Friday, May 9, 2014

WVTK Local & State News May 9, 2014

Vermont is officially the first state requiring G-M-O labeling. Governor Peter Shumlin signed the bill into law Thursday, requiring foods containing genetically modified organisms to carry labels saying so. That goes into effect a little over two years from now on July 1st, 2016. The delay in starting up the new law allows the state attorney general to have more time to form a defense and raise money for potential lawsuits which are anticipated by food manufacturers.

New Netflix subscribers will now have to pay a dollar more. The company sent an e-mail to subscribers saying it's raising prices to $8.99 per month. That only applies to new subscribers for now. Netflix says current members will be locked into their $7.99 a month rate for two years. Netflix warned last month that it was planning a price increase so it could "continue adding more movies and TV shows."

Officials are trying to figure out why the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Rutland, Vermont, is closed. A sign on the front door says Post 648 is closed "until further notice." Russell Bibens, commander of the state VFW, said the post is on suspension for 90 days. He added the issue is "not for public dissemination."

The Vermont House has delayed voting on an increase in the state's minimum wage due to a technical error in legislative documents. The House was in the middle of a debate over a compromise increase when it was discovered that the House calendar, the document that lists bills to be taken up each day, did not accurately reflect the version of the bill passed by the Senate. House Speaker Shap Smith ruled that the debate would have to be put off, perhaps until tomorrow, which is supposed to be the last day of the session.

Residents of the five towns in the Addison Northwest Supervisory Union will head to the polls on Tuesday to vote for the second time on a budget for Vergennes Union High School. The original $9.3 Million proposal on Town Meeting Day was rejected by a tally of 961 to 747.