Current News

Secretary Condos has announced the start of early and absentee voting for the Primary Election. As of July 11, any registered voter may request a ballot from their town clerk, whether in person, by phone or by mail.

“Early voting is a great way to make sure that you have an opportunity to vote. Vermonters are busy people and getting to the polls on Election Day doesn’t fit everyone’s schedule – early voting is a chance to guarantee you make your voice heard.” Secretary Condos stated.

All early and absentee ballot requests must be submitted by 5pm or close of the town clerk’s office on the day before Election Day. To vote in the Primary Election, the deadline for voter registration is 5pm on Wednesday, August 20.

”As always, I urge all Vermonters to remember to take the opportunity to vote, - by early ballot or at the polls on August 26th. Your Vote is your Voice!” added Condos.

Blodgett Ovens has announced the opening of a new facility in Essex to build proprietary steam equipment for the commercial foodservice industry. This new facility, built under the Market Forge brand, will be completed on July 11. The facility's opening follows the Middleby Corporation’s purchase of Market Forge industries’ assets on January 7. The Middleby Corporation, Blodgett's parent, has moved all of the production, sales and engineering from Everett, Mass. to the new Essex location.

“Blodgett is pleased to have the Market Forge operations move to Vermont,” said Gary Mick, President of Blodgett Ovens who also oversees the Market Forge operations. “We are very excited to combine the technologies of two great brands.”

by John Herrick vtdigger.org An environmental group this week appealed Vermont’s decision to withhold documents related to a multistate initiative to improve energy infrastructure in the region. The Conservation Law Foundation in March filed a public records request to all six New England states involved in crafting a plan to attract investments in projects that would bring Canadian hydropower and natural gas to the region. After receiving CLF’s request, Vermont withheld an unknown number of documents. The governor’s office said in a statement that the documents involve political and legal advice and are protected under executive and attorney-client privileges. The infrastructure initiative for the six states would use electric ratepayers’ money to pay for transmission and pipeline projects.

The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday unanimously approved bipartisan legislation authored by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) that would restore the ability of consumers to more easily transfer their cell phones to other wireless carriers. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act would reinstate a 2010 rulemaking by the Librarian of Congress so that consumers can transfer, or “unlock,” their cell phones without running afoul of copyright laws. Leahy and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) first partnered on the issue last year, and their modified bill approved by the Judiciary Committee on Thursday puts the focus back on individual consumers.

Governor Peter Shumlin and the University of Vermont will work together to put tomorrow’s leaders to work on the issues of today. The Governor’s Cabinet Graduate Internship Program, administered by the UVM Department of Community Development and Applied Economics Master of Public Administration program, will provide new opportunities for top graduate students to work alongside state officials, doing meaningful work for the state while gaining invaluable experience in the public sector. The program is open to graduate students attending Vermont schools and to Vermont graduate students attending out-of-state schools.

“We want to encourage and support the next generation of public servants here in Vermont,” said Gov. Shumlin. “This program will provide outstanding young people with meaningful, engaging experience in service to our state, while introducing our agencies to these bright, innovative emerging leaders.”

Vermont Business Magazine New unemployment claims in Vermont last week reversed course last week and fell and are once-again below totals from a year ago. For the week of July 5, 2014, there were 582 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont. This is a decrease of 233 from the previous week's total, and 445 fewer than they were a year ago. Last week, claims were higher than last year for the first time in 2014.

Vermont Law School has partnered with Lawyers for America (LFA) to increase public service opportunities for law students and provide greater access to justice throughout the United States.

VLS is the second law school in the nation to join LFA, a nonprofit program introduced in 2012 by University of California, Hastings College of the Law. LFA’s mission is to improve the practical skills of new lawyers while expanding the availability of legal services for individuals who cannot afford lawyers by increasing the manpower of legal nonprofits and public law offices. Program partners include The Aspen Institute’s Franklin Project, which spearheaded the national movement to improve citizenship through public service.

Miracle Corners of the World (MCW) announced today the arrival of 37 youth from around the world to Champlain College in Vermont for MCW’s 17th Annual Youth Leadership Retreat.The diverse group, ranging from 16-25 years of age, is composed of 25 “mentees,” eight “mentors,” and two “vision plan facilitators.” They represent 17 different countries and territories, including Armenia, Austria, Botswana, Ethiopia, India, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Norway, the Palestinian Territories, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, United States of America and Zimbabwe. The youth participants will take part in a week-long program during which they will identify a change they would like to see in their local communities, create a plan to achieve the change, and build the skills and networks they need to meet their goals.

The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, announced it will award $2.5 million in grants in 2014 to support the creation or preservation of rental multifamily housing units for families with children through its ninth annual “Housing for Everyone” grant competition. The “Housing for Everyone” grant competition is the TD Charitable Foundation’s signature program to bolster affordable housing efforts from Maine to Florida. The competition invites local non-profit organizations from Maine to Florida to submit proposals that address the most acute affordable housing needs in their communities.

The theme of this year’s competition is Housing for the Future, focusing on initiatives that will create new or rehabilitate existing energy efficient rental units that provide safe, affordable, accessible housing for today and tomorrow's families.

Keurig Green Mountain, Inc, (Keurig) (NASDAQ: GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee, coffee makers, teas and other beverages with its innovative brewing technology, announced that it is now the exclusive manufacturer of Harris Teeter branded K-Cup packs for the Keurig brewing system. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“We’re happy to welcome Harris Teeter into the Keurig system,” said John Whoriskey, President of U.S. Sales and Marketing at Keurig. “The combination of Harris Teeter’s reputation for offering an excellent selection of high quality products at a good value, and our unparalleled expertise for delivering superior products for our Keurig system is a clear win for Keurig brewer users around the region.”

Vermont Business Magazine Initial submissions from Vermont’s 14 hospitals maintain historically low growth for the second year in a row. Hospital budget submissions received last week by the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) mark the start of a budget review process that includes public hearings August 26-28 and culminates in GMCB decisions on budgets by September 15. The budgets will guide spending in fiscal year 2015, which begins October 1. Preliminary data submitted by Vermont’s 14 hospitals indicate that the average requested total increase in net patient revenue for FY 15 is 2.6 percent.

The Harpoon Brewery, brewers of Harpoon IPA and UFO beers, announced today that effective August 1 it will become an employee-owned company. The existing shareholder group transferred 48 percent of Harpoon’s shares to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This new structure of employee ownership will ensure the brewery’s independence and preserve Harpoon’s culture. Harpoon is based in Boston with a brewery in Windsor, Vermont, at the former Catamount brewery.

“Employee ownership is the embodiment of what Harpoon stands for,” says Harpoon co-founder Dan Kenary. “Our success as an independent craft brewer is attributed to our outstanding employees and the wonderful culture we have at the brewery. The ESOP strengthens our commitment to our employees, our culture, and to making and sharing great beer.”