WVTK Local & State News December 5, 2011

A student at Landmark College has pleaded not guilty to charges of setting off a homemade bomb on campus. According to court documents, Kevin Spitzner told police that he built the device using household cleaning products, and that he set it off to scare another student that he was fighting with. No one was injured by the device. The 23-year-old Shoreham man faces up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.

Area Police Departments are urging you to be aware of shoplifters and to protect yourself against theft this Holiday Season. Police recommend that you always lock car doors and place packages and valuable items in the trunk. If possible, leave handbags at home in favor of a wallet. Never leave a purse or other valuables unattended in a cart. Be aware of your surroundings and the people around you. Report suspicious activity to police or store personnel. When choosing a parking spot, favor well lit, heavily traveled sections of the parking lot and park close to the entrance if possible.

According to Vermont State Police no one was injured in a three-car, two-deer collision on Route 7 in New Haven on Friday night. A state trooper and a Vermont Fish and Wildlife game warden responded to the scene where drivers said two deer came bounding into traffic between vehicles. Although no one was injured, two of the three vehicles sustained damage when they collided with the deer before leaving the roadway.

A New York man was in a Vermont court Friday to face drug trafficking charges. Vermont State police stopped Saad Washington of Brooklyn, Thursday night on Route 4 in Fair Haven. Police say they found 220 bags of heroin, an ounce of cocaine and some marijuana in the car. Police say Washington was bringing the drugs from New York City into Rutland County, specifically the Brandon area. Washington faces charges of heroin trafficking and possession of crack cocaine and marijuana.

The Brandon House of Pizza reopened last Tuesday and according to the owner people have been coming into the pizza shop excited that they are open. On its fourth day open, there was still a long wait. She said they have received numerous phone calls congratulating them for reopening and have had people come to Brandon from as far as Rochester and Burlington for pizza. The Brandon House of Pizza closed its doors on August 28th after water from the Neshobe River flooded the shop during Tropical Storm Irene with several inches of water and lifted up the back of the building, causing permanent damage. The new shop is located next to Aubuchon Hardware on Route 7.

The town of Moriah is borrowing $500,000 to help cover expenses from major storms that hit the community this year. According to the Town Supervisor the loan will not affect local taxpayers. Moriah officials are confident the storm damage will ultimately be paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but that money has not yet arrived and a new budget year starts in a few weeks.

A big crowd is expected for tonight's public hearing on the tentative 2012 Essex County budget. The hearing at 6:30PM in the Old County Courthouse will let the County Board of Supervisors know whether most people would prefer a significant tax hike over deep cuts to county programs and personnel. County Manager Daniel Palmer said the County Board of Supervisors is planning to pass a budget with a 4.5 percent increase in the amount to be raised by taxes.

Twenty North Country fire districts failed to file the required tax-cap data with the State Comptroller's Office in November. More than 56 percent of the state's 882 fire districts recently approved budgets without filing the required tax-cap data, which was due November 4th. Locally in Essex County, the districts that did not file the data on time include Essex No. 1 and No. 2, Keene, Mineville-Witherbee, Schroon Lake, Ticonderoga and Willsboro.

Rutland physician Dr. Seth Coombs is 1 of the first doctors in Vermont to adopt a new style of medical practice that is expanding across the country. Coombs has switched to a practice known as boutique doctors, or personalized medicine. His patients have to pay him a retainer and they are still billed for their appointments and procedures. In return, the patients’ get his cell phone number and email address and they're guaranteed appointments the same or the next day. Coombs says he's also providing better care than traditional practices. But thousands of people in the Rutland area have had to find new doctors and some of Coombs' former patients are ending up in the emergency room when their conditions couldn't wait for an appointment with a new physician.

Authorities across New England continue to hunt for a prison escapee. Police say David Hobson should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. The Alfred Maine man escaped from a county jail in Ossipee New Hampshire on Thursday. Police say Hobson escaped from prison with the purpose of harming two individuals however no further details have been released. His father, Glenn Hobson, was arrested Friday for allegedly leaving a stash of supplies for his son.

Vermont Democrats held their annual caucus to plan for the upcoming legislative session, and discussion turned to Tropical Storm Irene. House Speaker Shap Smith told his Democratic colleagues Saturday that Irene was a defining moment in Vermont history. Smith said it served as a reminder that government serves a purpose, especially in an era when much of the conversation is about what is wrong with government. Lawmakers return in January.

Period music, holiday decorations and horse-drawn sleigh rides will be among the draws for next weekend's holiday open house at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth Notch. Many of the site's buildings will be open free of charge next Sunday, with the Coolidge birthplace decorated as it would have been in 1872, the year Coolidge was born.

Governor Peter Shumlin plans today to wade into the battle between Chick-fil-A and folk artist Bo Muller-Moore. Muller-Moore has been at odds with the fast-food chain, which says his "Eat More Kale" t-shirts interfere with the chain's trademarked "Eat Mor Chikin" sales pitch.

For 54 years, Santa's Land on Route 5 in Putney has been a holiday tradition for many, many families but not for much longer. In two weeks, the attraction resembling Santa's home at the North Pole is closing down. Owner Tim Wells says the cost of running it has gone up while the incoming revenue has gone down. The high cost of gas has also hurt much of the park's out-of-state business. It's now up for sale, and the Wells family hopes the next owners can re-open in time for the holidays next year.

A long-time Vermont journalist and government communications official has joined the staff of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy. Diane Derby will work out of Leahy's Montpelier office. Derby worked as communication director for retired U.S. Senator James Jeffords and as a reporter for the Vermont Press Bureau and the Burlington Free Press.

Since the wind turbine project began on Lowell Mountain in September, dozens of people have been camping nearby on Don Nelson's property. Sunday they opened up their camp to anyone else who wanted to see what the project looked like. At the protesters camp organizers took questions and explained what they were doing, as well as what was happening on the mountain. Green Mountain Power is putting in 21 windmills that will ultimately pay out big bucks to nearby towns.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's jobs plan proposes to expand gaming, which could mean a Catskills casino, a new infrastructure repair fund, more tax credits for job growth and a job-training program. The extensive proposal released yesterday is Cuomo's response to an unexpected $350 million deficit this year and a projected $3.5 billion deficit in the 2010-13 fiscal year. Cuomo doesn't mention raising taxes, or adjusting the tax code to increase taxes for wealthier New Yorkers.

Hundreds of people turned out for an open house and tour of the new barn at Pete's Greens, a four-season organic farm in Craftsbury. Pete Johnson's new, modern barn, which looks like a warehouse, replaces the farm's traditional barn, which burned down in January. The open house Saturday was to thank people who helped Pete's Greens rebuild and keep operating.

When you plan your next trip, you might want to think about something else besides the quickest way to get to your destination. A Shelburne company has created a new web app that promises to find you the best route for the environment and possibly your wallet. And it's been honored with a big national award. The web app Hootroot allows people to plan trips with CO2 in mind. The EPA has taken note of the Hootroot app, recognizing Brighter Planet with an award in the Best App for the Environment challenge.

It’s that time of year again! You can cut your own Christmas tree in the Green Mountain National Forest for the $5 cost of a permit and the energy to go cut it. The permit must be bought at a Forest Service district office; it has to be attached to the tree before it’s removed; and the permit holder is responsible for knowing the tree comes from Forest Service land. Local Forest Service offices are located here in Middlebury on Route 7 South, Rutland on North Main Street and in Rochester on Ranger Road.

There's new life for a shuttered ski resort in southern Vermont. A Connecticut businessman has purchased Dover's Haystack Ski area and plans on turning the complex into an exclusive, members-only resort. The ski area has been closed for the past six years. The new owner plans to open the ski area on weekends starting some time later this month.