WVTK Local & State News September 15, 2011 (Afternoon Update)

A man from Proctor is expected to plead guilty tomorrow to charges of attempted second-degree murder. The intended victim was a Vermont State Police trooper. Sergeant Thomas Mozzer walked into the home of John Walters in 2008 on a welfare check, and Walters is accused of firing 16 shots at the trooper, who was not hurt. The case originally went to trial but ended last year in a hung jury.

State Police are investigating a report of missing copper tubing. According to the report, someone stole between 50 to 60 feet of soft copper tubing from a home in Goshen sometime between September 7th and yesterday. If you have any information, please call the State Police Barracks in New Haven. (802) 388-4919

The 3-day civil trial of the owners of Vermont Yankee who are suing the state of Vermont is over, with a ruling expected by the judge sometime next month. Entergy claims its nuclear power plant can only be closed by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, not Vermont lawmakers. The NRC has already granted a 20-year license extension for the plant, but the state says it's already prepared to appeal if it loses the case.

Several Vermont anglers are upset with a plan to remove flood debris from the Middlebury River. The anglers feel debris removal work will disturb fish habitat following the Tropical Storm Irene flood. Some members of the New Haven River Anglers club complained to the Middlebury Selectboard on Monday about its plans to partially removal organic debris from a choked section of the river located along Three Mile Bridge Road near the VAST snowmobile bridge.

The state wants to hear from the public about smart meters. The meters are designed to help manage electricity use. A panel tonight will look at concerns about privacy, having people who choose to opt out pay a monthly fee, and other issues. Vermont's two largest utilities - CVPS and Green Mountain Power - are both getting ready to install smartmeters in place of the traditional meters. The hearing will be held at Vermont's interactive television sites across the state.

A woman from Essex County will try to survive the hit CBS show "Survivor." 22-year-old Sophie Clarke of Willsboro, will be stuck on a tropical island in Samoa with 17 other contestants. The former soccer star, prom princess and valedictorian says she has prepared herself by lifting weights and reading survival books. The med student found out she'd been cast the day after graduating from Middlebury College.