marks the 120th anniversary of the community celebration. The two-day event Sept. 4 and 5 features a parade, fireworks, music, and activities for all ages.

There will be a new administrative team in place when Moriah Central School students return to classes Sept. 9. The $13.9 million budget approved by voters last spring called for the elimination of nine positions, including both the high school and elementary school principals. Moriah teachers return to school Sept. 7 and 8 for staff development activities and meetings. Students return Sept. 9 for a full day of classes.

A Crown Point supervisor is urging county supervisors to reconsider proposed budget cuts that will close the Essex County Fish Hatchery in Crown Point. Essex County would eliminate 20 jobs under an early-retirement incentive the county plans to offer. The cuts at the fish hatchery in Crown Point would result in that facility closing. One supervisor said closing the fish hatchery would save the county $290,000, but supervisors need to look beyond the initial savings saying fishing is a major tourism draw.

The Champlain Valley Chorale will resume fall rehearsals for its upcoming Christmas concerts. Weekly rehearsals will be held each Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First United Methodist Church on Wicker St. in Ticonderoga, beginning Sept. 14, and continuing to the concert presentations scheduled for December. New singers in all sections are welcomed and no audition is necessary. For further information, contact Bob Elling at 585-2173.

Chittenden Reservoir Day will be held Sept. 18. This is the annual cleanup and celebration of the lake. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with cleanup in the morning hours and a hotdog cookout in the afternoon. Vermont Adventure Tours will give guided canoe tours of the reservoir, and the Green Mountain National Forest will be on hand to provide general forest information and maps. Free T-shirts will be given to the first 200 participants. Chittenden Reservoir took two years to build and began providing renewable energy in 1909. Besides its role as CVPS’s largest hydroelectric facility, the reservoir is one of Vermont’s most pristine recreation sites.