WVTK Local & State News April11, 2011

There is a Flood Watch in effect from the National Weather Service through tomorrow morning. The Weather Channel Says, a chance of Thunderstorms Today, High in the Mid 70’s.

Middlebury voters will head to the polls tomorrow for a second time to vote on a $3 million bond issue to finance various road improvement projects throughout town. The second Australian ballot vote, to take place at the municipal building, is needed to affirm a Town Meeting Day vote in favor of the bond. That initial vote was improperly warned and therefore must be ratified.

There were some tense moments in Vergennes Saturday afternoon. Police were called to a home on New Haven Road after reports of a distraught male inside the residence. Several nearby homes were evacuated as police communicated with the man by phone. He eventually came out of the home without incident. According to Chief George Merkel the man had had a dispute with his wife and it was somewhat of a domestic issue. He then left his house, came out and talked to police and turned his weapons over to them. The man's identity was not released because police say no criminal charges will be filed.

An Addison County man is due in court today for allegedly hitting a local resident with a stray bullet. Thirty-six-year-old Tracy Stone was target shooting in his backyard half a mile away when a stray bullet struck Peter Damone. Damone underwent several surgeries and is still recovering. Stone is now charged with reckless endangerment and simple assault.

Route 140 in Rutland County is closed after it flooded due to a beaver dam break. It happened just after 3PM yesterday in Wallingford. At this time the extent of the damage is unknown. There is no word when Route 140 will reopen. This is the same beaver dam that broke several years ago. It damaged Route 140 so bad the road was closed for several months.

Donald Hewitt, who was treasurer of Ira for more than 30 years, allegedly pilfered more than $400,000 from town accounts by writing checks to himself, pocketing property tax payments and writing off tax bills as paid, when they weren't. The revelations stunned the town of 447 people and have led to changes in the way town officials do business. He will plead to one count of wire fraud today in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro and could get 20 years in prison.

According to the Clarendon Fire Chief weekend fire that heavily damaged the old Country Squire Motel, is considered suspicious. He said that state fire investigators would be at the scene with him today to investigate the cause of the fire. The old motel, which had been closed for a number of years, had recently been plagued with squatters. The motel had no source of heat or electricity, making the fire suspicious.

The town of Hinesburg has settled a lawsuit with its former police chief. Chris Morrell was fired last year after he allegedly refused to implement policies ordered by the Selectboard. Morrell sued to be reinstated, receive back pay and compensatory and punitive damages. The select board agreed to pay him $85,000 to settle the suit, but says the town admits no wrongdoing in the settlement.

Three police officers involved in the drunk driving arrest last October of a former state police trooper testified on Thursday that they had ample evidence to arrest Joshua Lemieux. But his lawyer argued that the Rutland City police officer and two state police troopers involved in Lemieux’s arrest prejudged him. The judge has given the attorneys additional time to file arguments.

A Vermont man is facing charges for allegedly being drunk with two 3-year-old children in his car when he drove into another car while parking. Vermont State Police say 31-year-old Caley Winans, of Mendon, was charged with driving under the influence Friday afternoon after he drove his car into another car while parking on Main Street in Moultonborough. Police say Winans was also charged with reckless endangerment after police discovered there were two 3-year-old children in his care. Nobody was injured.

Congressman Peter Welch plans to talk to Vermonters about how a possible government shutdown will affect them. Welch will hold a telephone town hall meeting this evening to hear from Vermonters about their priorities for the 2012 budget. He says if Congress fails to reach an agreement on funding, he will discuss a possible government shutdown and the implications for Vermonters. The conference call will be held tonight at 7:30. To join the call, dial (toll-free) 877-269-7289 and enter PIN code 13785.

Possible budget cuts are putting some community action programs in our region on edge. Up to 50 percent of the Community Services Block Grant funding is on the chopping block. If that happens, community action employees in Rutland say that would compromise their ability to serve the 9,000 clients they see annually. These people receive help with everything from utility costs, housing, and general emergency needs of low-income people.

Fair Haven Union High School was only one of four high schools in the state to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress this year. A required assessment of schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Colchester High School, Stowe Middle/High School and Concord Graded/High School are the only other schools to meet AYP in reading, math and participation.

Vermont's attorney general says the state is preparing for a legal battle if the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant tries to keep it running after its license expires. Attorney General William Sorrell says he and his staff are preparing their legal strategy if plant owner Entergy Nuclear ignores the state's refusal to authorize it to operate after 2012 when its current license expires.

Nearly $34 million in tax refunds will remain in Washington unless claims are made by April 18th. The money is in the form of unclaimed tax refunds for about 27,000 upstate New York residents who did not file a tax return in 2007. Senator Charles Schumer's website now has information to help those seeking 2007 refunds. The median refund would be about $700 per person.

A combination of two resolutions could lead to a 4 percent sales tax in Essex County. The county Board of Supervisors adopted a pair of resolutions at its April 4th meeting. One to keep the 3/4 percent addition to the state-capped 3 percent sales tax for counties and the second adds another 1/4 percent to that, which, if approved by the state, would give Essex County a 4 percent sales tax.

The Housing Assistance Program of Essex County, Inc. has received a $74,025 grant from NeighborWorks America. The funding will allow them to continue to assist municipalities in the development of over 20 new grant applications with the potential to renovate over 100 units of housing; assist two real estate owners' plan for new multi-family developments; and to continue the programs of rental assistance, home buyer financing and home repair financing.

Essex County is in the allocation process for funds to supplement emergency food and shelter programs, which are neither currently available, nor guaranteed. The selections will be made by a national board and is charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high need areas around the country. A local board will determine how the funds awarded to Essex County are to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in Essex County.

Vermont State Police say troopers were forced to use a stun gun to subdue a woman who attacked them while they were investigating a report of an apartment being burglarized. Police say they found 25-year-old Julia Benjamin of Topsham barricaded inside the bathroom of an apartment in Bradford after neighbors reported a burglary yesterday.

With the upcoming wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton, royal weddings and their music will be the topic of a discussion in Brandon. Brandon Music will present an informal talk on 20th and 21st century English royal weddings on April 30 and May 1 at 2 PM. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own wedding mementos to share including photographs, keepsakes and even a special wedding outfit. Door prizes will be given to those who bring a wedding treasure. The talks will be held in the Harmony Music Cafe at Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon.

Young hunters will get a chance to hone their skills at a daylong event in Castleton this spring. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, along with the Friends of the National Rifle Association and the Vermont Bearhound Association, are holding the NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge on May 21. The free, daylong event will give young hunters a chance to practice their skills in firearms, archery and land navigation. The event will be held at the Edward Kehoe Conservation Camp in Castleton. Hunters must have a hunter education safety certification card or valid license to participate. Equipment will be provided along with a free lunch. Pre-registration is required.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce will again hold its spring fundraiser, "Five Hundred Dollar Fridays." Every Friday in June the Chamber will give away $500. For a $20 donation people will receive a ticket for a chance to win. Tickets will be available at the Chamber office throughout the months of April and May. Only 300 tickets are available. As part of the fundraising effort the chamber will donate $500 to local food pantries.

A committee of the Vermont Senate is expected to work today as lawmakers push to finish work on a bill that would move the state toward Gov. Peter Shumlin's goal of universal, single-payer health care. Lawmakers usually work Tuesday through Friday, but Senate Health and Welfare Committee members say they're expecting to work today as well finishing their version of the bill, a version of which already has passed the House.

Bus drivers in Burlington say if they can't come up with a deal by Friday, they will walk off the job. The drivers have been without a contract since last July and say the major sticking points in the negotiations are schedules and the threat of more part-time workers. One more mediation session is scheduled for Thursday. If no deal is reached, then bus drivers will go on strike Friday morning.

There was quite an ordeal for man's best friend on icy Lake Champlain. On Saturday afternoon, a dog escaped from a vehicle in the Alburgh area and got trapped out on the ice. The pet wasn't able to pull himself to safety and inflatable boats that were used to reach the stranded animal became stuck as well. Eventually, everyone, including the dog, made it to safety.