WVTK Local & State News January 5, 2012

The 13th annual “Face Off Against Breast Cancer” hockey tournament is coming up this month. The all-female ice event is a big deal to hockey and sports fans here in Middlebury. This year’s cancer icy face off will take place at Middlebury College’s arena, January 21st – 22nd. The event brings together 12 women hockey teams from across Vermont. The teams compete in three recreational hockey divisions. The goal: raise funds for breast cancer research and development. The local tournament also raises money for the Vermont Cancer Patient Support Program, which offers patient services and an emergency fund free of charge. Last year, the Middlebury event raised $60,000 for area breast cancer patients. This year’s goal is $72,000!

FairPoint Communications says 225 more homes and businesses in the Vermont town of Granville now have access to high-speed Internet services. The utility is expanding its fiber optic network into areas that previously had no high-speed Internet capability. FairPoint says the new system provides Internet speeds of up to 15 megabytes per second.

A 20-year-old Vermont woman has been accused of writing about $2,500 in bad checks to a travel center. Megan Mahoney of Hubbardton was arrested on December 30th in Fair Haven following an investigation. Police say they received a complaint in September about checks she had written to the Fair Haven Travel Center and were returned marked as a closed account.

A public hearing and information meeting on the preliminary proposed town general fund FY13 budget will take place here in Middlebury on Tuesday, January 17th. This includes capital project funds. Your comments, suggestions and input are important and appreciated. Copies of the proposed budget may be obtained from the Town’s Website or at the Town Manager’s Office.

Proctor High School officials are soliciting more input from the community before they consider a study that would offer options for school union mergers or other ways to deliver education. A survey due January 13th was sent Wednesday to Proctor Elementary parents asking them eight questions including what they view as the high school’s strengths and weaknesses as well as what “quality” at the school means to them. The study was commissioned because of declining enrollment and “the desire to ensure quality and equity in education for all students.”

Rutland Downtown parking is about to get more expensive. The Board of Aldermen voted this week to give final approval to a group of changes designed to entice the state to offer lower prices and greater access to the downtown parking deck. While rates at short-term meters remain unchanged, long-term meters will cost 25 cents an hour and monthly parking passes will cost $35. The rate changes will take effect as soon as appropriate signs are put up and adjustments to equipment are made.

Three towns in Rutland County will be able to move forward with pedestrian safety and recreational projects using Vermont Transportation Enhancement Program grants. As part of $3.58 million in transportation enhancement grants awarded Wednesday to 20 Vermont communities, Poultney received $230,000 for pedestrian improvements in East Poultney, while Chittenden received $300,000 for a shared-use path. Rutland City also received $126,000 for section two of the Creek Path project.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state of the state address offered little for North Country residents. The governor outlined a new economic development blueprint that invests billions of dollars in public-private sector partnerships and plans to rebuild infrastructure as a means of creating new jobs across the state during his hour-long speech yesterday but did not present any initiatives specifically for the region. Cuomo only mentioned the Adirondacks twice, once when announcing a second round of Regional Economic Development Awards and again when discussing the “New York’s Open for Business” tourism promotion effort.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he's creating a special commission to improve public schools, likely with competitive grants. Cuomo's move would avoid the problem faced by past governors who were stymied by the state Board of Regents, which sets education policy and is appointed by the Legislature. He has said he wants to change the debate over education from spending to student performance, noting New York trails 30 states in some measures.

According to a new survey by the Vermont Business Roundtable business growth is looking up. The outlook on sales capital expenditures and employment levels continues to improve for the first six months of 2012. The survey shows that 64 percent of Vermont businesses expect to see sales increase in 2012, 9 percent expect to see a drop and 27 percent expect no change. The Vermont Business Roundtable says that economic growth has been slow, but it is increasing steadily.

Gov. Peter Shumlin is expected to address continuing recovery from Tropical Storm Irene and to urge spending restraint as he delivers his State of the State address to lawmakers. Shumlin speaks to a joint assembly of Vermont lawmakers this afternoon at 2. He's expected to amplify recent statements thanking and praising Vermont transportation workers and others for their work in rebuilding the state's roads and bridges after the storm.

Four New England schools are among 100 public colleges and universities offering quality education at an affordable price. That's according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, whose newly released rankings placed the University of Connecticut at No. 30 nationwide - the highest among New England institutions. The University of Vermont was ranked at No. 59, while the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and University of New Hampshire were 96th and 100th, respectively.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is estimating Vermont could get about $240 million to help recover from Tropical Storm Irene and lesser flooding in the state last year. Of that figure, $72 million has already been paid to Vermonters and state and local governments working to recover from the floods. And FEMA is estimating there are about 4,300 additional recovery projects across the state that could receive about $168 million in federal aid. Statistics show that 8,418 people have registered with FEMA for disaster assistance.

Two women say a strange man at a South Burlington hotel attacked them. Police won't identify the hotel, but say the suspect jumped an employee Tuesday night and then groped a guest while she slept. Both women fought off their attacker. Police say he is white, heavy, and about 5'10" with scruffy facial hair. South Burlington police say people staying in the greater Burlington area should exercise caution.

Hundreds of people filled the American Legion Hall in White River Junction Wednesday night. While dozens more stood in line, all were there to tell the U.S. Postal Service, what they think about a plan to close the White River Processing Center. The Postal Service wants to consolidate the White River Junction facility with ones in Burlington and Manchester. Senator Bernie Sanders says that's a bad idea and it would slow down mail service throughout our region. The postal service says the plan will save about 8-million dollars a year and cost more than 50 jobs.

Yesterday, a handful of Vermont state senators left Montpelier to check out the condition of the state office complex in Waterbury as the clean up continues months after Irene. The Senate Institutions Committee is preparing for hearings on the future of the site. More than 1,000 people were displaced from this facility following the storm. Millions of dollars have already been spent to clean up the site and millions more will be needed if it's returned to its former capacity. Senator and gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock says solving the complex crisis is a top priority. Lawmakers need to weigh a number of factors as they plot a move forward.

Police say a growing number of people are abusing prescription drugs in Vermont but state leaders can't tell you just how big that number is. Two years ago the state started requiring pharmacies to report who was getting narcotics and where. However, the system is not able to track prescription information on Vermont residents that are out of state. The Department of Health says it has a solution: an interstate exchange program. If lawmakers approve it, Vermont would begin sharing information with New York and Massachusetts. Lawmakers will also have to consider how much of this information would be available to police.

Police say an elderly man died of natural causes before his bedroom caught fire in Essex Jct. Monday. Police say Donald Struthers was in his bedroom when the fire started around 4PM on Taft Street. His wife and grandson were able to get out safely. The Vermont State Police Fire Investigation Unit has ruled the fire accidental and not suspicious. The exact cause of Struthers death is not known at this time. Toxicology results are pending.

Less than three weeks after a homeless man was found dead near a downtown Burlington street corner, advocates for the homeless in Vermont came to the Statehouse and offered testimony to a legislative committee. Homeless shelter operators say they're dealing with growing numbers of veterans and working families with children in which the parents' wages are not enough to cover the cost of an apartment.

State officials say they may have recovered the missing emails that raised questions last month about the integrity of Vermont’s open records policies. Administration officials in December disclosed that a series of email correspondences had been erroneously deleted following a public records request filed by the state workers’ union. The commissioner of the Department of Information and Innovation, said that members of his staff have since recovered 3.5 gigabytes of stored memory that may include the requested emails.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is heading into its busiest time of year and is looking to hire 1,500 temporary workers. The company will pay seasonal employees $9 per hour. The new hires will be needed for the last week and January and the first week of February. A variety of jobs such as sewing, answering phones and taking orders are available. People can go right to the factory, fill out an application and receive an on the spot interview.

Wednesday was the last day of work for 105 employees at the Bombardier plant in Plattsburgh. The company says it had to close down its production line because of problems with a supplier. The plant turns out rail cars. The part in question holds wheels and axles to the car body. Bombardier says the line will remain closed until each unit is inspected. The company says it will rehire 40 workers by the end of February and the remaining 65 will come back once the production line is running again.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce has named its fall/winter “Five Hundred Dollar Friday” winners. Every Friday in December the Chamber gave away $500. Those wishing to participate in the fundraiser received a ticket for a chance to win for a $20 donation. All proceeds of the fundraiser were to benefit the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce in its efforts serve, market and promote the Ticonderoga area including, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Hague, Moriah, and Putnam. Learn more about the Ti Chamber right now at www.ticonderogany.com.

The best chili cooks in Schroon Lake will face off to assist the local fire company. The inaugural Schroon Lake Chili Cook Off will be held Saturday, February 25 from 11AM to 2PM at Mountainside Bible Chapel. The event will benefit the Schroon Fire Department. For more information you can visit www.schroonlakechilicookoff.org.