WVTK Local & State News July 1, 2011

There are many fun events to celebrate Independence Day Weekend in and around Addison County! Festivities in Bristol kick off bright and early Monday with the 5K Road Race starting at 7:30. Then join Bruce & Hobbes for the Outhouse race at 9AM followed by the parade at 10:30. In Brandon you can dance under the stars tonight with the Food Fest and Street Dance. The fun starts in Brandon’s Central Park at 5PM, join our very Amanda Leigh from 4-7 this afternoon live from the park. The town of Lincoln will be host to an outdoor concert at 4PM on the 4th featuring the Patrick Fitzsimmons Band. Vergennes will feature music and fireworks and if you’re in the mood for Pancakes, head to the Shoreham Congregational Church at 7AM on the 4th! Details and more activities are posted on the Area Calendar of our Website!

Ticonderoga's Independence Day celebration will pay tribute to those who have made it the Best Fourth in the North. Organizers have selected "July 4th Through the Past" as the theme for this summer's events. The 2011 Best Fourth in the North will be a four-day affair, beginning today at 5PM and concluding on Monday the 4th. Event details are available online at www.best4thinthenorth.com.

Fort Ticonderoga will celebrate 235 years of freedom July 4th. Visitors can walk in the marching steps of Continental Army soldiers as historic interpreters dressed as soldiers from the Northern Army teach the maneuvers and discipline of a platoon, explore family programs that highlight the fight for independence and listen to performances by Fort Ticonderoga's Fifes and Drums.

Vermont law enforcement will be out in force this 4th Of July Weekend with increased activities to include extra patrols and checkpoints. Through Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort), the Vermont State Police will focus on identifying impaired and aggressive drivers over the weekend. If you plan to consume alcoholic beverages, please use a designated driver or available public transportation.

Craig Miner, County Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Addison County is reminding crop producers of the acreage reporting requirements that must be met prior to receiving program benefits. Filing an accurate acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed and prevented planting acreage, is important to ensure eligibility for several programs, including potential future disaster programs. The reporting deadline is July 15th.

State and local health care administrators are studying the possibility of opening a methadone clinic in Middlebury. This has some local officials concerned about the prospect of such a service producing a spike in local drug-related crime. There are currently five methadone clinics in Vermont serving a combined total of around 500 patients who are trying to wean themselves off of narcotics. Counseling Service of Addison County officials are not close to a decision on locating or even funding a Middlebury clinic but feel it’s a project that needs to be considered.

National Bank of Middlebury is saluting local realtors for supporting homebuyers and sellers in our market. The Addison County based bank's lenders, as well as other bank lenders around the area, are publicizing the fact that they are working closely with first-time and veteran homebuyers to help stimulate the local real estate market. Officials say purchasing a home in Addison County helps make the community stronger.

About four dozen state, local and nonprofit officials on Monday morning joined Sen. Bernie Sanders on Armory Lane for the groundbreaking ceremony of a senior housing and meeting center. The $5.8 million building next to American Legion Post 14 and the Shaw’s Supermarket plaza will include a library and meeting and dining rooms. It will also host local senior lunches and provide a home for the area’s Meals on Wheels program.

Addison County residents whose homes or businesses have been damaged by recent severe storms and flooding should be aware that many federal and local programs are now in place to help aid the recovery process. Whether you are an individual whose property has sustained damage that impedes your ability to get to work, or a company that has seen a downturn in business due to flood-related damages, you may be eligible for aid from the state.

The town of Shoreham has secured a $50,000 Vermont Community Development grant. That grant will complete the funding needed for an ongoing expansion project on the Platt Memorial Library.

Crown Point has scheduled a hearing to gather public comment on a proposal to eliminate its board of assessors in favor of a sole assessor. The hearing will be held next Wednesday (July 6th) at 7PM at the Crown Point firehouse. According to Supervisor Bethany Kosmider the change to a sole assessor will save local taxpayers more than $18,000 a year.

Earlier this week officials from the Town of Westport, town Department of Public Works, the Westport Volunteer Fire Department and Westport Central School Board of Education talked about their ideas behind a proposed vote to authorize the town to bond for $7 million for a new municipal community center, which would be built at the site of the current town DPW shed. The committee will hold one more informational meeting on Monday, July 11 at 6PM at the town hall. The vote on the proposed bond resolution will be held on Tuesday, July 19, from Noon until 8PM at the town hall.

Three years after a financial battering on several fronts, officials at Fort Ticonderoga say they're optimistic that one of the nation's oldest historic sites is turning things around. Attendance rose slightly last year, and administrators of the not-for-profit organization that operates the tourist attraction say the fort's financial situation is much improved from 2008, when dire warnings of a possible closing rattled the Ticonderoga community and others in the heritage tourism industry.

Senator Bernie Sanders says the Justice Department won't intervene in the federal lawsuit being brought against the state of Vermont by the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. The Vermont independent grilled Nuclear Regulatory Commission members during a Senate committee hearing two weeks ago, saying he had learned they had voted secretly to ask the Justice Department to side with Entergy in its suit against Vermont.

First Lady Michelle Obama was in Vermont calling on all Americans to help military members who have served their country overseas and their families. The presidential spouse met with Vermont military families in South Burlington yesterday and announced a new military family program called Joining Force.

The Vermont State Police say an 85-year-old man from Quebec has drowned in Lake Champlain. Police believe that Roger Ferland was out on a fishing trip Tuesday morning from the Lakehurst Campground dock in Wait Bay. They think his boat became swamped by high waves as his boat passed Cloak Island, approaching the lake. Ferland was alone. He did not know how to swim and was not wearing a life vest.

Operations at the King Street Ferry Dock in Burlington are back to normal after severe spring flooding caused major delays. The Burlington-Port Kent ferry is once again bringing passengers across the lake, getting its latest summer start ever. Lt. Governor Phil Scott was on hand directing traffic as part of his "Everyday Jobs" tour. He also pitched in next door at Breakwater Café, picking up a paintbrush to put the finishing touches on the waterfront hot spot. Scott says his Everyday Jobs tour has been very popular and he doesn't see an end in sight.