WVTK Local & State News October 14, 2011 (Afternoon Update)

This Sunday the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” Walk takes place at Dorset Park in South Burlington. There is only one Strides event for the entire state and this is it! This 5-mile walk is not a race; it is a celebration of survivorship, an occasion to express hope, and a shared goal to end a disease that threatens the lives of so many people we love. Amanda Leigh is team leader for WVTpinK! Help her get to her $1,000 goal today by making a donation right now or join her for the walk on Sunday! Get the scoop HERE!!

Artist Patrick Dougherty’s “So Inclined” sculpture on the Middlebury College campus will be dismantled. The sculpture materials will be recycled into compost, and returned to the earth as a supplement for campus plantings. He will return to campus on Friday October 28th and discuss his worldwide projects and commissions in a 4:30PM talk in Room 221 of the Mahaney Center for the Arts. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The Vergennes Union High School class of 2012 set a new fund-raising record for the seniors’ annual walk for charity this week. On Tuesday the class presented a check for more than $6,000 to the Child Life Services program at Vermont Children’s Hospital, which is a division of Fletcher Allen Health Care.

The "Occupy" rallies that started on Wall Street a few weeks ago have now made their way to Vermont. Burlington has been the site of several of the events. Another was held yesterday here in Middlebury. Additional ‘Occupy Wall Street' rallies are scheduled for this Saturday in Brattleboro, Montpelier, Rutland and Burlington.

The tentative 2012 Ticonderoga budget calls for the elimination of the community summer youth recreation program. The program serves about 100 children a year, offering arts and crafts, sports, swimming and other activities. It also provides daily breakfast and lunch through a federal food program. That’s one of the cuts in a $4.9 million proposed spending plan that falls within the new state-imposed 2 percent tax cap. The plan is not final and Ticonderoga officials want to know the public’s 2012 budget priorities. That’s why trustees will hold an informational meeting Tuesday, October 25th at 6PM in the Community Building auditorium.

2011 marks the 10th anniversary of Vermont's "Safe At Home" program, which offers ‘address confidentiality' services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The program provides victims of abuse a substitute address as well as a protected records service, which limits access to public information. Secretary of State Jim Condos says the program offers a clear path for someone to be protected without fear of retribution. Vermont was one of the earliest implementers of a confidentiality program. There are now 32 programs across the country.

Sen. Patrick Leahy says the Senate Judiciary Committee he heads will vote next month on legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The Vermont Democrat says that overturning the 1996 law was "part of the nation's continuing fight for civil rights for all Americans." He says it's time to ensure equality for gay and lesbian Americans who are lawfully married. The Defense of Marriage Act also says that no state should have to accept another state's recognition of a same-sex marriage. The legislation repealing it would make same-sex marriages eligible for the federal benefits that opposite-sex marriages have.

State officials acknowledge some Vermonters looking for work after the flood were turned away from the cleanup at the state office complex in Waterbury. The officials say it was a coordination problem that was cleared up in several days. State Senator Vincent Illuzzi says barring people from seeking work was disheartening for unemployed Vermonters.

New York regulators say natural gas prices are expected to be 4 to 6 percent lower this winter and utilities have plenty of supply to get through the season. The Public Service Commission says Thursday its staff assessed the status of companies serving the state's 3.9 million gas heating customers and found they have adequate supply to meet demand during severe winter conditions.

Vermont musician Grace Potter has helped raise more than $300,000 for flood relief with a pair of concerts. Potter and her band "The Nocturnals" played a sold-out show Sunday at the Flynn Center in Burlington. Potter gave a solo performance Monday at Sugarbush Resort.

Hidden View Farm in the town of Champlain and Dimock Farms in the town of Peru will be among farms offering guided tours of their operations during the second annual “Open Farm Sunday” this Sunday. The initiative is one started last year by Cabot Creamery with members in New England and upstate New York. The idea behind the initiative is to get more people in the community thinking about where their food comes from and introducing them to the men and women who supply it.