The Vermont Health
Department will offer free whooping cough vaccines today, in an effort to fight
what they're calling an epidemic. The
number of confirmed whooping cough or pertussis cases in Vermont this year has
skyrocketed to 568. That's roughly 10 times higher than last year. The vaccines
will be offered at 12 clinics across the state between 10 AM and 6 PM including
the Middlebury District Office at 156 South Village Green, Suite 102 and the
Rutland Office on Merchants Row.
No appointment is necessary. For questions about pertussis or the
clinics you can call 211 or visit the health department's website.
The Addison County
Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a meeting open to both members and the
public entitled “Embezzlement, Fraud & Theft: It Can (and does) Happen
Here.” The meeting will be held on Monday, January 7th, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM in
the Ilsley Library Community Room in Middlebury. Holden Insurance is sponsoring
the meeting. The featured speaker
is Tom Hughes, a one-time banker, accountant, business manager, and small
business CFO. With multiple felony convictions for fraud and deceit, he is now
a disgraced ex-accountant with a story to tell. Tom will share some of the
things he’s learned. Andy Mayer, president of the Addison County Chamber of
Commerce, said “We’ve
recently been made aware of an embezzlement case in Addison County, so we know
the problem exists—right here in our own backyard.” He goes on to say he’s sure
we all think we can’t be duped and that we have all the right checks and
balances in place, but hearing directly from a past embezzler might get us to
re-think some of our practices.
This event is open to the public and is free of charge. An RSVP is appreciated to Sue Hoxie (sue@addisoncounty.com)
or 388-7951 x2.
Changes proposed to a
natural gas pipeline have caused concern for some in Monkton. Vermont Gas has proposed a 42-mile
project that runs through the town. It marks the beginning of the company's
proposed southern expansion in Vermont and over to New York. But residents in Monkton say the
pipeline needs to be rerouted. They say the current plan is too close to homes
and drinking wells. They also say it would threaten the town's plan for a
salamander crossing. The town is working with the Agency of Natural Resources
to find a way for the amphibians to safely cross the road. The town is asking that the pipeline
run down the utility transmission corridor owned by VELCO, like it does in some
other towns.
You are invited to join
the Addison County Chamber Of Commerce for the December after hours mixer which
will be held at the Waybury Inn tomorrow from 5 – 7PM. Joe & Tracey always
treat everyone who attends very well!
As in past years, donations will be collected for a local non-profit.
This year the recipients are HOPE and Helen Porter Healthcare &
Rehabilitation. Please bring two (2) food items or you can pay the usual mixer
admission fee, which will be donated to Helen Porter. For more information and to RSVP to Sue just visit the
Chamber’s Website.
At the Middlebury Inn last
Friday the Addison County Economic Development Corporation announced the recipients
of its inaugural “Addison County Companies to Watch” awards. The four companies to receive awards
were Exclusively Vermont Wood Products, Good Point Recycling, Tata Harper Skincare,
and WhistlePig Whiskey. The awards committee selected these businesses for
their contribution to the county’s economic growth and for having a meaningful
community impact. The Addison County Companies to Watch award plaques were
designed and made by Maple Landmark Woodcraft of Middlebury and Vermont Cookie
Love of North Ferrisburgh provided boxes of cookies for award recipients.
The Rutland aldermen
passed each of the city’s water and sewer budgets Tuesday. The water and sewer budgets are slated
to require a 10.9 percent combined rate increase for utility users if approved
despite the fact that the combined spending proposals for the city services is
close to flat. Total water
expenditures come to $3,633,641 — up $675 from last year — while the sewer fund
came in at $3,872,563 — an amount only $2,603 more than the current budget.
Ticonderoga High School’s
Student Voice recently donated $100 to the High Peaks Hospice in response to a
fundraising challenge. During November, which was National Hospice Month, The Mineville-based
agency asked Essex County schools to help raise money for hospice. Six schools,
including Ticonderoga, answered. The
Ti students raised the money during their annual homecoming dance. The fundraising
will help fund the agency’s effort to give top quality supplies, support and
services to their patients and patient families to improve quality of life. For
information on hospice care, volunteering or to make a donation, visit www.highpeakshospice.com.
Unpaid boarding bills are mounting
at the Essex County Fairgrounds racehorse barns. The County Board of Supervisors Public Works Committee was
told Monday that two or more tenants at the county-owned horse barns in
Westport have not paid their boarding bills since August 2011. The charges for the 17 horses involved,
at $50 a month, amount to about $15,000.
Officials say that all tenants have received legal notice to pay the
back rent. It’s been suggested
that the county should consider the use of the racehorse barns for storage
instead of boarding.
The All Hands on Deck Food
Chain, a culmination of the College for Every Student/Key Club drive, collected
more than 600 items for the town of Willsboro’s Food Shelf. Cans, boxes and other containers
travelled along the chain, which stretched from Willsboro Central School’s
front door around the driveway to Farrell Road, then along the sidewalk, across
a field and down the stairs of the Town Hall.
Vermont officials are
trying to prevent any more highway fatalities this year by urging drivers to
slow down, buckle up and not drive drunk or drug-impaired this holiday season.
Officials say Vermont has seen a spike in fatal crashes over last year with 75
to date, compared to 51 last year. They say 33 of the 75 who died weren't
properly restrained and 45 were impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Three professors at
Vermont's Lyndon State College have been honored for their contributions to the
education of students. Frank Green and Dorian McGowan, both retired, have
earned the Professor Emeritus of Humanities status from the Vermont State
Colleges Board of Trustees. Green taught future teachers studying for their
education degrees, as well as teachers in the field. McGowan taught art and is
an artist.
Vermont Senator Pat Leahy
has been sworn in as president pro tem of the Senate. As the longest-serving
Democrat now in the Senate, Leahy moves to third place in the line of
presidential succession, behind Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John
Boehner.
More than 180 school
districts, including New York City's, have no teacher evaluation system in
place and face the loss of millions of dollars in state aid. Governor Andrew
Cuomo says that even though many of the state's more than 600 districts haven't
yet complied, he won't extend the January 17th deadline to have plans in place.
The state education department says 442 school districts have approved plans to
evaluate teachers and principals as part of a program to improve instruction.
A non-partisan task force
has found New York's state and local governments remain on an unsustainable
fiscal path despite some improvements and a public perception in polls that the
outlook is far brighter. The State Budget Crisis Task Force led by former
Democratic Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch and former Federal Reserve
Chairman Paul Volker says the issue is of "dire importance."
All three members of
Vermont's Congressional delegation say it's essential that Congress explore
practical and meaningful steps to help prevent another mass shooting, like the
one that took place in Connecticut last week. Congressman Peter Welch said the shootings in Newtown have
had a profound impact on Congress and that the killings are "a game
changer" for the issue of gun control in Washington. Welch said the discussion should
include a number of issues including a ban on semi automatic assault weapons,
funding for mental health services and background checks for gun shows.
Governor Andrew Cuomo
gives himself high marks in his two-year progress report. The new report says Cuomo has balanced
the state budget two years in a row and has brought long-term stability to
state finances. The governor also
gives himself credit for bettering New York's education system and pushing the
ultimate passage of the Marriage Equality Act.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says
he's excited about Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins' new leadership post. Stewart-Cousins this week was voted
Democratic Leader in the Senate by her colleagues, making her the first woman
to lead a legislative conference in Albany. Cuomo says he's known Senator Stewart-Cousins a long time
and is thrilled she was chosen, calling her a "competent, able woman."
Roger Miller, a long-time
member of the Vermont Environmental Board, has died at age 87. Miller passed away on December 9th in
the state of Washington where he moved after retiring from the board in 1990. The cause of death was not released. Miller was raised in Idaho, but moved
to Vermont in 1965, living in the Burlington area and then Norwich.
Three Rutland women are
bringing an idea from Westminster to the City in an attempt to create some
peace amid the stress of the Season. For one night only, on Christmas Eve, Main
Street Park will be lit with more than 500 luminaries. With the help of a dozen
volunteers, the luminaries will be set up Christmas Eve in Main Street Park, at
the corner of Route 7 and West Street from 5 PM – Midnight.
While some stores are
selling more guns, one national change has decided to take some off the
shelves. Dick's Sporting Goods has
pulled certain rifles from its stores, including the one in Williston. The company released a statement
Tuesday. In it, officials say they
are heartbroken over the shooting in Newtown. Some Vermonters say they aren't sure if this will make a
difference. In the Dick's Sporting
Goods store near Newtown, Connecticut they took it a step further by removing
all guns from the store.
A few deep breaths and
rolled up sleeves is all it took Tuesday for thousands of people to donate what
many consider the best holiday gift.
"Working in the medical profession you see people get blood and you
kind of want to give back and help give," said Emma Wilcox, a blood donor. The "Gift of Life" marathon
lasted eight hours and every person who showed up was well appreciated. "The spirit of the Rutland
community is so inspiring to see people coming in all day giving blood and what
they are doing is helping their neighbors people they might not even
know," said American Red Cross Spokeswoman, Jecoliah Ellis. The current record is 1,968 pints of blood and people
down there donating they say that giving blood is much more than breaking a
record. "It's all about the
giving, the record means very little," said volunteer coordinator, Chuck
Piotrowski. Ellis agrees, "In
terms of the patients and families this blood is helping, its already record
breaking." One pint of blood
can save up to three lives and organizers say knowing that is what makes it all
worth it. "I mean think about
that, not everyone has the opportunity to do that and the fact that this small
town will do that I mean how you can you not go home happy and get a goodnights
sleep knowing that you've done that." And especially after Friday's tragic shooting in
Connecticut, this blood drive is a way for people in this community to do
something positive. "Yeah you
feel kind of like you want to do something and anything will help out,"
said Wilcox. "All that stuff
that went on down there you look at it and see something evil and you see you
can do something good just come on down," said Piotrowski. The unofficial total from Tuesday's
event at the four locations was 1,951 pints. Just 17 short of the record but
they will re-go through the inventory just in case.
Cyber security experts
warn shoppers to be careful online because you might be a click away from a
holiday nightmare. In your
cluttered inbox, could be a gift from a Grinch. "My thing is be aware," says Duane Dunston,
Champlain College cyber security instructor, Dunston says criminals think this
is the perfect time of year to attack people online. "They
just don't pay attention. They're just unaware to what they're doing,"
says Dunston. Dunston says
the biggest problem is a bogus email that appears to be from a well-known
company, maybe even one you have shopped or banked with. "Whenever you receive an email,
regardless of who it is from, if it's from your bank stating they had a problem
with your transaction, call your bank or visit the website yourself. Don't
click on any links you receive in email," says Dunston. That link could mean trouble, from a
virus being downloaded onto your computer to your personal information being
stolen. Dunston has simple advice
if you receive an email from a company.
"Just go to site itself. Take a little extra time. It's well worth
it considering what could happen to you," says Dunston. Another concern this year is people
online trying to take advantage of the Newtown tragedy. Dunston says there have been reports
already of fake charities.
