WVTK Local & State News November 30, 2010

A reminder that today the Pulp Mill Bridge will operate with alternating traffic in one lane only between 8AM and 4PM.

With more train service coming to this side of the state the town of Middlebury is applying for a $15,000 federal grant to plan for a local passenger rail station. Making progress toward a rail station would also likely enhance the community’s chances for landing federal aid to replace the two railroad underpasses on Main Street and Merchants Row. Those two underpass projects have been on the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s to-do list for several years.

An ad hoc committee studying the feasibility of a major retail-commercial-residential project on property owned by the town and college behind the Ilsley Public Library will update the public in January on its work. The project is intended to complement the recently completed Cross Street Bridge and the new entrepreneurial opportunities the new downtown structure could present.

The ID-4 Second Language Committee is recommending that Mary Hogan Elementary School begin offering a Spanish program beginning next fall. It would initially be offered to students in grades K-2, but ultimately to all grades by the 2015-2016 academic year. The school dropped French classes several years ago, primarily due to financial reasons.

Vergennes aldermen have backed creating a discount for seniors on their annual sewer bills. However officials acknowledged it would probably be a year before the rate break could take effect.

Vermont Gov.-elect Peter Shumlin says he thinks piped natural gas could become an energy option in more Vermont communities. Currently, only the northwestern Vermont counties of Franklin and Chittenden are served by Vermont Gas Systems, which brings in natural gas from Canada. He would like to explore expanding the availability of natural gas, perhaps extending the service as far south as Middlebury.

Gale Courcelle widened her lead over Doug Gage to two votes during a recount yesterday in Rutland. However the election may not be over yet. Recounts in Rutland districts 1-2, 5-3 and 5-4 each upheld the results from Election Day, but Rutland County Republican Chairman Bradford Broyles said a misplaced ballot in the race between Courcelle and Gage raised questions that could lead to more counting.

A major effort is underway to clean up pollution in Lake Champlain. Governor Jim Douglas, New York State officials and officials from the Environmental Protection Agency will meet on today to sign an updated work plan to restore water quality in the lake. Unlike earlier versions of the "Opportunities for Action" plan, this version outlines specific steps to reduce fertilizer pollution and to combat invasive species.

Vermont election officials are set to gather in Montpelier for a routine random audit of this year's general election results. The audits have been conducted since 2006 to confirm results from a selection of communities that use machine vote tabulators. Ballots from those cities and towns are recounted by hand, with the results checked against the tabulator results.

Governor-Elect Peter Shumlin announced two more people he wants to serve in his administration. He named Brian Searles to serve as transportation secretary. Democratic state representative Sue Minter of Waterbury was also named Monday as deputy transportation secretary. Minter has served on the Transportation and Appropriations committees, and will resign her seat in the House to take the job.

Two Vermont grocery stores have been fined for overcharging consumers. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture said that the Price Chopper in St. Johnsbury was fined $13,000 and the Price Chopper in Derby $3,750 for price-scanning errors. The consumer protection division of the Agency of Agriculture says it routinely tests checkout scanners in grocery and department stores to make sure consumers are charged the same price that stores are advertising.

A judge is ordering a competency evaluation for a Vermont man accused of threatening to kill President Barack Obama. Forty-3-year-old Christopher King, of Rockingham, was charged last month after allegedly tweeting the threat on Twitter. He has pleaded not guilty.

The New York Legislature has decided not to address a $315 million budget deficit in its special session. The state comptroller said inaction would make New York's fiscal crisis worse requiring even deeper cuts in coming months. Addressing the latest deficit was the main purpose of Monday's session called by Gov. David Paterson. However the governor's bill was delivered to the Legislature two hours after the special session was to begin.

One of the most important weekends for holiday shopping is finished and while numbers are still being finalized it appears the University Mall had one of the Best Black Friday's in years. According to the Marketing Director some anchor stores haven't seen numbers as good since 1999. Icy roads early Black Friday didn't stop people on a mission to get the best deals.