WVTK Local & State News October 25, 2011 (Afternoon Update)

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.

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, click HERE!

Google is coming to Middlebury. A Google seminar providing the tools and resources for Vermont businesses to get online and succeed online is coming to Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater on Thursday, November 3rd with a morning session from 9 to Noon and an afternoon session from 1 to 4. This is a free seminar for small businesses run by Google employees. Space is limited to 25 people per session, so register now! For more information, or to register for the seminar, just visit http://sites.google.com/site/vtgyboreg.

Federal Emergency Management Agency are at ProBuild Lumber Yard on Route 9N in Ticonderoga this week to provide advice. The mitigation experts will be at the store 7AM to 5PM through Thursday. More information on ways to protect your home from future disasters is available at: www.fema.gov. Choose the menu for Recover and Rebuild.

Dozens of police are searching to find Bill Currier's cell phone. Police say the day the Currier's were reported missing, back in June, a call was placed to Bill Currier's cell phone from UVM. The call went unanswered. In September, Essex Police worked with the FBI to narrow the location of the cell phone. Today, more than 30 officers were out in several parts of Essex aiding the search, including two cadaver dogs and a scent dog. Right now, police say this is one of the best pieces of information they have in their investigation.

1 of 3 regional hubs set up in Vermont to help restore mobility along state highways following Irene is closing on Friday. More than 1,000 highway-recovery personnel were mobilized through the Vermont Agency of Transportation's Rutland Region Incident Command Center in Rutland. The workers helped rebuild bridges and highways in 52 towns in the southwest part of the state.

The Vermont Community Foundation says its Irene recovery fund for special and urgent cases has awarded $99,000 to 21 nonprofit groups, such as a food shelf that suffered water damage, a senior center that provided support to evacuated community members and a theater group whose building was flooded. The foundation says total contributions received or pledged to the fund exceed $250,000. The grants, which fund up to $5,000, are available to nonprofits, schools and municipal groups that were damaged by Irene or face challenges in providing services for those affected by the storm. The foundation continues to accept applications.

A 23-year-old student at Vermont's Landmark College has been arrested in connection with the detonation of an explosive device on campus. Putney police say Kevin Spitzner admitted to building and detonating the device using commonly found household items. He told police he placed the device on a ledge near his dormitory on Friday with the intention of scaring 1 of his dorm mates with whom he had been having a feud about loud music. The explosion was heard across campus. Spitzner was cited for possession of a destructive device, a felony.

The Vermont Youth Orchestra Association and its former conductor have reached an out-of-court-settlement in his lawsuit saying he was unlawfully dismissed. Ronald Braunstein was hired in July 2010. He was fired seven months later. In a joint statement Monday the orchestra association said students under Braunstein were inspired to reach new levels of musical excellence. The statement said concerns surfaced about Braunstein's job performance.

New York's largest health insurance company has agreed to publicly disclose more data used to justify premium increases. The agreement is part of an effort by state Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky to make rate increase filings public, which could result in reducing the number of requested hikes. Lawsky says Tuesday that UnitedHealth Group has agreed to end the secrecy now.