WVTK Local & State News September 20, 2010

Weather Channel Says Sunny Today with a High around 66.

24-year-old Jake Lacy is one of the stars of a new sitcom, Better With You, debuting on ABC this week. He’s living in Los Angeles and living a dream he’s held for years of making it as an actor. Raised in Pittsford from the age of 4, Lacy credited his Lothrop Elementary School theater teacher with first inspiring him. In high school, Lacy performed in plays as a member of the drama club under Jeffrey Hull and he acted in the Addison Repertory Theater. He graduated from Otter Valley Union High School in 2004. ABC’s “Better With You” airs at 8:30 PM on Wednesday.

It's going on eleven days since a grandmother was kidnapped from her home in Sheffield. Vermont State Police are appealing to the public for any pictures or video taken from the Sheffield Field Days celebration. On Saturday, more than 100 ATV's from clubs across the state joined in the search across mountainous terrain around Sheffield and Wheelock, looking for any piece of evidence to crack the case.

The Vermont State Police says the blood-alcohol level for the new police chief in Williston was under the legal limit when was pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving. WCAX-TV reports a state police investigation stemmed from an incident last week when a state trooper pulled Roy Nelson aside. A blood-alcohol test was conduced at the state police barracks.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is hosting a town meeting on the future of broadband in Vermont. The meeting is set for 10 a.m. Sept. 25, at Judd Hall, on the campus of Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center.

On Sunday the President of Senegal came to Vermont. President Abdoulaye Wade was welcomed by Governor Jim Douglas and National Guard Major General Michael Dubie. The State Partnership Program, which fosters connections between states and foreign countries, linked up Vermont and Senegal two years ago. Since then, the leaders of both places have met several times, and National Guard members have participated in more than 15 missions with the military from Senegal.

New York's unemployment rate rose slightly last month. The state's jobless rate was 8.3 percent in August, up from 8.2 percent in July. At the same time the state added 2,500 private sector jobs. While more New Yorkers are looking for work, Gov. David Paterson announced he intends to go ahead with state employee layoffs.

Jobs might be scarce in this economic climate, but some Vermonters are finding their way and making ends meet through temp and freelancing jobs. According to some the temporary work in Vermont is better than it has ever been. Companies and organizations are hiring freelancers and temps now more than ever due to the recession.

The administration of President Barack Obama says it will seek to raise permanently weight limits on interstate highways in Maine and Vermont. At the request of U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Susan Collins of Maine, a temporary rule that allows trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds on the interstates in the two states will be made permanent through a provision included in a federal appropriations bill.

Vermont revenues bounced back last month-- exceeding expectations. For the month of August Vermont took in $81 million in general fund taxes. That is $7 million above the consensus revenue target. But that total was boosted by a one-time surge of $5 million in the bank franchise tax. For the year, tax collections are now slightly ahead of expectations and ahead of last year.

Vermont saw a huge jump in alcohol-related driving fatalities last year. According to data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 23 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Vermont in 2009, up from 12 in 2008.

It's fall foliage season, and people who want to see it are getting a hand from states that put out reports with real-time tracking of where the colors are changing. Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Vermont are among the states that put out foliage forecasts using observations from volunteer spotters. The "leaf peepers" deliver reports about what roads to drive, which kinds of trees are turning and when the peak periods of color will be.

Hundreds are expected to attend the 9th annual Renewable Energy Future Conference and Expo on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington. The highlight of the two-day conference is a gubernatorial debate on energy and environmental issues, co-sponsored with the Vermont Natural Resources Council, on Oct. 1 from 3:30 to 5 PM.