WVTK Local & State News June 7, 2011

Rutland City is closing the Dana Center as of Friday, according to Mayor Christopher Louras. He said the center is being closed by the city in advance of action by the state Department of Fire Safety, which had issued a warning that the sprinkler system did not meet code requirements. The Recreation and Parks Department offices will be temporarily moved to the Godnick Adult Center. The decision will affect some programming in what the mayor called the short and middle term. Starting Friday the Recreation Department can be contacted at the Godnick phone number. 802-773-1853.

Vermont State Police arrested and charged Richard King with first-degree aggravated domestic assault. Police were called to his home on Pleasant Street in Pittsford at 8PM Sunday. Police say he stabbed his wife in the back with a kitchen knife and then cut himself. King was transported to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries. His wife refused medical treatment. He was expected to appear in court yesterday afternoon.

Business is picking up on Main Street in Bristol with as many as four new businesses expected to open this summer. Recycled Reading will hold its grand opening this Saturday starting at 9AM. ND’s Tavern, a new home improvement showcase and an outdoor gear shop are all in the works. Five main Street businesses had closed earlier in the year and two relocated which left seven storefronts ready for new tenants.

Middlebury College and town officials are working on plans to create a legal entity that will enable them to field development offers for a piece of property behind the Ilsley Library in downtown Middlebury. The 1.5 acre piece of land has been identified as a logical spot for a mixed-use project that could draw more businesses and shoppers to the downtown area. A special committee was formed last year to oversee planning for the Economic Development Initiative.

Salisbury residents will be marking their town’s 250th birthday this summer. Activities will include an essay writing contest, a historical scavenger hunt and a parade. The festivities kick off this Wednesday when the Salisbury Conservation Commission presents “An Historical Perspective on Land Use and Wildlife in Salisbury” at the Salisbury Community School at 7PM.

A new business may be coming to Court Street. A mother-daughter team is proposing to open a new childcare center here in Middlebury. The center would accommodate up to 45 children and employ up to 10 caregivers.

Hubbardton Forge is looking for help. They make high quality, wrought-iron lighting and accessories at their manufacturing facility in Castleton. The company needs factory workers including a Programmer Analyst, Customer Service Manager, Product Engineer, and more. You can apply online: www.hubbardtonforge.com.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says he's adding two Vermont counties to a previously submitted request for federal disaster aid. Shumlin said he has asked President Barack Obama to add flood-ravaged Washington and Caledonia counties to his request for a "Major Disaster Declaration." The request includes Washington County for significant damage to homes and other private property and Caledonia County for infrastructure damage.

The future of passenger rail in southwestern Vermont and east-central New York State will be the focus of 2 public hearings. The New York Department of Transportation plays host to the first of the hearings this evening at 7PM at the Mechanicville Senior Citizen Center. The second hearing, to be hosted by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, is set for tomorrow at 7PM at the Holiday Inn on Route 7 in Rutland.

The Vermont Council on Rural Development’s e-Vermont Community Broadband Project is offering a free webinar aimed at helping Internet users find credible information online. No registration is required. The 30-minute webinar will be held online at 6PM on June 24, June 27 and June 29. To attend, log in at http://vscmymeeting.acrobat.com/evtwebinars/

According to the New York Apple Association, new federal rules by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will help the state's apple growers sell to local schools. The rule allows schools to specify "New York-grown" when they buy apples for their lunch programs. Officials can also specify if they want apples grown within a certain number of miles of their school. There are also options for "Eastern Grown" or "Northeast" apples.

A new state law stops the practice known as cramming, placing unauthorized phone charges on a customer’s phone bill. According to the Attorney General’s office the law prohibits the addition of most third-party charges on local phone bills. With the exception of local phone company-related charges, the law bans the billing of goods or services marketed or sold by a company.

The price we’re paying here in Vermont for gasoline is continuing to go down. Price-watching website VermontGasPrices.com says average retail gasoline prices in the state have fallen 1.2 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.86 on Sunday. With the latest figure, the average price is 9.3 cents per gallon lower than it was a month ago, but $1.05 per gallon higher than the same day a year ago. Nationally, the average price has fallen 0.8 cent per gallon in the last week to $3.77 per gallon.

A huge amount of unpaid taxes have one Vermont town planning a tax sale. Two years ago, the town of St. Johnsbury was owed about $50,000 in uncollected taxes. Now, that figure is up to more than $400,000. So the town is planning a tax sale, the first since 2007, to auction off properties that are in arrears.

In a new ranking of states, New Hampshire ranks No. 1 in overall freedom, while Vermont ranks No. 2 behind Oregon in personal freedom but lags on economic freedom. Overall, Vermont was rated the 30th most-free state in the country, a bit ahead of Maine, which came in 33rd. This all appears in a new national study being released by George Mason University. The personal freedom rankings considered alcohol regulation, helmet laws, and the like. Economic issues included taxes, spending and regulation.

The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says a Cabot woman who was attacked by a bear she was trying to scare off her deck may have come between a sow and her cubs. Officials say the woman was treated for a leg injury. The department says the incident highlights the dangers of people feeding bears. Officials say the woman attacked by the bear had been warned by game wardens not to feed them.

State officials who run Vermont's 911 network say a new system they've installed that will eventually allow a person to call for help with a text message or video is up and running. The next-generation system uses broadband in a way that officials say improves the reliability and capabilities of the system. Upgrading from a voice-only system puts the state in the position to use the life-saving potential of text messages, photos and videos. The new system will support those applications, but officials aren't sure when they will be installed.

If you are under the age of 18, soon you may not be able to tan indoors in New York. The Assembly recently passed the Tan Ban. If the bill passes the senate, the Empire State will be the first in the nation to ban indoor tanning for minors. The International Agency for Research on Cancer claims a tanning bed is one of the highest cancer risks for group one ‘carcinogenic to humans.' That's that same group as tobacco smoke, arsenic, and benzene. According to the IARC, the use of tanning beds before age 30 increases the risk of melanoma by 75%.

Ski Vermont donated $8,500 to the Keep Local Farms program during a reception at Jay Peak Resort Sunday. The Ski Vermont President presented the donation to the President of New England Family Dairy Farms Cooperative. Ski Vermont pledged they would continue to donate in the future to support New England dairy farmers.

A reminder that the Ticonderoga High School Music department will close out the academic year with a coffee house in the high school cafeteria tonight at 7. 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.

Rutland City Police will begin looking for a new dog later this year after retiring one of their two canine officers earlier than expected. After serving as a police dog for close to two years, King Bricks, a four-year-old German shepherd, retired last year leaving a Doberman pinscher named “Otto” as the only canine on the force. The department has managed to carry on with just a single dog and occasional assists from state police canines for months.