WVTK Local & State News March 30, 2012

At about 5:20 yesterday afternoon Troopers from the New Haven State Police Barracks responded to a disturbance at a residence on Route 7 in the Town of New Haven involving an intoxicated male with a firearm. With the assistance from the New Haven Fire Department, Route 7 was closed between Route 17 and Town Hill Road while the scene was rendered safe and negotiations occurred to bring the individual into protective custody. Route 7 was reopened approximately 7 hours later.

Police in Rutland are asking the public for help in tracking down a fugitive, and they warn he could be armed and dangerous. Police are looking for 36-year-old Martin Nichols. He is wanted on weapons and menacing charges in New York State. Police say they believe Nichols' girlfriend lives in Rutland and they have reason to believe he is in the city. But so far he has eluded the police, so they are now turning to the public for help. Police are warning the public not to approach Nichols as he could be armed and dangerous and has a history of making threatening statements. If you have any information just contact the Rutland City Police Department.

The third concert in Brandon Music’s benefit series for the Compass Music and Arts Center will take place tonight at 7:30PM in the Brandon Congregational Church. This Chamber Music Program will feature Paul Orgel on piano, Flutist Laurel Ann Maurer, and Cello Virtuoso John Dunlop. Friday evening’s program of chamber works includes music by Prokofiev, Martinu, Villa-Lobos, and Haydn. With a varied selection of familiar and new music, this concert will appeal to a wide audience. For ticket information and to learn more about CMAC, visit www.Brandon-Music.net.

An informational meeting about the South Street & Green Mountain Place Project will be held on Thursday, April 5 at 5:00pm in the MVAA Conference Room. The Town's Project Engineer and Staff will present a summary of utility work that includes; water, sewer, electricity and telecommunications, roadwork and traffic flow. A preliminary project construction schedule will also be presented. Stay up to date by visiting the Town Of Middlebury’s Website.

The House has given its strong support to legislation that's designed to provide opportunities to strengthen the state's agricultural sector. The legislation allocates just over $2 million to help launch new businesses and to create a manufacturing and processing infrastructure to support those ventures. Backers of the bill said the legislation is needed if Vermont is going to maintain a working landscape for decades to come. Shoreham Rep. Will Stevens said the bill is a way to ensure that Vermont's agriculture industry remains a vital part of the state's overall economy. It will come up for final approval in the House today and then be considered in the Senate.

Brandon Police are seeking information about a pair of break-ins this week that resulted in the theft of thousands of dollars worth of items and money. The first break-in occurred sometime during the day on Tuesday when someone broke into a home on Marshall Phillips Road. Police said several hundred dollars were stolen along with chain saws and video games and players. On Wednesday, another home was broken into on Smalley Road where the homeowner reported that jewelry and savings bonds were stolen. Police say they believe a vehicle was used in both crimes. Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call Brandon police at 247-0222.

The Rutland Development Review Board has said the West Street Armory can become a print shop. The DRB voted to approve a variance for Keith’s II of Pittsford to move its screen-printing and embroidery business to the Rutland building. Daniel Keith put in a bid for the building when the state put it up for sale following the completion of the new reserve center off Post Road. Keith’s II does contract printing and embroidery for sports programs regionally and nationally. Keith said he would move 20 existing employees to the building and use the extra space to add three to five more.

The State Health Department has banned the sale of synthetic marijuana, and Essex County advocates who were leading the fight say they're relieved. The Essex County Board of Supervisors had debated passing a law banning synthetic marijuana, commonly called K2 or Spice, but decided to hold off to see what the state would do. That action came yesterday when the State Health Commissioner issued an emergency order immediately banning the sale of synthetic marijuana products in New York.

An out-of-the-area man whose canoe capsized on Lake George near Ticonderoga was rescued safely. Ticonderoga Town Police said an unidentified resident heard the man's cries for help on Black Point Road Wednesday afternoon and took a rowboat out to pull the canoeist to safety. Police said he was in the frigid water for about 20 minutes before being rescued but had been wearing a life jacket. He told police a wave capsized the canoe.

The tentative Schroon Lake Central School budget reduces hours for 10 teachers but doesn't include any layoffs and it also exceeds the district's tax-cap limit. That means the budget must be OK'd by 60 percent of those voting in the school election. The proposed 2012-13 budget includes a 3.99 percent tax-levy increase, from $5.86 million this year to $6.09 million. The total spending plan is $7.23 million compared to $7.4 million this year.

Essex County will get $65,000 from a state grant to bolster inter-county hazardous-materials response coordination. The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services made the award to Essex County and participating partners Clinton, Franklin, Washington and Warren counties will share the money. The HazMat Grant Program focuses on the development of regional partnerships to enhance hazardous-materials response capabilities.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce will host OneWorkSource and the InternetXpress @ Your Library services Open House at the Chamber office on Wednesday, April 18th from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The Open Houses are available to employers, employees, and community members in the Ticonderoga area. The services will be provided initially once a month on the third Wednesday of the month unless otherwise advertised. For more information about the Open Houses at the Chamber Office visit www.ticonderogany.com.

Shoppers are about to get a yearlong break from the state sales tax on some clothing and footwear bought in New York. The state tax department says that as of April 1, the 4 percent tax won't be collected on items that cost less than $110, a limit raised from $55 during the past year. Most local governments will continue to collect their sales taxes.

The man who was identified only by his middle name, "Luke", and had been reported missing March 26, in West Rutland has been found. Vermont State Police said he was located yesterday and reported that Edward "Luke" Furneaux returned home during the morning hours of March 29th on his own accord.

Vermont State Police say they located Paulden Sherpa yesterday morning walking south on Route 7 in the town of South Wallingford. Police provided Sherpa a ride back to Spring Lake Ranch Treatment center where he was reported missing. Vermont State Police responded yesterday afternoon to a report of a missing person from the Spring Lake Ranch Treatment Center.

While Governor Peter Shumlin has been declining to say whether he's running for a second term this fall, he let something slip to a website, sort of. He admitted to the Capital Hill website Political he's campaigning among fellow governors to become the next chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. But, that slot only comes open after the current governor steps down, meaning Shumlin would have to still be governor in 2013. A Shumlin aide confirmed the story on Politico was accurate.

State lawmakers have approved six more years on the bench for two judges and a magistrate. The votes were an example of the state's judicial retention process, in which the legislature reviews judges' performance every six years and then votes in a joint session on whether to retain them. Some years the judges up for review draw heated debate, but this year the process was a quiet one.

Vermont townspeople say they don't know much about a woman who married an area resident and is now charged in a teacher's bizarre killing. Patricia Prue and husband Allen are accused of luring Melissa Jenkins with a story about a broken-down car and then taking her life. The Waterford Town Clerk says Allen Prue's family has had hard times but they weren't "bad news." Patricia Prue married Allen last year. Her ex-husband Jeffrey Witkoff lives in Littleton, CO. He says she recently requested a restraining order on him even though they hadn't talked in a couple of years. Patricia Prue's lawyer says he hasn't met with her yet.

Some of Melissa Jenkins' fellow teachers at St. Johnsbury Academy were handing out pink ribbons yesterday, to be worn in memory of Jenkins and support of her grieving family. Friends are calling for people across the state to honor Jenkins by wearing pink today. And a public memorial service will be held this afternoon in the Alumni Memorial Gymnasium at the high school at 4PM with as many as 1,400 people expected to attend.

President Barack Obama visits Vermont today. The president will arrive around 11:30 this morning and attend a pair of fundraising events; one at the Sheraton Hotel in South Burlington, the other at the University of Vermont. The movement of the president's motorcade from the airport to those venues will result in numerous road closures. Warning signs are up on Interstates 89 and 189 and on secondary roads around the area, advising motorists to expect 15-minute delays during the president's visit.

A top Vermont utility regulator is defending the proposed merger between the state's two biggest utilities, while skeptical lawmakers are questioning how a payback to ratepayers is being structured. Commissioner Elizabeth Miller of the Department of Public Service spoke to the Senate Economic Development Committee yesterday about the $21 million in extra payments CVPS ratepayers were ordered to make to the company a decade ago to keep it out of bankruptcy. Some consumer advocates and lawmakers say those ratepayers should be repaid in cash, but Miller's department has endorsed a plan by the utilities to put the money into heating efficiency in the CVPS territory. Lawmakers also are questioning the fact that after the merged company puts the money up, it will get it back over time.

Vermont lawmakers are planning to pay tribute to Lola Aiken, the widow of the late Sen. George Aiken, who is turning 100 this year. Today lawmakers will take up a resolution wishing Aiken a happy birthday and celebrating her long involvement in Vermont politics and civic work. Lola Aiken first became known as the chief of staff and later wife of the George Aiken, who served as governor and then U.S. senator. George Aiken died in 1984 at age 92. He retired from the Senate in 1975. Lola Aiken turns 100 in June.