WVTK Local & State News April 10, 2012

The Town of Middlebury will hold its regular Select board Meeting this evening in the Town Offices Conference Room at 7. Items on the agenda include Citizen Comments, Nominations and Appointments to Town Boards and Commissions, Appointments to the Business Development Fund Advisory Board and Approval of the Phase II contract with Breadloaf for the Fire Facilities. Full details are available on the Town Of Middlebury’s Website.

Last Friday evening Vermont State Police conducted a check on a vehicle parked off of Old Jerusalem Road in Leicester. The State Police seized the vehicle and applied for a search warrant that was granted by a judge. During the execution of the warrant on the vehicle, marijuana, beer, a hacksaw, and a stolen street sign were found in the vehicle. All of the vehicle's occupants were under 21 years of age. The passengers were Brandon and Leicester area residents Dominick Popp, Brandyn Walsh and Kimberly Walsh. They were cited into the Addison Criminal Division for Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Stolen Property. All teens were issued Notice of Violations for Possession of Alcohol as well.

Vermont State Police are investigating an auto accident that involved a single-vehicle crash on Richville Road, in the area of Shoreham Depot Road that occurred after 10 on Saturday evening. Police said the occupants of the vehicle were observed leaving the scene soon after the accident in another vehicle. The vehicle was apparently traveling westbound on Richville Road and for some reason went off of the westbound shoulder into the front yard of private property causing damage. The vehicle collided with a large tree on the property and overturned. State Police are looking for other eyewitness who may have knowledge of the accident.

Vergennes is drafting rules for holiday displays in the city-owned park. The move comes after a resident raised concern about a nativity scene that appears every December. The City Council has decided to draft a policy saying that private groups must file permits for displays on the green. And they must post a sign saying that the City doesn't endorse or oppose the display. The Vergennes City Council will discuss the draft policy at a meeting this evening at 7 at the Vergennes Opera House.

Once a story about a rash of stolen antiques appeared in the "Burlington Free Press," it didn't take long to reunite the stolen items with owners. The problem was, many were taken from second homes, so not all the owners were aware yet of the thefts. Many had been recovered from the home of a suspect and from a dealer who purchased a lot of stolen pieces. Once word of the break-ins to seasonal homes in Charlotte, Monkton, Hinesburg, North Ferrisburgh and New Haven got out, owners checked their homes and contacted police if they had missing antiques.

Police arrested a German resident for excessive speed in New Haven, Vermont Sunday. According to police, 23-year-old Bianca Maria Fassbender was traveling 94 mph in a 40 mph zone. She had 3 passengers in the car and was traveling through a busy business area with a major intersection. She was booked and was expected to appear in court yesterday.

Three dozen businesses have signed a letter asking state and utility leaders to support the proposed Fair Haven Energy Center project to be located along Route 4 near the State of Vermont’s Fair Haven Welcome Center. The businesses have come together to support the project because they understand that the two-year construction phase of the project will bring 1000 jobs to the area, as well as $1.1 million in annual property taxes. In addition $32 million/year is projected for annual operational spending. The project will also bring 50 jobs at the plant, 180 jobs in the woods, and hundreds of “multiplier” jobs throughout the community.

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 – 3. For more information about the open houses at the chamber office visit www.ticonderogany.com.

Nearly 1,500 checks, totaling $1.4 million in grants, have been mailed to non-profit organizations receiving Stewart’s Holiday Match funds. The money, contributed by customers and the company, will assist local children’s charities in the 30 counties where there are Stewart’s Shops. Since 1986 Stewart’s has been collecting customer donations from Thanksgiving Day through Christmas Day. Stewart’s matches the donations with 100 percent of the funds returning to the communities in which the shops are located.

Teachers in a striking Vermont school district and school administrators are headed back to the bargaining table. Representatives of the 70 teachers and the five schools are going to meet Wednesday with the help of a federal mediator. Monday marked the fourth day of the strike. Negotiations between the teachers and boards of the Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union broke down last week over work rules, such as the time teachers spend with students.

It will take a month before the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union School Boards ratify the new teachers’ union contract. The supervisory union and teachers’ union agreed to a tentative contract and averted a strike last Tuesday. The teachers’ union approved the contract the following day but the details won’t be released until the supervisory union boards also approve it.

A Rochester business hit hard by tropical storm Irene is celebrating its progress months after the storm. Advanced Illumination produces LED lights and when Irene rolled through town it flooded out portions of the company's facility. Storm damage led the company to fast track plans that were already in the works to move the tech business into a new nearby space. Through the storm, recovery and relocation, the company was able to keep its roughly 40 employees on the payroll. Yesterday A-I held an open house to show off its new space and reaffirm its commitment to the community.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Gov. Peter Shumlin and the Vermont Department of Public Service hosted a Vermont Clean Energy Investment Summit yesterday. The goal of the conference was to determine how the state could become a model for the nation in moving more aggressively toward energy efficiency and developing sustainable sources of clean energy. Sanders said Vermont could become a showcase for the best ways to address climate change. He focused on two ways to reverse global warming and create good paying jobs in the process by bolstering investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy.

The state is creating smoke-free areas outdoors at New York state parks and historic sites, including around playgrounds and pools. The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation says Monday the smoke-free zones will be around recreation areas, including beaches and picnic shelters. Parks officials say that will protect children and others from the dangers of secondhand smoke and reduce litter from discarded cigarettes. Smoking is already prohibited in all buildings at state parks and historic sites under New York's Clean Indoor Air Act.

New York's Liquor Authority has posted an online map of about 55,000 licensed bars, restaurants and stores selling alcohol statewide, including their disciplinary history and pending applications. The interactive map launched this year also shows where the establishments fit within police precinct boundaries and whether schools and churches are nearby. The website doesn't list pending complaints for violations like selling alcohol to minors until cases are concluded.

A regional hardware chain has given the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance a hefty contribution to do its work. Aubuchon Hardware Stores officials were in Ticonderoga recently to present alliance CEO Justin Woods with $25,000. The funds will go toward start-up capital for the alliance and its partners to develop and implement a comprehensive economic-development strategy. PRIDE of Ticonderoga Executive Director Sharon Reynolds said Aubuchon has always supported the community. Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Matthew Courtright praised the firm's contribution to the alliance. The Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance is a non-profit, local development group whose mission is to restore economic prosperity in the Ticonderoga region.

Vermont Lottery officials announced Monday that a 250-thousand Mega Millions Lottery ticket was sold in Barre for last Friday's draw. The ticket was sold at the Brookside Country Store. The winning numbers were 02-19-20-24-33 and the Mega Ball was 39. The winner has yet to come forward. Lottery officials say three Vermonters have won the Mega Millions 250-thousand prize in the past two weeks.

If you still have the urge to slap on the skis there is still plenty of winter left in the mountains. Killington ski resort received more than seven inches of fresh snow since Sunday. Despite the mild and dry winter, Killington has now been open for 164 days and they plan to stay open through the end of April.

The growth of small dairies nationwide is creating opportunity for entrepreneurs. Major manufacturers long ago gave up producing equipment for small dairies, which seemed to be a thing of the past. But with small dairies opening to meet the demand for locally produced food, the market for equipment for five-cow, 10-sheep and 20-goat operations is seeing a resurgence. A Maryland entrepreneur has developed a small-scale milk pasteurizer that has been sold in about 30 states and a number of other countries. A Vermont farmer has created another small-scale pasteurizer that his company hopes to get approved for sale this summer.

The Central Vermont Hospital in Berlin has received a $1.4 million payment from the federal government because its electronic medical records system has met the requirements of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The standards help hospitals implement medical record systems that will improve patient safety, quality of care and efficiency. The payment is an incentive for meeting the so-called "Meaningful Use" standards. Central Vermont also received $520,000 from the State of Vermont for achieving its Medicaid electronic health record criteria.

The cost of housing in Vermont declined in 2011. According to the Vermont Economy Newsletter's annual housing affordability analysis, the share median family income needed to finance payments on a median priced home in Vermont fell to 13.1% in 2011. The press release states that the housing price used in this analysis is the median price of more than 5,000 residential houses sold in Vermont in 2011. The study does not include vacation homes.