Welcome to our early morning Web report, which will be presented from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Our hosts are two newsroom staffers -- Darren Marcy and Cristina Kumka.

Check here for weather updates, late sports, breaking news and advice for getting your work day started.

Your host today is Darren.

Welcome to Vermont Today!



Thanks!
It's been a great day ... again. Thanks.
Let's do it again tomorrow at 6:30 a.m.
But first, don't miss the noon update. Lots of new stories, some notes about tomorrow's paper, more on the AT trail record, and, I hear we have a cat video today.
Don't blame me.
Have a great day.



New AT record
Jennifer Pharr Davis set the unofficial record for the fastest hike of the entire Appalachian Trail, making the 2,180-mile trek from Maine to Georgia in 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes.
She emerged from the woods Sunday with her husband by her side and walked to the granite slab on Springer Mountain in Georgia at the trail's southern end. There cheering for her were her parents and dozens of other family members and friends.
With the Appalachian Trail running through Vermont, this is a celebration for all of us.
I can almost guarantee you there is someone out there right now thinking to him/herself, "If I just got in a little better shape ... "
Do it! The bar is set. What's 2,180 miles when you have 46 days to do it.
This story will be featured with more details in our noon report and carried in full in Friday's Rutland Herald and on both paper's websites.



Midwife seeks to reverse permit denial
BARRE – In a bizarre twist that may yet avert a promised legal appeal a Barre midwife went before the city's development review board asking for the conditional use permit for a home office that her husband was denied while she was away in Haiti last month.
-- Staff Report



Feds seize firearms from ex-Vt. police officer
ST. JOHNSBURY — Federal law enforcement agents who spent a day removing firearms from the home of a Vermont man say no charges have been filed.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were seen removing the firearms Wednesday from the St. Johnsbury home of Phil Ciotti.
The Caledonian Record says what appeared to have been hundreds of firearms were removed from the house.
James Mostyn, the resident agent-in-charge of the Burlington ATF office, says Ciotti holds a federal license as a firearms dealer. He described the activity as a routine inventory of a dealer's firearms.
Ciotti declined comment.
Ciotti was a St. Johnsbury Police officer from June 1980 to September 1990. He has served as a Caledonian County sheriff's deputy.



Traffic delays on I-89
The Vermont Agency of Transportation is reporting delays on Interstate 89 until at least Friday, Aug. 5.
The southbound lanes between Exit 16 and 14 will be affected by a lane closure causing the delays.
The Agency of Transportation officials are advising motorists of delays as contractors are installing an access road to allow work on a pipe.
This has required the closure of the southbound driving lane starting just north of exit 15.
Some traffic stoppages have been reported as of this morning.
Work on the project is set to begin at 9 a.m. to accommodate morning “drive time traffic.”
However, state officials will be monitoring the situation to see if further adjustments will have to be made.



Senators support giving Guard a voice
Forty-six senators including Vermont's Patrick Leahy and Bernard Sanders, now sponsor legislation that would give the National Guard a voice in final resource decisions at the Pentagon.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced the National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act of 2011 (S. 1025) in late May.
Forty-four Senators, including Sanders, have since signed on as co-sponsors.
The bill includes a provision to give the Guard's senior officer a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The House approved a similar measure in May, meaning it now only needs Senate approval to be sent to the president, who committed to a Guard “seat at the table” in his 2008 campaign booklet, The Blueprint for America: Barack Obama's Plan for America.



The cat days of summer
The Central Vermont Humane Society is cutting adoption fees and asking for support as they attempt to find homes for adult cats.
There will be no adoption fee for cats 2 years old and older through August.
With dozens of cats available for adoption, CVHS is cutting adoption fees and asking for community support and donations, according to a news release.
“We always see a decline in adult cat adoptions during kitten season,” says Anne Ward, Director of Operations. “We hope this August special will help send some of our adults into new homes.”
An entire room is reserved for kittens under 12 weeks old.
Visit www.cvhumane.com for profiles of our adoptable cats.



Arch of Lake Champlain bridge to be installed soon
WEST ADDISION — An engineer say the center arch of the new Lake Champlain bridge from Vermont to New York should be lifted into place by the end of the month.
The 402-foot center span of the bridge from West Addison, Vt., to Crown Point, N.Y., is being built at a New York marina two miles north of the bridge site.
John Grady of the New York Department of Transportation says workers are finishing the cable support system of the arch. Once that is done, the arch will be loaded onto two barges and moved to the bridge site where it will be lifted into place.
Grady tells WCAX-TV he hopes the arch can be installed by the end of the month.
The bridge is scheduled to open in October.



Vt police: alcohol, pot abetted triple fatal
BENNINGTON — Bennington police say alcohol and marijuana were contributing factors to a fiery crash that killed three Vermont teenagers.
Police say the focus on their investigation into the June crash is to determine who provided the alcohol and if there is criminal liability.
Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette said the three boys had all consumed alcohol and marijuana before the June 22 crash on Overlea Road.
The crash killed the driver, 17-year-old Arthur Eriksen, his brother, 15-year-old Tyler Eriksen and 17-year-old Aaron Sprague.
Police say the car was traveling at a high rate of speed when it went off the road and hit a tree.



Vt. launches program to bring graduates to state
BURLINGTON — The state of Vermont is working to attract young employees to the state in the fields of engineering, science and technology.
The incentive announced by Gov. Peter Shumlin last week provides $1,500 a year for up to five years to recent college graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics hired by Vermont companies.
The program is modeled after efforts to attract medical and nursing school graduates to Vermont. It aims to help students pay off their college loans and meet the state's professional employment needs.
Patricia Moulton Powden of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development says $75,000 has been allotted annually for two years in a pilot version of the program, which began July 1.



Vt. police seek man who threatened mom in Newport
NEWPORT — Newport police are looking for an armed Vermont man who they say threatened to kill his mother and assaulted his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.
Officers responded at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday to a report that Dwayne Calloway, Jr. had used a machete to threaten his mother, Bernadette Dewing, and was wrecking her house.
Calloway had left by the time police arrive, but he returned after officers left, assaulted his mother, pulled out a knife and threatened to kill her.
Calloway attempted to fire a handgun, but it was unloaded.
Police consider Calloway armed and dangerous.



A question, and an answer
We received a reader question about our noon update yesterday. As part of the update, we listed some of the stories the staffs of the Rutland Herald and Times Argus were working on. One of the lines from the "news budget" read: “SEXOFFENDER: Sex offender from Rutland County allegedly violates his probation as soon as it starts.”
The question was, "Who is the sex offender?"
Good question, which I will answer with a short update now (below), as well as a more indepth update a little later in the morning.
But first, a real quick note about the news budget. It's simply our best guess at a given time of the day as to what we will have for tomorrow's paper and today's website.
Things change throughout the day. Another, bigger story might crop up; a source may not be reachable; there may simply not be room in the newspaper to fit all the stories in, and the list goes on and on.
So, that list of articles may be in tomorrow's paper, and on the website, or it might wait have to be held.



Brandon man accused of probation violation
Just hours before he was to be sentenced for extortion and sexual exploitation in a case involving a 13-year-old, Geoffry G. McDonald, 19, of Brandon is accused of being on the Internet trying to get a 16-year-old to reveal herself.
McDonald was convicted May 17 after pleading guilty to two felony charges stemming from an incident last year, in which police said McDonald got a 13-year-old girl to send him nude pictures of herself and then threatened to distribute them to her friends if she would not have sex with him.
-- Staff Report



Electric rates could go up
Customers of Green Mountain Power Corp. would see their electric rates go up 3.2 percent in the fall, if the state Public Service Board gives its approval.
GMP filed for the “rate adjustment” on Wednesday under the company's alternative regulation plan. The rate would take effect today October 1.
-- Bruce Edwards



Ground turkey recall one of largest ever
Meat giant Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of turkey after a government hunt for the source of a salmonella outbreak that has killed one person in California and sickened dozens more.
The Agriculture Department and the Minnesota-based company announced Wednesday evening that Cargill is recalling fresh and frozen ground turkey products produced at the company's Springdale, Ark., plant from Feb. 20 through Aug. 2 due to possible contamination from the strain of salmonella linked to 76 illnesses and the one death.
Investigators haven't pinpointed the source of turkey believed to be behind a salmonella outbreak.
Illnesses in the outbreak date back to March and have been reported in 26 states coast to coast. Both the Agriculture Department and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are still working to identify the source. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has warned consumers to properly cook ground turkey.
Just before the recall announcement Wednesday, CDC epidemiologist Christopher Braden said he thought health authorities were closing in on the suspect. He said some leftover turkey in a package at a victim's house was confirmed to contain the strain of salmonella linked to the outbreak.
In announcing the recall, Cargill officials said all ground turkey production has been suspended at the Springdale plant until the company is able to determine the source of the contamination.
"Given our concern for what has happened, and our desire to do what is right for our consumers and customers, we are voluntarily removing our ground turkey products from the marketplace," said Steve Willardsen, president of Cargill's turkey processing business.
The Minnesota-based company said it was initiating the recall after its own internal investigation, an Agriculture Department investigation and the information about the illnesses released by the CDC this week.
All of the packages recalled include the code "Est. P-963," according to Cargill. The packages were labeled with many different brands, including Cargill's Honeysuckle White.
According to food safety attorney Bill Marler, who publishes a database of outbreak statistics, the ground turkey recall is one of the largest meat recalls ever.
A chart on the CDC's website shows cases have occurred every month since early March, with spikes in May and early June. The latest reported cases were in mid-July, although the CDC said some recent cases may not have been reported yet. The CDC said the strain is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics, which can make treatment more difficult.
The states reporting the highest number sickened are Michigan and Ohio, with 10 each. Texas has reported nine illnesses; Illinois, seven; California, six; and Pennsylvania, five.
Twenty states have one to three reported illnesses linked to the outbreak, according to the CDC. They are Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
-- The Associated Press



Rutland celebrates National Night Out
White's Pool in Rutland was packed with people who turned out to celebrate the annual National Night Out in an effort to fight crime. The annual crime-fighting event is celebrated in more than 10,000 communities nationwide.
Hundreds of people, mostly dressed in swimsuits, enjoyed the various activities by the Rutland City Parks and Recreation Department including an obstacle course and a hockey shoot out, although the biggest hits were the pool and the foot tent.
“The best part is watching the kids do the games and see the demonstrations,” said Sgt. Richard Putnam of the Rutland Country Sheriff's Department. “(The event) brings the kids out and their families. It's pretty cool.”
Local health and law enforcement organizations including Mentor's Connection, the Rutland County Health Coalition, the Marble Valley Correctional Facility and the Department of Motor Vehicles had informational booths with topics ranging from drugs and alcohol to nutrition and breast cancer awareness.
Betty Woodard, a member of Citizen on Patrol, has participated in National Night Out for about three years. She said events like this one are important because they are very educational.
“We come out here to learn about the drugs,” she said. “The more we know about them, the more we can do about them when we are out there.”
Ursula Gacusana of Rutland, who attended National Night Out, with her two daughters, believes events like these should be a monthly event.
“I have spoken to the pool director about making it a more regular event,” she said. “It's a great forum for kids to learn about drugs and what the police do, and to get to know the police officers.”
A highlight of the afternoon was an Army helicopter that landed behind the tennis courts around 6:30 p.m.
“It's a good atmosphere. It's safe,” Gacusana said.
-- Lucia Suarez / Staff Writer



Ira treasurer sentencing delayed
BRATTLEBORO - The sentencing of the former Ira town treasurer who has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $300,000 from his community is being delayed.
Donald Hewitt had been scheduled to be sentenced on Monday in federal court in Brattleboro, but the sentencing has been postponed because his federal public defender resigned to accept a new position as a state court judge.
Hewitt is facing up to 20 years in prison.
Authorities say Hewitt wrote checks to himself from the town equipment and cemetery funds, pocketed residents' property tax payments and marked as "paid" his taxes and those of others who hadn't paid them.
The Burlington Free Press (http://bit.ly/nywrqR ) says the sentencing has not been rescheduled.
-- The Associated Press



Police say death 'accidental'
The Vermont State Police have announced that the death of a man who fell out of a boat into Lake Champlain died from blunt force trauma and is considered "accidental."
Detectives, after reviewing the autopsy report, have determined that Rene Viau, age 46 of Ferrisburgh, died from injuries sustained after he fell overboard on July 23 during a boating incident on Lake Champlain between Kellogg and Porter Bays, near Ferrisburgh, according to a news release.
The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner's Office determined Viau died as a result of blunt force trauma after being struck by the boat. The 16½ foot aluminum boat was owned and operated by Frank Trombley.
“The investigation into the death of Viau is complete and considered accidental,” said Detective Sam Capogrossi. “No charges are expected in this case.”
Viau was found on July 26 by family members while they searched the lake by boat. The body was recovered approximately ½ mile off shore from Grosse Point, approximately 1.25 miles north of the Otter Creek, by members of the Vermont State Police Uniform Division, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the US Coast Guard.



Police seek info on copper thefts
The Vermont State Police is investigating a series of copper wire thefts from the Killington Ski Area. Approximately $6,000.00 of copper wire was stolen from the Killington between July 29 and July 31. Anyone with information regarding this theft can contact Trooper Robert Giolito at the Rutland State Police Barracks 773-9101.



Maine commission gives first OK to wind project
BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Land Use Regulation Commission has given tentative approval to plans for a 19-turbine wind farm in rural Hancock County, but obstacles remain before a final vote next month.
On Wednesday, LURC officials were mostly satisfied with the proposal from Blue Sky East, a subsidiary of First Wind, the largest developer of wind farms in Maine.
The commission is expected to review oncerns over how the project would affect environmental scenery. But final approval is expected next month.
Blue Sky East wants to build 19 turbines, each 476 feet tall and capable of producing 1.8 megawatts, of power just east of Eastbrook.
The Bangor Daily News (http://bit.ly/q9XVgm ) says Blue Sky attorney Kelly Boden estimates the $70 million project will benefit the entire state.
-- The Associated Press



Board to tackle mobile home
Road crew workers will be cleaning up the leftovers from a mobile home mishap. The Clarendon Select Board recently directed the highway crew to remove any garbage remaining in the town's right of way on West Tinmouth Road after a dilapidated mobile home was transported down the rural street. The board further agreed to direct the Rutland County Sheriff's Department to investigate the matter in order to pursue cleanup costs. Garbage was strewn along the road when a pickup hauling a mobile home experienced a mechanical failure causing the vehicle and the trailer to roll backward down the hill into a ditch, according to witnesses. Several nearby residents speculated the drive shaft or axle broke in the vehicle causing the crash earlier this month. The mobile home was then extricated from the ditch by a couple of farm tractors.



Leahy lifts hold on funds for Cuba
Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont on Tuesday lifted the final hold on the last part of a $20 million allocation for Cuba democracy programs, ending a bitter three-month fight over the programs' effectiveness. The funds are designed to help more than a dozen types of non-government activities, from youth groups to training on computers, communications and private enterprise and support for the communist-ruled country's lesbian and gay community.
-- From the Miami Herald



Can you believe it!
Jacoby Ellsbury did it again last night.
The speedy centerfielder who is showing more pop this year ended last night's 3-2 Red Sox win with another walk off hit.
This time it was a blast to dead center that had the Fenway Faithful in full celebration mode.
Two walk-offs in back-to-back nights and the Yankees come to town tomorrow...
It's fun rooting for these guys.
What do you think about last night's win?
Does this year's team have what it takes to bring home another title to Beantown?
There's a ways to go and injuries could play a role, but I'm liking them a lot heading down the stretch.
Share your thoughts with me and I'll share some of them here. I'll even entertain Yankee fans if you want to pop off.



Dadgum weather guessers
Take your umbrella with you this morning, you might need it.
The weather guessers, despite promising me two days ago today would be a great day, have changed their collective mind -- at least according to the Weather Channel (www.weather.com).
Now they're saying we might see a morning shower followed by afternoon thunderstorms.
Highs are expected to be in the low 80s with light winds.
The chance for rain is 30 percent.
So, grab that umbrella and keep it handy. At least for the morning.
I'd like to know what the weather is like where you are. Are you already seeing rain or is your forecast different.



Early morning, where's my coffee
I wonder who is editing some of these stories I read.
Take the tour bus crash. Some reporters just report everything they see. It's an editor's job to know that if the bus is on its roof, the wheels will be in the air. You don't have to report both. If the bus is on its roof and its wheels are NOT in the air, then you've got something.
I took care of it and deleted the part of the sentence about the wheels being in the air.
Come on AP editors, you can do better.



Bear attacks NJ campsite, hurts 2 boys, gets shot
BRANCHVILLE, N.J. — A young black bear attacked a campsite on Wednesday, injuring two boys, before being shot in the neck and scampering into the woods, authorities said.
The attack occurred in a heavily wooded area of Stokes State Forest in Sussex County near the Appalachian Trail in northwestern New Jersey. The bear entered an area being used by campers from Montague-based Trail Blazers Camp, state police said.
The bear tried to grab one boy out of a tent, causing a minor foot injury, and swiped at another boy, causing a shoulder injury, state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Lawrence Hajna said. It tried to enter a second tent, he said.
Two adult counselors were with the group of nine young campers and herded them into a partially enclosed shelter, where they made as much noise as possible to try to scare the bear away while calling for help, Hajna said.
The bear left but soon returned and was rummaging through the campsite when a wildlife technician arrived and shot it in the neck.
The bear fled into the woods, where conservation officials searched for it. Wildlife officials said the bear is a yearling, the age between cub and full-grown when a bear strikes out on its own. They cordoned off the area.
The injured campers are described as a 12-year-old from Jersey City and an 11-year-old from New York City. It's unclear which boy sustained which injury. Both were hospitalized.
Bear attacks are infrequent in New Jersey, according to Hajna, who says black bears can be curious but usually run away when people make noise. Hajna says bear incidents have decreased this year, with about 16 sightings reported and no other attacks.



Tour bus full of riders overturns on NY roadway
WHITNEY POINT, N.Y. — A tour bus carrying more than 30 passengers flipped over about 12 miles north of Binghamton Wednesday night and landed upside-down in a ditch, injuring several people and trapping at least one woman underneath it.
Four people were seriously injured and 36 others suffered minor injuries, a dispatcher for the Broome County Sheriff's Department said.
The accident, the latest in a string of bus crashes in the Northeast this year, occurred on Interstate 81 in a southbound lane near Whitney Point. The bus, which appeared to have no markings on its sides, ended up in the ditch on its roof.
First responders worked frantically to free a woman who was trapped under the bus, Whitney Point Fire Department Chief Nicholas Sculley said.
The woman, who was conscious and alert, had been partially ejected through the bus roof escape hatch, which had come open. She was lying on her back with her head under the bus, in a gap between the ground and the bus. She was rescued with no obvious external injuries other than a couple of cuts to her face, Sculley said.
“A centimeter either way,” he said, “and it would have been a different outcome.”
Paramedics were evaluating people, many with neck and chest injuries, at the scene.
At Lourdes Hospital, in Binghamton, about 20 miles south of Whitney Point, clinical manager Barb Anderson said people from the bus were getting X-rays and tests and it was unclear how many would be admitted. There were no young children among the injured, but two patients appeared to be in their teens, she said.
The southbound side of I-81 was closed around Whitney Point because of the accident, Department of Transportation spokesman Dave Hamburg said. The cause of the accident hadn't been determined.



Good Morning
First update is just minutes away but I wanted to take a second and tell everyone hello.

What's going on out there this morning?

I have to throw a special Vermont greeting to Alan this morning, who said he finds us on his iPhone. He wakes up, checks his news feed and here we are.

Where you guys finding this Vermont Today, this new venture of ours? I'd love to know where and how you're reading this.

Please email me with comments and suggestions at: darren.marcy@rutlandherald.com.

Now let's get on with the day. There's news a brewin'. Some coffee too!



Vt. tops in young alcohol rates, 2nd in marijuana
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A new federal report says Vermont leads the nation in the rate of young people who drink alcohol and is second in the country for youthful marijuana use.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that New Hampshire ranked second in youthful alcohol abuse and eighth in marijuana use.
The survey found that more than a third of people between the ages of 12 and 20 in Vermont and New Hampshire had consumed alcohol in the past month. About a quarter of them had consumed at least five drinks on the same occasion, meeting the definition of binging.
The Valley News says the lowest rate was in Utah, where only 14 percent of young people drank in the past month.
“We are concerned,” said Barbara Cimaglio, deputy commissioner of the alcohol and drug abuse programs for the Vermont Department of Health. “We know there is a challenge in front of us.”
On marijuana, the study found that 11 percent of Vermonters and 10 percent of New Hampshire residents had used marijuana in the past month, but that higher percentages of young people had done so. More than 30 percent of Vermont 18-to-25-year-olds reported smoking marijuana recently. The number was 27 percent in New Hampshire.
“It's a time of experimentation and exploring what does it mean to be an adult,” Cimaglio said. “I think that comes with testing out a lot of risky behavior.” Theories abound as to why alcohol and marijuana use are so prevalent in this region, Cimaglio said. Among the theories: the states' geography as a corridor between Montreal and Boston, a permissive culture and long, cold winters that limit other types of entertainment.
Robert Bryant, program director at Second Growth, a non-profit social-service agency in White River Junction, cited what he called cultural acceptance. “It's become part of the fabric of the community that using, for the adult population, is acceptable behavior.”
Drinking and marijuana use are accepted as normal, every-day behavior among many adults in this region, he said, and those messages trickle down to kids.



Vt. police arrest pair in vehicle shooting
HINESBURG — The Vermont State Police have made an arrest in a suspected drug-related shooting in Hinesburg.
Police say someone shot at a vehicle driven by 34-year-old Shawn Holbrook of Hinesburg on Route 116 around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Authorities say Holbrook had been involved in a drug-related altercation with 27-year-old Dean Heffernan and 26-year-old Katherine Heffernan at their Bristol residence that night. Police say the Heffernans followed Holbrooke into Hinesburg and shot his vehicle. No one was injured.
Police say a search of the Heffernan residence turned up heroin, hashish, and prescription pills.
Dean Heffernan has been arrested on charges of aggravated assault and possession of narcotics. Katherine Heffernan has been cited to appear in court on Aug. 29.



Vt. sets up new public records history web site
MONTPELIER — Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos has announced the creation of a new page on his office's web site devoted to the history of Vermont's public records law.
Condos says the special web presentation is designed to enhance the public's understanding of the law and the right to know about the activities of government.
The presentation includes reports, testimony, case law, and the original acts that make up the public records law. Looking at the original acts, for example, allows a viewer to see how records bills were amended during legislative deliberations.
Condos says the site is meant to be a companion to the web-based public records database created by his office.