WVTK Local & State News July 21, 2011

A Heat Advisory Is In Effect From The National Weather Service From Noon – 7PM. The Weather Channel Says: Hazy, Hot and Humid Today – High In The Mid 90’s!

With the forecast calling for temperatures in the mid to upper 90s in parts of northern New England, health officials are reminding people to take it easy to avoid heat stress. Vermont Health Commissioner Harry Chen recommends avoiding strenuous activity and drinking plenty of water. The forecast calls for high humidity and temperatures in the 90s in parts of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire today and tomorrow.

As it gets hotter this week, New England utilities expect demand to reach the third-highest level on record, on Friday. Green Mountain Power says their customers use the most electricity between 2 – 4PM. Bob Murphy with Efficiency Vermont recommends other options to keep cool and also save money like running fans versus air conditioners when possible and watch out for leaks, seal around windows to keep the heat out.

The New York State Department of Health has rescinded the boil-water order that has been in effect the past two months in the Town of Essex. An elated Town Supervisor Sharon Boisen said in an email that she was “relieved that Essex residents, business owners and visitors to the town will no longer have the added expense and inconvenience that a DOH boil-water order creates.”

Still no ID on a man found dead near the Winooski River in Burlington, but police say his death is very suspicious. Investigators are still combing the scene near a train trestle known as the Blue Bridge. Police say the man suffered multiple injuries and it appears he fell 40 feet from the bridge to a wooded area below. But police are focusing on what happened on the bridge before the man fell.

Essex Police say they are discussing plans for large-scale searches for Bill and Lorraine Currier, possibly to include members of the public, in coming weeks. Essex Police are also waiting on the results of high-tech DNA testing, done out of state. Large-scale searches could begin within the next two weeks. He said those searches would likely involve police dogs and possibly the help of the public. Police are waiting until weather temperatures cool down to employ the public or large teams.

Taxes in Rutland stayed roughly level as the Board of Aldermen set the rate for fiscal year 2012 on Wednesday. The municipal rate went up about a quarter of a penny - after rounding off it holds steady at $1.31 per $100 of assessed property value. On the school side, the homestead rate remains at $1.38 while the nonresidential rate dropped from $1.63 to $1.62.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and legislative budget writers are set to gather to hear a revenue forecast designed to help them in their budget deliberations. This afternoon's presentations by two consulting economists is expected to provide updated data on how the economic recovery is progressing in Vermont and the country and give the administration and lawmakers a sense of what to expect revenues to do in the coming fiscal year.

With Borders closing its doors for good, book publishers and local book store owners agree it's a bad sign for the book industry, and a sign that the industry is moving in a different direction. One thing book owners and publishers say really changed the industry, is a lot of people don't buy books anymore they turn to electronics. Borders closing marks the end of the chapter for big box bookstores and some business owners hope there's still a place for local bookstores.

There's good news for Vermont's credit rating in the midst of the national debt showdown. Moody's Investors Service says Vermont's credit rating has not changed or been placed on review for a possible downgrade. This means the state's rating will likely not be affected by the debt ceiling talks in Washington. The state's good credit rating allows it to borrow money at lower rates, saving taxpayers money.

University of Vermont President Dan Fogel is resigning effective July 31. The move comes after a rocky few months. Fogel's wife is being investigated for alleged inappropriate behavior with a UVM employee and there are concerns about her mental health. UVM's Board of Trustees accepted Fogel's resignation Wednesday.

Vermont wildlife officials say a fisherman has been arrested and charged with taking a lake sturgeon - an endangered fish - from Otter Creek in Ferrisburgh. 27-year-old Dhan Gurung, of Winooski, was caught July 2nd with the fish inside his car. Lake Champlain has the only lake sturgeon population in New England. He was cited into Addison Superior Court on Aug. 22 to face the charge. If convicted, he faces up to $1,000 in fines and $1,000 more in restitution for illegal possession of lake sturgeon. Vermont Fish & Wildlife officials say that if you catch a sturgeon, you should turn it loose where you caught it.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says an agreement between Green Mountain Power, Central Vermont Public Service Corp., and Vermont Telephone Company will give the state more control over energy consumption, expand access to broadband and create jobs. GMP, CVPS and their 17 partners will install about 250,000 advanced meters over the next two years to transmit information from homes via a wireless broadband network being built by Vermont Telephone. State officials say the companies have agreed to share use of the technology to provide energy information to companies and homeowners and deliver high-speed broadband service across the state.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says he will appoint a criminal defense attorney and a magistrate to Vermont Superior Court judgeships. Martin Maley and Alison Arms will serve in the state's northwestern district. The two will serve mainly in Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, Orleans, Lamoille and Washington Counties.

Federal prosecutors say a Rutland man has been charged with traveling across state lines to engage in an inappropriate act with a child. Thirty-year-old Ryan Wynne Grace was arrested Tuesday and was ordered held pending trial after his first court appearance. Prosecutors say Grace traveled to New York State in early July to meet up with a 13-year-old boy, and he intended to do so again on July 6th but was intercepted by police.

Voters shot down construction of the Westport Municipal Center with a vote of 258 to 181. This was the second time in a little more than a year that voters went to the polls to decide on funding for a multi-purpose building, and the vote drew 89 more voters this time around. The plan was to build a structure that would include space for the Westport town offices and court, Public Works garage, Westport Fire District station and Westport Central School District bus garage.

The chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors hopes to renegotiate the terms of a contract with county workers. With two of the state's biggest unions, the Public Employees Federation and the Civil Service Employees Association, striking deals in recent weeks to stave off layoffs, Randy Douglas wants the union that represents the county's workforce to sit down at the bargaining table. The county is currently in the final year of a four-year contract with the local Civil Service Employees Union, which represents about 400 county employees.

Vermont is one of 37 states that as of Monday has agreed to apply for a chunk of $500 million in federal grant money to aggressively reform, and expand, preschool education. The grants, called The Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge, will reward states that create comprehensive plans to transform early learning systems with better coordination, clearer learning standards, and meaningful work force development. Grants will be awarded no later than December 31st.

The Vermont National Guard is visiting 15 former firing ranges around the state as part of a national effort to clean up potential environmental hazards left behind. Among them: Three in Windham County, including the Broad Brook Firing Range in Vernon, which has been out of commission since 1945. Ordered by Congress in 2009 to address lingering risks at former firing ranges around the country, the inspections will consist of checking grounds with metal detectors and shovels. About 400 sites nationally will be checked.

Lawmakers from Essex County are taking their concerns over the condition of area roads and bridges straight to the Executive Mansion. Essex County Chairman Randy Douglas says he wrote Governor Andrew Cuomo recently, seeking help in getting state highways and bridges fixed. He says popular roadways like State Routes 86 and 22 are literally crumbling under the wheels of motorists.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pooling $1 billion from existing economic development funds in the massive state bureaucracy for jobs programs. He says the fund is the biggest New York has directed to creating and retaining jobs. It will be the basis for grants to 10 regions in the state. Local governments in each region will have to cooperate to create comprehensive plans to attract and retain employers.

A federal lawmaker from New York says removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards will go a long way in combating identity theft. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced legislation this week aimed at removing the identification numbers from cards carried by Medicare enrollees. The Democrat hopes the measure will provide additional security for the 40 million Americans who carry Medicare cards.

If you have seen a haze in the sky during the last two days, it is not just a result of the summer-time heat. It's also a smoke traveling all the way from Ontario. There are more than 100 active wild fires in northwestern Ontario, including 6 new fires Wednesday. A northwesterly wind direction Tuesday and Wednesday has carried the smoke through Quebec and parts of the northeastern United States. It's also caused the sun to appear more colorful when it's close to the horizon.