WVTK Local & State News November 10, 2011

Another state highway damaged by Tropical Storm Irene has reopened. Route 73 connecting Rochester to Brandon has been closed to through traffic since the storm. You are still urged to use caution on the repaired stretch of road and to expect delays from small repair projects along the route. Just nine miles of roadway remain closed in Vermont; sections of Route 106 in Weathersfield and Route 107 in Stockbridge.

A big vote in Charlotte today is pitting land preservation against renewable energy. This issue was presented at public meeting in October. Town officials are going after a green tax credit that requires they break ground on a solar project before January 2012, but some residents are concerned they are rushing a decision on a special piece of land. Voters will get to decide tonight where and if the panels should be installed. The tax credit would only save the town $300 per year. Officials say the project could power the town hall, library, senior center, and wastewater treatment facility.

New Haven Troopers responded to a home burglary in the Town of Monkton. It is suspected that burglars forcefully entered the residence through a locked window. A large amount of family jewelry was stolen. State Police are looking for any information regarding this incident is being asked to contact the new haven Barracks. (802-388-4919)

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce and the Addison County Chamber of Commerce have recognized the Lake Champlain Bridge Community and its co-founders, Lorraine Franklin and Karen Hennessy, twice in recent months. The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce held its 2011 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner & Awards Ceremony on October 26th. The Lake Champlain Bridge Community was the recipient of the 2011 TACC Appreciation Award. During its Annual Meeting on September 8th, the Addison County Chamber presented its Buster Brush Citizen of the Year Award, which is given to an individual who has made numerous contributions to the community without the expectation of acknowledgement. This year Franklin and Hennessy were co-recipients of the award.

Police are searching for thieves who they say robbed a Ripton, Vermont hunting camp of dozens of items. Police say several thousand dollars of items were stolen from the camp, including a 4-wheeler, log splitter and air compressor. The burglary occurred sometime in the last four weeks. Authorities say the thieves left footprints around the property. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

Charles Harrington has been elected Crown Point supervisor. Harrington, who is a Republican, defeated incumbent Democrat Bethany Kosmider by a 454-316 margin in voting Tuesday. Meanwhile Supervisors were re-elected in North Elba, Westport, Keene, Newcomb, Willsboro and Essex. Incumbent supervisors lost in Elizabethtown and Crown Point. All results remain unofficial until certified by the Essex County.

The Westport Central School Board will meet at 6:30 this evening in the library. Agenda items include superintendent's report, acceptance of donations and policy revisions. All meetings are open to the public.

Middlebury Fire Department facilities planning is moving ahead according to a report cited at the town select-board meeting on Tuesday. Middlebury Fire Department's Station Committee is working with Breadloaf Construction to refine the designs for the Seymour Street and East Middlebury stations. Meanwhile news that a Middlebury River Management Planning Task Force will be formed was discussed at the meeting. Following the model of the successful river management planning effort in Ripton, the Board endorsed forming a Task Force to develop a plan for on-going management of the Middlebury River as it flows through East Middlebury.

A computer-mapping program that lets you calculate your carbon footprint developed by a company in Shelburne was just recognized in a national challenge by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hootroot, developed by Brighter Planet, was given the overall runner-up award in EPA’s Apps for the Environment challenge, which encourages the development of innovative environmental applications. The mapping program provides directions and carbon footprints for driving, transit, flight, and human-powered transportation options on any route.

Schools in Chazy and Westport are vying for funds in Clorox's Power A Bright Future competition, which is decided by online voting. Students in the marketing class at Westport Central School put together the application for submission. The aim there is to win funding to make improvements to school grounds, including tennis courts, ball fields and a nature trail. To vote, go to www.powerabrightfuture.com.

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation has agreed to pay $115,000 to settle claims that its environmental lab violated hazardous waste disposal laws. Court paperwork says the department within the Agency of Natural Resources admitted to 24 violations that were documented during inspections this year by the attorney general's office. The agency agreed to pay $85,000 in penalties and $30,000 into a fund to provide services to stabilize hazardous wastes that might be brought to local waste centers. The Waterbury lab was displaced by Irene-related flooding and is operating temporarily at the University of Vermont.

Vermont's doctors have formed a new organization to allow them to take an active role in forming a new state health care system in the coming years. The new organization is needed to comply with federal anti-trust laws. One of the primary goals of the newly appointed Green Mountain Care Board is to develop policies that will slow down the rising cost of health care in Vermont. This is important because Governor Peter Shumlin says he won't pursue a single payer system in 2014 if the state hasn't been able to control costs.

State and federal biologists in the Connecticut River basin and New York are trying to decide whether they will have to destroy almost 450,000 lake trout and salmon being raised in a Vermont fish hatchery that was contaminated by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. Flood waters known to be contaminated with the invasive algae swept into portions of the White River National Fish Hatchery in Bethel.

State police say a truck driver was injured when a large object was dropped from an interstate overpass onto his tractor-trailer. Police say the object was described as either a stone or a pumpkin. It smashed the windshield of the truck on Interstate 89 south in Milton.

Vermont's emergency rooms have become ground zero in psychiatric crises around the state since Irene flooding closed the state hospital in Waterbury, as mentally ill patients have put themselves and others in danger. The head of emergency services at the hospital in St. Albans told lawmakers on Wednesday the problem has gotten much worse. The director of the emergency department at Northwestern Medical Center says he collected testimonials from emergency room staff around the state that told stories of patients and staff in danger.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has missed the first deadline aimed at creating a transparent and on-time budget, with no new date scheduled. Under state law, the governor needed to submit his midyear update and projected revenues available for the next fiscal year by last Saturday. Cuomo says Wednesday the projections will take more time because of global economic volatility.

Crown Point and Ticonderoga students will take part in concerts with a message. Hall Pass, a professional music troupe, will perform at Ticonderoga Middle School Monday, November 21st from 1 to 2:30PM. It will repeat its performance Tuesday the 22nd from 1 to 3PM at Crown Point Central School. They hope to inspire more students and concert attendees, in general, to consider higher education and give them the spark and confidence to actively pursue their dreams.

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. If you need another reason to shop, this year the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce will participate in Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday, a national effort, will be held Saturday, November 26th. Its goal is to promote local businesses. Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 by American Express in response to small business owners’ most pressing need; create more demand for their products and services. For an area business directory, visit www.ticonderogany.com.

A Ticonderoga woman has been recognized for her culinary skills. Mountain View Center, a Genesis HealthCare skilled nursing facility, has announced the Vermont Health Care Association recognized Deborah Mackey of Ticonderoga and the dietary team as Food Service Director of the Year and Dietary Team of the Year, respectively. The awards were presented at the Vermont Health Care Association’s annual convention.

This is turning out to be a record setting November. Wednesday's record-breaking temperatures made it feel and look more like late summer. Burlington's waterfront was packed with people taking advantage of the unusual weather. Burlington broke its past record for this day with a high of 68 degrees. The last time Burlington saw temperatures this high on this date was in 1945.