WVTK Local & State News September 7, 2011

An attack that hospitalized an Otter Valley Union High School student who was jogging in a Rutland park yesterday afternoon launched a massive police search and left students and parents in shock. Details of the incident, which took place moments before the start of a regional cross-country meet on Giorgetti Park’s wooded trails, were unclear. At 5PM yesterday city police said only that they were looking for a person involved in an incident that injured a teenage girl. The organizers of the cross-country meet canceled the event minutes after the attack was reported.

Vermont’s Transportation Secretary is warning the public to be on the lookout for sinkholes and slope failures that continue to be found in roads following Tropical Storm Irene. The problems are more frequent in the southern part of the state. Recent rains have softened the state's soil increasing the possibility of what he calls tremors from the storm that can cause the sinkholes and slope failures. He says driving aggressively "may cost you your life" and that everyone's focus needs to be on safety. He also announced that a temporary bridge along Route 125 in Hancock was expected to open for public travel on Tuesday to restore travel between Hancock and Middlebury.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin will be touring the flood-ravaged White River valley, with stops in Granville, Hancock and Rochester. Shumlin has been traveling the state to assess damage and try to reassure residents since devastating floods hit much of Vermont on August 28th.

With the installation of the new Champlain Bridge center arch, the focus now is on when the entire structure will be ready for traffic. NYSDOT officials have indicated that it will not be completed and ready for traffic on October 9th as originally planned. A new completion date has not been set. Work on the bridge continues both day and night. Flatiron workers will now be securing the center arch deck in place and cement trucks will continue to roll as the deck work continues.

Mayor Christopher Louras is asking Rutland residents to conserve water more carefully as work continues to reconnect the Rutland Reservoir to Mendon Brook. The temporary connection to East Creek was back online yesterday after being cut off due to the heavy rain over Labor Day weekend. Louras issued a water conservation order last week after flooding cut the connection to Mendon Brook, and it remained in effect after the temporary connection was established Friday.

The Vermont Agency Of Transportation is recruiting qualified temporary employees to assist with Irene recovery efforts. The Agency needs to fill positions that include; Civil Engineers, Technicians, Mechanics, Administrative Assistants and Flaggers. Work will be performed in the areas of Rutland and Dummerston. To apply for work in the Rutland area call (802) 786-5826. For Dummerston positions call (802) 254-5011.

While CVPS workers restored power to all of their customers who could safely receive electrical service by late Saturday, much cleanup work remains. Crews will be making more permanent repairs to temporary repairs made last week to restore service to customers as quickly as possible. Crews may have to briefly interrupt service over the next several weeks as they work to safely make more permanent repairs in damaged areas. In the meantime, CVPS urges Vermonters to continue to use extra caution around work crews and waterways, many of which are still flowing at very high levels. The company also reminded customers that water and electricity do not mix.

Vermont's governor is asking anyone who owns a second home in the State to let displaced Irene flood victims use it temporarily. Citing preliminary assessments that show about 700 homes were damaged or destroyed in the Aug. 28 flood, Gov. Peter Shumlin says he hopes second homeowners will step up to fill the need for temporary housing. He says assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency won't go all the way to getting most people who lost everything to flooding situated in their own housing.

The Vermont Health Department is offering free test kits for residents with private drinking water wells that may have been contaminated by floodwaters. Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen says people should assume their wells are contaminated if it was covered with water from last week's floods, is located near a flooded area, or if there is a change in either odor or taste. The health department’s district office or town health officer is distributing the free test kits. Disinfection instructions will also be provided.

The State's Health Commissioner is urging people who are cleaning up following Tropical Storm Irene to be aware of safety hazards. Dr. Harry Chen warns that the dust, mud and floodwaters may contain potentially dangerous bacteria and chemicals. Dr. Chen also recommends not allowing children to help with cleaning up debris.

There is some tax relief for Vermont residents and businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Irene. The IRS and state tax department are pushing back extension dates. Residents and businesses in Chittenden, Rutland, Washington and Windsor counties now have until October 31 to return their 2010 extensions. Also, estimated third quarter payments are not due until October 31. The IRS and state tax department have not ruled out including other Vermont counties.

Tropical Storm Irene has heavily damaged Vermont’s state-owned rail lines. An inspection found that five of the state's railroad bridges have major structural damage and need major repairs before they can re-open to freight traffic. Freight traffic is still running between Burlington and Rutland, and the Ethan Allen Amtrak line resumed service on Saturday. Vermont Rail Systems estimates it will be three to four weeks before freight begins moving again on the Green Mountain rail line.

The rock band Phish is returning to Vermont, the state where it got its start, to help the victims of Tropical Storm Irene with a benefit concert. Phish will play on September 14th at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, its first Vermont show in seven years. The Burlington Free Press reports that tickets go on sale Saturday.

A unique Web site is connecting Vermonters who need or want to donate items in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. The creators of the site vtresponse.com are branching out. They have now launched vtexchange.org and they are calling it a craigslist for disasters. The site is not just for donations. If you are a storm victim and need specific assistance you can post that on there as well.

Moses-Ludington Hospital has a new leader. Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington and Moses-Ludington announced the appointment of William "Chip" Holmes as president and chief executive officer at the Ticonderoga hospital, effective October 31st. He will also join the vice-president team within Fletcher Allen Health Care.

Vermont electric utility Green Mountain Power says workers have begun construction on the Kingdom Community Wind project in Lowell. GMP calls the $150 million project the most significant renewable generation development in Vermont. The construction of the turbines is due to be completed by the end of 2012.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce will host an open house for Adirondack Employment Opportunities on Monday, September 12th from 10AM until 3:30PM The open house will be held at the Ti Chamber office on Montcalm St. in downtown Ticonderoga. Complimentary snacks and refreshments will be served. Adirondack Employment Opportunities provides skilled, no cost job placement and retentions services to businesses and other organizations.

The Lake Champlain Bridge construction continues to re-shape the annual Festival of Nations, planned for September 16th – 18th on the Vermont and New York sides of the lake. The Festival of Nations events in Vermont will be held at the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell for the second year in a row. Meanwhile with the October bridge celebration postponed until May, Crown Point State Historic Site Manager Tom Hughes has been scrambling to solidify the Festival of Nations schedule. For more information you can call (518) 597-4666.

The Lake Monsters, playing in their first postseason game in 15 years, built an early lead and used lights-out pitching to pull away in the opener of a best-of-three series in the league semifinals at Centennial Field as they defeated the Auburn Doubleday’s, 7-1. The teams move to Auburn for game 2 tonight.

Vermont band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals may be best known for folk, rock and blues, but lead vocalist Potter is also getting some recognition from the country music world. Potter is among the nominees for the 45th annual Country Music Awards, nominated for musical event of the year and music video of the year for her duet with country star Kenny Chesney. The song "You and Tequila" was released last year, but has been on the Top 100 for 40 weeks. The awards will be given out November 9th.