WVTK Local & State News October 16, 2012

The Westport Town Council has two more special meetings to work on the 2013 budget.  The meetings, which are open to the public, will be held at 6:30 PM today and 5 PM on October 23rd, all with regular board meetings to follow.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, in partnership with the Vermont Sugarmakers Association and UVM Extension, will hold three public meetings to take comment on the proposed changes to the maple grading system.  One of the three meetings will take place locally today at the American Legion Post 27 here in Middlebury. The meetings will begin promptly at 7:00PM. For more information, please contact Henry Marckres at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets: 802-828-3458

Various meetings are coming up this week here in Middlebury.  On Wednesday the Recreation Committee will meet at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include an update on recruitment of a new Parks & Recreation Director, a preview of winter programs and finalizing plans for the Turkey Trot and New Years Eve.  Meanwhile the River Task Force will me meet soon, stay tuned for details on a date and time.  Get an up-to-date list of meetings and agendas anytime by visiting the Town of Middlebury’s Website.

SunCommon, a new initiative to get homeowners using solar energy with no money down, will host a solar seminar in Middlebury this Thursday. This will be a chance to learn more about how solar works, what makes a good solar site, and how incentives and innovative financing have finally made it affordable for all Vermonters.  The seminar will be held at the Ilsley Library at 6 PM.  The event is co-sponsored by the Middlebury Energy Committee.

A driver who hurt five people when his car struck other parked cars as well as people on a soccer field will not be charged.  This all happened at a soccer jamboree at Mount Abraham High School in Bristol, and police say it's because the driver suffered a seizure. The driver is a parent of one of the young soccer players.  Two of the five people hurt were children including one boy who underwent surgery for a broken arm.

Beginning at 6:00 tomorrow morning and running through 6:30 PM on Friday, Our very own Bruce & Hobbes is launching their 2nd annual 72-hour fundraiser in support of the Homeward Bound Animal Welfare Center, formerly Addison County Humane Society.  During the fundraiser, “Bruce & Hobbes - Ca$h for Paws,” we will be playing your requests for a donation to Homeward Bound.  They key here is ANY song regardless of the genre!  If we have access to it, we’ll play it!  Requests and donations can be made in person, over the phone at 802-382-9210, via e-mail at bruce@921wvtk.com or by mail.  Payment can be made by cash, check or credit card.  Learn more by clicking HERE!

This Sunday from 10 AM to 2 PM, the Middlebury Snow Bowl will host an open house with a pancake breakfast, lift rides, retail and pass sales.  The Middlebury Ski club will be selling breakfast for $5 featuring pancakes, sausage and local Vermont maple syrup with proceeds to benefit the club.  New members are welcome and will be served breakfast on the club! The Worth Mt. Chair will be operating and season passes will be sold and processed.  The ski shop will be open for retail sales and equipment leases, and Snow School staff will be available to answer any questions about or registrations for our many Snow School programs.  Come on up to the bowl and enjoy a view from the top!!

Vergennes will celebrate Pumpkins in the Park and More: Big Pumpkin Fun in the Little City on Saturday October 27th.  The annual event has been expanded and is now a fun-filled day for the whole family. Spooky stories at the Bixby Memorial Library and Trick-or-Treating on Main Street will be some of the highlights. In the morning, the Vergennes Lions Club will be sponsoring a 1mile and 5k-costume race thought the streets of Vergennes.  Also new this year is the Great Pumpkin Cook Off.  After judging is complete, any remaining food will be sold, with all proceeds benefiting the Vergennes Community Food Shelf.  In the evening, a children's Halloween safety presentation will be held at the Vergennes Fire Station.  The Vergennes Police Department will be giving away free reflective bags and glow sticks to be used on Halloween. The evening will conclude with the lighting and judging of the pumpkins on City Park.

StoryMatters, a group promoting the fun of storytelling for adults, will host attorney and farmer Peter Langrock next Tuesday the 23^rd at Ilsley Public Library in Middlebury from 7 - 8 PM.  Peter’s stories will relate to the history of the Jamaican apple pickers in Addison County and apple harvest problems both in and out of the courts of law.  Langrock is the author of" Addison County Justice" and "Beyond the Courthouse".  For further information contact Len Rowell at lar17g@myfairpoint.net or David Clark at Ilsley Public Library, 388-4095.

Vermont Business Magazine has named National Bank of Middlebury’s Lindsey Wing as a 2012 Rising Star.  One of 40 honorees under the age of 40, Lindsey was selected based on criteria including superior business professionalism and local community involvement.

The Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance has turned its attention to job training. The alliance met with local educators and business people recently to discuss the needs of area employers.  Hosted by Inter-Lakes Health, the meeting attracted 22 people from the region.  The group will gather again next Monday morning the 22nd at 9 at the Inter-Lakes Health library to continue the “curriculum” discussion. For information contact Van Wert at ChattieVW@ticonderoga-alliance.org or call 565-0054.

Embattled Essex Town Clerk Catherine DeWolff resigned over the weekend.  Her pay had been withheld for two pay periods in September, as required by state law, because she did not submit a financial report for July. The report, along with one for August, was turned in October 4th, and she was paid the next day. But in an unexpected development, DeWolff left her letter of resignation at the Town Hall on the weekend. No reason was given in the letter. Essex Town Supervisor Sharon Boisen said the situation would be discussed at the Essex Town Council meeting at 7 PM this Thursday.

State Police were investigating a truck accident on the Northway yesterday.  At about 11:20 yesterday morning a tractor-trailer truck carrying carbon dioxide overturned near the Willsboro exit.  The Keeseville Fire Department was called to the scene.  The driver was injured, and radiator fluid was leaking, but there were no reports of a carbon-dioxide leak.

Work went better than expected during the installation of a new water pipe along Woodstock Avenue in Rutland, saving enough money to replace another 180 feet of aging pipe set in the ground before the start of the Civil War.  When construction crews broke ground on the $575,000 project, plans were to dig up and replace 1,700 feet of the water main between Hillside Drive and Porter Street. But thanks to some unexpected savings, project representative Robert Harrigan said crews would be stretching a little farther west past Crown Street.  The additional work already underway will mean further delays for motorists as crews dig up portions of the four-lane avenue.

A judge says a Virginia pastor must testify before a grand jury investigating the kidnapping of a now-10-year-old girl by her mother, who refused to share custody with the Vermont woman who was once her civil union partner. Court documents say 46-year-old Kenneth Miller had asked a judge to quash a subpoena, but he refused. The judge says prosecutors have guaranteed Miller immunity for anything he says before the grand jury.

Senator Bernie Sanders has raised nearly $7 million in his bid for a second 6-year term. That's expected to dwarf the fundraising efforts of Republican challenger John MacGovern, who had raised less than $30,000 as of early August. Updated numbers for him were not immediately available.

The Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation has no immediate plans to change the use of the 13-acre Dutton Pines State Park in Dummerston. The Brattleboro Reformer reports that is good news for those who worried the state would sell the property off Route 5 that has been declared "surplus property," but it's bad news for those who want to see more recreational opportunities there.

The Vermont Law School is getting ready to inaugurate a new president and dean. Marc Mihaly assumed both those titles August 1st and is to be formally installed in the job on October 26th. He replaces Geoff Shields, who had held the top job on the South Royalton campus since 2004.

New York is spending almost $7,000 on each of its citizens. This is according to a new report by New York's Comptrollers Office.  Thomas Dinapoli says the state has made progress toward aligning its spending and revenue.   Total spending for the last fiscal year was down $1.3 billion.   But, spending has grown about 15% since 2008.

Authorities say a New York road blocked by massive boulders from a collapsed cliff is expected to be closed until later in the week.  State transportation officials say contractors began removing an estimated 1,000 cubic yards of debris from a 200-foot long stretch of Route 4 in Fort Ann at about midday Monday. They say the slide near the Vermont border happened just after 9 AM.  Now engineers are trying to determine how badly the road is damaged and how to make sure more rock doesn't fall.  There were initial reports an SUV might have been caught in the slide, but emergency officials say they've found no sign that happened.

Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon will present drummer Yoron Israel and his High Standards Quartet this Thursday Evening at 7:30. General Admission is $12. Brandon Music Café offers a concert and dinner package, which includes dinner and a ticket to the show for $27 plus tax per person. Yoron Israel is a drummer, composer, bandleader and educator. While serving as a professor at the Berklee College of Music, Israel consistently records and performs.  For Information & Reservations just visit Brandon Music's Website!

There’s still some foliage to catch around Vermont this season as we enter the “late stage” of color.  Click HERE for the latest Vermont Fall Foliage Report.

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

Some residents in Berlin, Vermont are outraged over newly released prisoners possibly moving into their neighborhood. At Monday's select board meeting, they looked to town leaders for help on how to stop it.  No need to ask these neighbors in Berlin, Vermont how they feel.  "It puts a bad taste in my mouth and just very uncomfortable," said Jean Bruce of Berlin.  Four prisoners, two of them sex offenders, are expected to move into this neighborhood on Chandler road once they are released from jail. Neighbors like Jean Bruce were never notified, rather found out through this sign, "A couple of the neighbors had posted on telephone poles," said Bruce.  And her other neighbors are not happy with the possible idea. The town select board meeting was packed full of people wanting to make sure something would be done.  "No state government has the right to come into your home and tell you we'll do what we want," said a concerned Berlin resident.  "It does warrant a little more looking into," said a concerned Berlin resident.  "I'm speaking for the children," said a concerned Berlin resident.  Jean's biggest concern is her son, Nathan who has Down syndrome, "Mom and dad's biggest concern number 1 is always to keep you safe," Jean tells her son.  She supports the idea but thinks it should be in a different location, not near children, "We feel there really isn't a whole lot of rehabilitation for a sex offender."  Many people aimed blame at the elected town officials, but they too had just found out.  "Let's try and come with a way to fix this together," said a select board member.  The town administrator says it could in fact become a zoning issue, but they will need to find out more.  "We're taking it very seriously and as I said we will issue you an opinion here shortly," said Jeff Schulz, Berlin Town Administrator.  The parties involved with the rehabilitation program and also the homeowner, who gave permission to rent out the space, did not show up to the meeting. The town select board plans to look into the issue further to see if any legal issues would impact the decision.

Last year's ski season was unlike any other. That's because winter in Vermont was hardly that. And because of Mother Nature's dry spell, many of the area resorts are all making improvements in the same area... snow making! Skiing is a pricey sport, so before you spend your hard-earned cash hitting the slopes, we wanted to show you some big improvements resorts have made over the summer, to get your business.  "If we had a drought last summer, we're probably going to get buried this winter," Stowe's Director of Marketing Mike Colbourn said.  Despite many people hoping for a snowy winter, Stowe, Jay, Smugglers' Notch, Burke and Killington all spent their summers planning for the opposite. All five resorts made snowmaking improvements, and those are just the spots we checked in with.  "It gives us a good start on the season 'til the natural snow starts to fall and it gives us a good base in the Spring so we can go to mid April," Steve Wry, Smugglers' Notch Director of Skiing Services and Safety said.  And Killington put their new equipment to the test, the mountain was covered with snow on Sunday, and it was all man-made! Season pass holders got to ski before snow even fell from the sky. Jay is adding a restaurant, parking, ski school, two new lifts, and even with all of that, lower ticket prices.  Smugglers' Notch turned trees and rocks into rails and jumps, to make an all-natural terrain park... playground in the woods if you will.  "It should be a lot of fun," Wry said.  Smugglers' Notch provides mixed terrain, “there’s some great beginner trails down in the village and we have good intermediate and expert terrain up here," Wry added.  But Stowe says it has great trails and scenery, “well it's Vermont's highest peak, I'm biased, but I love this terrain," Colbourn said.  Regardless of where you ride, it sounds like snow and lots of it will cover the green mountains soon.   Stowe opens for the season November 17th.  Smugglers' Notch will be ready for riders the day after Thanksgiving.  Many of the resorts in the area are offering specially priced season passes.