WVTK Local & State News October 24, 2011 (Afternoon Update)

Yesterday afternoon Vermont State Police responded to a report of a downed aircraft 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.

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.

With Halloween just around the corner, the state is giving parents one more tool to help make sure their kids are safe this season. The New York State Sex Offender Registry is now available on Facebook. Just go to the NY Public Safety Page and from there you can do a search by the offender's last name, or find all the offenders in a county or a particular zip code.

Shoreham Telephone Company has a new owner. The company was recently purchased for $4.5-million by Otelco Inc parent company to OTT Communications. Shoreham Telephone has provided telecommunications solutions to residential and business customers for nearly a century.

The House and Senate Institutions committees are meeting at the Statehouse today to look at the state building projects including new projects due to damage from Tropical Storm Irene. One of the buildings being discussed is the Vermont State Hospital and Office Complex. The governor has already said he does not want to reopen the state hospital, he wants to replace it.

State Police have agreed to change the agency's policy on the use of stun guns. 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.