WVTK Local & State News February 5, 2013

One of at least five people suspected in a home invasion in Rutland over the weekend is now in jail.  34-year-old Christopher Orkins from Rutland, was arraigned yesterday afternoon and ordered held on 15-thousand dollars cash bail.  Police say the group broke down the back door of a home Saturday afternoon and used pepper spray on the people inside.  When the victims fought back, several were pistol-whipped.  Police say the victims recognized Orkins and one other man, Calvin Alexander, who is believed to have now fled the state.

Vergennes aldermen this past Tuesday settled on a $1.85 million bond amount to request from voters on Town Meeting Day to fund construction of a new North Main Street police station.  That amount includes $229,000 to buy the former Vergennes Auto Sales parcel, $21,000 to buy more land to the rear and side of the parcel, site work, construction costs for a roughly 6,000-square-foot building, and a $50,000 contingency fund.

An oil company and solar power business have a partnership to help Vermonters cut their energy costs.  Energy Co-Op of Vermont is offering Co-Op Solar in partnership with Sunward Systems of Shelburne.  Homes and businesses in most of northwest Vermont are eligible, and financing can be repaid completely through net savings of heating fuel.  It a site visit confirms it has sufficient sun exposure, the incentives/financing package means homeowner can switch to solar hot water with no out-of-pocket expense.

If Governor Peter Shumlin gets his way, 17-million dollars of state money will be invested in early childhood education.  The governor made the announcement Monday at Trinity's Children's Center in Burlington, saying his plan will fix a broken system.  He says lower income parents need to be able to afford quality childcare so they can work.  Shumlin says he wants a system which doesn't penalize most single moms who want to get a job.

Representatives of Vermont Gas Systems Inc. told Vergennes aldermen on Jan. 29 that natural gas — which they said is a cheaper form of energy than oil, propane and electric heat — will be available to most, but not all, city residents by 2015.

An anonymous but very grateful patient of a heart surgeon at Fletcher Allen Health Care has a spectacular way of saying "thank you."  The person was a patient of Doctor Frank Ittleman, and is donating one million dollars which will be used to establish a professorship in his name at the University Of Vermont College Of Medicine.  Ittleman says it's a win-win situation, as professorships attract top tier doctors, and interest generated from the money will help pay salaries, upgrade labs and still fund research.

Someone in Vermont could soon be very rich.  That's because tomorrow night's estimated Powerball jackpot has swelled to a whopping 208-million dollars.  The cash value of the jackpot is pegged at nearly 131-million dollars.