WVTK Local & State News May 5, 2011

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says the worst is yet to come as floodwaters from Lake Champlain continue to plague Burlington and numerous other waterfront communities in Vermont and New York, closing roads, damaging bridges and cutting people off from their homes. The lake, which reached its highest levels ever last week, is expected to surpass them today as rain continues to pelt the region.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation has released the latest roads closed due to flooding. Among them are Route 129 in Isle La Motte; a part of Route 36 in St. Albans; Route 125 near Chimney Point Road; Maid Stone State Highway; and Route 73 along the Otter Creek in Brandon. The Vermont Agency of Transportation said Wednesday that it will continue to monitor other roads, such as I-89 south in Milton which has been reduced to one-lane of traffic due to instability and the Route 2 causeway in Milton, which the agency hopes to keep open by adding gravel and stone.

Some of the heaviest flood damage in our region has been seen in Moriah, including the Broad Street Bridge that washed out last week. The bridge saw about 5,000-6,000 vehicles cross each day, so replacing it is a big priority. County officials have decided not to rebuild the bridge, which spanned an abandoned railroad line. Instead they will fill in the gap creating a land bridge. A contractor has been hired and the county expects the bridge to be back open in two weeks.

Federal monitors say rain and snowmelt over the past week led to record flooding in northern New York. The U.S. Geological Survey says water levels and flows were the highest ever recorded at 14 of the 26 gauges in the region, including one on the Hudson River at North Creek. The level at the top of Lake Champlain in Rouses Point was 102.9 feet on May 2, the highest recorded in 141 years of monitoring. The lake's major flood stage is 101.5 feet.

According to emergency management officials as flood damage to properties and roads continued to mount in northern communities bordering Lake Champlain, the risk of flooding in Rutland County remains low. As of Wednesday the only reported flooding in Rutland County was on Route 73 in Brandon, which is a semi-annual event that wasn’t linked to backed-up waterways running into Lake Champlain. Flooding on Lake Champlain was blamed for the closing of a section of Route 125 near Chimney Point.

High school musicians fell victim to the wet weather. The Vermont All State Music Festival parade in St. Albans scheduled for yesterday afternoon was canceled. The indoor events at the festival continued as scheduled.

A city-owned pickup truck stolen from the Rutland Public Works Department was taken for a ride over the New Hampshire border, according to city officials who recovered the vehicle Tuesday. The dark blue 2006 Ford F250 was found in a wooded area of Walpole, NH on Tuesday afternoon. No one was arrested in connection with the theft.

The Westport Central School Board will hold its public budget hearing beginning today at 6PM in the cafeteria, followed by its regular meeting. Agenda items will include a student presentation, substitute appointments and special-education recommendations. All meetings are open to the public.

The House, Senate and the Shumlin administration neared a final deal on taxes late Wednesday night as Democratic leadership rushed to finish must-have bills in hopes of adjourning the 2011 session as early as Friday. House and Senate leadership will bring their compromise bills to the floor for debate today and Friday. They expect to adjourn by Saturday at the latest.

The Vermont Senate voted this week to make it harder for the state to prosecute people for the new crime of enabling someone to drive while high on alcohol or other drugs. The bill calls for penalties up to a $1,000 fine and a year in prison for someone who intentionally allows another person who is intoxicated to operate a vehicle. If someone is killed or seriously hurt as a result, the penalty is bumped to two years and a $5,000 fine.

A letter from the U.S. Department of Justice sent this week to a Vermont official tweaked the debate in the Legislature over a bill that would allow the state to host medical marijuana dispensaries. The letter came from the U.S. attorney for Vermont, and it ignited fresh concerns among some lawmakers that federal officials could raid the dispensaries as they have done in other states. Concern that the dispensaries bill clashes with federal drug laws is a reason some lawmakers voted against it.

The Vermont Law School is lifting its 25-year-old ban on military recruiters on campus because the military is ending its "don't ask, don't tell" policy about gays and lesbians serving in the military. The law school's non-discrimination policy, in place since 1985, requires employers that visit campus to affirm that they do not discriminate based on protected characteristics, including sexual orientation.

Vermont State Police detectives say the gunshot death of a 42-year-old woman in the town of Georgia was a suicide. Police were called Tuesday just before 6 PM after they received a report of an unresponsive female. The name of the woman and the location of the death were not released.

A federal judge has ruled that prosecutors may continue to pursue the death penalty against a Randolph man charged with kidnapping and killing his 12-year-old niece, Brooke Bennett. U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions on Wednesday also denied a defense request to move the trial of Michael Jacques out of state but says he could revisit the issue if there's too much bias against Jacques during the jury selection. He is slated to go on trial in September.

New York is looking to ban the tan. Lawmakers are pushing to make New York the first state in the nation to bar indoor tanning for all children. The effort was named last week among the top priorities this legislative session by the American Cancer Society. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently called for a ban for tanners under 18.

Some lawmakers in Albany want a state law to prohibit doctors from wearing neckties in hospitals. The proposal made Tuesday cites a study that shows bacteria that could lead to serious infection can be carried on ties and other loose-fitting clothing.

Early Wednesday morning a massive 500-foot mudslide uprooted trees snapped power poles and buried transmission lines under up to ten feet of mud in Highgate. It happened just off of Route 207 near the Swanton Village Electric hydro facility. Power was knocked out to about four thousand homes in Highgate, Swanton and St. Albans for a few hours.

Lake Champlain has taken over large portions of the Burlington bike path. And now there are heightened concerns that one of the city's largest events, the Vermont City Marathon, could be affected. A few sections of Burlington's waterfront bike path have been hit particularly hard by the high waters. The bike path makes up a significant portion of the Vermont City Marathon course. Event organizers say they have multiple contingency plans for the situations that may arise in the coming weeks, but they will not move the date of the event.

Soon, convenience stores across Vermont could be offering shelves full of fresh produce. The state is launching a "Fit and Healthy" campaign aimed at small stores. If stores volunteer for the program, they get free signs and materials as well as help promoting healthier options. State officials have suggested changes, like moving tobacco products behind curtains or glass cases, to help deter consumption by groups like teens.