WVTK Local & State News August 3, 2011

Roadwork has restricted traffic on Route 22 in Willsboro to a single lane moving in alternating directions from the Willsboro/Essex line to the Chesterfield/Willsboro line. Work will continue until further notice. On Lake Shore Road in the Town of Essex: Crews are performing ditching operations this week.

Fred Neuberger, one of Middlebury College's most influential and beloved administrators over the past half-century, passed away July 30 at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington. He was 86. A member of the Middlebury College Class of '50, he served as director of men's admissions from 1958 through 1964, and as head of admissions for the college from 1964 through his retirement in 1991. There will be a memorial service to celebrate his life on Friday at 11AM in Mead Chapel. A reception will follow the services.

A nursing aide formerly employed at a Middlebury long-term care facility is heading to jail for three months after pleading guilty to abusing an elderly patient by stealing his pain medication. Attorney General William Sorrell says 59-year-old Robyn Page of Brandon was working as a licensed nursing assistant at the Lodge at Otter Creek when she took about 18 Oxycodone pills from a patient who needed them for pain. Page pleaded guilty on Monday to two charges. Sorrell says Page tried to cover her actions by replacing the Oxycodone pills with generic Tylenol. She got a total sentence of one to three years, with all but 90 days suspended.

The owner of Cutis Auto Sales destroyed in a fire last week said he intends to reopen at a temporary location by the end of the week. Rick Curtis said the temporary site would be located on the same lot as the old building, located along Route 7 south of Pittsford. Curtis said they intend to rebuild at some point, but he still has to talk with the insurance company and potential contractors before he can make a decision as to when. Police determined the fire was intentionally set.

The tiny northern New Hampshire community of Stewartstown is going to go forward with its annual children's fair this weekend despite the unexplained death of 11-year-old Celina Cass. Patricia Grover of the Stewartstown Day committee says the New Hampshire State Police and the town Board of Selectmen recommended they hold the two-day event, which will start Friday. Stewartstown residents had considered canceling it. Instead, they're dedicating it to the memory of Celina. Grover says Stewartstown is "still a scary place for our children. They need something that's on a little happier note for them."

Authorities say despite an autopsy they don't know what killed Celina Cass. Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young says the autopsy was conducted Tuesday but didn't determine a cause of death and further study is required.

Construction of a Tractor Supply Co. store is under way in the Town of Ticonderoga. The company plans to open the store by mid-October. There will be 12 to 17 full-time and part-time employees. The chain focuses on supplying the lifestyle needs of recreational farmers and ranchers. It also serves the maintenance needs of those who enjoy the rural lifestyle, as well as trades people and small businesses.

With a pair of votes, the Westport Town Planning Board paved the way for work to begin on Rolling Hills Farm. Developer Dave Mann and his team attended the meeting. After the votes, Mann thanked the planning board for its work on the project, and then addressed the rumors that the potential land deal was off. He said while nothing is 100%, he is very hopeful the project will go through.

A 23-year-old Vermont man is going to prison for two years after being convicted on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Federal prosecutors say Joshua Jerger of Ferrisburgh stole a gun from a seasonal camp in October 2009. He later sold the gun for $200 to buy controlled substances.

Gov. Peter Shumlin will make his first formal appearance before the state's Progressive Party later this month. The Democratic governor will address the Progressive Party's state committee quarterly meeting, which will be held at the Unitarian-Universalist Church on West Street in Rutland on Sunday, August 14th. The governor plans to talk about his accomplishments during his first eight months in office and outline plans for the legislative session to start in January.

Vermont's third-largest electric utility has won a national trade magazine award for deployment of smart grid technology. Johnson-based Vermont Electric Cooperative began installing smart grid meters and related technology a decade ago, well before many larger utilities started getting interested in doing the same. Houston-based Power magazine has recognized the effort by awarding VEC its first ever Power Smart Grid Award.

Vermont's largest electric utility has completed its purchase of 1 of the smallest. Central Vermont Public Service Corporation acquired what had been the town of Readsboro Electric Department, including 14 miles of distribution line, associated equipment and the right to serve 330 customers in the small town by the Massachusetts line.

The state of Vermont has told the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant they can expect to be billed $750,000 or more for the State's costs in defending against a lawsuit brought by the company. But Vermont Yankee owner Entergy Nuclear has signaled that it has no intention of paying without a fight.

Vermont health officials say radioactive strontium-90 has been found in a fish sample taken from the Connecticut River 9 miles upstream from the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. William Irwin, the state's chief radiological health officer said that the sample was unusual in that the strontium-90 was found in the fleshy, edible portion of the smallmouth bass sample. Irwin says the substance more often turns up in fish bones. Irwin says it's not certain whether the material came from Vermont Yankee or from atmospheric deposits left over from atomic bomb testing in the 1950s and '60s or from the Chernobyl accident.

A Democratic state lawmaker is entering the race for Burlington mayor. State Rep. Jason Lorber announced his plans yesterday afternoon. The 44-year-old is the only declared candidate. Progressive Mayor Bob Kiss has not said whether he will seek a third term in March.

A Springfield couple is accused of running a maple syrup scam. Police say Jason and Kristi Raymond stole large amounts of bulk syrup in Vermont and then sold it to a company in Sullivan County, NH. Police say not only was the syrup stolen, but the couple falsified receipts claiming to have more syrup than they actually did; scamming the company buying the syrup out of $13,000. Police say it was all to pay for their drug habits.

For nearly a month, police have been searching for a man they say robbed a store then later broke into a home and tried to sexually assault the woman living there. The search is over, as Dana Cota from Williston was arrested and is now in jail. He's accused of going into Maplefields convenience store on Williston Road and robbing a cashier at knifepoint. Cota is accused breaking into a Burlington home afterwards, and trying at knifepoint to sexually assault a woman there but she fought him off.

A new law in New York State bars those convicted of misdemeanors in domestic violence cases from buying firearms. Felons are already barred from buying pistols, rifles, guns and other firearms. Federal law prohibits gun ownership by anyone with a misdemeanor conviction stemming from domestic violence. But there has been a gap in reporting the crime from New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the law will help keep firearms from those with violent records.

Stowe Mountain Lodge is being recognized for its green efforts. The resort, built in 2008, was given the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence, which is based on factors like benefits to the environment, use of innovative approaches and commitment. The resort has state-of-the-art lighting and climate control systems. Efforts also included low-flow toilets, showerheads and microfiber sheets that use less water to wash and dry.

New York apple growers forecast a very sweet crop, thanks to abundant summer sunshine that generated higher sugar levels in the fruit. Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, says consumers should see fresh-picked local apples in the next couple weeks in some lower Hudson Valley locations. Orchards in other parts of the state will have fresh apples later in August.

Summer is hitting its stride and so are blueberries this season. Farmers say Vermont is in the height of its blueberry season and they are looking great this year. Even after heavy rains this spring the crop is doing fine, unlike much of the corn crop around the state. Farmers say blueberries need constant moisture.