WVTK Local & State News September 13, 2011

Vermont State Police are currently investigating the report of a vandalism and larceny from a truck. The truck was parked at a private residence off of The North Orwell Road in the Town of Orwell. A diamond plate took box was pried open in the bed of the truck and approximately $4,000 in tools was stolen. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Vermont State Police New Haven Barracks. 802-388-4919

Inn and hotel operators in Addison County and Brandon are concerned that Vermont’s recent portrayal of the state following Irene might be discouraging some prospective tourists. But they remain encouraged by rebuilding efforts and are confident that bookings will be strong for the critical fall foliage season. According to the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, visitors make 13.4 million trips to Vermont each year and visitor spending adds an estimated $1.57 billion to the state’s economy, including about $332 million during foliage season alone. Vermont Tourism and Marketing Commissioner Megan Smith has taken to social media outside the state, using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, urging visitors to come to Vermont and assuring them that large areas of the state were unaffected by flooding.

A small group of Panton residents last week rejected a plan to borrow $40,000 to repair the cupola that sits atop Panton Town Hall. Selectmen said they have in hand most of the $32,000 needed to fix the leaky roof, but not the extra money to take care of the cupola. They are seeking more input from the public before deciding on what to do with the cupola atop the historic building. Leaving the cupola as is could compromise the roofing project, and the town must act soon to protect the rest of the structure from water damage.

According to town officials as of yesterday, due to falling bricks, Bakery Lane will be closed at its northern entrance facing Main Street for up to a month to accommodate repairs to the brick façade of the Dyer Block.

Residents in Rutland are being urged to conserve water after flooding from Tropical Storm Irene damaged the water system. The main supply line from the city reservoir was damaged in the storm and is now leaking and unusable. The system's backup emergency pump was damaged but not incapacitated. It is now the only source of clean water for the city. A City Engineer said that even with the backup pump running 24 hours a day, it cannot keep up with demand. He estimates the city has a 30-day supply of potable water. If the emergency pump fails, the supply will be cut in half.

The State of Vermont continues to work to repair roads and bridges damaged by Tropical Storm Irene. Crews have been putting in 14 to 18 hour days for more than two weeks now. Paul Stratton has been working for the Vermont Agency of transportation for 27 years and he has never seen the scope of damage done by Irene. And while some folks have been frustrated at the pace of reconstruction, hoping projects could move faster, officials wan you to know this: VTrans is on the ground and moving and they are not stopping until the work is done.

The Rutland Heart Center has relocated its offices to 12 Commons St., across from Rutland Regional Medical Center. The board certified cardiologists at the Rutland Heart Center are Doctors Higgins, Bonazinga, Shapiro, Robertello and Fitts. Previously, these physicians were scattered in offices around the Commons Street complex. The Rutland Heart Center is accepting new patients. Appointment hours are from 8AM – 5PM.

Grants of up to $10,000 are now available to Vermont farms damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Irene. The Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund was formed by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and the Vermont Community Foundation to help farmers get back on their feet after the storm. Officials say grants will be available to farmers from contributions to help replace infrastructure, seed, feed, livestock, supplies, and equipment lost in the that are not covered by insurance or other sources of income. Applications are available on the Vermont Community Foundation's web site, www.vermontcf.org.

Police in Lyndonville are warning people about two potential phone scams. Lyndonville Police Chief Jack Harris says one caller has made threats if people don't offer to send money. He also said in another case a resident was contact by a person with a heavy foreign accent who identified himself as a lawyer and said the person was being sued over banking issues or other such activity. But police say no one with that name is working at the law firm that the caller said he worked for. The call came in from the phone number 202-239-6006.

Essex County fire and ambulance departments, non-profit groups and municipalities with damage from Tropical Storm Irene are being urged to head for the County Public Safety Building Wednesday morning. A 9AM briefing by the Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover assistance for these entities. The briefing is not open to the public, only to municipalities and agencies.

The College for Every Student program has named Ticonderoga Middle School and Crown Point Central School a “School of Distinction”. College For Every Student, a national non-profit that helps under-served students get to college and be successful there, has granted “School of Distinction” awards to 16 schools nationwide for their success in meeting goals during the 2010-11 academic year. The goals include 90 percent or more of students increasing their attendance rate, grade point average, level of civic engagement and leadership capacity.

A lawyer for the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is telling a judge that the effort by the state of Vermont to close the plant is really about safety, and that states have no say over such matters. During opening statements Monday in a 3-day trial, Vermont Assistant Attorney General Scot Kline said the case is really about whether Entergy is willing to keep the commitment it made in 2002 when it bought Vermont Yankee: not to challenge the state's authority over the plant.

The manger of Vermont's Lyndonville Electric Department says a hacker broke into the utility's bank account and tried to transfer $180,000 to 11 different locations. But Lyndonville Electric Manager Ken Mason says the hacker was unable to get past the last security question and no money was taken. The incident is now being investigated by the Vermont State Police.

A missionary charged with helping a woman involved in a custody dispute with her former lesbian partner flee the United States with the child wants his trial moved from Vermont to Virginia. Timothy David Miller also wants statements he made to investigators in April thrown out because he was not read his Miranda rights. Miller, who is free on $25,000 bond, is accused of providing Lisa Miller and her 9-year-old daughter with travel assistance and a place to live. Lisa Miller, who is not related to the pastor, disappeared in September of 2009, in the midst of a long-running custody dispute with her former partner who was awarded custody of the child by a Vermont judge.

Addison County HOPE provides assistance to many local families. North Ferrisburgh children donated jars, which will be used for homemade soups and sauces. Parents of the students delivered the jars and toured HOPE’s facilities and vegetable garden. Students enrolled in the North Ferrisburgh Church Vacation Bible School earlier this summer adopted Addison County HOPE as a special cause.

A Ferrisburgh farm has won “Dairy Of The Year”. Kimball Brook Farm was named the Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year for 2011. They are a certified organic dairy farm. University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Dairy Industry Association as part of the New England Green Pastures Program sponsor the award annually.

When students returned to classes at Craftsbury Academy, they walked into one of the oldest and smallest schools in Vermont. And thanks to recent renovations, the historic schoolhouse is now one of the most efficient in the state. Despite being one of the oldest schools in the country, Craftsbury Academy is well on its way to becoming one of the state's first certified "high performance" school buildings-a "green school". School board member Harry Miller has spent a dozen years working to improve the school's physical plant. Today, it's a model of efficiency, and wired for the latest technology.