With warm and dry weather in the forecast, forest officials are urging Vermonters to help prevent brush and forest fires. Grass, leaves and brush can be a fire hazard in early spring before things turn green. Officials already are investigating a forest fire that spread through the Green Mountain National Forest in Mount Tabor last Tuesday.
Investigators believe someone intentionally started a forest fire in central Vermont last week. It happened last Tuesday in Mount Tabor. Officials say the blaze spread through parts of the Green Mountain Forest before it was finally extinguished. Authorities are now trying to identify several people who were seen near the Mount Tabor work center after the blaze started.
With unseasonably warm temperatures the next few days Coast Guard officials are sending a warning to boaters. Water temperatures are still normal for this time of year. So that means no swimming despite summertime temperatures. Coast guard officials in Burlington warn that hypothermia can set in within minutes of your body hitting the water at such cold temperatures. They also suggest letting someone on land know if you decide to take your boat out AND give them an estimated time of return.
Donald James Marler III, the former president of Specialty Filaments, which once had plants in Burlington and East Middlebury, has pleaded not guilty to federal fraud charges. He was indicted by a grand jury in Rutland last month. He's charged with conspiring with the director of finances and vice president of manufacturing to send inflated financial reports to its lender Wells Fargo, which allowed the company to borrow more. The office of the U.S. attorney for Vermont said Friday that when the company went out of business, Wells Fargo discovered the value of its collateral was substantially less than the outstanding loan balance. Wells Fargo and the Vermont Economic Development Authority lost more than $1 million.
Existing assessment data on the Middlebury River and information about plans and funding for managing the river in East Middlebury will be presented by the River Management Task Force this Thursday the 22nd at 7PM at the East Middlebury United Methodist Church on Church Street. Items on the agenda include a flume demonstration, river task force update along with the presentation of a response-to-flooding public information handout. Stay up today by visiting the Town Of Middlebury’s Website.
Since a 19-year-old hiker from New Haven passed away on the Emily Proctor Trail in Ripton in January, lawmakers have scrutinized Vermont’s policies for backcountry search and rescue missions. That policy review would continue throughout the summer if a bill passed last week by a Senate committee becomes law. The Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee unanimously supported legislation Friday that would create a study committee with three representatives and three senators to determine which state agency should have authority over back-country rescues and “to recommend an appropriate organizational structure to manage Vermont’s various search and rescue resources.”
Plans to renovate the Brandon town offices are under way and three local architects have volunteered their time to help come up with floor plans to move forward with the renovation on Center St. in downtown Brandon. The Brandon town offices have been closed since water from the Neshobe River damaged the carpet and some of the office equipment during Tropical Storm Irene. The town employees have been housed at Brandon’s emergency services building on Route 7 since then.
The American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days gets underway this week at several locations in Orwell, Middlebury and Vergennes. Locations include Buxton’s Store and Orwell Gas N Go in Orwell; Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, Cole’s Flowers and Blossom Basket in Middlebury; also Shaw’s Supermarket in Vergennes. Dollars raised through the Daffodil Days campaign will help the American Cancer Society fund vital cancer research.
It was a busy morning for Middlebury-area firefighters on Friday as a large garage fire on Shard Villa Road involved mutual-aid crews from Salisbury, Middlebury, Cornwall, Whiting and Ripton. No injuries were reported in that fire that broke out near the West Salisbury Road. Water tankers from several departments used the Middlebury River intake-hydrant on Three Mile Bridge Road to refill during the fire.
Crown Point Telephone and its subsidiary Crown Point Network Technologies have formed Bridge Point Communication. The new firm will begin installing fiber optic cable this week that will serve the Ticonderoga business community this fall. The fiber optic service will provide Ticonderoga businesses with state-of-the-art Internet and phone services. The installation of fiber optic cable this spring and summer is Phase 1 of a larger project. Bridge Point Communication plans to provide the new service to the Wicker Street, Montcalm Street, Champlain Avenue area by fall. The firm plans to expand to other parts of Ticonderoga and offer residential service in 2013.
West Rutland and Wallingford will look at heating buildings with shared biomass burners. The towns were selected last week for studies funded by the Wood Education Resource Center, a West Virginia-based program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. In both towns, the idea is to link multiple buildings to one boiler that will pipe heat to all of them. Wallingford will look at its town office building and Wallingford Elementary School. West Rutland will look at the West Rutland School and the Kazan Building, run by Neighborworks of Western Vermont.
A West Rutland man has been accused of trying to sell a bunch of marijuana and ecstasy. Police arrested Chris Cuccurullo in the Price Chopper parking lot in Rutland. Police said the transaction, which was a controlled buy with law enforcement, involved 12 1/2 pounds of marijuana and 4 ounces of powder ecstasy.
Heavy trucks are being temporarily banned from thousands of miles of secondary roads across northern New England with the early arrival of spring. In Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, it's an annual ritual to post signs on poles along roadways warning heavy trucks to stay off. But the mild weather has prompted officials to restrict heavy traffic on secondary roads two or three weeks earlier than usual. When roads are "posted" to protect them during the spring thaw, businesses have to delay deliveries until the road beds dry out, lighten their loads or ask the state for exemptions for such tasks as picking up milk at dairy farms or delivering firewood. Officials say if the warm weather keeps up, the road postings could come to an earlier-than-usual end.
A year after breaking Vermont's decades-old record for maple syrup production, syrup makers are predicting a less-than-stellar output this year with unseasonably warm weather during the peak of the sugaring season. The state's syrup production exceeded 1.1 million gallons in 2011. Syrup producers tell the Brattleboro Reformer that farms in northern Vermont are far behind last year's production.
Lake Champlain Chocolates released their Maple Caramel Chocolates, which are maple filled and chocolate covered sweets to coincide with this year's sugaring season. The shop relies on a local sugar shacks for the 36 gallons of syrup it takes to produce the finished treats. The specialty batch is only available on a limited basis.
Gov. Peter Shumlin says he's disappointed with the decision of state Senate leaders not to bring right-to-die legislation to a vote in the chamber this year. The governor says he's a strong supporter of allowing terminally ill patients to ask their doctor for assistance in speeding death. He had asked for the bill to come before the full Senate.
With gas prices on the rise some folks are avoiding all together here in Vermont. Paul Beaudry from Burlington Mitsubishi says the demand right now has been overwhelming for electric cars. He says for the everyday driver who lives about five miles from work, barely any charging is necessary. The cars have a 60-mile range and you would only have to charge it once a week, which would cost about $2.50 a week. An online poll conducted by Harris Interactive says high gas prices are causing three in four adults to change their driving habits. Though electric cars may be the wave of the future they're not entirely ready for intense driving. The state wants to put charging stations up and down Interstate 89 and aptly nickname the highway the "Electric Highway".
A House committee is set to hold a public hearing on Wednesday on the state's immunization laws. Lawmakers are considering a proposal that would end the philosophical exemption under which parents have been able to avoid having their children get immunizations normally required to attend school.
Crews are scaling back their search for a missing New York teenager. 18-year-old Collin Gillis vanished one week ago after leaving an underage drinking party in Tupper Lake. Hundreds of volunteers have scoured the area but have found very few clues. Authorities are now calling off the land search although teams will continue to search waterways and rivers in the area.
The parent company of discount airline Direct Air is filing for bankruptcy. Court documents show Southern Sky Air & Tours LLC may have as much as $50 million in debt and just $1 million in assets. The airline canceled all flights last week, because it could not pay its fuel bill. Direct Air has served the Plattsburgh Airport since 2008. It owes the airport close to $200,000.
CVAA volunteers will be serving a hot mid-day Easter dinner at the Middlebury VFW Post on Friday, April 6th from 11 – 1. The suggested donation is $4. All CVAA meal events are open to adults 60 and over. Attendees are asked to bring a place setting. Reservations are required by April 4th by calling the Senior Helpline (1-800-642-5119). Free Transportation will be provided by ACTR (388-1946).
Due to an upsurge of local interest in cheese making, Rural Vermont and the Metta Earth Institute of Lincoln will offer a dairy processing class. A small group of students will learn to make feta, soft cheese, yogurt, and kefir. The workshop is scheduled for Sunday, March 25th from 1-4PM at Metta Earth Institute. Pre-registration is required and the previous class sold out quickly! For more information, to sign up, or to be added to Rural Vermont’s mailing list, call 223-7222 or email shelby@ruralvermont.org.
“The Best Fourth in the North” is months away, but Ticonderoga will have an Independence Day feeling on Saturday, March 31st. That’s when the “The Best Fourth in the North” committee will hold a pair of fund raising events. The annual Ticonderoga High School alumni basketball tournament will be played and the Ti Knights of Columbus will host a spaghetti dinner. Both will benefit the annual July 4th celebration. The celebration costs between $26-$30,000 and it’s fundraisers like these held throughout the year and donations from the community make it all possible. For more complete details just visit www.best4thinthenorth.com.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
WVTK Local & State News March 16, 2012
Teachers in the Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union voted overwhelmingly to strike yesterday afternoon. They say they want to compromise, but will be forced to walk off the job. The teachers of Orwell, Benson, Fair Haven and Castleton voted 118-12 to move to strike Wed., March 21 if the board does not rescind what teachers are calling a pay cut, but what the board calls a pay freeze. Right now the teachers are working without a contract. Originally, when the last contract ended they still received their annual step increase in pay, but earlier this month the board imposed a pay freeze at the rate of the last negotiated contract, which is about $100 less per paycheck than they are currently receiving.
A reminder for New York State residents that a statewide burn ban goes into effect today and runs through May 14th. The state Department of Environmental Conservation said the lack of green vegetation, abundance of available fuels such as dry grass and leaves, warm temperatures and wind make spring a high-risk season for wildfires. Find more information and frequently asked questions at dec.ny.gov.
Rutland City workers repaired a broken Main Street water line yesterday, but Mayor Christopher Louras warned that the city might have more trouble with the pipe in the future. The line broke Wednesday, sending water into the air and cutting off service to a portion of Woodstock Avenue. Repairs were complete late yesterday morning once the city got its hands on a special coupling designed to fit the more than 130-year-old pipe.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce wants to let you know that two of Vermont's U.S. legislators are holding public meetings. You can join congressman Peter Welch for a lively question and answer session today at Noon at The Lodge at Otter Creek in Middlebury. Light refreshments will be provided. Then Senator Bernie Sanders will be hosting a town meeting this weekend. The meeting takes place on Sunday at 11AM. Refreshments will be available starting at 10:30. The meeting with Senator Sanders will take place at Holley Hall on South Street on Bristol. RSVP is requested, but not required: 800-339-9834 or www.sanders.senate.gov.
The American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days gets underway on Monday in Addison County! Daffodils will be available to purchase throughout the week of March 19th in several locations in Orwell, Middlebury and Vergennes. Locations include Buxton’s Store and Orwell Gas N Go in Orwell; Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, Cole’s Flowers and Blossom Basket in Middlebury; also Shaw’s Supermarket in Vergennes. Dollars raised through the Daffodil Days Campaign will help the American Cancer Society fund vital cancer research.
For the first time, the Ralph Myhre Golf Course at Middlebury College will be open today, which is a month earlier than it has in its history. According to college officials, the driving range will open tomorrow. The projected temperature Sunday is 72! A long line is expected for the first tee time of the season.
What started out as a temporary job for Proctor’s interim town administrator has become a full-time job. The select board voted this week to offer the town administrator job to Stanley Wilbur who took over as interim administrator at the end of August.
Students in the Ticonderoga Central School District want to be heard during the budget process. The District is struggling to close a $1.7 million budget gap for 2012-13. The Ti High Student Voice, the student government, has formed a budget committee. Its members have met with Superintendent John McDonald and plan on attending board meetings throughout the budget process. The students who are all juniors are concerned about the way cuts could affect their futures. The top concerns are extracurricular activities and college prep courses.
Essex County lawmakers debated the feasibility this week of telling mental-health patients their services would be cut off for non-payment. County Office of Mental Health Director Steve Valley asked for permission to write off $5,400 in unpaid bills for about 30 clients. He said the money represents fees for counseling and physician services that were never paid. The committee voted 7 to 1 to write off the debt.
A leader of a prominent local political organization has requested that the Lake George Town board take action soon to enact a law to make synthetic marijuana, herbal incense and other similar substances illegal. Joanne Gavin, a founder of the Lake George Citizens Group, gave a lengthy presentation earlier this week on the dangers of the substances, which are now freely sold through “head shops” and tobacco stores. She noted that such herbal smoking blends or “posh,” known by various trade names like “Wicked X,” can cause hallucinations, seizures, psychotic behavior, comas and has been blamed for prompting a variety of criminal actions. Lake George Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson indicated support for such a ban.
More than 13,000 petitions were dropped off at the Public Service Board by the AARP on behalf of CVPS ratepayers yesterday. The Public Service Board ruled back in 2001 that CVPS utility rates would go up to prevent the company from going bankrupt. The deal stated if CVPS were ever sold or merged, ratepayers would be owed $21 million. Green Mountain Power now says the CVPS-GMP merger will deliver $144 million in savings to ratepayers and will create a $21 million investment in efficiency programs, but the AARP says that's not giving the money back to customers' pockets. The Public Service Board will take testimony on the case next week. It has until July to make a decision.
Police have arrested a Portland, Oregon man who allegedly sent dozens of threatening letters to members of Congress. 39-year-old Christopher Lee Carlson faces federal charges for threatening to use biological weapons on U.S. senators. The mass mailings were sent to lawmakers across the country, including Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy. That letter prompted an evacuation of Leahy's Burlington office building. The mailings contained a white, powdery substance, which ended up being benign.
A top state official is questioning the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's oversight of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller wrote to the head of the NRC's Northeast region yesterday to say she's concerned about what she called a pattern of human errors at the Vernon reactor during the past 15 months.
The chairman of a Vermont-based company looking to handle waste from shale gas drilling has told investors that hydraulic fracturing in New York State likely won't begin until 2013. New York development of the Marcellus Shale has been on hold since 2008, when the state began its environmental review of high-volume fracking.
Two big pieces of Vermont's rebuilding efforts after Tropical Storm Irene appear to be falling into place. Governor Peter Shumlin announced yesterday he wants a new 25-bed state psychiatric hospital to replace the flooded Waterbury State Hospital. He also announced he wants a scaled-down rebuild of the state office complex in Waterbury that will allow about 900 state employees to work there, down from the roughly 1500 who were based there before it was closed by flooding.
Governor Peter Shumlin supports a Senate bill that would allow undocumented migrant farm-workers to get a Vermont driver's license. The governor says the workers are essential for the state's dairy industry and that they should be free to move around the community. If Vermont passes the bill, it would join New Mexico and Washington State in allowing undocumented workers to obtain drivers' licenses.
The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant has been forced to reduce power because a key component is causing problems. And the state says Yankee technicians made a mistake and left a metal plate inside the component as they were trying to troubleshoot the issue last week. That incident prompted the Shumlin Administration to ask federal regulators about a recent series of human errors at the plant.
A 22-year-old Vermont man wanted in connection with burglary and other charges in Burlington has turned himself in to police. Russell Worthen turned himself in to St. Albans police yesterday. Authorities say he was on supervised release when he was accused of burglarizing several apartments in the last two months. He was arraigned on Thursday.
State Police say they have made an arrest in a bank robbery in Waitsfield. Police say 39-year-old James H. Baker of Northfield was arrested Wednesday. He's suspected of robbing the TD Bank on March 8th.
Addison County’s Premiere music quartet, Zephyr, will perform tomorrow at 7:00 PM in the Music Café at Brandon Music. This Americana music quartet brings together influences of folk, bluegrass, blues, gospel, country and the singer-songwriter tradition. Members of the band include Matthew Dickerson, Susan Nop, Kathleen Smith, and Dutton Smith. Zephyr has been performing together for two years. Tickets are $15 per person, and the concert is a benefit for the new non-profit Compass Music and Arts Center in Brandon. For more information on the concert and CMAC visit www.brandon-music.net.
A reminder for New York State residents that a statewide burn ban goes into effect today and runs through May 14th. The state Department of Environmental Conservation said the lack of green vegetation, abundance of available fuels such as dry grass and leaves, warm temperatures and wind make spring a high-risk season for wildfires. Find more information and frequently asked questions at dec.ny.gov.
Rutland City workers repaired a broken Main Street water line yesterday, but Mayor Christopher Louras warned that the city might have more trouble with the pipe in the future. The line broke Wednesday, sending water into the air and cutting off service to a portion of Woodstock Avenue. Repairs were complete late yesterday morning once the city got its hands on a special coupling designed to fit the more than 130-year-old pipe.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce wants to let you know that two of Vermont's U.S. legislators are holding public meetings. You can join congressman Peter Welch for a lively question and answer session today at Noon at The Lodge at Otter Creek in Middlebury. Light refreshments will be provided. Then Senator Bernie Sanders will be hosting a town meeting this weekend. The meeting takes place on Sunday at 11AM. Refreshments will be available starting at 10:30. The meeting with Senator Sanders will take place at Holley Hall on South Street on Bristol. RSVP is requested, but not required: 800-339-9834 or www.sanders.senate.gov.
The American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days gets underway on Monday in Addison County! Daffodils will be available to purchase throughout the week of March 19th in several locations in Orwell, Middlebury and Vergennes. Locations include Buxton’s Store and Orwell Gas N Go in Orwell; Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, Cole’s Flowers and Blossom Basket in Middlebury; also Shaw’s Supermarket in Vergennes. Dollars raised through the Daffodil Days Campaign will help the American Cancer Society fund vital cancer research.
For the first time, the Ralph Myhre Golf Course at Middlebury College will be open today, which is a month earlier than it has in its history. According to college officials, the driving range will open tomorrow. The projected temperature Sunday is 72! A long line is expected for the first tee time of the season.
What started out as a temporary job for Proctor’s interim town administrator has become a full-time job. The select board voted this week to offer the town administrator job to Stanley Wilbur who took over as interim administrator at the end of August.
Students in the Ticonderoga Central School District want to be heard during the budget process. The District is struggling to close a $1.7 million budget gap for 2012-13. The Ti High Student Voice, the student government, has formed a budget committee. Its members have met with Superintendent John McDonald and plan on attending board meetings throughout the budget process. The students who are all juniors are concerned about the way cuts could affect their futures. The top concerns are extracurricular activities and college prep courses.
Essex County lawmakers debated the feasibility this week of telling mental-health patients their services would be cut off for non-payment. County Office of Mental Health Director Steve Valley asked for permission to write off $5,400 in unpaid bills for about 30 clients. He said the money represents fees for counseling and physician services that were never paid. The committee voted 7 to 1 to write off the debt.
A leader of a prominent local political organization has requested that the Lake George Town board take action soon to enact a law to make synthetic marijuana, herbal incense and other similar substances illegal. Joanne Gavin, a founder of the Lake George Citizens Group, gave a lengthy presentation earlier this week on the dangers of the substances, which are now freely sold through “head shops” and tobacco stores. She noted that such herbal smoking blends or “posh,” known by various trade names like “Wicked X,” can cause hallucinations, seizures, psychotic behavior, comas and has been blamed for prompting a variety of criminal actions. Lake George Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson indicated support for such a ban.
More than 13,000 petitions were dropped off at the Public Service Board by the AARP on behalf of CVPS ratepayers yesterday. The Public Service Board ruled back in 2001 that CVPS utility rates would go up to prevent the company from going bankrupt. The deal stated if CVPS were ever sold or merged, ratepayers would be owed $21 million. Green Mountain Power now says the CVPS-GMP merger will deliver $144 million in savings to ratepayers and will create a $21 million investment in efficiency programs, but the AARP says that's not giving the money back to customers' pockets. The Public Service Board will take testimony on the case next week. It has until July to make a decision.
Police have arrested a Portland, Oregon man who allegedly sent dozens of threatening letters to members of Congress. 39-year-old Christopher Lee Carlson faces federal charges for threatening to use biological weapons on U.S. senators. The mass mailings were sent to lawmakers across the country, including Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy. That letter prompted an evacuation of Leahy's Burlington office building. The mailings contained a white, powdery substance, which ended up being benign.
A top state official is questioning the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's oversight of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller wrote to the head of the NRC's Northeast region yesterday to say she's concerned about what she called a pattern of human errors at the Vernon reactor during the past 15 months.
The chairman of a Vermont-based company looking to handle waste from shale gas drilling has told investors that hydraulic fracturing in New York State likely won't begin until 2013. New York development of the Marcellus Shale has been on hold since 2008, when the state began its environmental review of high-volume fracking.
Two big pieces of Vermont's rebuilding efforts after Tropical Storm Irene appear to be falling into place. Governor Peter Shumlin announced yesterday he wants a new 25-bed state psychiatric hospital to replace the flooded Waterbury State Hospital. He also announced he wants a scaled-down rebuild of the state office complex in Waterbury that will allow about 900 state employees to work there, down from the roughly 1500 who were based there before it was closed by flooding.
Governor Peter Shumlin supports a Senate bill that would allow undocumented migrant farm-workers to get a Vermont driver's license. The governor says the workers are essential for the state's dairy industry and that they should be free to move around the community. If Vermont passes the bill, it would join New Mexico and Washington State in allowing undocumented workers to obtain drivers' licenses.
The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant has been forced to reduce power because a key component is causing problems. And the state says Yankee technicians made a mistake and left a metal plate inside the component as they were trying to troubleshoot the issue last week. That incident prompted the Shumlin Administration to ask federal regulators about a recent series of human errors at the plant.
A 22-year-old Vermont man wanted in connection with burglary and other charges in Burlington has turned himself in to police. Russell Worthen turned himself in to St. Albans police yesterday. Authorities say he was on supervised release when he was accused of burglarizing several apartments in the last two months. He was arraigned on Thursday.
State Police say they have made an arrest in a bank robbery in Waitsfield. Police say 39-year-old James H. Baker of Northfield was arrested Wednesday. He's suspected of robbing the TD Bank on March 8th.
Addison County’s Premiere music quartet, Zephyr, will perform tomorrow at 7:00 PM in the Music Café at Brandon Music. This Americana music quartet brings together influences of folk, bluegrass, blues, gospel, country and the singer-songwriter tradition. Members of the band include Matthew Dickerson, Susan Nop, Kathleen Smith, and Dutton Smith. Zephyr has been performing together for two years. Tickets are $15 per person, and the concert is a benefit for the new non-profit Compass Music and Arts Center in Brandon. For more information on the concert and CMAC visit www.brandon-music.net.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
WVTK Local & State News March 15, 2012
The final installment of the Town of Middlebury property taxes is due today. Offices will remain open until 5:30PM this evening to accept payments.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce will hold its March mixer at Danforth Pewter on Seymour Street in Middlebury this evening from 5 – 7PM. For more information or to RSVP to Sue Hoxie click HERE.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce March “After Business Mixer” will be held this evening as well. The event will take place at Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies from 5:30 to 7PM. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce wants to let you know that two of Vermont's U.S. legislators are in the area this week and are holding public meetings. You can join congressman Peter Welch for a lively question and answer session tomorrow at Noon at The Lodge at Otter Creek in Middlebury. Light refreshments will be provided. Then Senator Bernie Sanders will be hosting a town meeting this coming weekend. The meeting takes place on Sunday at 11AM. Refreshments will be available starting at 10:30. The meeting with Senator Sanders will take place at Holley Hall on South Street on Bristol. RSVP is requested, but not required: 800-339-9834 or www.sanders.senate.gov.
A local seventh grader is going to represent Vermont in the national spelling bee this year. Thirteen-year-old Ronan Howlett of Cornwall won the state title Wednesday after spelling "qualitative" in the 18th round. He was actually relieved when he was given the word, saying he knew the term from his science class. Ronan ended up beating last year's champ, Meigan Clark, who like him is also a seventh-grader at Middlebury Union Middle School. The national competition is held in May in Washington, D-C.
Nobel Peace Prize winner the Dalai Lama will visit Middlebury College for the third time this fall. The spiritual leader of Tibet will visit the campus for two lectures, one for the campus community and another for the public. Middlebury students, faculty and staff may attend his talk “Educating the Heart” at 1:45PM on October 12th. His lecture “Finding Common Ground: Ethics for a Whole World” will be open to the public and will take place October 13th. Both will be held at the Nelson Arena. The Dalai Lama previously visited the college for two symposiums, in 1984 and in 1990. Tickets for this Octobers lectures will be available though the Middlebury College Box Office.
The teachers of the Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union will decide today what their next steps are regarding a pay cut. Teachers in Castleton, Fair Haven, Benson and Orwell have been working without a contract since July, even though negotiations have been going on for more than a year. Now, with imposed working conditions they'll be having a retroactive pay freeze with teachers receiving about a hundred dollars less in their remaining paychecks.
Highlights from this week’s Middlebury Select Board meeting included a report from Project Manager Amy Sheldon on the Middlebury River Planning & Restoration Project, including the status of the Town's hazard mitigation grant application with award decisions due on or about March 16th. No further financial assistance is available for Gristmill Bridge floodwall from FEMA.
Meanwhile the Board awarded the bid for the Butternut Ridge Road water and road improvement project to Champlain Construction. And The Business Development Fund Working Group will hold its final meeting this afternoon at 2:30 in the small conference room in the Municipal Building. At the meeting, the Group will develop recommendations to the Select Board on the next steps and timeline for the initiative. The Select Board will appoint a 5-member advisory board to continue the business development effort.
Higher ups in the State police met with House lawmakers yesterday to discuss changing the Vermont search and rescue policy. In January 19-year-old Levi Duclos died on the Emily Proctor Trail in Ripton. Wednesday's meeting with lawmakers was more like a brainstorming session. House lawmakers are hoping police will take initiative and include other search and rescue teams, like local firefighters, in the decision making process. But Sen. Vince Illuzzi wants a bill and has drafted legislation that would make search and rescue response a combination of State police efforts and volunteer searchers and rescuers. State police say they expect they'll be able to put a new policy in place by September.
Vergennes small business exporter Joel Melnick of Nathaniel Group, Inc. joined other small business owners, as U.S. Small Business Administration winners for outstanding success in their chosen fields. Melnick was award in the Small Business Exporter category. Nathaniel Group, Inc. was founded by Melnick as a sole proprietorship in 1984 and since then the company has developed new products and technologies and created design and manufacturing solutions for companies in search of reliable technical devices. The Vermont Small Business Award celebration is scheduled for June 14th.
Former economic development director Seth Webb is Killington’s new town manager. Two of three Killington selectmen voted to hire Webb permanently at his current salary of $85,000 a year plus benefits following an executive session Tuesday night. He was promoted to interim town manager in August of last year when Kathleen Ramsay resigned to take a job as assistant town manager in Middlebury.
The Vermont House is expected to pass and send to the Senate a bill that would require health insurance companies to cover telemedicine to the same degree that they do in-person medical consultations. Telemedicine is the use of communications technology to allow health professionals to offer their expertise to a medical case from a remote location. Supporters say it will allow greater access for Vermonters, especially in rural locations, to the expertise of medical specialists. The measure was advanced on a unanimous voice vote yesterday and is expected to win final passage today before moving to the Senate.
Vermont and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are joining to put $19.8 million toward buying out properties that are prone to flooding. Gov. Peter Shumlin, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch and other officials traveled to Northfield on Wednesday to make the announcement. Northfield, which was hit hard by flooding from Irene, is the location of 13 of the homes being bought out under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The program enables owners of flood prone properties to move elsewhere, and bars new development on the bought out properties. The federal agency covers 75% of the cost. Shumlin says the state is working to come up with the money to pay the other 25% of the cost.
Vermont will get more federal funding to repair roads damaged by Tropical Storm Irene under a bill approved Wednesday by the U.S. Senate. Hundreds of miles of highway were washed away by Irene's flash floods. The cost of repairs could approach $250 million. A provision added to the transportation bill by Sen. Bernie Sanders would have the feds cover 100 percent of road repairs when states are hit with extreme natural disasters. Sanders says the bill also contains funding that will help Vermont address a serious backlog of other road and bridge repairs. The House has not been able to pass its own transportation bill.
Hundreds of Vermonters swarmed the Statehouse Wednesday, to express their opinions on the controversial end of life bill. Even the name of the bill is up for debate. Supporters wore stickers that read, "I support death with dignity," opponents wore ones that said, "I oppose physician-assisted suicide." The chair of the committee says despite overwhelming testimony in the Statehouse yesterday, he doesn't expect his committee will pass the bill, which will end the debate for another year.
More restrictions might be coming for tobacco products in the Green Mountain State. Members from the house human services committee listened to testimony on a bill that aims to make it harder for minors to buy tobacco products. One of their concerns is electronic cigarettes, which contain nicotine. But anyone is allowed to buy them because there are no FDA restrictions. They are also concerned with flavored cigars. That's because they say they are popular with the younger generation.
A New York statewide burn ban is in effect from March 16th through May 14th. The state Department of Environmental Conservation says the lack of green vegetation, abundance of available fuels such as dry grass and leaves, warm temperatures and wind make spring a high-risk season for wildfires. Burning debris accounted for about 36 percent of wildfires between 1985 and 2009, making it the largest single cause of wildfires in New York state. Forty-six percent of wildfires in the state happen between March 16th and May 14th. Violators of the open burning state regulation are subject to a minimum fine of $500 for a first offense.
After another day of searching there is still no sign of a missing teenager from Tupper Lake. Wednesday's search focused on the Raquette River near the Piercefield Dam. It's not far from where 18-year-old Colin Gillis was last seen walking along Route 3. About 100 specially trained volunteers participated in the search Wednesday on rugged terrain. The search today will again focus on waterways in the area.
Moriah Madness will be held Saturday, March 24th from 11AM to 2PM at the school in Port Henry. Sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Association, the annual event is a day of family activities. Admission is $3 a child with a $10 cap for a family of four or more children. Adults are admitted free and an adult must accompany all children. This year people attending are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Moriah Food Pantry. Moriah Madness will feature games, arts and crafts, a book fair, pie throw, face painting, basket raffle, bake sale and more. Moriah Madness attracted more than 250 children and upwards to 300 adults last year.
The University of Vermont and the Vermont Lake Monsters have announced a 20-year deal in which the minor league baseball team will lease Centennial Field for a dollar a year. Previously, the team was paying about $40,000 a year for use of the field. Team owner Ray Pecor said Wednesday that the Lake Monsters appreciate the university's commitment to a long-term lease. He also says the team is excited about being able to continue to bring baseball to its fans and to explore opportunities for renovating the ballpark. A report has found deficiencies in the playing field, lighting, dugouts, bullpens and clubhouses. UVM says a study found that repairs could cost $3.3 million to cover immediate needs and $9.2 million to bring the field up to Minor League Baseball standards.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce will hold its March mixer at Danforth Pewter on Seymour Street in Middlebury this evening from 5 – 7PM. For more information or to RSVP to Sue Hoxie click HERE.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce March “After Business Mixer” will be held this evening as well. The event will take place at Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies from 5:30 to 7PM. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce wants to let you know that two of Vermont's U.S. legislators are in the area this week and are holding public meetings. You can join congressman Peter Welch for a lively question and answer session tomorrow at Noon at The Lodge at Otter Creek in Middlebury. Light refreshments will be provided. Then Senator Bernie Sanders will be hosting a town meeting this coming weekend. The meeting takes place on Sunday at 11AM. Refreshments will be available starting at 10:30. The meeting with Senator Sanders will take place at Holley Hall on South Street on Bristol. RSVP is requested, but not required: 800-339-9834 or www.sanders.senate.gov.
A local seventh grader is going to represent Vermont in the national spelling bee this year. Thirteen-year-old Ronan Howlett of Cornwall won the state title Wednesday after spelling "qualitative" in the 18th round. He was actually relieved when he was given the word, saying he knew the term from his science class. Ronan ended up beating last year's champ, Meigan Clark, who like him is also a seventh-grader at Middlebury Union Middle School. The national competition is held in May in Washington, D-C.
Nobel Peace Prize winner the Dalai Lama will visit Middlebury College for the third time this fall. The spiritual leader of Tibet will visit the campus for two lectures, one for the campus community and another for the public. Middlebury students, faculty and staff may attend his talk “Educating the Heart” at 1:45PM on October 12th. His lecture “Finding Common Ground: Ethics for a Whole World” will be open to the public and will take place October 13th. Both will be held at the Nelson Arena. The Dalai Lama previously visited the college for two symposiums, in 1984 and in 1990. Tickets for this Octobers lectures will be available though the Middlebury College Box Office.
The teachers of the Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union will decide today what their next steps are regarding a pay cut. Teachers in Castleton, Fair Haven, Benson and Orwell have been working without a contract since July, even though negotiations have been going on for more than a year. Now, with imposed working conditions they'll be having a retroactive pay freeze with teachers receiving about a hundred dollars less in their remaining paychecks.
Highlights from this week’s Middlebury Select Board meeting included a report from Project Manager Amy Sheldon on the Middlebury River Planning & Restoration Project, including the status of the Town's hazard mitigation grant application with award decisions due on or about March 16th. No further financial assistance is available for Gristmill Bridge floodwall from FEMA.
Meanwhile the Board awarded the bid for the Butternut Ridge Road water and road improvement project to Champlain Construction. And The Business Development Fund Working Group will hold its final meeting this afternoon at 2:30 in the small conference room in the Municipal Building. At the meeting, the Group will develop recommendations to the Select Board on the next steps and timeline for the initiative. The Select Board will appoint a 5-member advisory board to continue the business development effort.
Higher ups in the State police met with House lawmakers yesterday to discuss changing the Vermont search and rescue policy. In January 19-year-old Levi Duclos died on the Emily Proctor Trail in Ripton. Wednesday's meeting with lawmakers was more like a brainstorming session. House lawmakers are hoping police will take initiative and include other search and rescue teams, like local firefighters, in the decision making process. But Sen. Vince Illuzzi wants a bill and has drafted legislation that would make search and rescue response a combination of State police efforts and volunteer searchers and rescuers. State police say they expect they'll be able to put a new policy in place by September.
Vergennes small business exporter Joel Melnick of Nathaniel Group, Inc. joined other small business owners, as U.S. Small Business Administration winners for outstanding success in their chosen fields. Melnick was award in the Small Business Exporter category. Nathaniel Group, Inc. was founded by Melnick as a sole proprietorship in 1984 and since then the company has developed new products and technologies and created design and manufacturing solutions for companies in search of reliable technical devices. The Vermont Small Business Award celebration is scheduled for June 14th.
Former economic development director Seth Webb is Killington’s new town manager. Two of three Killington selectmen voted to hire Webb permanently at his current salary of $85,000 a year plus benefits following an executive session Tuesday night. He was promoted to interim town manager in August of last year when Kathleen Ramsay resigned to take a job as assistant town manager in Middlebury.
The Vermont House is expected to pass and send to the Senate a bill that would require health insurance companies to cover telemedicine to the same degree that they do in-person medical consultations. Telemedicine is the use of communications technology to allow health professionals to offer their expertise to a medical case from a remote location. Supporters say it will allow greater access for Vermonters, especially in rural locations, to the expertise of medical specialists. The measure was advanced on a unanimous voice vote yesterday and is expected to win final passage today before moving to the Senate.
Vermont and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are joining to put $19.8 million toward buying out properties that are prone to flooding. Gov. Peter Shumlin, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch and other officials traveled to Northfield on Wednesday to make the announcement. Northfield, which was hit hard by flooding from Irene, is the location of 13 of the homes being bought out under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The program enables owners of flood prone properties to move elsewhere, and bars new development on the bought out properties. The federal agency covers 75% of the cost. Shumlin says the state is working to come up with the money to pay the other 25% of the cost.
Vermont will get more federal funding to repair roads damaged by Tropical Storm Irene under a bill approved Wednesday by the U.S. Senate. Hundreds of miles of highway were washed away by Irene's flash floods. The cost of repairs could approach $250 million. A provision added to the transportation bill by Sen. Bernie Sanders would have the feds cover 100 percent of road repairs when states are hit with extreme natural disasters. Sanders says the bill also contains funding that will help Vermont address a serious backlog of other road and bridge repairs. The House has not been able to pass its own transportation bill.
Hundreds of Vermonters swarmed the Statehouse Wednesday, to express their opinions on the controversial end of life bill. Even the name of the bill is up for debate. Supporters wore stickers that read, "I support death with dignity," opponents wore ones that said, "I oppose physician-assisted suicide." The chair of the committee says despite overwhelming testimony in the Statehouse yesterday, he doesn't expect his committee will pass the bill, which will end the debate for another year.
More restrictions might be coming for tobacco products in the Green Mountain State. Members from the house human services committee listened to testimony on a bill that aims to make it harder for minors to buy tobacco products. One of their concerns is electronic cigarettes, which contain nicotine. But anyone is allowed to buy them because there are no FDA restrictions. They are also concerned with flavored cigars. That's because they say they are popular with the younger generation.
A New York statewide burn ban is in effect from March 16th through May 14th. The state Department of Environmental Conservation says the lack of green vegetation, abundance of available fuels such as dry grass and leaves, warm temperatures and wind make spring a high-risk season for wildfires. Burning debris accounted for about 36 percent of wildfires between 1985 and 2009, making it the largest single cause of wildfires in New York state. Forty-six percent of wildfires in the state happen between March 16th and May 14th. Violators of the open burning state regulation are subject to a minimum fine of $500 for a first offense.
After another day of searching there is still no sign of a missing teenager from Tupper Lake. Wednesday's search focused on the Raquette River near the Piercefield Dam. It's not far from where 18-year-old Colin Gillis was last seen walking along Route 3. About 100 specially trained volunteers participated in the search Wednesday on rugged terrain. The search today will again focus on waterways in the area.
Moriah Madness will be held Saturday, March 24th from 11AM to 2PM at the school in Port Henry. Sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Association, the annual event is a day of family activities. Admission is $3 a child with a $10 cap for a family of four or more children. Adults are admitted free and an adult must accompany all children. This year people attending are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Moriah Food Pantry. Moriah Madness will feature games, arts and crafts, a book fair, pie throw, face painting, basket raffle, bake sale and more. Moriah Madness attracted more than 250 children and upwards to 300 adults last year.
The University of Vermont and the Vermont Lake Monsters have announced a 20-year deal in which the minor league baseball team will lease Centennial Field for a dollar a year. Previously, the team was paying about $40,000 a year for use of the field. Team owner Ray Pecor said Wednesday that the Lake Monsters appreciate the university's commitment to a long-term lease. He also says the team is excited about being able to continue to bring baseball to its fans and to explore opportunities for renovating the ballpark. A report has found deficiencies in the playing field, lighting, dugouts, bullpens and clubhouses. UVM says a study found that repairs could cost $3.3 million to cover immediate needs and $9.2 million to bring the field up to Minor League Baseball standards.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
WVTK Local & State News March 14, 2012
Here’s a reminder that the final installment of the Town of Middlebury property taxes is due tomorrow. Offices will remain open until 5:30PM tomorrow to accept payments.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce will hold its March mixer at Danforth Pewter on Seymour Street in Middlebury tomorrow from 5 – 7PM. Mingle with fellow business people in their workshop and store and share hors d’oeuvres, drinks, door prizes and a chance to win the Pot of Gold—now valued at $900! For more information or to RSVP to Sue Hoxie click HERE.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce March “After Business Mixer” will be held tomorrow as well. The event will take place at Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies from 5:30 to 7PM. Sponsors providing door prizes will be The Burgoyne Grill, Glens Falls National Bank and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies office is located on Route 9N in Crown Point. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce wants to let you know that two of Vermont's U.S. legislators are in the area this week and are holding public meetings. You can join congressman Peter Welch for a lively question and answer session on Friday at Noon at The Lodge at Otter Creek in Middlebury. Light refreshments will be provided. Then Senator Bernie Sanders will be hosting a town meeting this coming weekend. The meeting takes place on Sunday at 11AM. Refreshments will be available starting at 10:30. The meeting with Senator Sanders will take place at Holley Hall on South Street on Bristol. RSVP is requested, but not required: 800-339-9834 or www.sanders.senate.gov.
The American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days has arrived in Addison County! Daffodils will be available to purchase throughout the week of March 19th in several locations in Orwell, Middlebury and Vergennes. Locations include Buxton’s Store and Orwell Gas N Go in Orwell; Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, Cole’s Flowers and Blossom Basket in Middlebury; also Shaw’s Supermarket in Vergennes. Dollars raised through the Daffodil Days campaign will help the American Cancer Society fund vital cancer research.
The town of Moriah has established a new website to serve residents and meet new state requirements. The site, www.townofmoriahny.net, lists elected officials and department heads with contact information, posts agendas for upcoming town board meetings, has town board meeting minutes, copies of local laws and permits requirements. It’s still under construction but the new site will soon add the town budget, monthly financial reports and the town assessment roll. It will also have links to county and state agencies.
Congressman Peter Welch hopes a National Guard veteran outreach program in Vermont can expand nationwide. Welch and New York Congressman Chris Gibson were in Rutland yesterday to hear from veterans about the reintegration program. It provides Guard members and their families with health care services, plus counseling for marriage, business, and finances, as well as substance abuse treatment. Welch will take what he heard Tuesday to Washington in hopes of expanding the program to Guard veterans across the country, as well as active duty armed forces members.
South Carolina-based public charter airline Direct Air, which flies out of Plattsburgh International Airport, has canceled all flights until at least May 15th. Myrtle Beach International airport director Mike LaPier said all operations by Direct Air were suspended Monday night due to a fueling issue. Passengers with reservations from now until May 15 were advised to contact their credit card company to arrange for a refund. Direct Air owed its fuel supplier quite a bit of money, which is what brought the issue to a head Monday.
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos has announced the official results in Vermont's primary. A total of 103,364 Democratic and Republican voters or 23% of voters cast ballots on March 6th. Of those 98% voted for President Barack Obama in the Democratic primary. In the Republican primary 39% of total voters chose Mitt Romney. Ron Paul came in second in Vermont's Republican primary with 15,343 votes followed by Rick Santorum with 14,345 votes. Newt Gingrich got 8% of votes cast in the state.
The Vermont House has voted unanimously in favor of a bill that would make recycling mandatory across the state. It now goes to the Senate, and Governor Peter Shumlin has said he supports it. The bill would make recycling - and eventually even composting - mandatory, with the mandates being phased in over the next few years. First up would be "traditional" recyclables, like paper and plastics, then yard waste, and eventually organic material, such as food.
A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was found walking alone in her pajamas Tuesday morning near the intersection of King and Saint Paul Streets in Burlington. Police found the child's mom eventually, who said she'd been sleeping when the little girl wandered outside. Police say the mother has an unusual sleeping pattern, which the kids have apparently picked up. Police say the case is not closed by any means, and the parents could possibly face criminal charges.
A bill banning teenagers from using tanning beds at tanning parlors has the unanimous backing of the House Healthcare Committee. While the decision was unanimous, the director of professional regulation says it's going to be very difficult for the salons to make sure they're not treating someone younger than 18. If it passes, tanning salons have to put up signs saying it's illegal for minors to use the tanning beds, as well as warning them of the health risks and penalties for breaking the law. The bill could be on the House floor by Friday.
Vermont's best young spellers will go head to head in a statewide spelling bee. The event is taking place this afternoon at St. Michael's College in Colchester. The winner will represent Vermont in Washington in June in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
A top official with the Vermont Medical Society says the doctors' group opposes a bill to allow doctors help terminally ill patients end their own lives. Paul Harrington, the group's executive director, says a bill being considered by a Senate committee would inject an unneeded legalistic process into a discussion best left to a patient and doctor.
The Shumlin administration and the union representing Vermont state workers are in talks about a possible early-retirement program for workers at the now-closed Vermont State Hospital. The administration announced late last month that 78 people who had worked at the Waterbury hospital before it was closed by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene would be laid off as of mid-April.
Vermont labor officials say the state's unemployment rate fell slightly in January to 5%. The seasonally adjusted rate was a decrease of 2-tenths of a percent from December and 3.3% below the national rate for January of 8.3%.
It could be a sign of a slowing economy. New numbers show state tax collections are down for the third month in a row. The state took in just over $52 million in general fund revenues in February. That is $9.5 million less than expected, a 15 percent shortfall. Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding says the drop is a concern, but the state won't really know where it stands until income tax season is over.
A Vermont family is suing Green Mountain Power, blaming the company for the drowning death of a loved one. Daniel Forsey passed away last August when the power company opened its hydroelectric dam at Little River State Park in Waterbury. Forsey and a friend were fishing downstream and didn't hear or see a flashing alarm. Forsey was swept away by the water. According to the Burlington Free Press, the family claims Green Mountain Power opened the dam without adequate warning.
Vermont has a new tool to warn residents about prison breaks. The Corrections Department says it's purchased a better community alert system after its previous warning software failed last month. Neighbors of the Northeast Regional Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury weren't notified about an escape until hours after the inmates were caught. Officials say the new system is able to send time-sensitive, targeted warnings to landlines and cell-phones. It also sends emails, text messages and posts alerts to Twitter and Facebook. The commissioner says he hopes the new system will allow corrections and the community to work together.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says more than 25,000 New Yorkers have landed jobs in the last four months through the innovative "Jobs Express" website. The state website compiles employment openings in the state jobs bank by region and type of work. Businesses can post openings for free. The state website allows job hunters to narrow their search by their qualifications, regions and types of jobs. Now, union apprenticeships will also be listed. Jobs Express is updated daily. The site also includes advice on seeking jobs and provides what Cuomo calls an electronic job-matching tool.
A Vermont woman has been honored for jumping into a river to save the life of a boy who was crying for help. Jennifer Whisher had been walking her dogs along the bank of the Winooski River last August when she heard the cries. She jumped in and brought the boy to safety. The Burlington Free Press reports Whisher was presented with a Life Saving Award at a police awards luncheon on Monday.
The Weybridge Elementary School Tag Sale will take place on Saturday, March 24th from 8AM – 1PM. You will find a large selection of clothes, toys, house-wares, sports equipment, books and more. The school is located at 210 Quaker Village Rd. in center Weybridge, across from Monument Farms Dairy. Donations can be dropped off at the school after Wednesday, March 21st.
There is a 6-foot, 3 1/2-inch tall rabbit roaming the halls of Ticonderoga High School. No one has seen him, but that’s the point. Sentinel Productions, the Ti High drama club, will present the play “Harvey”. Shows are at 7PM Saturday, March 24th and 2PM Sunday, March 25th in the school auditorium. Tickets are $2 for students, $4 for adults and $10 for a family. Refreshments will be sold. The 1944 play by Mary Chase won a Pulitzer Prize and the 1950 movie version, starring Jimmy Stewart, won Academy Awards.
Good news for baseball fans, The Vermont Lake Monsters appears to be staying in Burlington. The minor league baseball club is expected to sign a long-term lease Wednesday to stay at Centennial Field for the next two decades.
It's Cardinal Timothy Dolan week in New York State. Governor Andrew Cuomo made the proclamation to honor the Archbishop of New York's elevation to his new position. Cuomo says Dolan has quickly become a beloved leader in the state. To commemorate the week, the skyscraper formerly known as the Freedom Tower under construction at the World Trade Center will be awash in red lighting every night this week. One World Trade Center, as it is now known, will be the tallest building in the US when it is completed.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce will hold its March mixer at Danforth Pewter on Seymour Street in Middlebury tomorrow from 5 – 7PM. Mingle with fellow business people in their workshop and store and share hors d’oeuvres, drinks, door prizes and a chance to win the Pot of Gold—now valued at $900! For more information or to RSVP to Sue Hoxie click HERE.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce March “After Business Mixer” will be held tomorrow as well. The event will take place at Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies from 5:30 to 7PM. Sponsors providing door prizes will be The Burgoyne Grill, Glens Falls National Bank and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies office is located on Route 9N in Crown Point. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce wants to let you know that two of Vermont's U.S. legislators are in the area this week and are holding public meetings. You can join congressman Peter Welch for a lively question and answer session on Friday at Noon at The Lodge at Otter Creek in Middlebury. Light refreshments will be provided. Then Senator Bernie Sanders will be hosting a town meeting this coming weekend. The meeting takes place on Sunday at 11AM. Refreshments will be available starting at 10:30. The meeting with Senator Sanders will take place at Holley Hall on South Street on Bristol. RSVP is requested, but not required: 800-339-9834 or www.sanders.senate.gov.
The American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days has arrived in Addison County! Daffodils will be available to purchase throughout the week of March 19th in several locations in Orwell, Middlebury and Vergennes. Locations include Buxton’s Store and Orwell Gas N Go in Orwell; Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, Cole’s Flowers and Blossom Basket in Middlebury; also Shaw’s Supermarket in Vergennes. Dollars raised through the Daffodil Days campaign will help the American Cancer Society fund vital cancer research.
The town of Moriah has established a new website to serve residents and meet new state requirements. The site, www.townofmoriahny.net, lists elected officials and department heads with contact information, posts agendas for upcoming town board meetings, has town board meeting minutes, copies of local laws and permits requirements. It’s still under construction but the new site will soon add the town budget, monthly financial reports and the town assessment roll. It will also have links to county and state agencies.
Congressman Peter Welch hopes a National Guard veteran outreach program in Vermont can expand nationwide. Welch and New York Congressman Chris Gibson were in Rutland yesterday to hear from veterans about the reintegration program. It provides Guard members and their families with health care services, plus counseling for marriage, business, and finances, as well as substance abuse treatment. Welch will take what he heard Tuesday to Washington in hopes of expanding the program to Guard veterans across the country, as well as active duty armed forces members.
South Carolina-based public charter airline Direct Air, which flies out of Plattsburgh International Airport, has canceled all flights until at least May 15th. Myrtle Beach International airport director Mike LaPier said all operations by Direct Air were suspended Monday night due to a fueling issue. Passengers with reservations from now until May 15 were advised to contact their credit card company to arrange for a refund. Direct Air owed its fuel supplier quite a bit of money, which is what brought the issue to a head Monday.
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos has announced the official results in Vermont's primary. A total of 103,364 Democratic and Republican voters or 23% of voters cast ballots on March 6th. Of those 98% voted for President Barack Obama in the Democratic primary. In the Republican primary 39% of total voters chose Mitt Romney. Ron Paul came in second in Vermont's Republican primary with 15,343 votes followed by Rick Santorum with 14,345 votes. Newt Gingrich got 8% of votes cast in the state.
The Vermont House has voted unanimously in favor of a bill that would make recycling mandatory across the state. It now goes to the Senate, and Governor Peter Shumlin has said he supports it. The bill would make recycling - and eventually even composting - mandatory, with the mandates being phased in over the next few years. First up would be "traditional" recyclables, like paper and plastics, then yard waste, and eventually organic material, such as food.
A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was found walking alone in her pajamas Tuesday morning near the intersection of King and Saint Paul Streets in Burlington. Police found the child's mom eventually, who said she'd been sleeping when the little girl wandered outside. Police say the mother has an unusual sleeping pattern, which the kids have apparently picked up. Police say the case is not closed by any means, and the parents could possibly face criminal charges.
A bill banning teenagers from using tanning beds at tanning parlors has the unanimous backing of the House Healthcare Committee. While the decision was unanimous, the director of professional regulation says it's going to be very difficult for the salons to make sure they're not treating someone younger than 18. If it passes, tanning salons have to put up signs saying it's illegal for minors to use the tanning beds, as well as warning them of the health risks and penalties for breaking the law. The bill could be on the House floor by Friday.
Vermont's best young spellers will go head to head in a statewide spelling bee. The event is taking place this afternoon at St. Michael's College in Colchester. The winner will represent Vermont in Washington in June in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
A top official with the Vermont Medical Society says the doctors' group opposes a bill to allow doctors help terminally ill patients end their own lives. Paul Harrington, the group's executive director, says a bill being considered by a Senate committee would inject an unneeded legalistic process into a discussion best left to a patient and doctor.
The Shumlin administration and the union representing Vermont state workers are in talks about a possible early-retirement program for workers at the now-closed Vermont State Hospital. The administration announced late last month that 78 people who had worked at the Waterbury hospital before it was closed by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene would be laid off as of mid-April.
Vermont labor officials say the state's unemployment rate fell slightly in January to 5%. The seasonally adjusted rate was a decrease of 2-tenths of a percent from December and 3.3% below the national rate for January of 8.3%.
It could be a sign of a slowing economy. New numbers show state tax collections are down for the third month in a row. The state took in just over $52 million in general fund revenues in February. That is $9.5 million less than expected, a 15 percent shortfall. Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding says the drop is a concern, but the state won't really know where it stands until income tax season is over.
A Vermont family is suing Green Mountain Power, blaming the company for the drowning death of a loved one. Daniel Forsey passed away last August when the power company opened its hydroelectric dam at Little River State Park in Waterbury. Forsey and a friend were fishing downstream and didn't hear or see a flashing alarm. Forsey was swept away by the water. According to the Burlington Free Press, the family claims Green Mountain Power opened the dam without adequate warning.
Vermont has a new tool to warn residents about prison breaks. The Corrections Department says it's purchased a better community alert system after its previous warning software failed last month. Neighbors of the Northeast Regional Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury weren't notified about an escape until hours after the inmates were caught. Officials say the new system is able to send time-sensitive, targeted warnings to landlines and cell-phones. It also sends emails, text messages and posts alerts to Twitter and Facebook. The commissioner says he hopes the new system will allow corrections and the community to work together.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says more than 25,000 New Yorkers have landed jobs in the last four months through the innovative "Jobs Express" website. The state website compiles employment openings in the state jobs bank by region and type of work. Businesses can post openings for free. The state website allows job hunters to narrow their search by their qualifications, regions and types of jobs. Now, union apprenticeships will also be listed. Jobs Express is updated daily. The site also includes advice on seeking jobs and provides what Cuomo calls an electronic job-matching tool.
A Vermont woman has been honored for jumping into a river to save the life of a boy who was crying for help. Jennifer Whisher had been walking her dogs along the bank of the Winooski River last August when she heard the cries. She jumped in and brought the boy to safety. The Burlington Free Press reports Whisher was presented with a Life Saving Award at a police awards luncheon on Monday.
The Weybridge Elementary School Tag Sale will take place on Saturday, March 24th from 8AM – 1PM. You will find a large selection of clothes, toys, house-wares, sports equipment, books and more. The school is located at 210 Quaker Village Rd. in center Weybridge, across from Monument Farms Dairy. Donations can be dropped off at the school after Wednesday, March 21st.
There is a 6-foot, 3 1/2-inch tall rabbit roaming the halls of Ticonderoga High School. No one has seen him, but that’s the point. Sentinel Productions, the Ti High drama club, will present the play “Harvey”. Shows are at 7PM Saturday, March 24th and 2PM Sunday, March 25th in the school auditorium. Tickets are $2 for students, $4 for adults and $10 for a family. Refreshments will be sold. The 1944 play by Mary Chase won a Pulitzer Prize and the 1950 movie version, starring Jimmy Stewart, won Academy Awards.
Good news for baseball fans, The Vermont Lake Monsters appears to be staying in Burlington. The minor league baseball club is expected to sign a long-term lease Wednesday to stay at Centennial Field for the next two decades.
It's Cardinal Timothy Dolan week in New York State. Governor Andrew Cuomo made the proclamation to honor the Archbishop of New York's elevation to his new position. Cuomo says Dolan has quickly become a beloved leader in the state. To commemorate the week, the skyscraper formerly known as the Freedom Tower under construction at the World Trade Center will be awash in red lighting every night this week. One World Trade Center, as it is now known, will be the tallest building in the US when it is completed.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
WVTK Local & State News March 13, 2012
Existing assessment data on the Middlebury River and information about plans and funding for managing the river in East Middlebury will be presented by the River Management Task Force on Thursday, March 22nd at 7PM at the East Middlebury United Methodist Church on Church Street in East Middlebury. A detailed agenda for the meeting will be published later this week. Stay up to date by visiting the Town Of Middlebury’s Website.
Here’s a reminder that the final installment of the Town of Middlebury property taxes is due this Thursday, March 15th. Offices will remain open until 5:30PM on Thursday to accept payments.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce wants to let you know that two of Vermont's U.S. legislators are in the area this week and are holding public meetings. You can join congressman Peter Welch for a lively question and answer session on Friday at Noon at The Lodge at Otter Creek in Middlebury. Light refreshments will be provided. Then Senator Bernie Sanders will be hosting a town meeting this coming weekend. The meeting takes place on Sunday at 11AM. Refreshments will be available starting at 10:30. The meeting with Senator Sanders will take place at Holley Hall on South Street on Bristol. RSVP is requested, but not required: 800-339-9834 or www.sanders.senate.gov.
The Better Middlebury Partnership did it again this year by organizing another wildly successful annual Vermont Chili Festival in downtown Middlebury. The Vermont Chamber of Commerce, now in its fourth year, has named the chili contest event, one of the Top 10 Winter Events for the past three years. This year the event included jugglers, live music, singing, a beverage tent where Gov. Peter Shumlin greeted visitors, plenty of tail wags from Hobbes and of course chili! Over 50 restaurants, businesses, community organizations, and caterers from around the state participated. Proceeds from this year’s event will go towards the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund/Vermont 211.
There are only five members on the Green Mountain Care Board that is working to design a single-payer health care system in Vermont. But the chairwoman of that board told a roomful of doctors at Rutland Regional Medical Center on Monday that her group needs the help of medical professionals who understand patient needs and procedural expenses if the universal system envisioned by the Legislature is to succeed. The meeting at the hospital came two months after a similar gathering of Rutland doctors voiced concerns about how health care would be paid for and what level of care would be provided. Many of the concerns heard in January resurfaced yesterday during the hour-and-a-half long question and answer session.
A petition to strip the three-man Select Board of its power to hire a new town manager has yet to be filed with the town office, but the idea itself is stirring controversy. A special Select Board meeting was held last week to discuss hiring a permanent town manager. The petition appeared the following day, posted in the hallway of the Killington Elementary School on Town Meeting Day, outside the polling place. It asks for signatures for support of stripping the Select Board’s authority to hire the manager. The board is considering the most-likely candidate, existing interim town manager Seth Webb. The Board will likely consider a contract for Webb’s hiring in the coming weeks.
A Vermont man has pleaded guilty to child cruelty after his year-old baby had swallowed a pill used to treat an addiction to narcotics. WCAX-TV reports 25-year-old Walter Susee of Rutland will spend 40 days in prison. Police said he did not have a prescription for the drug, called Suboxone, and had bought it for $20 illegally on the street last year.
One supervisor's strong protests didn't stop Essex County lawmakers from going behind closed doors yesterday to discuss the fate of Horace Nye Nursing Home. The Horace Nye Task Force of the County Board of Supervisors went into a 55-minute executive session almost immediately after convening Monday afternoon. The outcome of that meeting was that higher bids should be solicited from the three firms that made offers on the Nursing Home last week. The county received three bids of $4 million each for the Nursing Home.
In the early 1990s, rabies broke out in Clinton County, putting health officials on high alert. In neighboring Essex County, a stray cat recently tested positive for rabies, proving that the North Country is not immune. Seven people who had been around the animal received cautionary post-exposure treatment for the disease. Officials say if you do get rabies, it is 100 percent fatal. About 50,000 people worldwide die from the illness each year. Anyone who may have been exposed to the disease should immediately seek medical treatment.
The University of Vermont is investigating the death of one of its students. An autopsy is ordered to determine how sophomore Abraham Kurganoff died. School authorities say the death happened unexpectedly Monday morning, but there is no indication of foul play. The autopsy is hoped to reveal more information.
It's been more than six months since Tropical Storm Irene ripped through the town of Waterbury, leaving flooding, destruction and despair in its wake. But now there's hope, with a big boost of funding to help homeowners trying to rebuild. The Stiller Family Foundation is donating 250-thousand dollars to help with that process. Roughly 200 homes were damaged, with a third of them still in disrepair. The donation Monday puts the ReBuild Waterbury fund about halfway towards its fundraising goal of 918-thousand dollars.
A five-year-old boy is okay after quite an adventure that had a lot of people concerned and scared. The child who lives in Underhill was reported missing from his Butler Road home Monday night, and a massive land search was launched. State Police say he was found a few hours later and four miles away from home on County Farm Road. He had apparently followed, along with his two dogs, a stream to a home where residents called police. He was okay, and quickly returned to his family.
A committee of the Vermont Senate is set this week to take up legislation that would allow terminally ill patients end their lives with the help of a doctor. Called "death with dignity" by supporters" and "physician-assisted suicide" by opponents, the legislation has come up before, failing in the Vermont House in 2008. Supporters of the measure say they're encouraged to try again in part due to the fact that Gov. Peter Shumlin supports the legislation. Former Gov. Jim Douglas opposed it. But it's still far from certain to pass. Both Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell and Sen. Richard Sears, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, oppose it.
A dean at the Vermont Law School will become the school's new president. Marc Mihaly will succeed Jeff Shields who retires on July 31st. Mihaly serves as associate dean for the school's environmental programs, director of the Environmental Law Center and professor of law.
Fletcher Allen Health Care in Vermont has received a $400,000 gift for cancer research. The money is from the estate of Barbara Stevens of Morrisville, who died in April 2011 at age 85. Her wishes were to support medical research at the Burlington hospital.
The state has approved a $7.7 million expansion project at a Vermont hospital. Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has received the upgrade to expand and renovate the emergency room and build a new MRI unit. The Brattleboro Reformer reports the hospital hopes to use $6.7 million in capital reserve funds, while raising another $1 million in donations.
The push to rebuild parts of Vermont is getting a major boost in the form of sweat equity. More than 30 students with ReTrain YouthBuild are working with homeowners in Waterbury and Barre to help them rebound. The program is designed help homeowners repair their homes while providing students with hands-on construction experience. The effort is slated to last a year and will allow participants to pick up a trade. The students are all between the ages of 16 and 24. When they're not on the job site they're working toward their high school diplomas or GEDs.
Police departments throughout Vermont have begun to adopt a new technology known as LPR or License Plate Reader. The technology allows police to photograph a license plate and cross-reference it with a Motor Vehicles Department database to check ownership records.
Police in Burlington, Colchester, South Burlington and Shelburne already use LPR. Newport, Milton, Hardwick and Essex are acquiring it. At least one Essex select board member worried the technology could infringe on personal privacy. Others were concerned about whether Vermont's prisons could handle a spike in arrests. The cost of a LPR device is currently $25,000 and can be funded by a grant through Homeland Security and the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program.
The search continued Monday night for a missing teenager in New York's north country. Colin Gillis, a pre-med student at SUNY Brockport returned home to Tupper Lake Friday night. On Saturday night he attended a drinking party with friends at an undisclosed home. Police say he left the party alone on foot, but they don't know why. Police say they really have no clear idea what actually happened to Colin early Sunday morning. They plan to continuing searching as of the crack of dawn this morning.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is putting his popularity and his early record on the line as never before as the Legislature digs in for the first time over issues that will affect New Yorkers for the next 10 years. The Democratic governor is insisting the Legislature adopt a less expensive pension system for future public workers. He says the reform supported in the polls is one of the seminal clashes of this budget and of his administration because taxpayers can no longer afford the traditional pension for the next generations of state and local public workers.
The Schroon Lake Central School drama club will present “The Wizard of Oz” Friday and Saturday, March 23rd and 24th at 7PM. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students. Children younger than age 5 will be free. The play will be performed in the school’s new auditorium.
Monday's weather had a lot of folks thinking spring has sprung. From Skateboarding to sitting in the park, people in Rutland Monday were soaking up the sun. In Giorgetti Park, snow banks are a reminder of winter, but just across the parking lot, the presence of hikers is a sure sign of spring. The Temperature in Rutland rose to 63 degrees. That's 25 degrees warmer than average for this time of year which is 38. This time last year it was snow plows and shovels and last year the city spent 40-percent over budget on winter maintenance.
Beginning next fall, Green Mountain College in Poultney will offer undergraduate students a complete Renewable Energy and Ecological Design major. The new 42-credit program will offer depth of study in renewable energy and ecological design, while allowing students to specialize in an area of interest including art, business and sustainable agriculture. It will integrate renewable energy and sustainable design within the college’s liberal arts education.
Here’s a reminder that the final installment of the Town of Middlebury property taxes is due this Thursday, March 15th. Offices will remain open until 5:30PM on Thursday to accept payments.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce wants to let you know that two of Vermont's U.S. legislators are in the area this week and are holding public meetings. You can join congressman Peter Welch for a lively question and answer session on Friday at Noon at The Lodge at Otter Creek in Middlebury. Light refreshments will be provided. Then Senator Bernie Sanders will be hosting a town meeting this coming weekend. The meeting takes place on Sunday at 11AM. Refreshments will be available starting at 10:30. The meeting with Senator Sanders will take place at Holley Hall on South Street on Bristol. RSVP is requested, but not required: 800-339-9834 or www.sanders.senate.gov.
The Better Middlebury Partnership did it again this year by organizing another wildly successful annual Vermont Chili Festival in downtown Middlebury. The Vermont Chamber of Commerce, now in its fourth year, has named the chili contest event, one of the Top 10 Winter Events for the past three years. This year the event included jugglers, live music, singing, a beverage tent where Gov. Peter Shumlin greeted visitors, plenty of tail wags from Hobbes and of course chili! Over 50 restaurants, businesses, community organizations, and caterers from around the state participated. Proceeds from this year’s event will go towards the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund/Vermont 211.
There are only five members on the Green Mountain Care Board that is working to design a single-payer health care system in Vermont. But the chairwoman of that board told a roomful of doctors at Rutland Regional Medical Center on Monday that her group needs the help of medical professionals who understand patient needs and procedural expenses if the universal system envisioned by the Legislature is to succeed. The meeting at the hospital came two months after a similar gathering of Rutland doctors voiced concerns about how health care would be paid for and what level of care would be provided. Many of the concerns heard in January resurfaced yesterday during the hour-and-a-half long question and answer session.
A petition to strip the three-man Select Board of its power to hire a new town manager has yet to be filed with the town office, but the idea itself is stirring controversy. A special Select Board meeting was held last week to discuss hiring a permanent town manager. The petition appeared the following day, posted in the hallway of the Killington Elementary School on Town Meeting Day, outside the polling place. It asks for signatures for support of stripping the Select Board’s authority to hire the manager. The board is considering the most-likely candidate, existing interim town manager Seth Webb. The Board will likely consider a contract for Webb’s hiring in the coming weeks.
A Vermont man has pleaded guilty to child cruelty after his year-old baby had swallowed a pill used to treat an addiction to narcotics. WCAX-TV reports 25-year-old Walter Susee of Rutland will spend 40 days in prison. Police said he did not have a prescription for the drug, called Suboxone, and had bought it for $20 illegally on the street last year.
One supervisor's strong protests didn't stop Essex County lawmakers from going behind closed doors yesterday to discuss the fate of Horace Nye Nursing Home. The Horace Nye Task Force of the County Board of Supervisors went into a 55-minute executive session almost immediately after convening Monday afternoon. The outcome of that meeting was that higher bids should be solicited from the three firms that made offers on the Nursing Home last week. The county received three bids of $4 million each for the Nursing Home.
In the early 1990s, rabies broke out in Clinton County, putting health officials on high alert. In neighboring Essex County, a stray cat recently tested positive for rabies, proving that the North Country is not immune. Seven people who had been around the animal received cautionary post-exposure treatment for the disease. Officials say if you do get rabies, it is 100 percent fatal. About 50,000 people worldwide die from the illness each year. Anyone who may have been exposed to the disease should immediately seek medical treatment.
The University of Vermont is investigating the death of one of its students. An autopsy is ordered to determine how sophomore Abraham Kurganoff died. School authorities say the death happened unexpectedly Monday morning, but there is no indication of foul play. The autopsy is hoped to reveal more information.
It's been more than six months since Tropical Storm Irene ripped through the town of Waterbury, leaving flooding, destruction and despair in its wake. But now there's hope, with a big boost of funding to help homeowners trying to rebuild. The Stiller Family Foundation is donating 250-thousand dollars to help with that process. Roughly 200 homes were damaged, with a third of them still in disrepair. The donation Monday puts the ReBuild Waterbury fund about halfway towards its fundraising goal of 918-thousand dollars.
A five-year-old boy is okay after quite an adventure that had a lot of people concerned and scared. The child who lives in Underhill was reported missing from his Butler Road home Monday night, and a massive land search was launched. State Police say he was found a few hours later and four miles away from home on County Farm Road. He had apparently followed, along with his two dogs, a stream to a home where residents called police. He was okay, and quickly returned to his family.
A committee of the Vermont Senate is set this week to take up legislation that would allow terminally ill patients end their lives with the help of a doctor. Called "death with dignity" by supporters" and "physician-assisted suicide" by opponents, the legislation has come up before, failing in the Vermont House in 2008. Supporters of the measure say they're encouraged to try again in part due to the fact that Gov. Peter Shumlin supports the legislation. Former Gov. Jim Douglas opposed it. But it's still far from certain to pass. Both Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell and Sen. Richard Sears, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, oppose it.
A dean at the Vermont Law School will become the school's new president. Marc Mihaly will succeed Jeff Shields who retires on July 31st. Mihaly serves as associate dean for the school's environmental programs, director of the Environmental Law Center and professor of law.
Fletcher Allen Health Care in Vermont has received a $400,000 gift for cancer research. The money is from the estate of Barbara Stevens of Morrisville, who died in April 2011 at age 85. Her wishes were to support medical research at the Burlington hospital.
The state has approved a $7.7 million expansion project at a Vermont hospital. Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has received the upgrade to expand and renovate the emergency room and build a new MRI unit. The Brattleboro Reformer reports the hospital hopes to use $6.7 million in capital reserve funds, while raising another $1 million in donations.
The push to rebuild parts of Vermont is getting a major boost in the form of sweat equity. More than 30 students with ReTrain YouthBuild are working with homeowners in Waterbury and Barre to help them rebound. The program is designed help homeowners repair their homes while providing students with hands-on construction experience. The effort is slated to last a year and will allow participants to pick up a trade. The students are all between the ages of 16 and 24. When they're not on the job site they're working toward their high school diplomas or GEDs.
Police departments throughout Vermont have begun to adopt a new technology known as LPR or License Plate Reader. The technology allows police to photograph a license plate and cross-reference it with a Motor Vehicles Department database to check ownership records.
Police in Burlington, Colchester, South Burlington and Shelburne already use LPR. Newport, Milton, Hardwick and Essex are acquiring it. At least one Essex select board member worried the technology could infringe on personal privacy. Others were concerned about whether Vermont's prisons could handle a spike in arrests. The cost of a LPR device is currently $25,000 and can be funded by a grant through Homeland Security and the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program.
The search continued Monday night for a missing teenager in New York's north country. Colin Gillis, a pre-med student at SUNY Brockport returned home to Tupper Lake Friday night. On Saturday night he attended a drinking party with friends at an undisclosed home. Police say he left the party alone on foot, but they don't know why. Police say they really have no clear idea what actually happened to Colin early Sunday morning. They plan to continuing searching as of the crack of dawn this morning.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is putting his popularity and his early record on the line as never before as the Legislature digs in for the first time over issues that will affect New Yorkers for the next 10 years. The Democratic governor is insisting the Legislature adopt a less expensive pension system for future public workers. He says the reform supported in the polls is one of the seminal clashes of this budget and of his administration because taxpayers can no longer afford the traditional pension for the next generations of state and local public workers.
The Schroon Lake Central School drama club will present “The Wizard of Oz” Friday and Saturday, March 23rd and 24th at 7PM. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students. Children younger than age 5 will be free. The play will be performed in the school’s new auditorium.
Monday's weather had a lot of folks thinking spring has sprung. From Skateboarding to sitting in the park, people in Rutland Monday were soaking up the sun. In Giorgetti Park, snow banks are a reminder of winter, but just across the parking lot, the presence of hikers is a sure sign of spring. The Temperature in Rutland rose to 63 degrees. That's 25 degrees warmer than average for this time of year which is 38. This time last year it was snow plows and shovels and last year the city spent 40-percent over budget on winter maintenance.
Beginning next fall, Green Mountain College in Poultney will offer undergraduate students a complete Renewable Energy and Ecological Design major. The new 42-credit program will offer depth of study in renewable energy and ecological design, while allowing students to specialize in an area of interest including art, business and sustainable agriculture. It will integrate renewable energy and sustainable design within the college’s liberal arts education.
Monday, March 12, 2012
WVTK Local & State News March 12, 2012
Two hikers are OK after their rescue last night from a cliff in Bristol. Carroll Maxwell of Monkton and a 13-year-old became lost and stuck on cliffs. She called 9-1-1 and told dispatchers they simply didn't know where they were and couldn't move. Rescue crews found her car on Lower Notch Road, and the woman and teenager were found and rescued a short time later.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce will hold its March mixer at Danforth Pewter on Seymour Street in Middlebury this Thursday the 15th from 5 – 7PM. Mingle with fellow business people in their workshop and store and share hors d’oeuvres, drinks, door prizes and a chance to win the Pot of Gold—now valued at $900! For more information or to RSVP to Sue Hoxie please click HERE.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce March “After Business Mixer” will be held this Thursday as well. The event will take place at Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies from 5:30 to 7PM. Sponsors providing door prizes will be The Burgoyne Grill, Glens Falls National Bank and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies office is located on Route 9N in Crown Point. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
The Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Business Show on tomorrow, from 4 to 7:30PM at the Holiday Inn. The event is sponsored by Rutland Regional Medical Center. This year’s show will feature 95 area businesses representing a diverse group exhibiting everything from home services and products, automobiles, health care, restaurants and retailers. There will be door prizes, a raffle and food. For more info visit www.rutlandvermont.com.
The Town Of Middlebury will hold its regular Select Board meeting tomorrow evening at 7 in the Town Offices Conference Room. Items on the agenda include a Middlebury River Planning and Restoration Project Update and the preparation for the meeting in East Middlebury on March 22nd. Decisions will be made on the bid for the Butternut Ridge Road Project and approval of the contract for Signal Improvements at the intersection of Cross and Court Streets. For the complete agenda just visit the Town’s Website.
The Port Henry Village Board of Trustees wants residents to tell it whether it should exceed the state tax cap. The village has scheduled a public hearing for 6:45 this evening on a local law to exceed the 2 percent tax-levy limit. Officials said the village share of repairs to the Port Henry Village Campground and Beach Park might exceed the cap. The campground on Lake Champlain was severely damaged during floods from tropical storms Lee and Irene last year.
The Addison County Relocalization Network’s third-annual Stone Soup Summit will take place on April 3rd at Vergennes Union High School. The conference is named for the proverbial meal created entirely through the generosity and diverse resources of a single community. ACORN’s goal is to bring together stakeholders in the county to share ideas and inspiration with others working on similar Farm-to-school projects. Annie Henderson of Otter Creek Farm in Panton will be leading a discussion group for farmers at Stone Soup. Farm-to-school is the national movement to connect classrooms, cafeterias, and communities in order to improve school nutrition and foster students' abilities to make food choices that are good for their bodies, the environment, and their communities.
Agri-Mark made a $15 million profit, after taxes, for 2011. As usual, that money is being shared with the cooperative's 1,250 member-owners. The profit is up from $11.3 million in 2010. Agri-Mark's profit allocation to its dairy farmers in New England and New York will be approximately 5 cents per gallon, for all the milk each farm marketed through the cooperative in 2011. For the average member farm, that amounts to about $11,000. Neal Rea, a dairy farmer from Cambridge who serves as chairman of the board for Agri-Mark, said the cooperative's brands continue to generate profits and that the wholesale side of the business is also doing well.
A park and ride facility could be coming to the town of Pittsford in the future. Representatives from the state Agency of Transportation and its consultant Santec Consulting recently presented an initial report with alternative properties that could be used for a possible park and ride facility with 20 to 30 parking spaces in Pittsford. The facility in Pittsford would be operated by the state and would be funded by federal funds without a match from the town. They believe approximately 1,000 people commute between Rutland and Pittsford a day and are potential park and ride users.
Bids on the first of several planned bridge projects in the city of Rutland are due at the end of the month. Voters approved a $2 million bond last Tuesday for work on seven bridges over five years, with city officials saying that money should leverage a total of $10 million worth of repairs. First in line is the West Street Bridge, for which proposals are due March 26. The city is also waiting on a $175,000 grant application before moving forward on the River Street Bridge over the railroad tracks. Construction on the West Street Bridge is expected to begin by the end of July.
Vermont State Police say a snow-slickened road is to blame for a crash involving a state police cruiser. Police say Sgt. Doug Norton was responding to a call in Benson at about 11PM Friday when he lost control of his vehicle on a sharp curve on Lake Road and struck a tree on the passenger side of his car. Norton suffered minor injuries. Officials say a squall had just dropped 3 to 4 inches of snow on the area, and that the road had not yet been plowed.
With reports of schools in New England receiving suspicious mail with white powder lately, a warning is also going out to Vermont schools. So far it's happened at schools in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire, with the scary letters later turning out to have powder which turned out to be harmless. Vermont school administrators are told to watch for envelopes with excessive postage, poorly written or typed addresses and misspelled words.
State police say speed appears to have been a factor in a pickup truck crash in Swanton that killed two men. According to police, the pickup truck went out of control on Route 105, rolled over several times and ejected both men early yesterday morning.
An Upper Valley man plans to challenge Bernie Sanders for his Senate seat this Fall. Republican John MacGovern says his primary concerns are cutting the government deficit and restoring the economy. The 60 year old Republican from Windsor served four terms in the Massachusetts Legislature in the 1980s. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1990 in Massachusetts. MacGovern is a Dartmouth grad who now serves as president of the Hanover Institute, an independent Dartmouth alumni group. He previously worked in business helping companies on projects in China and Southeast Asia.
State lawmakers completed action on several bills during the first half of the 2012 legislative session, which started in January. Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed 10 of the measures, most recently the bill designating skiing and snowboarding as the official winter sports of the state.
Congressman Peter Welch has hired a woman to serve as his liaison to Vermont's business community. Megan Sullivan Rodriguez will start the job today. Welch says during her first weeks in the role, she will visit businesses around the state.
Authorities say a small plane flew into some power lines in Orleans, knocking out power to homes, before landing safely at Newport Airport. The pilot suffered a concussion. State police say they received several calls Saturday about a low-flying aircraft over Interstate 91. Responding troopers discovered a power line down near the Irasburg/Orleans exit.
Vermont hunters will again have a chance to hunt snow geese this spring amid concerns about a growing population of the waterfowl. The season opened yesterday and runs through April 27th. The daily bag limit is 15. Hunters need a valid hunting license and a snow goose hunting permit, which is available at no charge on the Fish and Wildlife Department's website.
At Norwich University in Northfield, students are being taught to fight the war of the future. The mock battles are on computers. Students are learning to protect communications networks from cyber-attacks. Such cyber war games are well-established between schools in the United States. This semester is the first time Norwich is working with the overseas schools. In a six-week seminar nearing its end, students take turns building and defending computer networks, attacking one or monitoring the operation.
The six New England states have joined forces for the first time to offer a regional lottery game. They're hoping to leverage the buying power of more than 14.4 million residents to provide a substantially larger prize to players and much-needed revenue. As of yesterday the Lucky for Life tickets went on sale for $2 apiece in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. The top prize is $1,000 a day for a winner's life. The "for life" concept has been successful in Connecticut. It has had a state draw game and scratch tickets that offer a payout for life since 2009.
Olympic gold medalist Hannah Teter sustained a concussion after a hard fall in the half pipe at the U.S. Open. Her Brother told The Associated Press that his sister was momentarily knocked unconscious Saturday but was talking to medical staff while being taken to the hospital near Stratton Mountain. She crashed onto her back after trying a 900-degree spin off the top of the half pipe. Hannah Teter won gold at the 2006 Turin Olympics and silver at the 2010 Vancouver Games. The 25-year-old snowboarder has been involved in a number of charity projects, selling everything from underwear to maple syrup to benefit the poor in Africa and elsewhere.
The University of Vermont's men's basketball team is going to the Big Dance. The Catamounts learned Sunday night they're going to the Dayton to play in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament. They're seeded 16th in the Mid West Region, and will be making their fifth trip to the tournament, their second in the past three years. They'll first go up against Lamar University Wednesday evening. A win there means advancing to the second round on Friday against North Carolina.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce will hold its March mixer at Danforth Pewter on Seymour Street in Middlebury this Thursday the 15th from 5 – 7PM. Mingle with fellow business people in their workshop and store and share hors d’oeuvres, drinks, door prizes and a chance to win the Pot of Gold—now valued at $900! For more information or to RSVP to Sue Hoxie please click HERE.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce March “After Business Mixer” will be held this Thursday as well. The event will take place at Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies from 5:30 to 7PM. Sponsors providing door prizes will be The Burgoyne Grill, Glens Falls National Bank and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies office is located on Route 9N in Crown Point. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
The Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Business Show on tomorrow, from 4 to 7:30PM at the Holiday Inn. The event is sponsored by Rutland Regional Medical Center. This year’s show will feature 95 area businesses representing a diverse group exhibiting everything from home services and products, automobiles, health care, restaurants and retailers. There will be door prizes, a raffle and food. For more info visit www.rutlandvermont.com.
The Town Of Middlebury will hold its regular Select Board meeting tomorrow evening at 7 in the Town Offices Conference Room. Items on the agenda include a Middlebury River Planning and Restoration Project Update and the preparation for the meeting in East Middlebury on March 22nd. Decisions will be made on the bid for the Butternut Ridge Road Project and approval of the contract for Signal Improvements at the intersection of Cross and Court Streets. For the complete agenda just visit the Town’s Website.
The Port Henry Village Board of Trustees wants residents to tell it whether it should exceed the state tax cap. The village has scheduled a public hearing for 6:45 this evening on a local law to exceed the 2 percent tax-levy limit. Officials said the village share of repairs to the Port Henry Village Campground and Beach Park might exceed the cap. The campground on Lake Champlain was severely damaged during floods from tropical storms Lee and Irene last year.
The Addison County Relocalization Network’s third-annual Stone Soup Summit will take place on April 3rd at Vergennes Union High School. The conference is named for the proverbial meal created entirely through the generosity and diverse resources of a single community. ACORN’s goal is to bring together stakeholders in the county to share ideas and inspiration with others working on similar Farm-to-school projects. Annie Henderson of Otter Creek Farm in Panton will be leading a discussion group for farmers at Stone Soup. Farm-to-school is the national movement to connect classrooms, cafeterias, and communities in order to improve school nutrition and foster students' abilities to make food choices that are good for their bodies, the environment, and their communities.
Agri-Mark made a $15 million profit, after taxes, for 2011. As usual, that money is being shared with the cooperative's 1,250 member-owners. The profit is up from $11.3 million in 2010. Agri-Mark's profit allocation to its dairy farmers in New England and New York will be approximately 5 cents per gallon, for all the milk each farm marketed through the cooperative in 2011. For the average member farm, that amounts to about $11,000. Neal Rea, a dairy farmer from Cambridge who serves as chairman of the board for Agri-Mark, said the cooperative's brands continue to generate profits and that the wholesale side of the business is also doing well.
A park and ride facility could be coming to the town of Pittsford in the future. Representatives from the state Agency of Transportation and its consultant Santec Consulting recently presented an initial report with alternative properties that could be used for a possible park and ride facility with 20 to 30 parking spaces in Pittsford. The facility in Pittsford would be operated by the state and would be funded by federal funds without a match from the town. They believe approximately 1,000 people commute between Rutland and Pittsford a day and are potential park and ride users.
Bids on the first of several planned bridge projects in the city of Rutland are due at the end of the month. Voters approved a $2 million bond last Tuesday for work on seven bridges over five years, with city officials saying that money should leverage a total of $10 million worth of repairs. First in line is the West Street Bridge, for which proposals are due March 26. The city is also waiting on a $175,000 grant application before moving forward on the River Street Bridge over the railroad tracks. Construction on the West Street Bridge is expected to begin by the end of July.
Vermont State Police say a snow-slickened road is to blame for a crash involving a state police cruiser. Police say Sgt. Doug Norton was responding to a call in Benson at about 11PM Friday when he lost control of his vehicle on a sharp curve on Lake Road and struck a tree on the passenger side of his car. Norton suffered minor injuries. Officials say a squall had just dropped 3 to 4 inches of snow on the area, and that the road had not yet been plowed.
With reports of schools in New England receiving suspicious mail with white powder lately, a warning is also going out to Vermont schools. So far it's happened at schools in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire, with the scary letters later turning out to have powder which turned out to be harmless. Vermont school administrators are told to watch for envelopes with excessive postage, poorly written or typed addresses and misspelled words.
State police say speed appears to have been a factor in a pickup truck crash in Swanton that killed two men. According to police, the pickup truck went out of control on Route 105, rolled over several times and ejected both men early yesterday morning.
An Upper Valley man plans to challenge Bernie Sanders for his Senate seat this Fall. Republican John MacGovern says his primary concerns are cutting the government deficit and restoring the economy. The 60 year old Republican from Windsor served four terms in the Massachusetts Legislature in the 1980s. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1990 in Massachusetts. MacGovern is a Dartmouth grad who now serves as president of the Hanover Institute, an independent Dartmouth alumni group. He previously worked in business helping companies on projects in China and Southeast Asia.
State lawmakers completed action on several bills during the first half of the 2012 legislative session, which started in January. Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed 10 of the measures, most recently the bill designating skiing and snowboarding as the official winter sports of the state.
Congressman Peter Welch has hired a woman to serve as his liaison to Vermont's business community. Megan Sullivan Rodriguez will start the job today. Welch says during her first weeks in the role, she will visit businesses around the state.
Authorities say a small plane flew into some power lines in Orleans, knocking out power to homes, before landing safely at Newport Airport. The pilot suffered a concussion. State police say they received several calls Saturday about a low-flying aircraft over Interstate 91. Responding troopers discovered a power line down near the Irasburg/Orleans exit.
Vermont hunters will again have a chance to hunt snow geese this spring amid concerns about a growing population of the waterfowl. The season opened yesterday and runs through April 27th. The daily bag limit is 15. Hunters need a valid hunting license and a snow goose hunting permit, which is available at no charge on the Fish and Wildlife Department's website.
At Norwich University in Northfield, students are being taught to fight the war of the future. The mock battles are on computers. Students are learning to protect communications networks from cyber-attacks. Such cyber war games are well-established between schools in the United States. This semester is the first time Norwich is working with the overseas schools. In a six-week seminar nearing its end, students take turns building and defending computer networks, attacking one or monitoring the operation.
The six New England states have joined forces for the first time to offer a regional lottery game. They're hoping to leverage the buying power of more than 14.4 million residents to provide a substantially larger prize to players and much-needed revenue. As of yesterday the Lucky for Life tickets went on sale for $2 apiece in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. The top prize is $1,000 a day for a winner's life. The "for life" concept has been successful in Connecticut. It has had a state draw game and scratch tickets that offer a payout for life since 2009.
Olympic gold medalist Hannah Teter sustained a concussion after a hard fall in the half pipe at the U.S. Open. Her Brother told The Associated Press that his sister was momentarily knocked unconscious Saturday but was talking to medical staff while being taken to the hospital near Stratton Mountain. She crashed onto her back after trying a 900-degree spin off the top of the half pipe. Hannah Teter won gold at the 2006 Turin Olympics and silver at the 2010 Vancouver Games. The 25-year-old snowboarder has been involved in a number of charity projects, selling everything from underwear to maple syrup to benefit the poor in Africa and elsewhere.
The University of Vermont's men's basketball team is going to the Big Dance. The Catamounts learned Sunday night they're going to the Dayton to play in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament. They're seeded 16th in the Mid West Region, and will be making their fifth trip to the tournament, their second in the past three years. They'll first go up against Lamar University Wednesday evening. A win there means advancing to the second round on Friday against North Carolina.
Friday, March 9, 2012
WVTK Local & State News March 9, 2012
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce will hold its March mixer at Danforth Pewter on Seymour Street in Middlebury next Thursday the 15th from 5 – 7PM. Mingle with fellow business people in their workshop and store and share hors d’oeuvres, drinks, door prizes and a chance to win the Pot of Gold—now valued at $900! For more information or to RSVP to Sue Hoxie click HERE.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce March “After Business Mixer” will be held next Thursday as well. The event will take place at Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies from 5:30 to 7PM. Sponsors providing door prizes will be The Burgoyne Grill, Glens Falls National Bank and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies office is located on Route 9N in Crown Point. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
The Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Business Show on Tuesday, from 4 to 7:30PM at the Holiday Inn. The event is sponsored by Rutland Regional Medical Center. This year’s show will feature 95 area businesses representing a diverse group exhibiting everything from home services and products, automobiles, health care, restaurants and retailers. There will be door prizes, a raffle and food. For more info visit www.rutlandvermont.com.
According to Headmaster Lonny Edwards Middlebury's Gailer School will close at the end of the current school year. He said the private school, which has served hundreds of Vermont students over the years, had been facing declining numbers of students enrolled. Edwards also cited the local economy and budget problems as contributing factors in the decision. The school has been a middle and high school, serving grades 7 through 12, since 1989.
Teachers from Castleton, Fair Haven, Benson and Orwell held an informational picket outside the graded school in Fair Haven yesterday afternoon. According to a press release released by the Vermont NEA the picket was in response to the imposed working conditions and pay freeze last month. Teachers have been working without a contract since last summer after more than a year of negotiations.
Voters in Whiting are giving a little back. They've decided to make a donation to the state's Disaster Relief Fund equal to whatever money the town gets from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for Tropical Storm Irene damages. Whiting voters say they made their decision with one voice on Town Meeting Day. Vermont's Disaster Relief Fund says roughly 7,000 Vermonters registered with FEMA following the August storm, which devastated 45 towns and affected dozens more.
Members of the nurses union at Rutland Regional Medical Center are taking a contract dispute with hospital administrators public today. From 3:30 to 5PM dozens of nurses, their families and friends and representatives from sympathetic labor unions will line the west end of Allen Street in Rutland where they plan to hand out fliers asking for the public’s support. The hospital and the roughly 350 members of the nurses union, Office and Professional Employees International Union local #6, began negotiating a three-year contract in October.
Debating the future of its police station for several years, the Ticonderoga town board has decided to do a full analysis of all town buildings. Structural problems at the present police station prompted local officials consider a new police location two years ago. Jim Major approached the town board at its February meeting with an offer to lease the former Dollar Store on Montcalm St. for use as a police station. That discussion prompted a special meeting that led to the decision to do a full review of town buildings.
All three bids for Essex County's Horace Nye Nursing Home came in at $4 million yesterday. The Centers for Specialty Care of New York City; Gerald Woods, CPA, of Baldwin in Nassau County; and Eliot Management Group of Monsey in Rockland County; all bid exactly $4 million, the minimum amount the county had set. After the bids and conditions have been reviewed a recommendation would be brought before the Board of Supervisors at a future meeting.
Yesterday evening State Police were notified of a burglary off of Route 7 in Ferrisburgh. The residents stated that several items were stolen from their property. Some of the items that were taken include several pieces of jewelry, silverware, binoculars and a digital camera. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the New Haven State Police Barracks. (802-388-4919)
Vermont State Police say an argument between two men led to one shooting the other's car multiple times. Troopers say 18-year-old Nathan Butler of Ira was arrested Thursday, accused of driving by and shooting the vehicle with a shotgun using birdshot. The vehicle was parked in a driveway. No one was hurt. Police said Butler told them he was not trying to harm anyone; he was just trying to cause a scare. He was charged with reckless endangering of another person and vandalism.
The Vermont Air National Guard wants people to know its pilots will be flying after dark starting next week. The F-16 fighter aircraft will be taking off after dark from the Burlington International Airport between Tuesday, March 13 and Friday, March 16 and March 20 through the 23rd. The guard says that during the trainings there will be two scheduled multi-aircraft takeoffs. All aircraft are due to be back on the ground no later than midnight.
An architectural firm is set to present three suggestions on what to do with the largely abandoned state office complex in Waterbury. Gov. Peter Shumlin has said he hopes to move some state workers to Barre, others to Montpelier and is hoping the flooded state office complex in Waterbury can be refurbished. The Burlington-based firm Freeman French Freeman is expected to discuss three proposals with legislators today.
Burlington International Airport officials say an Allegiant Air flight made an emergency landing at the airport yesterday afternoon. Allegiant says the MD-83 plane was almost full with 150 passengers and crew. It had taken off from Ft. Lauderdale and was preparing to land in Plattsburgh. That's when the airline says the pilot reported a warning light indicated the landing gear might not be completely down. After the airport tower confirmed the gear was down, the pilot decided to land the plane at Burlington.
Disaster services volunteers with Vermont and New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross have responded to people in need at a rate 20% higher this year than last. Agency officials say there are about 100-110 local responses in a year. With close to four months remaining this fiscal year, volunteers have already been called upon more than 90 times.
Tickets to President Barack Obama's Vermont visit are selling fast. The president is coming to UVM March 30 to raise money for his re-election. The $44 tickets for students and activists are sold out. So are the $100 general admission tickets. There are still tickets left in the $250, $500 and $7,500 range. This will be the first time a sitting president has visited Vermont since 1995.
A Republican State Senator in the Northeast Kingdom says he is strongly considering a run for Vermont Attorney General. Vince Illuzzi told WCAX-TV that he's been urged by community members and colleagues at the state house to take on Democrat Incumbent Bill Sorrell this November. Illuzzi is a state's attorney and has been a senator for 32 years. Illuzzi says he is considering running as an independent because it should be a nonpartisan office.
A U.S. presidential candidate was in Vermont last night. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson met with people at The Block Gallery & Coffee House in Winooski. Johnson a former two-term governor of New Mexico started his campaign as a Republican but switched to libertarian in December. He says his political beliefs are similar to a better-known GOP candidate. Johnson hopes to win the Libertarian nomination and be the third party candidate to take on Obama and Mitt Romney.
Vermont State Police say a man robbed a bank after reading the teller a note saying he was armed and demanded money. Police say the robbery happened at about 8:10AM Thursday at a TD Banknorth on Route 100 in Waitsfield. No one was hurt. The man was wearing dark clothing, a black facemask, and aviator-style sunglasses.
The federal and state government can't afford to clean up an abandoned asbestos mine in northern Vermont now that voters have rejected a Superfund designation for the site. In Eden, just three voters supported the idea of Superfund clean up for the old asbestos mine. In Lowell the idea was defeated by about a 3 to 1 margin. Governor Peter Shumlin says voters made the right call in rejecting the Superfund designation. He says the state will continue to monitor the site, but that it's not a threat to public health.
Congressman Peter Welch says members of Congress who want to take military action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, don't fully understand how that approach could unleash a major war in the Middle East. Welch says the military plan should be one of the options on the table, but he argues that it should be used only if all other approaches are unsuccessful. Welch says he's growing more and more concerned about the future of the Middle East because a group of Congressional Democrats and Republicans are urging President Obama to bomb facilities in Iran to destroy that country's nuclear program.
An upstate New York man has been convicted of killing three relatives with a shotgun and burning down their rural home before fleeing with his girlfriend and their baby. Local media report a Washington County jury deliberated for about two hours yesterday before finding 24-year-old Matthew Slocum guilty of arson and three counts of second-degree murder.
Skiing and snowboarding are now the official state sports of Vermont, thanks to some Swanton schoolchildren. At the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe, Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill into law yesterday that was proposed by a group of fifth and sixth graders.
If you've thought about putting solar panels on your roof but cannot afford the upfront costs a new Vermont company says it has a solution. The folks at SunCommon launched an effort yesterday to attract homeowners to the alternative energy effort. The company will have customers lease the panels over 20 years. The company's co-presidents say 15 people are already signed up and they believe their approach could draw upward of 700 more homeowners in the next 10 months. Right now SunCommon is up and running in Chittenden and Washington counties as well as Stowe, with plans to go statewide.
The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce March “After Business Mixer” will be held next Thursday as well. The event will take place at Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies from 5:30 to 7PM. Sponsors providing door prizes will be The Burgoyne Grill, Glens Falls National Bank and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The Crown Point Telephone/Crown Point Network Technologies office is located on Route 9N in Crown Point. For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com.
The Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Business Show on Tuesday, from 4 to 7:30PM at the Holiday Inn. The event is sponsored by Rutland Regional Medical Center. This year’s show will feature 95 area businesses representing a diverse group exhibiting everything from home services and products, automobiles, health care, restaurants and retailers. There will be door prizes, a raffle and food. For more info visit www.rutlandvermont.com.
According to Headmaster Lonny Edwards Middlebury's Gailer School will close at the end of the current school year. He said the private school, which has served hundreds of Vermont students over the years, had been facing declining numbers of students enrolled. Edwards also cited the local economy and budget problems as contributing factors in the decision. The school has been a middle and high school, serving grades 7 through 12, since 1989.
Teachers from Castleton, Fair Haven, Benson and Orwell held an informational picket outside the graded school in Fair Haven yesterday afternoon. According to a press release released by the Vermont NEA the picket was in response to the imposed working conditions and pay freeze last month. Teachers have been working without a contract since last summer after more than a year of negotiations.
Voters in Whiting are giving a little back. They've decided to make a donation to the state's Disaster Relief Fund equal to whatever money the town gets from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for Tropical Storm Irene damages. Whiting voters say they made their decision with one voice on Town Meeting Day. Vermont's Disaster Relief Fund says roughly 7,000 Vermonters registered with FEMA following the August storm, which devastated 45 towns and affected dozens more.
Members of the nurses union at Rutland Regional Medical Center are taking a contract dispute with hospital administrators public today. From 3:30 to 5PM dozens of nurses, their families and friends and representatives from sympathetic labor unions will line the west end of Allen Street in Rutland where they plan to hand out fliers asking for the public’s support. The hospital and the roughly 350 members of the nurses union, Office and Professional Employees International Union local #6, began negotiating a three-year contract in October.
Debating the future of its police station for several years, the Ticonderoga town board has decided to do a full analysis of all town buildings. Structural problems at the present police station prompted local officials consider a new police location two years ago. Jim Major approached the town board at its February meeting with an offer to lease the former Dollar Store on Montcalm St. for use as a police station. That discussion prompted a special meeting that led to the decision to do a full review of town buildings.
All three bids for Essex County's Horace Nye Nursing Home came in at $4 million yesterday. The Centers for Specialty Care of New York City; Gerald Woods, CPA, of Baldwin in Nassau County; and Eliot Management Group of Monsey in Rockland County; all bid exactly $4 million, the minimum amount the county had set. After the bids and conditions have been reviewed a recommendation would be brought before the Board of Supervisors at a future meeting.
Yesterday evening State Police were notified of a burglary off of Route 7 in Ferrisburgh. The residents stated that several items were stolen from their property. Some of the items that were taken include several pieces of jewelry, silverware, binoculars and a digital camera. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the New Haven State Police Barracks. (802-388-4919)
Vermont State Police say an argument between two men led to one shooting the other's car multiple times. Troopers say 18-year-old Nathan Butler of Ira was arrested Thursday, accused of driving by and shooting the vehicle with a shotgun using birdshot. The vehicle was parked in a driveway. No one was hurt. Police said Butler told them he was not trying to harm anyone; he was just trying to cause a scare. He was charged with reckless endangering of another person and vandalism.
The Vermont Air National Guard wants people to know its pilots will be flying after dark starting next week. The F-16 fighter aircraft will be taking off after dark from the Burlington International Airport between Tuesday, March 13 and Friday, March 16 and March 20 through the 23rd. The guard says that during the trainings there will be two scheduled multi-aircraft takeoffs. All aircraft are due to be back on the ground no later than midnight.
An architectural firm is set to present three suggestions on what to do with the largely abandoned state office complex in Waterbury. Gov. Peter Shumlin has said he hopes to move some state workers to Barre, others to Montpelier and is hoping the flooded state office complex in Waterbury can be refurbished. The Burlington-based firm Freeman French Freeman is expected to discuss three proposals with legislators today.
Burlington International Airport officials say an Allegiant Air flight made an emergency landing at the airport yesterday afternoon. Allegiant says the MD-83 plane was almost full with 150 passengers and crew. It had taken off from Ft. Lauderdale and was preparing to land in Plattsburgh. That's when the airline says the pilot reported a warning light indicated the landing gear might not be completely down. After the airport tower confirmed the gear was down, the pilot decided to land the plane at Burlington.
Disaster services volunteers with Vermont and New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross have responded to people in need at a rate 20% higher this year than last. Agency officials say there are about 100-110 local responses in a year. With close to four months remaining this fiscal year, volunteers have already been called upon more than 90 times.
Tickets to President Barack Obama's Vermont visit are selling fast. The president is coming to UVM March 30 to raise money for his re-election. The $44 tickets for students and activists are sold out. So are the $100 general admission tickets. There are still tickets left in the $250, $500 and $7,500 range. This will be the first time a sitting president has visited Vermont since 1995.
A Republican State Senator in the Northeast Kingdom says he is strongly considering a run for Vermont Attorney General. Vince Illuzzi told WCAX-TV that he's been urged by community members and colleagues at the state house to take on Democrat Incumbent Bill Sorrell this November. Illuzzi is a state's attorney and has been a senator for 32 years. Illuzzi says he is considering running as an independent because it should be a nonpartisan office.
A U.S. presidential candidate was in Vermont last night. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson met with people at The Block Gallery & Coffee House in Winooski. Johnson a former two-term governor of New Mexico started his campaign as a Republican but switched to libertarian in December. He says his political beliefs are similar to a better-known GOP candidate. Johnson hopes to win the Libertarian nomination and be the third party candidate to take on Obama and Mitt Romney.
Vermont State Police say a man robbed a bank after reading the teller a note saying he was armed and demanded money. Police say the robbery happened at about 8:10AM Thursday at a TD Banknorth on Route 100 in Waitsfield. No one was hurt. The man was wearing dark clothing, a black facemask, and aviator-style sunglasses.
The federal and state government can't afford to clean up an abandoned asbestos mine in northern Vermont now that voters have rejected a Superfund designation for the site. In Eden, just three voters supported the idea of Superfund clean up for the old asbestos mine. In Lowell the idea was defeated by about a 3 to 1 margin. Governor Peter Shumlin says voters made the right call in rejecting the Superfund designation. He says the state will continue to monitor the site, but that it's not a threat to public health.
Congressman Peter Welch says members of Congress who want to take military action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, don't fully understand how that approach could unleash a major war in the Middle East. Welch says the military plan should be one of the options on the table, but he argues that it should be used only if all other approaches are unsuccessful. Welch says he's growing more and more concerned about the future of the Middle East because a group of Congressional Democrats and Republicans are urging President Obama to bomb facilities in Iran to destroy that country's nuclear program.
An upstate New York man has been convicted of killing three relatives with a shotgun and burning down their rural home before fleeing with his girlfriend and their baby. Local media report a Washington County jury deliberated for about two hours yesterday before finding 24-year-old Matthew Slocum guilty of arson and three counts of second-degree murder.
Skiing and snowboarding are now the official state sports of Vermont, thanks to some Swanton schoolchildren. At the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe, Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill into law yesterday that was proposed by a group of fifth and sixth graders.
If you've thought about putting solar panels on your roof but cannot afford the upfront costs a new Vermont company says it has a solution. The folks at SunCommon launched an effort yesterday to attract homeowners to the alternative energy effort. The company will have customers lease the panels over 20 years. The company's co-presidents say 15 people are already signed up and they believe their approach could draw upward of 700 more homeowners in the next 10 months. Right now SunCommon is up and running in Chittenden and Washington counties as well as Stowe, with plans to go statewide.
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