WVTK Local & State News October 10, 2011

Residents on both sides of the lake continue to wait for he opening of the new Lake Champlain Bridge. The delay of the bridge opening was caused by a variety of reasons. Mainly from the spring flooding and harsh winter. But NYSDOT officials say they'll have it open before the end of the year. Officials say they are finishing laying the concrete, before turning their attention to the sidewalk.

State police troopers are investigating a reported armed bank robbery Friday afternoon at the Lake Sunapee Bank on Main Street. According to police the suspect walked into the West Rutland bank at approximately 11:50AM and went to the center teller. The suspect knocked on the counter to get her attention and produced a note demanding the teller to empty the drawer. This is the second bank robbery in four weeks in the area. A similar incident occurred at the Merchants Bank in Rutland Town on September 7th. Police say they are positive the suspect in Friday’s robbery is the same person involved in the Merchants Bank robbery. Anyone with information regarding either robbery should contact the State Police barracks in Rutland. (802-773-9101)

On October 6th, at approximately 6:46PM, Vermont State Police were called to a residence on Ridge Road in Cornwall for a reported burglary. At the residence, investigators found that three towing chains and approximately 20 gallons of fuel were reported missing. Anybody with any information is asked to contact the New Haven State Police Barracks. (802-388-4919)

A former park ranger is charged with stealing from Bomoseen State Park. Vermont State Police said Friday that John Robert Davine of Rutland, had been cited Thursday for grand larceny. While they would not give a more specific number, police said Davine stole “several thousand dollars” from the park between April and September. He is scheduled to appear in Rutland criminal court December 4th.

There's an equine emergency in the Rochester area where dozens of horses are receiving help after Tropical Storm Irene washed much of their hay away. Nearly 400 bags of horse feed have been handed out to horse owners in need. While horses are still grazing on green pastures, farmers say about one-third of the Rochester area hay supply was washed away by flooding. That hay was supposed to feed horses in winter when they can't graze.

The Vermont Health Department is offering crisis counseling, emotional support and psychological first aid to Vermonters affected by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. The service "Starting Over Strong," or SOS, will be administered by Washington County Mental Health Services and lead teams of crisis support workers across the state. Mental Health Commissioner Christine Oliver says most Vermonters were affected in one way or another by the historic flooding and some suffered extreme loss and trauma. She says the program can help communities, families and individuals of any age recover from the emotional stress after the flood. The program is a short-term effort designed to help up to 3,000 people. For more information, people can go to the Health Department's website, healthvermont.gov, and choose "After the flood."

If environmental groups have ideas on how to clean up waterways after Tropical Storm Irene, then Essex County leaders want to hear from them. The Adirondack Council and other groups have criticized how towns cleaned and repaired streambeds after Irene ravaged the area, saying the work went too far. So to get input, the Town of Jay is sponsoring a stream and river forum at 6PM Tuesday, November 1st, at the Jay Community Center in AuSable Forks.

The Town of Moriah will hold its regular board meeting at 6PM tomorrow at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Main Street in Port Henry. Agenda items include setting a public-hearing date for the 2012 budget and rescheduling the November 8th session to November 10th due to Election Day. That meeting will take place at 6PM at the Town Courthouse. The public is invited to attend.

Faced with budget cutbacks, Crown Point Central School has come up with an innovative way of offering students advanced classes. The school has worked out an agreement with Ticonderoga Central School District to let Crown Point students take the classes there. They're only offering one class, Regents physics, so far, but they hope to add others in the future.

South Burlington police are looking for a man that they say attempted to rob a convenient store early Saturday morning. Police say around midnight a man went into Simon's Gulf on Shelburne Road and demanded money from the clerk while threatening them with a knife. But the clerk fought back and received minor injuries. If you have any information you can call South Burlington police. (802-846-4111)

An 'Occupy Wall Street' support rally attracted over 250 people to a park in downtown Burlington. Protesters paraded up a street carrying homemade signs and then rallied at the intersection of 2 other streets. A protest leader led the crowd in chants that at times had an antiwar slant. The gathering appeared to be peaceful.

Vermont State Rep. Oliver Olsen said he will not seek re-election for his House seat past 2012, saying it's been difficult balancing family and career responsibilities. Olsen, a Republican from Jamaica, also represents Londonderry, Weston, Winhall and Stratton. Former Gov. James Douglas appointed Olsen on Jan. 15, 2010, to fill the seat vacated by Londonderry Republican Rick Hube, who died in December 2009.

A top Vermont official says a stop-work order has been issued for construction on the Lowell Mountain wind power project because of possible environmental violations. Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz confirmed Friday that the order has been issued for what an inspector determined was improper handling of gravel during the early stages of work on the project, which is being developed by Green Mountain Power Corp.

The New York Field Office of the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service will be conducting a Vegetable Acreage and Production survey during October and November. This survey will gather information on vegetable acreage planted and harvested and the amount of vegetables produced in New York during 2011.

At Middlebury Union Middle School a group of eight students collected $232 dollars in spare change for charity. The coins were mostly pennies with some other coins and even paper money mixed in. Their haul is going to victims of Tropical Storm Irene, specifically, two libraries that lost children's reading sections to flood waters. One of the buildings is in Jay, New York, and the other is in West Hartford, Vermont. The group hopes its drive inspires other kids to get involved in the Irene recovery. The Middlebury students point out that their project all started with just a single penny.

New York's No. 1 apple variety is celebrating its bicentennial this month. The McIntosh, affectionately known as the "Mac", turns 200 years old. More than 5 million bushels of Macs will be picked in New York this fall. Native New Yorker John McIntosh discovered the first Mac seedling by chance in 1811 in Ontario while he was clearing forests near his farm. Today, it remains a top-10 variety nationally and it's the No. 1 variety grown in New York, with more than 1.4 million trees, all descendants of McIntosh's original 1811 seedling.

Downtown Ticonderoga will be haunted by hundreds of children again this October. Halloween Fest will be held Friday, October 28th. The event is sponsored by the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ticonderoga Montcalm Street Partnership, North Country Community College, the Ticonderoga American Legion and Ticonderoga Central School. This annual event is a perfect opportunity for families, businesses and community organizations to come together to enjoy the fall season and the tradition of Halloween.