WVTK Local & State News February 17, 2012

The Town of Hinesburg is moving ahead with its proposed public safety building complex in the center of the village. Town officials will include an article to be voted on Town Meeting Day to fund a public safety facility and community park. The $2.9 million bond will be voted on by Australian ballot. The project proposes to expand the fire station, include the police station in the same building, add a community room, plus include work on a community park. The site would also accommodate a bus stop for the new Route 116 CCTA/ACTR commuter as well as a park and ride area. A public meeting is scheduled for February 27th at the Hinesburg Town Hall at 7:15PM. Town officials will also host an open house on Saturday, March 3rd from 10AM to 2PM.

Is your Birthday coming up on February 29th? David Clarke, the director of the Ilsley Public Library has invited everyone born on the 29th to the Library from 2-4PM. You can celebrate with cake while sharing YOUR stories of the good and bad of being born on this fleeting calendar day! Children are invited to mark this year’s bonus day by writing a letter-to-the-future after school from 3:30 – 5PM. For more information, contact Ilsley Public Library or visit them online at www.ilsleypubliclibrary.org.

The next phase in the more than decade-long restoration of Brandon Town Hall is set to begin in the next several weeks with the installation of several bathrooms, a handicap accessible door, a green room and a staircase from backstage to the bathrooms. The green room will be for theatrical productions or for meetings and events, while the staircase will provide actors access to the bathrooms. The McKernon Group was hired to complete the project estimated to cost $175,000 and will need to be completed by May 1st, when the building is opened for the season’s events.

A proposal before Rutland City would convert the West Street Armory into a print shop. Daniel Keith of Keith’s II Sports in Pittsford has placed the winning bid on the building. The purchase of the building is conditional on him getting a zoning variance, which is under consideration by Rutland’s Development Review Board. The state put the building on the market after the National Guard moved to the new reserve facility off Post Road.

A former top state environmental official has joined the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance. Elizabeth (Betsy) Lowe has been hired as the group’s director of strategic partnerships and fundraising. Lowe worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for nearly 25 years, most recently as Region 5 director. At the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance Lowe is charged developing and sustaining partnerships, coordinating arts and economic development initiatives, assisting with public relations and working with the CEO and board of directors on the development and implementation of a fundraising plan.

One incumbent trustee and one former trustee are running for two open seats on the Port Henry Village Board. Ruth McDonough and John “Jack” Sheldon filed petitions for two-year terms by the Tuesday deadline. McDonough was first elected a village trustee in 2008, after serving as mayor since 2003. She is a retired Essex County personnel officer. Sheldon served one full term on the board but was defeated in the 2011 village election. He is a general contractor. The office of mayor is not up for election until 2013. The election will take place from Noon to 9PM Tuesday, March 20th, at the Port Henry firehouse.

On Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the New York State Education Department, and the State's largest teacher's union finally compromised on how to evaluate teachers. Governor Cuomo says the evaluation system will hold, "teachers accountable for student achievement." The system is based on a 100-point scale. 60 points are for teacher performance. That will be measured by administrators and trained evaluators watching teachers in the classroom. It will also be based on student and parent feedback. The other 40 points evaluate teachers based on student achievement. That is measured by how well students do on State and local tests. Cuomo is giving schools Statewide a year to adopt the evaluation system.

Vermont small businesses that want to keep offering employee health insurance would have to do it through a state system beginning in 2014, under a bill approved by a House committee. The House Human Services Committee voted yesterday to support a bill that also would require individual health insurance subscribers to get their insurance through a state system called a health care exchange. The requirement involving employers affects only those with 50 or fewer workers. Some business groups had opposed making the exchange mandatory, but they got a win on another part of the bill. That allows employers to continue offering lower-cost high-deductible insurance to their workers. The bill must still clear another committee, the full House and the Senate.

The state of Vermont is cracking down on motorists who illegally park in spaces reserved for the handicapped. Rutland police want the public to know that the owners of vehicles parked in spaces reserved for the handicapped can now be fined up to $271 if the driver isn't handicapped.

The discovery of a human skull in Danby has police re-examining two missing persons cases in particular. While awaiting DNA analysis that could identify the victim, detectives are checking missing persons cases. Two that appear to fit the criteria are Brianna Maitland who disappeared from Montgomery in 2004, and Heide Wilbur who went missing from Middletown Springs in 1991. Police caution that those are only two possibilities and that the victim could be another missing person, someone who was never reported missing or someone from out of state.

Employees at the Mad River Glen Ski Area are upset over the discovery of a body stuck in a window. State police say a man apparently tried to move from the ski patrol office into the ski repair shop by climbing through a small window, and became stuck. And, that's where he died. Police say while the death is unusual, it does not appear to be suspicious or criminal. No word yet as to the identity of the man.

A bill that would require child vaccinations is getting a lot of attention and debate. Vermont is currently one of 20 states allowing parents to opt out of having their kids vaccinated on philosophical grounds. However, a bill now working through the Legislature would change that, as supporters say with the rate of unvaccinated kids growing, so is public health concern. Opponents say parents and not the state should make the decision. A new compromise would allow parents to still opt out, but be required to hear from a doctor as to the risks and benefits of vaccines.

A Manchester, New Hampshire man is facing federal charges of setting fire to a shelter on Vermont's Long Trail. Federal prosecutors say Justin Caissie started the fire that destroyed the Tucker Johnson Trail Shelter in Mendon last march and then lied about it to a U.S. Forest Service special agent. Caissie has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Burlington's police chief was in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, testifying about the benefits of bulletproof vests. Chief Mike Schirling visited Washington at the invitation of Sen. Patrick Leahy. Leahy helped pass legislation 15 years ago to establish a grant program to pay for bulletproof vests for police officers. Prior to that, officers had to purchase the vests themselves. The program expires this year and Leahy is hoping to extend it.

A study by Dartmouth College found unsafe levels of arsenic in food, including infant formulas. The Dartmouth team tested formulas, cereal bars and energy shots that were purchased in the Hanover, NH area. They found products that contain the sweetener organic brown rice syrup had arsenic levels exceeding the federal limit of 10 parts per billion. Two of the infant formulas were above the limit, 22 of the cereal bars and all three of the energy shots were in excess and some at 10 times the federal limit. Researchers say arsenic is in soils from pesticides and then gets into rice. Consumer Reports is calling for new federal regulations to limit arsenic levels in food.

Vermonters living in some of the most rural locations may soon have access to broadband Internet service from FairPoint Communications. Rather than pay fines to the state for past service problems, FairPoint will invest $7 million to connect so-called last-mile residents. Those are homes on the fringes of communities, long considered too spread out to be worth connecting. It's unclear how many more customers will get broadband service from this investment. Since taking over for Verizon in 2008, FairPoint has invested almost $80 million and added 1,100 miles of new fiber in Vermont. The company says nearly 90 percent of its customers now have high-speed access.

School administrators in the Bennington area want the state labor relations board to reverse an order. Teachers walked off the job last fall and recently filed a complaint saying despite their new contract the district still owes them back pay. The Labor Relations Board agreed. But now the district says the order to pay up should be overturned because teachers were paid for days they did not work because of Tropical Storm Irene.

L.C. Jazz will be performing at The Vergennes Opera House on Saturday starting at 8:00PM. Vergennes’ own community jazz ensemble brings their classic Big Band sound to the stage once again for another toe-tapping, dance-inducing performance. A fun evening for all ages! Admission is only $8. Tickets available at: www.vergennesoperahouse.org or at Classic Stitching.

Brandon’s Art in the Snow Wine and Arts Festival will take place this weekend! The festival will play host to open art studios, workshops, cooking classes and a wine tasting trail. Hosted by the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce and the Brandon Artists’ Guild, the two-day event is slated to kick off at 11 AM. Saturday with more than 20 local artists and craft makers opening their studio spaces, while five local wineries host a wine trail. In addition, Brandon Music is pleased to welcome Rutland area vocalist, Olivia Gawet, in the first of a series of benefit concerts to raise money for the new Compass Music and Arts Center. The concert takes place on Sunday at 2 PM in the Music Café at Brandon Music. Get more information at www.artinthesnow.com!

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber Of Commerce will be holding its February After Business Mixer next Wednesday the 22nd. Join in on the fun, door prizes and great networking opportunities from 5:30PM – 7:00PM at the Denton Publications – Times Of Ti office. Get more information right now at www.ticonderogany.com.

Stars attending the Oscars later this month will learn a little bit about a Vermont product. A promotional card about Birdsbesafe cat collars will be inside the swag bags celebrities get just for attending the event. Birdsbesafe is a brightly colored cat collar. Birds notice the color on the cat and then know to fly away. Nancy Brennan of Duxbury founded the company a few years ago -- and sales continue to grow. She hopes this Hollywood exposure will lead to more cats wearing her collars allowing more songbirds to survive.