WVTK Local & State News June 20, 2011

Family members of a Vermont couple who disappeared more than a week ago made an emotional plea Friday to the public for help, offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information about Bill and Lorraine Currier, who were reported missing June 9th. Police are still searching for a gun the couple bought recently. There’s been no activity on their bank accounts, and investigators are poring over bank, phone, employment and computer records looking for clues.

Farmers washed out by recent flooding can get some free money to clean up. The grants won't cover damage or crop losses, but they will cover the cost of removing debris and getting fields back in shape for the season. The conservation grants will cover 75 percent of field clean up. And Vermont's Agriculture Secretary says every county in the state has seen farm damage. The Farm Service Agency is administering the grants.

Teachers working in 11 school districts that make up the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union will get a base salary increase of 1.6 percent for this past school year and around 2 percent each year for the next two. The district finalized its three-year contract with the Rutland Northeast Education Association and Otter Valley Teachers’ Association Thursday, following two years of negotiations.

An altered Schroon Lake Central School budget will get a chance for voter approval tomorrow. The first proposed budget failed, 269 to 190, in May. The amount to be raised by taxes in the revised plan and the defeated budget is the same, $5.86 million, an increase of 2.28 percent. The vote is from Noon to 8PM in the school lobby.

The Moriah Central School Board will meet at 6PM tomorrow in the High School library. Agenda items include a Safe Schools presentation, policy updates and personnel discussions. The meeting is open to the public.

The Diamond Run Mall has paid most of its bills to the city. The mall has long had a delinquent water and sewer account and missed its last two annual impact fee payments. Treasurer Wendy Wilton said the mall was current on its impact fees. It’s also been noted that they even paid the 2011 fee early while they had just paid the majority of their overdue water bill. Some of the impact fees have gone to a revolving loan fund for downtown Rutland businesses, and the fees have been used to fund improvements downtown.

The sidewalks of Brandon were bustling Saturday as the town journeyed back in time, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and celebrating its own 250th birthday. By early afternoon, hundreds of people were out to participate in the day’s events. Civil War culture was showcased as the Champlain Valley Historic Re-enactors gave demonstrations and provided individuals with historical information.

Headquartered in an 18th-century yellow farmhouse off Monkton Road, VBT is among the three largest cycling tour companies in the country. Despite the recession, VBT has continued to grow, finding its niche in offering biking or walking tours in 26 countries at an affordable price. VBT offers cycling tours of Europe, the United States, Costa Rica, New Zealand and Vietnam. VBT’s most popular bike tour is Italy’s Tuscan coast. Learn more at www.vbt.com.

The Department of Public Service, in collaboration with the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network, the Vermont Natural Resources Council and the Rutland, Addison and Bennington county regional planning commissions held a public forum at Rutland Regional Medical Center last Thursday seeking comments and recommendations on the future of Vermont’s energy. Commissioner of Public Service Elizabeth Miller said Vermonters seem willing to trade off the cost of energy for how the energy will help their communities. She said people have voiced their interest in seeking local solutions to energy while advocating for keeping power and money in Vermont.

For people and businesses along Lake Champlain's shoreline, the receding floodwaters are both blessing and curse. After two months above flood stage, the lake dipped below 100 feet above sea level for the first time since April 13. The water may be gone, but it has left behind a muddy mess, deposits of debris and driftwood everywhere and properties suddenly in need of big-ticket repairs.

The Vermont Economic Development Authority has approved $6.9 million in economic development financing to several businesses throughout the state. This mini taxpayer-funded state stimulus effort has targeted several local businesses, and one college that include Vermont Smoke and Cure of Hinesburg, the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, and Springfield Regional Development Corporation.

A plan to encourage school district mergers in order to streamline governance and reduce costs has run into opposition in the first two attempts, but education officials remain hopeful that the law will succeed with some tweaking. The Vermont Legislature a year ago passed Act 153, a law that gave tax incentives and other funding to school districts if they merged and streamlined their governance systems. Many education officials in Vermont agree that merging districts is a first step toward a more streamlined public education system that could eventually be less expensive and create more opportunities for students.

On Saturday people gathered at the Vermont capitol to rally for what they say should be a natural right, knowing what is in your food. Signs littered the state house lawn and people both in support of and against genetically modified organisms attended. "Labels For Liberty" organized the rally; they hope to make Vermont the first state in the country to require labeling on foods that contain GMO's.

South Burlington Police are investigating a purse-snatching incident that happened Saturday. Police say the victim was loading groceries into her vehicle when a woman stole her purse. It happened in the parking lot of Hannaford Supermarket in South Burlington on Dorset Street. The suspect left the scene in a white or gray colored vehicle. Anyone with any information is asked to call South Burlington Police.

A federal hearing is slated for this week on the government's annual review of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Regulators gave the reactors in Vernon good marks in a March review. The hearing comes a day before a court hearing on Entergy's lawsuit fighting state efforts to shut down the plant.

Governor Peter Shumlin has taken a look at his first six months in office. Receiving an award, Shumlin talked up the state's groundbreaking move toward a universal health care system. Shumlin also spoke about efforts to take high-speed Internet service statewide.

Amtrak plans to partner with organizers of the annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl high school all-star game on August sixth. The rail line is offering special $12 tickets for The Vermonter train to-and from the game.

The 66th annual Miss Vermont pageant is set for June 25. The Miss Vermont Scholarship Organization announced the date Friday. The pageant will be held at the South Burlington Performing Arts Center. Eleven women will compete and judges will choose the one who represents Vermont at the Miss America pageant, which is held in Las Vegas. The winner of Miss Vermont gets $7,250 in scholarship aid and over $12,000 in prizes.

Travelers to and from Vermont's capital city may want to take note of upcoming interstate ramp closures at Interstate 89's Exit 8. Motorists approaching Montpelier from the north or leaving the city and heading south will face ramps closed for paving from 7PM today through 7 tomorrow morning.

The University of Vermont is among the top five priciest public colleges in the country. A recently released U.S. News and World Report list ranks universities based upon in-state tuition costs for the 2010-2011 school year. Penn State University is the most expensive public school in the nation where an in-state student's tuition costs $15,250. Coming in second is Maine Maritime Academy. Tuition at UVM is $14, 132 for an in-state student. The University of New Hampshire also made the list, coming in at #4.