Tuesday, November 12, 2013

WVTK Local & State News November 12, 2013

Vermont State Police are asking for your help in finding a missing elderly man.  88-year-old Robert Shaw was last seen yesterday at his home in Whiting.  Investigators say Shaw is currently on medication for dementia and a heart condition, plus he has mobility issues and is unsteady on his feet.  He’s believed to be driving a silver 2008 Lexus with a partial Maryland registration, and anyone seeing Shaw is asked to call State Police.

Some Middlebury College students are holding a vigil this Thursday for typhoon victims.  Middlebury College says the vigil will take place in front of Mead Chapel at 5 p.m.  The Philippines Red Cross reports at least 1,200 dead and more than 618,00 people are displaced from their homes and communities.

Governor Peter Shumlin, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Systems and other hospitals announced a partnership to promote and expand participation in Vermont Health Connect today.  A press release says 18 hospitals have agreed to participate.  Shumlin said. “This is a first step toward controlling increases in health care costs, and ensuring everyone had access to quality, affordable coverage.”  

The Vermont Air National Guard has some night flying training operations on tap for this month, with the first one being tonight.  Two multi-aircraft takeoffs after dark are scheduled, with all F-16’s on the ground and all operations completed during normal operating hours of the Burlington International Airport.  Training will run from tonight through Friday night, November 15th, and next Tuesday the 19th through Friday, November 22nd.

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will again visit the area, this time bringing holiday cheer on a holiday.  Decorated in holiday lights and carrying a live musical show, the train is scheduled to pass through the North Country on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28.  The train will arrive in Ticonderoga at 3:15 p.m. and stop in Port Henry at 5 p.m. Times are approximate.  This will be the eighth year the train will stop in Ticonderoga. It has stopped in Port Henry the past seven years.

A report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy says Vermont has dropped two spots and now ranks seventh in the country on energy efficiency.  Vermont gets high marks for electricity and natural gas efficiency programs.  But because Vermont's rural nature makes mass transit relatively difficult, it loses points for transportation.  Vermont also lags behind national leader Massachusetts on developing combined heat and power projects.