WVTK Local & State News February 22, 2011

The recent release of last fall’s NECAP test scores brought mixed news to Addison Northwest Supervisory Union. Scores showed positive results at Addison Central School along with stagnant math scores at Vergennes Union High School. Results at Vergennes Union Elementary, Ferrisburgh and Addison central schools bettered state averages, and students at those schools also showed improved math and English test scores over time. Overall, Vergennes Union High School results are comparable to state averages, while those at Addison Northwest Supervisory Union elementary schools surpass them.

On April 13th Middlebury voters will vote on a 2011-2012 Mary Hogan Elementary School spending plan, which represents a 2.22-percent increase compared to this year. It is a budget that maintains current staffing levels, does not add any new programs and recognizes an enrollment increase of 10 students for a total of 400. Local taxpayers will be pleased to learn that Middlebury’s homestead education property tax rate is projected to decrease from $1.75 per $100 in property value to $1.74.

The McKernon Group’s building at Park Village in Brandon is up for sale. The Redstone Group is listing the headquarters of longtime Brandon builder Jack McKernon’s business for the first time this week. Jan Smith, who is in charge of marketing for the company, said that the building is simply too big for the company’s needs now. They have more space than necessary for the number of employees the company currently has.

On March 1st Addison residents will have a choice between two candidates for one seat on the proposed 12-member Addison Northwest Supervisory Union board. That Unified Union board could replace the five boards that now operate the four Addison Northwest Supervisory Union schools. That will only happen though if all five supervisory towns back the one-board unification plan on Town Meeting Day.

A school bus crashed early yesterday morning into an SUV on Route 4 in Mendon. None of the 45 schoolchildren or staff on board were injured in the collision. A staff member credited the driver with everyone's safety. The unhurt students waited inside a motel until another bus arrived to transport them up to the Killington Ski Area. The Vermont State Police are still investigating the crash.

During the last week, gas prices in Vermont have jumped four cents. One reason: unrest in a region rich in oil. Libya alone produces 1.7 million barrels of crude each day, and the political unrest there caused U.S. oil prices to surge 6% Monday. Major producers such as BP are pulling out of the country, and drivers are feeling the effects. Prices are expected to rise even higher across our area as conflict continues.

Concern about violence in hospital emergency rooms has come to Vermont. The Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin has decided to limit entrances to its emergency department to enhance security. Starting on Monday, February 28th, the hallway linking the main hospital lobby with the emergency department will be closed off, requiring the public to enter the emergency department through its own entrance.

The police department at the University of Vermont is encouraging students to send them tips about crimes via text messages from their cell phones. UVM police Capt. Tim Bilodeau says texting is 1 of the most preferred communication tools in the community and the population his department serves. He says having quick information about crimes that have just occurred makes a huge difference to investigators.

A former health insurance executive turned critic will speak at the Vermont Statehouse on what he says is the potential danger the industry's practices might have on health care reform in Vermont. Wendell Potter, the former head of communications for health insurer Cigna, will speak Thursday in Montpelier, followed by an appearance in Burlington on Friday night. Potter says he plans to talk about insurance company strategies to derail or reshape health care reform.

Vermont Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding says the state's hiring freeze is still in effect, but some branches of state government are being given special permission to fill certain vacancies. The day Gov. Peter Shumlin took office last month he announced a hiring freeze as a way of saving $4 million to $5 million. But since then 181 people have been hired by state government. Spaulding says the freeze was always intended to be a "soft" freeze, which means hiring would be allowed, but only by permission from his office.

Flu season is about to hit its peak and despite fewer cases than last year and doctors still say you should take precautions. Even though most healthy people can beat the flu, doctors warn it can still be dangerous for folks who have compromised immune systems. They say go get your flu shot. If you do get sick, stay home, cough into your elbow, and wash your hands frequently. Some doctors predict the flu season will last until mid-April this year.

It's been about four years since any Vermont teachers hit the picket line. But this year we've come close. The Addison Northeast district narrowly averted a strike earlier this month and South Burlington teachers have a strike vote set for March 2. Under the current system school boards legally have the right to impose working conditions and teachers legally have the right to strike. But state representative Kurt Wright is appealing to state legislators saying it's time for a change. Vermont is one of only two New England states that haven't banned teacher strikes. Wright says teachers and school boards need to abandon their old ways for a method of negotiation that the state is already using.

Almost $1 million in rebates is still available for people who purchased energy-efficient appliances through New York's Great Appliance Swap Out program. Qualified are New York state residential consumers who replace old appliances with Energy Star versions to be installed at a New York state residential address, according to a press release from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

IBM's campus in Essex Junction and Williston has a new name reflecting changes in the sprawling complex. The 725-acre site is now known as the Champlain Valley Technology and Innovation Park. The campus is still dominated by IBM's microchip manufacturing operation, which employs about 5,000 people. But Big Blue is now leasing 112,000 square feet of space to General Dynamics, which recently relocated from Burlington. And ASK IntTag leases 15,000 feet, making secure identification cards.

Vermont dentists are pushing parents to get their children scheduled for dental exams long before pre-school. Bookwalter and Dr. Spin Richardson of Charlotte have spent the last year recruiting more dentists to serve children covered by Medicaid, despite the fact Medicaid reimburses providers at rates lower than other insurance plans. They've focused on underserved areas of Franklin, Rutland, Bennington and Windham counties. Now, 90 percent of Vermont's dentists accept Medicaid patients and that access is starting to show results. Dentists encourage parents to monitor sweets and snacking patterns, and consider the importance of healthy "baby teeth" to child development.