WVTK Local & State News July 11, 2011

The Essex County Industrial Development Agency still has loans for small businesses affected by the Champlain Bridge crisis. The IDA Co-Director said the money comes from the Lake Champlain Revolving Loan Fund. They still have about $340,000 available to businesses that have been directly economically impacted negatively by the bridge closure. Anyone interested in the loans should call the IDA at 873-9114.

The Middlebury Summer Festival On-The-Green has kicked off its 33rd anniversary season under the big white tent on the Village Green here in Middlebury. A much-anticipated highlight of the summer, the Festival has remained faithful to its mission of bringing top-quality, free, family-friendly Entertainment to the residents and guests of Addison County since its debut. You can join our very own Amanda Leigh at Noon each day this week for the “Brown Bag Special”. Get the complete scoop on Festival On-The-Green right HERE!

A local man has pled guilty to a home improvement fraud charge. The Vermont Attorney General's Office announced on Friday that John Burgart of New Haven pled guilty in Vermont Superior Court to one count of home improvement fraud.

A New York man was arrested Sunday evening in Rutland after police say he fired a gun inside the Rodeway Inn. Police say 43-year-old Sean Miller of the Bronx was attempting to enter a room at the Inn and a fight ensued. Police say Miller fired a weapon near the head of one of the room's occupants and then fled. Police were able to track him down and take him into custody without incident. He is currently being held as a fugitive from justice from New York. The investigation into the shooting continues.

The town of Pittsford’s recently formed police department will now have the ability to fight the war on drugs with the help of a new canine unit. The Pittsford Select Board approved the recently re-certified narcotics canine Doc, a 5-year-old black Labrador, to join the town’s police department. Doc is the first canine in the town police department, which was converted from a town constable within the last month. The town created the new police department to qualify for various police grants that would cover equipment and for the expected increase in income received from the issuance of traffic tickets.

A 20-year-old Vermont man is facing charges for allegedly sending threatening text messages to the family of his ex-girlfriend. Vermont State Police say a woman from Brookline told police in June that her 17-year-old daughter's ex-boyfriend was sending the family threatening text messages through his cell phone. Police contacted Keith Bradt of Rutland and told him to stop sending the text messages or he would be charged. Police said Sunday that he later followed up with another threatening text message. He is charged with disorderly conduct by use of the telephone or other electronic means.

Washington and Caledonia counties have won a federal disaster declaration from the president, after flash flooding caused millions of dollars in damages. The president has now approved a second disaster period in Vermont for May 26th & 27th. Washington and Caledonia counties missed out on the federal relief in a previous disaster declaration, because it covered earlier flooding.

The latest disaster declaration has the Federal Emergency Management Agency looking for some extra help of its own. Most of the emergency management team is from out-of-state. They travel several months out of the year, staffing offices in various disaster zones. But the federal agency strives to hire locally whenever possible. Since the state was declared a disaster area in April, seven Vermonters have been hired. The agency is looking to fill a few more temporary positions. For more information on those jobs, applicants can contact the Vermont Department of Labor.

The Vermont Telecommunications Authority is seeking public comment on expanding cellular service. Industry representatives, local and regional officials, and the general public are invited to provide input on which areas need service and what combination of strategies would be best to achieve the goal of universal coverage. A series of questions and instructions for submitting comments are posted on the VTA web site, www.telecomvt.org. Comments are due by July 22nd.

The Vermont League of Cities and Towns will no longer be offering just one insurance carrier for municipalities in Vermont. Beginning Jan. 1, members of the league will be able to buy coverage from existing carrier CIGNA and two additional carriers already in the Vermont health insurance market. With insurance carrier choice, league members will be able to determine which insurance plan will best suit their needs from three core carriers in Vermont.

A number of New England governors, as well as Canadian premiers are meeting to discuss a variety of topics. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin is attending the 35th Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers. Governor Shumlin says the theme is job creation and the importance of increasing hydro and marine power as well as creating a high-speed rail. The conference runs through tomorrow.

When a nuclear watchdog group asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a study on leaks of radioactive water at the Vermont Yankee plant, it was told the NRC had seen the report but had never officially taken custody of it, so it wasn't public. Critics say it's a style of communication between regulator and regulated that cuts out the public and even state regulators trying to track leaks of tritium, a radioactive form of water linked with cancer when ingested in high amounts.

Record spring rains and flooding are being blamed for a decline in visits to Vermont state parks this year. State Parks Director Craig Whipple says visits to state parks are down 7% so far this year compared to last year. He blames the decline on late openings at half a dozen state parks that had to delay their seasonal openings after the flooding.

A 16-year-old boy is back in custody after escaping from a juvenile detention center. Officials say the boy climbed a fence Saturday afternoon at the Woodside Juvenile Facility in Essex. Police from Essex and Colchester searched the area and found the boy about half a mile away inside a home on Dalton Drive in Colchester.

A bridge over the Winooski River in Richmond is getting a fresh coat of paint. And that means traffic on the bridge will be reduced to one-lane. Vermont officials say the painting should begin within a month and be completed by October 15th.

A high school science teacher at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans will have some fresh lab experience to bring back to the classroom in September. Glen McCabe was 1 of 20 teachers from around the country selected for a prestigious two-week fellowship to study at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The program is designed to help teachers bring the excitement of science research into the classroom.

A Vermont environmental group is looking for observers to help count the number of loons in the state. The Vermont Loon Recovery Project is due to be held this Saturday July 16th. Loon biologist Eric Hanson says the count is an opportunity for people to visit a lake or pond they might not otherwise visit.

The Sheldon Museum will present a new before-and-after photographic exhibit, titled "Vermont Landscapes Lost and Found". The exhibit explores the ever-evolving landscape through a variety of visual Images, contrasting old photographs with their present-day counterparts. The exhibit will be on view starting this month through October 22nd. For more information just visit the Sheldon Museum's website: www.henrysheldonmuseum.org.

You are invited to join the fun and celebrate New Haven's 250th year Charter Celebration this Saturday (July 16). Activities for all ages begin at 2 PM and continue until the Fire Department BBQ at 5 PM. There will be town displays, 1800 home tours, yesterday's skills demonstrations, a Congregational Church history tour, book and bake sales, a 50/50 raffle, crank your own ice cream, children's games and activities-including the ever popular balloon jump tent, piñata, pie eating contest, Dog Team sticky bun baking contest, Rainbow Ice and more.

After more than a year of work from volunteers, the Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum celebrated its public opening in Rutland on Friday. This was a major initiative from the Rutland Creative Economy. The museum is located at 5 Center St. and will host three major exhibits this summer on consecutive weekends. From now through August 13, young children can check out “Energy in Motion,” “From Farm to Fit” and “Trashformers.” Each exhibit will be displayed for two weekends. The museum hours are Fridays from 6 to 8 PM and Saturdays from 11 AM to 2 PM. The hours were selected to coincide with the downtown’s Friday Night Live and the Saturday Rutland Farmers Market.