A high-risk sex offender is now out of prison, but
apparently corrections officials don't know where he is. Although free, Calbraith Macleod is
required to register as a sex offender, something he has not done since his
release and authorities are issuing a warning to the public. Macleod served more than 20 years for
sexually assaulting his wife and was let out on Tuesday, and authorities say he
has connections in Chittenden and Rutland Counties. The Rutland Herald reports that while in prison, Macleod did
not participate in sex offender treatment.
The Middlebury Recreation Committee will meet today 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 on Friday at 9AM in the Town Offices. Items to be covered include a review of the Engineering RFP and Schedule as well as the remaining tasks and schedule for the River Task Force. Get an up-to-date list of meetings and agendas anytime by visiting the Town of Middlebury’s Website.
The Middlebury Recreation Committee will meet today 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 on Friday at 9AM in the Town Offices. Items to be covered include a review of the Engineering RFP and Schedule as well as the remaining tasks and schedule for the River Task Force. Get an up-to-date list of meetings and agendas anytime by visiting the Town of Middlebury’s Website.
EastView at Middlebury, the area’s newest community
for seniors, will host this month’s Addison County Chamber Of Commerce Mixer.
The mixer is just one of several events that week that will celebrate
EastView's grand opening. Tours of both the independent-living and assisted
living apartments will be offered. There was no Pot of Gold winner drawn at September's
mixer! The value of the pot grows to $550! The mixer will take place this Thursday from 5 – 7 PM. Get details and RSVP today by visiting the Chamber's Website!
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce October
“After Business Mixer” will be held this Thursday at Eddie’s Restaurant from
5:30 PM until 7:00 PM. Sponsors providing door prizes include Dunkin Donuts of
Ticonderoga, Jayna Anderson Photography and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. Eddie’s
Restaurant is located on Route 9N in Ti.
The Chambers “After Business Mixers” provide a networking forum for area
business people in addition to showcasing the site of the host as well as promoting
the door prize sponsors. All area
chamber members, business people and their employees are invited to attend. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com
Tuesday the 23rd is the date of the Vermont Rail
Action Network annual meeting. It
features a dinner, presentation and celebration with other rail advocates. The event is co-sponsored with the
Franklin Environmental Center, the hub of environmental and sustainability
education at Middlebury College. There
has been some exciting progress on the Western Corridor between Rutland and
Burlington over the last year and the state along with the Shumlin
administration has committed to bring intercity passenger service north from
Rutland to Burlington by 2017. Meeting
at Middlebury will give you a chance to hear more about the Western Corridor
and how it will benefit Middlebury College, Vermont, and our rail network. It starts at the Kirk Alumni Center at
Middlebury College. Reception with cash bar will begin at 5:30 and the event
runs from 6 - 9.
In honor of the recent visit by His Holiness the
14th Dalai Lama to Middlebury and to celebrate Vermont’s connection with
Himalayan culture, Middlebury College is hosting an exhibition of contemporary
Tibetan art. Contemporary jewels:
An Offering presents eleven works by five artists of Tibetan heritage. In
addition to Contemporary Jewels the Davis Family Library is also playing host
to a number of sacred Tibetan texts, ritual and liturgical texts and
illuminated sutras on loan from the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center in
Cambridge, MA as well as several photographs taken by U. S. Sen. Patrick Leahy
on a trip to Tibet in 1988. These works of art, sacred books, and photographs
will remain on view in their respective locations until January 11th.
The City of Rutland wants to change its website so
that it’s easier to change its website.
Ease of updates ranked high among Mayor Christopher Louras' goals for
the redesign, which the city sent out to bid earlier this month. The request
for proposals is available on the city’s website, which Louras said was
designed some time between 2002 and 2004 and has never had a significant
upgrade. Bids are due November 2nd.
Because of the bid process, the Mayor said he did not want to be specific about
cost estimates, but indicated the city was expecting the revamp to run in the
thousands of dollars range.
Green Mountain Power is seeking to lease Rutland City
land for what would be one of the largest solar power projects in the state. The utility presented an offer to the
Board of Aldermen on Monday, which voted unanimously to refer the issue to the
community and economic development committee. Earlier in the year, GMP purchased an option on the property
off Gleason Road as it researched the potential for solar power development
there. Steve Costello, GMP’s vice
president of generation and energy innovation, said that research indicated the
property could hold collectors with a total capacity of slightly more than 2
megawatts.
It’s budget time, and Essex County is again
planning to override the state’s 2 percent property-tax-levy cap. On Monday, the Essex County Board of
Supervisors Personnel and Administration Committee passed a resolution for a
local law that would bypass it for the 2013 county budget. County lawmakers said the budget could
potentially rise $13 million, and the state cap, adjusted to 2.55 percent for
Essex County, would allow only a $383,600 tax-levy increase. The county also
overrode the cap last year in passing a $15.2 million tax levy that carried a
10 percent tax hike, for a budget totaling $102 million.
Glen Buell is the Ticonderoga coordinator for the
annual Salvation Army Red Kettle drive. He and Tina Martin, the Salvation Army
Port Henry coordinator, are lining up help for the traditional charity effort. The 2012 Red Kettle campaign will
continue through Christmas Eve in Ticonderoga and Port Henry. Volunteers are
needed in both communities on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting the week
before Thanksgiving. The campaign will conclude Christmas Eve. People
interested in volunteering for the Red Kettle campaign, or throughout the
entire year, can call Glen at 597-3222 or Tina at 546-4020.
Plans are under way for the annual Crown Point
community Thanksgiving dinner. The
dinner will be served at the United Methodist Church fellowship hall on Creek
Road Wednesday, November 21st. There will be a continuous serving 4 to 7 PM.
There is no cost. The meal is a
joint effort of Sacred Heart, Crown Point United Methodist and the First
Congregational churches. They are
currently looking for volunteers to help out with the dinner.
A coffee company that sold a $40.3 million portion
of its business to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters filed a bankruptcy
reorganization plan this month. TC
Global Inc., the parent company of Tully’s Coffee Shops, announced the Chapter
11 bankruptcy last Wednesday. The move does not affect the wholesale and online
Tully’s Coffee business and brand, which Green Mountain Coffee Roasters had
acquired. Tully’s said in a news
release that it will continue to buy coffee for its retail stores under its
existing supply and licensing agreements with the Vermont-headquartered
company. Tully’s owes more than
$346,000 to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
Public health officials say it's already time for
your flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants anyone
older than six months to receive the vaccine. A CDC map doesn't show the seasonal flu taking hold in
Vermont quite yet, but Vermont's Immunization Program Director Christine Finley
says it's not too early to guard against it. Flu shots were once thought to be 80 to 90 percent effective
in preventing the disease. But
Finley concedes that figure may be closer to 60 percent. She says research
suggests that this year's shot is a good match for the illness to come and it
won't fade too early. However, she
says a few people - including those with egg allergies - shouldn't get
immunized, so your provider should be up to date on your health history. In addition to the shot, Finley urges
people to practice sanitary health habits and, if they do get sick, to stay
home to avoid infecting others.
A private fund-raising group set up to help
Vermonters recover from Tropical Storm Irene has paid out more than $2 million
to flood victims. There is another
$2 million remaining in Vermont's Long Term Disaster Relief Fund, but officials
say they could still be short of the money required to meet the ongoing demand
for assistance following last year's flood. So far, the fund has helped 195 applicants working to
rebuild their homes and their lives after the storm. Doug Bishop, the head of the fund's allocation committee, says
there are still several hundred cases being worked on throughout Vermont. Bishop
says that in some instances, caseworkers are just hearing from people seeking
assistance. The group is still
actively fundraising.
Vermonters may have their Thanksgiving turkey
before knowing the official results of the November 6th election. That's the word from Secretary of State
Jim Condos, who says he's worried about a delay that could be caused by a
lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. The federal agency wants the state to push back until
November 16, ten days after the election, the deadline for overseas and
military voters to get their ballots to municipal clerks. The lawsuit says the delay is needed
because a recount in the Progressive gubernatorial primary delayed issuance of
some ballots past the September 22nd deadline. Condos says if the delay is granted, it could take until
after the Thanksgiving holiday for his office to certify official election
results.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says an expected
post-election session for the Legislature to raise lawmakers' pay will need to
include other issues, including raising the minimum wage. Cuomo says he wants
the special session to take up increasing the minimum wage and placing some
restrictions on the stop & frisk practices of police.
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!!
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!
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.
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News Your Voice in Vermont
& New York:
Vermont is iconic for maple syrup, it's a tradition
passed down many generations and the proposed changes leave anything but a
sweet taste in Kenneth Bushee's mouth.
"Are we going to lower our standards to keep up with the rest of
the country? Or are they going to raise their standards to keep up with us? I'd
hate to see ours lowered," said Bushee. Here's what would change: The syrup now known as
"Fancy" becomes "Golden Color - Delicate Taste.' ‘Grade A Medium
Amber' changed to ‘Amber Color Rich Taste', and ‘Dark Amber' to ‘Dark Color
Robust Taste.' Dave Folino, a
sugarer out of Bristol, is torn on the decision, "We'll be able to market
better or at least equally with the bigger markets and we need those bigger
markets." But he understands
the value of tradition and branding which are two things sugarer Ed Griffith,
of Danby, can't let go of, "There's nothing I'd like better than to live
in the county that's the only place in the world to produce Vermont fancy
syrup." Which is why he
proposed Rutland County be exempt from the law. But Agriculture officials say
it's important to stay competitive with the international markets, "In
order to compete with Canadian syrup, other states syrup, if you're calling it
the same thing than it all comes down to the quality of the product, the flavor
and the price," said Henry Marckres, with the Vermont Department of
Agriculture. But he's certain
Vermont syrup can beat out the rest when it comes to quality. If passed the changes are not expected
to happen until 2014. The next meeting is tonight in Woodstock.
The South Burlington Development Review Board will
soon decide whether a permit needed to open a methadone clinic should stand. That clinic is controversial because it
is close to two South Burlington schools.
The Howard Center, which will run the clinic, defends the plan and tried
to address safety concerns from the South Burlington School Board and parents. Howard Center director of mental health
Bob Bick says safety is an issue for them too and the clinic will have security
staff. "Individuals who can
walk outside the space. Could be walking in the parking lot. Could be walking
around. Generally to be sure there are no incidents," says Bick. The Howard Center says crime should not
be a problem and UVM professor Dr. Eleanor Miller agreed. She pointed to a study of areas around
methadone clinics. "The crime
rate stays the same. In some instances, it seems to go down," says Miller. The Center needs a permit to fix office
space to be ready for the clinic to open.
The school board argues the permit was not issued correctly. While the Howard Center defended the
permit it needs to work on the office space, the school district's attorney
Pietro Lynn says there were mistakes in the permit application process. "For that reason it should be sent
back to the beginning," says Lynn.
On Tuesday, the review board just wanted to hear from everyone
involved. Once it closes public
comments, it has 45 days to decide whether the permit will stand.
Kids wear helmets when riding their bikes to
protect their brain, fast forward a few years, they’re still wearing helmets...
but this time, in war. They can be equally life saving. One company in Newport, Vermont makes
the helmets and is doubling its workforce by the end of the year. Helmets made at a facility in Newport,
Vermont by local Vermonters save lives overseas daily. When former State Senator Michael
Metcalf's son was serving in Iraq eight years ago, he was shot in the head and
could have died, "a little blood, big headache, some stitches, this helmet
saved his life," Metcalf said.
The company, "Revision Military" signed a $21.6 million
contract with the Army, and is making 90-thousand more of those life saving
combat helmets for the U.S. Military.
"You and I are not the ones who are putting our lives on the line,
they are... I think we owe it to give them the best possible equipment,"
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy said. And
Revision is adding 40 more employees to complete the task. "You're also creating jobs in an
area that needs jobs," Sen. Leahy added. The helmets are lightweight and worn by most U.S. soldiers
and even some from other countries.
"Helmets are going to be required by the military and police around
the world indefinitely," Revision Military CEO, Jonathan Blanshay said. Revision Military says it's hiring
immediately. People fit for the job will receive training, but even so,
Blanshay says there's not enough people for the work they need done. "Technically capable, engineering
driven positions here I think are under serviced," Blanshay said.
"These are good paying jobs and require skilled workers," Sen. Leahy
said. So the story gets to
continue for one... of many soldiers who came close to not coming home, all
thanks to a helmet. "Partially
delaminated the kevlar, cut him in the temple, but he survived," Metcalf
added about his son. Metcalf had
his son send a picture of the serial number that was on the inside of the
helmet that took the bullet, and personally thanked those exact workers who
made the specific helmet, that saved his son's life.
An earthquake that hit southern Maine has rattled
nearby New England states as far as Connecticut, including the Boston area. The U.S. Geological Survey at first
estimated the Tuesday evening quake as a 4.6 magnitude, but later downgraded
that to 4.0. It hit at about 7:12 p.m. The epicenter, about 3 miles west of
Hollis Center, Maine, is about 3 miles deep. That's about 20 miles west of
Portland. The Maine Emergency
Management Agency had no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Fox 44
received phone calls, emails, and Facebook posts about the shaking at roughly
7:13pm Tuesday. Only moments after the quake struck in Maine.
