There is not enough being done to prevent workplace injuries
at Vermont agencies, according to
the state auditor. He says there needs
to be more attention paid to safety, adding tight budgets and a lack of
communication could be part of the problem, but workplace injuries are simply
too high. From 2008 to 2012 there were
48-hundred worker’s comp claims with an estimated eight-million dollars in
compensation paid per year.
If you're still struggling to rebuild after Tropical Storm
Irene, you now have more time. FEMA is
extending the deadline to use up the last of the $2.8 million disaster grant.
FEMA says this money is not going to individuals, but to case managers who are
helping individuals find help from other government programs as well as
non-profits and churches. You now have
until November 30th to get help. This is
about 3 months after the original deadline. FEMA says the disaster case
management program is successfully helping Vermonters rebuild and extending the
deadline just makes sense. For more
information call 211.
Burlington Police arrested a man accused of stealing a
diamond from a jewelry store on Church Street
yesterday. Police say 26-year-old Steven
J. Ploof, Jr., of Burlington , lead
them to where the $2,570 diamond was hidden.
The diamond was found and returned to the jewelry store. Police say initially Ploof gave them a false
name. He's been charged with grand
larceny, false information to a police officer, and violations of conditions of
release. Ploof was lodged at the
Chittenden County Correctional Facility on $5,000 bail.
For the final six months of the Catamount health insurance
plan, rates will be 11.9 percent higher than they have been for the past two
years. The plan and the state’s premium
assistance program will cease to exist on Jan. 1, 2014 , because they do not fit into new federal
laws under the Affordable Care Act. The
proposed increases was originally 24.4 percent but the Department of Financial
Regulation cut that Catamount rate hike back to a 13.9 percent increase, and
the Green Mountain Care Board cut another 2-percent from the increase.
Gas prices continue to climb nationwide with the national
average is just shy of $3.70. New
York still has it the worst in our area as prices
creep closer to $4. Vermont
is above average at $3.76. New
Hampshire still has the lowest prices of the 3
states, but is a penny higher than national numbers.
