WVTK Local & State News September 25, 2012

The Town Of Middlebury’s regular Select Board meeting will take place this evening at 7 in the Main Conference Room of the Town Offices.  Items on tonight’s agenda include a possible decision on stop signs at the intersection of College, Weybridge and Academy Streets.  Also scheduled is a report on the Exchange Street Traffic Study from Chief Hanley and a review of the 2013 Vermont League of Cities and Towns’ Municipal Policy.  Reports from various committees will include an update from the Recreation Committees meeting on the 19^th, the Town Center Steering Committee Meeting on the 18th, also a report from the Finance & Fundraising Task Forces meeting on the 18th and consideration of applying for up to $25,000 in recreation grant funding for improvements to the gym.  This meeting will also include an update on the Middlebury Fire Department Project.  For a complete agenda just visit the Town’s Website.

USDA Farm Service Agency County Executive Craig Miner reminds local producers that the deadline to sign-up for the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program is September 30^th.  The MILC Program financially compensates dairy producers when domestic milk prices fall below a specified level. MILC payments are made monthly when the milk price falls below the established price per hundredweight. For more clarification on the MILC Program, please contact your local Farm Service Agency office. (68 Catamount Park /Middlebury / 802-388-6748)

You are invited to Middlebury College’s annual Nicholas R. Clifford Symposium of the Arts. This year’s event, entitled “Creativity and Collaboration”, takes place this Thursday and Friday. The keynote speaker is Peabody Award-winning public radio producer Julie Burstein. She will speak Thursday evening at 7 in the Mahaney Center for the Arts Concert Hall. Call 443-3168, or visit www.middlebury.edu/arts for a complete schedule.

Residents in Pittsford who will have their water systems cut off from Proctor have gained some breathing room as the state is in the process of extending the deadline until next year.  Christine Thompson is the director of the drinking water and groundwater protection division of the Agency of Natural Resources and says the state is in the process of changing the deadline date — tentatively to Oct. 1, 2013.  Proctor Town Administrator Stan Wilbur said the new date is part of a new schedule for compliance proposed by the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He said the October 2013 date will be the last day water would flow from Chittenden to Proctor before the town is fined by the state and federal agencies.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce announces their fall fundraiser “Five Hundred Dollar Fridays”. Every Friday in December, TACC will give away $500.00. For a $20.00 donation you will receive a ticket for a chance to win. “Five Hundred Dollar Fridays” tickets will be available at the TACC office throughout the months of October and November. Only 300 tickets are available. Stop by to make your donation and get a ticket for chance to win before they are gone. Drawing dates are as follows: December 7, 14, 21 and 28.  Tickets will be hand drawn at random every Friday in December. All proceeds to benefit the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce if their efforts to serve, market and promote the Ticonderoga Area. The TACC will also donate $500.00 to be distributed among local food pantries. For additional information please contact the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce at 518-585-6619, chamberinfo@ticonderogany.com. The TACC office is located at 94 Montcalm Street, Suite1 in historic Downtown Ticonderoga.

A new calendar will help support Ticonderoga’s 250th anniversary.  The Ticonderoga, the First 250 Years Committee is selling commemorative 2012-13 calendars. The calendars, priced at $10 each, are available at the Hancock House, the Heritage Museum, the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce and at upcoming events.  Each of the 14 months, which include November and December 2012, has a local community sponsor. Each month also has a specific theme with related historic photographs. The calendars highlight public figures from the past and chronicle significant historical events.

More than 900 runners, including yours truly, took part in the annual Adirondack Distance Festival in Schroon Lake on Sunday.  Race Director Joel Friedman described it as an amazing day with lots of positive energy! Stanley Larkin of Quebec won the men’s marathon in 2 hours, 53 minutes, 24 seconds, while Meg Ray of New York City claimed the women’s title in 3:18:54. Hey, I was happy with my 3:51:17 finish for my very first full marathon!  Us marathoners had company over the second half of the course as 511 half marathoners hit the starting line and raced to the finish in Schroon Lake 13.1 miles later.

Fort Ticonderoga will welcome home-school students and their parents on Wednesday, October 17^th from 9:30 AM to 5 PM.  Home-school families will have an opportunity to take part in a series of programs while learning about life on the colonial frontier during the early days of America’s War for Independence. To register home-school students to participate call Nancy LaVallie, group tour coordinator at Fort Ticonderoga, at 585-2821. The cost is $6 a student. One parent is admitted free of charge. Additional adults pay the adult group rate of $12.  To learn more about programs for students and teachers from Fort Ticonderoga visit www.fort-ticonderoga.org.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and state officials visited North Hudson on Saturday.  Cuomo, cabinet commissioners and administration senior staff traveled to an area located among the 69,000 acres that were recently acquired by the state and are now part of the Adirondack State Park.  The trip was designed to help promote tourism in the Adirondack Park and find new ways to attract tourists from around the world. Local elected representatives and economic development officials joined the governor and state officials.

Last Friday the Rutland organization known as Pure Water for the World was presented with a “Classy Award for Excellence” in the Humanitarian, Nonprofit Field. Classys’ are to the charity field what Oscars are to motion picture arts and sciences.  Pure Water staff members made the trip to San Diego to receive the honor in person.  The award singled out Pure Water for the World’s outstanding assistance in disaster relief and international aid in Honduras and Haiti.

Organized opposition which does not want the Air Force to base F-35’s at the Vermont Air National Guard base in Burlington has a new weapon of their own: a lawyer.  The Stop the F-35 Coalition recently hired Bristol-based attorney James Dumont to look up information regarding basing the planes at Burlington International Airport.  Group members have concerns about the noise and their property values, and they want to know who would be financially responsible if the values go down.  The coalition says it has a few dozen plaintiffs lined up, with potentially hundreds more should they decide to eventually file a lawsuit.

Congressman Peter Welch is introducing a bill he hopes will help hold back tuition costs for students.  The bill first re-assesses federal mandates on colleges which end up being unnecessary and costly.  The second part of the legislation creates a task force of higher education-types looking at other ways to save.  Welch says the bill is still awaiting a co-sponsor.

Senator Bernie Sanders, along with colleagues from Maine and Minnesota, is seeking a federal review of the federal floor price for raw milk. The lawmakers say farm production costs have risen, including sharply higher prices for feed corn because of drought conditions across much of the nation's midsection.

State police suspect speed played a role in two deadly car crashes yesterday. Route 100 was closed for several hours in Eden that killed a Morrisville woman. The driver of a car seen speeding down a road yesterday evening in Coventry also died when their car was hit by a truck.

Governor Andrew Cuomo's fishing photo op in the Adirondacks has raised some eyebrows. Reporters questioned why he didn't wear a life vest and why his trout appeared to be too small to keep. Cuomo says the law doesn't require him to wear a life vest and that he released the fish.

Democrats hoping to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives are targeting four of the five New York Republicans who took seats away from Democrats two years ago. Republicans, meanwhile, are looking to reclaim to seats in Republican districts where Democrats won special elections.

A judge has refused a Vermont man's request to strike Barack Obama's name from the state's election ballots. The man, H. Brooke Paige, said the president is not a natural born citizen. Obama was born in Hawaii and is a United States citizen.

The state of Vermont is notifying towns still struggling financially from tropical storm repairs that it will give out payments early while those towns await federal reimbursement for repairs. State Treasurer Beth Pearce says the accelerated payments will help municipalities with any cash flow problems because of repair costs.

Seven out of Vermont's eight city mayors - including one Republican and one former Republican who's now an independent - are endorsing the re-election of Vermont Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin.  Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon, a Republican who two years ago endorsed Shumlin’s then opponent, Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, led the group at a Statehouse news conference on Monday.  Lauzon says he appreciated Shumlin's leadership following flooding in Barre 16 months ago, and on transitional housing for people being released form the corrections system.  The mayors of St. Albans, Newport, Winooski, Burlington, Montpelier and Rutland joined Lauzon in endorsing Shumlin.  Of Vermont's mayors, only Michael Daniels of Vergennes didn't join the group. Daniels says he works for the state and doesn't consider it proper to endorse anyone.

Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon will present Jerry Sabatini’s Sonic Explorers this Thursday at 7:30pm. General Admission is $12.  Brandon Music offers an Early Bird dinner special, which includes a ticket for the jazz performance, for $22 per person. Their music reflects a deep love and respect for modern jazz, soul, and folk, as well as music from the Middle East, Asia, and from 20th and 21st century classical composers.  For Information & Reservations: (802) 465-4071 / info@brandon-music.net.

They started singing in an actual barbershop eight years ago, and now they’re Vermont’s best all-female barbershop chorus – 50 voices strong, made up of women of all ages.  The Maiden Vermont chorus returns to Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater this Saturday for its second annual Fall Extravaganza. The concert is on Saturday at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15, $12 seniors, and $10 for students to age 18, and are available at www.townhalltheater.org.

As seasonal cooling continues, colors are firing up, sometimes seemingly brightening overnight as foliage unfolds across Vermont’s scenic landscape. Foresters are now pointing out regions where colors are showing mid-stage foliage, at 25-50 percent peak in the northeastern Washington County, Northeast Kingdom and chasing along the peaks of the Green Mountains.  Windsor County Forester Jon Bouton reported “The clear cool air is Nirvana…we've had several days in the last week when one could clearly see more than 50 miles from one of our hill tops.”  Best Bets: This week, Vermont State Foresters and the New England Maple Museum suggest touring these Mid-Peak routes:

- Route 302 through Orange, Groton & Ryegate.

- Route 4 from West Bridgewater, heading west to Killington over Sherburne Pass to Mendon.

- Route 73 from Rochester heading west over Brandon Gap to Sudbury.

- Route 103 from Ludlow through Mount Holly to Route 7.

“Treetops on higher elevations are showing bright yellows and oranges. Reds are plentiful and starting to brighten roadsides and meadow hedgerows. Could be a good year for red on the hillsides as the soft maples seem to be co-operating,” Tom Olson of the New England Maple Museum reports. “The rain and cooler weather has lowered temperatures in marshy areas causing trees to turn bright red and orange...a great contrast against the beige and brown backdrop of marsh grass, wild rice and cat tails.”  Stay Tuned: Jon the Forester notes I-89 / I-91 Bethel to Springfield are good starting points to see early stages of foliage, 5-20 percent. Also, Chittenden County is just starting to show modest colors, along low-lying march regions and vistas from Washington County along Route 2 and Route 12 are beginning to hint at the dynamicity that’s ahead in the next few weeks.

Suggested Hikes and Walks:

- Mount Horrid near the Brandon Gap

- Stowe Recreation Path

- Wheeler Mountain, Barton

- Sunset Ledge, Warren

- Groton State Park’s Boulder Beach

Leaf-peepers can also easily stay up-to-date on the color progression of Vermont’s foliage by calling the Fall Foliage Hotline at 1-800-VERMONT or Click HERE!

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

After controversy and a compromise, the Lamoille North Supervisory Union will allow the Pledge of Allegiance to be said before its school board meetings.  "If you don't want to say it, don't. We're going to think just as highly of you as we did before," says David Whitcomb, a school board member.  The decision, to make the pledge optional and before the actual meeting, was the subject of public outcry.  Many including military veterans felt the pledge should be part of the meeting. "If you can't stand up and say okay to that, it's a very serious issue," says John Buttolph, Commander VFW Post 9653. "It represents the country, the traditions that we have." Some board members had felt the pledge was unnecessary at meetings and felt their patriotism was under attack. "It's nice to have public involvement but over a divisive issue and where we get hate phone calls about how we are unpatriotic and so on, it's very disconcerting," says Bill Sander, a school board member.  The issue is popping up at various school boards in the Lamoille district because of a new superintendent.  He says he didn't mean to start a controversy, he just noticed meetings were missing the pledge and thought it should be added.

Earlier this month FOX44 told you expect to pay more for apple cider this fall, but some people are surprised to see a gallon cost $8-dollars!  The sweet treat doesn't cost that much at Adams' Apple Orchard in Williston, Vermont, but at $6-dollars a gallon, the orchard is charging its highest amount ever.  An early spring and frost killed much of the nation's crops.  Local apple growers say these high prices don't shock them.  "It's surprising to me that it's there but based on the market that I know with the apple crop as it stand I'm not surprised," said Adams' Apple Orchard owner John Adams.  Adams says a reason why some cider cost more is companies that depend on buying their apples, instead of being able to pick them from their own orchards, which means they pay a lot more to produce it.

Green Mountain Power is putting up a number of turbines that will generate power to thousands of homes on Lowell Mountain in Vermont.  It's a project Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott supported, but was taken back by it during a recent bike trip.  "I have to say I was struck by what I saw," said Scott.  The large turbines didn't blend in as well as Scott thought they would.  Now he wants the state to put a two-year moratorium on any new projects.  Scott says they didn't make a mistake moving ahead with wind, but before they add any new projects he wants make sure the current ones are environmentally safe.  That's an idea his opponent, Cassandra Gekas disagrees with.  "I think it's a mistake to have a 2 year moratorium on this," said Gekas.  Gekas says doing so would hurt jobs and thinks wind is an important part in reducing the state's dependence on foreign fuel.  The democrat says Scott's stance helps her.  "If this is a hot button topic for the campaign it just gives me an opportunity to spend more time listening to Vermonters and try and figure out how to make the process better," said Gekas.  Scott says he also wants to invest in renewable energies, but not at the expense of Vermont's beauty.  He also doesn't think this should be a platform for his opponent to use.  "It's not an us against them and I don't think this has to be. I think that this is a time that we just reassess," said Scott.  Vermont has seven ridgelines wind turbine projects that either in the works, or in the permitting process.