WVTK Local & State News March 29, 2012

A husband and wife are being held without bail on charges of second-degree murder in the death of Melissa Jenkins. Allen Prue and his wife Patricia, both of Waterford, are accused of luring the high school science teacher out to help them Sunday night, saying their car broke down. Police affidavits say Jenkins died from strangulation, and apparently her two-year-old son saw what happened. He was found in his mother's car alone that night. A fundraiser is being planned to help the little boy.

At Middlebury’s Select-Board meeting this week an update was presented on the Middlebury River Planning & Restoration Project. Now that an approach and a funding source have been identified, the river planning effort is moving into its second phase: public input and information. It was also noted that the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on proposed Erosion Hazard Regulations at the East Middlebury Methodist Church on Monday, April 16th at 7:00PM. Meanwhile The business development working group of five set a timeline that includes appointing members of the five member advisory board in April, with organization, public outreach-input and finalizing the job description for the Business Development Director in May, and starting the search for the Director in June. During the meeting the Board awarded the contract for the design of a grit drying bed for the wastewater treatment facility to Otter Creek Engineering. And after nearly three years of work, the Planning Commission has posted the draft Town Plan on the Town's website. The Planning Commission and the Select-Board will hold informational meetings and warned public hearings on the proposed plan later this spring.

An Award will be offered for information about graffiti on the Cross Street Bridge. With more graffiti appearing on the Cross Street Bridge in the wake of the Town having incurred a $7,000 expense to remove the first graffiti on the Bridge last fall, the Select-Board unanimously voted to offer a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the apprehension of those responsible for the vandalism. Anyone with information should contact the Middlebury Police Department.

If you see streetlights in Middlebury that are not working you can report it to the Town Manager’s Office (802-388-8100 XT 202). In order to place a work order on the streetlight, they need the location of the streetlights and any numbers that are on the fixture. The Town pays a fixed charge for the streetlight whether or not it is working.

A man who goes by his middle name "Luke", first and last name not yet released by Vermont State Police in Rutland, was last seen at 3AM on Monday, in West Rutland. The man's vehicle, a 2000 Subaru Legacy, was left at his mother’s residence where he does not reside. Both the front windshield and front passenger’s window are damaged. Both right side tires were deflated, but there was no direct evidence of an accident. Police believe that the damage was done intentionally. No further information is known at this time.

The teachers of the Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union have voted to go on strike April 4th unless their more-than-two-year contract dispute is ended with a fair settlement. The supervisory union's boards have continually stalled during negotiations, leading to teachers' working without a contract since July 2010, which is the longest such absence of a contract in Vermont. Teachers took the vote as a last resort, and hope the action shows how serious they are at reaching a settlement with the supervisory union's boards.

The teachers of Windham Northeast Supervisory Union authorized a strike for April 4th if a contract settlement isn't reached before then. Despite more than 15 months of bargaining, the supervisory union's boards have not wavered in their demands to undo four decades of collective bargaining. A bargaining session is scheduled for this evening.

All four principals in the Rutland Central Supervisory Union have had employment issues in the past month, with two principals resigning recently and now a third following suit. Superintendent Debra Taylor confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that Proctor Elementary School Principal Nancy Erickson submitted her letter of resignation and was expected to present it to the School Board on Tuesday night. The resignation is effective June 30th.

The call for a North Country slaughterhouse grew as plans to build one in Middlebury surfaced. Essex County organic-beef farmer "Sandy" Lewis shared his concept of a slaughterhouse and meat-processing plant with elected officials in recent months. He has also tested such a facility's agricultural-use status on his land with the Adirondack Park Agency. Lewis said Vermont's leadership is ahead of the game. The proposed Vermont site would expand operations of Vermont Livestock currently based in Ferrisburgh.

After hearing compelling details about the link between synthetic marijuana and violent crimes, Warren County supervisors endorsed a proposed law banning the substances. The supervisors serving on the county Legislative and Criminal Justice committees voted unanimously on Tuesday to enact a law prohibiting the sale, use, possession or distribution of synthetic marijuana and herbal incense. The proposed law is now headed or the full county Board of Supervisors at their April 20th meeting, and the board is expected to set a public hearing on the law for mid-May. The law could be in effect in late May.

Vermont Attorney William Sorrell is warning consumers of a new telephone scam. According to a press release, callers claim to be from Microsoft and state the consumer's computer has been infected with a virus and/or series of operating system errors. The caller then asks if they can access their computer remotely so they can "fix" the problem. By giving the caller access to their computer, this allows the caller to have unrestricted access to any files and Internet browsing history. It also gives the scammers opportunity to install malicious software onto the computer to capture sensitive information.

Vermont's unemployment rate has dropped below 5% for the first time in nearly three and a half years. The state Department of Labor says the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February in Vermont was 4.9%, down two-tenths of a percent from the January figure.
More than 300 subway cars will be built for New York City's mass transit system in Plattsburgh, keeping 500 jobs alive. It's part of a $600 million contract with Montreal-based Bombardier. Governor Andrew Cuomo says the deal will keep 300 workers busy and support 200 more jobs from suppliers.

The U.S. Senate is looking to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, a landmark law that supports Meals on Wheels and other programs for seniors. The Older American Act was the first initiative by the federal government to help seniors remain independent in their homes and communities. The Older Americans Act will provide basic meals, home-care, help coordinating long-term care, job training, legal services and protection from abuse and neglect in nursing homes. The Act was originally enacted in 1965.

Vermont is joining 10 other states asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an immigration law implemented by the state of Arizona. Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell and the other states claim that Arizona's immigration law requires state law enforcement officers to detain and arrest individuals who appear to be illegal immigrants.

The Montpelier artist Bo Muller Moore received word this week that a lawyer at the federal trademark office in Washington has said, in a preliminary ruling, that his Eat More Kale design is likely to cause confusion with Chik-Fil- A's Eat Mor' Chikin' slogan. If that ruling holds up, he won't be able to trademark or protect his original design. He could also have to shut down his website, eatmorekale.com, and cease and desist selling and printing his Eat More Kale shirts and stickers.

Outstanding Ticonderoga High School graduates are being sought. The Ticonderoga Alumni Association will once again honor leading graduates this July during the annual Alumni Golf Tournament weekend. Distinguished Alumni Awards are given each year to alumni who have distinguished themselves through their career success and contributions to community and society. Recipients of this award are selected by a committee from nominations submitted by the public. Nominations for the 2012 Awards will be accepted through May 25th. Any person who graduated from THS before 2002 is eligible to be nominated. Current residency in Ticonderoga is not a requirement. For more information or a nomination form, visit www.ticonderogaalumni.org

Champlain Area Trails has launched its spring travel-writing contest. CATS is coordinating a series of travel writing contests to boost the local economy through outdoors recreation based tourism. The trail group’s first travel writing contest concluded in December with first prize awarded for an article jointly written by a ninth grade student and his tutor in Westport and the People’s Choice prize to a young mother who named her baby while hiking a CATS trail. CATS wants to compile travel articles describing visits throughout the year to encourage more year-round tourism. The CATS travel contest will run through April 30th with prizes awarded on June 2nd. Entrants should submit 800 to 1,300 word articles with two to six photos. For full details visit www.champlainareatrails.com/contest.

If you're feeling lucky, you might want to buy a Mega Millions ticket ahead of Friday's drawing. It's currently the world's largest jackpot in history at $500,000,000. Mega Millions is played in 44 states, including Vermont. Also, Mega Millions had a Vermont winner in Tuesday's $250,000 drawing. The winning ticket was sold at Joe's Discount Beverage in Springfield.