Vermont State Police say a 12-year-old boy was found alive
and well after an AMBER Alert was issued for him. Zachary Lee was dropped off at the driveway
of his foster home in Sunderland yesterday afternoon,
but never made it inside. Investigators
immediately suspected his mother had abducted him since she has in the
past. Lee was located at a hotel in Lyme ,
New Hampshire 11:30 pm . Police
say he was in the company of his mother, 49-year-old Patricia Kane, and his
sister, 17-year-old Martha Lee. Police
say both children were placed in protective custody and turned over to Vermont
social workers. This was the second time
an AMBER Alert was issued in the state of Vermont .
Legislators have finally reached a deal on a new farm
bill. The old farm bill expired last
year and negotiations have been extremely volatile. The new bill does set a wide range of
agricultural and food policies for the next 5 years but does not include a
price stabilization program that daily farmers have been hoping for. Senator Patrick Leahy was part of the
negotiating team. He says he was
disappointed the stabilization program was rejected, but was able to strike a
deal to make sure the insurance program mainly benefits smaller farms. The full House and Senate still need to sign
off on the overall bill.
Three new gun control measures will be presented to voters
in Burlington on Town Meeting
Day. The measures would allow police to
seize guns in cases of suspected domestic abuse, ban firearms in bars and
require gun owners to keep their weapons locked up at home. Few spoke out in favor of the measures. During last night’s meeting, many questioned
how these changes will be enforced and what it could mean for everyday safety. If voters accept the measures, they would have
to be approved by the state Legislature.
Governor Peter Shumlin has announced grants to install 13
publicly-available electric vehicle charging stations in six Vermont
downtowns. A press release says this
will be an important step to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, implement the
Comprehensive Energy Plan, and promote more electric vehicle purchases and
support local economies. Middlebury is
on the list and will be getting two publicly-available charging stations. Also on the list were Barre, Bennington ,
Burlington , Morristown ,
and St. Albans . Construction
of the charging stations will begin this spring.
