Cavendish Update 1/27/17 News/Strange/Events
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1/27/17 Cavendish Update
1. Cavendish Related News
2. Cavendish Historical Society Believe it or Not
3. Events
1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
BRGN Upgrades Security System: Black River Good Neighbor (BRGN) recently upgraded its security system-inside and outside the store. Due to this upgrade, two individuals were caught shoplifting in the past 3 weeks. The authorities were called and proper action taken.
Downers Store Burglarized: On January 25, 2017 at approximately 2:00 am the Downers Store (106 & 131) was burglarized. Two subjects entered the store after shattering the front doors glass. The two subjects were in the store less than four minutes and removed cigarettes. The vehicle was a dark colored GMC extended cab truck. Any person with information is asked to contact the Weathersfield Police Department. 802-674-2185
Amazon to Charge Sales Tax for Vermonters starting Feb. 1: Starting February 1st, Amazon will begin collecting Vermont's 6-percent sales tax on all purchases. The Legislature passed language in its 2016 tax legislation requiring “noncollectors” such as Amazon.com to send annual letters to customers notifying them how much they need to pay the state in sales taxes. That law goes into effect for noncollectors July 1. VT Digger
Local Companies Make the List for 45 Best Places to Work in VT 2017: Once again Okemo Mountain Resort makes the list. Countryside Alarmsalso appears on the list for the first time. The full list is available at Vermontbiz.
Michael’s Opens in W. Lebanon: Michael’s Crafts Store opens in W. Lebanon on Feb. 3 in the space formerly occupied by Books-a-Million between Price Chopper and Wal-Mart on Route 12A.
Governor Calls for Drastic Changes in Education System: With a $75 million budget gap to close, on Tuesday Governor Phil Scott turned to schools looking for savings. Vermont's nearly $6 billion budget will grow ever so slightly when it begins this July per Scott’s plan. He says the average property tax bill can remain flat and services won't be cut if the lawmakers are ready to drastically re-imagine the education system. Teachers would be forced to pay more for their health care in line with other state workers. Scott's budget relies on creating a legal requirement that school boards eliminate any growth from their budgets for a year or cover any increase with a local property tax. In the following year, funding would be tied directly to enrollment, lose kids and schools lose cash. Scott's team concedes that could lead schools to close. Scott pledged a future system covering students from the cradle to their career. Pre-K and early childhood funding would receive immediate multimillion dollar bumps. The Vermont State Colleges would receive a 15 percent increase in state funding, while UVM would get a more modest boost. The plan requires all school districts to vote on budgets on the same day-Tuesday May 23. The Vermont-NEA, the state’s largest teachers union, said the governor’s proposals will harm public schools forcing them to lay off hundreds of educators, cut the pay of those who stay and close schools. VT Digger VPR
Hold on Major Health Care Decisions: Scott will not move to eliminate Vermont’s Health Care Exchange due to the uncertainly of whether the Affordable Care Act will be repealed. In the meantime, to reduce the number of Vermonters who purchase their coverage on the exchange, all individuals who don't qualify for Medicaid or state premium assistance must purchase their coverage directly from the insurance companies. It's expected that this move will take almost 7,000 people off of the billing cycle of the exchange, saving the state $2.8 million a year. Among proposals being discussed in Washington is transferring funding for the Medicaid program into a state block grant. This approach would give states more flexibility in using Medicaid funds, but it would also cap how much a state could receive in any given year even if enrollment increased. VPR
What You’ll Need to Know About the State’s New Vehicle Inspection Program: Beginning in mid-March, inspection stations will be checking the safety and emissions of your vehicle with new, ruggedized tablets that will feed information into a centralized database. It's called the Automated Vehicle Inspection Program. The DMV says actual standards for determining what passes vehicle inspection aren't changing. What is changing is this system for conducting the inspection and collecting information. There will be a public database where a vehicle's inspection history can be searched using the Vehicle Identification Number. Based on the cost of the new system, it is not clear which of the local inspection stations will continue to offer this service. VPR
2. CAVENDISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY BELIEVE IT OR NOT! CHS is currently collecting strange tales about Cavendish. The first in the series Cavendish Believe it or Not is about Alexis St. Martin who lived in Cavendish from at least 1870 until 1879. What Phineas Gage did for the science of brain injury, St. Martin's stomach did for the field of gastroenterology. Learn more about St. Martin's story, which is both strange and gory at the CHS blog post Believe it or Not: Alexis St.Martin
A joint project in now underway between CHS, the Cavendish Baptist Church and local homeschoolers to build a "free mini pantry" that will be placed by the Church this spring. The students have been hard at work designing the pantry, where to get building supplies, writing a letter for donations etc. If you have supplies (wooden cabinet), can help with the construction and/or are a homeschooling family that would like to help, please e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807.
CHS works with students of all ages to impart not only town history but to also teach the importance of stewardship of their community. Containing non perishable items, the pantry will be available to anyone in the community.
3. EVENTS
JANUARY 28 (Saturday): Happy Chinese New Year! Weatherization Kick Off event, 10:30 at Weathersfield School.
JANUARY 30 (Monday): Applications are due at the Town Office for anyone interested in running for a Cavendish public office.
JANUARY 31 (Tuesday): Wildlife Photography Program, 7 pm at the Cavendish Town Office with wildlife photographer and Proctorsville resident Tim O’Donaghue.
For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.