WVTK Local & State News November 18, 2011

Vermont State Police say a Salisbury man shot himself after a confrontation with police yesterday morning. Police say 52-year-old Gerald "Dusty" Woodburn was found dead after troopers had responded to a domestic disturbance. Troopers went to the home after getting a 911 call from Woodburn's girlfriend, who said he had left the residence with her cell phone and a gun. When troopers arrived, Woodburn and the woman were at the home. Police say when she told them Woodburn had a gun; he pointed it at the troopers. Police say 1 of the troopers then fired a single shot at Woodburn, who retreated further into the house. As police were calling for assistance, they said they heard another shot. They say Woodburn's body was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Tuesday individuals and towns were rushing to meet the deadline to register for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. By Tuesday FEMA had approved more than $20 million in disaster relief grants to individual Vermonters, with registrations from nearly 7,194 individuals and families across the state. In Addison County, FEMA has accepted 181 applications for aid, and has approved more than $361,000 in disaster grants. Meanwhile officials in many Addison County towns say they still have a ways to go on repairs, including two large road projects that won’t be completed until next spring in Granville and Hancock.

Vergennes aldermen will be researching potential sites for a new city police station in the next few weeks. However, at this time the City has not yet committed to spending money to replace the department’s tiny two-room office in City Hall.

The Town Of Middlebury is getting ready for some big energy savings. Middlebury officials are working with Central Vermont Public Service Corp. and Efficiency Vermont to replace around 470 light fixtures throughout town with a more energy-efficient fixture. It’s estimated this change could save the community around $20,000 per year on its electricity bill.

Weybridge Elementary School’s ongoing effort to tailor its educational programs to a shrinking student population will be getting some national exposure this winter as part of a CNN television program. The CNN program will touch upon the overcrowding in some schools, contrasted with declining enrollment in others. On Tuesday a CNN film crew spent the entire day at Weybridge Elementary filming classroom activities and conducting interviews with some school personnel and students.

Since September, a team of 10 Monkton students have created and programmed an autonomous robot made of Legos and invented a prototype lunchbox to protect food from contamination in preparation for the 2011 First Lego League Robotics Competition. The students ranging from grades four through nine at Monkton Central School and Mount Abraham Union High School won the qualifying round last weekend at the competition in Hanover, NH. That qualified them for the regional championship in Manchester, NH on December 3rd. The First Lego League Robotics Competition encompasses more than 200,000 9 to 16-year-olds from more than 55 countries.

The Rutland downtown revolving loan fund may help pay for a propane heating and cooling system at the Gryphon Building and sprinklers at Merchants Hall. The Downtown Rutland Partnership executive director said this week that the committee that oversees the fund had recommended the two loans, which go before the Board of Aldermen for approval Monday. MKF Properties would borrow $30,000 for the rooftop propane unit replacing the Gryphon Building’s old steam boiler system. Merchants Hall would get $18,000 for sprinklers in the basement, first floor and second floor.

Burlington democratic leaders are heading to a familiar spot for the second mayoral caucus next month. The event will take place at the Memorial Auditorium on December 11th. That's where this past weekend's caucus produced a tie between Tim Ashe and Miro Weinberger. It's open to anyone who was at the first round of voting. With three hours to register prior to vote, democratic leaders hope to see another large turnout.

Vermont may be seeing its largest outbreak of whooping cough in 15 years. The bacterial infection is preventable with a vaccine. But despite that, the state health department says it has seen 27 cases of whooping cough this year, including six in the last month. The illness is highly contagious and distinguished by an irritating cough that gradually worsens and can lead to more severe illnesses. Health officials urge parents who suspect their children have it to seek treatment with antibiotics, and they urge all parents to have their children vaccinated.

The U.S. Congress has approved a new federal highway funding package that officials say will provide crucial post-Irene federal disaster aid to Vermont. The agreement lifts funding caps for disaster relief that had had Vermont officials very worried. The state has been estimating up to $250 million in repair costs for federal-aid-eligible roads and bridges. Officials were worried about a $100 million-per-state cap on disaster funding from the federal highway administration. The agreement passed on Thursday would lift that limit.

Vermont lost a federal lawsuit aiming to protect patient privacy. And now we know how much taxpayers will pay for it. New court papers show the state is on the hook for $1.8 million to cover legal fees by Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America. Supporters are still defending the law, saying it was important to try to prevent companies from selling patient information to pharmaceutical companies. But opponents say it was clear the law would never stand up in court and lawmakers should never have passed it knowing Vermonters would have to pick up the bill.

The Vermont Labor Department says the state's unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percent last month to 5.6%. The October rate is down three-tenths of a percent from the October 2010 rate. Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan said Thursday that the lower unemployment rate is good news and she remains cautiously optimistic about the future. Noonan says there are job opportunities for Vermonters seeking work, as well as training, apprenticeship and internship opportunities for people who need job skills and help finding a job.

Gov. Peter Shumlin announced Vermont is changing the length of time seasonal workers can search for jobs. Seasonal employees like construction workers or people working in the ski industry used to be able to wait six to nine months before looking for a job. Now they only get 10 weeks. The governor says the unemployment fund is intended to get people through a tough time, not support them through months of unemployment. Shumlin says he encourages seasonal workers to get in touch with the department of labor to capitalize on programs available for unemployed Vermonters.

Six school boards in southern Vermont officially approved a new contract for teachers last night. The three-year deal comes almost two months after a teacher's strike in the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union. Teachers overwhelmingly approved the deal by a vote or 175 to 2 last week. It still needs to be ratified by the Southwest Vermont Career Development Center, which is a separate district. That is expected to happen on Monday.

An economic forecaster says New England will continue to experience a slow economic recovery until well into 2013 due in part to weaknesses in the national and global economies. University of New Hampshire economist Ross Gittell said yesterday the European debt crisis could affect New England going forward because of the region's strong trade and investment ties to Europe.

It's been two months since the Occupy Wall Street movement started. Yesterday, protesters all over the country told the government they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Demonstrators gathered outside City Hall in Burlington yesterday morning, one week after their camp was shut down. Demonstrations were planned across the U.S. to protest what they say is the consolidation of wealth by 1 percent of the population. Protesters say Burlington's middle class is shrinking faster than nearly anywhere else in the country.

New York officials say they have repaired and reopened all but a few of the 400 state roads and bridges damaged by flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in late August and early September. According to the Cuomo administration, all but three bridges and three highways have reopened, with three highway segments set to open this week.

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and that means turkey is the number one topic at the HOPE office on Boardman St. The Middlebury-based anti-poverty organization will give out more than 400 turkey baskets on Thanksgiving and Christmas to local low-income families who otherwise wouldn’t have a good celebratory meal. For more information on HOPE you can visit their website.

County residents looking for some company and - or a great meal on Thanksgiving will again have two options at their disposal this year. The VFW on Exchange Street in Middlebury will host its annual Thanksgiving Day dinner, as will the Addison County Eagles Club off New Haven Road in Vergennes. Both meals have traditions dating back at least 20 years and offer a sit-down meal as well as a home-delivery option for shut-ins. For more information just visit the Area Calendar Page of our website.

Starting on the first weekend in December, Vergennes residents gather in the Little City’s downtown area for the annual Holiday Stroll. The Vergennes Rotary will sponsor two Holiday Decorating Contests this season, one for Main Street businesses, and one for area residents. Judging will take place on December 16th. The Holiday Stroll is also the kick-off for a weeklong collection for the Vergennes Community Food Shelf. For the entire Holiday Stroll Schedule just click HERE!

Fort Ticonderoga will host its second annual “Material Matters: It’s in the Details” seminar the weekend of January 28th and 29th. The weekend program focuses on the material culture of the 18th century and is intended for collectors, re-enactors and people with a general interest in learning more about objects of the 18th century and what they can tell us about history. “Material Matters” takes place in the Debora Clarke Mars Education Center at Fort Ticonderoga and is open by pre-registration only. Visit Fort Ticonderoga Dot Org For Details.