The Preferred Alternative Meeting for the replacement of the Route 125 Bridge #13, Sand Hill Bridge, over the Middlebury River has been rescheduled for August 6th at 7:00 PM. The meeting will take place at the United Methodist Church of Middlebury on Pleasant Street. The intent of the meeting is to briefly review the project details and to present the preferred design alternative for the bridge replacement. The project team will be seeking input from municipal officials, abutting property owners, and the general public in regard to the project improvements. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period with an opportunity for those attending to present any concerns they might have. Representatives from both VTrans and VHB will be available at the meeting to address public concerns about the projects.
There will be a Middlebury Recreation Meeting this Wednesday at 5:30 at the Town Offices. With the transition from Recreation Advisory Board to Recreation Committee, this meeting is intended to keep the momentum going and communication open in planning for the future of the Recreation & Parks Department. Discussion will include an update from the Teen Center, a report on summer programs and a review of the job description for the Director of Recreation & Parks.
The Addison County Chamber of Commerce is set for their July after hours business mixer this Thursday from 4 – 7PM! They'll be doing a block party in downtown Vergennes with more than 20 participating businesses. Please note that the start time is at 4 PM so you can visit all the businesses. Or, just meet at the Bixby Library starting at 5 PM. At the mixer there will be plenty of great door prizes plus a chance to win the Pot of Gold—now valued at $600! If you would like to attend, please RSVP by sending Sue an email, or calling 388-7591 x2. Just visit www.addisoncounty.com for details!
Police are still searching for Jimmy Joe St. Andrews, the suspect in Friday night’s Ticonderoga shooting. Police said St. Andrews of Putnam, was identified by witnesses after shooting another 45-year-old male three times Friday, July 13th on Montcalm St. Police do not think St. Andrews is a threat to the public, but are still warning people not to approach him. They are urging anyone with information to contact Ticonderoga Police at 585-3456. The victim was taken to Moses Ludington Hospital in Ticonderoga before being transported to Albany Medical Center, where he is listed in stable condition.
The Ti-Revitalization Alliance is excited to announce the start of the Ticonderoga Cultural Arts Week, a series if programs and events offered by partners of the Ti-Alliance Cultural Arts Initiative. Starting this Friday the week will offer music, theater, crafts, and other events. Beginning with the 1st Annual St. Mary's Summer Festival from the 20th-22nd, there will be events each afternoon/evening up until the closing even on Saturday, July 28th, with a whole day of events planned, including Ticonderoga's Annual StreetFest, the Fort Clambake and Adirondack Jazz Orchestra. Learn more by visiting www.ticonderoga-alliance.org.
According to a new report Visitors to Essex County last year spent more and were younger and more outdoor-oriented than usual. They spent $89 for every $1 the Lake Placid-based Essex County Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) expended in marketing to attract them. The study estimates visitor spending in Essex County went from $89 million in 2010 to $117 million last year, based on those who visited because of Sustainable Tourism’s marketing. Also, people who visited Essex County as a result of social media like Facebook and Twitter spent more money than those who came through print or Internet ads.
New York college students are among those helped, though only temporarily, by recent changes to federally subsidized student-loan programs. Interest rates on subsidized student loans were slated to increase to 6.8 percent on July 1st, however, Congress voted recently to keep them at 3.4 percent until July 1st, 2013. And while the decision is good news for students planning to take out a loan within the next year, it doesn’t help future waves of college goers. At Clinton Community College alone, 779 students received subsidized loans worth a total of $2.35 million during the 2011-12 school year.
Killington's Select Board is planning to make over the entrance to the central Vermont resort town along Route 4 and Route 100. The goal, town officials say, is to create "a true sense of arrival" to the biggest ski area in the east. The Board hopes the project will also improve pedestrian accessibility and traffic safety. Last year, the town received a transportation enhancement grant from the Agency of Transportation to fund a study of the proposed project. The initial cost estimate is just over $2 million, 75 percent of which could potentially come from state and federal sources.
The teen center in Fair Haven is in a financial crisis. It has just enough to get through expenses until the end of the month but after that it will have to close. The Loft 89 Teen Center's board of directors have set an emergency meeting for Thursday where they will decide whether to stay open or close the center's doors. According to the board fundraising was put on the back burner and any funds they had were quickly dried up.
The Town of Proctor has set water and sewer rates. Proctor residents will only see a tiny
increase in their town utility bills this year. The Select Board recently set rates for the coming year that
reflect only a $5 increase for residents and no increases for non-residents. Sewer
rates for residents remain unchanged. Town utility bills are paid in two
installments annually with the first half-payment due by September 15 for water
bills. Sewer bills are due by October 15.
For those of you who know whom you plan on voting
for, you can cast your ballot now for the Vermont State Primary. While the primary itself isn't until
August 28th, that's usually a high-vacation month, so people can vote now
rather than later. However, don't
expect any early trends, or a faster election night with so many votes cast
earlier. The Secretary of State's
office says the ballots are all counted at the same time. If you want an absentee one, you can
get those at your town clerk's office, or request for one by mail.
So where do you think the experts say are top
places to raise children?
Apparently there's something in the air or water, because New England
cities claimed the top three spots in the list put out by Parenting-dot-com of
family-friendly cities. The new list
ranks Boston first, Burlington second and Portland, Maine third. The survey of 100 cities says you don't
have to be a skier to appreciate Burlington, as there's plenty to offer year
'round. The school district's Farm
2 School program provides fresh, locally grown veggies to the schools, and kids
get to go the farms to see the connection between the farms and their dinner
tables. The report says with parks
at every turn and plenty of snow, Burlington is an idyllic place to raise kids.
Gov. Peter Shumlin has raised more than $676,000 for his re-election campaign. Shumlin faces Republican state Sen. Randy Brock in the November election. Candidates have until the end of the day today to file their first campaign finance reports of this election cycle. Shumlin's campaign says it has spent $51,000 and has $625,000 of cash in hand.
Vermont's corrections commissioner says a citizens' review panel formed seven years ago after a spate of inmate suicides and other deaths of people in custody has been suspended and may be disbanded. Corrections Commissioner Andrew Pallito says the way the Corrections Citizens' Advisory Group has been operating in recent years it has become a waste of time and resources. He adds that the department gets significant public scrutiny even without the panel, mainly through the Legislature's Corrections Oversight Committee.
An invasive insect that has destroyed hemlock trees from Georgia through southern New England is spreading in Vermont. The hemlock woolly adelgid has been found in Bennington County for the first time. Until now, the pest had been restricted in Vermont to nine towns in Windham County. The insect is thought to have spread to Pownal from nearby Massachusetts. Officials say the warm weather this past winter increased the survival of the pest.
Teens under age 17 in New York will have to do their entire tanning outdoors under a new law that takes effect in 30 days. The law signed by Gov. Cuomo yesterday gets rid of a provision in state law allowing indoor tanning for 14- to 17-year-olds who have parental permission. Indoor tanning is already banned for children under 14.
New York's attorney general says he's talking to his colleagues across the country about a measure designed to curb painkiller addiction. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said yesterday the legislation awaiting the governor's signature would create a central database of prescriptions will show pharmacists if a person has been "doctor-shopping" for extra drugs.
Republicans have opened up a big money advantage in the heated race for control of New York State's Senate. State campaign finance records show the Republican majority has $4.49 million going into the fall elections that will decide the majority. The GOP raised $1.2 million in the last six months and spent $793,000 so far. The Democrats say they raised over $3.3 million since January, with more than $730,000 collected in the last three months.
The critically acclaimed Big Apple Circus, featuring world-class aerialists and acrobats has launched its two-week debut engagement in Lake George. Situated in the Charles Wood Park, the former Gaslight Village property, the circus is conducted under a traditional big top complete with air conditioning. 23 shows will run through Sunday July 29th. Area officials said they are pleased that such a prominent national attraction decided to choose Lake George as one of its sites for 2012. The circus will be offering two shows Wednesday through Sunday, both weeks. Details are available at: www.bigapplecircus.org.
The Model T Ford Club International kicks off its 56th annual summer tour in Rutland. The Model T Ford Club International started in 1952 and has hosted family-oriented tours and events for Model T admirers in many countries around the world. This event will take place today in downtown Rutland, celebrating the club’s first summer tour in the Northeast. The car show will begin in Downtown Rutland at 2:30 this afternoon with more than 200 Model T Fords lining Center Street and Merchants Row, which will close during the event. Throughout the day there will be a variety of other activities to enjoy downtown, such as the local farmers’ market and a jazz performance at the intersection of Center Street and Merchants Row starting at 4 PM.
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont & New York:
Nearly 150 protestors clashed with police at the Lowell Wind Project, Monday morning. Protestors blocked route 100 in Lowell for two hours, preventing trucks carrying pieces of the project's wind turbines. Orleans and Lamoille County Sheriff Departments arrested two people, then were forced to call for back. Vermont State Police as well as Border Patrol and Fish and Wildlife responded. "It's an extreme tax on the law enforcement in the area," VSP Lieutenant Kirk Cooper said. The project has 21 turbines, with three blades apiece. Police and Green Mountain Power anticipate they could be on site until September. "It's just going to be a burden. You know, we're contracted to the town of Lowell for five hours a week. So, it eats it up fast," Orleans County Sheriff Kirk Martin said.
An enormous pile of ledge rock covers a good portion of a northbound lane on Interstate 89. "This rock slide that was clear out into the passing lane. Didn't block it totally but just enough to slow it down," said George McCool, with VTrans. The rocks fell about 50 feet onto the interstate some of them weighing a hefty amount. "We're estimating 75 tons for that one alone and there's about four of those and you don't know what's underneath it," said McCool. Slowing down traffic and now left without support, VTrans worries more rocks might fall, "You've got that one corner point that's hanging right there and that's our biggest concern." McCool says he believes weather took a toll on the rock wall, "This time of year it's been so dry, that that fine silt is coming out of the cracks." Excavators will be brought in to break up the big chunks of rock and then assessment to the road damage will begin.
Workers at Arethusa Farm in Burlington were quickly chopping lettuce Monday. They're moving fast to get the green plant out of the sun. "Our pressure is to get this out of the field before it wilts in the box and get it into cool water and wash it," said Arethusa Farm owner Thomas Case. Case says after a few hot days last week, he could start to see an impact. The heat isn't just taking a toll on his crops, Case says people aren't shopping. "It was so hot. People aren't going out to the market, not thinking about getting vegetables," said Case. UVM Extension employees say the heat is impacting produce farms across the state. They say so far most crops haven't been ruined, and a unlike a number of other places across the country, Vermont produce prices aren't rising. But with temperatures expected to be near 90 and above for at least another day, Case hopes his crops won't get damaged. "Maybe we'll have to let stuff go," said Case. And Case says as long as his crops are getting water, the heat can create some excellent produce that's not only good for his business but for your diet.
