WVTK Local & State News October 19, 2011

Here in Middlebury Stewart Lane and North Pleasant Street paving is expected to take place through Friday. Today base paving will take place in small sections of Stewart Lane. Tomorrow and Friday base and top paving will take place. Southbound Route 7 will be detoured onto Exchange Street, then Seymour Street to Main Street. Traffic Control will be posted at Exchange. Work is expected to begin around 7AM. Meanwhile Northbound North Pleasant Street will have lane shifting as the pavers complete areas at Stewart and Elm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended the deadline for Vermonters and communities to seek disaster assistance following Tropical Storm Irene. Gov. Peter Shumlin says Vermonters now have until November 15th, an additional two weeks to apply. The governor said that the deadline extension would allow more Vermonters who have been distracted by storm cleanup to seek help. Officials say homeowners, renters, businesses, or others who suffered losses during flooding from Irene are eligible for assistance to repair their homes or recover other losses.

Two men charged with a beating that hospitalized a Castleton man and left him with permanent injuries are facing felony assault charges. Christopher M. Washburn of Castleton, and Dylan Owens of Brandon, have both pleaded innocent to charges of aggravated assault, which carries a potential jail sentence of 15 years. The two men are charged with assaulting Frank Foster during a fight outside Foster’s home last summer.

The City of Vergennes and the Addison County Chamber of Commerce will be sponsoring two family-friendly events. The 4th Annual Haunted Warehouse, previously known as Haunted Forest, will be held on Saturday, October 22nd at the former Kennedy Brothers Marketplace. The 5th Annual Pumpkins in the Park will be held on Saturday, October 29th in City Park. The Haunted Warehouse is designed for older children, although kids under 10 will be admitted with parents’ permission, and Pumpkins in the Park is an event for all ages. For more information on either event, call 802-388-7951 x1 or email marguerite@addisoncounty.com.

Vermont State Police at the New Haven Barracks are investigating the vandalism to a motor vehicle that was parked for sale on Route 7 in the town of Leicester. The vandalism occurred between 5PM on October 17th and 7AM on the 18th. Anyone with information is urged to contact the State Police in New Haven. (802-388-4919)

According to Town Administrator Joe Colangelo it was a busy summer of construction in Hinesburg but residents can breathe a sigh of relief this autumn as two large, local construction projects wrap up. The Silver Street Bridge project finished October 17th. Footings were put in place last summer and paving was completed this week. And he said Kinney Drugs is planning its grand opening for this Saturday at 10AM. The new pharmacy is located at the intersection of Farmall Drive and Route 116.

Student filmmakers in Vermont are competing to produce the best films they can in 24 hours. The competition is called “Sleepless in Burlington” and will showcase the efforts of students from the University of Vermont, Middlebury College, St. Michael’s College, and Burlington College. Each team includes five students. They are given a set of “elements” to include in their film, such as some lines of dialogue, a Burlington location, and items identified with the city. The teams will cast actors for their films on October 29th then they will be given 24 hours to shoot, edit and deliver the films. Their creations will be showcased as part of the closing event of the 2011 festival on October 30th at the Palace 9 Cinema.

A Burlington lawmaker plans to enter the race for the city's mayor, hoping to pull support from both Democrats and Progressives. State Sen. Tim Ashe, a Democrat and Progressive representing Chittenden County, says he's the only credible threat to Republican candidate Kurt Wright, a city counselor and state representative. The Burlington Free Press reports Mayor Bob Kiss, a Progressive, is waiting until next month to say whether he's seeking a third term.

More than 200 teachers in southern Vermont are on strike as of today. After 15 hours of closed doors negotiations, teachers in the Southwestern Vermont Education Association hit the picket lines. School Boards imposed working conditions on more than 200 hundred teachers in the Supervisory Union two years ago, meaning a 30 percent hike in health insurance premiums, a cut in starting teacher salary, and longer work days, with less time to consult with coworkers before and after the school day. That is a crucial sticking point for the teachers according to union representatives.

A prominent Vermont Republican is thinking about running against current Governor Peter Shumlin. It is the Chair of the Vermont GOP, Pat McDonald. She is no stranger to public office. She worked in the administrations of three different governors and served two terms in the Legislature and one term as the House Minority Leader. McDonald joins the ranks of other possible candidates including former Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie, State Senator Randy Brock, and Mark Snelling.

Vermont Congressman Peter Welch wants to help flooded farmers get back on their feet. Floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene swamped farm fields around Vermont, destroying produce and feed crops. Welch has introduced three new bills aimed at assisting farmers. Two of the bills would funnel additional funding into existing USDA emergency programs. The third bill would allow the state to buy food for schools directly from Vermont farmers. Federal law currently requires those purchases to come through a regional distribution center in Rhode Island.

New York farmers who lost equipment or other infrastructure to this year's back-to-back tropical storms may be able to tap a $5 million fund set up by the state. The program will be run by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to help farmers recover from Irene and Lee. It will provide money for replacing electric and natural gas systems and equipment for milk processing, cooling, heating, and other farm systems. Applications are available at NYSERDA's website and will be processed on a first-come, first served basis until December 15 or funding runs out. The maximum assistance will be $100,000 per farm.

Faced with a soaring budget, Essex County lawmakers are preparing a local law that would override the state's 2-percent tax cap. More work on the 2012 spending plan and a public hearing would come before a vote on that law, however. A week of budget sessions with department heads only got the increase down from about $16 million to $13.3 million.

Denise Woodward isn’t charged with killing her niece, Brooke Bennett. But in a civil lawsuit the former wife of the man charged with kidnapping, assaulting and killing the 12-year-old Braintree girl is being sued for failing to protect her niece from her husband. In the case, Bennett’s parents argue that Woodward knew about his criminal past and his history of sexual assaults and violence toward women.

Gov. Peter Shumlin has announced the appointment of Beth Robinson to serve on the Vermont Supreme Court. An attorney with nearly two decades of experience practicing law in Vermont, Robinson is also a widely respected civil rights advocate whose work to secure marriage equality rights in Vermont earned wide national recognition. Robinson will replace Justice Denise Johnson, who is retiring.

The highly disputed Lowell Wind Project is now under way. Green Mountain Power began blasting near where protestors have camped out. Roughly 20 protestors camped out Tuesday on the mountain. The hike takes roughly one hour straight up from behind the Nelson's property. The protestors are fighting Green Mountain Power's $156 million project planned to build 21 wind turbines each more than 400-feet tall. GMP officials say the turbines would power more than 24,000 homes.

A defense attorney says a Burlington man accused of killing a neighbor whose body was found under a railroad bridge is mentally fit for court. Daniel Whalon had pleaded not guilty in August to charges he stabbed Ralph Bell. But he had not yet undergone a mental health evaluation, which was postponed by Tropical Storm Irene. The Burlington Free Press reports that his defense lawyer said that there were no concerns about Whalon's competency and withdrew the defense request for the evaluation.

The Ticonderoga Food Pantry is preparing for its peak season. With holidays and cold weather approaching, the demand for food increases. Some area food pantries, like the Moriah Food Pantry, are struggling to meet demand. The Ticonderoga Food Pantry got a boost October 14th when the Ti Elks hosted a pancake supper to benefit the local food shelf. The Ti pantry is operated by a group of about 25 volunteers. A member of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the local pantry depends on local food drives and donations.

The Moriah Central School Parent-Teacher Association held a membership drive, raffle and food giveaway during the annual school open house. A total of 20 members signed up during open house. The next meeting of the PTA is Monday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. in the high school library. New members and those wishing to join are encouraged to attend. Membership dues are $5 annually. For additional information or to become a member of the PTA contact Rose Rice at 546-3623 or Email rm_rice@yahoo.com.