WVTK Local & State News September 28, 2010

Some very touching messages are on more than 100 colorful T-shirts form Addison County’s version of the “Clothesline Project,” which is part of a national effort to raise awareness about domestic violence. Community members who have been the victims of or witnesses to domestic violence designed all of the T-shirts. They will be on display throughout the month of October in the lobby of the Counseling Service of Addison County’s office building. October is being recognized nationally as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.”

Teachers in the Addison Northwest Supervisory Union are once again working under a contract. The board of directors ratified a new two-year agreement last week. The new contract holds the base teacher salary steady throughout the union and stipulates no change in the percentage of health care coverage teacher’s pay. However it does uphold already budgeted stepped increases in salary that will provide scheduled raises to teachers with higher education levels or longer tenures.

Members of the New Haven Development Review Board have signed off on Mike McGrath’s application to place a lot selling up to 100 used cars on his Route 7 property. The DRB tentatively approved the car lot last week, and signed off on the official permit Monday after presenting McGrath with a list of conditions.

Plans for revamping the Lincoln Community School facility have been put on hold. The Vermont education commissioner rejected the school board’s $3 million-$4 million bond proposal early last week. The school board and Building Committee met on Wednesday to discuss possible next steps for the school.

The town of New Haven has hired an assistant zoning administrator to act as a liaison between the regional zoning administrator and the New Haven Development Review Board. Jill Devoe was hired by the New Haven selectboard in July to perform clerical duties for the DRB and also act as a go-between for both the DRB and the Zoning Administrator. She worked for four years as an auditor before resigning to work two days a week as an assistant town clerk.

The state has approved Porter Hospital’s request for a 6.5 percent rate for the fiscal year that begins this Friday. The 6.5 percent rate increase exceeded regulators’ 5.9 percent cap on Vermont hospital rate increases however Porter got the green light because its increase would have landed at just 5 percent had it not budgeted for installation of a digital record-keeping system being mandated by the state.

The Middlebury Energy Committee is studying ways to harness renewable power. They are looking at public waste and the amount of sun shining on several municipal buildings in an effort to reduce the town’s annual $550,000 electricity bill.

Vergennes officials’ first summer of overseeing the city’s Sam Fishman Pool went well. The season ended with a surplus of roughly $10,000. The city accepted ownership of the pool this spring from the Vergennes ID school board. Meanwhile City aldermen approved a proposal by City Manager Mel Hawley to raise the city’s zoning fees for the first time since January 2001. Hawley said the Vergennes Development Review Board had worked with him on coming up with the new fee schedule.

In coming weeks, the Rutland School Board will be given a preview of what the district’s budget for 2012 will look like. It’s expected to be a spending plan 4.4 percent less than the current $45 million budget. 

The state Department of Education recommended school budgets statewide be reduced by a total of $23 million per the Challenges for Change initiative. The goal is to reduce the amount of money schools ask for from the state Education Fund. The school district collected about $26 million from the fund to support its budget this year while city taxpayers paid roughly $12 million into the fund to support education statewide.

Vermont State Police say a kitchen worker has been charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly attacked a co-worker with two butcher knives. The Sept. 20 fight occurred at the Red Mill Restaurant, which is located at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes. Forty-8-year-old Joseph Forziati, of New Haven, Vt., allegedly attacked a co-worker with whom he had a history of disagreements after calling the man into the kitchen.

Proctor Gas owner James Taranovich died yesterday following a motorcycle crash Sunday on Route 153 in Rupert. While police tried to piece together what caused the crash, those who knew and worked with the 59-year-old Proctor businessman were reeling from the loss. The accident happened on Sunday and he passed away in the hospital yesterday. Speed did not appear to be a factor in the accident. In addition to running a business in town for more than 40 years, Taranovich also donated money to schools, churches and other local causes.

The state released statistics from last year when it comes to crime in Vermont, and the stats reflected good and bad news. The good news was overall crime in Vermont was down one-point-five percent. The bad news, however, was violent crimes were up with robberies up by more than 25-percent and drug crimes up more than 22-percent.

Someone shot a young bald eagle, and state wildlife authorities want to know who did it. The young bird survived, and is being treated at a rehab facility in Quechee for injuries and a fractured wing. State Fish and Wildlife officers say the eagle was shot on or about September 5th, in the area between East Hill Road and Routhier Road off of Route 100 in Troy. A 25-hundred dollar reward is being offered for information under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Federal drug enforcement officials say northern New Englanders brought nearly six tons of unused and out-of-date prescription drugs to collection sites to be destroyed. In Vermont 1,127 pounds for a total of 5.7 tons were collected as part of a national effort.

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's is dropping the phrase "all natural" from all labels after a request from a health advocacy group. The Center for Science in the Public Interest and the company confirmed the move yesterday. The CSPI told the company last month it should not use "all natural" if products contain alkalized cocoa, corn syrup, hydrogenated oil or other ingredients that are not natural.

A labor union that represents workers at Vermont Yankee says the plant is safe and that state officials and others weighing its future should stick to the facts. Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300, which represents about 160 workers at the nuclear power plant in Vernon, called a Statehouse news conference Monday to say they're tired of hearing people talk about Vermont Yankee's problems.