Current News

On a mid-summer day, the sun rises pretty early over Green Mountain College's Cerridwen Farm. That's good - because there's a lot of work to be done. During GMC's summer Farm Life Ecology Intensive May 18-August 14, students plow the fields, milk the cows, and plant the crops while taking classes and conducting research on topics like organic agriculture and farm systems.
The 13 week-long, 12 credit summer intensive program allows students to manage all elements of the farm's operation while learning first-hand about sustainable agriculture. Four subject areas comprise the program's academic core including organic crop and animal management; management of farm systems; development of agricultural technologies with a focus on human and animal power; and the social and cultural importance of regional foods.

Vermont Pure Holdings, Ltd. (Amex: VPS) announced its financial results for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2009 and that it will file these results on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission today.
Total sales for the three months ending January 31, 2009 decreased 5% to $15.6 million from $16.4 million for the comparable period a year ago. Gross margin also decreased 11% for the first quarter of 2009 to $8.1 million from $9.1 million in the comparable period a year earlier. Gross margin, as a percentage of sales, decreased to 52% in the first quarter of 2009 from 56% for the first quarter a year ago. Net income decreased to $95,000 for the three months ended January 31, 2009 compared to $512,000 for the comparable period last year.

The Public Oversight Panel’s report created by Act 189 of the Vermont General Assembly was released today. The panel was charged with providing information about the comprehensive vertical audit and reliability assessment of the Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to the legislature as it determines whether the plant should be authorized to operate beyond the expiration of its current license. The Public Oversight Panel’s report is critical to the legislature’s decision regarding whether or not to approve the continued operation of Vermont Yankee.
The Panel has concluded that there are serious concerns that need to be addressed before an assurance of reliability can be met. The Panel found several significant areas of concern with the plant.

Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the leading provider of online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced the full-scale launch of the Enterprise Solutions Division, a specialized group devoted exclusively to meeting the needs of OEM and large dealer group clients. The development of the division began over a year and a half ago and has since grown into a unique team that provides OEMs and large dealer groups unmatched flexibility, scalability, speed to launch, network reliability and proven success. The investment in the research and development required to envision and perfect the division is an important part of the continuous development Dealer.com engages in to keep all clients, regardless of size, two to four years ahead of the competition.

Governor Jim Douglas has presented a $360,000 grant to the Town of Williston and Champlain Housing Trust to provide 1%-3% loans tohhomeowners with lower incomes for essential home repairs. The Champlain Housing Loan Fund was created in 1997 and recently expanded into Chittenden County, with the Town of Williston s support as the grant applicant. The announcement will take place at the Williston Town Hall on No. Williston Road.
Williston homeowners Amy and Mark Yandow recently borrowed a loan from the Champlain Housing Loan Fund to replace their oil furnace with a wood-fired boiler. The Yandow s explained, we were very happy with all of the help from the Champlain Loan Fund when we couldn t afford a bank loan, and we look forward to saving over $200 a month next winter. We already switched to wood and stopped burning oil last month. The Yandows house will also be weatherized by the Chittenden County Weatherization Assistance Program.

Engineering Ventures, Inc., based in Burlington, Vermont is pleased to announce the expansion of their operations into Saratoga Springs, New York. The new office, Engineering Ventures, P.C., located at 18 Division Street, will augment the services provided by the firm from their Burlington, Vermont and Lebanon, New Hampshire locations. The expansion is seen as a way to provide the same innovation and dedication to sustainable design, to New York clients from a closer location.
Engineering Ventures is an experienced, consulting engineering firm operating and licensed throughout the Northeast. Select, qualified professionals and technicians provide a broad range of civil engineering services with specialties in structural and site engineering and planning. Serving private, public, commercial, municipal and institutional clients, Engineering Ventures also offers full service from Burlington, Vermont and Lebanon, New Hampshire.

NRG Systems, of Hinesburg, a leading manufacturer of wind measurement equipment, and Leosphere, leading specialist in lidar (laser radar) for atmospheric observations, today announced the formation of a global partnership to expand the use of remote sensing with lidar in the wind energy industry. The first product of the partnership is the WINDCUBE ¢ lidar wind measurement system, a remote sensor used in site assessment and wind farm performance monitoring.
I couldn t be happier to announce this news, said Alex Sauvage, president and CEO of Leosphere. The WINDCUBE is the result of 20 years of intensive research and development it s a flexible, easy-to-use technology that has proven to reduce data uncertainty and project risks in the wind energy industry. Partnering with NRG Systems sends a signal that using lidar in wind resource assessment is an accepted part of the process.

The Office of Vermont State Auditor Tom Salmon, CPA, has upheld last year s estimate of $57 million in State spending to help about 1,000 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), at the request of the House Committee on Human Services. The number of students with ASD increased 16.5 percent last year.

Governor Jim Douglas to announce $360,010 Community Development Block Grant to the Town of Williston and $49,795 grant to the Town of Colchester to assist in the development of affordable housing. Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4 pm. Williston Town Hall meeting room.

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Central Vermont Public Service reported consolidated annual earnings of $16.4 million, or $1.52 per diluted share of common stock for 2008, compared to $15.8 million, or $1.49 per diluted share of common stock for 2007. CV reported fourth-quarter 2008 consolidated losses of less than $0.1 million, or 1 cent per diluted share of common stock, compared to earnings of $5.3 million, or 50 cents per diluted share of common stock, for the same period last year.

Community College of Vermont President Tim Donovan will be the next Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges, VSC Board Chairman Gary Moore announced today.
"We are excited about Tim's selection and believe that he brings exceptional abilities to lead our state college system in delivering affordable, high quality, student-centered and accessible education, fully integrating professional, liberal, and career study, Moore said.
Our five state colleges are key drivers of Vermont s economy and also serve as cultural centers for the regions in which they are located. In addition, the VSC serves Vermont and Vermonters through the Small Business Development Center, the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center and Vermont Interactive Television. Moore added, Donovan brings outstanding strategic thinking, fiscal management and an energetic, collaborative leadership style that will help us fulfill our mission.

The Citizens Bank Foundation announced today a $15,000 grant to Vermont s Community Action Agencies as part of its Energy$ense program.
The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity Inc., (CVOEO) will serve as the conduit to distribute the funds among the four other Community Action Agencies, which include BROC-Community Action in southwestern Vermont, Central Vermont Community Action Council, Inc, North East Kingdom Community Action, Inc and Southeastern Vermont Community Action, Inc. CVOEO is a nonprofit agency whose mission is to address fundamental issues of economic, social and racial justice and to work with low-income people to achieve economic independence.