WVTK Local & State News September 20, 2012

The Town of Middlebury will be hosting a reception for retiring Town Manager Bill Finger! You are cordially invited to stop by Two Brothers Tavern Lounge this afternoon between 3:30 and 6:00 PM to wish Bill well as he starts this next adventure.

You are invited to join the Addison County Chamber of Commerce today for their September After Hours Mixer from 5 – 7 PM.  This month’s Mixer is being hosted by the Middlebury College Museum of Art and the Mahaney Center for the Arts.   There will be appetizers, a cash bar, and arts-oriented door prizes!  The Pot of Gold is up to $500! Join them for a special Chamber members’ preview of the Mahaney Center for the Arts’ 20th anniversary season, and viewing of the fall exhibitions.  For more information or to RSVP to Sue visit the Chamber's Website.

Fort Ticonderoga recently received a grant from the Walter Cerf Community Fund of The Vermont Community Foundation supporting school outreach programs in Vermont’s Addison County during this school year.  The grant will enable ten schools in Addison County to bring an historic interpreter from the fort into the classroom to share the experience of being a soldier on the Lake Champlain frontier during the American Revolution.  During the program, Addison County students will learn about the daily life of soldiers. Funding will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for schools in Addison County. Teachers interested in learning more about school programs, including outreach programs, should contact Rich Strum at rstrum@fort-ticonderoga.org or 518-585-6370.

Police are seeking a registered sex offender living in Clarendon who failed to come to court Monday to answer to a new criminal offense involving a 14-year-old girl.  Charles L. Baker IV was scheduled to appear in Rutland criminal court Monday to answer to a felony charge of lewd and lascivious conduct. When he didn’t appear, the judge ordered a warrant for his arrest with bail set at $10,000.

The Village of Port Henry Board of Trustees has scheduled a special meeting for 7 this evening at the Village Hall on Main Street.  The board will pass the required resolutions for the lease agreements and schedule a public hearing to extend the moratorium on street-level residential development.   All meetings are open to the public.

The Westport Central School Wall of Distinction Committee will host the annual induction dinner ceremony at 6 PM. Saturday, October 6th at the Westport Hotel & Tavern.  The committee is an organization working to establish recognition and honor for individuals who have been involved at Westport Central School as employees or students who have excelled.  Reservations for the event are available for $25 per person. For reservations, call 962-8244 by October 1^st.  The Wall of Distinction inductees are Ed Card, Alice LaRock, Tom Beauvais, Lara Davis, Julie Moore and Ryan Sherman.

The second annual Moriah Classic Car and Truck Show is set to take place on Saturday, October 6^th at the Port Henry Knights of Columbus.  The car show will be held from 9 AM to 3 PM. There is free admission for spectators and a $10 registration fee for cars wishing to compete for prizes. Trophies will be awarded at 2 PM that day.  The Port Henry Knights of Columbus will have a chicken barbecue starting at 11:30 AM. Tickets are $9 each. There will also be a bake sale.

It's a problem no school ever wants, and few prepare for.  Sudbury's Country School is in the middle of a rat infestation.  The school superintendent quickly brought in an exterminator, which put bait boxes outside the building along the wall.  All food in the school was also put into containers.  The infestation is considered pretty much over with at this time.

The solar city initiative could mean more than $100,000 a year in tax revenue for Rutland.  Brennan Duffy, executive director of the Rutland Redevelopment Authority, offered that estimate to the city’s Community and Economic Development Committee this week.  The committee also endorsed a resolution of support for Green Mountain Power’s effort to make Rutland the “solar capital” of New England and voted to send an inquiry to the Development Review Board about solar panels in design control districts.

Car dealerships around Vermont are partnering with the group Drive Electric Vermont to celebrate National Plug In Day by encouraging Vermonters to learn more about the electric vehicles.  As part of the effort, Gov. Peter Shumlin has declared September 22 and 23 Vermont Plug In Weekend.  Showrooms around the state are planning to let the public learn about and test drive plug-in electric vehicles that are currently available for purchase. Officials say electric vehicles are already registered in more than 50 Vermont communities.

Bennington College President Elizabeth Coleman announced yesterday that she would retire after the current academic year, the 25th year of a tenure that saw great controversy and strong growth at the college.  Coleman, Bennington’s ninth president, is among the longest-serving college presidents in the country, with a tenure more than three times the national average. A 2112 report by the American Council on Education said the average tenure for a college president is seven years.

The Republican nominee for governor of Vermont says he disagrees with presidential nominee Mitt Romney's remarks about 47% of Americans being dependent on government.  But Vermont State Sen. Randy Brock says the comments that Romney made at a Florida fundraiser in May, made public on Monday, won't affect his support for the presidential candidate.  Brock says he agrees with 80 to 85% of Romney's positions on issues, and says that's good enough to warrant supporting a candidate.

Medical malpractice reforms and rewarding healthy behaviors with lower insurance rates are among the ideas being promoted by Vermont Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock to curb the rising cost of health care.  Brock held a news conference Wednesday outside the Central Vermont Medical Center where he outlined a 25-point plan for cutting health care costs.  Among the other steps Brock is promoting: encouraging doctors to reduce the number of unnecessary tests they're ordering, and cutting Medicaid payments to out-of-state health care providers.  While he wants to create incentives for healthy behaviors, Brock says he would not support a new tax on junk food.

The Vermont attorney general's office is suing a dairy farm in Coventry accusing it of violating the state's water pollution laws.  The lawsuit filed in Vermont Superior Court in Orleans County says Richard Nelson's farm is discharging agricultural runoff from its bunker silos into a stream.  The lawsuit is seeking an injunction against Nelson and civil penalties.  The attorney general's office says Nelson has not responded to the allegations. Nelson says he is no longer operating the dairy farm.

Vermont State Police say a trooper shot a man in Danville after the man said he had a bomb and threatened to kill people.  Police say 36-year-old William J. Mahoney of St. Johnsbury is in stable condition at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH following the incident Tuesday night.

Hundreds of University of Vermont employees have voted in favor of union representation but haven't given a clear majority to either union on the ballot.  Technicians, research and library support staffers and other workers voted Tuesday and Wednesday on whether they wanted to organize and, if so, whether they wanted to join a union affiliated with the Vermont NEA teachers' union or a group based at UVM called United Staff. The votes were counted Wednesday night.  UVM vice president Richard Cate says the vote for union representation was 339-278. A runoff election needs to be scheduled to decide which union or neither union.  The NEA received 183 votes. United Staff received 168 votes. The option of neither union received 260 votes.  Voter turnout was high. Of the 777 employees eligible, 618 voted. That's 80% participation.

Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo say he wants two Republican senators who cast deciding votes for gay marriage a year ago to win their so far too-close-to-call primaries. Cuomo says he also may endorse Senators Stephen Saland and Roy McDonald should they advance to the general elections against Democrats.

Brandon Music, on Country Club Road in Brandon will present Sayon Camara & the Landaya African Rhythm Ensemble this evening at 7:30 in the Music Cafe. General Admission is $12. Sayon will perform in Brandon with the Landaya African Rhythm Ensemble, led by the award winning musician and composer, Dave “the Kobra” Kobrenski.  For details and ticket information just visit www.brandon-music.net.

Can you believe it?  Summer is slipping away and fall is upon us!  That means it's time for Maple View Farm's annual fall open house!  Located in Brandon, Maple View Farm Alpacas and the Vermont Fiber Mill & Studio will be open to visitors from 11 AM – 4 PM this Saturday and Sunday.  Join them for a fun weekend on the farm!  Over 30 alpacas will greet you, including 7 babies (cria) born over the late spring and summer.   These wonderful animals will entertain you as they romp and play (the alpacas love these cooler days).  Ed and Debbie Bratton have been raising alpacas for 10 years at their 100-acre farm in Brandon. For more information, visit the website at www.mapleviewfarmalpacas.com or Facebook at Maple View Farm Alpacas or Vermont Fiber Mill & Studio. The farm is located at 185 Adams Rd, Brandon, VT. Contact mvfalpacas@earthlink.net or 802.247.5412 for more information.

Coming up this Saturday you have the opportunity to get Fido shined up and ready for autumn!  The Brandon Police Explorers Post will be hosting their second annual dog wash at Blue Seal Feeds on Union Street in Brandon.  This event will take place rain or shine.  Explorer Tristan Parmelee says that all proceeds will directly support the Brandon Post… “The department formed this program to provide experiences for us that will help us become responsible caring adults.”  “It also gives a chance to become involved in community service while gaining first hand experience of modern police operations, so we really appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you on Saturday!”  The Dog Wash will run from 10AM – 2PM at Blue Seal Feeds in Brandon this Saturday!  And if you want to learn more about Brandon’s Police Explorers Program you can contact Office Anne Bandy at the Department.

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

You don't have to be Italian to celebrate the newest flavor at Ben and Jerry's.  "Cannoli" ice cream is being sold in limited batches.  It features Mascarpone cheese in the ice cream with fudge covered cannoli pastry shell chunks.  They're hoping it sells better than a discontinued 1990's flavor called "Holy Cannoli" that was made with Ricotta cheese.  The new flavor will be on store shelves within the next few days.

A local non-profit wants tuna off the daily school lunch menu.  "The Mercury Policy Project" says it found high levels of mercury in some of the canned tuna it tested, and too much mercury can be dangerous.  Others argue the fish has health benefits kids need.  It's called brain food because of the health benefits fish has on our bodies, but the non-profit says too much tuna can be harmful because of the amount of mercury the fish can absorb.  "If your child is one of a hundred that's getting served tuna surprise or tuna casserole in school, it's Russian roulette," Michael Bender, Director of Mercury Policy Project said.  Bender says it's a game because out of the canned tuna that was tested in schools across eleven states, mercury levels were inconsistent.  "Just within one 66 ounce can, there was a 10-fold variation in the amount of mercury in each of the bites," he said.  The non-profit wouldn't tell me which schools were in the study, but did say that none of the schools tested in Vermont served tuna with mercury levels above the Food and Drug Administration's guidelines. The Mercury Policy Project recommends that children shouldn't eat tuna more than twice a month.  "Kids do get into, we call them food jags, where they'll eat the same food day in and day out," Fletcher Allen Healthcare Clinical Dietician Cathy McIsaac said.  But the Health Commissioner says the bigger issue here is that kids aren't getting enough seafood, and thinks tuna in moderation is healthy.  "I think fish is a wonderful source of protein," Commissioner Harry Chen said.  So parents, just be aware of how many times tuna's on the menu.  Shark and swordfish also have higher levels. Shrimp, salmon and sardines have lower levels.

Miro Weinberger walked up to his first legislative hearing Wednesday in Montpelier as Burlington's mayor and took some heat from state lawmakers.  "I'm perplexed by this whole audit," said State Senator John Campbell.  Campbell wasn't happy about a recent report showing Burlington did not pay its share of taxes on a piece of property, the amount, roughly $1-million dollars.  The land was supposed to be fixed up under Mayor Bob Kiss' administration, through a program called TIF.  The program is a way for municipalities to spruce up an area, without paying state taxes.  That's supposed to increase the property value and bring businesses or housing to town.  And the increased value will in turn bring the state more money, once it's taxed again.  The problem in Burlington's case, the property was never spruced up.  Fox44 asked Campbell how this could even happen?  "They were probably sloppy in how they met the regulations. The reporting was certainly at a minimum," said Campbell.  After learning about the problem, Weinberger wants to work with legislators to make sure this doesn't happen again.  "There's some real complexity to it and ambiguity, particularly some of these older districts," said Weinberger.  State lawmakers feel the same way.  Despite a call from Governor Peter Shumlin asking lawmakers to expand the program to include Barre and South Burlington, they want to take a step back, to make sure the program is working properly.  "If the foundation of the program is deficient then I certainly don't think it's in Vermont's best interest to go forward and expanding the cap," said Campbell.  As for those million dollars, Weinberger says city taxpayers won't have to pay it.  But Senator Campbell says the attorney general is considering going after the city for that million dollars.