WVTK Local & State News January 20, 2012

A federal judge in Vermont has ruled that the state's only nuclear plant can remain open beyond its originally scheduled shutdown date this year, despite efforts by state government to close the 40-year-old reactor. The ruling Thursday is a win for New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., which had argued during a 3-day trial in September that Vermont's efforts to close the Vermont Yankee plant were pre-empted by federal law. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted Vermont Yankee a 20-year license extension in March. But state law required Vermont lawmakers to support keeping the plant open as well. A bill to grant legislative approval died in the state Senate in 2010, and the House has never acted. The state is expected to appeal.

This week the Mount Abraham Union Middle and High School board approved a proposed budget that would level-fund education spending for next fiscal year. Under the proposal, overall expenses would increase 0.7 percent but education spending would remain the same as this year. Additionally the “per pupil” spending rate would increase 4.1 percent next year. As far as the property tax rate, Addison Northeast Supervisory Union officials estimate that if voters approve the spending plan on Town Meeting Day then tax rates in Bristol, Monkton and New Haven would rise, while rates should drop in Lincoln and Starksboro.

The Vergennes Union Elementary School board will put before voters on Town Meeting Day a $3.91 million budget proposal for 2012-13 that would increase current spending by $20,500, or 0.5 percent. Addison Northwest Supervisory Union officials are cautiously optimistic that spending proposal, combined with the recently proposed $8.97 million Vergennes Union High School spending plan, would lead to little or no school tax hikes in the three towns served by the school.

Ripton is looking at two votes for a school plan. Ripton Elementary School directors are crafting a 2012-2013 spending plan that would require two public votes at town meeting in order to maintain current services, preserve a new after-school program and establish a Spanish language offering.

The Better Middlebury Partnership wants to hear local business owners’ views on the challenges and advantages of operating here in town, so that future changes can be made to improve local commerce. BMP is circulating its second survey of the winter, this one featuring 32 questions polling Middlebury business owners on their impressions of municipal services, help they might need to become more prosperous, and what local events seem to best stimulate customer traffic.

This week the Bristol select-board continued ironing out a proposed town spending plan for the next fiscal year, addressing budgets for the recreation department, the Lawrence Memorial Library and the town’s waste disposal programs. According to Town Administrator Bill Bryant the recreation department spending plan for next fiscal year, which has not yet been finalized, is likely to see a noticeable hike.

Vergennes aldermen adopted two articles for voter consideration on Town Meeting Day. The first one would devote $37,000 to improvements to the city’s recreation area and the second would end the practice of mailing annual reports to every Vergennes household. Aldermen also discussed adopting a conflict of interest policy, possibly at their next meeting, set for January 31st, and broadened their search for a new police station site.

The Bridport Grange and the Addison County Farm Bureau will launch the first in its annual legislative breakfast series on Monday morning, February 6th beginning at 7 in the Bridport Grange Hall. The legislative breakfast series offers Addison County residents a weekly opportunity to personally meet with their state representatives and senators on legislation being debated in Montpelier. As has been the custom, the breakfasts will rotate between various public venues throughout the county.

A person passed away in Rutland and was found early yesterday evening in a building in the abandoned Mintzer Brothers warehouse complex on West St. Police are saying the discovery is not suspicious and foul play isn’t involved. The man is approximately 50 years old.

The United Way of Rutland County announced its 2011 fundraising total yesterday and it’s a number that surpassed the campaign’s goal of $565,000. The group raised $568,640 during a four-month period that began the campaign only several days after Tropical Storm Irene hit the community. The organization, now in its 69th year of service, grants money to groups that assist area residents in everything from mental health services to low-income housing to medical services and food.

The Rutland Board of Aldermen voted unanimously yesterday to endorse the proposed merger of the state’s two largest utilities. The blessing was contingent on a number of conditions that were agreed to by Central Vermont Public Service Corp. and Green Mountain Power being included in the Public Service Board’s order approving the merger. Spokesman Steve Costello said CVPS has cooperated with the city on efforts ranging from storm restoration to economic development and hopes to maintain the same sort of relationship post-merger.

Essex County’s discount-prescription program for uninsured consumers has some independent pharmacies concerned, while others are taking advantage of it. The County Board of Supervisors contracted with ProAct last year to offer the service for county residents. Now, some independent pharmacies have complained about using ProAct because it’s owned by Kinney Drugs. But other independent drug stores are using the program.

The Vermont House has voted to advance a bill that would authorize four state agencies to make a total of 49 new hires. The budget adjustment bill, which is up for final House approval today before moving to the Senate, would have the Agency of Transportation make 21 temporary hires through the middle of 2014 to help towns rebuild from Tropical Storm Irene.

The public will get a chance to offer recommendations on how Vermont's mental health system should be structured. Vermont lawmakers are holding a public hearing next week on a draft mental health care bill. Gov. Peter Shumlin has proposed a new secure, acute-care facility in Berlin, expanded psychiatric facilities in Brattleboro and Rutland and additional community placements for those deemed eligible for them. The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday from 4:30PM to 6:30PM in room 11 of the Statehouse.

Police at the University of Vermont have released the identity of a man found dead on campus. They say he is 57-year-old Thomas Keenan of Shelburne. A preliminary investigation found the probable cause of Keenan's death was exposure to the cold. A person walking a dog found Keenan in UVM’s Centennial Woods Wednesday.

Vermont is getting a failing grade for the amount of money it spends to prevent smoking. The American Lung Association's latest report card says the state falls short in its investments in tobacco prevention and control. The association said Wednesday that this year the state cut over a million dollars from tobacco prevention and control efforts, allocating $3.4 million. Vermont also got a "D'' for helping smokers quit. But the state got an "A'' for its smoking restrictions that protect people from secondhand smoke. Only four states, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine and Oklahoma, received all passing grades.

The administration of Governor Peter Shumlin is defending its decision to put off deciding how to pay for its planned single-payer health care system until next year. Robin Lunge, director of health care reform for the administration, says she and other officials must decide first what benefits will be included both under the health care exchange and under the Green Mountain Care system Vermont plans to set up by 2017.

The Vermont Attorney General's office says a propane company has agreed to pay $140,000 in civil penalties to the state and $100,000 to an energy assistance program in the wake of complaints by consumers about usage fees. The attorney general's office says Inergy Propane, doing business as Pyrofax Energy, assessed customers "minimum usage fees" in the fall of 2010 and delayed refunds following termination or disconnection of services.

Vermont Law School has received a $1.25 million grant for its new center on agricultural law and policy. The anonymous grant, which will be distributed over four years, will allow the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems to hire a director with national experience and to expand its agricultural law and policy curriculum and training, research and support programs.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order Wednesday to limit administrative costs and executive pay at state-funded service providers, many of them devoted to social services, including a $199,000 salary cap for executives. The order noted that the government funds many tax-exempt organizations and for-profits that provide critical services to New Yorkers in need, but it has an obligation to use taxpayer money effectively.

While New York devotes much of its effort and billions of dollars in tax breaks to attract global corporations, an influential bloc of state senators is targeting small business. The Independent Democratic Conference is proposing bills to help small business cut health insurance costs that can be 50 percent higher than in other states, reduce state regulatory paperwork and fees, and make more credit available for growth.

The Ticonderoga Historical Society has received some help. The group recently was awarded $1,000 from the Wal-Mart Foundation to assist in its youth education programs. Jan Trombley, manager of the Ticonderoga Wal-Mart, presented the grant to the Ticonderoga Historical Society. The society is most appreciative of this grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation and looks forward to using it to make the community and even better place to live, especially children.

Just before the second anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, three local moms have delivered more than 700 pairs of shoes collected in Addison County to needy children in the Caribbean island. Andrea Ward, Maria Graham and Kelly Hickey made the trip January 4th – 8th. Kelly created the shoe drive in October 2010. That fall she collected some 660 shoes from local drop-off sites, which were sent to Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based charity that collects new and gently used shoes, redistributing them to those in need around the world. She attributed the second year increase in collections to community-wide support.

Elvis is coming to Port Henry. Drew Polsun, an Elvis Presley tribute artist, and his band The Fascinations will perform at the Port Henry Knights of Columbus Saturday, February 11th as part of a dinner-show-dance. It’s a fundraiser to support the Knights of Columbus and their charitable efforts. The dinner will be an Italian buffet served at 6PM The Elvis performance will follow. Tickets are priced at $20 a person and must be purchased by February 6th. (They are available by calling Chuck Kolodzey at 546-8290, Nappy Marcotte at 546-7501 or Tim Kolodzey at 546-7125)