WVTK Local & State News September 26, 2012

Road construction this week in Essex County includes work on Route 9N in Port Henry.  Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in alternating directions from Bridge Road to County Route 2 due to road construction over Grove Brook at Island Way.  Work also continues on Route 22 in Willsboro.  Traffic will flow in a single lane in alternating directions from the Willsboro/Essex line to the Chesterfield/Willsboro line due to road construction that is taking place until further notice.

The Port Henry Village Board will hold a special meeting at 7 this evening to discuss the Elizabeth Street flooding and drainage issue.   The session, open to the public, will be held at the Village Hall on Main Street.

A special town meeting to vote on commercial wind will be held tonight at 7 at the Hubbardton town offices.  Voters will be asked if they approve of any commercial wind developer building turbines on the ridgeline on the eastern part of town. A simple voice majority is necessary for the article to pass.

Respected by millions of Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, the Fourteenth Dali Lama is scheduled to visit Middlebury College October 12^th – 13^th. The visit to Middlebury has prompted tighter than normal security and guest restriction. And the holy man’s appearances on campus will not be free.  In advance of next month’s visit, the campus is holding several public events to commemorate the historic visit. For the Dali Lama’s appearances, there is a limit of two tickets per person: $20 each for the public, $15 each for Middlebury College alumni, faculty, staff, students, and parents of current undergraduate students.

Bristol Friends of the Arts is accepting applications for the fall 2012 round of community grants. The grants are awarded to individuals, organizations and schools in the areas of art, music, theater, literature, dance, history and other cultural endeavors in the five towns of Bristol, Lincoln, Monkton, New Haven and Starksboro.  The organization seeks to enrich the lives of residents in each of the five towns by funding qualitative fine arts, performing arts, cultural events and experiences that serve diverse populations and that reach the maximum number of community members in the five towns. The deadline for the next round of community grants is October 15th. Decisions will be made by October 30th.  Applications can be downloaded from the organization’s website at www.bristolfriendsofthearts.org. 

Vermont State Police have been investigating the cutting and attempted theft of a road sign, which was located on Route 116 in Bristol.  On September 24th 32-year-old Timothy Alan Cousino of Bristol was identified as the perpetrator.  Cousino was subsequently cited to appear in Addison Superior Court to answer to the charge of unlawful mischief.

Three motorcycle riders from Vermont American Legion posts participated in the “Legacy Run,” spanning the country that raised more than $700,000 for college scholarships for kids of fallen soldiers who died in the wars following September 11, 2001.  Rutland Middle School Secretary Janet Pringle; Keith Arlund, town manager of Brandon and head of Brandon Post 55; and Hugo DiNunzio from Colchester Post 91 made the 750-mile ride from Niagara Falls to Indianapolis from August 21st through 23rd with about 700 other American Legion Riders from across the country and the world.  Every state in the nation was represented.

Castleton Town officials approved two articles on the renovation of town office building for the upcoming elections Monday night.  It is the next step in the more than yearlong process to determine what will happen to the Castleton town offices and police department, which has sat empty since last summer. The first article asks voters to approve a $750,000 bond for the renovation of the town hall located at 556 Main St. The second article would authorize the Castleton Select Board to further seek funds, other than bonds, in the amount of $210,000 finance over 20 years.

Mount St. Joseph Academy’s new principal Sandra Wilkes plans to increase the private, Catholic school’s enrollment by 20 students by the start of next school year through a “full-fledged” recruitment program. Her main focus is expanding the opportunities for the school’s 80 students and, she hopes, 100 by next year and more growth beyond.  She says enrollment increases will be driven by the school continuing to attract more diverse students from across the country and the world.

The people of Moriah overwhelmingly support their local police department.  At least that’s the impression town officials received at the September town board meeting.  Town councilman Tim Garrison recently questioned the need for the two-man town police force.  Garrison believes Moriah’s two-man police force does a good job, but wonders if it’s limitations make the taxpayer investment worthwhile.  Some people did make their views known at the last town board meeting. While the Town Supervisor feels confident people want to keep the local police, he said the town board would likely schedule a public information meeting to further gage community support.

North Country Congressman Bill Owens is not happy that the pending Farm Bill will not be voted on before it expires on Sunday.  House Speaker John Boehner said late last week that the bill will not be voted on before it expires, prompting Owens and several members from both parties to send a letter to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor asking him to see about expediting action on it.  The Senate and the House Agriculture Committee have approved the bill.  If the legislation is not approved, federal farm and food programs will expire, hampering farmers in New York and across the country.

While there's plenty of Vermonters out picking apples, there's a lot of other people around the country who wish they could do the same.  Crops in Michigan and New York were destroyed by last spring's unusual weather, which now has national companies like Mott's knocking on the doors of Vermont orchards.  One local orchard owner told Fox 44 the crops in Vermont and Northern New England are doing much better with the commercial market this fall, and companies that never approached them before are doing that now.

Officials are expected to get a wide range of comments about the state of Vermont's mental health system more than a year after Tropical Storm Irene forced the Vermont state hospital to close.  A panel of lawmakers and state officials will take testimony this afternoon in Montpelier from people concerned about the future of mental health and substance abuse services.  The hearing will be held at the Montpelier Elks Lodge from 1 PM to 4 PM. The panel will take testimony until 3 PM.

The presidential campaign of Republican Mitt Romney's is complaining some Vermont military personnel serving overseas might not be able to get their absentee ballots in time to vote.  In a letter sent yesterday to Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, Romney's veterans' affairs adviser says delays by Condos' office caused 53 towns to miss the 45-day deadline needed to ensure veterans receive their absentee ballots and can return them by Election Day.  Condos says the recount in a primary race delayed the printing of the November ballots, but town clerks were sent electronic copies of the ballots prior to Saturday's deadline and the vast majority of veterans should have been able to receive them on time.

General Dynamics is laying off about 50 employees in Vermont and 30 in Maine. The company attributes the layoffs to the company completing its work on special armor for military vehicles and a decline in demand for guns. Officials say the cuts will be to both hourly and salaried employees in administrative, engineering, management and manufacturing support.

A new national ranking puts Vermont dead last in per-student funding at its one publicly supported research university. The National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, says per-student state funding at the University of Vermont declined from more than $4,600 in 2002 to nearly $3,500 in 2010.

Federal prosecutors say a New Mexico-based defense contractor with offices in Vermont is going to pay $1.1 million to settle billing fraud charges.  The prosecutors say Applied Research Associates improperly billed the federal government for work performed by its employees that was unrelated to the government Nemesis Project designing a system to detect land mines.  Prosecutors say the company did not admit any wrongdoing and the allegations don't affect the quality of the firm's work. The issue was settled to avoid litigation.

A Vermont judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by city residents against Burlington that sought repayment of mismanaged telecom funds.  Plaintiffs Fred Osier and Eugene Shaver had accused the city and then-Chief Administrative Officer Jonathan Leopold of fraud, deceit and breach of duty. The Burlington Free Press reports the lawsuit sought the return to taxpayers of $17 million borrowed from general city accounts by Burlington Telecom between 2007 and 2010.  Judge Geoffrey Crawford granted the city's request to throw out the case while he acknowledged the loans violated state regulatory constraints.

New York Republican state senator Roy McDonald has apparently lost a GOP primary that went down to absentee ballots following his vote to legalize gay marriage last year. Republican Kathleen Marchione a 110-vote edge with just 50 votes that could still be contested. 

New York officials have issued regulations to prevent repeat drunken drivers from getting their licenses back. Under the new rule, the Department of Motor Vehicles will review the lifetime records of drivers seeking reinstatement after a revocation and deny any that have five or more alcohol or drug-related driving convictions.

People who modeled for artist Norman Rockwell decades ago in the Vermont town of Arlington are getting together for a reunion this weekend.  More than 200 people were used as models in the Arlington area where Rockwell lived from 1939 to 1953.  More than a dozen of them are meeting Saturday at the Norman Rockwell Exhibition in Arlington to catch up and share stories about Rockwell, whose paintings and illustrations graced more than 300 covers of The Saturday Evening Post.

Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon will present Jerry Sabatini’s Sonic Explorers this Thursday at 7:30pm. General Admission is $12.  Brandon Music offers an Early Bird dinner special, which includes a ticket for the jazz performance, for $22 per person. Their music reflects a deep love and respect for modern jazz, soul, and folk, as well as music from the Middle East, Asia, and from 20th and 21st century classical composers.  For Information & Reservations: (802) 465-4071 / info@brandon-music.net. www.brandon-music.net.

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

Election day is just 42 days away and since it's a Presidential year and there are several other big-ticket items on the ballot, there's a big push to get everyone who's eligible out to vote.  There are many ways to register.  Visit your town clerks office, the DMV or download a form and mail it to the town clerk.  You can vote in person, or by mail. Every vote counts, especially in a small state like Vermont.  Ballots are available now, so to avoid "voter remorse," the Secretary of State's office recommends learning about each candidate, because once your vote is cast, you can't make changes.  The election is November 6th, but the registration deadline is Halloween.

Planned Parenthood threw its support behind Governor Peter Shumlin yesterday.   Regional President Steve Trombley says Planned Parenthood is backing the Governor because he supports affordable and preventive health care for women.  He also said in the past two years Governor Shumlin's done more for Planned Parenthood than any other governor.  Governor Shumlin says he's proud of the endorsement.