Thursday, March 12, 2015

WVTK Local & State News March 12, 2015

Hundreds of state jobs are on the line as the lawmakers in Montpelier are looking at ways to cut over $10-million in spending. A memo from Administration Secretary Justin Johnson says the state needs to find $10.8 million in the General Fund in labor savings. And if that doesn't happen, Johnson says it translates into roughly 325 jobs. He says depending on the positions and funding, the range would be 150-325 positions to cut statewide. The new fiscal years starts on July 1st.

More information has come to light on the Addison Rutland Natural Gas Project. Testimony during a recent Public Service Board Meeting revealed that Vermont Gas Systems officials knew last year that the cost of the of the proposed natural gas pipeline through Addison County would cost much more than anticipated. Vermont Gas say they knew about the increasing costs but didn’t want to release the information till they had all the details. While the Public Service Board’s investigation continues crews from Vermont Gas are preparing to resume construction on Phase I of the pipeline once the ground thaws.

A Vermont game warden says an undernourished 1-year-old bear believed to be orphaned has been taken to a sanctuary in New Hampshire to recover. Game Warden Timothy Carey says the caretaker of a home in Wallingford called last week and saw the bear in a tree. The bear was determined to be underweight and smaller than it should be. Carey brought the bear to a place in Lyme, that is a shelter for bears. The bear is being kept in an indoor pen there until he's released into the wild again.

Still awaiting your tax refund from 2011? The IRS says you need to act now or else you'll lose it. By law, taxpayers have just three years to claim their refunds. So if they don't file their 2011 federal returns by April 15th, that refund money goes to the U.S. Treasury. The IRS has about $1 billion in unclaimed refunds.

Just a reminder, property taxes in Middlebury are due by the end of the day on Monday. The town clerk’s office will be open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. Late payments will incur an 8% penalty.