Current News

AllEarth Renewables, a Vermont-based solar tracker manufacturer and SunPower commercial dealer, has received the SunPower “Commercial Regional Top Producer of the Year” award for its sales performance in 2014. In 2014, AllEarth partnered with SolarSense, a provider of clean, reliable and affordable power for commercial and industrial scale clients in the US, to commission 2.15 megawatts (MW) of net metering projects utilizing American-made AllEarth Solar Trackers and SunPower’s high efficiency solar panels.

Among the five solar tracker projects, all net metered in Vermont, were three 500-kilowatt (kW) projects for the State of Vermont, providing solar energy and electricity at below market rates to correctional facilities and state office buildings.

Another amazing season at Stratton Mountain has come to a close, and Saturday's Pond Skim participants certainly did not disappoint with their elaborate costumes and skimming skills. Temperatures were unseasonably chilly for the event, with a low of 30 degrees, but that didn't stop 125 participants from daringly skimming their way across the 20” by 90’ man-made pond.

by Mary Powell, President & CEO, Green Mountain Power When I was 19 years old, I found out that my mom had cancer. She had known for some time, but only when surgery was imminent did she tell us of her diagnosis, during a routine exam, of lung cancer. She was 50, and had quit smoking the year before. The subsequent surgery left her with one fully operating lung, a horror movie scar from one end of her chest to the next, follow-up radiation, nerve damage, burning and scarring. We all felt blessed she was alive.

Marking National Equal Pay Day – the date that symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year – Governor Peter Shumlin and the Vermont Commission on Women today launched the Vermont Equal Pay Compact. The initiative aims to boost wages for Vermont women, improve economic security for women and their families, and make progress towards the overdue right of equal pay for men and women.

United Way of Chittenden County’s Women’s Leadership Council awarded a $25,000 grant to Mercy Connections’ Women’s Small Business Program Account-able LIFE Initiative, which will provide financial coaching, mentoring and peer groups that cultivate financial empowerment through gender-sensitive coursework and activities designed to help women make informed, proactive money management decisions. The United Way Women’s Leadership Council was formed in early 2015 by a Steering Committee of 22 local female leaders and volunteers who believe in the power of women and their ability to catalyze social change through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy.

The Insurance Technology Association (ITA) announces that Lisa L Keysar and Gary H Ouellette, executives with Montpelier-based Union Mutual of Vermont Companies, are the winners of the first ITA Bridge Award. The award was presented at ITA LIVE, the ITA’s inaugural event held this week at the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa.

Genworth has announced the results of its 12th annual Cost of Care Study, which shows that in Vermont, the cost to receive long term care services at home with a home health aide has increased over the past five years. Vermont is also more expensive than the national average for both in-home and assisted living facility care. On a national level, the survey shows a dramatic increase in facility based care, including assisted living and nursing home facilities, while the cost to receive care at home through a home health aide is rising at a more moderate growth rate.

Debbie Boyce is a passionate community volunteer, whether she is supporting a local vaccine clinic or through her service as an Emergency Medical Technician. "She is a phenomenal volunteer -- very dedicated and works really hard," said Sue Hommel, a public health specialist for the Vermont Department of Health. Hommel recruited Boyce to serve as the Rutland County Medical Reserve Corps unit coordinator two years ago.

Boyce is featured in On Call for Vermont television and web videos launched today to recruit volunteers to serve as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers. An EMS recruitment and retention survey conducted by the Health Department in January 2014 showed that two-thirds of EMS agencies statewide felt understaffed.

The Health Department hopes On Call for Vermont will recruit hundreds of volunteers who are willing to put their skills to use to help others.

Starting this fall, the University of Vermont will offer a new medical science master’s program for students with a limited background in science and those whose undergraduate grades do not reflect their true academic ability. UVM’s Master of Medical Science degree is a 30-credit, one-year, on-campus program, which includes a cohesive set of core courses that cover the major biomedical disciplines and provides a foundation of understanding how the human body works. In addition to biochemistry, cell biology, and physiology, the core curriculum includes a six-credit human anatomy course, something not offered in many similar programs across the country, and also covers the fundamentals of pharmacology and biostatistics.

Representatives from Enterprise Rent-A-Car visited the Brattleboro Retreat on Wednesday, April 1, to present a $1,500 donation to the Retreat’s Uniformed Service Program from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the company that, through its regional subsidiaries, operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo Rent-A-Car brands.

The Retreat’s Uniformed Service Program provides specialized care for military veterans and members of police, fire, and other uniformed services who are experiencing duty-related challenges including PTSD and related conditions.

The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has approved $5.6 million in financing for economic development projects throughout Vermont. The Authority’s financings leveraged enough private funds to bring project totals to $14.3 million.

“VEDA is pleased to be able to offer financing support to a variety of commercial, agricultural, entrepreneurial, energy and small business projects,” said VEDA CEO Jo Bradley.

Close to $1.7 million in direct commercial financing was approved, including:

by Erin Mansfield vtdigger.org The jobs bill, S138, was a central drama in the Senate last week as senators and the Shumlin administration engaged in a push-me-pull-you game of brinksmanship. The weeklong negotiations culminated in the passage of an economic development bill on Friday that Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, describes as a “meaningful step toward job creation.” A key provision in the bill relaxes rules for companies that receive cash incentives.

On Tuesday, when S.138 was up for a second reading, the bill was a long way from that “meaningful step.” Three committees had stripped the legislation of more than a dozen sections, and the bill’s ultimate fate was in doubt.