Monday, May 5, 2014

WVTK Local & State News May 5, 2014

Starting today it's illegal to have your car idling for more than five minutes. It's part of a new law which is meant to save fuel and cut down on carbon emissions. The fine is 10-bucks for the first offense, 50-dollars the second time and a hundred bucks if there's a third. The new law, which was actually passed last year, does not apply to police, fire and other emergency vehicles, nor for commercial buses if passengers are on board. Other exceptions are the time it takes to defrost a windshield, or if providing power to a contractor.

Officials say this year’s Green-Up Day in Vermont was a success. This past Saturday, about 15-thousand Vermonters collected nearly four-thousand bags of trash, with volunteers organizing teams or working individually to pick up garbage alongside streets, highways, parks and other public spots. Cuts in corporate funding threaten the existence and continuation of Green Up Vermont, and the president of the non-profit says if the current trend continues, they won't have enough to continue after 2015.

The Vermont Senate is slated to take final action on a bill calling for enhanced police training on the use of electronic stun guns. Legislative action comes nearly two years after a 39-year-old Thetford man, MacAdam Mason, died of heart failure after being struck in the chest by a state trooper's Taser. The bill calling for the state's Law Enforcement Advisory Board to study whether police carrying Tasers should also be required to wear body cameras that would record their actions.

Senator Chuck Schumer is calling on the FDA to investigate and even ban the sale of powdered alcohol. Also known as "Palcohol" the substance is undergoing a federal label approval process now, and could hit shelves by this fall. Schumer said Palcohol is a dangerous substance, that can easily be mixed with food, drinks, or even snorted. He said most importantly, underage kids could easily get a hold of it.

The Boro Cemetery in Monkon is filled with history, with graves dating back into the 1800's, another reason why local citizens are horrified by the recent vandalism there. Two local kids are now charged with tipping over numerous gravestones Friday, breaking many off at the base. One of the graves was that of a veteran from the War of 1812. Early estimates of damages are around 800-dollars, but if it goes higher the teenagers could be looking at felony charges.