Vermont State Police are investigating the report
of a gunshot that hit a home in Bridport.
The victim said a bullet had gone through a second-floor window and
lodged in a wall in his home office on Wednesday. No one was injured. The victim told police that there is a
large coyote problem in the area and that a hunter may have been responsible
for the shooting. Authorities say
an unidentified white male had stopped on Swinton Road and fired several shots
in the direction of the residence. Police say the shooter was driving a green
Subaru station wagon. Police are
urging hunters to use firearms responsibly. Anyone with information about the
shooting is asked to call state police.
The Addison County Chamber of Commerce is pleased
to announce the opening of Galerie Provenance, a new retailer specializing in
American and French art, antiques and accoutrements. They are located at 1 Frog
Hollow Alley in Middlebury. Michael
Findlay manages Galerie Provenance. Their products encompass a range of
American and French paintings, American and English silver, American and
European antiques. Michael, who is
a Vermont native and fifth generation art dealer, has been surrounded by art
and antiques all his life. Today GalerieProvenance will host a gallery opening from 4 to 7 this afternoon in
conjunction with the monthly Middlebury Arts Walk.
Are you one of the 63% of American small businesses
that still doesn’t have a website or online presence? Did you know that 97% of
Americans look online for local products and services? That means you’re
virtually invisible to many potential customers. The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce is pleased to
announce that two free Google seminars providing the tools and resources for
Vermont businesses to get online and succeed online are coming to the Ilsley
Public Library in Middlebury on Friday August 17th. These are free seminars for
small businesses run by real Google employees. Space is strictly limited to 25
people per session, so register now! To register for the seminar, click HERE!
Vermont State Police troopers arrested Amanda
Gilbert of Moriah at the Addison County Fair & Field Days fairgrounds in
New Haven on Wednesday. Gilbert
was wanted in Vermont; she was arrested without incident. Troopers of the VSP New Haven Barracks
had received a tip that she would be attending Field Days. After her arrest, Gilbert was
transported to the New Haven Barracks for booking and then transported to the
Addison County Sheriff's Department to post $250 for bail. She was released on a citation and will
appear in Addison County Superior Court August 13th.
Ticonderoga is conducting a door-to-door income
survey as part of its water project, while warning residents not to be confused
by solicitations. The town has
hired Liz Tedford to canvas the community in hopes of completing an income
survey that is key to grant funding for the $13.8 million project. Confidential income surveys were sent
to water customers in October. Officials had hoped to complete the survey work
last fall, but to date only about 60 percent of the surveys have been returned.
To be eligible for the grant funding, 65 percent of the surveys must be
completed. Meanwhile the Ti town
clerk said many local people have contacted her office believing HomeServe USA
is somehow related to the town and the ongoing water project. Ticonderoga has
no connection to HomeServe USA.
The Lake George Association has been awarded a
$14,950 grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program for the 2012 Lake Steward
program on Lake George. This award
combines with $35,000 of funding by the Lake George Park Commission. The Lake Steward Program provides
invasive species education and spread prevention on Lake George. Nine stewards
for Lake George have been hired by the Lake George Association and were
recently trained at Paul Smith’s College. They were on duty at various
locations in Ticonderoga and Hague.
A new freight train service in the Adirondacks is
being launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring local and federal
officials. Saratoga and North
Creek Railway launched the service Wednesday afternoon in North Creek, 70 miles
north of Albany. The short line railroad will primarily carry rocks from
current and former mining operations for use in road building and other
projects. The operators are still negotiating with potential customers. The
train will only go 5 ½ miles to North River for now.
New York's tallest wind turbines are heading into
the North Country. Northern New
York is already home to dozens of 400-foot turbines, like the ones pictured in
Chateaugay. But the ones being built in Clinton County for the Marble River
Wind Farm will be almost 100 feet taller than those. Each of the 72 turbines being built in Clinton and Ellenburg
can produce three megawatts of electricity. The Plattsburgh Press-Republican reports the project is
expected to be fully online in late October and would give Clinton County the
largest wind-energy capacity in the state.
State officials are looking for Rutland County
locations for a new Vermont State Police barracks, but say the police won’t be
moving from McKinley Avenue any time soon. The state Department of Buildings and General Services has
advertised for a 6- to 10-acre lot of unimproved land for a new public safety
building. Marjorie Klark, who works in support services for the state police,
said the search was part of a larger feasibility study involving several different
barracks. She said the state police are also looking at consolidating the St.
Johnsbury and Bradford barracks and at new locations for the stations in
Williston, Middlesex and Shaftsbury. When all the studies are complete, she
said Public Safety would sit down with Buildings and General Services to
prioritize the potential projects.
State health officials say cases of whooping cough
are increasing. There have been 201 confirmed cases this year, with 68 of them
reported since June 1st. The last widespread outbreak of the cough in Vermont
happened in 1996 and 1997.
The Vermont Department of Health says more people
are reporting cases of bats flying through open windows and doors and getting
trapped inside homes. Public
Health Veterinarian Robert Johnson says the hot weather, bugs and open doors
and windows might explain the sightings. He says if a bat is found in a room
with someone who was sleeping or if a bat is found in the same room with an
unattended child, it should be safely collected for rabies testing. Only four of the 65 bats tested so far
this year have been positive for rabies.
The Vermont city of Burlington has reopened North
Beach again. The beach was closed
on Tuesday after elevated levels of E. coli were found in the lake following Sunday’s
heavy rain. The tests were
conducted on Monday. The
Burlington Free Press reports that a proposed change in municipal policy next
year would reduce the number of bacteria-related closures. Vermont State
Toxicologist Sarah Vose says most strains of E. coli are harmless but indicate
the possibility of a health hazard.
The Crown Point State Historic Site will host its
15th-annual French and Indian War Encampment next to the new Champlain Bridge
on Saturday and Sunday. This year,
the public will enjoy views of British naval landings. Two tactical weapons demonstrations are
scheduled for the public to view during the encampment weekend. These mock
battles will take place between 2 and 2:30 PM on both Saturday and Sunday. At 3
PM Saturday, a wedding drama will be presented, giving insight into the plight
of wives living at forts in the 1700s.
Fort Ticonderoga will open its second annual corn
maze to the public next Wednesday, August 15th. The six-acre corn maze is located near the King’s Garden. It
has more than two miles of trails. The average journey will take from 20
minutes for the first phase up to an hour for the main maze. In September and
October the “Heroic Maze” will be open for group visits on Thursdays and
Fridays from 10AM to 2PM. Registration is required. In late October the maze will be open after dark for
“Flashlight Nights.” Get details
right now by visiting the Fort’s Website. The maze is sponsored by McDonalds of
Ticonderoga and Amtrak. For more information go online or call 585-2821.
Vermonters are not shy to farmers markets, and this
is the week to celebrate. U.S.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack declared the week of August 5-13 Annual
National Farmers Market Week. The
USDA says farmers markets are on the rise, with more than 7,800 across the
nation, which is double what it was a decade ago. Vermont currently has 70 markets, 20 of which operate in the
winter.
A mysterious package left underneath an SUV was
concern enough for police to evacuate the area and call in the Vermont State
Police Bomb Squad. It happened
mid-morning yesterday in the parking lot of the Prouty Federal Building in
Essex Junction. Not only was the
area evacuated, but streets nearby were blocked off as well. It took police with robots and X-ray
cameras to finally determine the package was an empty cooler and not a threat.
The administration of Governor Peter Shumlin says
Vermont's health care exchange system is on track to be set in place as of
October next year. The exchange is
a key part of the federal Affordable Care Act and is where all individuals and
small businesses in Vermont will be buying their health coverage starting in
January 2014. The state is seeking
a new federal grant to help finance a major public education campaign to
explain how it will all work.
Windham County does not have any commercial wind
turbines, yet, but that could change.
A multi-national company is asking the state for permission to put up
three test towers in the towns of Windham and Grafton to gather weather
information. A spokesman with
Iberdrola Renewables says they've filed the paperwork starting the process to
put up the towers that are 197 feet tall and held in place by lines instead of
foundations. Opposition to the
towers is already organizing.
Governor Peter Shumlin and the head of the state's
school board plan a national search for an education secretary. The post
previously has been a state board appointee but a new law now gives the
governor the task of appointing the education chief.
Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon presents
the Salt River Revue this Sunday afternoon at 4:00, in the Brandon Music Café.
All proceeds will benefit the Compass Music and Arts Foundation. Tickets are $15. The Salt River Revue
represents the coming together of two Vermont bands: The Salt Ash Serenaders
and The Cold River Band. Expect to hear old-time blues, and gospel, along with
a dose of Grateful Dead. For
tickets or information visit www.brandon-music.net.
From Fox 44 & ABC 22 News – Your Voice in
Vermont & New York:
State leaders have unveiled what the type of health
insurance they want to see. They say it's similar to the
BlueCross-BlueShield plan that more than three-quarters of Vermonters already
have. Cost: not known yet. The program will rely on federal money
and even though republicans are vowing to repeal the affordable care act,
Vermont leaders are dealing with the law as it stands. "We just don't know what's going
to happen in the fall elections and trying to predict and make decisions based
on such a big unknown doesn't make sense to me," said Vermont health
reform director Robin Lunge. The
plan needs to be approved by "The Green Mountain Care Board". That's expected next month. The state's healthcare exchange that offers insurance
to people in small businesses is scheduled to start in October of 20-13.
The signage in the windows of the downtown
Burlington Papa John's business shows off a number of deals. It's a reason why Jackie Estes and her
husband enjoy eating at Papa John's.
"They actually have really good prices, they usually have really
good deals," said Estes. But
soon those prices might be rising.
That's because on Thursday the company's CEO announced he will have to
increase pizza prices by 20 cents to pay for health insurance. "I think that all people should
have health care too so I would pay the extra 20 cents for sure," said
Estes. That added cost is well
below what it would cost you to add an extra topping. But some people say any increase due to a health care
mandate isn't worth it. "I
don't think they should tax the pizza," said Peter Duval. Under the
federal health care law companies that employ more than 50 people are required
to offer health insurance or pay a fine by 2014. Papa John's is one of the first businesses to come out and
say the new federal health care law will increase prices, but some food experts
say they're going to be the first of many. "If it gets us all covered under health care coverage,
I'm all for it," said Tracie Grenier. "It's coming out of our pocket. We pay enough in taxes
we shouldn't have to pay anymore taxes," said Duval. We should note that the owner is a
supporter of republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who wants to repeal
the health care law. Also, we
reached out to the owner of the Papa John's in Burlington for a comment. But he declined to give one.
Vermont's top state prosecutor is fighting to keep
his job. Attorney General Bill
Sorrell faces a challenge from another democrat, Chittenden County State's
Attorney T.J. Donovan. It is one
of the most watched races right now in our area. That's because in less than three weeks primary voters will
decide which democrat should be the nominee. Under the lights of Vermont Public Television Thursday,
Sorrell and Donovan debated. The
democrats agree on a lot. One
exception was what to do when a Vermont law ends up at the U.S. Supreme
Court. The current attorney
general has lost several recent cases there and that's where many expect Vermont
Yankee to eventually land. There are several more debates to go. The winner of the August 28th primary
will go on to the November election.
