WVTK Local & State News January 6, 2012

Gov. Peter Shumlin says that he and everyone in his administration are committed to continuing to bring new jobs to the state. Shumlin made the comments yesterday during his 37-minute state-of-the state speech at the Statehouse in Montpelier in which he thanked those involved in the recovery from Tropical Storm Irene and vowed to avoid any increases in broad-based taxes to close a $46 million budget gap. Shumlin's speech was interrupted about 25 times by applause from a Legislature made up largely of the governor's fellow Democrats.

Vermont State Police are currently investigating a burglary of a Salisbury residence on Route 7. Police did not release the name of the robbery victim or the specific location of the residence. Numerous items were reported missing to include firearms, jewelry, liquor and other personal belongings. Approximately $6,500 worth of belongings was stolen, according to police. Anybody with any information is asked to contact the Vermont State Police New Haven Barracks. (802-388-4919)

Police say a 23-year-old Vermont man died from injuries he suffered during a car crash in Shelburne Wednesday. A medical examiner says Jonathan Leach of Rutland died Wednesday night. Police say Leach was driving on Spear Street a little after midnight when he failed to make a turn and smashed into a tree. When rescue crews arrived, Leach was unresponsive and taken to Fletcher Allen Health Care. Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.

State police say a local woman was drunk behind the wheel when her truck crashed on Twitchell Hill Road on Tuesday. Jill Devoe was uninjured in the crash but a Breathalyzer test at the scene indicated that Devoe’s blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal 0.08 percent limit for driving, police said. She was travelling east on the road at about 2:22PM Tuesday when her truck crashed into a guardrail and went off the road. Devoe was arrested for drunken driving and issued a citation to appear in Middlebury criminal court.

The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce and the Ticonderoga Chamber will be hosting Mixers on Thursday, January 19th. The first Addison County Chamber Mixer of 2012 will be held at Café Provence in Brandon from 5-7PM. You can join in on an evening of great food and drinks, door prizes, pot of gold and more! For more information and to RSVP to Sue Hoxie just visit www.addisoncounty.com. The Ti Chamber’s “After Business Mixer” will be held at Sugar Hill Manor Bed & Breakfast in Crown Point from 5:30 to 7PM. Sponsors providing door prizes will be Best Western Plus Ticonderoga Inn & Suites, International Paper, Sugar & Spice Country Shoppe and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. More info can be found at www.ticonderogany.com.

According to the Second Language Study Committee report Addison Central Supervisory Union schools should try to offer second-language instruction for all children in grades kindergarten through 7. Providing language instruction at the elementary level, committee members reasoned, would allow students to achieve decent proficiency by grade 8 and likely allow the ACSU to do without the fifth level of instruction currently offered at MUHS. Plans now call for the individual school boards to discuss the study committee’s report and its implications for their respective operations.

According to local appraisers unlike many areas of the nation the bottom has not fallen out of the Addison County real estate market in the past three or four years. However the market does not appear to be booming either. Appraisers acknowledge softness in the local market, especially in the middle price range. Meanwhile, the higher end of the market has shown some life. One local appraiser sees hope for the real estate market coming from some encouraging economic news, including decent preliminary retail numbers from the holiday season, and Vermont’s relatively low unemployment rate.

The town of Bristol is rethinking gravel extraction. Earlier this week the Bristol Planning Commission decided to throw out the conflicting maps they had been working on and restart the process of defining the zone. They appear deadlocked over where to draw the boundaries for a zone where gravel extraction would be prohibited.

The Addison County Relocalization Network is introducing the new Farm to School Entrepreneur Awards. They will honor students working on food-related projects. ACORN hopes to see projects boosting everything from agriculture and farming to nutrition and food awareness efforts within schools. Part of the goal is to encourage students to participate in food and agriculture efforts outside of the cafeteria.

The Addison County Community Trust will acquire and renovate Hancock’s most prominent affordable housing apartment building. This will preserve the low-cost rental units for at least the next 20 years. For the past 30 years the five-unit Mountain View project on Route 125 has accommodated low-income tenants under the federal Section 8 housing program. That program pays rental subsidies for tenants earning less than 50 percent of the area median household income, which is currently $35,750 for a family of four.

Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras wants to hear what people think should become of the West Street Armory. The building is slated to go up for sale. The city will hold a public forum on the building’s future at 7PM Wednesday, followed by a meeting of the General Committee on the same subject.

A total of 19 people from seven states have become sick from salmonella linked to ground beef sold by Hannaford supermarket. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday most of the victims indicated they bought the beef between October 12th and December 10th. The Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford supermarket chain announced on December 15th that it was recalling ground beef with a sell-by date of December 17th or earlier. The CDC says the recalled beef may still be in consumers' homes. The company says customers should return or dispose of ground beef with the December 17th or earlier sell-by dates.

An incubator for new food businesses has opened in Vermont. The 15,000-square-foot Vermont Food Venture Center is located in Hardwick and officials say it's taking a key role in Vermont's agricultural renaissance. The facility allows startup businesses to use equipment and space and get technical assistance to process foods into new products. A grand opening takes place this afternoon.

It's on to the Vermont Senate for a bill that would have the state tax commissioner reimburse towns that have made tax abatements for property owners who suffered damage from Tropical Storm Irene. The House passed the measure on a voice vote Thursday, and it's expected to win easy passage in the Senate.

The former director of the Vermont Film Commission now heads up the state Office of Creative Economy, a new post. Joe Bookchin says the office will be a resource for people in artistic and intellectual businesses and entrepreneurs who contribute culturally and economically to the state, such as web and graphics arts designers, performing artists, architects and filmmakers. Bookchin said the office would help people find out information about loans, grants and workforce development. The goal is to help create jobs and contribute to the economy.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a draft environmental impact report that provides a straightforward construction path for two new hydroelectric facilities on Vermont's West River. The Brattleboro Reformer reports the hydroelectric generation facilities near the Townshend and Ball Mountain dams in Jamaica are the first hydro projects since 1987 to receive water quality certificates from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
Providing health care coverage is a big cost for many small business owners in Vermont.

Yesterday, members of the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce came together to voice their support for changes in the health care reform law proposed by Senators Vince Illuzzi and Hinda Miller. Illuzzi has said if health care costs becomes prohibitively expensive businesses will drop coverage for their employees and providers will leave the state.

A Fletcher Allen Health Care doctor addicted to pain meds is facing sanctions, but not criminal charges, for writing herself prescriptions. Dr. Anne Johnston specializes in neo-natal intensive care. The attorney general's office says she wrote prescriptions for nonexistent patients, and then used several pharmacies in the Williston area to get the drugs. But Attorney General Bill Sorrell says he is not charging her now because she is a skilled physician and the hospital supports her. Johnston is on probation for the next decade with the Medical Practice Board. She cannot prescribe any medication and must undergo random drug testing.

The director of University of Vermont's student health center has been cleared of allegations that the center improperly prescribed opiate painkillers to student patients. The state Medical Practice Board voted on Thursday to reject a recommendation that Dr. Jon Porter be found guilty of unprofessional conduct but not face any disciplinary action. Porter told the Burlington Free Press that the decision was a "good action." Assistant Attorney General David Groff says the state may consider appealing the decision to the Vermont Supreme Court.

The Olympic venues are waiting for New York's top youth athletes. The Empire State Winter Games begin February 1st with a torch run, and regional planners expect some 1,000 winter competitors to test their training where world Olympians have played. With a little less than a month to go before opening ceremonies, Winter Games coordinators said that they're ready. It is the largest multi-sport event for youth in the United States.

The Vermont Folklife Center of Middlebury’s 13th Annual Gingerbread Competition was a dazzling display of creations from the Rockefeller Center in New York to a demolition derby this year. More than 4,600 community members, including 30 classrooms were enchanted by the likes of the Colchester Reef Lighthouse at Shelburne Museum, Snoopy snoozing on his doghouse, and the new Champlain Bridge. The prize of Middlebury Money was bestowed on the designers and makers of 14 different creations.

Nominations are being called for the 2012 CVPS-Zetterstrom Environmental Award. The CVPS-Zetterstrom Environmental Award was presented for the first time in 2010, and is presented annually to one person, business, group or non-profit to honor a significant contribution to Vermont’s environment. It will be accompanied by a $2,500 donation to the winner’s environmental cause. For a nomination application and more information, visit www.cvps.com/osprey.

The Paramount Theatre will present the world premiere of Scholastic’s “Clifford The Big Red Dog LIVE!” in the historic hall this evening at 7. It should be noted the curtain time has changed from the originally announced 8PM show. Celebrating 50 years in 2012, Scholastic’s “Clifford The Big Red Dog” has charmed and amazed children with his engaging adventures and “Big Ideas.” Now, kids will have a whole new way to experience the crimson canine. It’s sure to be fun for the whole family! For tickets and information just visit www.paramountlive.org.

A logo that has come to represent Vermonters’ resilience after Tropical Storm Irene is now set to adorn a commemorative license plate. The “I am Vermont Strong” plate was unveiled during Gov. Peter Shumlin’s State of the State address at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday. You will be able to display the “Vermont Strong” plate over their front license plate until June 30, 2014. The “Vermont Strong” plates can be pre-ordered for $25 at www.vtstrong.vermont.gov. From the proceeds, $18 will go to the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund and $2 will go to the Vermont Foodbank.