WVTK Local & State News August 2, 2011

As of 6:00PM Monday, New Hampshire's Assistant Attorney General Jane Young has confirmed a body found earlier in the Connecticut River, is that of 11-year old Celina Cass. Young said her body was recovered Monday afternoon. She is now treating this as a criminal investigation. An autopsy will be conducted today in Concord. More than 100 investigators had searched for the girl by air, land and water in New Hampshire and Vermont.

This month the Vermont Agency of Transportation will solicit bids for replacement of the concrete deck on the bridge on Route 74 in Shoreham. The project is expected to last more than a month and create some traveling issues for commuters and businesses. This past winter a large hole appeared near the middle of one of the travel lanes. State officials temporarily installed some metal plates over the hole. While the bridge has been deemed safe for travel right now, VTrans is moving quickly to replace the deteriorating deck. Work could begin in early September and last up to 50 days.

State officials said they hope the Dorr Drive bridge project in Rutland finally has crossed onto the fast track. The bridge has been slated for replacement since 1994. On Friday, state officials said the most recent hurdle delaying the work, historical preservation issues centered on a nearby wall, had been cleared as the Federal Highway Administration gave Vermont the green light to begin design and right-of-way acquisition for the bridge, leading to construction.

The Brandon Planning Commission will meet at the Brandon Town Offices this morning at 9:30. The Commission will continue the review of the Brandon Land Use Ordinance. Another meeting is scheduled at the Brandon Free Public Library on Aug. 15 at 7PM.

Local administrators are welcoming a move by Gov. Peter Shumlin’s campaign to free up federal funding for fresh, local foods in schools by allowing states to receive cash vouchers from the USDA instead of commodity food. The foodservice manager for the Lincoln Community School, said the choices coming from the USDA include many processed foods and things that aren’t necessarily the healthy options for children, including peanut butter with hydrogenated oils and sugar. This plan puts schools and the state in charge of the food being offered and served to our children.

During a special meeting last week Panton selectmen adopted a 2011-2012 tax rate and set a September 7th special meeting at which residents can decide the fate of Panton Town Hall’s leaky cupola. The town’s new municipal tax rate is 64.51 cents, an increase of almost 12 cents from the 2010-11.

An unprecedented number of grant-funded efforts are, either just concluding, getting under way, or beginning soon in Vergennes. The latest in a series of efforts to build handicap-access platforms and repair sidewalks on Main Street is almost finished. The new platform curls around the building at the intersection of Main and Green streets that contains Addison Outfitters, Linda’s Apparel and Gifts, Shear Cuts and Hollyhocks.

Property taxes in Clarendon collected from a proposed solar farm could bring more revenue to the town. But just how much, nobody seems to know. The issue was raised during a public hearing regarding Penn Energy Trust, LLC’s proposal to construct a 2.2 megawatt solar electric generation facility at the corner of Routes 7 and 103. Meanwhile the Certificate of Public Good application process should be completed by the fall and construction would begin soon after.

A mediator’s work with the Proctor Select Board has ended with a hope that the five-member board can move past bickering that has hampered board members for the last year. Voters at town meeting sent a message that they wanted to see more civility at Select Board meetings. In June, the town hired a trained mediator to sit down in one-on-one sessions with present and past members of the board as well as the town administrator. That process ended last week with what the mediator and board Chairman said were positive results.

Governor Shumlin announced yesterday the launching of an exciting new incentive to help Vermont employers attract much needed engineering and technology talent to Vermont and help recent graduates pay off college debt. Graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics hired by Vermont companies may now be eligible to receive a $1,500 annual cash payment for up to five years as a result of a new incentive recently launched. The STEM incentive is available to graduates of higher education in the last 18 months in specific high tech occupations that pay $50,000 or more in combined salary and benefits. Applicants must apply within 30 days of being hired and can earn the incentive for up to five years.

Central Vermont Public Service has signed two new power supply contracts. The company says the deals will fill a gap that will develop when a contract with Vermont Yankee ends. CVPS says the new nine-month contracts will begin next April. They call for a total of $27 million worth of power. Spokesman Steve Costello says CVPS selected its power suppliers through a structured Internet auction. He says the company is not disclosing whom it's buying the electricity from.

U.S. Forest Service officials in Vermont are reminding the public they can purchase firewood permits should they be interested in gathering wood from the forest for the heating season. The Forest Service requires a permit for anyone who wants to take firewood from the forest. It's $20 for permission to cut two cords, with a maximum of 10 cords per year per permit holder. The permits are available from Forest Service offices in Rutland, Middlebury, Manchester Center or Rochester, Vermont.

Vermont's two U.S. senators are split on the deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling. Senator Patrick Leahy calls it a solution that puts common sense and national interest above partisanship and ideology. Senator Bernie Sanders says the compromise legislation asks nothing of the wealthy and large corporations.

Police are looking for several suspects who broke into a Westford store and stole hundreds of dollars' worth of cigarettes and alcohol. Authorities say the robbery happened Sunday at the Westford Market. Anyone with information is asked to call Vermont State Police barracks in Williston.

Essex County employees will be able to work as election officials this year and will be paid overtime for that work. The county Board of Supervisors voted to allow the county Board of Elections to train and hire, as needed, county employees for the upcoming 2011 election. The employees would be paid based on the election rates of $11 an hour for inspectors, including overtime charges based off that rate.

Essex County supervisors have tabled a move to market Horace Nye Nursing Home. The resolution emerged in a recent Property Tax Cap subcommittee meeting, and it put the contentious issue of how to afford public elder care back into fierce debate. Supported by taxpayer money, Horace Nye owes Essex County’s general fund nearly $6 million, about $2.5 million of which is due from the federal government this year.

With fishing season on Lake Champlain well under way, scientists are continuing efforts to understand what impact the tournaments are having on bass populations. Large numbers of smallmouth and largemouth bass are caught during the professional tournaments at locations throughout Lake Champlain. The fish are brought to Plattsburgh Boat Basin for weighing and then released into Cumberland Bay. Researchers from the Lake Champlain Research Institute at Plattsburgh State are using a couple of different techniques to tag bass before they are released.

Police in Burlington say they are investigating an early-morning shooting. Police say it was shortly after 6AM Monday when they went to the area of the Red Rocks Condominiums on Austin Drive to investigate a shooting that did not injure any people, but that damaged a parked car and two buildings. Witnesses reported seeing a white male with brown hair who was about 5 feet, 10 inches tall. They also spotted a black sedan with a loud muffler, playing loud music that left the area at a high rate of speed. Police say their investigation is continuing.

If you think your hospital is spending too much money, then mark your calendar for this Thursday. The Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration will hold a hearing on proposed hospital budgets around the state. It will take place from 1:30-5 at the Department of Labor in Montpelier. Several video link sites will also allow Vermonters to watch the hearing without having to travel to Montpelier.

The owners of Vermont Yankee are taking the state back to court in a new legal battle. Entergy officials say they plan to challenge a new law that would force them to pay the state's legal fees, as Vermont battles Entergy over the future of the Vernon nuclear plant. Lawmakers passed the so called "bill back provision" in the waning days of the last legislative session.

A new group of studies says Vermonters could save more than $800 million on their home energy bills in the next 20 years with the typical homeowner cutting costs by 30 to 50% by making changes like new windows and additional insulation. That's according to a report by the High Meadows Fund of Middlebury. The report says too many Vermonters get home energy audits and then don't get around to making the recommended improvements.

A former snowboard store is now a sustainable energy retail store that offers the state's first electric vehicle charging station. Green Mountain Energy Vermont, located on Route 100 in South Londonderry, provides 220 volts an hour and can charge a car in one to four hours. The store opened its doors last Thursday, and was hailed as an important step in keeping up Vermont's name as a leader in energy efficiency initiatives.

The town of Brandon’s annual yard sale day is slated for Saturday starting at 7AM. Official yard sale maps will be available at the Visitor Center at the historic Stephen A. Douglas Birthplace, located next to the Baptist church at the corner of Routes 7 and 73 West. Maps can also be found at the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce website.