WVTK Local & State News December 23, 2011

The Vermont Economic Progress Council on Wednesday approved $8.3 million in incentives to create as many as 988 jobs. Incentives were approved for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Ellison Surface Technologies, eCorp English here in Middlebury and seven other companies. eCorp English was approved for job growth incentives of $464,731. The projects approved under the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive program will create 988 new jobs, $40 million in new payroll and $302 million in capital investments.

The UD-3 school board is considering cuts to driver’s education, dance, art and foreign languages in order to limit the increase in the 2012-2013 spending plan to around 3 percent. School directors earlier this month reviewed a 2012-2013 budget draft that reflected a 4.1-percent increase in spending. Board members agreed that they could not ask Addison Central Supervisory Union taxpayers to absorb a 4.1-percent budget hike next year. They asked UD-3 administrators to go back and look for some additional savings. The UD-3 board will try to finalize a 2012-2013 budget at its January 10th meeting.

In an effort to work toward level-funding for the 2012-2013 school budget, the Mount Abraham Union High School Principal presented the school board with an even slimmer spending plan that would decrease spending by 1.9 percent from this year’s $11,309,068 budget.

In Weybridge this March voters will be asked to approve a 2012-2013 elementary school spending plan of $970,277, representing a 14.55-percent decrease to reflect an ongoing trend of declining enrollment. This is the third year in a row that Weybridge school directors are pitching a reduced budget. Local voters last year OK’d a spending plan that amounted to a 6.4-percent decrease compared to the previous year.

Christmas came early for two schools in Pittsford and Clarendon. In its latest grant cycle, the James T. Bowse Community Health Trust awarded $198,248 to support healthy living programs in Rutland County, including $25,970 to the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains and $10,000 to a regional work force investment board. But the lion’s share of grants will go to support programs at Lothrop Elementary School and Mill River Union High School for the next three years. At Lothrop the grant funding will be used to integrate gardening, cooking, nutritional lessons, composting and physical activity into a program called “Get Rid of Waste” or GROW.

Just in time for Christmas, more Vermont farms are getting help to recover from flood damage. Farms all over the state sustained heavy losses during Tropical Storm Irene. Flood water wiped out crops, killed livestock and damage buildings and equipment. The Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund was set up to funnel donations to farmers in need. Thursday, the fund announced its fourth round of grants totaling $897,000 and helping 126 farmers. All totaled, the fund has now paid out in excess of $1.5 million to 171 farms.

Staff from The Hub teen center updated the Bristol select-board this week on its data-recording project, increased enrollment and recent activity. Hub Director Jim Lockridge and Bristol Recreation Director Darla Senecal also made the case for extending Hub assistant Ryan Krushenick’s hours. With a background in music he offers free music lessons at The Hub, helps oversee Hub activities and organizes events.

Jay Town Supervisor Randy Douglas said Wednesday he’s seeking an unprecedented third term as chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors. The chairman traditionally serves a two-year term, and this would make Douglas the first chair in decades to go three years. The chair is elected at the county organizational meeting in January, scheduled for 10AM Tuesday, January 3rd.

Ticonderoga High School athletes enjoyed a successful fall season on the field and in the classroom. For the first time in school history, the Sentinel soccer, football and boys cross country teams have earned state scholar-athlete awards in the same season. The girls cross country team had an overall average high enough to gain the honor, but not enough runners. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association gives scholar-athletes awards to teams statewide whose members manage a 90 or better academic average during the season.

A South Burlington man is recovering from being hit by a car while crossing the street. Police say Mark Dobson was crossing the street near the Barnes and Noble in South Burlington Thursday afternoon when he was struck by a car being driven by Virginia Borrok of Shelburne. Police say she had a green light and Dobson did not have a walk signal when he crossed directly into the path of the car. He was carried for a short distance on the hood of the car and later taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. Police are seeking any witnesses to the crash.

States are getting an additional $845 million in federal home heating aid as winter begins. The government said yesterday it was releasing the money to help poor families and seniors stay warm. The latest funding comes in addition to the $1.7 billion that states have already received this winter for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which New England states rely on. The program will get $3.5 billion this year, a reduction of about 25% from last winter.

Emails from some top officials in the Douglas Administration were apparently deleted shortly after his administration left office. The practice came to light after the state employees union sought internal emails from officials in the Agency of Natural Resources. The state employees union says it wants to work with the Shumlin Administration to prevent records from being purged in the future.

People in Townshend are raising concerns about a suboxone clinic slated to open in their community. They worry it will attract drug addicts and invite crime to the town situated on the Upper West River. Suboxone is a prescription medication designed to ease withdrawal from opiates like heroin, OxyContin and Percocet. It is prescribed for take-home use unlike methadone, which, under federal law, can only be administered under strict controls. The Select Board held a hearing earlier this week to extinguish rumors and calm any fears.

The 112th Christmas Bird Count kicked off on December 14th and will run through January 5th. The oldest citizen science project in North America involves thousands of volunteers who count birds to help scientists learn more about bird trends, landscape changes and climate change. There's still time to join a count circle near you or become a feeder watcher! Visit the National Audubon website at www.audubon.org.

Kids at the Vermont Children's Hospital in Burlington got new toys and a visit from Santa yesterday. Vermont State Police, the City of Burlington Fire Department and Morrisville Police joined up to form "Operation Fire Cuff". The three agencies collected enough toys to fill three trucks to give to children. They also accepted monetary donations to buy additional toys. About 200 kids were able to get a toy from Santa. Plus, State Troopers handed out candy. During the visit, children had an opportunity to meet Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

While the snow has been slow to fly in most parts of New York State, snowmobile season is right around the bend. The New York State Snowmobile Association (NYSSA) is reminding snowmobilers’ throughout the state that local trails are not open until the local club has inspected and cleared trails for the 2012 season. Snowmobilers are encouraged to visit www.nysnowmobiler.com for information on local clubs as well as the latest news on snowmobiling in New York State.

Christmas is still two days away, but Rutland’s Secret Santa s has finished his rounds for the year. Since 2007, the anonymous Santa has handed out good tidings in the form of cash to people he meets on the city’s streets. Seemingly driven by the need to share his holiday cheer, the Secret Santa has said in the past that he’s a native Vermonter and by no means rich except when it comes to Christmas spirit. And this year in particular saw a need for elevating spirit.

According to a survey of some of the top radio stations in the country, here are this year's Most Popular Christmas Songs: Happy X-Mas (War Is Over) by John Lennon, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives, All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole and Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano! You can join WVTK beginning at Noon tomorrow for 36 hours of Christmas Tunes and Special Features! Beginning at Noon Christmas Day it’s another edition of “An American Christmas” hosted by Mannheim Steamrollers front-man Chip Davis! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Vermont winter resorts are stepping up their snowmaking. With a lack of natural snow, officials say they're happy about recent investments in new snowmaking equipment. Resorts are hoping a storm moving across the country's midsection brings snow by the holiday weekend.

Frankincense is a well-known element of the Christmas story and scientists are raising an alarm about future production. The trees that produce the fragrant resin used in incense and perfumes are in a decline so steep that they could be only half as many over the next 15 years. The study published in the "British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology" quoted ecologists from the Netherlands and Ethiopia that looked at large-scale field studies.