The Health Department has issued two reports about Asthma
today. They both show Vermont
has the highest asthma rate in the nation with 1 in 10 children and
approximately 11% of adults having asthma in 2010. The Health Department says asthma is a
respiratory disease that, if not treated, can cause permanent lung damage,
disability and sometimes death. May is
Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.
Although they're considered in the country illegally,
immigrant farm workers may soon have valid proof of identity and residence in Vermont . The House gave preliminary approval yesterday
afternoon to a plan allowing the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue
"driver privilege cards." The
Senate passed its immigrant driving bill in April while the House could vote on
it again as soon as today.
Bars in Essex County 4 to 3 AM . The
3 o'clock time was a compromise
reached between some bar owners and board supervisors. The change isn't official until the New York
State Liquor Board reviews the vote in a public hearing.
A Rutland man
pled innocent to embezzlement charges yesterday morning. Prosecutors say 27-year-old Mitchell Gioffi allegedly
took nearly 100 high-priced items from Sears at the mall over a two-month
period. In a statement to police, Gioffi
said he was stealing and selling the items because of his heroin addiction. The monetary value of the stolen items was
over $17,247. Gioffi was released on
conditions. If convicted, he faces up to
10 years in prison.
Crews are investigating a brush fire in St. George on
Sunday. A press release says
approximately 1 acre of land caught fire a few hundred feet from homes on Hemlock
Road . Witnesses told police that several juveniles
were seen exiting the woods in that area.
Police say this was the second fire at the same location involving the
same juveniles. Those juvenile suspects
have been identified. Police are still
investigating the fire.
The Vermont House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill
requiring labeling of food products containing genetically modified
organisms. But the measure isn’t
expected to pass into law this year, because there isn’t enough time before the
end of the session. If it passes the
House, as expected, the Senate will likely take it up in January.
If you like buying online to avoid a sales tax, you're not
alone, but that luxury could soon change.
The Senate has passed the Marketplace Fairness Act. It requires all online retailers to collect
sales taxes for the state where the goods are shipped. Shoppers who live in Alaska ,
Delaware , Montana ,
New Hampshire and Oregon
won't be charged on goods they have shipped to their home state. That's because these 5 states don't have a
state-wide sales tax. The bill now moves
to the House.
