The public hearing on Flood Erosion Hazard Zoning Regulations originally planned for next Tuesday the 10th has been rescheduled for Tuesday, August 28th. This hearing concerns the proposed amendments to the Middlebury Zoning and Subdivision Regulations concerning Flood Hazard Areas in Middlebury and Fluvial Erosion Hazard Areas as recently mapped for East Middlebury. A complete hearing notice will be published in August. A draft of the proposed regulations, frequently asked questions and a municipal guide to flood hazard mitigation is available on the Town's website.
The Ticonderoga town board has authorized a parking ban for the Fourth of July from 10AM to Midnight on the south side of Burgoyne Road from Tower Avenue to Frazier Bridge Road, on the north side of Burgoyne Road from Frazier Bridge Road to Mt. Hope Cemetery, on the north of side of Burgoyne Road from Canal Street to State Route 22, on the south side of Cossey Street to Rock Street and on the north and south sides of Cannonball Path. Burgoyne Road will be completely closed during the fireworks display. Penalties will be imposed for those in violation.
The Goodrich Corporation has landed another military contract that will bring work to its plant in Vergennes. Sen. Patrick Leahy announced yesterday that the U.S. Navy will spend $10 million to buy monitoring systems for its helicopters. The units give mechanics feedback on a helicopter's engine performance. Just last month, Goodrich inked a similar deal with the U.S. Army. The Vergennes plant employs about 800 people. These contracts are expected to keep that workforce stable through at least March 2014.
The Addison County Chamber Of Commerce invites you to join them on July 25th for an introduction to Google AdWords. Presented by Matt Henderson, Google's Vermont field marketing representative, you'll get an introduction to online advertising and Google AdWords. It will be helpful if you bring a laptop computer with you to this session, and if you don't already have one, create an account with Google, which is free. The session will take place from 8 – 9:30AM on the 25th at the Ilsley Library. For details and to RSVP visit www.addisoncounty.com.
The 18th annual Chamber Scholarship Golf Tournament to raise money for scholarships for students completing study at the Hannaford Career Center was a huge success. The weather was excellent, the play was stellar and the scholarship recipient is very deserving. Chosen this year is Alexa Kayhart. Alexa was very involved in the Vergennes High School community. She will be attending UVM in the fall, majoring in Animal Science.
Richard Lloyd began his service yesterday as president of College of St. Joseph in Rutland. Lloyd has served in a variety of administrative posts at Hastings College in Nebraska, including vice president for academic affairs, dean of the faculty and director of special programs. Lloyd will become the fifth president of College of St. Joseph, which was founded in 1956. He follows Frank Miglorie’s 28 years of presidential leadership.
A Rutland couple police say broke into Keith’s II
Sports in Pittsford on Friday night appeared in court Monday to answer to
felony charges. Michael D.P.
Stanowski and Jodee J. Jernigan pleaded innocent in Rutland criminal court to a
single charge of burglary each, while Stanowski also pleaded innocent to two
felony charges of forgery and a misdemeanor count of unlawful mischief.
Essex County lawmakers decided at a recent session they need more information on the proposed conversion of the bookmobile to a mobile command center for disasters. At the request of Supervisor Gerald Morrow, the County Board of Supervisors Ways and Means shelved the acquisition of the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System vehicle. The Library System can no longer afford to operate the bookmobile and had offered to turn it over to the Emergency Services departments of the three counties.
Cape Air has added two daily flights from Adirondack Regional Airport to Boston's Logan Airport and back. The Essential Air Service carrier said its extended service is in response to increasing demand. There are now five trips a day to Logan Airport from Saranac Lake. The two additional summer service flights will end on September 9th. Two years ago Cape Air lost the carrier contract from Plattsburgh to Boston to Colgan Air. Colgan has since pulled out and been replaced by PenAir.
The mayor of Vermont's largest city says a former city power plant won't be used as the site for a new ice-climbing business. Burlington's Miro Weinberger says he's dropping plans for the old Moran plant developed during the administration of previous Mayor Bob Kiss but that ran into permitting and financial problems. Weinberger says the city hopes to solicit private bids from potential future users of the building by September 30. The Burlington Free Press reports it is expected that the Champlain Community Sailing Center will be one tenant. The center currently is leasing space next to the power plant. The power plant has stood derelict on the waterfront for decades.
Vermont's congressional delegation says the farm bill passed by the U.S. Senate that includes a program aimed at stabilizing milk prices is a good step forward. A provision of the voluntary program is designed to stop the dramatic swings in prices, by discouraging the oversupply of milk and allowing farmers to buy insurance that pays out when prices plummet. The delegation said yesterday that Vermont farmers helped get the provision into the bill by starting a discussion about controlling the milk supply.
The Smart Meter roll out has begun in Vermont. Green Mountain Power has sent out postcards and letters to its customers in preparation for the installation process. The devices use wireless technology to send energy usage information from the customer's home to the utility. So far, GMP says they have installed 70,000 of them; that includes former Central Vermont Customers too. The Smart Meter installation is not without concern. Critics say they have health and privacy concerns. The meters are expected to be installed by 2013.
Vermont officials are looking to bring two colleges to a new home in Brattleboro. Gov. Peter Shumlin included a proposal for a college in town in his budget address last January. Several institutions of higher learning, including the Community College of Vermont, have schools scattered around Brattleboro. Vermont Technical College has a nursing program on the outskirts of town. Tim Donovan, chancellor of the Vermont State College System, says Tech hopes to increase its southern Vermont offerings. Donovan says increasing its downtown presence in Brattleboro is a priority for Community College of Vermont. Enrollment in CCV has more than doubled statewide in the past decade, and the college recently built new downtown centers in Rutland and Winooski.
The golf balls are again flying at a course in central Vermont that was nearly wiped out by floodwaters from Tropical Store Irene. When Irene hit last August, floodwaters from the White River destroyed about 15 of the White River Golf Club’s 50 acres causing $100,000 in damage and forcing the course to shut down. The course re-opened for business on Friday, with six of the nine holes ready for play. Owner Pete McGowan says all nine holes should be open by the end of July.
For the second time this year, protestors had their
own version of an "Independence Day" rally against Vermont
Yankee. The protestors held a
rally first in Brattleboro Sunday afternoon before biking and busing down to
the nuclear power plant. One
organizer said the point was to make a clear picture of energy independence
from the Entergy Corporation, the company, which owns Vermont Yankee. About 40 of them made their way onto
the plant's property and were arrested for trespassing.
State police and mental health officials say
they're stepping up efforts to work together to respond to people in mental
health crises. The announcement comes about two weeks after a Thetford man died
when he was hit with a Taser stun gun by a state trooper. Macadam Mason earlier
had called a hospital crisis line saying he was suicidal.
Vermont 4-H Club members turned out in force at the annual Vermont 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held at two Addison County farms June 23rd. The sanctioned event took place at Men-Da Jerseys Farm in Addison, and the Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport. Three classes of Jerseys, two classes of Holsteins, and two classes of Ayrshires were on the judging block. Four Vermont 4-H dairy members earned a place on the 2013 Vermont 4-H dairy judging team and will represent Vermont in competition at Eastern States Exposition and at the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin.
Jon Satz of Wood's Market Garden in Brandon will discuss how he integrated oilseed production into his market garden operation at a University of Vermont Extension-sponsored field day, July 24th. He will talk about his decision to grow sunflowers for oil and meal, which is used for high-quality livestock feed, and some of the management, production, harvesting and processing issues he's faced. The program, co-sponsored by the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program, will run from 3 to 6PM on Tuesday the 24th. Registration is $15 per person, payable by July 19, and includes light refreshments. Visit www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil to pay online or call Susan Brouillette at the UVM Extension office at (800) 639-2130 (toll-free in Vermont) or 524-6501, ext. 432.
The Ticonderoga Festival Guild’s Arts Trek program for children is celebrating 30 years of continuous presentations in 2012. The first event of the 2012 season will be a Circus Birthday Party this morning at 10:15 at the Knights of Columbus Pavilion in Ticonderoga. This is a free program for children and those who bring them. Following the performance, birthday cake will be served. Several clowns will also attend the performance and add to the celebration.
Vermont's Green Mountain Club is rolling out a
series of digital trail guides accessible by computer, tablet or Smartphone. The club has been producing hiking
guidebooks for nearly 100 years. Now its "Downloadable Hikes" series
will feature one new hike each week, available on line for 99 cents each. Starting with a sample download of
Spruce Mountain in Plainfield, the series will highlight treks of varying
difficulty and geography, combining some of Vermont's more popular destinations
such as the Burrows Trail to Camels Hump with lesser-known trails like the
Weathersfield trail up Mount Ascutney.
Those looking to buy the guides can pay with a credit card or PayPal.
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont & New York:
Vermont State Police investigators say a man in a California prison is being charged with the 1986 killing of a Manchester golf pro. Police say 52-year-old David Allan Morrison is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Sarah Hunter of Manchester. Police Lt. Tim Oliver says police in Union City, CA contacted Vermont investigators in 2009 after Morrison made statements that led them to suspect Morrison was involved in the killing of Hunter. After that, police did DNA analysis of evidence that Morrison had been in Hunter's car. Oliver said Morrison had been a suspect in Hunter's death, but police couldn't find enough evidence to charge him. Hunter disappeared in September 1986. Her body was found that Thanksgiving. It could be months before Morrison returns to Vermont.
The amount of deadly traffic crashes in the Green Mountain State is strikingly high. That is the word from Vermont State Police. There have been 42 fatal accidents just this year. That is compared to 55 fatal accidents in all of 2011. And police say the causes are across the board. "19 were not wearing seat belts. Speed was involved in what we know so far in 11 of those fatalities. We know that alcohol was suspected in 16 of these fatalities," Vermont Commissioner of Public Safety Keith Flynn said. Five of the accidents were linked to drugs. With so many contributing factors, it is hard to know how to stop these accidents. Police are starting with speed. "There will be four regional teams that are going to be concentrating on probably between three and five high crash locations and using those teams basically to saturate those areas," Vermont State Police Lieutenant John Flannigan said. There will be roughly four offices per team, spread in four corners of the State. Their exact locations have not been announced. They will be active between July 4 and Labor Day. "I think every officer probably has their own tolerance. But, now the tolerance is the one that's been posted on the speed limit signs," Flynn said.
