WVTK Local & State News May 4, 2012

Police and search crews found the body of the missing Monkton man early Friday morning. Police say, after searching through the night, a New England K9 Search and Rescue unit located the body of 65-Year-Old Ralph Meader in the water around 4:30. His body was found approximately 50 feet from the shoreline in a swamp off the east side of the Bristol Road. Police do not believe Meader's death is suspicious and his body is being sent for an autopsy. Meader was reported missing after he didn't return home Thursday night from a walk. He was an avid hiker and nature enthusiast.

The Middlebury Maple Run “The Sweetest Half” is coming up this Sunday morning here in Middlebury! Online registration is now closed. You may register in person tomorrow from 4 to 7 PM at the Middlebury Inn or race morning, from 7:30 to 8:45 AM. Payment must be made by cash or check only, as they will not accept credit cards. Now in its fourth year, the Middlebury Maple Run - The Sweetest Half has earned a reputation as being well organized and friendly. Please be aware there will be some traffic delays this Sunday morning around the racecourse, for the safety of our runners, volunteers and guests your patience is much appreciated! Get the inside scoop about the Half Marathon and Two Person Relay by clicking HERE!

Businesses in the town of Brandon will be open later hours the first Friday of every month throughout the summer. Starting today, the First Friday initiative by the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce, will keep the lights on and doors open until 9 this evening. Chamber president and downtown merchant Beth Carr said they recognize that many people who work out of town all week do not have the chance to shop locally. They hope with the longer hours it will attract more customers to the downtown to shop and get something to eat. For more information, contact the Brandon Area of Chamber of Commerce at 247-6401 or email info@brandon.org.

You are invited to join the Addison County Chamber of Commerce next Wednesday for a presentation on "Federal and State Health Care Reform: Major Changes and Impacts Coming Soon for Employers and Employees” The event runs from 8 – 9:30AM in the Community Room at the Ilsley Public Library. Cost is only $5 for Chamber members and $10 for non-members. Coffee and pastries will be provided. Get more information and RSVP to Sue Hoxie by visiting Addison County Dot Com.

The Chittenden County Transportation Authority and Addison County Transit Resources will be hosting a ribbon-cutting event for the 116 Commuter bus route at the Hinesburg Town Hall Park and Ride on Monday, May 14th from 7:30 – 8:30AM. At 7:30, coffee and donuts will be served. There will be a drawing for a free 10-ride commuter pass at 7:59. Then at 8AM, the official ribbon cutting ceremony will begin with Secretary of Transportation Brian Searles cutting the ribbon followed by several transportation officials sharing a few words about the unique collaboration that brought this route to life and public transit in Vermont. The event will also officially kick off the Way to Go! Commuter Challenge week and include a proclamation from the Governor.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce May “After Business Mixer” will be held on Thursday, May 24th at Fort Ticonderoga from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Sponsors providing door prizes will be Christopher Chevrolet, George Sperry Marine Survey and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. The Chambers “After Business Mixers” provide a networking forum for area business people in addition to showcasing the site of the host as well as promoting the door prize sponsors. All area chamber members, business people and their employees are invited to attend. Get all of the details at www.ticonderogany.com.

The head of the Essex County Prevention Team voiced his concern over the return of a beer tent to the Essex County Fair in Westport. Director Doug Terbeek said that while his organization was not about doing away with alcohol, they felt the fairgrounds was not an appropriate place to operate a beer tent. He started his comments by commending the board for their approach to the subject. The Ways and Means Committee passed a resolution to allow the return of a beer tent on a one-year trial basis at the fair, which will be voted on by the full board at its May 7 meeting.

Ticonderoga residents are being reminded that Section 8 of the animal control law requires any owner or custodian of an animal, to dispose of any waste in a safe and sanitary manner. The law provides for a fine of $25 to $50 for a first offense and fines of $50 to $100 for repeat offenses. The Ti dog control officer and the Ti Police Department have been directed to enforce the law. The Ticonderoga law bans pets from Bicentennial Park, Veterans Park and the Black Point beach. Pets are allowed on other public properties but must be leashed at all times. Meanwhile Ticonderoga will host a rabies clinic for local pets 6 to 7 PM on Tuesday, May 15th at the Armory. Pets attending must be either leashed or caged. Tonya Thompson, Ticonderoga town clerk, has also announced plans for a dog enumeration this summer. She noted all dogs, 3 months and older, must be licensed. Licenses cost $5 for neutered or spayed dogs and $15 for others. Licenses will be on sale during the May 15th rabies clinic.

Green Up Day is the name and greening up Vermont is the goal. More people than ever plan to participate in the annual event. An estimated 15,000 people will fill thousands of green garbage bags with trash that's found on the side of the road this Saturday. The main reason for the additional volunteers is because of damage still seen from Tropical Storm Irene. Green Up Vermont is partnering with the Governor's Irene recovery team for the annual clean up event. Find out how you can get involved by clicking HERE!

High school teams from around Vermont will be tested on their financial literacy and knowledge of economics. The Vermont Treasurer's office, along with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, is holding the quiz-show style contest today in Montpelier, to pick a champion to compete this fall in the Reserve Cup Challenge in Boston.

Parents in Vermont can continue using a philosophical exemption to avoid having their kids get the vaccine shots normally required to attend school or child care. The Vermont House yesterday overwhelmingly approved a conference committee recommendation that rejects what had been attempts to boost vaccination rates by ending the philosophical exemption.

Vermont House and Senate negotiators have agreed on a budget for fiscal 2013, likely clearing the way to wrap up their business for the year by Saturday. The House Majority Leader told her House colleagues on Thursday evening that they would have 24 hours to review the conference committee agreement before taking final action on the budget late today. Agreement was reached after the Senate agreed to drop two policy issues it added to the $5 billion spending plan, a measure allowing child care workers to unionize and another directing the Public Service Board on how to handle ratepayer repayments connected with a merger of Vermont's two largest power companies. Lawmakers still need to agree on a tax bill.

Vermont lawmakers appear to be at an impasse over Gov. Peter Shumlin's proposal to let police get information from the Health Department's prescription drug database without first getting a search warrant. A House-Senate conference committee has met repeatedly over the past two days, with the House side insisting on search warrants and senators saying they'll make the process too cumbersome for police.

There were some scary moments for about 7-hundred workers in Saint Albans Yesterday after a suspicious package was found inside the US immigration office. The bomb squad was called in to investigate and turns out a musical card was to blame. Fox 44's Nick Natario has more. What may have looked like a training session at the u-s immigration building in Saint Albans, Vermont Thursday.... was not. Alarms alerted about 7 hundred employees to get out of the building...while police and other agencies guarded the entrances. All because one of the mailroom workers noticed something wasn't right with a package. "There was an x-ray of the package and the x-ray lead it to be a suspect package." Suspect because of the electronic pieces inside. "I don't know, it's a package that's supposed to be documents. We got wires, we got a circuit board, we have a battery. "Another reason police say they acted so quickly is because this building was on heightened alert just days after the 1 year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin laden.” The employees were sent home before the state bomb squad and HAZMAT crews arrived. Dressed in protective gear...they used this robot inside to examine the package. After more than three hours of waiting...we finally found out what caused all the chaos. A musical greeting card. "You have to be safe 100% of the time so I don't apologize that we aired on the side of caution.” The building re-opened later in the day. US immigration officials say the card was attached to a visa application.

They're tiny, but they carry a potentially devastating disease. We're talking Lyme Disease. Experts say you need to be aware that ticks are a lot more prevalent this year...thanks to the early warm up last month. Symptoms to look for include a rash, flu-like illnesses, and swollen joints. About 600 cases of Lyme Disease are reported each year in Vermont. Using repellent, tucking your pants into your socks - and doing daily head to toe tick checks can prevent bites. But if you do find one, it should be removed quickly. Just use a fine-point tweezers and grasp the tick as close as possible to your body and then gently and steadily pull up. State epidemiologist Erica Berl also suggests showering and washing and drying clothes on high heat immediately to kill off any hitchhikers.

A Vermont teacher is facing grand larceny charges that he sold 125 pounds of copper wire that he had taken from the science department at Bellows Free Academy high school in St. Albans. City police say 39-year-old Ian Smith has been a teacher at the school for the last nine years. Police say that in mid-February Smith sold the copper to a Moretown recycling company.
Shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters plunged Thursday following a second quarter earnings report that failed to meet the company's estimates. Late Thursday morning, shares in the Waterbury Company had fallen nearly 46 percent to $26.89 a share on volume of 30 million shares.

Governor Cuomo announced FreshConnect grants to help provide low-income and underserved communities with New York farm products. FreshConnects grants to 34 projects around the state and increases access to NY farm products for residents in low-income and underserved areas.

The Official Event Program marking the Grand Celebration of the new Lake Champlain Bridge is coming! Available at the event and for sale in advance at selected businesses the official event program includes a full schedule of events and performers, site maps, and listings of all the food and craft vendors. The cost is $3 and a portion of the proceeds goes to help fund the celebration. The program is loaded with photos and feature articles about the new bridge. Learn more about this incredible weekend of celebration coming up May 19th & 20th by clicking HERE!

Brandon Music will present the Jonathan Lorentz Trio, this Sunday at 7PM. The concert is a part of the year-round weekly "Sunday Jazz" series and is a benefit for the new Compass Music and Arts Center. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Lorentz will perform at Brandon Music with bassist Anthony Santor and drummer Gabe Jarrett. Get more information on CMAC and reserve tickets today by visiting www.brandon-music.net!

Rutland's 43rd annual Loyalty Day Parade will be held downtown at 2PM this Sunday. The annual event is Vermont's largest parade and is sponsored by the Rutland Veterans of Foreign Wars. Rutland's parade began in 1959 although the first Loyalty Day was celebrated in 1921 as a response to the communist's International Workers Day. It is officially observed on May 1st. It was made a legal holiday by the U.S. Congress on July 18, 1958. Vermont National Guard Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie will be the Marshall of this year's downtown parade.

The Marble Valley Players will present the Agatha Christie whodunit, “The Mousetrap,” Today through the 12th at the West Rutland Town Hall Theater. This year marks the 60th anniversary of “The Mousetrap,” which opened in London’s West End in 1952. For details and tickets just visit www.paramounttickets.org.