WVTK Local & State News January 16, 2012

On the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., Vermonters in different parts of the state are pausing to reflect on the work of the civil rights leader. Norwich University plans a week's worth of discussions, reflections and service. Here in Middlebury there will be a celebration concert at Middlebury College in Mead Chapel this evening from 8 – 9:30. For more information on this free event just visit www.middlebury.edu/arts.

The Town of Middlebury will hold a special Select Board Meeting tomorrow at 7:00PM in the Town Offices Conference Room. Items to be covered during the meeting include an Annual Report on the Marketing Position from the Better Middlebury Partnership, a Public Hearing & Informational Meeting on the Preliminary Proposed Town General Fund Budget for FY13 and an Executive Session if needed. More information and the complete agenda is available on the town’s website.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency could be buying 56 homes in Essex County that were flooded during 2011. The County Community Development Director said February 29th is the deadline and that Essex County serves as the municipal applicant. The total number of homes in the buyout is still uncertain but 56 property owners have shown interest so far. How much they'll be paid and how it will be determined will have to worked out with FEMA.

Middlebury now has a Center for Social Entrepreneurship. The center, located at the Marble Works and will support and give young social entrepreneurs the tools and strategies they need to take on some of the toughest social global challenges. The Middlebury College President said whether addressing global health challenges or designing and building a solar-powered house, students are eager to find ways to apply what they learn in the classroom to pressing social problems around the world. For more information on the Center for Social Entrepreneurship or the upcoming symposium, visit www.middlebury.edu/studentlife/innovation/cse.

Fire destroyed a glass blowing studio in Charlotte on Friday morning. The blaze broke out at a garage on Ferry Road. Firefighters say a power outage likely caused the glass blowing fans to shut down while the artist and his assistant were at lunch. Fire in the kiln then billowed up and engulfed the garage. Crews extinguished the blaze before flames could spread to the flammable tools inside or the propane tank outside.

The Middlebury Summer Festival On-The-Green celebrates its 34th anniversary season during the week of July 8-14. The festival hosted entirely by volunteers is one of the many summer arts events in Addison County. The annual meeting will be at 6:30PM this Wednesday at Middlebury Union Middle School.

The Moriah Central School Board will meet at 6PM tomorrow in the High School library. Topics of interest include a first reading on several policy changes and personnel discussions. The meeting is open to all.

Everyone is looking for ways to save money in today’s economy. The National Bank of Middlebury is offering a cost-saving opportunity for members of its New Horizons Club for those aged 50 and over. The new feature is called “Ticket to Ride” and can be redeemed for Club Bucks that can be used like cash for any NHC activity. NHC members may obtain a pin by visiting any National Bank of Middlebury office.

Rutland police are looking for a thief. Someone broke into the Trace of Lace wedding shop at around two Saturday morning and stole an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise from the store. The male suspect was wearing a New York Yankees hat, a winter jacket, and converse sneakers. Call police if you have any information.

The Rutland County Sheriff’s Department is seeking a permanent home and some significant rent increases at the department’s home above the Rutland Police Department could end that search sooner than later. Beginning this year and continuing until 2014, the rent charged by the city will increase 6.25 percent annually. To find a permanent home, the department needs to find a building both centrally located within the county and one that’s suitable for police activities.

A teenager is dead after being struck by a train in Windham County. It happened shortly after 5PM near the town hall in Vernon. An Amtrak train headed from Washington D.C. To St. Albans struck a 15 year old who was on the tracks. The victim's name has not been released. Why the teen was on the tracks remains under investigation. None of the 141 people on board the train were hurt.

U.S. Senators from Vermont and New York say funding for flood gauges in the Lake Champlain basin has been secured. Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Charles Schumer of New York say the funding will prevent the imminent shutdown of river and lake gauges in the basin. The 18 U.S. Geological Survey gauges, nine in each state, proved their worth last year forecasting spring floods and Tropical Storm Irene. Before Irene hit, they enabled first responders, local and state officials, farmers and businesses to plan ahead of the rising floodwaters and act.

Vermont's 18 ski areas are teaming up to send a message to skiers and riders this week: Wear a helmet. This is National Ski Safety Awareness Week. Several ski areas are offering incentives to those who choose to purchase a helmet this week. AT Killington and Pico, skiers and riders will get a free lift ticket. Other resorts are offering discounted passes. While all Vermont resorts encourage skiers to wear helmets, they are NOT required at any of the state's ski areas.

Republicans in the Vermont Legislature say they're growing concerned about a loss of the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches since Democrat Peter Shumlin's election as governor. Big Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate, and Shumlin's close relations with lawmakers from his days as Senate leader, are seen as combining to form a powerful engine behind the Democratic agenda. Democratic House Speaker Shap Smith says there's enough internal disagreement within both parties to get issues aired fully.

The American Red Cross wants to help Vermonters learn how to be ready to volunteer to help their community in disasters. On Friday, the Red Cross will present at its Burlington office "Disaster Services: An Overview." Participants will also learn more about the scope of disaster services at their local Red Cross.

The state of Vermont's general fund revenues came in more than 9 percent short of their target for December, a setback after four consecutive months of exceeding their targets. Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding says corporate income tax receipts had been running above expectations and fell below them in December, which he says was not unexpected. Consumption taxes on sales and use and rooms and meals both came in just about on target for December, and the same was true of the state revenues that support the transportation fund.

Vermont can expect continued modest economic growth in 2012. That was the message Friday at the annual Vermont Economic Outlook Conference in South Burlington. According to Richard Heaps of the Vermont Economy Newsletter, which organized the conference, the professional and business services field will lead job growth. Heaps says these are generally good paying jobs. He says even as unemployment goes down, the lack of job growth in Vermont contributes to the problem of young people leaving the state to work elsewhere.

A nuclear watchdog group is reacting to a suit by Vermont utilities over failures of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's cooling towers by saying they warned of just such problems. The New England Coalition's comments followed the announcement this past week that Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power were suing Vermont Yankee and its owner over the cooling tower collapses in 2007 and 2008. The New England Coalition says its expert witnesses warned of potential problems with the cooling towers, especially if Vermont Yankee was permitted to boost its power output, which it was allowed to do.

The University of Vermont has announced five finalists in its search for a new president. Four of the five are top administrators at public universities. The fifth candidate is the senior vice president for Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute. Each candidate will be interviewed by faculty and administrative leaders and appear at a public forum, which will be recorded and made available on UVM's website. All the visits will take place during the last two weeks of January. Officials hope the next president will start in July.

It's okay to light up again on Church Street in downtown Burlington. Mayor Bob Kiss vetoed Friday the new ordinance passed last week by City Council banning smoking in some areas of downtown. The mayor says it opens the door to difficult and selective enforcement. It had barely passed as it was, with the City Council approving it by a vote of eight to six. Councilors could override the veto, but it will take ten of the 14 members to be in agreement on that.

FairPoint Communications is continuing its effort to bring broadband Internet service to rural parts of Vermont, with the town of Peru in northeast Bennington County now added to the list. FairPoint says it has expanded broadband access to more than 225 homes and businesses in the rural town.

Northern New England was in the grip of icy temperatures over the weekend. But if you think it's cold here in the flatlands, try 15 below, and 50-below with the wind, atop New Hampshire's Mount Washington. The Mount Washington Observatory reported it felt like 53.3 degrees below zero with the 54 mph wind gusting on top of the 6,288-foot mountain, New England's highest yesterday. In Vermont, early morning lows Sunday were minus-12 in Morrisville and minus 8 in St. Johnsbury.

Lake George Village Mayor Robert Blais announced to village trustees that he is planning a village-wide celebration of Christmas over Mothers Day weekend. The event, titled May You Have a Very Merry Christmas, is to feature Christmas decorations in stores around town, a concert of Christmas music in Sheppard Park by the Lake George Community Band, and holiday dinners in hotels and restaurants. These venues are to be adorned with Christmas trees and holiday decorations for the event. The Mayor said his visit to another municipality where such an event was successful sparked his interest in holding a similar celebration in Lake George.