WVTK Local & State News April 11, 2012

The Addison County Humane Society is looking for your help with a wonderful cat that was brought into the shelter yesterday morning. His name is Murphy and he is a beautiful black and white tuxedo male approximately 2 years old. He was brought to ACHS after being hit by a car. He’s been tested for Feline AIDS and Leukemia and he is negative. They then immediately took him to the animal hospital for x-rays. The x-rays show that he has a broken pelvic socket, which will require surgery to repair. The medical costs are estimated to be approximately $800, which is more than they have in their general funds for any single animal. He’s stolen the hearts of everyone at the Shelter as he is super friendly and will make a wonderful addition to someone’s family. They are asking for donations to help cover the costs associated with his medical care. Donations can be sent directly to ACHS with note in the memo section “For Murphy” or can be made directly through their website through PayPal at www.addisonhumane.org.

Several new jobs are coming to Porter Medical Center. The Middlebury hospital has hired seven new family practice physicians to try and counteract a shortage of doctors in the county. The hospital currently has 40 primary care providers.

The city of Vergennes is deciding whether allowing a nativity scene in the city park during the Christmas holiday is constitutional. The issue includes the separation of church and state and last night, Vergennes City Council members discussed a possible compromise on a more than 70-year tradition. Mayor Michael Daniels said one citizen noted that they weren't following the constitution by proper signage and he wants to make sure they are following it. The mayor says Tuesday's meeting was only to draft policy and a decision will not be made until later.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services presented 38 citizenship candidates to the Vermont District Court during a special venue naturalization ceremony at the Beeman Elementary School in New Haven on Monday. According to spokeswoman Anita Moore of the USCIS, naturalization ceremonies in Vermont are judicial ceremonies and with court approval the ceremony was held at the Beeman Elementary School to increase public awareness of the U.S. citizenship process and to enhance the schools curriculum.

The on-again, off-again reports that IHOP is coming to Rutland are on again. Sam Handy, whose family owns the IHOP on Dorset Street in South Burlington, said that he’s looking at a couple of sites in Rutland, including the Midway Diner property on South Main Street. Handy Family Enterprises received an Act 250 permit more than three years ago to build an IHOP adjacent to their Ponderosa restaurant on Route 7 in Rutland Town but Handy said at that time it took so long to receive the permit that the project was put on hold.

Small bakers and gymnasiums may soon come off the rooms, meals and entertainment tax in Rutland City. The Charter and Ordinance Committee voted to recommend bringing the city’s 1 percent tax in line with the state’s rooms and meals tax by adding language exempting licensed home bakers with gross sales averaging less than $125 a week and to remove gym memberships and fitness classes from the list of items considered “entertainment.” Both votes were unanimous.

The Moriah Central School Board will hold a budget meeting at 6PM next Tuesday the 17th to present and adopt a proposed budget for the 2012-13 school year. The regular monthly School Board meeting will follow the session, both in the High School library.

Two out of three potential purchasers of Essex County's Horace Nye Nursing Home have put in higher bids. The new figures, released yesterday, show Eliot Management Group of Monsey bid $4,100,000 and Centers for Specialty Care of New York City put in a bid of $4,050,000, while the third original bidder, Gerald Woods, CPA, of Baldwin, declined to submit another offer. County Manager Daniel Palmer said a sale may not ultimately be to the highest bidder but to the one the board believes would be best for Essex County residents.

Even dollar stores can fall victim to embezzlement. Police arrested Sabra Notte of Rutland, for allegedly stealing $10,000 from the Dollar General Store in Fair Haven. Police say she used her position as manager to steal the money over a two-month period.

After a much warmer than usual winter and early spring, snow finally returned to Vermont. Monday and Tuesday mountain ski resorts received more than a foot of fresh snow, which was much appreciated by snowboarders and skiers. Forty trails and two lifts are currently open at Killington Mountain, while at Jay Peak 37 trails and four lifts are open.

A Vermont legislative panel is hearing today from farmers and agriculture officials about ways to increase the price Vermont dairy farmers are paid for their milk. Members of the Vermont Senate's Agriculture Committee are worried about a decline in milk prices projected for the coming months, as well as changes to federal farm programs that most farmers won't find favorable. The hearing is to address the steps dairy cooperatives are taking to ensure that Vermont dairy farmers receive the highest price possible for their milk, and what the Legislature can do to help.

Vermont's annual Green Up Day is taking on an extra challenge this year. The annual spring-cleaning ritual has drawn thousands of Vermonters to roadsides and stream banks over the years. The 2012 edition, taking place May 5, is expected to involve some extra work, due to debris left by the flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. Green Up organizers are working with local long-term recovery committees to coordinate efforts and focus on areas that still need cleanup from Irene.

Striking teachers and school administrators in the Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union are expected to head back to the bargaining table today. The teachers are entering their seventh day of a strike. Negotiations between the teachers and boards of the Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union broke down last week over work rules.

Two Vermont House committees have heard from utility executives, business leaders and a former state regulator that it would be a bad idea for the Legislature to intervene in the Public Service Board's deliberations over a proposed merger between Vermont's two largest power companies. At issue in yesterday’s hearing before the House committees on Commerce and Natural Resources and Energy is a plan for the merged company to refund $21 million to CVPS ratepayers through energy efficiency measures.

Vermont State Police are looking for a Swanton man who they say is a person of interest in an armed robbery of a Swanton convenience store last month. Police are asking for the public's help in finding 22-year-old Christopher Davis, who has been missing since March 27th. Family members reported him missing three days later.

Vermont State Police say a male nurse is facing charges he sexually exploited a female inmate at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Center in South Burlington, the state's prison for women. 36-year-old Thomas Njuguna of Colchester was arrested Tuesday and processed at the Williston State Police barracks. He is due in court May 8. Police say he is no longer employed by the Department of Corrections.

Three University of Vermont students are pleading not guilty to burglary charges in what police say was a break in and vandalism at a residence hall under construction on the Burlington campus. The project's developer estimates damages could range from $25,000 to $50,000 for broken windows, roof repairs and cleanup. They said toilets awaiting installation was thrown out windows. The Burlington Free Press reports the incident happened April 3rd and UVM police arrested the three on the premises.

It's that time, late in the Vermont legislative session, when lawmakers begin making what might appear to be strange combinations of bills to get stalled legislation passed. On Tuesday, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee decided to attach right-to-die legislation to a bill that would bar tanning salons from offering their services to anyone younger than 18. The more hotly debated of those two measures is the legislation allowing doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to terminally ill patients who want to end their lives. The fate of the measure looks uncertain at best.

One week after a court ruling, Colchester's select-board members said they still haven't decided if they'll appeal. If the result stands, the town may be forced to pay back millions to cottage and camp owners. Cottage and camp owners won a lawsuit against the town of Colchester last week. A judge agreed with their double-taxation claim, and has ordered them repaid. At Tuesday's select-board meeting, Colchester residents wanted to know how that would affect the books. The town is likely to makeup for lost funds by increasing the property tax on area landowners in the future.

An environmental group is appealing a decision by the U.S. Forest Service that would allow the construction of 15 wind turbines in the towns of Searsburg and Readsboro. The appeal by the group Vermonters for a Clean Environment says the Deerfield Wind project would hurt the wilderness and the quality of the water. The group plans to file a formal complaint in federal court after an appeal to the Forest Service was denied in February.

The state of Vermont is still looking for a buyer for an Essex office building it has never used. The state bought the former IBM building in the Saxon Hill Industrial Park nearly five years ago with the idea of locating the State's forensic and health department labs there. The $40 million renovation price tag stalled the plan. With FEMA set to move out of the building this summer, it's back on the market with a $7 million price tag. State officials say poor lighting and other problems make the offices ill suited for relocating workers displaced by Irene.

An All-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is set for this Sunday, from 7-11 AM at the Addison Fire Station located at the junction of Routes 17 and 22A in Addison. Admission price is $6 for adults, $4 for youth under age 12. This event will benefit of the Addison Volunteer Fire Department. The menu includes plain and blueberry pancakes, sausage, bacon, home fries, coffee, hot chocolate, and orange juice. Funds will be used to purchase equipment. This will be their last breakfast until the autumn.

One of the best-kept secrets in television history has been unmasked, with "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening revealing the Springfield in Oregon is the basis for the hometown of his characters. The admission came in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine online yesterday. Groening says he was inspired by the television show "Father Knows Best," which took place in a place called Springfield. Springfield, OR is 100 miles south of Groening's hometown of Portland.