Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power announced Friday that it has reached an agreement with the Vermont Department of Public Service and other stakeholders to decrease electric rates by 2.46 percent. The rate decrease will take effect on October 1, 2014, and is the result of the work between several key stakeholders, including the Vermont Department of Public Service, IBM and Associated Industries of Vermont, in an effort to provide lower electric rates for the families and businesses of Vermont. The rate filing is subject to Public Service Board approval.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org Operations at the Moretown Landfill, including cleanup, are stuck in a holding pattern while the state reviews a new proposal for groundwater remediation. Moretown Landfill Inc. wants to cap its recently closed cell in a way that will allow for expanded operations. But first, MLI and its parent company, Florida-based Advanced Disposal, will have to address groundwater concerns at the central Vermont site. A revised proposal to that effect was filed this month, but review could take weeks or even months. The landfill, in close proximity to the Winooski River off US 2, stopped accepting new trash in July 2013 when it lost state certification. Activity now is limited to odor control and water monitoring. Cell 3 is capped with an intermediate cover to keep smells in and rain out, while the landfill’s parent company responds to civil litigation and state environmental requests.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org FairPoint Communications and its unionized employees in northern New England have returned to the bargaining table. Their current five-year contract agreement expires August 2. The company is seeking cuts to all manner of benefits, according to union representative Mike Spillane, of IBEW Local 2326. The chapter represents about 350 workers in Vermont. Another 100 customer service representatives in Vermont are represented by Communication Workers of America. The negotiations collectively cover about 1,800 employees in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

FairPoint Vermont President Beth Fastiggi said in an April interview that the company is looking for cost savings.

IBEW 2327 members in Maine demonstrate in 2009 against FairPoint outside Seadogs Stadium in Portland. Photo by Bernard Pollack/Creative Commons

Norwich University Trustee Harvey DeMovick ’68 and his wife, Jeanne, pledged $1 million in unrestricted funds to the university at the spring trustees’ dinner on Friday, April 25. DeMovick completed his term as a trustee this spring. In his outgoing remarks, he spoke about what it has meant to serve on the board.

“Norwich has as one of its core values ‘service to nation and others before self.’ Jeanne and I truly appreciate that we have been able to give back to NU for the past 10 years,” DeMovick said. “The work being done at Norwich to develop future leaders is extremely important in the world we live in today, and we are proud to have had the opportunity to help in that mission,” he added.

Cities, towns, healthcare facilities, federal, state, and local responders, non-profit emergency partners, and many others will exercise emergency plans and procedures in a statewide catastrophic exercise. The activities from June 2-7 will simulate multiple disasters and events affecting all corners of Vermont. Nearly 1,600 participants will be faced with scenarios that will require them to perform life-saving duties, or tasks that assist in the aftermath of a catastrophic incident. Healthcare facilities will be presented with a surge of patients; a number of towns will set up emergency shelters to accommodate those who have been displaced from their homes due to the simulated disaster; utilities will be faced with special challenges; and more.

CEO Steve Voigt, the long-serving CEO of King Arthur Flour in Norwich, has announced his resignation.King Arthur announced the leadership transition this week via the following letter from the company’s employee-owners:

"King Arthur Flour’s success over three centuries comes from sticking to the things that matter – our core values – while embracing an ongoing commitment to change. Today is one of those key moments of change.

Northern Power Systems Corp. (TSX: NPS), a next generation renewable energy technology company based in Barre, has announced financial results for the three month period ended March 31, 2014, for its predecessor company Wind Power Holdings, Inc. Northern Power raised $22.3 million and listed its common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) in April 2014 through a transaction with a Canadian capital pool company. These funds effectively enable the company to drive its ongoing growth strategy with investments across its three business lines: Product Sales and Services, Technology Licensing, and Technology Development.

First Quarter 2014 Highlights:

by Morgan True vtdigger.org This is the last week, and Friday is the last day, for Vermonters formerly covered by the state-subsidized health insurance plans VHAP and Catamount to enroll in coverage for 2014 through Vermont Health Connect. Open enrollment ended March 31, but because the VHAP and Catamount health plans ended at the same time, people covered through either program were afforded a 60-day special enrollment period.

“It’s very important that people who were on VHAP and Catamount don’t miss the deadline for enrolling in new coverage because, unless they’re eligible for Medicaid, they won’t be able to get covered until the next open enrollment period,” said Donna Sutton Fay, with the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security Education Fund.

Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) issued the following statement today after President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki: “Secretary Shinseki is an American hero who courageously served his country in war, rose to be the Army chief of staff and has dedicated his distinguished career to helping his fellow soldiers and veterans. I am sad that he resigned.

“The unequivocal goal of the VA must be to provide the highest-quality health care possible to all of our veterans in a timely manner. The new leadership must transform the culture of the VA, establish accountability and punish those responsible for the reprehensible manipulation of wait times. As chairman of the Senate veterans’ committee I look forward to working with President Obama, the new VA leadership and my Senate colleagues to make that happen.”

According to the Vermont State Police at 11:42 am on Friday, First Responders are still at the scene of a fire on Interstate 89 just north of Exit 11. The fire was first reported at approximately 09:30 hours after a TT unit hauling about 34,000 pounds of cheese caught fire. It appears that the fire was caused by a mechanical failure of the trailer brakes. The truck driver was able to pull to the breakdown lane and disconnect the tractor from the trailer before the fire got too big. The trucker was not injured, however, he was transported to FAHC by Richmond Rescue due to an unknown medical condition which he suffered shortly after disconnecting his truck from the burning trailer. Richmond, Williston and Underhill/Jericho Fire Departments responded as did members of the Vermont State Police, VT DMV, Richmond Police, Williston Police and Winooski Police. The fire resulted in the northbound lane of I89 being closed for approximately 1 hour. Currently there is one lane of travel open.

Citizens Financial Group (CFG) is the best bank in the country for baby boomers, according to a new report from the personal finance website GOBankingRates.com. The site recognized the convenience of thousands of Citizens Bank and Charter One branches and ATMs and noted CFG’s commitment to offer complimentary financial and investment reviews to anyone, “even if they are currently a client of another investment firm.” This recognition follows Citizens’ naming last year by Money Magazine as one of the “Best Banks in America.”

Surveying local and national institutions across the United States, GOBankingRates.com measured three key considerations critical to a positive baby boomer banking experience: customer service, retirement planning and convenience.

FairPoint Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: FRP), a provider of advanced data, voice and video technologies to residential, business and wholesale customers, today announced the availability of Ethernet-based bandwidth and transport capacity of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) for its business, government and education customers. Now, more than 35,000 eligible service locations in 32 markets across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont can enjoy powerful Ethernet connections with fast, symmetrical, dedicated data transport speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

FairPoint's Ethernet Private Line and Ethernet Dedicated Internet Access products meet the demands of some of the region's largest institutions, such as regional health care facilities, financial institutions, and government and education entities. These speeds also far exceed the guidelines of 100 Mbps set forth in educational mandates like ConnectEd.