WVTK Local & State News February 14, 2014

Motorists are still being urged to use caution on roads. A press release says state and local crews are out and making headway, but windy conditions are making road conditions unpredictable. Anyone who needs to travel should allow extra time to reach their destination, drive slowly, and leave plenty of room between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them. Drivers are also urged to clear snow from their car. If you become stuck, The Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security says to clear snow from the tailpipe to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the car. Drivers are also instructed to wait with their car for rescue crews.

New details are out about the double homicide in Hubbardton on Wednesday. Police say 57-year-old Shane Plummer and his 25-year-old son Christopher were called to a home on Route 30 by the landlord to fix some electrical problems. But something went horribly wrong. Just after 1:30 in the afternoon, police received a call from Shane saying his son had been shot. Authorities arrived on the scene to find both dead from gunshot wounds. The tenant, 70-year-old Sylvester Labartino is accused of murdering both of them. Labartino was in court yesterday and pled not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. Court documents show Labartino has a lengthy criminal record with arrests dating back to the late 1960’s in New York, Georgia, and Florida.

The Vermont Senate has voted to support a bill that says if employers offer sick days, they can’t penalize workers who take them. Senators say the bill is designed to stop a practice at one company, Sodexo, which handles food service under contracts with the University of Vermont, the Vermont State Colleges and other colleges in the state. Senate Majority Leader Philip Baruth, who described the bill Friday to his colleagues, says Sodexo offers seven paid sick days per year, but gives employees a point for taking one. If the worker accumulates seven points in a year, he or she can be terminated.

The Vermont House has passed and sent to the Senate a bill banning the use of hand-held cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. The measure passed today with two amendments. One allows the use of the devices while operating a farm truck or other farm machinery. The other allows use of hands-free devices by drivers if the devices are in a cradle or otherwise secured in the vehicle.

The County Tire Center Free Brakes for Food Programs continues. CTC is looking to collect as much food as possible by March 7. If you bring in a bag of 12 non-perishable food or personal car items, County Tire Center will provide a free brake inspection and diagnosis. If you need brakes, you will get free premium Centric pads and $34.50 off labor to install the pads. All the food collected is going to Addison County HOPE.