Prepare to start spending more the next time you go to the
gasoline pumps. Vermont’s new gasoline
tax goes into effect today. The average
is just six cents per gallon, but every bit counts. Governor Peter Shumlin says the tax is needed
to pay for transportation costs, and is expected to bring in 25-million dollars
every year. It’s also going up on diesel
by two cents, as of this July. The
governor signed it into law earlier this week in a private ceremony.
Work will begin next week on the lighting issues on the Lake
Champlain Bridge. A spokesperson for the
N.Y. Department of Transportation says, water got into the pole boxes on the
bridge and impacted the wiring, causing the lights not to work. Crews will fix the wiring and make sure the
pole boxes are water tight. Work is
expected to be completed by June.
Residents in Brandon defeated the latest municipal
budget. The budget had been approved in March by an
8-vote margin, 428-420. It prompted a
successful petition campaign to put it on a special ballot. Yesterday, the proposed budget was defeated
by 282 votes. The Select Board will now
work on reducing the budget before it goes before voters again.
A New York man
is dead after an ATV accident in the Adirondacks . State police say 49-year-old Tyler Middleton
of Ballston Spa, was riding alone on a logging road in Westport
late Monday night when he rolled off the trail and down a small
embankment. He was trapped under the
overturned ATV and suffocated.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the accident.
House lawmakers gave preliminary approval yesterday to
legislation that would require every school district in the state to provide
publicly funded preschool to children as young as 3. In a 97-43 vote that split mostly along party
lines, advocates for early education won a victory they say will expand
opportunities for kids during a critical period in their lives. For
lower-income children especially, supporters of the legislation say, the bill
would provide the head start needed to promote academic success later in life.
May is Stroke Awareness Month and the American Heart
Association is urging everyone to take control and learn the warning
signs. They say stroke warning signs can
come suddenly and fast.
There's an easy acronym to help your remember these common
signs called FAST . F- Face drooping / A- Arm weakness / S -
Speech difficulty / T - Time to call 911
Often times, people miss the warning signs and go hours, sometimes days
before getting medical attention. The
quicker stroke is recognized, there's less of a chance for long term
damage. Health experts say it's
important to call 911 as soon as possible.
