Thursday, July 18, 2013

WVTK Local & State News July 18, 2013

Vermont State Police are searching for a man who broke into a home in Pittsford and assaulted a 15-year-old girl.  Just after 1 o’clock this afternoon, an unidentified white male entered a residence on Freeman Hill in Pittsford, and assaulted the occupant inside.  The victim had visible bruising and injuries and was transported the Rutland Regional Hospital for treatment of her injuries.  If you have any information regarding this case or saw something in the area of Freeman Hill Road in Pittsford between the hours of noon and 1:30 p.m., contact the Vermont State Police at the Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101 or submit an anonymous tip to www.vtips.info.

People in Rutland are now doing what they can to help three children left without a mom when Kristen Parker was assaulted and murdered.  Police say Christopher Sharrow, her boyfriend and the father of two of the kids killed her when all three children were home that night.  Numerous fundraisers are either planned or underway, like a four-day bottle drive which began yesterday.  100-percent of all proceeds will go directly to Kristen’s Angels, the foundation for her children.

The American Civil Liberties Union or ACLU just released a report that found across the country police are tracking cars using automatic license plate readers.  And that information is being kept for months or years.  Vermont State Police says some 40 different departments across the state use the readers.  The ACLU of Vermont wants to make sure it's not abused.  As you drive around a camera mounted on the back of a police car might capture your license plate and see if it's on a hot list for potential problems.  The automatic license plate reader not only records the plate, but the time and GPS location.  A new law in Vermont just went into effect this month says the information can only be kept for 18 months.  

A missing Shelburne man has been found safe.  Police say 33-year-old Robert Cosman left his home with camping gear over the weekend and hadn't been seen since.  His truck was found abandoned off Route 14 in Randolph, prompting a widespread search.  But yesterday afternoon, police say Cosman was found at a gas station in Manchester.

It’s full-speed ahead for a Trader Joe’s grocery store in South Burlington.  The Development Review Board has approved the application for the first Trader Joe’s in Vermont, which will be built on Dorset Street next to another grocery, Healthy Living Market.  Trader’s Joes will anchor one of South Burlington’s City Center entrances, and construction could begin as soon as next month.

Home Care Workers in Vermont will vote on which union to join in September.  The State Labor Relations Board has September 9th as the election date.  The decision followed a series of three-way meetings between the Service Employee International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Labor Relations Board.  There are roughly 7,000 home care workers in the state.


The State hopes to set insurance rates for the health care exchange by next month.  In less than six months, more than 100,000 Vermonters will be required to purchase health insurance plans on a state-run exchange, called Vermont Health Connect.  But the premium rates for those plans, and the details of the plans that will be available on the market, are still unknown.  State health care officials say they hope to have all that information ready for the public by August.