WVTK Local & State News January 9, 2012

As of December 31st the Addison County Humane Society has raised a little over $878,000 towards their total project goal of $1.12 million for the Homeward Bound Campaign. They have organized a “Promotions Committee” which is comprise of approximately fifteen highly dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers! They will work to create events and fundraising activities specifically targeted towards “Homeward Bound”. To donate, just visit www.addisonhumane.org or call 388-1100. Hobbes appreciates your support!

Vermont State Police are investigating the report of a theft of a catalytic converter from a 2008 Toyota Tacoma from Starksboro. The estimated value of the converter is approximately $300. Community members in the Starksboro/Monkton areas are urged to be vigilant of suspicious individuals and or persons on their property near their vehicles. Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP in New Haven. (802-388-4919)

The Westport Central School District Board of Education will hold its monthly meeting this Thursday at 6PM in the library. The agenda will include budget discussion, financial reports, and extracurricular appointments. Meetings are open to the public.

The Rutland City Police Department has a new interim chief: retired state police Col. James Baker. A committee assigned to find a new police chief hired Baker, who recently served as the interim head of both the Vermont Police Academy and the Manchester Police Department, last Thursday night. His hiring won’t be official until the Board of Aldermen votes this month on whether to ratify a proposed contract.

The owners of the downtown Rutland shopping plaza say the property’s listing is about $2.6 million too high. Centro Heritage, which owns the plaza, has appealed the assessment to Rutland civil court. The property, which includes Wal-Mart, Price Chopper and the stores in between, is listed at $16,511,400. Centro says the value should be adjusted by the city’s common level of appraisal.

A local airport project, years in the making, is underway. And efforts by the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce and Rutland Economic Development Corporation who advocated for an Instrument Landing System at Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport appear to be paying off. The $1 million upgrade is expected to be completed and fully operational by November. Tom Donahue of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce said that Rutland is the second busiest airport in Vermont and now serves much of southern Vermont as well as the greater Rutland region.

The new Moriah Town Courthouse is open and getting a lot of business. Weekly court sessions and arraignments for Moriah Town Court take place there and the Moriah Town Council meetings are also being held in the new structure next to the Town Hall on Park Place in Port Henry. Students from the Champlain Valley Technical Education Center in Mineville built the courthouse and the town paid for the materials.

Potential buyers have expressed interest in the Horace Nye Nursing Home. Essex County put the 100-bed facility on the market last year, saying it was going to lose several million dollars this year. And the county still owes more than five million from past years. Several private firms have expressed interest in taking over the facility. Officials would not elaborate on the details of the deal saying negotiations were ongoing.

A new residency task force will get to the bottom of Essex County's problems with non-resident workers. The Essex County Board of Supervisors has been threatening for months to take action against employees who violate the requirement mandating residency. Some employees have waivers, and nurses have been exempted because finding them is difficult, but another 10 or so workers apparently never moved to the county after hiring.

One of Upstate New York’s most prominent Elvis impersonators, Joseph E. Ramsey, and his wife Angela J. Ramsey have been arrested and arraigned on felony charges relating to welfare fraud. Police said the two failed to inaccurately report their total household income, particularly Joe Ramsey’s earnings as an Elvis tribute artist. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the County Department of Social Services imposed the charges following an investigation. They have been ordered to return to court on February 6th.

Northern New York farmers interested in learning how such social media as blogs, Facebook, Twitter and RSS work can attend a workshop set for the region in January. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop computer. The registration deadline is January 17th. A workshop will be held in Plattsburgh from 5 to 9PM Tuesday, January 17th at Plattsburgh State. Computers are provided, but space is limited. A $15 fee includes dinner. For more information or to register contact Laurie Davis at lsd22@cornell.edu. (Or call 962-4810, Ext. 0)

State workers who lost their jobs when Tropical Storm Irene flooded the state office complex in Waterbury want their jobs back. Dozens of displaced workers from the state office complex rallied Saturday in Waterbury, asking the state commit to re-building there. Nearly 20-percent of the state's employees worked at the Waterbury complex. Governor Peter Shumlin says he'll address the issue in his budget speech to the Legislature planned for Thursday.

Money will be on the minds of Vermont lawmakers this week. On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on the budget adjustment bill. It's expected the budget this year will be adjusted by more than $25 million, mostly to try and help pay for Irene recovery. On Thursday, Governor Shumlin will lay out his spending plan for the coming year. The governor has signaled that he wants to increase spending on higher education.

Sen. Bernie Sanders says he is going to introduce legislation to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, which supports Meals on Wheels and other programs for older Americans. Sanders is the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, which has jurisdiction over the Older Americans Act. It can help with meals, home-care, coordinating long-term care, job training, and legal services. He plans to introduce the legislation later this month.

Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott says a construction business in which he's part-owner will reopen tomorrow, less than three days after a building was destroyed by fire. Scott says electricity and telephones have been set up in a trailer at DuBois Construction Inc. in Middlesex. A fire engulfed office files, destroyed heavy equipment and triggered explosions Friday night. The cause hasn't been determined.

Police say three people are dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Hartford. Deputy Chief Leonard Roberts says in a news release that a family friend contacted police Friday night asking them to check on residents who hadn't been heard from in several days.

The president of Southern Vermont College in Bennington is taking a 1-year leave of absence so she can take a senior position in the U.S. Department of Education. Karen Goss will begin her leave on January 17th. During Goss's absence, the college's chief operating officer, James Beckwith, will serve as acting president.

More than four-months after Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont, Governor Peter Shumlin says there are lessons for Vermonters to learn. The governor says the Irene Recovery Report documents the storm damage and the response including what worked and what did not. State Irene Recovery Officer Neale Lunderville says the report suggests 48 changes. Those include designing longer bridges, building homes away from flood prone areas and requiring fuel tanks to be tied down. Lunderville says some changes will require new laws, others just a change in attitude. He says all of them will help the state run better not just when a disaster strikes. Shumlin says the number one lesson from Irene is for Vermonters to take weather more seriously.

Vermont Soldiers Angels is getting ready for Valentine's Day. The group met at Creative Habitat to write Valentine's Day cards for soldiers deployed overseas. The idea is to make sure every soldier feels like they are not forgotten. If you would like to send letters or package to troops overseas, email Barbara at vtsoldiersangels@aol.com.

There was a changing of the guard Sunday for Vermont's Green Mountain Boys. In a ceremony at their South Burlington Base, The Vermont Air National Guard appointed a new wing commander. Colonel David Baczewski assumed command from Colonel Douglas Fick, who has been on the job nearly four years. He is a Command Pilot with more than 36-hundred flying hours including 477 Combat hours.

The third annual Ticonderoga Winter Fest will be held Saturday, February 11th. It’s a day of outdoor recreation. Winter Fest 2012 will be held from 11AM to 2PM in and around Ticonderoga’s Bicentennial Park. It will feature sledding, ice-skating, broomball, snowshoeing, snowmobile rides and fun runs. Winter Fest is free to all but they do encourage you to bring a donation for the Ticonderoga Food Pantry suggesting either $2 or two non-perishable food item donation.

Gardeners, homesteaders, and local food lovers will find many workshops to choose from at the 30th Annual Winter Conference put on by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. Taking place February 10-12 at the University of Vermont in Burlington, the conference will feature over 70 workshops, including hands-on workshops such as Lactofermentation, Making Fruit Wines at Home, and Cooking New American Foods. Learn more, browse workshops, and register at www.nofavt.org. (Or call 802-434-4122)

While most folks celebrating their 90th birthday would be happily enjoying retirement, Robert De Cormier was in the middle of directing a chorus rehearsal whereupon the 100 members of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus erupted into “Happy Birthday!” De Cormier is the founding director of the VSO Chorus and he and its members were rehearsing at Rutland’s Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday afternoon. De Cormier will conduct the VSO and VSO Chorus in both Fauré and Mozart Requiems on January 28th at Burlington’s Flynn Center and January 29th at Rutland’s Paramount Theatre.