WVTK Local & State News December 19, 2013

When there’s a house fire, the American Red Cross is there to help victims find shelter and get back on their feet, but now it’s the Vermont chapter which needs the help.  Over the past few weeks, 14 fires in Vermont have displaced about 60 people, and the non-profit is being hit not just financially but also by volunteers.  The Red Cross has a couple of hundred volunteers around the state but usually only about a third of them are able to respond to fires at any given time.  During this busy season, donations of time are just about as valuable to the Red Cross as dollar donations.

Police are investigating a murder-suicide involving a father and his teenage son.  Investigators say 49 year-old Ludwig Schumacher killed his son, 14 year-old Gunnar Schumacher before taking his own life at an apartment on Carmichael Street in Essex.  While emergency crews responded to the scene around 2 o’clock yesterday, police say the apparent homicide-suicide happened "some time ago."  Officials at Essex High School say students can access counselors at any time today and tomorrow.  They will have information for teachers, staff, and students today at school. 

Rutland smashed the US blood-donation record.  Rutland’s 11th annual Gift of Life Marathon on Tuesday collected 2,337 pints of blood.  The Rutland drive broke the previous one-day U.S. record of 1,968 pints set by Manchester, N.H. back in 2011.  The online Guinness World Records says the one-day world-wide record of 43,732 pints was set in India in 2010.  A few years ago, some people had to wait six hours before giving blood. But this year, due to all the volunteers that helped out, people were in and out in an hour and a half or less.

The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Department is holding a free ice fishing day on January 25.  A press release says Vermont's new free ice fishing day is a day where anyone, resident or non-resident, can go fishing without a fishing license.  Vermont’s ice fishing season for trout, salmon and bass starts January 18 and continues through March 15 on 40 large Vermont lakes. The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife says anyone who is interested in learning more about ice fishing can attend an ice fishing festival on January 25 at the Larrabee Point Fishing Access Area in Shoreham.  Instructors will be there from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Port Henry has established a Parking Ban.  Officials say parking on any of the streets within the village of Port Henry is prohibited between midnight and 6 a.m. through April 1 to allow village streets to be cleared of snow in the event of a storm. Any vehicle in violation of this law will be towed at the owner’s expense.