Tuesday, December 30, 2014

WVTK Local & State News December 30, 2014

Police in Middlebury have arrested a Ripton man in connection with a robbery at the Rite-Aid on Court Street. Authorities say 40-year-old Michael Maheu handed a note to the pharmacy clerk around 5 pm on Sunday demanding narcotics. He then left the store on foot with an undisclosed amount of pills. Maheu was cited yesterday for assault and robbery.

Residents in Middlebury will have a chance to give feedback on the proposed budget at a public hearing before the town votes March 3. The public hearing will take place at the Select Board’s special meeting at 7:15 p.m. January 20 in the town office conference room. Copies of the proposed budget are available at the town’s website, or by calling the town manager’s office.

Starting Thursday, January 1, consumers in the Empire State will no longer be able to dispose certain types of electronic devices in landfills, waste-to-energy facilities, in the trash, or at the curbside for trash pickup. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says you have two options on how you can dispose electronic devices. They include using a Manufacturer's Takeback Program or going to an Electronic Waste Collection Site. The NYS Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act requires manufacturers to provide free and convenient recycling of electronic waste to most consumers in the state.

Vermont State Police say they will be out in force on New Year's Eve. Police want everyone to slow down, designate a driver and be sure to buckle up. Law enforcement around the state will conduct sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols. The special holiday enforcement started on December 10 and ends Thursday. In 2014, there were 44 fatal crashes on Vermont roads. A dozen of them involved drugs and alcohol.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says he will not be campaigning in the days leading up the special January 8 vote in which the Legislature picks Vermont's next governor. Shumlin won the popular vote in a close election on November 4, with 46.4 percent to 45.1 percent for Republican Scott Milne. Since neither got a majority, the race goes to the Legislature to decide. Shumlin said earlier today that he is not worried about the outcome of the vote and believes lawmakers should follow precedent and chose the one who received the most votes.