WVTK Local & State News June 2, 2011

Afternoon Update:

Sen. Claire Ayer has been named to a nine-member state panel that will vet nominees for the Green Mountain Care Board. That board will help design and administer major components of a single-payer health care system for Vermont. Gov. Peter Shumlin announced the members of the nine-member Green Mountain Health Care Board nominating committee yesterday.

State police have labeled a blaze that destroyed a car on Main Street in Fair Haven as arson and are asking for information about who may have set it. Police and firefighters were called at 2 AM on Monday where a car parked in front of a Main Street home was found engulfed in flames. Police are asking anyone with information about the fire to call Fair Haven police. (802-265-4531)

Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed into law a bill authorizing up to four dispensaries where registered patients can obtain medical marijuana. Vermont law allows patients or their caregivers to grow their own marijuana, but several patients told legislators that they were unable to do so due to the high cost of equipment or because their medical condition made the task too physically demanding.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders says he'll introduce legislation to force federal regulators to curb speculation in crude oil markets that experts blame for driving up gasoline prices. The senator says there's mounting evidence that high gasoline prices are not caused by supply and demand, but by the action of speculators. He says the average price of gasoline in Vermont is $3.88 a gallon, a dime more than the national average.

Barre City and Vermont officials plan to meet with the city's residents to answer their questions about cleanup from last week's flooding disaster. Mayor Tom Lauzon says he and other officials will be on hand for a meeting this evening at the Barre Auditorium to try to answer any questions that residents may have. Downtown businesses are continuing to clean up from flooding that struck one week ago. Representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency spent today in the city to assess flood damage.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says he's looking for a tough-on-crime lawyer to fill an upcoming vacancy on the state Supreme Court. Shumlin says his nominee doesn't necessarily have to be a judge. But he wants a lawyer with good judgment, who cares about Vermont and how the court's decision will affect Vermonters. Justice Denise Johnson announced last week that she's going to leave the spot on the five-member court she has held since 1990. Johnson was Vermont's first female justice.

Teachers in Burlington have a new contract. The union and the school district reached a deal on a new labor contract following a 14-hour mediation session. They had been working without an agreement since August. Terms of the contract will not be released until both sides approve it.

The Ticonderoga High School Music department will close out the academic year with a coffee house in the high school cafeteria next Tuesday, June 7, at 7 PM. The program will include vocal and instrumental soloists, duets, trios and ensembles performing folk, jazz and rock Music. Admission is $5 for an adult, $3 for children or $12 for a family.

BISHCA is supporting people affected by the recent flooding by opening up the telephone lines and answering questions regarding flood insurance. 

BISHCA is the Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration. They support Gov. Peter Shumlin's plan for assisting people in need. There is detailed information about flood insurance on the BISHCA website.

It would take an act of the State Legislature to adjust the tax assessments of people with severe flood damage from recent storms in Essex County. The County Board of Supervisors Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously to ask the State Legislature to give local assessors the power to devalue properties that were walloped by the severe storms of late April and because of continued flooding.

The Mayor of Barre says cleanup from the flash flood last week could reach up to two-million dollars. The storms dropped more than five inches of rain on western Vermont. While Governor Peter Shumlin has declared it a disaster area, Mayor Thom Lauzon says he hopes the President will declare it a federal disaster area.

A Rutland based publishing company is accused of defrauding a Hinesburg resident of $7,500. Police say Historical Pages, owned by Peter Campbell-Copp, of Manchester, VT told the Hinesburg resident he would edit, publish, and distribute the book if he was paid $7,500 up front. He never delivered on his promise. After an investigation, police found that he defrauded several authors and took more than $170,000 from victims through the years. He was charged with seven counts of fraud. He will answer the charges June 27th.

State officials say that if Vermont wants passenger rail service from Rutland to Burlington, we may have to build it ourselves. Joe Flynn, rail director for the Vermont Agency of Transportation said state officials are now looking at an earmark for Vermont rail development that former Sen. James Jeffords pushed through the federal budget before retiring. About $6 million of the $26 million earmark was used and the rest was held in reserve as the state waited to learn its share of the cost of the Middlebury rail spur.

A former Rutland postal worker was sentenced to three months behind bars Wednesday for the theft of hundreds of pieces of mail. Thirty-nine-year-old Michelle Donahoe apologized for the thefts, which added up to more than 250 pieces of mail stolen from the Rutland Post Office between April and August 2009.

In the first meeting since January between the Rutland City Board of Aldermen and the five-member Police Commission, the two groups put aside past differences and focused exclusively on coming up with ways to reduce, if not eliminate, drug trafficking in the city. For the last decade, the sale of heroin, crack cocaine and more recently pharmaceutical painkillers has increased in the city.

Gov. Peter Shumlin announced the members of the nine-member Green Mountain Health Care Board nominating committee, who will immediately begin vetting candidates to serve on the formal Board to design and administer major components of the state's health care reform plan. The new five member Green Mountain Care Board will begin its work October 1st.

Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law HR 73. It's aimed at making government at all levels more transparent. Before its passage, if you were denied access to a public record, and sued to get it and won, you'd most likely be stuck with the bill. The new law would require agencies to foot the legal costs if the court sides with you. It also forces agencies to disclose why they can't release the information.

After years of debate, the Lowell Wind Project has finally gotten the "OK". The Vermont Public Service Board approved the building of the $150 million wind-energy facility on Lowell Mountain in Lowell, Vermont. The project is a joint effort between Green Mountain Power and Vermont Electric Cooperative. The project is carbon-free and cost effective. The 21-turbine project will create power for 20,000 Vermont homes. And, supporters of the project said building would create nearly 700 jobs.

Vermont courts will be closed Friday. It's a mandatory furlough day, imposed because of state budget restraints. Two courts will be open, though: The state criminal courts in Burlington and Rutland will be open Friday morning on a limited basis, for arraignments. The state employees who staff the courts won't be paid for the furlough day.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials say it's not too late for hunters to get their applications in for moose hunting permits. The applications, which are available online and at Vermont license agents around the state, are due in Friday. Lottery applications are $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents.

Vermont already had a reputation for being an "old" state with an aging population. Now new censuses numbers are in that confirm Vermont is graying faster than most states in the country. In 2000 12.7 percent of the state's population was over the age of 65. Today it's 14.6 percent. In the last decade, Vermont has moved from the fourth oldest state to the second, just behind Maine.

Just when Vermont's roads need it most, Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed a transportation spending bill earmarking $554 million for paving, bridge repair and flood disaster assistance. He says transportation spending creates jobs and more than $410 million will be invested directly in infrastructure projects.

Tornadoes that roared through Massachusetts have caused damage in about two dozen communities, ripping off roofs, uprooting trees, scattering debris and leaving at least four dead. Authorities say two people died in West Springfield, one in Springfield and another in Brimfield. Gov. Deval Patrick says the death toll was preliminary. He declared a state of emergency and called up 1,000 National Guardsmen after the storms. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno says more than 40 people have been admitted to hospitals in the city. Around 55,000 utility customers were reportedly without power.

The state of Vermont is promising to eliminate a backlog of investigations into complaints of abuse, neglect and exploitation of elderly Vermonters. In a corrective action plan signed earlier this week, The Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living agreed to eliminate the backlog by October 1st. A number of advocacy groups, including Vermont Legal Aid, had threatened to sue the department if it did not agree to a plan to eliminate what they said was a backlog of 300 cases.

The University of Vermont has finished part of its investigation stemming from a relationship between the wife of the University's president and a high-ranking school administrator. The board of trustees now says it is satisfied there were no irregularities in the process. Rachel Kahn-Fogel has been removed from her role as a volunteer in the development office and UVM continues to investigate whether the relationship between her and Michael Schultz violated any university rules.

Expectations of stormy weather have forced the postponement of the Governor's Cup fishing derby. Lake Champlain International holds the annual derby as part of the build-up to the big Fathers Day weekend fishing tournament. Governor Douglas participated the last three years along with teams of lawmakers. Governor Shumlin was set to participate this year. The derby had already been moved to a new location because of flooding. And now it has been postponed because of more bad weather on the way.

There will be a nostalgic feel to the Ticonderoga's Best Fourth in the North celebration this year. Organizers have selected "July 4th Through the Past" as the theme for the Independence Day events. The committee is seeking information and memorabilia on past celebrations and would like to hear from people who helped planning those events. More info is available online at www.best4thinthenorth.com.

With their recent expansion Middlebury Sweets is officially Vermont’s largest candy store. They are located on Ossie Road just East of the intersection of Routes 7 and 116. There focus is to provide a fun and unforgettable experience for customers when they visit the sweet shop. They have now partnered with Vermont based ice cream maker Wilcox Ice Cream to serve a top-notch ice cream selection. You can visit them online at www.middleburysweets.com!

Middlebury Union High School is this year’s recipient of the Gold Level 2011 Fit and Healthy School Wellness Award. This award commended MUHS for its "commitment to creating a healthy school environment for students and staff." As a Gold Level winner, the school Assistant Principal and Prevention Specialist were presented with a banner and $3000 by Gov. Peter Shumlin and Deputy Health Commissioner Tracy Dolan at the Statehouse earlier in the month.