WVTK Local & State News January 4, 2012

The Town of Middlebury will begin the Painter Hills water line and road improvement project this summer. The cost of the project is estimated at $22,076. According to the project plan the Painter Hills water main and related hydro valves and fire hydrants will be replaced. In addition to the water system, neglected culverts will be replaced and in some cases cleaned. The project will also include a Juniper Lane cul-de-sac, and better grading at the Grey Ledge and Painter Hills Road area.

Officials say one firefighter was struck as an arson suspect drove his car through fire lines while Mountain Lake Services' Port Henry offices burned. The former worker at the organization for the developmentally disabled, Joseph P. King of Port Henry, was arrested by State Police on multiple counts, with charges of arson of a structure and a motor vehicle pending. Officials said King had driven through the fire scene at about midnight Sunday, running over hoses and ladders.

Police have identified the pedestrian killed by a car while crossing a street in Rutland as a 54-year-old Connecticut woman. Nancee L. Gell, of Norwalk was visiting Rutland and trying to cross South Main Street at about 8PM Sunday when she was hit by a car driven by a 16-year-old juvenile. Police say alcohol was not a factor in the crash and it does not appear that the driver was speeding. Rain may have affected visibility. The victim was wearing dark clothing.

The Westport Town Council organizational meeting will be held at 3:30 Thursday afternoon at the Town Hall. This is a special meeting. The next regular Town Council meeting will be at 7PM Tuesday, January 10th. All meetings are open to the public.

The Brandon Town Players will hold auditions for “Moon Over Buffalo” at 7PM February 2nd – 4th at First Congregational Church of Brandon. An additional will be held at 4PM February 5th in the event of a winter storm. The cast consists of four men and four women ranging in age from 20s and up. For more information, contact director Tim Rice at 558-5653.

The Middlebury men's hockey team will offer its annual "Skate With The Panthers" following the 4:00PM Trinity game this Saturday. Friends of Panther Hockey will provide photos to be signed by the players, with the Kenyon Arena ice open for skating alongside the Panthers. The Panthers will also have a "white-out" game on Friday, January 13th against Plattsburgh at 7:00PM. All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear white to the game.

Vermont State Police completed a Burglary investigation concerning a recreational vehicle that had been broken into in May of 2011 at Kampersville in Salisbury. At the time of the initial complaint DNA was secured from the door of the R.V. and sent to the Vermont Forensic Lab for analysis. A suspect, Justin R. Schroeder was developed based on a prior blood sample he provided. After matching evidence was found he was booked and cited for Burglary on Monday. Schroeder will be required to appear in Addison District court to answer to those charges on January 30th.

The Middlebury Ski Bum League is fast approaching. Skiers and snowboarders are encouraged to participate. The SBL is a series of ten races on Friday afternoons held at the Snow Bowl. You can form a team of at least three people or be added to an existing team. This is a series designed to have fun, if the Olympics are in your future it’s not for you! The first race is January 13. Please contact Holmes Jacobs (holmesmjacobs@gmail.com) for more information.

The One World Library Project at the Lawrence Memorial Library in Bristol will host the grand opening of their Kid’s Kiosk featuring new books for children about cultures around the world. Having spent the past three years developing the One World Library’s adult collection they are thrilled to expand to include recommended books and movies for younger readers. The celebration will take place on Saturday, January 14th from 10 to noon and will include a reading by Vermont author Alison James. The Lawrence Memorial Library has a full listing of items in the One-World Library in its online catalog.

Returning to the Statehouse for the first day of their 2012 session, Vermont lawmakers were greeted with some good fiscal news. The Legislature's Joint Fiscal Office reduced its estimate of a shortfall in the budget for the fiscal year that begins in six months from $74.5 million to about $46 million. Budget analysts are attributing the change to lowered projections for spending on the Medicaid public health insurance program for low-income residents.

The Vermont Senate has voted 28-1 to decline to override Governor Peter Shumlin's veto of a bill requiring water testing of private wells. The first substantial legislative action of 2012 came in response to a veto Shumlin issued in May of a bill lawmakers passed last year. Shumlin said he worried about imposing new costs on Vermonters during an economic downturn.

Vermont lawmakers got to work with members of the Emergency Board yesterday, approving extra money to help low-income Vermonters heat their homes. The $6.1-million will go to LIHEAP. Gov. Peter Shumlin says the additional money is needed because of cuts to the program in Washington, D.C. Now, $5 million will come from money the state has in reserves and about $1 million from weatherization programs.

A key lawmaker says she thinks the future of Vermont's mental health system can be resolved within a month. The chair of the House Human Services Committee, told fellow Democrats at a caucus yesterday that she believes lawmakers can reach a consensus on how to replace the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury that quickly. 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.

A federal ruling regarding the future of Vermont Yankee nuclear plant could come some times this week. Both sides say they expect a decision in the coming days. Yankee wants to stay open despite the state's attempts to shut the plant down when its operating license expires in March. No matter which side wins, an appeal is expected.

The U.S. Forest Service has approved the construction of 15 wind turbines in the Green Mountain National Forest in southern Vermont. The project planned for Searsburg and Readsboro was placed on a list of 14 infrastructure projects around the country to be given what federal officials are calling expedited environmental reviews and permitting. Central Vermont Public Service Corp. plans to take two-thirds of the power generated by it. Officials say the project will produce enough electricity to power 13,000 homes a year. The project is adjacent to another wind farm operated by Green Mountain Power Corp.

Vermont has awarded more than $409,000 in municipal planning grants to 42 communities across the state. The grants of up to $15,000 cover economic development, revitalization and housing projects. Communities have 18 months to complete their planning projects. Recipients include a number of flood-affected towns such as Waterbury, Rochester and Wilmington.

Vermont's road department is saving money so far this year due to the mild winter. But, independent snow-clearing companies are struggling to stay afloat with little work. Snow's delay allowed the state to complete repairs in the wake of Irene. Because the state transportation budget functions as a general road fund, the winter savings to date have helped offset some of the repair costs. A big storm like the Nor'easter that dropped 30 inches last March can cost the State one million dollars.

The lack of snow, warm weather and some rain combined for a less than stellar Christmas-New Year’s week for the state’s ski areas, which is the first and biggest holiday of the season. And it’s not just the lack of natural snow throughout the state that’s affected business. The lack of consistently cold temperatures in November and December haven’t been conducive to snowmaking. At Killington Resort skier visits were down 7 percent over the Christmas-New Year’s holiday from last year. For the rest of this week, temperatures are expected to cooperate as resorts turn out snow.

The Munroe family of Mendon has the honor of giving birth to Vermont’s first baby of the New Year. Danielle Munroe gave birth to premature baby Wells Fract Munroe at 12:25AM on January 1st. The baby was born at Porter Medical Center in Middlebury. Born 16 days early, baby Munroe weighed-in at six pounds, 13.5 ounces. Other New Year babies followed including one at Fletcher Allen at 1:45 AM and at Rutland Regional Medical Center at 7:09AM.

A native son and a visitor claimed top spots in the 10th annual Resolution Run in Ticonderoga on Sunday. Lee Gabler, a Ti High grad, toured the 3.1 miles in 16 minutes, 21 seconds to win the race. The LaChute Road Runners Club of Ticonderoga sponsored the race.

State officials estimate that Montana's population has surpassed 1 million people for the first time. The Governor’s office said Tuesday that state Census and Economic Information Center officials believe Montana passed the milestone sometime between November and December. If the state has passed the 1 million mark, that leaves just Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming as states having fewer than a million people.

While many gyms in other parts of the country tend to lose customers once their new year's resolutions have faded, Burlington gyms seem to stay busy year round. Men's Health Magazine says Burlington is the healthiest city in the country for men in 2012. Men's Health Magazine says Burlington is the healthiest city in the country for men in 2012. The magazine ranked 100 cities on 35 categories including; exercise, employment, and air quality. For the ladies who are wondering what the top city for healthiest women is, according to Women's Health Magazine the top city is Raleigh, North Carolina.