Wednesday, March 21, 2012

WVTK Local & State News March 21, 2012

It's a regular day of classes for students and teachers in Fair Haven, Castleton, Benson and Orwell. The Rutland Herald is reporting a deal was reached at about five-thirty this morning between teachers and the Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union, preventing a strike today. Talks were held throughout the night at Fair Haven Union High School, overseen by a federal mediator. Details of the new contract will be announced today.

The National Weather Service is urging boaters enticed by record high temperatures to beware of the dangers of cold water. Even though the weather has been warm, the water remains dangerously cold so canoeists or kayakers drawn to the water need to remember to be careful. Immersion in cold water can become life threatening in a matter of minutes. The Weather Service says it would be best if boaters waited until the water is warmer, but for those who choose to canoe or kayak, they should wear a dry suit.

On March 8, 2012 at approximately 6PM, Vermont State Police were notified of a burglary that took place off of Route 7 in Ferrisburgh. The residents stated that several items were stolen from the residence. Some of the missing items include pieces of jewelry, silverware, binoculars and a digital camera. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the New Haven State Police Barracks. (802-388-4919)

Vermont Gas Systems wants to extend its natural gas pipeline another 50 miles south to begin serving customers in Vergennes and Middlebury. In a series of informational meetings, the company tells Addison County residents that the $57 million project has environmental and economic benefits. Middlebury Town Planner Fred Dunnington says there's been a lot of interest in the project from businesses and homeowners. But there are concerns about how natural gas is produced. One resident noted that the process of hydro-fracking is controversial and isn't allowed in Vermont. One more public meeting will be held on the project tonight at 7 at the New Haven Town Hall.

The Rutland Board of Aldermen signed off on the sale of the Watkins building Monday. The city will sell the former school building to the Housing Trust of Rutland County for $100,000. The money will go into the school district's capital fund and the building will be converted to senior housing.

Rutland City’s Tropical Storm Irene Relief Fund is taking applications. Applications are available from the city treasurer’s office and must be returned there by April 30th. Grants from the fund are available to Rutland property owners and renters with flood losses. The city has roughly $16,000 in the fund. The fund was created with money raised at the country club and passed to the city via Restoring Rutland along with a cash donation from Rutland’s Japanese sister-city.

Difficult decisions the past few years are expected to pay dividends in the 2012-13 Crown Point Central School budget. Preliminary budget figures call for a 1 percent increase in spending and a tax increase of less than 2 percent, although officials aren’t ready to give specific numbers. The current Crown Point school budget is $6,135,162. The current tax levy is $1,489,000. School officials are awaiting the adoption of a state budget, which could affect its preliminary spending plan. The board will adopt the budget either at its April 4th or April 17th meeting. Voters in the district will decide on the budget May 15th.

Essex County is holding off on a $500,000 sprinkler system for its Horace Nye Nursing Home. The work must be done by August 2013 or the home will no longer be eligible for Medicare and Medicaid payments, according to a federal requirement. The bid was more than twice the $220,000 the county had estimated for the sprinkler system. If the facility isn't sold, or the sprinklers are not installed, the county is still under an order to install fireproof ceiling tiles.

The Vermont House has given preliminary approval to a bill that would outlaw people younger than 18 using commercial tanning beds. Owners of establishments with tanning beds caught allowing people younger than 18 to use them would face a civil fine of $100 on a first offense and $500 on second and later offenses. The bill is expected to come up for final action today before moving to the Senate.

The state House has given preliminary approval to a bill that would expand the time many people picked up for drunken driving would have devices installed in their cars requiring a breath test to start the vehicle. It also expands the types of drunken driving offenders eligible to use the devices.

The Vermont House has given preliminary approval to legislation calling on the state to get 75% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2032. Rep. Margaret Cheney, vice chairwoman of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, tells her House colleagues the legislation is key to Vermont doing its part to slow climate change. Business lobbyists have expressed concern about the measure, saying it's likely to drive up the cost of power and make Vermont companies less competitive. In introducing the bill on Tuesday, Cheney told the House that the bill seeks to balance that concern against the need to get Vermont off of fossil fuels in energy production.

Voters in Wilmington and Whitingham Ok'd a school merger plan. In Wilmington the measure passed by just 15 votes. In Whitingham it passed by 41 votes. The plan calls for three schools to become two closing the Twin Valley High School building and consolidating students at the middle school in Whitingham and the Deerfield Valley Elementary in Wilmington.

A Vermont produce company is expanding its meat business. Springfield-based Black River Produce has purchased a former Ben and Jerry's ice cream plant in the North Springfield Industrial Park and is planning to set up a meat processing facility. The Claremont Eagle Times reports Springfield officials say the produce company bought the vacant building from the town for $125,000.

Burlington International Airport is working to make flying more efficient and safe with their new Advanced Imaging Technology or AIT system. About 150 airports in the U.S. already have this technology, which costs $150,000 per machine. Burlington has two. But this isn't the controversial body scanner that was in the news last year. The process is simple. You just stand still for five seconds with your hands up while the system takes a digital image. And if you don't feel comfortable with this, you can opt out for the traditional pat down.

According to a group of environmental non-profits today is Vermont Energy Independence Day, a time for people to ask what energy independence means to them. A group of filmmakers wants the answer to that question on film. A company called Bright Blue EcoMedia wants Vermonters to record themselves and submit their videos, some of which will appear in a documentary about energy independence. For more information just visit brightbluemedia.org.

The preliminary results of Senator Bill Doyle's Town Meeting Survey reveal a dramatic difference between how Vermonters feel about the future of the state, and the future of the country. By roughly a two to one margin, people say they're optimistic about the future of Vermont but these results change completely when people are asked if they're optimistic about the future of the country. Only a third of the responses had a positive answer to the national question. The survey also finds very strong support for a 4-year term for governor in Vermont. An expansion of Vermont's Bottle Deposit law to include virtually all-plastic water and juice containers also drew some strong support. The survey also showed strong support for legislation that would ban the use of any type of cell phone by someone operating a motor vehicle.

Students enrolled in Addison County’s Taekwondo KICKS Schools from two of the martial art arts centers located in Middlebury and Vergennes earned medals recently. They participated in the Vermont Governor’s Cup Competition in Milton. On Saturday 70 students tested and were promoted to their new ranks. It also helped to further prepare a few students for their Black Belt testing scheduled for June. Taekwondo Do KICKS will host an upcoming community demonstration at the Bridport Elementary School. The date will be announced soon.

A special presentation of the History of Maple Sugaring coinciding with Maple Open House Weekend will take place at the New England Maple Museum in Pittsford this Saturday & Sunday from 10AM – 4PM both days. It’s a great way to start or finish your tour of local Vermont Sugarhouses. The tasting counter is open to all and features Vermont specialty foods and maple syrup. This long weekend the museum offers discounts on admissions and 25% off selected gifts.

A 39-year-old Hanover, MA plumber has won the $1,000-a-day-for-life lottery prize. Massachusetts State Lottery officials say Bruce Campbell picked numbers 1, 2, 6, 10, 19, and 15 to net the first grand prize in the new Lucky for Life game. The first drawing for the game, played in all six states in New England, was March 8th in Hartford, CT.

When it comes to making a living, Vermont is near the bottom according to a new list compiled by Money-Rates-dot-com. For the second year in a row, the website has come out with its Best and Worst States to Make a Living, and this year Vermont is ranked 48th. The list has an adjusted average income based on the cost of living, taxes and unemployment. It came up with an adjusted average income in Vermont of 30-thousand 433 dollars. Only Maine and Hawaii fared worse, while Virginia was ranked at the top of the list with 43-thousand 677 dollars.

With memories of a flood from 85 years ago still in his mind, Tony Pomerleau made good on a promise and donated one million dollars to the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund. The fund is used to help Vermonters who lost their homes last August to flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. The Burlington real estate developer is 94, and received a heartfelt "thank you" from lawmakers, state officials, and flood victims who packed the Statehouse Tuesday. The goal of the fund is to raise ten million by the one year anniversary of the storm.