WVTK Local & State News May 6, 2010

After 4 days of deliberations, the jury has been unable to reach a verdict in a shooting trial in Addison County. 41-year-old Jeffrey Young of Goshen was charged with aggravated assault on accusations of shooting his girlfriend's estranged husband in the foot last year. Young says he was defending himself when he shot 41-year-old Pedro Magna.

The Vermont Senate has OK'd a measure cracking down on fees slapped on small merchants by credit card companies. The bill bars credit card companies from centrally fixing fees, and from fining merchants for offering discounts to customers who use cards with fewer fees. The bill now goes to the governor's desk for his signature.

The town of Bethel has approved a plan to tackle the school's nearly $500,000 deficit. The school had run up the deficit over the last few years. The plan helps the school to pay off that debt over the next 3 years, in payments of about $160,000 at a time.

A West Rutland woman could get up to 15-years in prison when she is sentenced today for shooting her husband. 42-year-old Wendy Pelkey Grant pleaded guilty to shooting her husband Sean Grant several times in 2008. She says she did it to protect her children, saying her husband was drunk and physically violent.

Changes to Vermont's jobless fund have cleared both the House and Senate and are now on their way to Governor Jim Douglas' desk for his signature. The benefits reduction along with the increase in the tax that employers will be charged will help shore up the state's unemployment insurance trust fund.

Regulatory hearings have kicked off in Maine on FairPoint Communications' reorganization plan as the company goes through the complex bankruptcy process. FairPoint filed for Chapter 11 protection last October. Additional hearings are scheduled later this month in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Soon you will be able to check you lottery tickets to see if your a winner without have to wait in line and have a cashier check for you. The Vermont Lottery is rolling out a new statewide system. New machines are being installed in every lottery location where you can scan your tickets, a screen will then you if you are a winner.

On Tuesday, May 18, voters in the town of Charlotte will go to the polls and decide on the school budget for next year. Earlier this week, the school board met and found another $60,000 in cuts. The revised budget in now just over $7-million. The cuts include not hiring a 3rd kindergarten teacher since only 31 kids are enrolled for next year.

The Stamp Out Hunger drive will be going on this Saturday, coordinated by the National Association of Letter Carriers in cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service. You are asked to leave non-perishable food items at or next to your mailbox on Saturday. Donations will go to pantries in communities where they are collected. Glass items cannot be accepted.