WVTK Local & State News March 8, 2012

On Town Meeting Day Voters in Hinesburg said no to a nearly $3 million bond issue that would have provide the town with a hybrid police and fire facility, meeting room, and a community green park. Voters defeated the measure 877-460. They did however approve $487,106 for the police department budget.

Organizers say the effort to urge Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to help keep money from having too much influence in politics was passed by 58 Vermont communities on Town Meeting Day. State. Sen. Virginia Lyons says there is a number of communities that considered the “corporate personhood” amendment issue Tuesday that still haven't reported their results. Lyons says two towns failed to pass the issue.

Police have expanded their search in last month's deadly hit-and-run crash in Rutland. Officers initially believed the vehicle that struck and took the life of Deborah Campbell and injured her wheelchair-bound husband was red based on a mark found on the wheelchair, but they now believe the mark was pre-existing. Police also say that because no debris from the car was found at the scene, there may be no visible damage to the car. Instead, they're asking you to take note of vehicle owners' behavior as that, more than a dent or a scratch, could be a sign of guilt. Witnesses reported a white SUV fleeing the scene. Police say they have since located that car and have ruled the driver out as a suspect.

One of our fine local companies is making its debut at the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. Games made by Maple Landmark Woodcraft of Middlebury won't be on exhibit, but will soon be sold at Smithsonian gift shops. Sales Manager Jill Stackhouse says she had always wanted to sell to the Smithsonian but never had any luck. That was, until last year when Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed he visited a Smithsonian gift shop and found no American-made products. Sanders' office helped the shop get in contact with the museum and the toys will be on store shelves any day now.

Federal prosecutors say a Brooklyn, NY man has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for conspiring to sell cocaine and heroin in Rutland. 23-year-old Floyd Artis was sentenced on Wednesday. He bought heroin and crack cocaine from sources in Brooklyn and then sold the drugs in Rutland between the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009. Officials say he committed the crime while on probation for a felony drug offense in Vermont.

The Ticonderoga town board has asked its attorney to review the local fire district budget to determine if it was adopted legally. Ticonderoga Fire District commissioners are confident the budget meets all statutory requirements. The 2012 fire district budget totals $323,590, which is a 22 percent increase from the 2011 spending plan. The new state tax cap requires that any tax increase of more than 2 percent be approved by 60 percent of a governing body. Ticonderoga Supervisor Deb Malaney believes fire commissioners acted properly, but wants to be certain. That’s why the town board has asked the town attorney for an opinion.

There's enough evidence of wrongdoing by two county employees for the Essex County Ethics Board to hold disciplinary hearings behind closed doors. County Attorney Daniel Manning III said the pair is involved in possible ethics violations, but he wouldn't release names. Manning also would not say if any of the individuals are public officials.

Vermont's governor and education commissioner want algebra and geometry to be required for Vermont students to graduate from high school. They say the proposed change would better prepare students for jobs, college and training after graduation and improve their performance on tests. The latest test results released last month show a significant drop in math scores when Vermont students enter high school. Most schools require students to take three years of math but don't specify which courses. The proposed change, which must be approved by the state Board of Education, would require algebra I for 9th graders and geometry for 10th graders this fall.

Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to hear from Vermonters about dental care. He has been speaking up recently about what he terms a crisis in the lack of affordable dental care for Americans. He says he wants to hear Vermonters' stories at a town meeting he's organizing this weekend at Montpelier High School. The event is set for Saturday morning. Refreshments will be served at 10:30 with the meeting set to get under way at 11.

Less than a week into his new gig as head of Vermonters for Health Care Freedom, Jeff Wennberg is wasting little time pleading for bucks from opponents of Peter Shumlin’s single-payer proposal. In a fundraising letter shipped to inboxes this morning, Wennberg said the governor’s health care “scheme” “goes against our freedom, thriftiness and independence.” Wennberg isn’t looking to play small ball. The letters asks for $50, $100, $500 or $1,000 “to protect your health care freedom.” The money, Wennberg says, will be used in part to continue radio attack ads aired first under Johnston’s watch.

Vermont Air National Guard officials are planning to outline staffing changes at the South Burlington base as a result of a new Air Force staffing proposal. The number of personnel at the Vermont Air Guard base is expected to increase by six full-time positions by October 2013. However, that gain comes mostly from replacing full-time Air National Guardsmen with active-duty personnel. The changes are part of $487 billion in reductions approved by Congress last year.

The Burlington Telecom and Citibank controversy will not be heard in court today as planned. Citibank filed a preliminary injunction that would require Burlington Telecom to give up its equipment. It's part of the $33 million lawsuit Citibank filed against Burlington Telecom for its failure to make payments. The city owned utility has already absorbed $17 million in taxpayer money for this case, which has been rescheduled for next Thursday.

Wilmington voters approved a tax hike this week. Tropical Storm Irene wiped out the town's entire business district. They're hoping a one percent sales tax on meals and alcohol will help them rebuild. The tax is expected to take affect July 1. Those opposed to the tax say it will turn away tourists, which is the town's main source of income. 70 percent of the sales tax income will go to the town the other 30 percent will go to the state.

The town of Athens can no longer afford its public library. On Tuesday the town voted to close the library that's been in the town since 1895. The Brattleboro Reformer is reporting citizens who voted to keep the library open are now considering starting their own free library with donated books. So far one woman has 4,000 books that have been donated.

New England's unemployment rate was significantly lower than the national average in 2011, with Rhode Island the only state in the region that posted a higher average for the year. The New England office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the regional jobless rate was 7.7%, down eight-tenths of a point from 2010. Rhode Island's rate was 11.3%, down four-tenths of a point. Four of the region's six states had averages considerably lower than the national average with Vermont at 5.6%. The national average for 2011 was 8.9%.

With less than two weeks before the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's initial 40-year license period expires, questions remain about the plant's future. A recent federal court ruling sent back to the state Public Service Board the question of whether the plant would get a new state permit to operate for another 20 years. It won federal approval to do so about a year ago. But the board recently asked lawyers for Vermont Yankee owner Entergy Corp., the state and anti-nuclear groups questions indicating there's a possibility the plant might have to shut down on March 21. The board has scheduled a hearing on the status of the plant for Friday.

The ten-state Republican Super Tuesday presidential contest generated more than 530,000 comments on social media over 24 hours, far outpacing any other primary or caucus night so far. Bluefin Labs, a Cambridge, MA social analytic company that tracks digital chatter around television, tabulated the comments on Twitter, Facebook and other social media. Men accounted for 64% of the social media comments about the race, while women offered 36%. A CNN debate in October received 548,000 comments, the most of any campaign event so far. Super Tuesday placed second.

Kennedy Taylor wants to be a runner. Sadly, illness is keeping the Moriah Central School fifth grade student on the sidelines, so others will run for her this Sunday. The Run/Walk for Kennedy will start and finish at Moriah Central School. Registration for the 5-kilometer event will begin at 9AM with the run-walk at 9:30AM. There is no entry fee, but donations will be accepted. Proceeds will go the Taylor family. The course will go from the school to Taylor’s home so she can see the runners as they pass by.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center's Norris Cotton Cancer Center employees are testing a machine developed at the facility, which records high levels of radiation. The noninvasive device scans teeth and then records radiation level in them on a portable computer. Doctors say high levels of radiation are permanently stored in teeth, making mouths a natural fit for testing for exposure. Currently, they say, there is no portable way of testing a large quantity of people for radiation exposure all at once. With help from millions of dollars in federal research grants, Norris Cotton is collaborating with General Electric to make thousands of the machines. The goal is to get accurate radiation readings as quickly as possible to speed up treatment and hopefully save lives. By August 2016, the Cancer Center hopes to have Food and Drug Administration approval from the machines and mass production.

Judges at the 2012 World Champion Cheese Contest in Madison, Wisconsin presented Cabot with a blue ribbon for its sharp cheddar aged two years or more. The top rating in that category means the cheese was also selected as one of the 16 best overall. More than 2,500 products from all over the world were entered this year. The competition is held every 2 years.