Pat Bradley

Many people across Vermont who feared Superstorm Sandy would be a repeat of last year's Tropical Storm Irene say they're grateful the state escaped this time, but they're concerned about the parts of the country that were hit the hardest.

Wilmington was one of the Vermont community's hit hardest by Irene. Flooding devastated the downtown.

People there watched with trepidation the forecasts before Sandy hit that predicated the area could be hit by high winds and some areas could experience flooding.

A northern New York county is struggling to keep it’s budget under the tax cap, while a neighboring county is reporting sales tax revenues that will help them stay under the cap.

Essex County officials are considering a local law to override the state mandated 2-percent tax cap.  Town of Moriah Supervisor Tom Scozzafava says they would have to hold two votes to actually block the cap.

In Northern NY, the chair of the Essex County Board of Supervisor’s declared a State of Emergency in that county as of 9 am this morning. North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley talks with Supervisor Randy Douglas about the move in advance of Hurricane Sandy.

Essex County is still recovering from Tropical Storm Irene, which devastated the rural area only 14 months ago.  County Supervisor Chair Randy Douglas says he made the declaration after talking with the Governor and the emergency services director.

About 2,400 Vermont electric customers were already without power as winds from Hurricane Sandy began to flow across Vermont in the early stages of the storm on Monday.

As of 3 o’clock Monday afternoon, Vermont utilities said about 2,450 customers are without power, most in the state's four southern counties.  

Vermont Commissioner of Public Service Keith Flynn says power outages are likely in this storm.

The National Weather Service was predicting high winds from at least 6 p.m. Monday until at least  2 a.m. Tuesday.       

The Vermont Emergency Operations Center opened early Monday morning to track Hurricane Sandy and provide assistance to communities across the state.

Forecasters say winds could reach 60 to 80 mph Monday and Tuesday from the southern part of Vermont to the Canadian border. Those high winds are expected to be the main threat from the storm.  

Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn says many Vermonters are anxious about this storm in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, and said the best way to deal with the anxiety is to be prepared.

One of the Lake Champlain ferry routes between Vermont and New York suspended crossings early on Monday because of strong winds from Hurricane Sandy.

The Lake Champlain Transportation Company said Monday's last trip of the ferry between Essex, N.Y. and Charlotte, Vt., was scheduled at 5:30 p.m. rather than the usual late evening crossing.

The company's 24-hour service between Grand Isle, Vt. and Cumberland Head, N.Y., continued to operate normally.

The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant is preparing for Hurricane Sandy. North County Bureau Chief Pat Bradley spoke with Entergy Vermont Yankee Spokesman Rob Williams about how the plant is shoring up for the storm.

Plants receiving NRC enhanced oversight during the storm include Indian Point and Millstone.  NRC Region One Spokesperson Diane Screnci says that means they have sent at least an additional inspector to the plant.

Vermont Yankee has been in contact with the Vermont Commissioner of Public Safety regarding its hurricane plans.

Officials across New York’s North Country and Vermont are preparing for high winds from Hurricane Sandy.

Widespread power outages are anticipated due to Sandy’s winds in  northern New York and Vermont. On Monday morning, Essex County NY Director of Emergency Services Don Jaquist was preparing for an update from the National Weather Service on the storm.

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the owner of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant against the state of Vermont.

Federal prosecutors say a Florida woman is facing charges she smuggled firearms to Canada by transferring them to a Canadian co-conspirator in a library that straddles the border between Vermont and Quebec.

Prosecutors say 46-year-old Annette Wexler of Gibsonton, Fla., was indicted Thursday by a grand jury sitting in Burlington.

She's charged with making false statements to firearms dealers in Florida, illegally exporting the guns to Canada and dealing firearms without a license.