WVTK Local & State News August 30, 2012

A proposed $32 million rail spur in Vermont has been put on hold indefinitely.  The 3.3-mile rail spur in Middlebury would be used to alleviate truck traffic between marble processor Omya's quarry and its calcium carbonate plant in Pittsford. The Rutland Herald reports Omya plant manager Jim Stewart said given the sluggish economy and the cost of the project, the company and Vermont Rail Systems are not pursuing it.  He said an analysis concluded that building the rail spur would be far more costly than continuing to ship the raw material by truck on Route 7.  Vermont Railway President David Wulfson said the project cost about $7.5 million when it was first discussed about 20 years ago. He said it's taken so long to go through the environmental work.

Jean Cross of the Green Mountain Draft Association had her horses trained by Ted Russell for free.   Now she’s returning the favor by raising money for the horse trainer, his family and his farm while he recovers from severe burns he suffered while saving his horses, and himself, from a truck fire in Sudbury on August 7th.  According to Jean, who is the president of the association, money is being raised to keep up Russell’s six-generation farming operation and to cover medical expenses until he can get back to work. The fund will help cover what insurance won’t like physical therapy, travel, and extended care needed in the months ahead.

The Vermont State Police in New Haven are investigating a burglary that occurred last Friday between the hours of 8:15 AM and 5:15 PM on Route 17-E in Ferrisburgh. Jade and Dustin Hunt, told police that a black safe, containing personal documents and a $50 U.S. Savings bond, was stolen from the property.  Anyone in the area who might have information about the burglary is asked to contact the Vermont State Police at 802-388-4919. Information can also be submitted anonymously online at www.vtips.info or text "CRIMES" (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS.

The Counseling Service of Addison County's Second Annual Bocce Tournament will take place on Friday, September 14th. Check in time is 9:30 AM and play starts at 10 AM.  The event takes place at the athletic field next to the Mary Hogan Elementary School in Middlebury.  This year’s event will benefit CSAC’s Emergency-Crisis Services for all of Addison County.  The organization runs more than $250,000 in services every year that are not funded because they are committed to doing what it takes to deliver critical and needed services to the people who need them. The public may sponsor a court or sponsor a team.  Visit www.csac-vt.org for sponsorship opportunities or call all or e-mail Sara Mason at 388-4021 or smason@csac-vt.org for details.

A new capital campaign hopes to raise $70,000 over the next three years to fund major repairs at the Brandon Free Public Library. A new furnace, repairs to the slate roof, replacement of the leaky steel roof, new railings in the second floor and a new air exchanger in the basement are in the works as part of the campaign that kicked off this week.   The campaign started in conjunction with the library’s annual fundraising efforts that pays for day-to-day operations.  The work on the building is expected to take place within the next three years. The replacement of the oil furnace is first on the list. For more information on donating to the library, call 247-8230 or visit www.brandonpubliclibrary.org. 

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce will host an Open House with the North Country Small Business Development Center on Tuesday, September 11^th from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Services provided by the North Country SBDC will be available at the Chamber office typically on the second Tuesday of each month. The North Country Small Business Development Center at Plattsburgh is part of a statewide network of 24 regional centers located throughout New York State. For more information about the Open Houses at the Chamber Office visit www.ticonderogany.com, email chamberinfo@ticonderogany.com or call 518-585-6619.

A commission charged with retooling state education heard from North Country stakeholders Tuesday.  Cooperation, flexibility, workforce training, technology and the state-aid formula were key components of messages delivered at the Lake Placid Conference Center.  College administrators, school superintendents, parents, students, workforce directors and civic leaders brought a spectrum of issues they believe need to be reworked throughout New York’s education system.  The hearing was one of 10 scheduled around the state for the New NY Education Reform Commission, founded in late April by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

As Labor Day weekend heralds the end of the summer season, the New York State Thruway Authority and State Police Troop T remind motorists to use extreme care during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.  It’s smart to plan far in advance and to know before you go.  During the 2011 Labor Day weekend, more than 2.6 million vehicles traveled more than 93 million miles on the Thruway between Friday and Monday. State Police Troop T, which patrols the Thruway exclusively, will be out in full force throughout the holiday weekend, aiding motorists and enforcing the vehicle and traffic law.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced funds Wednesday to help replace the Keene, NY firehouse washed away during Tropical Storm Irene.   According to a press release, the state will provide up to $640,000 in state funding that will allow for construction on the new firehouse to continue.   This comes after the Federal Emergency Management Agency would not approve funding for the project to move forward.   Construction on the new firehouse was set to begin this August.

Republican attorney general candidate Jack McMullen says he is going to focus his campaign and the attorney general's office more on fighting crime. He says Attorney General Bill Sorrell has focused his efforts on consumer protection and civil matters. McMullen held a press conference today in the yard of a Burlington homeowner whose neighborhood has seen a rash of drug-related property crimes.

The owner of a commercial wind project in Vermont has been issued a special permit for migratory bird monitoring. The permit was sought by First Wind, which has a 16-turbine wind development project in Sheffield. The Caledonian-Record reports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued the permit in July.

A Vermont town selectman has offered to buy a pair of town-owned schools for $1 each, saying the buildings have been idle nearly three years after voters supported a measure to sell or get rid of them. The Eagle-Times reports selectboard member David Yesman of Springfield proposed Monday the district sell the Park Street and East schools to him.

Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon will present the Syncopation Vocal Jazz Ensemble this Thursday evening at 7:30. Syncopation performs jazz and pop music in four-part harmony with a style that is both timeless and contemporary. They have performed at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, the Boston Globe Jazz Festival, and the International Association for Jazz Education Conference. General Admission is $12.  Brandon Music offers an Early Bird dinner special, which includes a ticket for the jazz performance, for $22 per person.

Explore the Continental Army’s first major initiative during the Revolutionary War at Fort Ticonderoga’s upcoming living history weekend “Onward to Canada: Reinforcements Head North to Join the Attack on St. John.” This Saturday and Sunday’s living history weekend will recreate how the American army prepared to invade Canada in the fall of 1775. Admission to “Onward to Canada” is included with Fort Ticonderoga’s general admission ticket. Fort Ticonderoga is open from 9:30 AM until 5 PM daily. For a complete event schedule click HERE or call (518) 585-2821.

Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon are launching a coalition of artists, musicians and filmmakers to oppose hydraulic fracturing in New York State. Ono, Lennon and actor Mark Ruffalo announced the formation of the group at a news conference in Manhattan on Wednesday. Artists Against Fracking includes big names like Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney and Alec Baldwin.

The man accused of crushing several Orleans County Sheriffs department cruisers with a large tractor is finally getting out of jail.  Roger Pion is due to be released this morning after serving time for a previous disorderly conduct conviction.  He posted the 50-thousand-dollars bail for the most recent charge a couple of weeks ago, but had to serve the other time first.  Pion is being released into his father's custody and cannot drive motor vehicles, but his attorney says it's not clear if that rule applies to operation of a farm tractor.

An environmental group says the permit allowing the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to discharge warmed water into the Connecticut River is based on flawed science. The Connecticut River Watershed Council held a news conference yesterday to release new reports it says back up its claims.

Vermonters continue to support recovery efforts with purchase of "I am Vermont Strong" license plates.  The Department of Motor Vehicles now reports that over 28,000 of the special plates have been sold.  The plates cost $25 and there are plenty still available at retailers around the state.  Money raised from plate sales statewide will go to the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund and the Vermont Food Bank.

The New York Writers Institute has named the new State Poet and Author. Poet Marie Howe and novelist Alison Lurie have been chosen for the 2-year posts. Howe is a Rochester native and teaches at Sarah Lawrence. Lurie was raised in White Plains and taught at Cornell until her retirement.

A woman from Winooski is now a millionaire, thanks to a supermarket game.  Tanya Lewis walked into the Colchester Shaw's yesterday to pick up her check after winning the grocery chain's "Sizzling Summer" giveaway.  She says she's going to save a lot of the money for retirement, but first she's planning on buying a house for herself, one for her parents, and go on a vacation with her boyfriend.

From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont & New York:

After months of back-and-forth the race for the democrat primary for Vermont attorney general ended peacefully.  "I also look forward to working with Bill Sorrell these next couple months so we make sure that Attorney General Sorrell is re-elected to another term. Bill I'm with you all the way," said Chittenden County State's Attorney TJ Donovan.  During a democrat unity party Wednesday, Donovan gave up his fight against incumbent Bill Sorrell.  It's a sight several people in the room didn't think would happen after results showed the two were within 600 votes.  Donovan told his supporters at the Hilton Tuesday night that he planned to keep going forward but when he got the remaining vote totals on Wednesday morning he decided the race wasn't worth dragging out.  "There's no bitterness, there's no regrets. I actually feel pretty good this morning," said Donovan.  Donovan plans to focus on his state's attorney role and not 2014.  "I'm not thinking about the future," said Donovan.  Sorrell says he was excited to hear Donovan decided to bow out.  "TJ did call me [Wednesday] morning and so graciously congratulated me," said Sorrell.  Sorrell says this race was the hardest he's had to run in during his 15 years in office.  But he's glad Donovan pushed him to the brink of losing.  "Tough race and boy am I battled hardened now for November," said Sorrell. Now that he won, Sorrell has begun to focus his attention to the general election.  "There are very real differences between myself and my opponent," said Sorrell.  And Sorrell plans to share what those are with Vermonters over the next couple months.

People in Burlington celebrated an icon.  It's the 30th anniversary of the Church Street Marketplace.  On Wednesday, politicians and the original developers of the street came together to remember its history.  They paid thanks to the many people that made the four-block pedestrian mall possible including Vermont U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy.  The senator had an alley with a new mural named after him.  The marketplace changed Burlington and business downtown.  But hard to believe, the idea of closing the street to cars was controversial when it was proposed.  Just walk down Church Street and you can find out why five million people visit here every year.  It wasn't always this way and in the 1970's the idea came about to close it to traffic.  The design of the street was inspired by a similar project in Copenhagen, Denmark. As for how to actually manage the street that was modeled after Disneyland.  At the time, business owners had major concerns including losing on-street parking.  "We weren't sure we had it right either," says Pat Robins, Marketplace co-founder.  Robins says the key was to create a commission to watch over the street.  Because had this failed, all the businesses, even the downtown of Burlington, could have failed.  "It would have gone down and this is the major tax generator in the City of Burlington," says Robins.  Now thirty-years later, businesses are bustling and people are spending hundreds of millions of dollars here every year.  Its success required guts, millions of dollars in grants, and innovation, including a new lighting project this summer.  "I call this the town that never sleeps," says Robins.  The idea to close the street, was not just controversial, but costly.  From adding bricks to changing utilities, construction cost $6-million back in the 1980's.  Right now, for the time since the recession, every spot on Church Street except just one is full.

Wednesday was the second vote for Montpelier City Council on a plan to have a wood fueled heating system for portions of downtown. The no vote last week came as a surprise to supporters.  The city had until the end of the week to make the decision and after some revisions to the plan, it passed five to one. The size of the project will be determined after the construction bids are in and that will most likely be sometime in November. The project would upgrade the city's wood fired boilers, to pump the extra heat into several places around Montpelier like city hall, Union Elementary and a number of other city buildings and local businesses.