WVTK Local & State News November 9, 2011

The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Communications Commission will hold the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. It will take place at 2PM Eastern Standard Time today. The national public warning system is used by state and local authorities for tests and notifications like weather warnings, but there has never been a nationwide test. DHS and FEMA are working to develop nationwide tests and alerts to be sent to wireless mobile devices and phones.

Elections took place in Northern New York yesterday. Unofficial election results for Essex County can be found right now by visiting www.co.essex.ny.us/enight.html.

Vermont State Rep. Diane Lanpher played a major role in bringing the new Lake Champlain Bridge online. She worked hard to represent the interests of the people in Addison County, and she looks forward to continuing that work. Lanpher played a leadership role in securing the funds to rebuild the bridge, and in providing $800,000 in financial assistance to businesses adversely affected by the bridge closure. Following Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, Lanpher was the first elected Vermont official to cross the new $67 million Lake Champlain Bridge.

The first bicyclists across the new Lake Champlain Bridge were members of Sojourn Bicycle Tours of Charlotte. Owner Sue Rand said the bridge's bicycle lanes are a vital asset to bicycle tourism on both sides of Lake Champlain. Although it's based in Vermont, Rand said Sojourn specializes in bicycle tours and active vacations throughout North America. Customers choose from destinations selected for scenery, points of interest, cycling routes, and upscale lodging.

The Rutland Police Commission meets at 6 this evening to discuss the process for selecting a new police chief. Chief Anthony Bossi announced last week that he plans to retire in January. The commission plans to convene a search committee made up of city officials, union and non-union department members and private citizens. The commission will meet in the downstairs conference room in City Hall.

Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott felt right at home at Stafford Technical Center yesterday. During his appearance at the school to pitch his Everyday Jobs Initiative, he said the solution to fixing Vermont’s unemployment problem was to get hammers in the hands of kids. Scott said many of Vermont’s problems could be solved if focus was put on developing a more skilled workforce.

Since the closing of the Lowe’s Ticonderoga store the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce has been working closely with OneWorkSource and the InternetXpress program to provide a variety of services and workshops to the dislocated workers affected by the closure and to the citizens of southern Essex County. OneWorkSource and InternetXpress will continue will offer services to the area by utilizing donated space in the chamber of commerce office beginning November 16th from 10AM to 3PM. The services will be provided initially once a month on the third Wednesday of the month. For more information about the open houses at the chamber office visit www.ticonderogany.com.

The deadline is nearing for Vermonters who want to apply for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help them recover from damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene. Gov. Peter Shumlin is reminding Vermonters they have until Nov. 15 to apply. Officials say homeowners, renters, businesses, or others who suffered losses during flooding from Irene are eligible for assistance to repair their homes or recover other losses.

A committee of Vermont lawmakers will take testimony today on the impact of the closing of the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury. Tropical Storm Irene flooded the antiquated hospital, and Governor Peter Shumlin recently announced his administration has no plans to try to reopen it.

Teachers in the Bennington area will meet tomorrow to finalize a new contract. Teachers in the Southwest Vermont Education Association returned to the classroom last week after going on strike for nine days. School boards and teachers were at odds over pay, health care contributions, and the amount of time teachers have to collaborate. Once teachers formally approve the three-year deal it will still need to be ratified by the six school boards in the supervisory union.

The town of Killington is vying for Vermonters to visit with a new deal called 'Vermonters Days.' During the month of November discounts of up to 50 percent will be offered to residents with valid state drivers licenses at 35 local businesses including hotels, lift tickets, and shopping. November is typically an off month for tourism sandwiched between fall foliage and ski season. According to Vermont Department of Tourism, the promotion is the only of its kind in the state during the month of November.

There are many unknowns about the way students in Vermont will be tested come 2014. Vermont adopted the Common Core in August of last year. The test currently used by the state to measure student progress, the New England Common Assessment Program, will end in fall 2013. Forty-eight states, two territories and the District of Columbia have also joined on to the Common Core. The goal of the new standards is to get all students up to par academically to compete globally. Educators and school administrators gathered at Castleton State College on Monday for one of the first trainings held by the state Education Department.

Vermont officials are planning to hold a series of meetings across the state to get the opinions of local officials and others interested in planning the long-term recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. Gov. Peter Shumlin says the first step in recovery is to talk to communities about both their current needs and their future plans. The governor will lead the first meeting next week in the Mad River Valley, although the details have not been decided.

Three more Vermont counties will now be eligible for disaster aid to cover damages from spring flooding. The federal disaster declaration was first issued for the flooding that occurred on May 26th and 27th. The declaration issued on Tuesday will cover damages from flooding on that day in Franklin, Washington and Windham counties.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Highway Administration has released $2 million more in aid for New York counties to handle road repairs in the wake of Tropical Storms Irene and Lee. The money, available for 31 counties, will go toward repairs of damaged roads and bridges and cleanup of debris. The federal Highway Administration will decide how to dole out the latest $2 million allotment based on county requests.

Gov. Peter Shumlin says he wants the University of Vermont to place more of an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math. So he has appointed a new advisory committee to meet monthly and report back to him next July on how UVM should be spending the $40 million the state of Vermont gives to it every year. Shumlin says he meets frequently with Vermont employers who say they can't find people qualified in science and technology fields for jobs they have open.

Congressman Peter Welch is part of a bipartisan group that wants the federal deficit to be cut by raising new revenue, as well as reforming entitlement programs. The coalition says the congressional super committee charged with finding $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction should recommend a plan that addresses the problem for the next decade. Looming over the negotiations is a provision that calls for automatic budget cuts if the Super Committee is unable to reach agreement by Thanksgiving, or if they back a plan, but Congress fails to adopt it by the end of the year.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock has become the latest and largest health care provider in New Hampshire to announce layoffs in response to state budget cuts. The Valley News reports that Dartmouth-Hitchcock CEO Dr. James Weinstein told workers last week that up to 100 jobs would be eliminated in the next two months within the Dartmouth-Hitchcock system, which includes numerous hospitals, clinics and group practice.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it's concerned that the city of Burlington may have improperly allocated airport revenue. In a letter to Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss and interim director of the Burlington International Airport, the FAA says it has started a review of the payments made to South Burlington for services that may be ineligible or prohibited by FAA regulations. The Burlington Free Press also says the city may have been overpaying Burlington's public works department to operate the airport parking garage. The FAA is seeking airport ledgers, tax bills, invoices, and copies of contracts from the airport dating back to 2005.

It's no secret that drinking too much soda, with its high sugar and calorie content, isn't good for your health, but a new study suggests it could be putting others in harm's way as well. Two economics professors David Hemenway of the Harvard School of Public Health, and Sara Solnick at the University of Vermont authored the study. They conducted research on teenagers in Boston and found that those who drank at least five cans of soda every week were significantly more likely to have violent tendencies towards the people around them - at school and at home. Since the study was published in the journal Injury Prevention it has been cited in news articles around the country.