Archive - Sep 2012
September 20th
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of columns by town officials that aims to help residents avail themselves of municipal services.
What is the difference between a Task Force, a Steering Committee, a Committee, a Commission and a Board?
Generally, each group differs in duration, scope, level of formality and, in some cases, the legal basis for membership.
I get a lot of press releases in my email, hundreds a week, and they are the bane of my work life.
No, not the press releases I get from you, dear reader, about church dinners and teen center fundraisers. If you are reading this I would probably appreciate getting a press release from you.
In July, Vermont Gas Systems announced it had hired engineers to plan an expansion of the VGS system from Chittenden County south to Middlebury, and that it would be applying late this year for a certificate of public good for the project from the Public Service Board. Last week, VGS announced that International Paper would finance an extension of the project to the IP plant in Ticonderoga, N.Y., including a pipeline running under Lake Champlain. VGS eventually wants to extend its system all the way south to Rutland.
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury police on Sept. 10 began investigating the alleged embezzlement of $20,000 from the Marquis Theater on Main Street. Police said the theater owner has allegedly obtained a signed confession from an employee admitting responsibility for the crime. The matter was still under investigation as the Addison Independent went to press.
In other action last week, Middlebury police:
• Received a report that a checkbook had been stolen from a resident of Middlebury Commons on Buttolph Drive on Sept. 10.
ADDISON COUNTY — Vermont State Police last week received a report of the theft of logging chains, load binders and a set of red clamp-on forks from the Ferrisburgh town garage on Little Chicago Road.
The theft is believed to have occurred between Aug. 31 and Sept. 11.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the VSP at 388-4919 or submit an anonymous tip by texting “CRIMES” to keyword “VTIPS.”
BRISTOL — Bristol police responded to a report of a potential scam on Sept. 14. A senior citizen living on Mountain Street received a letter from a company that claimed to be based in California. The resident was told to send a fee of $3,000 in order to claim his prize.
The scammers didn’t get any money this time; police were contacted, and the resident was advised that if he sent the money he wasn’t likely to see it again.
Chief Kevin Gibbs said the police department had seen similar scams in the past, and victims were not always so lucky.
VERGENNES — Vergennes police twice dealt with a drunken Bristol man in the early morning hours of Sept. 14, and the second time they issued him a citation for unlawful mischief.
Police first made contact with Daniel Fleming, 34, at about 12:45 a.m. after they were flagged down by an employee of the City Limits nightclub. The employee told them Fleming had been asked to leave the bar because he was drunk, and that bar employees suspected Fleming of taking a decorative fountain from the tavern’s entrance.
VERMONT — As the state works toward establishing the Vermont Health Benefit Exchange, which will act as the central clearinghouse from which Vermont residents and businesses alike must purchase their primary health insurance, and beyond the Exchange a Vermont single-payer health care system, a number of key dates lie on the path.
Some dates have passed: In May 2011, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 48, which called for most of the major health care reforms, and a year later the Legisature passed H. 559, which made final plans for the Health Benefit Exchange.
