WVTK Local & State News October 24, 2011

Starting this week, VTrans will be closing a temporary bridge for more than a week. The one-lane Route 73 Bridge near the Brandon Gap will close Wednesday, so it can be replaced by a two-lane culvert. The closure will mean residents cannot use Route 73 to reach Brandon and will have to detour using Route 125 North or Route 4 South.

92.1 WVTK-FM has gone to the dogs – literally. Beginning this Wednesday at 6AM our two best buddies Bruce & Hobbes will be embarking on a 3-day broadcast in support of the Addison County Humane Society’s “Homeward Bound,” campaign. The duo is launching a 72-hour fundraiser in support of the Addison County Humane Society’s 1.125 million dollar expansion & renovation project for its’ Boardman Street location. Cash For Paws, You pay – We Play, will get under way. Make a donation to the campaign and they’ll play your song, pretty much ANY song! The goal for this 3-day fundraiser is $10,000! Get the scoop now HERE!

Otelco Inc., parent company to OTT Communications, and a wire-line telecommunication services provider in Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire and West Virginia, announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Shoreham Telephone Company, Inc. for approximately $4.5 million in cash, plus certain purchase price adjustments. Shoreham Telephone has provided telecommunications solutions to residential and business customers for nearly a century.

On Sunday afternoon Vermont State Police responded to a report of a downed aircraft near Brown Road and Lewis Road in Shoreham. Middlebury Rescue and Shoreham Fire and Rescue also responded to the scene. The operator of the Ultralight Airplane, Donald S. Arnold of Shoreham, was taken to Porter Hospital with minor injuries. He told police he was up in the air for approximately 6-7 minutes before he lost control of the aircraft in a field near his home. Don Arnold is an experienced pilot.

A former private school plans to use money from a city settlement to make its comeback. A representative of the Mountain View Community School said that Rutland’s recent payback of tax money to the school is allowing it to open its doors again, possibly in a different location than its former home on Church Street. An organizational meeting is being held Thursday at 7PM at the South Station Restaurant. The offering is a school run by parents and the community where parents choose what students learn and how teachers teach. The former Mountain View School shut its doors amidst protest about having to pay taxes to Rutland since its inception.

One of Ticonderoga's foremost restaurants, The Carillon, is closing because of tough economic times. The seafood, pasta and steak restaurant has been a mainstay on Hague Road since 1988. But Owner/Chef Russ Slater said declining business would force him to close his doors at the end of October. Slater said he enjoyed running the restaurant, but business fell off during the economic downturn of the last couple years.

Sanford W. Morhouse of Ticonderoga has been named vice president and president-elect of the Fort Ticonderoga Association. Morhouse will succeed current Fort Ticonderoga Association President Peter S. Paine, Jr. of Willsboro when his term expires. Born in Keene Valley and raised in Ticonderoga, he graduated from Ticonderoga High School in 1962. He holds an undergraduate degree in history from Williams College and a law degree from Columbia University School of Law.

Westport Librarian Stephen Smith has submitted his resignation. He has been librarian for the past four years. Citing a desire for change, Smith told the Library Board of Directors that he had given his all and now sought new opportunities to nurture his creative energy. The Westport Library Board has begun its search for a new librarian.

Police in Vermont say a man and woman were shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide inside the man's apartment in Newport. Newport police say 39-year-old Mellissa Tinker died from a gunshot wound and 72-year-old Thomas Ballou apparently shot himself Saturday night. Police say they were called to the scene at about 9:30 p.m. following a report of possible domestic violence. The Vermont State Police tactical support unit forced its way in and found the two bodies.

A flood cleanup effort in the hard-hit Rochester area drew an estimated 150 volunteers. Gov. Peter Shumlin had requested volunteers from around the state to pitch in Saturday, hoping for one last push before winter weather sets in. Rochester volunteer coordinator Cynthia Ryan said about 150 volunteers turned out. Forty homes in Rochester sustained damage from Irene, 8 of which are not going to be rebuilt.

A new national ranking says Vermont is tops in the country for its electric energy efficiency programs. But it lags on transportation, bringing its overall ranking down to fifth place. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy's annual rankings put Massachusetts in first place overall for its efficiency programs. The Bay State surpassed California, which had taken the top spot the first four years the rankings were done. Vermont got a score of 19 out of a possible 20 for the programs run by Efficiency Vermont and the Burlington Electric Department, as well as Vermont Gas Systems that try to get residents and businesses to do more with less energy.

Vermont lawmakers are due to get an update on the state's building priorities, which many have seen as having changed following Tropical Storm Irene. The House and Senate Institutions committees are meeting at the Statehouse today to get a review on where state building projects stood before the August 28th storm, and then status reports on the Vermont State Hospital and state office complex in Waterbury.

An explosion created a scare at Landmark College yesterday. Police say someone detonated an explosive device near a dorm on the Putney campus. No one was injured, but the blast was heard across campus. Police spent three hours collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. The bomb-like device contained two substances that produced a gas that reacted and exploded inside a plastic container. No arrests have been made.

Essex police hope DNA samples may lead to new clues in the search for a missing couple. Bill and Lorraine Currier vanished more than four months ago. Police tell the Burlington Free Press that about a dozen people have since provided DNA samples as part of the investigation. Police are not saying whether any of those individuals are considered suspects or people of interest.

State Police have agreed to change the agency's policy on the use of stun guns. The Burlington Free Press says under the new policy, police will give special consideration to how Tasers are used on people with disabilities. They'll also use the devices only if a person is armed and presents a risk of harm or if there aren't any other reasonable alternatives to maintain safety or take a person into custody.

Bennington area teachers and school board members agreed to take a break over the weekend after meeting face-to-face for the first time since teachers hit the picket lines. The teachers strike is entering it's second week but negotiators for both sides say a framework for discussions has been established and talks are expected to continue today.

Vermont officials are disputing a federally sponsored study that shows fatal accidents involving big trucks tripled when weight limits were raised for interstate travel from 80,000 to 99,000 pounds. The tripling was from one death in 2009 to three in 2010. Vermont officials say the numbers are too small to be meaningful and that non-fatal injuries from crashes involving heavy trucks declined during a 1-year study.

University of Vermont interim president John Bramley is pledging that next year's tuition increase won't exceed 3.5%. His pledge comes six months before trustees customarily approve the tuition rate and budget for the following school year. UVM’s tuition went up 5.8% this school year, 4% last year and 6% in each of the three previous years.

The state Health Department has won a federal award of more than $308,000 in recognition of Vermont's high breastfeeding rates. The award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Women, Infants and Children nutrition program recognized Vermont because among its WIC recipients, there was a breastfeeding rate of 27%. That compares to a national average of 16%.

Vermont transportation officials say planned repairs to a rail corridor in Massachusetts will be a boon to the Green Mountain State, because they will make trips on Amtrak's Vermonter passenger trains faster. The Vermonter currently jogs east and then back west as it crosses Massachusetts on the way between St. Albans and Washington, D.C., meaning the trip takes 30 minutes longer than it should. Work is expected to be completed in 2013 on a more direct route through western Massachusetts, which will make the trip quicker.

Users of Facebook in New York can now get information about sex offenders living in their neighborhoods Facebook users can access information about medium- and high-risk sex offenders with just a few clicks — and without leaving the social-networking site. The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services has launched its Sex Offender Locator Application, which is accessible via the New York State Public Safety Facebook page.

U.S. senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have introduced legislation that would make intentionally mislabeling food products as "maple syrup" a federal crime. Currently, this form of food fraud is only a misdemeanor. The legislation would make these crimes a felony, increasing sentences that prosecutors can seek for people who defraud consumers and farmers by intentionally mislabeling maple syrup.

This Friday the popular Hugo Wolf Quartett will soothe string lovers at Middlebury College’s Mahaney Center for the Arts Concert Hall at 8PM. Having developed from an ensemble known only to chamber-music-lovers to one of the most sought-after string quartets of its generation, the Hugo Wolf Quartett left the campus audience on the edge of their seats when last in Middlebury. This free Performing Arts Series concert is made possible with generous support from the Institute for Clinical Science. Just click HERE for details.

Organizers of Rutland’s 52nd annual Halloween Parade will select their Pumpkin Princess during a televised pageant tonight. PEG-TV local cable channel 15 will air the live selection show at 7PM. The hour-long program will feature seniors from area high schools answering interview questions. The winner will lead this year’s Halloween Parade, set for Saturday at 6:30PM from Strongs Avenue to Wales and West streets to Merchants Row.