WVTK Local & State News December 13, 2010

Sunday's storm delivered strong winds during the afternoon, which put residents and utility crews on alert, but didn't cause as much damage as the storm almost two weeks ago. State utility crews said there were minimal outages. At the storm's peak, Vermont Electric Co-op had about 1,200 outages, CVPS recorded about 200 and Green Mountain Power didn't have any.

Otter Valley Union High School budget talks are set for Wednesday. After years of deep cuts, OV will likely get some relief in 2012 with fewer staff reductions expected than in prior years. The Otter Valley Union High School Board will vote on its roughly $10.5 million budget at its Wednesday meeting.

U.S. Congressman Peter Welch spent his Saturday visiting a couple of community groups in Vermont. Welch started in Rutland, where he delivered fuel to a home of someone who needs help paying their fuel bill. Later that afternoon, Welch ate with people at the John W. Graham Emergency Shelter in Vergennes. He talked with the shelter's board members and the people who live there.

A Rutland nursing home has received statewide and national accolades for its quality of care. Mountain View Center Genesis HealthCare has been recognized as one of only 39 nursing homes in the nation to receive the silver quality award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. The facility won in part due to the performance of its 175-member staff. Other factors, such as cleanliness and the condition of the facility were weighed as well.

Two of Vermont’s most famous businessmen were scooping ice cream in Rutland yesterday to support universal health care. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, were dishing out some of their favorite flavors at a benefit for the Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign held at the Unitarian Universalist Church. The pair was the most high-profile supporters on-hand for a rally designed to inspire a grassroots push for universal health care in Vermont.

Essex County will try again for a one-quarter percent sales-tax hike. The County Attorney has prepared another Home Rule request to the State Legislature for the sales-tax increase. He said 47 counties in the state have 4 percent sales tax. The state imposes its own sales tax of 4 percent, so in most counties the tax is 8 percent.

A collection of vintage firearms that documents the history of Vermont gunmaking will go on display at Shelburne Museum next spring. The 106-gun collection, amassed by Terry Tyler, consists of firearms manufactured in the state in the 18th and 19th centuries. Museum director Stephen Jost says the collection is unique for both the quality of the guns and the era they span.

Ski Vermont is celebrating Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month with promotions all around the state in the month of January. From Jan. 3 to Jan. 9, it's "free week," with adults and children 4 or older eligible for a free beginner package that includes a lift ticket or Nordic trail pass, group lesson and rental equipment at participating resorts. For more information, go to http://www.skivermont.com.

Culinary tourism, food safety regulations and best management practices for those who deal in farm-to-food businesses will be on the menu at a seminar next month at Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock. Experts and farmers with firsthand experience in food safety issues will be among the presenters at the event, which is open to the public. It's set for 9 a.m. January 12 at the farm and museum.

Another 130 Vermont National Guard soldiers have returned from Afghanistan. The soldiers returned to Vermont on Saturday morning after a yearlong mission. They are members of the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and are from armories around the state. About 200 more soldiers are expected to return today.

A national program that encourages schools to work with farms to increase the amount of local food in cafeterias is getting some financial help. Vermont officials, who have taken a leadership role in the program, say it's unclear how much funding the state will get. A bill passed by Congress last week includes $40 million for farm-to-school programs across the country.

The federal government is making available to states more than $670 million in heating aid. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Friday the new funding brings to $2.7 billion the amount released since October under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Several of the largest recipients of Friday's funding release were New York with $69 million and Vermont $3.3 million.

A big buyer of milk will have to shell out big bucks to Northeast Dairy Farmers. Dean Foods, based in Dallas, Texas, one of the largest publicly traded dairy processing companies in the U.S., has agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit for $30 million. Vermont dairy farmers accused Dean Foods of price fixing and conspiracy in an attempt to control the milk market here in Vermont and the New England Region.

A Canadian company made a big announcement in Plattsburgh Friday. Laurentian Aerospace officials are confident they now have the financing to build a $175 million aircraft maintenance facility at Plattsburgh International Airport. It will be the only facility of its kind in the country. The company is optimistic it will provide 900 high paying jobs by the end of 2014.

A new audit of Burlington Telecom confirms serious problems with accounting and criminal investigators are now getting involved. The state gave BT a certificate of public good in September of 2005, which included a number of conditions designed to protect customers and taxpayers. But a newly released audit shows BT violated several conditions and city taxpayers could be on the hook for the $17 million BT took from city coffers.