a presentation of the Weathersfield Conservation Commission.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 7 pm
at the Weathersfield Meeting House on Weathersfield Center Road.

Learn about
~the harmful effects of these alien plants on our natural, native environment
~how to identify, control and eradicate these plants on your property
~on-going efforts by the local Army Corps of Engineers at eradication

An illustrated program presented by wildlife biologist, Gary Pelton

Question and answer period
FREE and Open to ALL
Refreshments

From: Representative Ernie Shand

June 2010

Dear Cavendish and Weathersfield Residents,
This paper is my report to you from the work of the 2009-2010 legislative biennium session. This concludes my fourth biennium of serving you, and by far it has been the most challenging because of the depressed economic climate. However, we were able to pass a balanced state budget without a tax increase despite a $154 million budget gap. The budget was a result of a rather spirited compromise between the General Assembly and the Administration in the last two days of the session. I am assigned by the Speaker of the House to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development. My committee developed and passed several bills that will have a direct effect upon working Vermonters and Vermont businesses as seen in the following two items.

Unemployment Insurance (UI)
We have known since January of 2009 that Vermont’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund would be depleted around January 2010. We have been working since then to find a workable solution. The primary cause of this imbalance is that the premium tax paid by employers, based on a taxable wage base of $8000, has not changed since 1983. In contrast, the benefits to unemployed workers have slowly risen along with our average wage. In good times with low unemployment this was not a problem, but when the current recession hit with full force, the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund was depleted. We then had to borrow from the Federal Trust Fund to pay benefits to Vermont’s unemployed.
Business interests said that they could not afford to pay the full cost of bringing the state’s fund to balance. Labor interests said that it was unfair to ask laid-off workers to suffer cuts to benefits that scarcely cover basic needs.
This winter (2010), after long and arduous negotiations between competing interests, a compromise was reluctantly agreed to by all sides. The deal called for some reductions in benefits (a one-week waiting period, some exclusions for serious misconduct, and some recalculations of eligibility and durations of benefits.) The greater burden will be carried by the employers. The taxable wage base will be raised to $13,000 in 2011 and to $16,000 in 2012.
We predict that the fund will be back in balance sometime in 2015, and we can stop borrowing from the Federal Trust Fund at that time.

Credit Cards
Small Mom & Pop stores were having a problem with the use of credit and debit cards for small purchases. One example of the problem was brought to us by a village store owner. She cited an example of a customer purchasing a cup of coffee and a donut, with the price of the transaction coming to $1.40. If the customer pays with a debit or credit card, the merchant is required to pay the credit card company a flat $.20, plus a percentage of the total price of the transaction. The percentage can be as low as 1.5%, but normally is 2 to 4% of the total price of the transaction. Some merchants wish to place a sign near the check out area that says something like, “Please do not use a credit or debit card for purchases of less than $10.” The rules of the credit card companies don’t allow a sign like that, and they could be fined $5000. We were heavily lobbied by both VISA and MasterCard, but were able to pass the bill allowing the sign to be displayed near the checkout. This allows the merchant a choice to require cash for a small transaction or take a plastic card.

D.U.I. Ignition Interlock
The General Assembly passed a results-based approach to keep drunk drivers off Vermont’s roads. Statistics show that simply suspending licenses doesn’t keep people from driving, particularly in a rural state. The voluntary installation of an ignition interlock device by the offender, at the offender’s expense, will allow the person to continue to drive with a restricted driver’s license. The court can reduce the fine and length of the license suspension if the offender chooses the ignition interlock system. Drivers who qualify for the restricted driver’s license option must have insurance and participate in a CRASH program.

Supporting Our National Guard
We, as legislators, support the more than 1,500 members of the National Guard deployed in Afghanistan and other countries around the world. We have made every attempt to ensure that our soldiers do not have to worry about their families here at home while they serve overseas. One of the pieces of legislation we passed is called the Military Parents’ Rights Act which protects the parental right of members of the military when they are away from their children’s lives due to official orders.
It is important to us that deployed troops focus on completing the mission and return home safely to families and communities. If you have a loved one in the military and need financial or resource assistance, please call the Vermont Veteran and Family Outreach 24-hour hotline
(888-607-8773).

E-Waste
The General Assembly passed a bill, S.77, designed to help protect the environment from a growing problem of discarded electronic items such as computers, cell phones, televisions, etc. The bill is called a “producer responsibility” bill that addresses the fastest growing and very hazardous portion of our waste stream. Effective next January, the bill bans the disposal of all electronic devices in landfills. These products contain lead, mercury, gold, silver and other hazardous substances that can pose a threat to our health and environment if not disposed of properly. Consumers who currently recycle these products generally must pay a fee to do so. We have joined with 20 other states to require manufacturers of electronic apparatus to be responsible for the cost of the disposal of the equipment they manufacture. The manufacturers will pay a fee to the Agency of Natural Resources based on the company’s market share in Vermont. This fee will fund free convenient collection sites around Vermont by the year 2012.

Caring for Vermonters
We worked very hard to protect and improve services for Vermonters, especially children, seniors, and those with disabilities that need some help to live safely and with dignity.
For instance, in Vermont’s cold winters, no one should be unable to heat their home because they can’t afford fuel. We passed a bill, H.456, which updated seasonal fuel and crisis fuel assistance program eligibility. The new program raises the maximum eligible household income so that more Vermonters will qualify for fuel assistance.

Challenges for Change
The Challenges for Change bill is an innovative approach to change the way government spends taxpayer dollars for infrastructure and services. It establishes an outcome-based budgeting process which provides for greater government accountability. The Challenges began last January when the Legislature and the Administration agreed to work together to achieve $38 million in budget savings in Fiscal Year 2012. The project is ongoing, and I think holds promise for positive change by requiring outcome-based budgets for state agencies.

Bisphenol A (BPA)
We passed a bill that will ban the manufacture, sale or distribution of several types of products containing BPA. This is a chemical used in manufacturing a variety of hard plastics. Low dose exposure to BPA has been linked to delayed development, and various cancers. Young children, infants, and fetuses are particularly susceptible to toxic damage from exposure to BPA. Beginning July 1, 2012, infant formula or baby food sold in a plastic container that contains BPA may not be sold in Vermont. Food and beverage containers intended for reuse, such as baby bottles, sippy cups, and water bottles that contain BPA, also can’t be sold in Vermont after July 2012.

If you have questions or concerns, please call me at 1-800-322-5616 or 1-802-828-2228. My e-mail is eshand@leg.state.vt.us. You can also write me at the State House, 115 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633-5201. We are currently out of session until January of 2011. You can reach me at home by calling me at 802-674-5021. My home address is 46 Old Bridge Rd., Weathersfield, VT 05089-9065.

A hard copy of this report is available at the Weathersfield and Cavendish town offices and the Weathersfield and Cavendish libraries. You can also give me call if you know of someone who would like to receive a copy via snail mail.

The Perkinsville Community Church will not be holding services in Perkinsville during the summer months, as we will be joining with the Weathersfield Center Church for Sunday morning services at 10 a.m. We'll be back with regular services starting at 10 am on September 12 (the Sunday after Labor Day).
Will Hunter will be preaching for 6 of the 12 Sundays we will be at the Center, and a variety of others will lead services the other weeks.
On Sunday, July 4, Edith Hunter will talk about Thomas Jefferson's Bible. The nation's third President believed that the ethical system of Jesus was the finest the world had ever seen. In compiling what has come to be called "The Jefferson Bible," he sought to separate those ethical teachings from the religious dogma and other supernatural elements that are intermixed in the account provided by the four Gospels. He presented these teachings, along with the essential events of the life of Jesus, in one continuous narrative.
Other Sunday services this summer will be conducted by the Rev. Connie Moser (August 1), the Rev. William Nelson (August 8), and a musical quartet led by Susan Hunter and Hallie Whitcomb (September 5).
A social hour follows each service in the downstairs meeting room.

Thursday, July 22nd at 7:00 p.m.

Presented by Summer Encore, a four-week summer theater experience that is an extension of Rutland High School's co-curricular theater program. Performance will include puppets, masks, and surprises! Hosted by the Weathersfield Proctor Library as part of our "Make a Splash!" Summer Reading Program. Earn a raffle ticket by attending!
Event held in downstairs of Martin Memorial Hall (below the Town Offices). Entrance is around the back of the building.
*Free and accessible to the public*

Meet Clifford the Big Red Dog at our Summer Reading Finale Party!
Friday, July 30st at 6:00 p.m. There will also be treats, giant bubbles,
and prizes for all Summer Reading participants. Even if you are not
involved with the Summer Reading Program you are still welcome to come
meet Clifford and get a photo taken :)

Weathersfield Proctor Library
5181 Route 5, Ascutney, VT 05030
library@weathersfield.org
(802) 674-2863

Richard Dana Waring, son of Dorothy and Dana Waring, was born Hartford, CT, April 5, 1947.

Raised in Glastonbury, Richard attended public school and graduated from the University of New Mexico in Industrial Arts.

He was married to Ingunn Hekneby of Norway and served in the army as a draftsman/illustrator. He spent a meaningful sabbatical year traveling around the world, making lifelong friends along the way.

He married Joan Sperry and lived with her in Willington for 22 years, until her death.

An industrial-arts/tech-ed teacher in Portland, Manchester, and Porter and Chester Institute, he retired from the Montville school system in 2005. As a strong advocate of technical education, he believed passionately that education was not solely for the academically talented. He and Joan were active with Willington Seniors.

In 2009 he married Beth Gorton, spending time with her in Willington, at her home in Ascutney, VT, and traveling the United States and Europe to see new place and visit family and friends.

He died at home, in Ascutney, on July 8, 2010.

Richard loved making beautiful, functional things, which he shared broadly and generously.

He also enjoyed soccer, swimming, sailing, skiing, kayaking, square dancing and singing with his father in the Men’s Choir. He was a dedicated environmental steward. He will be remembered with love by his family and those his life touched as teacher and friend especially for his delightful smile and sense of humor and his giving heart. He cared for family, friends, and strangers alike, quietly promoting their well-being and dreams.

Richard is survived by his wife Beth; brothers Peter Waring of Fairfield, CA and Michael Waring of Santa Monica, CA, and sister DD Waring of Pine City, NY; children Wayne Sperry of Atlanta, GA, Sharon Kleszcz of The Villages, FL, and Kevin Sperry, of Ashford, and three beloved granddaughters.

Memorial service to celebrate his life will be at Storrs Friends Meeting in Connecticut on July 17 at 4:00 PM and at Quaker City-Unity Friend Meeting in Unity, NH on July 18 at 10:00 AM.

Donations can be made in his memory to VT/NH Hospice, Benning St., W. Lebanon, NH (03784) or the Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 91, Ascutney, VT (05030) who treated him with courtesy, dignity, and respect during his final illness.

The infamous South Carolina scam artists know as the Travelers are in Weathersfield pushing their roof painting con. They were featured on 60 minutes and Dateline in recent years and are working our area this week. A story from an Ohio paper below summarizes their scam. read more (314 words)

The Valley Singles Potluck-Cookout will be held at 5 pm every Sunday, at 199 Cascade Falls Road, off Route 131, west of Ascutney and I-91. (Look for the sign on Route 131). Please bring a dish to share and own beverage. There will be games or conversation after the meal. For more information, call Al at (802) 295-5205 or Joyce at (802) 299-6339.

Helen A. Doleva, 92, passed away Wednesday evening, June 30, 2010, at the Norwood Hospital in Norwood, Mass. She was born January 12, 1918, in Boston, MA., the daughter of Thomas and Annie (Krasowski) Chinonowicz. She attended Springfield schools and graduated from Springfield High School, Class of 1936. She attended and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Nursing in Providence, RI, Class of 1939, and in 1950 graduated with a masters degree in public health nursing from Simmons College in Boston, MA.

She served with the United States Army Nurses in World War II in Europe, stationed in England and Germany and also served during the Korean War, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant.

She was married to Alexander S. Doleva December 1, 1956 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Springfield.

Ms. Doleva was a homemaker and registered nurse, and she was employed in hospitals and public health nursing over the years.

She made her home in Philadelphia, PA for a short time and had resided in the Foxboro, MA area since 1956.

Mrs. Doleva was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Foxboro. She enjoyed knitting, collecting books and antiques, botany and gardening. She also enjoyed reading and loved animals.

She is survived by her husband, Alexander, of Foxboro, MA; two daughters, Mary V. Deroche and her husband, Steven, of Hudson, NH, and Alexandra J. Doleva of Foxboro, MA; two grandchildren, Victoria and Joseph Deroche; one brother, Stan Cinchonowicz of Springfield; several nieces and nephews, and her beloved cat, Snoopy.

She was predeceased by two sisters, Mary Grant and Gaynor Davis.

Friends may call from 6 to 8 pm Thursday, July 8, 2010, at the Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at 11 am Friday, July 9, 2010, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Springfield. The Rev. Peter Williams, pastor, will officiate.

Burial will follow in the St. Mary's Cemetery in Springfield.

Contributions may be made in her memory to the New England WIld Flower Society/Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA 01701.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Davis Memorail chapel in Springfield.

Eagle Times, Saturday, July 3, 2010

David E. Gunzinger, 71, passed away unexpectedly Thursday, July 1, 2010, at the Springfield Hospital in Springfield. He was born October 3, 1938, in Brattleboro, VT, the son of Ernest and Marjorie (Parkhurst) Gunzinger. He attended schools in Brattleboro.

He served in the United States Air Force.

He was married to Sarah J. Watling September 22, 1974, in Brattleboro, Vt.

Mr. Gunzinger was employed as technical manager for the local cable television company, starting his career with S.R. Young Cable Company in 1974 and retiring from Comcast Cable Company in 2004. Most recently, he was employed part-time as a rural route postal carrier for the Perkinsville Post Office.

He had made his home in Perkinsville since 1979. He enjoyed working with anything electronic and spending time with his friends.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah, of Perkinsville; one sister, Lucille Cote of Browns Valley, Calif.; and one niece.

He was predeceased by his parents.

A memorial service will be held from 7 to 8 pm Monday, July 5, 2010 at the Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield.

Contributions may be made in his memory to the Springfield Humane Society, 401 Skitchewaug Trail, Springfield, VT 05156

Arrangements are under the direction of the Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield.

Eagle Times, Saturday, July 3, 2010