Monday, December 8, 2014

WVTK Local & State News December 8, 2014

At a press conference earlier today, Vermont Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Milne said he is not conceding and he hopes that legislators will vote for him, but he is not going to actively ask legislators for votes. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, lawmakers will chose the next governor at the state of the next legislative session in January. Milne says he thinks he can win if legislators put politics aside.

A New Haven man is facing charges after he allegedly crashed his pickup truck, then reported it stolen. Police say the incident occurred Friday, when 20-year-old Matthew McKinley reported that his truck was stolen. The vehicle was found near his home a short time later, and police determined that the crash occurred before the bogus report. State Police say that McKinley later admitted to the false report, and that he was driving when the crash occurred.

Police in Bristol Vermont are looking for the Grinch who cut power, to an outdoor holiday lights display. According to reports, sometime between December 3 and yesterday someone took a cutting tool to light strands hung on a Bristol home. Police are asking anyone with information on the Burritt Lane vandalism to contact the state police at 802-388-4919 or online at www.vtips.info .

The Middlebury Select Board has unanimously approved the Lions Club’s request to plant a new evergreen in Court Square. The Lions Club has put lights on the existing evergreen tree in Court Square for years but due to increasing costs, the Lions recently reached out to the town to explore cost-sharing options for purchasing and planting a new tree in the square. The town staff have identified three locations in Court Square for such a tree and pending identification of any underground utilities, hope to have the tree in the ground this week.

The state is gathering information from the public as it develops a new on-road bicycle plan. The Vermont Agency of Transportation plans to use a WikiMap to collect information about where the public rides and wants to ride. It also will be holding a statewide public meeting tomorrow night using Vermont Interactive Technologies. The information will be used to identify the best corridors for bicycling. The agency says a number of other states have developing statewide bicycling plans including Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, and Colorado.

The Rutland County Sheriff’s Department has announced that they will be conducting sobriety checkpoints around the county during the week of Christmas. Officers will also enforce seat-belt, child restraint and other motor vehicle laws during these checkpoints. All motorists are urged to use a designated driver whenever necessary.