Vermonters who want to talk over their
experiences during and after Tropical Storm Irene have a place to go. Starting
Over Strong Vermont, which has federal funding, is holding a meeting today in Rutland. The session is set for this afternoon at 4 at the Rutland Free
Library on Court Street in Rutland.
The Middlebury Rotary Club completed its Fourth
Annual Online Auction. More than 350 items were auctioned to benefit the
Vermont Special Olympics, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Shelter Box, Camp-Ta-Kum-Ta,
the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, and other community requests the club
received this year. The Online
Auction raised over $15,000.
As part of its Energy Education Program Series,
the Acorn Renewable Energy Co-op will be presenting a free program on designing
and building, or renovating a home to be energy efficient using solar
technology. The event will take
place at 7PM on Wednesday, June 27th at the Ilsley Public Library Community
Room. The program will cover the
important considerations in building a low-embodied energy structure that
requires minimal heating input. The owner of Redbarn Design and Build, LLC of
Shrewsbury will present this informative program.
The Castleton Select Board’s decision to stand
against the proposed wind project on Grandpa’s Knob is finding support in other
towns affected by the plan. Hubbardton Selectwoman Janet Morey commended the
Castleton decision, adding that town officials have done their homework and
listened to residents. The Hubbardton board is working on a resolution against
the project and a vote is expected within the next couple of weeks. Like
Hubbardton and Castleton, the town of West Rutland has decided to open the town
plan for reviews.
The former Dana School is on the real estate market
for $290,000. The Rutland School
Board voted to put the building up for sale yesterday after two public meetings
and one private one with Mayor Christopher Louras.
According to Killington Town Manager Seth Webb the
town has stepped up its promotion of the municipal Green Mountain National Golf
Course this season; the course has already hosted eight tournaments with more
than 800 players attending. The
boost in business is dramatically different than last summer, when Tropical
Storm Irene caused a drastic slowdown in business, causing financial losses. According
to the town report the course managers did however keep expenses down two years
in a row.
A total of $309,345.08 will be spread throughout
the towns and villages of Essex County thanks to those who have visited the
area over the past six months. Members
of the Board of Supervisors voted to accept the semiannual mortgage tax report
from the county treasurer, with the tax funds to be split up between the 18
towns and four villages in the county.
The newly shelved bookmobile could see new life
as a mobile command post for disasters in the three counties. The vehicle, owned by the
Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System, was taken off the road because the
regional library could no longer afford to operate it. The Essex County Emergency Services
Director said Monday that the Library System has offered the bookmobile to the
Emergency Services departments of the three counties for use as a mobile
communications and command post. There would be no cost to Essex County. The
plan would get a preliminary vote June 25th at the Essex County Ways and Means
session, and if it were to pass there, a final vote July 2nd at the board’s
regular meeting.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says he's running for
re-election. Shumlin formally
announced Tuesday his re-election bid, although it has been clear for some time
he planned to seek re-election. Shumlin
says he's proud of what has been accomplished during his 16 months in office. He says there is more work to do and
he's looking forward to continuing creating jobs and more economic
opportunities for Vermonters, containing the skyrocketing cost of health care,
continuing the recovery from Tropical Storm Irene, expanding broadband and cell
service across our state, investing in renewable energy future and children's
education. In a statement issued
Tuesday, Shumlin said he would formally launch his candidacy around Labor Day. Republican Randy Brock is seeking his
party's nomination to run for governor.
Vermont Air Force members are gearing up for a
combat mission. The head of the
Vermont National Guard says sometime next year a couple hundred members will be
shipped out. Soon-to-be 3-star
general Michael Dubie says the group is preparing for a mission that is scheduled
to take place sometime in 2013. All
he can tell us is it will be a combat mission. He can't say where or when yet. Dubie says their original mission has already changed, but
it should take them out of the country for more than 100 days.
A federal judge decided yesterday a Rhode Island
man who sold fake Vermont maple syrup on the Internet won’t go to jail, but he
will pay restitution to his victims and serve two years of probation. Three years after Warwick, Rhode Island
resident Bernard Coleman decided to substitute a mixture of water, sugar and
maple flavoring in jugs labeled to contain Vermont’s sweetest export, he
appeared in a federal courtroom in Rutland to face sentencing. In a statement
included in the pre-sentence filing, Bernard apologized for his actions but
didn’t explain them.
Vermont is sitting on a large chunk of unclaimed
property these days, nearly $60 million worth. It mostly comes from insurance, with outstanding money
from life and annuity contracts. As of last week, the state paid out only about $4
million. The average claim
is about $300 a person. Remember,
there is no charge to claim funds through the treasurer's office.
The state of Vermont is providing additional tax
relief to people whose mobile homes were damaged or destroyed during last
year's spring flooding or from Tropical Storm Irene. To qualify, mobile home owners must meet three criteria: The
owners must be residents of Vermont, the mobile home must have been damaged or
destroyed as a result of a 2011 federally declared disaster, and the owners
must have bought a replacement mobile home between April 2 of last year and
June 30 of this year. For people
who meet the criteria, the state will refund any sales-and-use taxes or
property transfer taxes that were paid.
Senator Patrick Leahy has been actively involved
in the drafting of this year's farm bill and he says the proposal marks a major
change in dairy policy. First,
it's a voluntary program and the primary goal is to stabilize prices. Leahy
says it's very hard for farmers to do any long term planning when milk prices
fluctuate too much. Under the bill, dairy farmers would able to purchase an
insurance policy that would supplement their income when milk prices drop below
the cost of production. Vermont
Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross thinks the approach will help most dairy
farmers in the state. There's a second key part to the bill - one that helps
control the overall supply of milk. Ross says it will lower milk prices for
farmers, for amounts beyond their base production levels, when there's too much
milk on the market.
A federal court decision on nuclear waste could
strengthen the state's hand as regulators review Vermont Yankee's bid to
operate for another 20 years. The
state of Vermont was part of a lawsuit that challenged the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's decision to allow radioactive waste to be stored at nuclear plants
around the country for 60 years or more.
Late last week, the federal appeals court in Washington agreed that the
NRC failed to adequately assess the environmental impacts of using multiple
storage sites. Attorney General
Bill Sorrell thinks the ruling provides an opening for Yankee opponents to
question the economic and environmental impacts of storing nuclear waste in
southern Vermont.
Several grocery and retail stores are expected to
stop selling Green Mountain Coffee Roasters popular K-Cups when the company's
patents expire this fall. According
to the Boston Globe, several chains are developing their own private label
versions of the K-Cup. Starbucks also plans to introduce a single cup brewer in
the fall that will make espresso drinks as well as brewed coffee. Share prices of Green Mountain Coffee
Roasters have tumbled more than 80 percent since last September.
Brandon Music presents a Salon Concert by the New
Music on the Point program of Point CounterPoint summer camp this Friday at
7pm, featuring repertoire from this season's New Music On The Point festival. Participating composers, instrumentalists
and vocalists, including JACK Quartet, Jennifer Beattie, and Donna Loewy and
others, will be among the performers for the evening. Repertoire from this
season's New Music On The Point festival will be featured. Tickets are $15 per person and proceeds
will benefit the Compass Music and Arts Foundation. For details just visit www.brandon-music.net.
The sixth annual North Country Triathlon is
expected to draw about 500 competitors to Hague. The swim-bike-run event will be contested Saturday, June 30,
beginning and finishing near The Hague Town Park. In 2011 about 400 people finished the sprint, Olympic and
relay races. They hailed from 15 states and five countries. For more
information visit www.northcountrytri.com.
From
Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont & New York:
Shortly after one Tuesday morning police could be
found on a number of Winooski, Vermont streets. Christine Cusson lives on River Street. When she saw the
police, she thought she knew why. "I
heard what I thought to be firecrackers," said Cusson. But in fact police say it was several gunshots.
Here's what police tell us happened: A group of people went to this river
street home looking for someone. When the renter inside said that person wasn't
there police say Trinelle Cox and Angel Concepcion attempted to force their way
in. "At that point is when
the resident who was armed with a 38 revolver shot the intruder once,"
said Winooski Police Chief Steve McQueen.
Police say after shooting Cox the renter then shot Concepcion. After
Concepcion was shot police say he ran about a quarter of a mile to West Canal
Street. That's when they say
someone from inside this building called police saying there was a man laying
out front. Police say Cox and Concepcion were with one, maybe two people, who
took off after the shooting. The incident was believed to be over drugs. Cox and
Concepcion have been on authorities' radar. Both they say are suspects in last week's drug related South
Burlington shooting. Knowing that Cusson says she's taking extra safety
precautions. "Locking my
door, my bedroom door, everything," said Cusson. Especially now Cusson says after it happened so close to
home. Police say Cox and Concepcion will face burglary charges. Both remain in the hospital in critical
condition. As for the person who fired the shots, police say the Chittenden
County state attorney's office will investigate whether the shooting was justified.
More jobs are coming to Church Street in Burlington
as new storefronts move in. The
Church Street Marketplace is booming this summer with several new businesses
opening which is not only creating jobs it's also bringing big crowds to
Burlington. A total of five new
stores will be popping up on Church Street. One including, City Sports is already open and employs
dozens of people. "We have
thirty staff currently and four managers," said Mark Kalloz, a new manager
at the sporting goods store. He says
Church Street is the perfect location, "The community in Burlington is
awesome and we've had so many different people in here, a variety of people in
here that come in for different needs." Ron Redmond is the director for the Church Street Marketplace
and he says this year is looking bright for business, "The summer is
looking really good, I've been on the street for 14 years and it is definitely
on the upswing." He says
things have taken a drastic turn since the recession hit, "We went through
some tough times in 2009 and we are catching a little bit of a break here. More
stores are coming in and we only have one spot that is vacant which is really
wonderful." He credits the
improving economy as a key player in keeping storefronts full, "There's
always lots of people looking at Church Street but I think the stability of the
economy has really made all the difference," said Redmond.
There’s been a scare for people who spray tan. They had thought it was a much safer
option than tanning beds. But a
new investigation has raised questions if the spray changes more than your skin
color. The concern is a chemical
in the spray. It's called
dihydroxyacetone or DHA. In at
least some studies it has been shown to cause problems. "Something in the dihydroxyacetone
and this product this chemical has caused a lot of controversy," says
Doctor Marc Siegel, from Fox News.
That's because Siegel says in some scientific studies the chemical
caused genetic mutations. "In
animals and in cells it alters DNA and we don't know whether that could lead to
cancer or whether that could lead to birth defects," says Siegel. The concern is a person could
absorb DHA by inhaling it or through their eyes or skin.
It's not clear if the DHA in spray tanning could
cause problems for people. That's because there haven't been studies looking
into it. "There really is no
definitive evidence to say that's a bad thing to do at this point in time.
That's being worked on. There are studies that are coming out. Most of them
have shown it to be safe," says Doctor Glenn Goldman, UVM professor of
dermatology. Goldman says if you
really want to tan choose a self-tanning lotion that won't be inhaled like the
spray. Or he says try to accept
looking less dark. "Your
safest bet is to stick with the skin you have, always," says Goldman. Goldman says if you do spray tan, it's
just coloring and provides no protection from the sun. So you are just as likely to burn and
need to wear sunscreen.
Vermont's Public Safety Commissioner, Keith Flynn,
says a growing number of burglaries, home invasions, and prescription drug
fraud are linked to prescription drug abuse in the Green Mountain State. The State already as a prescription drug-monitoring
database which allows doctors and pharmacists to see a patient's prescription
history before filling their prescriptions. That prevents patients from being
prescribed more drugs than they are supposed to. Flynn and other lawmakers wanted to improve upon the system
during the Legislative session by allowing law enforcement to see it. Then,
they could arrest people who abuse it. However, the Legislature failed to pass
that bill. But, Flynn says there
is something else that could help.
"Certainly I think that one of things we'd want to look at is real
time reporting information to the prescription drug database. I think that's
going to be something that we'll certainly propose to the Legislature next
year," Flynn said. Right now,
Vermont physicians have seven days to report the prescriptions of their
patients to the database. Real-time would make them do it right away.
