WVTK Local & State News December 6, 2011

A Middlebury College political science professor will resign December 31st following her July plea of no contest to the charges of embezzlement. Kateri Carmola informed coworkers and students of her decision to step down at the end of this year via an e-mail message that was distributed on campus.

Vermont State Police are looking for two people discovered in other people’s homes. The first incident took place shortly after 9AM yesterday on Creek Road in Clarendon. Police said Christina Wortman returned home from taking her child to school and found a man standing him her living room. A similar incident took place a short time later on Geer Road in Wells. Police said they got a call shortly before 11 a.m. about an “unknown person” entering the house. Anyone with information on either incident is asked to call police. The suspect in the Creek Road incident is described as a black male, about 20 years old, clean-shaven and wearing a brown jacket, light blue hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and red sneakers.

If you felt last month was unseasonably warm here in Addison County it was truly record breaking. According to data documented by National Weather Service observers South Lincoln had its warmest November on record, with a monthly average of 40.8 degrees. The second warmest November in South Lincoln weather history was in 2006 at 40.3 degrees. Salisbury tied its November 2006 monthly temperature average record of 43.6 degrees and Cornwall posted its seventh warmest November in history at 42.3 degrees. The warmest was in 1948 at 45.7 degrees. While temperatures were up in November, precipitation was down in Addison County.

According to the 2010 census, Monkton is one of Addison County’s fastest growing towns, expanding at a rate of 12.6 percent in the last decade and they have exceeded the capacity of their town hall. Town officials are hoping to move Monkton’s 152-year-old town hall from its current spot on Monkton Ridge up the street to town-owned land next to Monkton Friends Church overlooking Monkton Pond. The cost of this new town building is estimated at $1.5 million and if approved in a vote likely to take place next year, this would add 8-10 cents to property taxes to cover a 20-year bond with no outside financial assistance.

Child Care advocates are concerned about service cuts. More than 20 representatives of Addison County’s child care community gathered in Middlebury last week and vowed to push for more state support for services they said are being stressed by the struggling economy and drug abuse within young families.

A local resident has been named to the national organic advisory board. Rural development and environmental policy expert Jean Richardson of North Ferrisburgh has been named to the advisory board that helps set national standards for organic agriculture and products.

The Cornwall select-board is seeking public input by circulating a community-wide survey in hopes of settling the future of the town-owned Lavalley Store building at next March’s town meeting. The Lavalley building is a circa-1880s structure located next to the Cornwall Town Hall. It was used for decades as a store and as a residence before being vacated and donated to the town by the Lavalley family in 2001.

How to mitigate flooding from events like the record spring levels of Lake Champlain and Tropical Storm Irene remains an enigma. But the Lake Champlain Citizens Advisory Committee of New York State and others hope to find a solution. The Advisory Committee, comprised of a cross-section of agency representatives and individuals, provides information and works with other groups and governmental entities.

Ken Tucker believes beer could be an economic force in the Adirondacks. The Ticonderoga man has embarked on a project to attract small breweries throughout the region. He believes the effort will result in $3 billion in revenue a year and 5,000 jobs in 15 years. The key is the 10 trillion gallons of fresh water that flows from the Adirondacks each year. Water is the key ingredient in beer making this area a prime location for breweries. Tucker lived for 12 years in Oregon where small breweries thrive. Craft brewing is responsible for $3 billion in revenue each year and 5,000 jobs in Oregon and he believes the industry can do the same thing in the Adirondack Park.

The state has released new estimates on the cost of damages from Tropical Storm Irene and how much of it will have to be paid for by Vermont taxpayers. Officials now believe the floodwaters from Irene caused up to 572-million dollars in damage to state and local roads, bridges and other infrastructure. And if all federal funding comes through that the state could qualify for, state and local governments would have to cover about 98-million dollars. The Vermont share is greatly reduced thanks to legislation pushed thru recently by Vermont's congressional delegation that waives federal funding limits.

It's now illegal to toss rechargeable batteries in the trash in New York State. Under a law signed into law by the governor in December 2010, consumers now have to take their worn-out rechargeable batteries to be recycled. And stores that sell them have to accept rechargeables for recycling. Retailers had to start accepting batteries for recycling back in June, but the consumer ban on disposal has just now taken effect. The law covers batteries for laptops, cameras, cell phones, and rechargeable alkaline batteries. People caught tossing rechargeables in the garbage face fines of $50 for the first offense and $100 for the second.

A convicted kidnapper suspected of assaulting a woman in Vermont has been arrested in New Hampshire after a 5-day search. Vermont State Police say 42-year-old Harley Breer of Calais was found at the home of an acquaintance in Tilton, NH. Police say he was arrested on Monday without incident. Police had issued an arrest warrant for Breer on Wednesday for violating the conditions of his parole after his 2009 release from prison for kidnapping his estranged girlfriend's mother in 1999.

The struggling U.S. Postal Service says it's moving forward with plans to close more than 250 mail processing centers around the country, including two slated for Vermont. The $3 billion in cuts announced Monday would slow first-class mail service, ending next-day deliveries of stamped letters. The list released earlier this year of processing centers to be closed includes facilities in the village of Essex Junction and in White River Junction. The Postal Service says the cuts are in response to a steady drop in the amount of mail it handles.

The faculty union at the University of Vermont has ratified a new contract. United Academics and UVM reached a tentative agreement on November 14th after ten months of negotiations and mediation sessions. The faculty ratified the contract on Monday. The union says the new 3-year contract includes modest salary increases and improvement in workload conditions while retaining existing health benefits and premium rates for active faculty.

A supporter of the protesters seeking to derail a wind power project under construction on a Vermont ridgeline says seven people were arrested while blocking a road up Lowell Mountain. Steve Wright of Craftsbury says the protesters were arrested yesterday morning after they blocked construction vehicles in an area where they believe land ownership is in dispute.

The Atlanta-based chicken restaurant chain Chick-fil-A says it's going to fight to protect its trademarked slogan "eat mor chikin" from what it sees as encroachment by a Vermont folk artist who uses the term "eat more kale" on T-shirts. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin says the state will help Montpelier artist Bo Muller-Moore raise money for his legal costs in a trade mark fight with Chick-fil-A, the nation's second largest chicken restaurant chain.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters expects to be named in a lawsuit that claims the company defrauded investors. A Green Mountain Coffee spokesperson says the Louisiana Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System is filing suit against the company, claiming it falsified statements to make it look like it was performing better than it was. The Company has reviewed the complaint and believes the claims are without merit and will defend themselves.

A Vermont woman is accused of telling police she escaped from a potential kidnapper while on a break from her job at a Colchester convenience store. Colchester police say Kendra Brown of Fairfax is charged with filing a false kidnapping report.

The Ticonderoga Historical Society will host its annual Festival of Trees this December at the Hancock House. This marks the 21st year for the holiday tradition, which features a festive display of trees decorated by local businesses, organizations, families and individuals. A highlight of the month long event is the Hancock House open house this Sunday from 1 to 3PM. The open house gives visitors a chance to see the trees and exchange holiday greetings.

The new Middlebury African Music and Dance Ensemble will present its debut concert "Beyond Drumming" this evening at 8 in the Mahaney Center for the Arts Concert Hall. The ensemble will highlight the music and culture of Uganda in an hour-long program of instrumental, song and dance performance.

Stafford Technical Center in Rutland is hosting a "Building Renovations Community Open House" from 4:30 to 8PM today. There will be guided tours, demonstrations by programs, fun activities, live music by the Stafford All Stars, refreshments and door prize giveaways.