It’s one up and five to go in the case of six Castleton
State College student athletes facing criminal charges. 19-year-old George Busharis was the first yesterday
to go before a judge, pleading not guilty to theft charges. Prosecutors say they were all part of a theft
ring targeting Dick’s Sporting Goods in Rutland . A spokesperson for the college says the four
football players and two soccer players are all suspended from participating in
sports but are still enrolled at Castleton, and, the college still stands by
them.
State health officials are testing someone they say may be
the second Vermonter this summer to have West Nile
virus. At this point, they are not
saying who that person is or the hometown.
More West Nile has turned up in recent mosquito
tests done in Colchester , as well as Whiting. Epidemiologists say the danger of catching
the mosquito-borne illness won’t go away until the first hard frost. The previous Vermonter contracting West
Nile was a Lamoille County
Even with most IRS
workers on furlough because of the shutdown, today is a tax deadline. This is if you applied for a 6-month
extension back in April. Even though
your paperwork must be in, the IRS says
there will not be any refunds issued until normal government operations
resume. There also won't be anyone
available to take calls or help taxpayers in person. More than 90% of the IRS
staff is home without pay.
Officials at Vermont Health Connect say 631 people have
signed up so far. The website allows
users to compare approved health care plans side-by-side. From there, users can select and purchase the
plan that will work best for them. The
state is expecting 100,000 people to enroll for the new insurance system that
starts January 1st.
Two more Rutland Police officers accused of watching
pornography on the job have been named.
A total of three officers have been investigated by the Rutland Police
Department for downloading inappropriate images at work. An investigation that began in 2004 initially
focused on a detective who had downloaded 25,000 graphic images. The investigation into the other officer says
he emailed explicit images and videos at work back in 2010. Both were suspended during the investigation. The commissioner says the mistakes happened
years ago and he doesn't believe they jeopardize the police department now.
A newly released survey finds Vermont
has the highest rate of illicit drug use in the U.S. More than 15% of respondents over the age of
12 say they've used illicit drugs in the past month. That ranks Vermont
highest in the country. Right above Rhode
Island .
