WVTK Local & State News October 7, 2010

Rutland’s Mount St. Joseph Academy recently received accreditation by a respected New England education association. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges required the school to submit a long-range plan for how it would maintain enrollment in the future and finance the school operation in order to remain a candidate for accreditation. The private Catholic high school is already accredited by the Vermont Department of Education but it was seeking the additional accolade.

Killington is requesting proposals from contractors to do a water study in town. 

The Select Board unanimously accepted a recommendation this week from a newly formed water committee to go forward with the study to determine what the town’s water resources are. A water study would provide a mapping of the wells in town, which would assist in future town development.

About 16,000 Vermont households whose food benefits are being reduced under a program called 3SquaresVT have been given a reprieve. The state Department for Children and Families has notified them that their benefits - once known as food stamps - would be reduced beginning Oct. 1. But the reduction is being postponed for three months.

A man police have been looking for in both Vermont and New Hampshire the past several weeks is finally in custody. Sean McGurk was arrested Wednesday morning when a Vermont State Police task force surrounded an abandoned home in Bradford McGurk now faces several criminal charges in both states.

Parents and students in the Morristown school district are saying they've had it with bullying, and accuse People's Academy of not doing enough to stop it. They set up a picket line near the school, saying the schools in the district need to take control. The superintendent of the school system says they have very clear expectations for positive student behavior and clear guidelines and consequences when those guidelines are crossed.

Funeral arrangements have been made for Pat O'Hagan. Calling hours for the Sheffield woman are Sunday afternoon and her funeral is Monday morning at the St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Lyndonville. Instead of sending flowers, O'Hagan's children are asking Vermonters to support one of the nonprofits their mom most loved. Pat O'Hagan volunteered at the Sheffield Food Pantry, which serves about 200 families.

Vermont state police officers and members of the public were honored yesterday for public safety achievements. Troopers and their families from around the state gathered at the Statehouse for the annual ceremony. Promotions were handed out and troopers and civilians received awards for savings lives and other acts of valor and heroism.

Peter Shumlin and Brian Dubie are actually agreeing on something. Both candidates for governor said Wednesday, they are committed to funding Doctor Dynasaur. There are currently 64,651 children enrolled in the low cost health insurance program for Vermont children and pregnant women.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is being sued by some of its shareholders over the company's accounting practices. The suit names the company and 12 members of the board of directors, alleging they artificially inflated prices on nearly $200 million in personally held stock so they could profit when the stock took a nose dive.

A lawyer who was refused access to police video of state Auditor Tom Salmon's drunken driving arrest is suing the Vermont Department of Public Safety over it. John Franco, a supporter of Salmon's Democratic opponent, Doug Hoffer, filed suit yesterday in U.S. District Court. The suit, which names Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Tremblay and Salmon as defendants, maintains that the dashboard camera video is a public record and should be publicly released.

Police say another Vermont political candidate has had some trouble behind the wheel. Jim Condos, a Democrat running for secretary of state, rear-ended another car in traffic Tuesday in Montpelier. Neither he nor the other driver was hurt and police don't expect charges.

Struggling homeowners in our region are getting some help hanging on to their homes. Under the federal Emergency Homeowners Loan Program Vermont will get about $4.8 million, New Hampshire about $12.7 million and New York over $111 million to offer zero-interest bridge loans. Those loans are for people who are facing foreclosure because unemployment, income cuts or medical emergencies have kept them from making mortgage payments.

The Ticonderoga Police Department has hired another part-time officer in an effort to cut costs. Ron O'Neil, a former detective lieutenant with the Paramus, N.J., Police Department now living in Ticonderoga, was hired at the Sept. 9 town board meeting. O'Neil is the fourth part-time officer hired by the town.

Ticonderoga Middle School is one of the best learning centers in the country — and it has proof. The school was presented with a large banner noting its selection as a School of Distinction by the College For Every Student program during a ceremony September 23rd. College For Every Student granted the awards to 15 schools nationwide for their success in meeting goals during the 2009-10 academic year.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that's why one of the most well-known bus companies in Vermont is joining the fight against the disease. Yesterday, dozens of breast cancer survivors and supporters loaded onto the bus dubbed, "the magnificent pink lady." The hot pink bus is the newest addition to the Premier Coach Company in Burlington. Remember you can support the American Cancer Society by joining or donating to the “WVTK Addison County Striders” for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Sunday October 17th. Get all of the details here!

The Doll house Restaurant, run by the students of the Stafford Technical Center’s Culinary Arts Program, will open to the public as of Tuesday for the school year. 

The students run the entire restaurant including serving, cooking and cleaning up and its open to the public during the school year on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 AM to 1 PM.

A new analysis of the fifty states shows Vermont among the best-run in the land. The web site 27/4 Wall St. ranked Vermont No. 4, based on factors that include prudent budgeting, a manageable debt load, and relatively low unemployment rate. The high percentage of residents with health insurance coverage and low crime rate also figured into the ranking.