Current News

Governor Peter Shumlin will appoint Burlington attorney Nancy Waples to serve on the Vermont Superior Court, replacing Judge Geoffrey Crawford. Waples currently practices with the Burlington law firm of Hoff Curtis where she focuses on criminal defense. She previously served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Vermont US Attorney’s Office. She has experience with a variety of civil and administrative matters, including adjudication of Act 250 cases as a Governor Howard Dean appointee to the State’s Environmental Board. She also provides pro bono legal services to non-English speaking individuals.

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Waples was born in Canada and became a US citizen in 1977. Growing up working in her parents’ restaurant, she learned to speak English at age nine.

The Vermont DMV has announced that DMV Express, Vermont’s online vehicle registration service, recently eclipsed a total of 1.5 million online registration renewals since its launch in 2005. With approximately 750,000 vehicle registration renewals transacted annually through the Vermont DMV over all channels, over 30 percent are now processed through the popular online service.

“DMV Express is our most popular online service, and demonstrates that Vermonters have come to expect online services as the most efficient way to do business with the state,” said Commissioner Robert Ide.

Vermont’s minimum wage increased today, January 1, 2015, by 42 cents – from $8.73 to $9.15 – because of legislation signed into law by Governor Peter Shumlin earlier this year. The rate will climb to $9.60 in 2016, $10.00 in 2017 and $10.50 in 2018, and will be re-indexed to the CPI-U inflation rate in subsequent years.

“There is no doubt that the economic recovery has been slow for many Vermonters and Americans, and that is especially true for employees on the lower end of the wage scale,” said Gov. Shumlin, “Raising Vermont’s minimum wage will give a boost to many hard-working Vermonters and will help drive increased economic activity and security that will benefit the economy as a whole.”

In an effort to kick off an economically focused Legislative Biennium, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott and Vision to Action Vermont are hosting the “Vermont Economy Pitch – Priority # 1 on Day One” on January 7, 2015 – the first day of the 2015-2016 session.

All legislators have been invited to attend the Economy Pitch at Capitol Plaza in order to hear representatives from the Vermont business community make a short, 5-minute pitch about the economy from their perspective – the current landscape, opportunities we as a State might take advantage of, and challenges we must address.

“It is critical we send the right message immediately out of the gate this coming biennium – that improving our State’s economy is priority number one,” said Scott. “For years I have argued for a laser-like focus on our economy, and this event will help make that a reality.”

Governor Peter Shumlin will appoint Sarah Hofmann to serve as a member of the Public Service Board, replacing retiring Board member John Burke. Hofmann is a former Deputy Commissioner and Public Advocate at the Department of Public Service, and is currently the executive director of the New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners. She will begin to hear new matters at the Public Service Board starting in March 2015.

“Sarah brings an excellent combination of accessibility, warmth and deep policy expertise to the Board. Her institutional knowledge, innate fairness and good sense of public engagement will serve the Board very well,” said the Governor.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station's final shutdown occurred at 1:03 pm Monday, December 29, 2014, after 42 years of operation. An NRC Resident Inspector assigned to the Vernon plant was in the control room to observe the permanent cessation of reactor operations. She reported that the shutdown went smoothly and was not unlike the start of a typical outage for refueling and maintenance activities.

Vermont Woodlands Association (VWA) has been selected as one of the 51 winners from each state and Washington DC in the sixth annual Tom’s of Maine “50 States for Good” community giving program. The organization will receive $10,000 to fund important community projects and services that will expand educational programs for woodland owners.

Vermont Woodland’s educational initiative will offer programs and services designed to meet the needs of women woodland owners; succession planning workshops to assist an aging landowner demographic; and Tree Farm program support to encourage greater stewardship among landowners with smaller acreage. All programs are designed to meet specific needs of target audiences while focusing on overarching concerns about the future of our forest.

by Paul Costello When we think of Vermont, we picture our beautiful working landscape, our lakes and mountains, and our dynamic community centers. Our past is crucial to who we are and to the character and identity of this special place. But the land we care for and our beautiful downtowns are actually the result of waves of past innovation, a repository of our historical creativity.

Today we see a resurgence in that innovation in the context of international markets and global challenges. Vermont’s tech companies like Dealer.com and MyWebGrocer are well-publicized success stories. But now, lower entry costs and greater broadband availability are combining to bring remarkable opportunities to Main Street that we are just starting to discover.

The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation will open the lottery for personal roadside firewood lots on state forest lands January 2, 2015. The two-week registration for “cut-your-own” lots ends January 16. Each roadside lot costs $30 and yields about three cords of wood for the 2015 home heating season.

“Demand for roadside firewood always exceeds supply, so be sure to get your name in,” cautions Commissioner Michael Snyder. “Roadside lots are trees that can be cut close to drivable forest roads. Harvesting your own firewood is a good way for families to fulfill some of their home energy needs and enjoy physical activity on their state lands.”

This year roadside lots are available in the towns of Duxbury, Orange, Johnson, Groton, and Sutton. Participants will need to indicate where they prefer to cut.

The East Central Vermont Fiber Optic Network (ECFiber), based in Royalton is wrapping up its third full year in operation with almost 1,000 paying customers spread across 12 area towns. The ECFiber network now extends along 200 miles of rural Vermont roads, territory that is often unserved by other broadband providers. ECFiber was organized in 2008 and began funding its operation in late 2010 by selling promissory notes to private investors. Since that time, the organization has raised $6.3 million from more than 430 mostly local individuals. Just this year, supporters from Vermont and elsewhere have invested almost $1.5 million.

In the latest closing on December 15th, ECFiber received investments totaling over $500,000. These funds, along with dark fiber provided by the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) will be used to extend ECFiber’s municipally-owned fiber-optic network into a total for 19 of its 24 member towns in 2015.

Sugarbush Resort has made significant changes to its uphill travel policy this season. This winter, skiers and riders are permitted to hike or skin before and after operating hours at both mountains on designated trails.

Those interested will be required to pick up a free uphill travel pass from Guest Services prior to the first time they skin or hike. The pass will be valid all season. On Saturday, January 11, Sugarbush will host a community forum in Castlerock Pub to share the policy with the community, answer any questions about the new policy, and to issue uphill travel passes.

Secretary of State Jim Condos announced today the appointment of Chris Winters as Deputy Secretary of State. Winters has served the Secretary of State’s office for 18 years, the last nine of which he has served as Director of the Office of Professional Regulation. “I am excited to have Chris as my Deputy; I have worked with him for many years – even before becoming Secretary of State. During my time in the Vermont Senate, particularly as Chair of Senate Government Operations, Chris worked with my committee and me – and I have always had great respect for his managerial skills and legal expertise,” Condos said.

Secretary Condos added, “Chris’ years of experience and his excellent reputation across Vermont State government will allow him to hit the ground running as we head into the legislative session and continue to work on improving the office’s accessibility and transparency.”