WVTK Local & State News May 26, 2011

The Lake Champlain ferry between Charlotte and Essex will reopen today despite the lake flooding. Officials say 50 truckloads of gravel were used to elevate the Essex ferry dock to keep vehicles and passengers out of the water. Other ferry service between Grand Isle and Plattsburg and the temporary one at Crown Point have not been interrupted. Get the latest information on all LCT Ferries HERE.

Today at 2:30 PM a memorial service will be held at St. Stephens church on Main Street for Wedge Murdoch who passed away Sunday. Wedge was a founding member of the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association and an iconic figure in all of Addison County and Vermont EMS service. The memorial service is expected to draw a large crowd. Middlebury Police will be shutting down traffic along the route for about 15 minutes to allow the procession to move. The following intersections will be closed for the duration: Main Street at Seymour Street; Main Street at Merchants Row; the roundabout at cross Street; Main Street at South Street; and South Street at Porterfield Road.

The town of Bristol is headed to court over a proposed gravel pit near its downtown. At issue is whether the town should permit a project that supporters say could bring much-needed revenue and industry. However, critics argue the gravel pit would only bring noise and decrease land value. This week, the Environmental Court scheduled the Bristol gravel pit case to be heard this fall.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is asking President Obama to declare a federal disaster for the state and the more than two-dozen counties that were impacted by flooding. The governor requested that the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture issue a natural disaster designation to 26 counties, including Clinton, Essex, and Franklin. The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that more than $38 million will be needed for infrastructure repair and debris removal.

Free after-hours parking will come to an end at the downtown Rutland parking deck and the state will resume locking it at night. The deck will be locked from 11 PM to 6 AM. The changes, announced this week by the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services, take effect June 6th. The announcement comes as Mayor Christopher Louras prepares a proposal to the Board of Aldermen for the city to take over operation of the deck.

The Rutland aldermen and city Police Commission are preparing to meet next week to talk about drugs and ways to work together. The illegal drug trade in Rutland is a timely topic in the light of three sizable drug busts carried out in Rutland in recent weeks by city police and members of the Southern Vermont Drug Task Force.

Police coverage would increase in Clarendon if municipal officials pursue a law enforcement agency proposal. The Clarendon Select Board expressed some interest in a Rutland County Sheriff’s Department plan to seek a $121,000 federal grant that would partially fund a full-time deputy in town over a four-year period.

Congressman Peter Welch wants U.S. troops in Afghanistan to come home. Last night, the democrat said the war there is a waste of money because it's not the best way to beat terrorism. Welch says to fight terrorism we need to launch more special ops missions like the one that found and killed Osama bin Laden. He introduced a measure that would end the war, require U.S. ground troops to leave Afghanistan and only allow soldiers to stay if they are directly involved in counter-terrorism. The measure failed on a voice vote but a final vote is not scheduled until today.

Governor Peter Shumlin will sign the new health care bill into law this morning. The legislation creates a new five-person board that will oversee virtually every aspect of health care in the state. The bill also delegates a lot authority to the Governor's office to develop key policies. The Board is expected to be in place by the end of the summer and its initial responsibility is to find ways to reduce health care costs.

Supporters of renewable energy are celebrating a new law designed to stimulate solar panel development and create jobs. Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the Vermont Energy Act into law yesterday. The legislation expands the solar customer incentive to all Vermont utilities by providing homeowners, businesses, nonprofits and municipalities with a rate break if they develop their own net-metered projects. Supporters say this commitment from lawmakers is a sign that Vermont will lead the nation in renewable energy progress.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is again going after cable giant Comcast. Sanders wants the Federal Communications Commission to let Vermont regulate basic cable television rates. Cable is not a regulated utility because the FCC says satellite services provide competitive market for consumers to choose from. But Sanders says that competition has not kept cable rates from steadily rising.

Vermont's Attorney General won't take action on campaign finance complaints against the state's Republican and Democratic parties. In April, Republicans complained two fundraising emails from Gov. Peter Shumlin were illegally sent to lobbyists during the legislative session. Shortly thereafter the Democratic Party filed a complaint saying the Douglas for Governor campaign also violated the lobbying law in March of 2009.

The University of Vermont have confirmed they're investigating whether a relationship between the wife of President Daniel Fogel and a vice president of development and alumni affairs violated any university rules, A court transcript and emails made public by UVM in response to a public-records request indicate Rachel Kahn-Fogel sent steamy messages to UVM Vice President Michael Schultz. UVM officials say they want to make sure no campus rules were broken, and that no money was improperly spent.

The first woman to serve on the Vermont Supreme Court has announced she will retire at the end of August after 20 years on the bench. Justice Denise Johnson said that it's time to explore new opportunities. Gov. Madeleine Kunin appointed Johnson to the five-member panel in 1990. The court says she is well known for her commitment to access to justice, leading efforts to ensure fair treatment in the court room for women, minorities, non-English speaking litigants and those representing themselves due to poverty.

The union that represents 7,000 Vermont state employees has agreed to a voluntary furlough program that will let some workers take at least 40 hours of unpaid time off a year as a way for the state to save money. The union began discussions about the idea with the administration of Gov. Peter Shumlin shortly after Shumlin took office in January.

Vermont will soon have a special motorcycle license plate to honor Vermont's veteran and active duty members of the military. Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the bill into law on Tuesday. It takes affect on July 1. The new law also allows members of the military to get veteran license plates before they retire. The governor's office says in the past military personnel who have made a career of their service would have had to retire to receive the plate.

A woman who was caught driving drunk with her kids in the car is going to prison. Nancy Contois of South Burlington left the courtroom Wednesday to begin serving her sentence of one to five years in prison. The judge told her because it was her fourth D-U-I and the fact children were in the car with her warranted jail time.

Brisk sales of Apple computers and smartphones helped make Small Dog Electronics Vermont's outstanding business of the year. The Waitsfield-based company received the Deane Davis Award Wednesday morning at the Vermont Business Expo. It's handed out by the Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Business Magazine to recognize companies that perform well while demonstrating Vermont values. Small Dog has sold enough iMacs, iPads, iPhones and iPods to have 24 percent growth over the last five years. And the award presenters say the company has stuck to its core mission of sustainability and responsibility.

Memorial Day weekend is approaching and due to the recent flooding in Vermont, some Burlington parks along Lake Champlain will not be open. North Beach will not be open this weekend except for the campground. The beach and picnic area will be closed due to high water and debris washing on shore. Oakledge Park will be open, but Blanchard Beach will be closed to swimmers. Leddy Park has limited operating hours from 10 to 6. The Parks and Recreation Department says this is the worst damage the beaches have seen in many years.

For the first time in 26-years, the Rotary Club of Plattsburgh has canceled its annual fishing tournament because of the flooding of Lake Champlain. The Rotary Fishing Classic was supposed to take place June 3rd to 5th and usually brings hundreds of fisherman to the region. But Rotary members say the lake is too high and there is too much debris in the water. Anyone who has already paid will receive a refund.

Vermont has the second oldest population in the nation. That's according to new data being released by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2010, the median age of all Vermonters was 41.5 years old. That's well above the national median age of 37. Six other states also report median ages in the 40s, including Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. Maine is the oldest state in the country. Researchers attribute Vermont's aging demographics to the first wave of baby boomers turning 65 as well as a lack of population diversity.