Current News

Four Vermont citizens and environmental leaders -- Bruce Post, Curt McCormack, Charles W. Johnson, and Kevin B Jones -- filed a petition Monday with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate what they claim are deceptive trade practices of Green Mountain Power in the marketing of renewable energy to Vermont consumers. The petition was filed by the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic at Vermont Law School. The petition documents that, pursuant to Vermont’s Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) law, GMP has represented to its customers and to the public that it provides electricity from renewable sources, thereby reducing the customer’s carbon footprint and protecting the environment.

Lake Champlain Transportation Company, which operates ship repair and painting facilities in Burlington and Shelburne will take actions to minimize air emissions and protect air quality. In addition, under the settlement, Lake Champlain Transportation Company will pay $100,000 in penalties to resolve EPA claims that the company violated both federal and state clean air regulations. The company, which operates ferry boat services for passengers and vehicles between Vermont and New York, performs maintenance on its ferry boats at the facilities, including coating operations with the use of paint spray guns.

Norwich University President Richard W Schneider will announce the university’s largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in its history. Called “Forging the Future,” the campaign kicks off Friday at a special gala during the university’s Homecoming 2014 celebration. University officials expect some 3,000 guests, more than half alumni, on campus over the course of the weekend, with events running Thursday, September 18, through Sunday, September 21. Schneider’s announcement will officially begin the five-year countdown to Norwich’s bicentennial in 2019 when the university will celebrate its 200^th anniversary and step into its third century of service to the nation.

Principal/Chief Creative Officer Michael Jager has revealed the new identity of the evolution of Jager Di Paola Kemp Design. The company, which reconfigured in late 2013, is now Solidarity of Unbridled Labour. Solidarity represents the unity of a focused group of design professionals who, along with clients, create a cohesive partnership that nurtures ideas and collaboratively builds better brands internationally. Unbridled perfectly captures the act of breaking free from the traditional marketing frameworks and constraints that limit creativity, in addition to acknowledging 30 years in the making, the vast unbridled network of talent of the Solidarity collaborators. Labour acknowledges the passion, energy and intention that the team and its client collaborators pour into what they create. The word honors the "makers" passion that brings the work to life and drives meaningful results.

At a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the naming of the Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems, President Matthew Derr announced Monday that an anonymous donor has pledged a gift of $1 million to be matched by gifts from trustees, alumni, and friends of Vermont’s college of environmental stewardship.

“This gift will be the largest single act of philanthropy in the history of Sterling College. It comes at a time when the College’s focus on the human relationship with the natural world is of increasingly critical importance to Vermonters and to all global citizens,” said Derr.

Vermont Business Magazine New unemployment claims in Vermont edged up again last week. Claims are typically low this time of year. They tend to rise in the transition from summer to back-to-school in early September. However, they remain under 500 as the school season begins. Levels this year have been running consistently lower than those of last year. For the week of September 6, 2014, there were 370 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont. This is an increase of 37 from the previous week's total, and 63 fewer than they were a year ago.

A Vermont Law School student spent the summer shadowing a North Carolina lawyer in a case where two innocent men finally saw justice after 31 years in prison on a rape and murder conviction — making international headlines and forever changing the lives of the defendants and their defense team. Christopher Knowles ’15, a juris doctor candidate at VLS, worked closely with Leon Brown’s defense attorney Ann Kirby. Together they pored over thousands of pages of trial transcripts, discovery documents, and forensic reports in the case of Brown and his half-brother Henry McCollum, who were sentenced to death for the 1983 rape and murder of 11-year-old Sabrina Buie.

Ten community health centers in Vermont were awarded $2.1 million to expand primary health care services, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today. The funds are to support 47 new full-time employees to care for 11,850 new patients across the state. The awards were Vermont’s share of $295.5 million in nationwide grants for 1,195 health centers. The federal funds were authorized by a Sanders provision in the Affordable Care Act that authorized $11 billion community health centers. This year, community health centers in Vermont will serve one in four Vermonters at more than 50 health center sites across the state. This funding will provide funds to hire new providers, expand services, and extend open hours.

During a news conference at Burlington’s Intervale Community Farm Friday, United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden announced 13 organizations across Vermont will share more than $2.3 million in USDA grants and loans aimed at creating jobs in rural Vermont.Intervale Community Farm Cooperative Manager Andy Jones said these types of grants have helped his farm connect with thousands of consumers through direct sales. The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board will use a $129,998 Rural Business Enterprise Grant to expand the Farm & Forest Viability Program that helped Jones improve his business plan and purchase equipment needed to grow. VHCB will add service providers throughout Caledonia, Essex and Orleans Counties, and extend the reach of the program beyond farmers to include foresters, loggers and forest-products businesses.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), and Representative Peter Welch (D), announced a $524,000 grant to provide residential treatment for pregnant or postpartum women who are suffering from substance abuse in Vermont. The grant was awarded to the Lund Family Center in Burlington to extend outreach and support to as many as 645 low-income pregnant or postpartum women over three years.

In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: “Addiction to heroin and other opioids has been a tremendous challenge affecting communities across our great state. This grant will go toward supporting those who are most vulnerable. The Lund Center has a strong record of success and continues to play a pivotal role in addressing the increasing drug abuse problem.”

Investors interested in buying State and municipal bonds in Vermont now have a new interim financial disclosure Web page to more easily access information needed to evaluate a bond investment. Vermont State Treasurer Beth Pearce says this voluntary enhancement in state disclosure efforts will benefit the entire investment community and increase transparency. The design follows best practice guidelines approved by the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT). The ten interim disclosure areas are: tax revenue; budget updates; cash flow; debt outstanding; economic forecasts; pensions and other post-employment benefits; interest rate swaps and bank liquidity; investment; debt management policies; and filings with the Electronic Municipal Market Access system.

The Addison County Chamber of Commerce recognized a local business, organization, and individual with annual awards during the its annual meeting held on September 10th at Café Provence in Brandon, Vt. Three awards were presented in front of a crowd of nearly 80 attendees which included Chamber members and local business people. In addition to the award presentations, it was announced that the Chamber’s current president, Andy Mayer, is leaving his position at the end of September to become the president/CEO of a chamber in Washington state. Andy has led the Addison County Chamber since 2007 and is relocating to be closer to his and his wife’s families.

Sue Hoxie, marketing and communications director, has been named interim president.