WVTK Local & State News September 15, 2014

Police in Middlebury say they have a suspect who threatened to shoot employees at McDonald's on Saturday. Just before 3 in the afternoon, a customer called 911 after he overheard another man threaten to get a shotgun and shoot employees at the restaurant. The suspect, Ronald E. Blakeslee, said he was upset over errors with his lunch order. He was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and is due to appear in court on October 20.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife says that a hunting dog is lucky to be alive after being shot three times with a crossbow. What's more, they say, the shooting was intentional. The hound, Bear, was running bears out of corn fields in Starksboro on Saturday when his GPS collar went off. His owner, Oran Lamphere, found him moments later and rushed him to the vet. Bear will survive, but the police continue to look for the shooter.

New York hunters are encouraged to apply early for deer management permits. A press release says the deadline to apply for permits is October 1. Sporting licenses and permits can be purchased at one of DEC’s 1,100 license sales outlets statewide. Licenses can also be ordered by telephone at 866-933-2257, or online. The 2014-2015 hunting and trapping licenses are valid for one year beginning September 1, 2014.

It's going to take longer than hoped to restore passenger rail service to western Vermont. Vermont Transportation Agency officials say a federal grant application that would have been used to upgrade the rails in an 11-mile stretch between Rutland and Burlington was rejected by federal transportation officials. The Transportation Agency's Chris Cole says they haven't been told why the grant for almost $10 million was rejected. Cole says it's a setback to efforts to restore passenger rail service between Burlington and Rutland, but it's not the end. Cole says if the federal program is around next year they could apply again. And there are other potential sources of funding the state can explore. Work has either been completed or is being planned for the rest of the line.