WVTK Local & State News September 9, 2010

Weather Channel Meteorologist Ray Stagich says Cloudy with a chance of Showers throughout the day with High around 60.

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.

More Vermont National Guard troops are headed to Iraq. Sixty-six members of the Army Guard's air ambulance will leave tomorrow for a 1-year mission. The Guard members will travel first to Fort Hood, Texas, for training before they head to Iraq.

Human remains found in the woods in Rutland have been identified as 34-year-old Daniel Goldstein, who has been missing for more than six weeks. He was found Saturday in a wooded area behind Kathy Drive in Rutland Town. Although a medical examiner made a positive identification yesterday, the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.

A recount aimed at settling last month's Vermont Democratic gubernatorial primary election has gotten under way. In all 14 of the state's counties yesterday, volunteers working under the watchful eyes of court officials began recounting ballots cast in the Aug. 24 primary, which left Peter Shumlin with a 197-vote lead and second-place finisher Doug Racine wanting a recount. The recount will take at least several days, and may run into next week.

Officials say an ample supply of flu vaccine is allowing clinics to get a jump-start on preventing the flu this season. Health officials say only one shot is needed to prevent three strains of the virus, including H1N1 and seasonal flu. The Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice is working with Dorset Nursing and the Coalition for Adult Immunization to offer the season's first flu and pneumonia inoculation clinics in the Rutland area, Sept. 22 through Nov. 11.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says Vermont Yankee needs a better program for evaluating and managing buried underground piping. The NRC released an on-site audit of the Vernon plant that was conducted while plant owner Entergy Nuclear applies for a 20-year license renewal. NRC officials say the application does a good job describing key safety systems, but it doesn't cover the system blamed for a tritium leak this past winter. Entergy has agreed to take another look at its piping program and potentially change its license renewal application.

The states of Vermont and New York along with federal wildlife officials are set to go after sea lamprey. Lampricide will be put in the Salmon River, Little Ausable River, Ausable River, and Putnam Creek in New York, and Lewis Creek in Vermont. The treatments will start next week in New York and will begin in Vermont by the end of the month. Officials say keeping the lamprey population in check helps boost salmon and trout populations in Lake Champlain.

Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell says Vermont and six other states have settled a complaint against the former president of a Florida payment processing company. Under it, Derrelle Janey, former president of Your Money Access LLC, agreed to a personal ban on participating in the debiting of consumer bank accounts and a $625,000 judgment.

The Ticonderoga Emergency Squad has cleared another hurdle in its efforts to construct a new building. The town planning board recently approved the squad's proposal for a new 4,100 square feet home to be built at the site of the former Ticonderoga Civic Center. According to the Squad Secretary ground should be broken in the next month or so and should take approximately 4-5 months from start to finish.