WVTK Local & State News August 31, 2012

At this week’s Middlebury Select Board Meeting a public hearing was held on the Flood-Fluvial Erosion Hazard Regulations.  After the hearing, the Board decided that the proposed regulations need more fine-tuning and will work with staff to revise the regulations.  Gary Baker, Susan Shashok and Nick Artim will work with Planning and Zoning staff to revise the regulations for the Board's review. There will be a public hearing on the revised regulations.

The Middlebury Select Board received the Quarterly Report from the Better Middlebury Partnership. BMP President Ben Wilson reviewed the quarterly report for April through June with the Board and noted the success of the Midd Summer Festival, an upcoming series of events for telecommuters and initiatives to promote Middlebury as a winter vacation destination. Ben also noted that attendance at events to date is up 25% from last year, with Spooktacular and Very Merry Middlebury yet to come. Because the rationale for the Town of Middlebury's subsidy of the marketing position of the BMP is to increase retail activity it was also noted that the sale Middlebury Money has expanded in the last year and that the BMP is trying to get a merchants' group together as well.

The Middlebury Parks & Recreation Director position has been advertised.   Interviews will be held in October with the goal of having a new Director in place for January 1.  Meanwhile the Business Development Advisory Board is continuing to refine the strategy for fundraising for the business component of the initiative. The next meeting of the Board is September 4th at 3:30 p.m. 

This week Middlebury Town Manager Bill Finger reported that ultra energy-efficient lighting has been installed in the Town Offices and gym, and is a vast improvement. Bill noted that he is seeking quotes for repair of the steps and brickwork to the College Street entrance to the gym in hopes of having the work completed by the November election.  Meanwhile according to Pat Shaw The Fire Facilities projects are going well. The Select Board did not endorse however a request for an increase in the approved amount for epoxy floor finishes.

A reminder that the Middlebury Select Board's first public meeting on the Town Plan will be on Tuesday, September 18th at 7 PM at the Ilsley Public Library. Copies of the Town Plan are available at the Ilsley Public Library and the Sarah Partridge Library and the Plan is posted on the Town's website.

The Middlebury Finance & Fundraising Task Force met on August 24th with a representative of Efficiency Vermont to learn more about the cost of and potential energy savings resulting from net-zero and net-zero ready construction. The presentation delivered at the meeting is posted on the Town's website. The Task Force will meet again on September 18th at 9AM. The Gym Task Force held its first meeting on August 21st and reviewed a list of projects completed on the gym and a list of deferred maintenance items prepared by Town Manager Bill Finger. In an effort toward preparing a comprehensive list of necessary projects to inform cost/benefit and life cycle cost analyses, the Gym Task Force will conduct a walk through of the gym on September 6th at 1 PM - all interested parties are invited to attend. The next meeting of the Town Center Steering Committee will be on September 11th at 10:30 AM.

The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce AnnualAuction continues.  Bidding will close next Tuesday evening. September 4^th at midnight. If you haven't checked out their auction recently, it's worth another look. Many new items have been added and continue to be added as quickly as they receive them. Plus there will be a few items available at the live auction that aren't available online such as bottles of wine from Lincoln Peak Vineyard and cider products from Champlain Orchards! It's not too late to RSVP for the annual meeting dinner! Please email Sue at sue@addisoncounty.com or call 388-7951 x2. 

The Town of Middlebury will be hosting a reception for retiring Town Manager Bill Finger! You are cordially invited to stop by Two Brothers Tavern Lounge on Thursday, September 20^th between 3:30 and 6:00 PM to wish Bill well as he starts this next adventure.

It’s that time of year for the annual Addison County Benefit Tractor and Truck Pull. The popular event, now in its seventh year, is all for a good cause.  Like past year’s this year’s benefit pull will raise money for local families in need. The event will be held September 14^th & 15^th in New Haven.  According to event spokeswoman Kirstin Quesnel the benefit pull has been able to give over $125,000 over the past six years, benefiting 22 Vermont families through times of struggle and suffering.  She also noted that the event attracts tractor pullers from Vermont and nearby New York farming communities.  The pulls will start at 6 PM Friday and 10 AM Saturday. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids and is held at the Addison County Fair and Field Days fairgrounds in New Haven. Their new website, www.addisonbenefitpull.com, will go online this Saturday.

It's hard to believe, but it's back to school time!  All schools will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day, with most schools scheduled to reopen to students later in the week.  Here are some return dates for New York area schools: In Crown Point faculty will return Tuesday the 4^th and students return Thursday the 6^th; in Elizabethtown-Lewis faculty will return the 4^th with students are returning Wednesday the 5^th for a half day; in Moriah faculty return the 4^th and students return the 6^th; in Ticonderoga faculty returned this past Wednesday with students returning to the classroom on Tuesday the 4^th; in Westport faculty are back on Tuesday and students return Thursday; in Willsboro faculty and students will return Tuesday; and at St. Mary’s School faculty and students will return to the Ticonderoga school on the 4^th.

New York Police are cracking down on impaired driving for the Labor Day weekend. The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee says now through Monday state and local law-enforcement agencies will be setting up sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols as part of the STOP-DWI program.  This is the fifth statewide crackdown in New York to take place this year.  Police remind the public that drivers in the state of New York are considered to be over the legal limit if their blood-alcohol content is 0.08 or higher.  All 62 counties in the state participate in the holiday program. 

Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos says he wants to require that city and town clerks report election results to his office on election night. At the same time, Condos says he wants to streamline other steps in the reporting process to make it easier for clerks.  Condos said Tuesday marked the second part of a three-part test this year: He asked clerks to report results to his office in the March presidential primary, the state primary and on the night of the general election coming up in November.  He said about 76% of clerks participated on Tuesday. Condos said he wants the Legislature to make it mandatory by 2014.

Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire are receiving a total of $9.6 million as part of a nationwide settlement between the drug company Johnson & Johnson and the 34 other states.  The $181 million nationwide settlement with Johnson and Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals is believed to be the largest multi-state consumer protection settlement ever.  Vermont's share is $4.1 million. New Hampshire's is about $2.8 million and Maine's is $2.7 million.  The states allege that Janssen improperly marketed various anti-psychotic drugs.  The settlement restricts Janssen from promoting some of its anti-psychotic drugs for "off-label" uses that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A food cooperative planned in Bennington has drawn concerns from a small food business in the area.  The co-op is scheduled to open this fall. Bennington has been designated a “food desert” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meaning it’s difficult for people to find healthy, affordable food. That may help the market get federal grant money.  One local business owner said she was offended by the designation. She said a federal grant for the co-op could create “incredibly unfair” competition that she feared could bring about the end of her business.  Board members said they’d address the matter at their next meeting.

Vermont State Police say a man wanted by state prison officials after he went missing while on furlough in May has been arrested. Police said 33-year-old Greg Wolcott, of Fletcher, was arrested Wednesday afternoon along a riverbank in Fairfax. They said he also is a person of interest in dozens of burglaries over the last six weeks in the Champlain Valley. He was processed at the St. Albans State Police barracks and was being held without bail.

A judge is considering whether a former Vermont nurse accused of killing her baby grandson is competent to face trial.  Pamela Raymond is facing charges in the September 13, 2010, death of 3-month-old Warren Bailey, who overdosed on an antidepressant. She has pleaded not guilty. The Burlington Free Press reports a defense psychiatrist testified Wednesday that she was incompetent to stand trial.

The second leg of the long-awaited Bennington bypass highway project is now open for traffic in the southwestern Vermont community.  Gov. Peter Shumlin and top officials from the Federal Highway Administration were on hand yesterday to open the roadway that has been under construction since 2007.  The $72 million project is intended to allow freight to move through the area more easily and keep big trucks out of the downtown.

Officials in the Vermont town of Windham want to stop a commercial wind power project, saying their town plan and zoning regulations forbid it.  A subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables wants to place two test towers in Windham and one in Grafton on land owned by New Hampshire-based Meadowsend Timberlands Limited. Windham officials sent a letter to the state. It says the project is inconsistent with the views of its planning commission, Select Board and residents.

“Rock of Ages,” a feel-good love story that’s full of comedy and told through the hit songs of iconic rockers, comes to Rutland’s Paramount Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 4th and 5th.  Called “more fun than it has any right to be” by Entertainment Weekly, the Broadway musical is built around the songs of Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, and many more, and won five Tony Award nominations. This touring production was created by Phoenix Entertainment, which brought “Monty Python’s Spamalot” to the Paramount in April for two nearly sold-out houses.  Get your tickets and more information now at www.paramountlive.org.

A new website touting Vermont's tastiest stops is in full swing just in time for tourist season.  Those running the site say it is different from other sites like “YELP!” where foodies rate their experiences because it is not limited to restaurants, but rather any local food source that is open to the public like breweries, country stores and farmers markets. But there are some limitations to landing your business on the site. The site launched earlier this month, and they are now testing it to see where it is finding success as they prepare for the foliage season. Click here for Dig In Vermont's website. 

It's probably not going to be until next week before Progressives know which candidate will represent their party on the November ballot in the race for governor.  Despite the primary being earlier this week, the votes are close and the Secretary of State is asking for everyone to be patient until results are certified next Tuesday.  Out of 600 votes cast, Annette Smith is trailing Progressive candidate Martha Abbott by about 40 votes, according to the Secretary of State's website.  Both are write-in candidates.

Police are out in force for traffic safety.  Vermont State Police and members of local police departments are out in force, conducting sobriety checkpoints through the holiday weekend.  As part of a Labor Day traffic safety campaign, police will look for impaired drivers at the checkpoints. They will also patrol and crack down on aggressive driving, speeding and drivers who aren’t buckled up. Fifty-four people have died in Vermont crashes this year. State police said that is twice as many fatalities as were recorded by this same time in 2011, and it’s higher than the three-year average.

The Vermont-based band Phish is stepping up to help disabled vets get around more easily.  What they're doing is helping the vets buy Segways, which many say has changed the way they live their lives.  You can help as well, by buying a Phish T-shirt on the band's website, with their Waterwheel Foundation donating proceeds to "Segs for Vets."

From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont & New York:

Imagine seeing gas prices jump 25 cents in just a matter of days. It's a reality for some people, just as millions of us are hitting the road for Labor Day.  Rodney Eddings is one of those people. He's excited to leave Vermont because he thinks the south has cheaper gas.  "When I left North Carolina gas was like 40 cents cheaper on the gallon than it is [in Vermont]," said Eddings.  That isn't the case anymore. AAA reports gas has risen 5 cents in our area but North Carolina drivers are now paying the same amount as Vermonters.  "Kind of makes me think I need to stay here," said Eddings.  It's not just North Carolina. If you're traveling down south gas prices all over are rising.  The two worst AAA says are Kentucky, where its risen nearly 20 cents this week and Ohio, which is up a quarter! Eddings says he's not surprised.  "Every time there's a storm down south toward Louisiana, in the south, the gas prices usually go up," said Eddings.  But is Isaac to blame? Vermont Fuel Dealers Association Executive Director Matt Cota says not completely.  "Most of the impact of Isaac is minimal. Again the big market drivers isn't the supply and demand on the ground, but the movement of money on Wall Street," said Cota.  Cota says the reason for the increase in other parts of the country might be tied to how they get their fuel. He says if crude prices go up, then shipping company's pay more, which is passed onto the consumer.  This for drivers, including Eddings, doesn't make it any better.  "It impacts everyday life," said Eddings. For more information on gas prices, click here.