WVTK Local & State News February 28, 2011

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect through 1PM that includes Addison, Rutland and Essex Counties. Mixed precipitation this morning is expected to change to rain showers with pockets of sleet and freezing rain this afternoon. 2 Inches of snow is possible with a high in the 30’s.

Town meetings occur in and around Addison County today. Here in Middlebury residents will decide a contested race for the select-board; vote on a town budget requiring a modest tax increase for the first time in three years; and cast ballots on a proposed $3 million bond to clear up a backlog of road improvement projects. Middlebury town meeting will be held at 7 PM on this evening in the municipal gym. Australian ballot voting will take place tomorrow, also at the gym, from 7 AM to 7 PM.

The first three decisions on the Rutland city ballot tomorrow are straightforward. The mayor, city treasurer and city assessor are all running for reelection unopposed. Voters then have 10 names to choose from for six seats on the Board of Aldermen. The School Board is short a candidate, with three people running for four seats. Three budget articles are on the ballot as well that include the school budget, the city budget and an article adding $350,000 to the city budget for additional paving. Voters will also vote on a single $3.9 million bond for the expansion of Giorgetti park.

Vermont police are seeking the public's help in their investigation of a fire set in a trash container in a Middlebury College dorm. Police said the smoky fire early Saturday morning was quickly extinguished by Gifford Hall's sprinkler system. Students were in the dorm at the time, but no injuries were reported. Police said the trash container was in a third floor hall. Anyone with information is asked to contact Middlebury or state police. The Vermont Arson Tip Award program also can be contacted at 1-800-32-ARSON.

Residents of Addison County can be screened to reduce their risk of a stroke or bone fracture. A special set of screenings will be held at Victory Baptist Church in Vergennes on Wednesday. Screenings identify potential cardiovascular conditions. Bone density screenings will also be offered for both women and men. To enroll in the special screening in Vergennes, call 1-877-237-1287. All five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete. Screenings start at $139. You must pre-register.

Efforts to restore vitality to Ticonderoga's downtown are being stymied by a lack of parking. That's the belief of some business owners. Ticonderoga Supervisor Deb Malaney said merchants have approached her expressing concerns about parking in the Montcalm Street area. They are especially worried the former Family Dollar Store parking lot may be closed to the public.

Helen Stafford, the wife of late Vermont U.S. Sen. Robert Stafford, has died. She was 93. She died while under hospice care at her home at The Gables in Rutland. Former Vermont Sen. Robert Stafford died at 93 in 2006 after a long political career that included two years as governor, 11 years in the House and 17 years in the Senate before retiring in 1989. Helen Stafford is survived by four daughters and grandchildren.

A teenager died last week following a weightlifting accident. New York Police say 19-year old Taylor McGuinness was found unconscious Tuesday while he was lifting weights alone at Achieve Fitness in Crown Point. He died the next day at Fletcher Allen Health Care. Police did not provide details about the accident but have ruled McGuinness's death an accident.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says the No Child Left Behind act is leaving too many Vermont children behind. Shumlin, attending the National Governors' Association winter meeting in Washington, is championing federal funding of early childhood education initiatives in the state. He said the No Child Left Behind law signed by President George W. Bush in 2002 is under review by President Barack Obama and could be renewed.

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch will hold a forum on how the U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development program can help small businesses and entrepreneurs. Today's panel discussion will be held at Rhino Foods in Burlington, a company that has expanded its operations with a loan guarantee from the program.

A former gubernatorial aide who also served as a state representative has been elected Vermont Republican Party chairwoman. The party’s state committee chose Patricia McDonald Saturday in a unanimous voice vote. She replaces Steve Larrabee, who announced last month he was stepping down.

The public will get a chance to weigh in on health care legislation proposed by Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin. Two legislative committees will hold a joint public hearing on Vermont Interactive Television on March 7. The hearing, set for 6 PM to 8 PM, will give people the opportunity to speak at various VIT sites including Castleton, Middlebury, Rutland and Williston.

Vermont lawmakers are considering legislation that would get rid of the 8% penalty many cities and towns charge people who pay their property taxes late. Backers of the measure say taxpayers who don't pay on time usually have either forgotten or have suffered job loss, and that's unfair in either case to charge the fee. Opponents say cities and towns need the money from the penalties as an incentive to get people to pay on time.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to cap property tax growth in New York is a hot topic as mayors from across the state hold their winter legislative meeting in Albany. The conference began over the weekend with a session on Cuomo's budget proposal and property tax-cap legislation. The New York Conference of Mayors says a property tax cap without significant mandate relief is doomed to fail. Teachers unions and other school-aid advocates are lobbying hard against the cap.

Fire officials in Burlington are asking for the public's help keeping fire hydrants cleared from all the snow. Neighbors in the Queen City are being urged to "adopt" a fire hydrant by making sure it's stays visible and accessible in the case of an emergency. Fire fighters say a buried hydrant could lead to serious problems.

It's official: February 2011 is the snowiest on record in Burlington, Vermont. With an additional 1.1 inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday, the city eclipsed its previous record of 42.3 inches in 2008 to reach 42.8 inches this year.

Did one of Theodore Roosevelt’s big sticks come from Rutland? The 26th president’s famous foreign policy maxim, “Speak softly and carry a big stick”, inspired a number of allies to make gifts of large wooden rods to him. The PBS show “History Detectives” came to the Rutland Historical Society on Friday in an effort to find out if one such stick was presented to Roosevelt during a 1912 campaign stop in Rutland. The crew was tight-lipped about what they had learned of Roosevelt’s big stick, not wanting to spoil the show. The episode is expected to air sometime this summer.