Monday, May 4, 2015

WVTK Local & State News May 4, 2015

Residents in Starksboro have approved a spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. On Saturday, more than 200 residents attended a special meeting at Mount Abraham Union High School to reconsider the Robinson Elementary School budget that was approved back in February. A petition promoted the re-vote on the school spending plan. After an hour of debate, an even larger budget, that is almost $3-million, was approved. The original budget approved in February was $2.8-million.

Champlain Valley Union High School became a place of unity and remembrance Sunday. Nearly 400 cyclists gathered there for 47-year-old Richard Tom, the cyclist who died in last Sunday's crash on Route 116 in Hinesburg. Sunday's memorial ride also remembered the young driver who died in the crash. CVU student Joseph Marshall was 17 years old. Local Motion's Executive Director Emily Boedecker says the deadly accident has led to numerous conversations about sharing Vermont's roads safely.

The Mount Abraham Union High School Board is hoping a third time is the charm. They are asking Addison Northeast Supervisory Union voters to return to the polls on June 9, to vote on the third proposed spending plan for the school. The proposed $14.06-million budget on Town Meeting Day was defeated. On April 14, voters also said no to a $14.02-million spending plan. The Mount Abe School Board will meet again on May 12, at 7 PM to go over the next steps of drafting a new proposal. The school plans to warn the new budget on May 26, two weeks before June 9.

State police across New England are launching the region's first coordinated crackdown on speeding. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says in 2013, there were 276 car crash deaths in Connecticut, 145 in Maine, 326 in Massachusetts, 135 in New Hampshire, 65 in Rhode Island and 69 in Vermont. Vermont had the highest car crash death rate at 11 deaths per 100,000 residents, followed by Maine at 10.9 per 100,000.

The American Cancer Society is inviting dogs and their owners to participate in Bark for Life. This Friday from 6-8pm dress up your canine and head to Technology Park in South Burlington to participate in a feeder event to raise money for Relay for Life and cancer research. There is still time to sign a team up online or you can show up! For more information on activities and to register you can visit the links on our website at 921wvtk.com.