The Addison County Chamber of Commerce will be
holding their August after hours business mixer today. The event takes place from 5 – 7 PM at Cacklin'
Hens: A Vermont Yarn, Beads & Gift Emporium in Middlebury. There will be
plenty of great door prizes plus a chance to win the Pot of Gold, which is
valued at $650! For more
information or to RSVP to Sue. click HERE!
Moriah Central School Board will hold a special
meeting at 5 PM today in the High School library to conduct interviews for
various positions. The board will
immediately enter executive session then reconvene to hire personnel. The meeting is open to the public.
The Vermont Hard Cider Company here in Middlebury has
announced an agreement with Heineken of the Netherlands to transfer its importation
rights to Strongbow brand hard cider in the United States. Beginning January 1,
2013, Vermont Hard Cider will cease being the U.S. importer of the cider.
Heineken USA will become the brand's new importer to America. The Strongbow
brand is among the top ten drinks, by sales, in English and Welsh pubs and
bars. It has enjoyed 500 percent growth; it is the second largest cider brand
in the United States.
Vermont State Police responded to a one-vehicle
rollover at the intersection of Stevens Orchard and Stage roads in Orwell on
Tuesday. An investigation revealed
that minor injuries were sustained when Paul Hale of Texas failed to navigate
the corner at the intersection. Hale
was estimated to be traveling over the posted speed limit; he lost control of
his vehicle and went into a ditch and the vehicle rolled onto its roof. He was extracted from the vehicle and
transported to Porter Hospital.
The Vermont State Police are investigating an
assault and vandalism to a motor vehicle, which is believed to have occurred
between 12:30 and 1AM this morning on Woodland Drive in the Town of Bristol. Anyone who was in the area or who might
have information is encouraged to contact the Vermont State Police at 388-4919. Information can also be submitted anonymously
online at www.vtips.info or text "CRIMES" (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce will host
an Ambassadors Open House and Social on Wednesday, September 12th, at 4:30 PM.
The Open House will take place at the Chamber office at 94 Montcalm Street,
Suite 1 in Downtown Ticonderoga. All current Chamber Ambassadors and those
interested in becoming an Ambassador are encouraged to attend. Ambassadors assist
at Chamber events and will be welcoming new members as a new initiative of
being an ambassador. For more information contact the Ticonderoga Area Chamber
of Commerce at 518-585-6619 or visit www.ticonderogany.com.
When Moriah Central School students return to class
in September, they’ll be learning in a state-of-the-art facility. The district has completed a $9.9
million building project that administrators believe has prepared the building
for the next 30 years. The project includes a roof replacement, boiler
replacement and heating system upgrades, pool renovations, window replacement
and repair, co-generation and utility grid work, technology infrastructure
upgrades and ventilation improvements.
Work also included a re-designed parking lot, landscaping, kitchen
upgrades, improvements to the technology room, remodeling the elementary school
office, renovating the auditorium, locker room improvements, creation of a
fitness room that is available to the public, new scoreboards and the
installation of additional security cameras. Wireless Internet and the addition of Smartboard technology
in each classroom were also in the scope of the project.
Essex County Public Health officials are looking
forward to the rabies vaccine aerial bait drop that starts this week. The spread of rabies has become a
problem in the county, and officials say anything that could reduce or slow it
down would be beneficial. A case in Wilmington is pending meanwhile the
confirmed cases were found in Ticonderoga, Willsboro, Jay, Crown Point,
Chesterfield and Elizabethtown. Public Health holds several rabies vaccination
clinics for dogs and cats each year for a $5 fee.
Starting this week, Vermont begins dropping rabies
bait. The state wants to
stop raccoon rabies from spreading to Canada. The bait has a dark green waxy coating and smells
sweet. Don't worry it's labeled. Now it's not harmful to people or pets, but you should
use gloves to handle it. About
250,000 baits are expected to be set.
Construction on Route 7 came to a halt due to rain
in the forecast. Workers will
return to work today and tomorrow, weather permitting. At that time, work will begin on
between the intersection of South Park Road in Shelburne and Ferry Road in
Charlotte. Expect lengthy traffic
delays.
In two weeks, voters will go to the polls to select
the Democratic nominee for Attorney General. It's a highly competitive race
where 7 term incumbent Bill Sorrell is being challenged by Chittenden County
State's Attorney T. J. Donovan. Vermont
does not have Party registration and voters can choose which Party's primary
they wish to participate in. Retired
Middlebury College political science professor Eric Davis says it's unusual for
a candidate to actively court voters from a different party in a primary
election but he says that's exactly what Donovan is doing this summer. Both
campaigns say they're mounting a strong get out the vote effort for the August
28th primary.
Vermont general fund revenues for July came in at
more than 6% better this year than last year, but fell slightly short of the
forecast. The general fund took in more than $92 million for the month, which
lagged behind the forecast by a bit less than 1%.
A lawyer for a group that promotes the rights of
gays and lesbians says a pastor's conviction in Vermont reinforces the rights
of same-sex parents. Kenneth Miller, a Virginia pastor, was convicted yesterday
for helping a woman flee the country with her daughter in 2009 so she wouldn't
have to share custody with her ex-partner, who lives in Vermont.
Six people accused of blocking a construction road
leading to the top of Lowell Mountain and a wind power project are on trial in
a Vermont court. The group is accused of lining the path to prevent workers and
trucks from reaching the area where Green Mountain Power contractors are
building the wind-energy project in Lowell.
Bennington Battle Day is today but events
celebrating the holiday will primarily take place this weekend. Today, admission to all state-owned
historic sites will be free including Mount Independence in Orwell, the
Hubbardton Battlefield in Hubbardton, the Chimney Point site in Addison, the
President Calvin Coolidge site in Plymouth Notch and the Bennington Battle
Monument, the tallest man-made structure in Vermont. Named for the Battle of
Bennington, Vermont’s only unique statewide holiday commemorates a
Revolutionary War battle fought on Aug. 16, 1777, in nearby New York.
A most unusual burglary took place in Barton.
Vermont State police say someone broke into the town library between Monday
night and Tuesday morning. They didn't take much, but they did do some
redecorating. Troopers say the
intruders stacked furniture in a pyramid about 20-feet high in the center of
the library floor. Police say nothing appeared to have been broken or
vandalized, and the only thing missing was a date stamp used to check out
books. This is the second time the
Barton library has been hit by the pranksters. And this time they also hit the
Glover library. There was no furniture moved there, but books were rearranged
in the stacks.
Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon will
present internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Giacomo Gates this evening at
7:30. General Admission is $12. Venue is BYOB. Brandon Music offers an Early
Bird dinner special, which includes a ticket for the jazz performance, for $22
per person. For Information &
Reservations visit www.brandon-music.net.
It's only in the proposal stage, but talk of a possible methadone clinic opening up a block from the South Burlington middle and high school is not going over well with parents and teachers. The clinic is currently open at Fletcher Allen Health Care on the University of Vermont campus, and would continue to be run by the Howard Center. U-V-M police say overall the clinic has had a minimal impact on campus. A spokesperson for Howard Center says the space is too small to handle 400 patients with another 100 on a waiting list. The school district is now looking into whether to become involved in the permit process.
It's only in the proposal stage, but talk of a possible methadone clinic opening up a block from the South Burlington middle and high school is not going over well with parents and teachers. The clinic is currently open at Fletcher Allen Health Care on the University of Vermont campus, and would continue to be run by the Howard Center. U-V-M police say overall the clinic has had a minimal impact on campus. A spokesperson for Howard Center says the space is too small to handle 400 patients with another 100 on a waiting list. The school district is now looking into whether to become involved in the permit process.
The primary race for the Democratic nomination for
Attorney General is turning into the most expensive race for that office in
state history. Challenger and
Chittenden County State's Attorney T-J Donovan wants to know where the
supporters for incumbent Attorney General Bill Sorrell are getting their
money. That was a hot issue during
Wednesday's debate, and while both campaigns have raised over a
hundred-thousand dollars, a so-called "super PAC" has paid nearly the
same amount to back the incumbent with T-V ads. The primary election is less than two weeks away.
Governor Peter Shumlin is way ahead in funding his
re-election campaign over his Republican challenger, state Senator Randy Brock.
Shumlin reported nearly $840,000 in contributions, so far this campaign. Brock
reported about $585,000 contributions, so far.
The head of the Peace Corps is visiting Vermont. Aaron Williams will join Sen. Patrick
Leahy today for an event at the University of Vermont highlighting the
contributions of Peace Corps volunteers from Vermont. John William Meyer of
Shelburne, a 2010 Middlebury College graduate who recently completed his Peace
Corps service in Peru, will also attend.
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont
& New York:
A Burlington police officer had to remove a woman
Wednesday from the front of Planned Parenthood building. It's that type of behavior that
prompted city leaders to call a meeting, the same day a buffer zone ordinance
went into effect. But during the hour-long
meeting there were more questions raised than answers given. "Stay tuned is my answer,"
said Burlington Deputy Chief Jen Morrison. City leaders put a 35-foot buffer zone around the St. Paul
Street building after many people complained about the protesters. "It's a great victory and a great
relief for our patients and staff who have been experiencing harassment,"
said Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Director of Vermont Public
Affairs Jill Krowinski. But
protesters say it's a violation of their first amendment rights. "It's really an unfair
ordinance," said Agnes Clift. To help alleviate confusion signs were put up the city. There are also temporary painted lines
on the ground. But protesters say
that doesn't help them understand why there's an ordinance. "We're being discriminated
against," said Clift. Planned
Parenthood workers say they'll continue to call police if needed. But police say it's not a priority and
when they arrive they aren't looking to get people in trouble. "We are going to do our best to
work with people, to educate them and to ask for compliance," said
Morrison. But if protesters don't
cooperate police say they can receive a $500 dollar fine. The buffer zone extends in front of a
nearby business. At the meeting
Wednesday the owner expressed concerned with city leaders and protesters about
standing in front of it. Like the
other issues, leaders say they'll look into what can be done.
As more Americans rely on Social Security and
Medicare, AARP leaders say a new survey shows they're worried those programs
won't be around. AARP
leaders say 90% of voters above age 50 think politicians need to strengthen
Social Security and Medicare. Nearly
all Vermont seniors use both programs.
The national organization didn't just talk to voters, they're working on
a document that lays out what plans federal and state leaders have before the
November elections. "As
opposed to the attacks on each side and sometimes it's hard to get beyond the
30 second commercials, but that's what we're trying to do," said AARP
Senior Vice President John Hishta.
That fact sheet won't be released for another two weeks. For more
information on the AARP Social Security and Medicare campaign, click here.
