WVTK Local & State News February 20, 2015

This long stretch of cold weather is causing a number of issues with water pipes. Earlier today, Winooski, Alburgh, Jeffersonville and Ticonderoga all issued warnings about freezing pipes. There was also a main water line break in Rutland today on Lincoln and West Streets as well. In most cases, officials are recommending residents keep faucets open to prevent freeze-ups. When you are not using your water, just leave the faucet dripping. This will help in preventing pipes from freezing.

The Empire State is trying to entice more snowmobilers to visit the more that 10,000 miles of trails that the state has to offer. Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced a free snowmobiling weekend on the weekend of March 7th & 8th for out-of-state and Canadian snowmobilers. For the entire weekend, registration fees will be waived if you are already registered and insured elsewhere.

A former employee at the Brandon Inn has plead not guilty to embezzlement. 38-year-old Carmen Dozier of Middletown Springs is accused of stealing about $70,000 while she was in charge of payroll records. Dozier allegedly make personal purchases with credit cards issued to the inn's owners and deposited bad checks. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in jail and a fine of up to $1 million.

Fire officials are investigating a dairy farm fire that killed 20 calves. The South Burlington Fire Department took nearly four hours to put out the blaze that burned two structures on Ethan Allen Drive. Authorities say they don't believe foul play is involved and are calling it an accident, but they are still trying to find out what caused the fire.

Gov. Peter Shumlin and Attorney General William Sorrell are offering their support for tighter regulation of Vermont's rent-to-own stores. Christopher Curtis, an attorney with Vermont Legal Aid, says rent-to-own stores often target low-income Vermonters with deals that end up with them paying far more than the usual retail price of an item over the life of a rent-to-own contract. A bill in the Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee would cap the effective interest rates in rent-to-own contracts and require better disclosures of the deals that consumers are getting.