WVTK Local & State News August 28, 2013

Now that Entergy has announced it's closing the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, how will this all come about?  While Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules say decommissioning could take up to 60 years, Governor Peter Shumlin says he’s talking with Entergy about a quicker process.  Entergy says it will use the Saf-Stor method of decommissioning and will allow the plant to remain intact after closing, removing radioactive materials later.

After years of lobbying the state, Essex County finally has a sales tax increase.  Members of the county Board of Supervisors voted 17-0 during a special meeting Monday to increase their share of the sales tax from 3.75 percent to 4.00 percent.  The increase brings the total sales tax figure to 8.0 percent with state and county combined.  The change will go into effect December 1.

Two years after floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene inundated the Vermont state office complex in Waterbury, workers are preparing to demolish some of the buildings.  On Tuesday, crews removed asbestos debris from one of the buildings that is expected to be demolished.  A state official says 13 of the oldest series of connected buildings will be preserved and 11 will be ‘‘deconstructed.’’  Gov. Peter Shumlin is expected to announce federal funding for the $124 million plan for the complex tomorrow. 

Vermont Legal Aid and Disability Rights Vermont are planning to announce the details of a settlement with the state Adult Protective Services Division.  The groups filed the lawsuit last December, saying Adult Protective Services routinely violates the law that requires it to begin investigating reports of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of vulnerable adults within 48 hours of receiving them.  The state had filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

A major fundraiser for Special Olympics is going to continue as usual next winter.  The Penguin Plunge will jump off, or jump in, off of Burlington’s waterfront as usual.  Some neighbors say they don’t like all the commotion and filed a complaint, saying the Act 250 permit for Waterfront Park only allows for events during the summer months.  After working closely with the District Environmental Commission, Special Olympics officials announced Tuesday they now have a permit for the 2014 plunge into the chilly waters of Lake Champlain.

An East Montpelier homeowner is shaken up but not hurt after a man with a gun broke into his home and robbed him.  Police say at 10 p.m. a man forced his way into a home on County Road in East Montpelier and demanded cash.  He then took off running.  If you have any information, you're asked to contact state police.

If you trust the forecast in the Farmers' Almanac then you might want to stock up on some long johns.  The report out of Maine that's been published since 1818 hit newsstands on Monday.  It's calling for a cold winter and heavy snowfall in the midwest, the great lakes and right here in Up-State New York and New England.