WVTK Local & State News July 19, 2012 - Afternoon Update

Fire fighters responded to a call this morning at Mr. Ups Restaurant in Middlebury.  The call came in around 7 o’clock for a structure fire.  Officials are still investigating what started the fire but think the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion in the mulch.  Thanks to the quick work of the Middlebury Fire Department the blaze was quickly extinguished causing only minimal damage.  Restaurant Officials say they will be open for business tomorrow.

According to autopsy results the body found in Mount Hope Cemetery in Ticonderoga on Monday has been positively identified as Jimmy Joe St. Andrews.  The Putnam man had been sought by police since Friday night, when he allegedly fired several shots from a small-caliber handgun at people attending an outdoor party on Montcalm St. in Ticonderoga.  Three of the shots hit Michael A. Tyler of Hudson Falls, wounding him in the abdomen and each leg.  Tyler was treated at Albany Medical Center and released and is recovering well according to the Ti Police Chief. Police said the shooting was related to a domestic situation.

The Town of Middlebury will hold a public meeting August 6th at 7 PM at the East Middlebury Methodist Church to discuss replacing the Sand Hill Bridge on Route 125.  The meeting will review the project details and present the town's 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.

If you're looking to take a dip this summer, there's an app for that!  Two Vermonters have created a mobile app that allows people to find swimming holes using GPS.  The app is appropriately titled "VT Swimming Holes."  It also functions as a community forum and features a growing list of more than 30 swimming locations.  Swimming locations can be searched by town or right near where users access the program.

The possibility of F-35's being based at the Vermont Air National Guard facility in South Burlington will not devastate property values.  That's according to a new study released this morning by the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation.  The Chittenden County economic development organization looked at ten years' worth of property value data in the areas surrounding the Burlington International Airport.  The group's president says home values in South Burlington have actually increased over the past ten years.

Records released show a Vermont state trooper accused of falsifying his time sheets claimed hundreds of hours of overtime.  Records show former Sgt. James Deegan put in for 374 hours of pay for four weeks in June.  A supervisor signed those time sheets.  Deeghan pleaded not guilty to false claims regarding those June time sheets.

Vermont State Police investigated a reported theft from a motor vehicle owned by Evelyn Bushey of Waltham parked at the Dog Team Road swimming hole in New Haven.  A witness told a trooper that a male was entering vehicles and stealing items and left the scene on a bicycle.  Police identified the perpetrator as 38-year-old Thomas Huestis of Burlington and was taken into custody.  Huestis was issued a citation to appear in Addison County Court on September 10th.