WVTK Local & State News December 22, 2011

At Tuesday’s Middlebury Select-Board meeting, the Board approved road closures from Noon to 6PM on March 10th for Chili Fest. The Board awarded the bid for the purchase of two cruisers to the low bidder, which was Foster Motors, for $48,744. Meanwhile they awarded the engineering for the Painter Hills project to the low bidder, Phelps Engineering, for $22,076 plus construction review, estimated at $18,100. The Board continued its review of the FY13 budget. In response to the Board's input at its last meeting, staff presented additional recommendations for line-item expense reductions. The Board accepted the proposed preliminary budget of $8,417,735 and warned the public hearing on the proposed budget for Tuesday, January 17th at 7:30PM. Details on these items and more can be found on the Town’s Website.

Vermont State Police are currently investigating the theft of an unsecured 1995 Triton 10'X8' Snowmobile Trailer from a seasonal camp in Leicester. The estimated value of the trailer is approximately $500. Anyone with any leads or information is asked to contact VSP at the New Haven barracks. (1-802-388-4919)

The Vermont Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the death of 52-year-old Gerald “Dusty” Woodburn from Salisbury, a suicide, from a single gunshot to the head. On November 17, Vermont State Police Troopers responded to Woodburn's residence on Lake Dunmore Road in Salisbury, after a 911 call to state police by his girlfriend reporting a domestic disturbance.

Two Vermont women have been charged with defrauding Medicaid by collecting money for services they never received. Anne Roberts of Ferrisburgh and Rebecca Earle of Bomoseen were arrested Wednesday and charged with violating the federal health care fraud law. The two cases are unrelated, but the U.S. Attorney's office says both women engaged in similar schemes involving Choices for Care, a Vermont program that allows some Medicaid-eligible residents to hire caregivers for help with daily living activities. The women are accused of submitting false time sheets for care they never received and then pocketing the money.

The final two Vermont bridges that were closed due to Tropical Storm Irene have reopened. The Vermont Agency of Transportation said Wednesday that two bridge replacement projects on Route 12A in Roxbury have been completed and the road is now open to all traffic. The final closed road, Route 107 in Stockbridge, is on track to re-open at the end of next week. Tropical Storm Irene severely damaged more than 500 miles of state highway, including some 200 bridges.

A new video, released this week by the Vermont Community Foundation, says thank you to everyone who has contributed to Irene relief and recovery on behalf of all Vermonters. The short message is drawn from storm footage as well as recent interviews with flood victims, local heroes, and state leaders. The Community Foundation is distributing the video to share this message of gratitude with people across the state and beyond who have helped heal Vermont.

Some Essex County lawmakers say the County Department of Public Works is dragging out repairs to roads and bridges damaged by Tropical Storm Irene. The issue came up when the Public Works Superintendent asked for permission to carry over to 2012 almost $1 million from this year's highway budget. The County Public Works Committee allowed him to carry over the $1 million. A vote by the whole board will take place at the year-end meeting, set for December 27th.

Ticonderoga residents still have time to comment on a proposed revision of the town’s zoning law. About two-dozen people attended a public hearing on the measure Dec. 8, most expressing concerns with the changes. The proposed law is available at the town clerk’s office as well as online at www.townofticonderoga.org. There is no deadline for comments, but Town Supervisor Deb Malaney expects the town board to act on the proposed law before March 31st.

Test changes may make it more difficult to earn a GED in New York. That’s the concern of Maria Burke, director of the Literacy Volunteers of Essex/Franklin Counties. The New York GED test program is scheduled to make some major changes in 2014. The test will become more intellectually challenging as it its aligned with increased high school graduation requirements, it will be administered online only, there will be fewer testing sites and students will have to pay $120 to take the exam.

North Country Community College President Carol Brown is retiring. Brown will step down at the end of the spring semester 2012. President Brown indicated it was not an easy decision but one that came from a desire to spend more time with her family. The college is sad to see her go and will now move forward in the search for a new president.

An official with a Vermont youth organization says a special event sponsored by MTV helped raise more than $3,000 to help fund programs for special athletes at Essex High School. A group of Essex students who have vowed to stay away from drugs and alcohol won the event held Saturday at the Champlain Valley fairgrounds by filming and producing a 7-minute video about what their ideal weekend would be. MTV is planning to air an episode on the event at the end of next month.

Senator Bernie Sanders is praising the Environmental Protection Agency for forcing coal and oil-fired power plants to reduce emissions. The independent lawmaker says Clean Air Act standards announced by the EPA will cut toxic air pollution, such as mercury and arsenic, from U.S. power plants.

Vermont Yankee says a small amount of radioactive tritium was found in a Connecticut River water sample, but follow-up samples showed no signs of it and the finding poses no risk to public health or safety. The nuclear plant says it learned Tuesday that a small amount of tritium was found in a sample taken near the plant on November 3rd. The amount was significantly below the federal drinking water limit, and samples taken November 7th and 10th showed no signs of tritium.

There could be a third candidate in the Burlington mayor's race. Wanda Hines says she is seriously considering becoming a candidate. Hines currently works for the city's Community and Economic Development Office. She also ran the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf for nearly a decade. Hines says she is leaning toward a run for mayor and will decide in January.

A Montpelier lawyer is in the race to be the city's next mayor. This week, John Hollar announced he was seeking the city's top post. Hollar is not a newcomer to public office. The dad of school-age children has nine years on Montpelier's school board under his belt. Hollar says his priorities including tackling the city's high property taxes and the need to improve the city's roads and infrastructure.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney began his three-day "Earn It" bus tour in New Hampshire yesterday, part of the final push before the New Hampshire primary. Governor Romney toured the Hypertherm factory in Hanover. The company has seen double-digit growth in 2011 earnings. Romney used the company's success as a vehicle for his own message that government, like business, should be forced to restructure.

Fort Ticonderoga will introduce a new series of Sunday afternoon programs running from January through April. Presented by Fort Ticonderoga staff, the programs cost $10 each and are free for members of the Friends of Fort Ticonderoga. You can learn more about these new programs by visiting the fort’s website at www.Fort-Ticonderoga.org and selecting the “Explore and Learn” button.

Dozens of Booth Brothers farmers are celebrating their efforts to raise thousands of dollars for fellow farmers hit hard by Tropical Storm Irene. The group of 32 farms decided to donate 10 cents of every gallon of milk sold in November to the recovery effort. Together they raised more than $15,000. Yesterday, the Booth Brothers team handed over the money that it collected to the Vermont Community Foundation. Farmers are able to apply to that organization to benefit from what was raised.

The National Weather Service says there's still hope for a white Christmas in northern New England, but it probably won't be a coastal storm forecast offshore on Christmas Day. Meteorologist Tom Hawley says he has his eye on a storm on Friday that could bring "several inches" of snow. He says there'll be rain in southern New England, but it'll be snow in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Patricia Richards of West Haven has been raising and training a rare breed of dogs called Chinooks for close to nine years. For the past eight years she has entered her 9 1/2-year-old Chinook, Doonerak, in many dog competitions in the region. This past weekend, Doonerak, nationally ranked number one in her breed by The American Kennel Club, became the first Chinook to qualify and complete at the annual American Kennel Club Agility Invitational in Orlando. The show will be broadcast nationally on ABC on February 4th.