WVTK Local & State News May 13, 2011

In Vermont, FEMA's been on the ground for three days assessing all the flood damage across eight counties. State leaders say they're confident Vermont has met all the criteria for FEMA to step in. Vermont Commissioner of Public Safety Keith Flynn is convinced the state will qualify for federal assistance for help rebuilding the states infrastructure, meaning roads, bridges, and parks. But when it comes to personal property, such as homes, it's a different story there is no guarantee any individual will get help from FEMA.

The Adirondack Park Agency is helping people cleanup from the spring flooding. Flash flooding caused nearly $30 million in damage in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties. Some of the damage is in the Adirondack Park. Typically permits are needed for both private and public projects, and sometimes that process can be slow. The APA is issuing "Letters of Authorization." They allow property owners and communities to begin rebuilding right away.

A forum was held on Tuesday in Vergennes just ahead of the May 17th revote on Addison Northwest Supervisory Union unification. Opponents questioned what tax impact the switch to one-board governance would have on city residents. Backers focused on the unification’s potential benefits to students and to residents from long-range stability of tax rates. Voting is set for next Tuesday in each community. Vergennes residents can cast ballots from 9 AM to 7 PM at the city’s Green Street fire station, and balloting in Addison will run from 7 AM to 7 PM at the town clerk’s office off Route 17. A vote against unification in either town will defeat the initiative despite the solid margins it earned on Town Meeting Day. There are no re-votes in the other Addison Northwest Supervisory Union towns of Waltham, Panton and Ferrisburgh.

The Moriah Central School board of education has proposed using reserves to hold down taxes in 2011-12. The proposed 2011-12 Moriah school budget contains a $91,691 decrease from the present spending plan. The tax levy in the proposed budget is an increase of 1.9 percent from the current tax levy. Residents will decide the fate of the proposed budget next Tuesday, May 17th from1 to 8 PM in the school's main lobby.

The Crown Point Central School board of education has proposed a 3.1 percent cut in its 2011-12 budget. But while spending is down, taxes are up in the proposed budget. The anticipated tax levy for 2011-12 is an increase of 1.7 percent from the present tax levy. Voters will decide on the proposed budget next Tuesday the 17th from Noon to 1:30 PM in the school foyer and 1:30-8 PM in the school cafeteria.

The loss of state aid and the cost of a district building project have raised taxes in the proposed 2011-12 Ticonderoga Central School District budget. Those costs along with increasing expenses created a $2.1 million budget deficit for the school board. The proposed tax levy for 2011-12 is an increase of 4.9 percent. Voters will have their say on the proposed school budget Tuesday, May 17th, from Noon to 8 PM at the Ticonderoga High School lobby and the Hague Community Center.

The Way to Go! Commuter Challenge is an annual program encouraging the use of cheaper, healthier, more earth-friendly transportation alternatives. The Challenge takes place in Addison County next week. Last year's award winner was the National Bank of Middlebury. The bank motivated its employees with creative ideas on how to save money by carpooling or riding the ACTR bus. Your business can do the same. Several businesses are participating in this year's Middlebury Challenge. For details about how to join the Challenge just contact the Better Middlebury Partnership.

The Pentagon is committing more money for a Vermont National Guard outreach program that helps veterans returning from deployments in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Vermont's congressional delegation announced that the Department of Defense has agreed to spend $2.1 million for a 1-year extension of the program, which provides Guard families’ access to health care, marriage counseling, substances abuse treatment and other services.

There's a new law on the Vermont books to protect the state's health care workers from assault. Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the new law outside the emergency room at the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin. Medical center employees had pressed lawmakers for the new law, saying in recent years there had been a sharp increase in assaults, particularly in the emergency room. The bill makes it a felony to assault on-the-job health care workers. Repeated offenses could carry a penalty of 10 years in prison.

Maps of where broadband Internet is available in Vermont are riddled with inaccuracies, and the state has announced an effort to fix that. Gov. Peter Shumlin and Karen Marshall, chief of the state's ConnectVT effort to bring broadband and cellular phone service to all parts of Vermont, unveiled a new website, BroadbandVT.org and asked people to check it and report incorrect information.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is taking lawmakers to task over ethics reform. Cuomo says lawmakers don't want real ethics reform despite years of scandal. If the Legislature doesn't pass substantially stronger standards Cuomo now says he will appoint an investigative commission.

New York State is getting older, and rural areas are leading the way. Demographic figures released Thursday by the Census Bureau show the median age in New York state jumped to 38 in 2010 from 35.9 a decade before. Populations in New York State and around the country are graying as baby boomers edge into retirement age and people live longer.

Middlebury College seniors are getting ready for graduation in just a few weeks. The head of the college’s Career Services Office said most students are facing up to the task of finding a job with a more positive view than he has seen over the past few years. He said, “The outlook is cautiously optimistic and all trends are up at the moment”.

The Vermont Clean Energy Action Network along with the Vermont Natural Resources Council recently awarded the Starksboro Town Energy Committee a $1,600 grant. The grant is to improve renewable energy education resources and create websites for the 19 solar trackers powering Robinson Elementary School and the six trackers feeding the town offices.

Bill Schubart will be at Ilsley Public Library tomorrow (Saturday, May 14th) at 10:30 AM to discuss his new collection of short stories titled, "Fat People: Stories About People Who Live to Eat." He will read from and discuss candidly his own experience as a large man and how he managed his own compulsive eating. The author currently lives in Hinesburg and serves as chair of the Vermont Folklife Center's board of trustees.

Ticonderoga Montcalm Street Partnership has announced its "Dollars for Downtown – Change for Change" program. Local shoppers will have the opportunity to drop their spare change into mayonnaise jars in various Ti stores. The money will be collected and used to attract more business for downtown and the community.

Champlain Area Trails is developing a plan to increase outdoor education for all ages in the central Champlain Valley. With funding from the J.C. Kellogg Foundation, CATS is hosting a series of meetings for educators, naturalists, camp-directors, family advocates, and others to create the Outdoor Education Action Plan. To learn about and/or participate in developing the Central Champlain Valley Outdoor Education Action Plan, visit www.champlainareatrails.com.

A reminder for tomorrow: you can help somebody by just walking to your mailbox. It is the Stamp Out Hunger event. If you leave non-perishable food items in a bag by your mailbox, letter carriers will pick that food up and deliver it to food shelves. The event is taking place in Vermont and around the nation.

Some State Parks along Lake Champlain will not be open for Memorial Day. The high water forced the state to close them down. Sand Bar, Kill Kare, Burton Island and North Hero will not be open. Grand Isle, Button Bay, DAR, Kingsland Bay, Niquette Bay, Knight Point and Alburg Dunes are all looking just fine and will be opening at their normally scheduled dates. To find out the latest status of Lake Champlain State Park water levels and opening dates, go to www.vtstateparks.com and look under Latest News.

The town of West Rutland is preparing for its semiannual town-wide yard sale with more than 40 registered vendors throughout town. More than a dozen vendors will also be located outside of Town Hall starting at 8 AM on Saturday. Maps with all registered locations have been created to help people guide people to the various sales and are available at the Town Hall Offices.

A marching procession will welcome the return of the Rutland Farmers’ Market to its summer venue at the downtown Depot Park on Saturday. To mark the start of the outdoor season, organizers are planning a parade that will kick off at 10 AM. The procession will depart from the Rutland Area Food Co-op on Wales Street and travel down Center Street to the park where Mayor Christopher Louras will kick off the summer season with a ceremonial radish toss. The Rutland farmers’ market is open every Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM and on Tuesday from 3 to 6 PM.

Rep. Peter Welch hosted the 30th Annual Congressional Art Competition for high school students this week in Montpelier. Allison Straley of North Ferrisburg was honored with the People’s Choice award for her piece, “Self-Portrait.” Alyssa Lynn Kilburn of Vergennes was honored with the Congressman Welch’s Choice award for her piece, “Hand Study.” Both attend Vergennes Union High School. This year’s competition featured artwork from 165 Vermont high school students from 35 schools throughout the state. Former Rep. Jim Jeffords initiated the competition in 1981 as a way to celebrate the artistic talent of the nation. The winning artwork from each congressional district throughout the country is displayed in the US Capitol for one year.