WVTK Local & State News December 14, 2010

United Way of Addison County has reached 60 percent of its $775,000 goal in its 2010-2011 fund drive pacing ahead of last year. The United Way launched its annual fund drive in September to aid the county’s many nonprofit human service agencies. Organizers set the same goal as last year. Thanks to a lot of hard work by United Way staff and volunteers, generous donors and a recovering economy, the campaign to date has yielded roughly $450,000 in contributions from approximately 1,000 sources.

According to town officials Holley Hall was in need of a little work after 125 years of active duty. The renovation project began in 2008 and was completed last month. It rehabilitated the historic building and updated the space to meet the current needs of the town.

State and local officials last week formally announced e-Corp English’s plans to grow in Middlebury and confirmed details of a state aid package that helped bring the English-language training company to town. The State of Vermont put together a successful incentive package for e-Corp English and the Addison County Economic Development Corporation, local business community and town officials also helped attract e-Corp to Middlebury. e-Corp hopes to expand the work force to more than 100 within the next three years.

Jim Douglas is seeking federal disaster assistance for the windstorm earlier this month that knocked out power to nearly 40,000 customers and caused widespread infrastructure damage. Douglas has sent a letter President Barack Obama requesting a disaster declaration for the windstorm starting on December 1 that caused nearly $2 million in damage.

Another 183 members of the Vermont National Guard are home after a tour in Afghanistan. Guard officials say the soldiers of the 86th Infantry Combat Team arrived at about 8:30 AM yesterday at the Air National Guard base in South Burlington. The soldiers have been returning home in groups. All are expected to be home by Christmas.

UVM has a new Provost. Jane Knodell is a longtime economics professor. Knodell has been serving as interim Provost since last year. She has been at the University of Vermont since 1986. Knodell also served 14 years on the Burlington City Council, two of them as Council President.

State officials are working to fix long delays for low income Vermonters trying to access help. Yesterday lawmakers heard about concerns with benefit programs. Some clients have had to wait more than 30 days for a response. To address the issue, the state hired twenty new permanent employees to work on the backlog. Wait times are now down to a few minutes.

Vermont's Senators voted against the big tax cut bill Monday, but it still passed a key test vote. The controversial deal cut between the Democratic President and Republican lawmakers has many Democrats speaking out. Senator Sanders made his arguments against the plan in a marathon daylong speech on the Senate floor Friday.

Gov. David Paterson has signed into law tougher penalties for bosses who illegally withhold workers' pay, though it won't affect them this holiday season. The new law allows a court or the Labor Department to force employers to pay back wages plus another 100 percent in damages, up from 25 percent currently. It takes effect in 120 days.

Criminal defendants in Essex County may soon have to prove they qualify for a free attorney. The Essex County Board of Supervisors is interested in devising a system to verify that defendants who say they are indigent are telling the truth.

Essex County has stacks of records to store but nowhere to put them. The County Manager has prepared a request for proposals to rent more storage space for the paper records generated by departments. The county owns the old Republic Steel office building in Mineville, which could be more utilized for records storage.

Emily Meachem is the 2010 Crown Point Junior Miss. She was selected during the community's 25th annual Junior Miss program on November 13. Meachem will represent Crown Point in Buffalo for the state program on April 2. Erin Ross won the spirit award. Chelsea Thatcher also competed in the program.

New York landowners, farmers and forestland owners have until January 14th to apply for 2011 conservation program funding. The programs falling within this deadline include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI), the Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA), and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). For sign-up details or additional conservation program information contact your local USDA-NRCS office or visit http://www.ny.nrcs.usda.gov/.

Fort Ticonderoga has been awarded a $15,000 grant by the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust of Saratoga Springs. The funds will support an expanded interpretive program that highlights the daily lives of the soldiers garrisoned at Fort Ticonderoga. As part of an institutional-wide assessment, Fort Ticonderoga has identified the need for more interpretive opportunities that engage visitors through expanded living history programs.

The Black Watch Memorial Library in Ticonderoga will offer computer training on Tuesday, December 21st. No appointment is necessary and it is free and open to the public. Microsoft Word (basics) will be offered 11AM to Noon, Microsoft Excel (basics) will be available 1:30-2:30 PM, an open period for questions will be held 2:45-3:45 PM and understanding the internet as it relates to job hunting will be held 4-6:30 PM.

A Heritage Commons employee has won a state award. Elizabeth LaPointe, a 30-year employee of Heritage Commons Residential Health Care as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), has received the 2010 Long Term Care Employee of Distinction award. This is the second time one of Heritage Commons' employees has received this award. Terry Sprague received this same award in 2008.

Vermont Gov.-elect Peter Shumlin says his living arrangements in Montpelier will be a lot like they were during his time in the Legislature - except year-round. Shumlin, whose hometown is Putney, says that's too far to travel back and forth every day. So he'll rent a house in the capital city and make the 225-mile round trip to Putney on weekends.