WVTK Local & State News August 25, 2014

A published author and freelance journalist who is a graduate of Middlebury College was released Sunday after almost two years in captivity in Syria. 45-year-old Peter Theo Curtis crossed into Syria in October of 2012. That's when his family thinks he was captured by a militant group. National security adviser Susan Rice says Curtis is now safe outside of Syria. The family say they're relieved he is safe, and are deeply saddened by the killing of New Hampshire Journalist James Foley.

The Addison Northwest Supervisory Union board has scheduled a forum this week so that residents can learn more about and ask questions about the district’s accounting problems and its efforts to correct them. The meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday Night at at 6:30 p.m. in the Vergennes Union High School library.

A team of draft horses, spooked by a nearby tractor pull, bolted Sunday at the Champlain Valley Fair. Witnesses say several cars were trampled by the panicked animals. They had been on their way into the show ring when the noise alarmed them and they broke free of the cart. Their handler sustained minor injuries and the horses suffered minor scratches; no one else was hurt. Fair officials called it a "freak accident".

Voter turnout for this week's primary in Vermont is expected to be low. This is not a presidential election year and it's an off year for U.S. Senate campaign. So far, a three-way primary for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House and a three-way primary for the Republican nomination for governor have been relatively quiet. Secretary of State Jim Condos says turnout is driven mostly by competitive statewide races.

Tonight Vergennes residents will have a chance to learn more about and discuss a proposed toddler playground for a parcel of land between the city pool and East Street. The park is projected to cost $42,000. The Vergennes City Council will hold the informational meeting at 6:30 tonight in the Vergennes Fire Department basement immediately following a hearing on a proposed update to the Vergennes City Plan scheduled for 6 o’clock..

If you plan on attending the Champlain Valley Fair, local police have a warning about counterfeit passes. The Essex Police Department says it's investigating the distribution and sale of bogus day passes to the fair. So far the counterfeit passes have turned up in both Essex and Williston. Police say the only place to buy legitimate passes is at the fair itself.