WVTK Local & State News August 10, 2011

Yesterday was day one for the Addison County Fair and Field days. The rain held off for most of the day's activities. Between the fair food and fast rides there's plenty of fun to be had at Field Days. The fair runs until Saturday. You can join our very own Amanda Leigh once again this afternoon from 3 – 7 with a special guest appearance from Bruce & Hobbes! Keep up to date on all of the Field Days activities right HERE!

Meanwhile the 163rd-annual Essex County Fair officially opens at noon today, though there is a horse show starting at 9AM. The fair runs through Sunday at the County Fairgrounds off Route 9N. Admission is $10 per person and includes several shows and parking. On Thursday, the price is $25 per carload from 3PM to 9PM. For the full schedule of events and a list of activities visit www.essexcountyfair.org.

Two Addison County events will be the focus for Morgan Horse enthusiasts today. In Weybridge, the UVM Morgan Horse Farm Annual Open House starts at 10:30AM and continues to 2:30PM. The UVM Morgan Horse Farm is dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the Morgan Horse through breeding and selection. And in New Haven, horse enthusiasts will also enjoy the Morgan Horse Extravaganza at the Addison County Fair and Field Days running from 5:30PM to at 7PM. The event will be held in the Donald C. Hunt Horse Show Arena.

A fellow employee shot a Brattleboro Food Co-op employee to death yesterday. It happened shortly after the Co-op opened for the day. Brattleboro police identified the victim as 59-year-old Michael Martin of Dummerston. Police say the suspect, 59-year-old Richard E. Gagnon, of Marlboro, was being held without bail and will be arraigned on today.

State game warden Don Isabelle told a group of Rutland residents that they shouldn’t be alarmed by the presence of foxes in the city. As long as people don’t make the wildlife too comfortable by feeding the animals, he said there was little cause for concern. The sight of foxes in the fields near the elementary school has stirred fears among parents who will soon be sending their kids back to school. He said residents who see a fox staggering about or turning endlessly in circles should contact a game warden by calling state police.

Gov. Peter Shumlin wants Vermont to seek a waiver from parts of the federal No Child Left Behind Act that he says aren't working for the state. The Obama administration on Monday gave states a way out of the policy that focused on holding schools accountable but labeled many of them failures even if they made progress. To get the waiver, states must agree to a number of education reforms. Shumlin told the Vermont Board of Education on Tuesday that the state should request that it be held to the 2009 levels for testing, so that more teachers aren't moved because the measurement system doesn't reflect individual students' progress. He also wants to come up with a standardized measurement system that better suits Vermont.

Vermont Congressman Peter Welch, who's big on energy efficiency issues, is getting an up-close look at them. He participated in an energy efficiency audit yesterday at a West Rutland home whose basement and attic were examined for leaks. The audit is part of a program being implemented by NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, which won a $4.5 million grant last year. Welch is the author of the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, which passed the House last year but wasn't taken up in the U.S. Senate. It would help families retrofit, renovate and insulate their homes, creating 170,000 jobs.

Homeless shelters in Vermont receive a big financial boost. Sen. Bernie Sanders announced $237,000 in federal help for seven shelters throughout Vermont. Shelters in our area receiving part of that grant money include: the Open Door Mission in Rutland, Dodge House in Rutland and the John Graham Shelter in Vergennes.

The new fiscal year has not started as strongly as expected for Vermont's economy. State tax revenues, a significant measure of economic activity, are coming in slightly slower than expected. But the Shumlin administration remains upbeat. After three straight years of decline, Vermont saw tax revenues grow in the last fiscal year. Economists are predicting continued slow growth this year. But the state's fiscal woes may not be over. Anticipated cuts in federal funding as a result of the debt ceiling deal could have lawmakers once again trying to plug a big budget shortfall.

Algae blooms are starting to appear on Lake Champlain. Scientists with the University of Vermont say they received numerous reports of blooms over the weekend. Blue-green algae is fertilized by pollutants and grows in hot conditions. If blooms are toxic, they can make swimmers sick and can kill animals. UVM scientists are also investigating reports of a foul-smelling white scum in the Highgate area. Tests are being conducted to determine whether it is toxic.

A man doing time for an Essex shooting rampage has filed another request seeking a new trial. Two people were killed during the 2006 attack. Christopher Williams is serving three life sentences. In court papers filed Monday, Williams blames his lawyers and the judge for the guilty verdict. According to the Burlington Free Press, Williams says the judge made rulings that were legally unsound. He also claims his lawyers refused to present an insanity defense. A hearing has been set for October.

The Vermont Telecommunications Authority and a part of the Vermont Telephone Company have reached an agreement to expand broadband Internet services to a number of Windham County communities. On Monday, the authority and VTel Wireless agreed to expand accessibility through the state's Backroads Broadband program to Newfane, Westminster, Stratton and Wardsboro by November 2012.

Green Mountain Power has cleared more hurdles in its effort to build a large wind energy project on a Northeast Kingdom ridgeline. The concept is known as mitigation. It's basically a trade off. A developer agrees to protect more land elsewhere to make up for property that is damaged by the development. The Public Service Board already gave GMP the green light for the Lowell Mountain Project. But a few loose ends remained, including the wetlands issue. Now the board has approved GMP's plans to protect 17.5 acres of upper elevation wetlands in exchange for each acre that will be filled in or altered.

Gov. Peter Shumlin is joining with American Red Cross officials to announce new grant funding aimed at helping its Vermont-New Hampshire chapter meet the needs of disabled clients. The grant money will go to buy five new functional needs shelter support trailers. 4 of them will be stocked with medical equipment and supplies. The other will be a mobile kitchen.

Vermont's two senators will not serve on a special bi-partisan committee created to try and help shore up the deficit. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has appointed Senator Pat Murray of Washington, Senator Max Baucus of Montana, and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts to the post. Republicans and House Democrats will fill the other nine positions. Those appointments are expected next week. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is charged with finding at least $1.2 million in government savings by October.

The 86th Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference at Middlebury College, one of the oldest in the country, begins today. The 10-day conference will continue through Saturday, August 20th. Held every summer since 1926 on the college’s Bread Loaf campus in Ripton, the conference remains one of the country’s most respected literary institutions. The workshops, lectures, classes and readings provide writers with rigorous practical and theoretical approaches to their craft.

The 4-H Cornwall Musketeer youth group is hosting “A Cards for Soldiers Booth” at the Addison County Field Days. The students are sending inspiring handmade cards to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group members said the project hits home more than ever with the death of Navy Seal Brian Bill. The Norwich University graduate was killed over the weekend in Afghanistan. They hope their letters remind soldiers that people at home are thinking about them. The booth will run the course of the fair till Saturday. The 4-H club hopes the community joins them in meeting their goal of 1,000 letters.

A potential recreation and pedestrian path along a historic trolley rail is in the sights of three western Rutland County towns. West Rutland and Ira town officials met this week to discuss a recreation project that would connect both towns and the town of Castleton with a multi-use recreation path along the historic Funkhouser Trolley Rail. Approximately 3.2 miles will be in Castleton, while 1.25 miles will be in Ira and 2.25 miles will be in West Rutland. The towns will apply for a transportation grant with the state Agency of Transportation that is worth $37,500 for a feasibility study, with a 10-percent cash match from the towns. The application is due August 18.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says his administration is actively investigating whether to bring commercial, non-Indian casinos and related gambling to New York. Cuomo says his administration is "actively" involved in the review that could lead to more than the current Indian-run casinos in New York. That action, however, would likely require legislation and possibly a constitutional amendment, which could take years.