WVTK Local & State News September 29, 2010

Middlebury's new downtown roundabout, also known as a traffic rotary, has been creating some confusion among drivers uncertain regarding which driver gets the right-of-way, who yields and who stops? Roundabouts are the popular choice for New England towns. According to the New England Traffic Council, at least 12 new roundabouts have been built in two states alone recently. All roundabouts are a yield only: If there is a car in the roundabout already you must yield. The vehicle in the roundabout has the right of way.

Several prominent Vermont environmentalists, including Middlebury College's Bill McKibben, were at the forefront of a controversial U.S. 2007 energy independent/climate change bill. The bill championed the use of compact fluorescent lights over incandescent bulbs. But now another U.S. House bill may repeal the "ban" on the Edison light bulb and return exported jobs to the U.S.

The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is advising people not to use water from the Lewis Creek and parts of Lake Champlain while the area is being treated with chemicals that kill sea lamprey. A water-use advisory went into effect at 6 a.m. yesterday for the Lewis Creek from Scott Pond in Charlotte downstream to where it empties into Lake Champlain in Ferrisburgh. An advisory for the surrounding areas of the lake went into effect at 6 p.m. The advisories are expected to last three to six days.

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is formally withdrawing as a tenant from the Moran Redevelopment Project. The museum was selected by the City of Burlington in the spring to occupy 7,000 square feet of the former generating plant on the Burlington waterfront with the installation of a museum using Lake Champlain's collection of historic shipwrecks as its theme.

Rutland police say they arrested a Brooklyn, N.Y., man who came to Vermont to sell almost 200 bags of crack in the city. Dewayne L. Griffin pleaded innocent in Rutland District Court yesterday to a felony charge of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. Prosecutors say he has a lengthy criminal record in New York. Griffin was held on $150,000 bail.

A six-county effort to extend broadband into rural towns in the Adirondacks and elsewhere in northern New York was dealt a substantial setback this week, as federal officials announced the pending $39 million grant application through CBN Connect was not approved. The broadband network was to feature fiber-optic hubs in Glens Falls, Chestertown and Ticonderoga. The plans called for constructing a 425-mile loop through Essex, Franklin and Clinton counties, serving 22 communities. CBN Connect's board of directors will be discussing the prospects of broadband in the North Country in light of the grant denial.

Under fire from maple syrup country, Log Cabin All Natural Syrup's makers say they're taking caramel coloring out of it. Pinnacle Foods said Tuesday it's changing the ingredients to address concerns raised by maple syrup makers in Vermont and New Hampshire. Still, Peter Welch says the product's labeling doesn't clearly show it's not all-natural maple syrup, like the stuff produced in Vermont, which has no artificial ingredients.

The Democratic candidate for governor, Peter Shumlin, has introduced his plan for better health care for Vermonters. He says three main things need to happen: control spending, eliminate for profit insurance companies and move responsibility away from businesses that are forced to cover employees. Shumlin says keeping costs down for employers can also help jump-start the economy.

A rebate program aimed at helping to prevent tractor rollover deaths is expanding to Vermont and two other Eastern states where hilly terrain can be deadly to farmers. The program, which is already under way in New York, reimburses farmers 70% of the cost of buying a roll bar and seat belt kit, saving them up to $765.

Construction is under way on a project to double the size of the Community Health Center of Burlington, Vt. The health center serves 13,000 people and officials hope to expand that number by 25% once the project is complete. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders helped get nearly $11 million to pay for the project.

The remains of a U.S. Marine from Swanton killed in Afghanistan are due back in Vermont. The body of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Anthony Rosa is scheduled to arrive at the Burlington International Airport at noon today. The Vermont National Guard is helping to coordinate a procession from the airport to Swanton. Vermonters are encouraged to line the route carrying U.S. flags.

Vermont State Police say a man has been charged after being shot in the hand as he threatened a Brattleboro police officer. Nineteen-year-old Brendan Houston, of Montpelier, allegedly came at Brattleboro Police Officer Amy Hamilton with a knife Tuesday outside the Brattleboro municipal building, raising it over his head and ignoring commands to drop it.

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy has introduced legislation that would allow dairy farmers to use a visa program to hire seasonal foreign workers. The dairy industry currently is excluded from hiring seasonal foreign workers through the H-2A program due to the year-round nature of dairy farming. The legislation will allow dairy workers and sheep and goat herders to remain in the U.S. for three years. After the first 3-year period, a worker may apply to become a U.S. resident.