WVTK Local & State News September 9, 2011

The State Of Vermont has declared produce from any storm-drenched fields unsafe. This has affected a few produce farmers here in Addison County. The good news is Annie Harlow of the Addison County Relocalization Network said that from reports she’s received, Addison County agricultural land had relatively small amounts of flood damage compared to other counties around the state. Many of the county’s largest food producers scraped by unharmed. Farmers with questions about recovery resources can reach out to the Agency of Agriculture or to UVM Extension.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is opening two more disaster recovery centers in Vermont - one in Killington and one in Dover. The offices, which can help flooding victims learn about and apply for federal aid to offset their losses, opened Thursday. The Killington location is at 20-46 Route 4 in Killington. The Dover office is at 20 Taft Brook Road in Dover. They're open 8AM to 6PM, seven days a week.

The second Disaster Recovery Center in Essex County opened yesterday to serve the southern part of the county. Located at the Moriah firehouse it’s available to anyone who had damage or loss from Tropical Storm Irene. It joins a center in the Jay hamlet of AuSable Forks that opened a week ago. The Moriah facility will be open 8AM to 8PM seven days a week.

Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras said yesterday that Mendon Brook is expected to be reconnected to the Rutland reservoir by the end of next week. However the water in Mendon Brook is not likely to be drinkable for some time. Louras said channel work on Mendon Brook and its tributaries, associated with work on Route 4 and side roads damaged in the flood, is stirring up sediment and has made the water unsuitable for drinking. He said the channel work is likely to go on at least as long as the roadwork, if not longer.

Champlain National Bank announced yesterday the establishment of a $1,000,000 low interest rate loan fund to help homeowners and business owners in Essex, Clinton and Franklin Counties impacted by Hurricane Irene. The program will allow people that have incurred physical losses on their primary residence or business due to the storm to borrow up to $50,000 for 10 years at an annual percentage rates as low as 1.99%.

The Vermont Health Department is asking for help in identifying graves that were exposed when part of a cemetery washed away in the town of Rochester during flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene. The Health Department says the graves of about 30 people were disturbed when the overflowing Nason Brook damaged the northwest corner of the Woodlawn Cemetery. State officials are working with the Rochester Cemetery Commission to get descriptions of the deceased as well as descriptions of clothing, jewelry and other mementos.

Gov. Peter Shumlin has appointed a former top state official to oversee Irene recovery efforts in Vermont. Neale Lunderville, a former transportation and administration secretary and aide to former Gov. Jim Douglas, will serve as the state's Irene Recovery Officer for four months. Shumlin said Thursday that the short-term goals of the job are to restore basic services, housing and other essential needs and to rebuild vital transportation corridors.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says the major east-west roads across flood-damaged sections of Vermont will soon reopen. Shumlin said that Route 9 in southern Vermont will reopen this weekend and Route 4 next weekend. But transportation officials say although the roads will be passable they will be dirt in some sections and without guardrails so drivers need to be careful and expect delays.

Concerns over labor contracts may have prolonged the idling of state workers whose Waterbury offices were rendered uninhabitable by flooding nearly two weeks ago. Unionized employees have in some cases been barred from working from home even if they want to. Human Resources Commissioner Kate Duffy said Thursday that the administration was reluctant to approve work-at-home arrangements until it had legal clarification around a provision in the union contract that guarantees workers double pay for working in “emergency” situations. State workers displaced from their offices are still being paid.

Secretary of State Jim Condos announced that since the Governor has declared a state of emergency, temporary emergency licenses for out-of-state health care providers and veterinarians are available. Use of Vermont providers should be our highest priority before reaching out to other states. Secretary Condos said this provision was enacted so Vermont would be better prepared to respond in the event of a disaster.

The Vermont and New Hampshire Valley chapter of the American Red Cross has seen an unprecedented response from the community, from both individuals and businesses. Yesterday, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters made a large contribution, $250,000. Of that, $200,000 will go directly to the local chapter of the Red Cross; $75,000 for ongoing relief efforts in our region and $125,000 toward planning and developing relief shelters at the community level to supplement larger shelters run by the Red Cross. In addition to the Red Cross donation, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has pledged an additional $50,000 toward the recovery effort in the town of Waterbury, where the company's headquarters is located.

The Vermont Agency of Human Services has chosen two Addison County nonprofits to team up in delivering mental health and child care services more cost-effectively and efficiently to citizens from birth to 22 years old. The collaboration, if successful, could serve as an operational blueprint for human service agencies statewide as Vermont state government looks to pare back its expenses.

Essex County lawmakers decided that instead of paying rent they would relocate the county's Belfry Mountain communications tower. After a 10-minute executive session this week, the County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to purchase a half-acre of land for $21,000 from Sheldon Steinbeck of New York City. The parcel is near the current tower, which will be removed once the new tower is operating. AT&T has agreed to construct the new one at no cost to the county, saving the county more than $300,000, in exchange for use of the facility.

New statistics from the federal government show that people in one in seven Vermont households go hungry. The data, released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, shows that 13.8% of Vermonters are "food insecure." The survey says that the number of Vermont households running out of food rose 3.6% between the years of 2005 to 2007 and 2008 to 2010. Officials from the Vermont Foodbank and Hunger Free Vermont say they're working to reduce the number of households with food insecurity.

A big change is about to take place at the Plattsburgh airport. The company that provides U.S. Airways service between Plattsburgh and Boston is ending most of its Boston operation. Pinnacle Airlines first started offering flights between the two cities in June 2010. There's no word on when the company will officially end service. Under the terms of a contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pinnacle can't leave the airport until a replacement carrier is found.

FairPoint Communications is laying-off 400 employees. FairPoint officials said Thursday that 130 of the job cuts are in Maine, 190 in New Hampshire and 55 in Vermont. Another 25 jobs are being cut in the other 15 states where FairPoint operates. The jobs include about 100 management positions and 300 union-represented positions. FairPoint Maine President Mike Reed says the company is cutting jobs to match its work force to its workload. FairPoint has been losing business in recent years as customers switch to cell phones and other companies.

It's been three months since an Essex Vermont couple went missing. Police say they're collecting more DNA samples from within Bill and Lorraine Currier's home and car that was found a couple days later. The Currier's went missing on June eighth. Ground searches have been conducted, but little evidence turned up. Police say no more searches have been planned but they're still looking at certain areas. If you have any information regarding the case you are asked to call Essex police at 802-878-8331.

Area actors will take to the Town Hall Theater stage this evening at 8, and tomorrow 2PM & 8PM, in a Civil War-era play drawn directly from the experiences of the people who lived through it. “Remember Me To All Good Folks” is based on actual letters and photographs from the Sheldon Museum collection. For more information and tickets just visit www.townhalltheater.org.

Registration for the 2011 Tour de Farms is open through 5PM Sunday. The annual event, scheduled for September 18, is expected to draw more than 600 bicyclists who will ride between several family farms in Addison County, sampling local products as they go. Advanced registry is $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Children in trailers or bike seats ride free and do not need to register. Riders choose between 10-mile, 25-mile or 30-mile routes. More information is available at www.ruralvermont.org.

Rutland Area Farm and Food Link is holding its annual fundraising event, Twilight in the Meadow, this Sunday at Hathaway Farm in Rutland Town. The dinner was originally planned as a fall celebration of the abundance of our land and the productivity of our farmers. Obviously the recent storms have been a major concern. The organization has been actively engaged in supporting area farmers to locate the resources they need to get them through. On Sunday, attendees will celebrate the fact that most area farms have escaped the storms unscathed and to gather in support of those who were less fortunate.

Ben & Jerry's is unveiling a new flavor, and it doesn't sound too tasty. "Schweddy Balls" is homage to an old "Saturday Night Live" skit featuring Alec Baldwin as bakery owner Pete Schweddy, whose unique holiday offerings included something called "Schweddy Balls." Sean Greenwood, a spokesman for the Vermont ice cream maker, said Thursday that the company isn't worried about offending people with the name. He says 1 of the company's principles is to do fun things and that it fits in with that. The new flavor is available at scoop shops and supermarkets. It consists of vanilla ice cream, rum, fudge-covered rum balls and milk chocolate malt balls.