WVTK Local & State News November 12, 2014

Republican Gubernatorial candidate Scott Milne announced today that he will not ask for a recount in the razor-thin race. The announcement came after the Vermont Secretary of State certified the November 4 election results, which show Gov. Peter Shumlin received 46% of the vote to Milne's 45%. He said a recount would not be a good use of taxpayer dollars. Milne did not concede, nor did he say whether he will still pursue the election from the State Legislature. Since neither candidate received a 50% majority, the Legislature will vote on the top three vote-getters in January.

Vermont Gas has announced that they have reached deals with 75% of the landowners along the route of the new pipeline from Colchester to Middlebury. Vermont Gas says they are committed to reaching fair and equitable agreements with every landowner. As for the other 25%, the utility says negotiations continue to make process with some landowners opting for third party mediation.

The four hospital affiliation known as the Fletcher Allen Partners is changing its name to The University of Vermont Health Network. A press release says the partner hospitals Central Vermont Medical Center, the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, and Elizabethtown Community Hospital will add The University of Vermont Health Network to their names. Fletcher Allen will now become The University of Vermont Medical Center. A press release says approvals for the changes were approved by the Vermont Secretary of State, the New York State Education Department, and the New York State Department of Health. The rollout of the new identities starts immediately and is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

The Middlebury College Bread-Loaf Campus will be conserved, protected, and remain with the College in perpetuity thanks to the generosity of a Middlebury Graduate. Louis Bacon, from the Class of 1979, along with his foundation, the Moore Charitable Foundation, and the college have established the Bread Loaf Preservation Fund, which will preserve and maintain the Bread Loaf campus and the surrounding forests and fields while also supporting educational programming and recreational activities.

The Shumlin Administration is preparing for more budget cuts. Earlier this year, lawmakers were forced to make $30-million in budget cuts. Now, the latest revenue reports show income tax collections are still falling short and the administration told lawmakers to prepare for another round of across the board cuts.