WVTK Local & State News January 25, 2011

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin is presenting his proposal for a state budget. The state faces a $150 million shortfall for the year starting July 1, and Shumlin has pledged to expand broadband and cell service, among other things. But his budget is likely to propose some spending levels that don't please everyone. He will deliver his budget address to a joint assembly of the Legislature in Montpelier at 2 PM today.

The group representing teachers in the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union want the school board to go back to the bargaining table. More than a hundred teachers stood in downtown Bristol yesterday afternoon, holding signs protesting imposed working conditions. That went into place seven months ago, which teachers are unhappy about. In fact, the teachers say right now the contract itself isn't as important as re-starting the negotiations. Another informational picket is planned for today.

As work continues on the new Champlain Bridge, there is work underway behind the scenes to plan a party to honor it. Last night the Lake Champlain Bridge Community began planning a two-day celebration. It's set to mimic the event in 1929, when the original bridge across the lake opened. More than 40,000 people attended that event. Some of the ideas so far are fireworks and an antique boat parade. The goal is to complete the bridge by October 2011.

Two Addison County lawmakers who will play prominent roles in the state’s health care reform debate are pleased with the study advocating for a single-payer insurance system for Vermont. Gov. Peter Shumlin last week urged lawmakers to use the report as the foundation for major health care reform. Sen. Claire Ayer and Rep. Mike Fisher said they were impressed with the thoroughness of the report and will spend the coming days along with their colleagues, deciding which elements of that report will be reviewed by Senate Health Care and which will be fielded by the House panel.

Habitat for Humanity of Addison County is proposing to build what would be Cornwall’s first-ever affordable housing subdivision on 13-acres of land off DeLong Road. The Cornwall Planning Commission conducted its first review of Habitat’s plan last week. If all goes according to schedule, Habitat and its volunteers would build the four homes over the next three years. As is Habitat’s policy, the qualifying homeowners would put at least 200 hours of sweat equity into the building of their homes.

With the Addison Central School board’s adoption of a $1.71 million budget for voter approval in March, it became official that 2011-2012 spending at all four Addison Northwest Supervisory Union Schools will drop. The ACS spending plan calls for a 5.07 percent decrease. Superintendent Tom O’Brien said he was surprised to report Addison Northwest Supervisory Union did in fact achieve the spending reduction target called for in last winter’s “Challenges for Change” legislation.

With the defeat of the Lincoln Community School’s $2 million bond proposal the Lincoln school board had some decisions to make. At a special meeting on Thursday, members decided to put the same bond proposal up for a second vote on March 1, following the Feb. 28 town meeting day.

Casella Waste Systems announced yesterday that it is selling recycling assets located outside of its core market area to Pegasus Capital Advisors LLC and Intersection LLC for $130.4 million. Casella also announced that it has begun a cash tender offer for its 9.75 percent senior subordinated notes due 2013.

Gov. Peter Shumlin pledged his support to the western Vermont rail corridor yesterday. Addressing a packed room at the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce’s legislative breakfast the day before his budget address, Shumlin said he wanted to focus on the ways infrastructure improvements could help bring jobs to the area, calling Rutland “transportation challenged.”

Five Vermont Air guard members will deploy to Afghanistan today. They will be gone for six months. This is the latest in a series of small deployments. The guard is regrouping after about 15-hundred soldiers returned home from the war zone.

FairPoint Communications has emerged from bankruptcy reorganization nearly 15 months after filing for Chapter 11 with a crushing debt load and a battered financial sheet. FairPoint said its reorganization plan became effective Monday, 11 days after being approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the southern district of New York. As a result of the restructuring, FairPoint said it has reduced its debt from $2.8 billion to about $1 billion, allowing it to focus more attention on customers, vendors and employees.

Senator Patrick Leahy was in South Burlington Monday to announce he will introduce a bill this week that would permanently allow heavy trucks back on Vermont's interstates. They haven't been allowed since December when a one-year pilot program ended. Leahy says a previous bill that would have extended the program, was blocked by republicans.

A United Express plane made an emergency landing at Burlington International Airport shortly after taking off for Washington, D.C. The plane carrying 43 people landed at about 6:45 a.m. yesterday. According to the Airport Operations Office, a light on board showed a passenger door was open and a pilot reported steering problems. The airport says the airline is investigating the emergency.

Vermont State Police are searching for the suspect in a bank heist in Georgia. Police say a man told a teller that he had a gun and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash from the People's Trust Bank on Monday afternoon. The suspect fled in a four-door green vehicle, driven by an unknown driver. Police say the bank robber is described as having dark hair, and a goatee and being between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing approximately 180 pounds. Police say he was last seen wearing a black hat and black jacket.

Local 4-Her's will have the chance to learn about food preservation, canning, horticulture, gardening, pinwheels and presenting in public at the second annual 4-H Extravaganza Day coming up on January 29. The Extravaganza Day will be held at the Cornell Cooperative Extension offices in Westport from 9 AM to 4 PM. The fee for the entire day of workshops is $5 per person or $10 per family. For more information on the 4-H Extravaganza Day contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension. (962-4810)

Maxten Smith started with school early. Not only is his mother a teacher, but Maxten was born in a classroom at Whiting Grade School. Little Max came into the world on top of a pile of pillows in the school’s second-grade classroom Friday morning after his mother, Corey Smith, realized she wasn’t going to make it to Porter Hospital in Middlebury before he arrived. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 1/2 ounces. Driving from their home in Castleton the Smith’s never intended to stop in Whiting. But about 20 minutes away from the hospital she knew time had run out. They’ve sent a picture of young Max to the school and they say when the weather warms up they want to bring their son in for show and tell.

As the deep freeze that gripped our region over the weekend continued, Saranac Lake, New York became the official epicenter. Temperatures there reached a bone numbing 36 below -- the coldest spot in the nation. But in the village, they like to refer to it as the "coolest" spot in the nation. Many locals say they are used to the cold temperatures by now. They weren't afraid to run a few errands, or even bring the family out to play on Lake Flower.

Farmers from around Vermont will be making their annual pilgrimage to Barre this week for the 77th Vermont Farm Show. The Barre Auditorium will be packed with over 200 exhibits of the latest farm machinery and know how. The Farm Show is free and open to the public. It runs today through Thursday at the Barre Auditorium.