Current News

Secretary of State Deb Markowitz to Present the 2008 Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Awards
Vermont's Oldest Nonprofits to be Honored at a Statehouse Ceremony
Vermont Secretary of State Deb Markowitz will be presenting the 2008 Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Awards on Thursday, September 25, 2008, at 4:30 p.m. at a ceremony in the historic Vermont Statehouse. Twenty-six of Vermont's oldest nonprofits will be honored for over 100 years of continuous operation in Vermont. Secretary Markowitz will be joined by Governor Jim Douglas in expressing appreciation for the contributions of these organizations to the state's heritage.
For more information about the awards and a list of the 2008 recipients, please visit the Secretary of State's website at http://www.sec.state.vt.us/centennial_nonprofit.html
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Vermont Law School Awarded $300,000 Federal Grant
To Expand VLS-China Environmental Law Partnership
SOUTH ROYALTON - Vermont Law School has been awarded a $300,000 federal grant that will allow the law school to expand its legal training program for China's environmental leaders and government officials, VLS President and Dean Jeff Shields announced September 24, 2008.
The grant builds on a three-year, $1.8 million grant that U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy secured for VLS in 2006, funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As a result of that grant, VLS has trained hundreds of lawyers, judges, government officials, legal scholars and students through a partnership with Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province in southern China.

Vermont Receives National Grant to Host Governor's Summit on Poverty and Economic Opportunity
Waterbury, VT-The National Governor's Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices has announced that Vermont and nine other states have been awarded $12,000 each to host a Governor's Summit on Poverty and Economic Opportunity.
According to the NGA, the purpose of the grants is to "galvaniz[e] state and local leadership to advance a comprehensive policy agenda to reduce poverty among children and families." The grant money can be used to fund planning directly related to Vermont's summit, and for customized technical assistance before, during and after the event.

MONTPELIER -- The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announced it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation's Sustainable Communities grant program, the Eagleridge Fund, and the Sustainable Future Fund to support the development of Vermont Sustainable Wood Guide Specifications (SWGS), or the Green Guide Specs project.
"This project will directly tie a Vermont resource - sustainably managed or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood - to Vermont craftspeople, wood mills, and manufacturers of certified wood products," said architect and guide specification author Jonathan Miller. The SWGS will be available as a hard copy and online at no cost to the end user, and can serve as a means for Vermont wood manufacturers to promote their products to design professionals and green builders regionally and nationally.

Vermont Receives $9 Million Grant to Support State's Youth in Transition Efforts
Waterbury, Vt.- Governor Jim Douglas today announced that Vermont will receive over $9 million to support youth in transition through a Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI) grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA).
Governor Douglas said the six-year grant is meant to promote the development of integrated home and community-based services and supports for transition age youth (aged 16-22) with serious emotional disturbances, and their families.

Vermont's High-Tech Exports Total $2.8 Billion in 2007

LIVE GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE KICKS OFF VPR'S 2008 DEBATE SERIES
Vermont Public Radio will broadcast a live debate among the major party candidates for Vermont Governor Wednesday, September 24, at 7 p.m. The debate will include Republican Jim Douglas, Democrat Gaye Symington, Independent Anthony Pollina, and Liberty Union candidate Peter Diamondstone.
VPR's Bob Kinzel and Jane Lindholm will moderate the debate before a live audience at the Main Street Landing Film House at Burlington's waterfront. Listeners may suggest questions for the candidates at VPR.net or by calling 1-800-258-1619. Seats in the audience are free and open to the public, but reservations are required; an RSVP form is at VPR.net.
The gubernatorial debate is the first of the 2008 VPR Debates. The series continues Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. throughout October with debates from VPR Studios:
October 1: Chairs of Political Parties

October 8: Attorney General Candidates

38 States Hit All-Time GSP Highs 2008Q2

Economic research firm e-forecasting.com on September 22, 2008, announced
the release of their second quarter estimates of quarterly
gross state product, with Texas leading the nation in GSP
growth.

Following an increase of US GDP by 3.3 percent to $11,740
billion in the second quarter of 2008, 23 states matched or
surpassed this growth, with Texas GSP swelling 7.6 for the
quarter. The change is recorded as an annual percent
change from the previous quarter in GSP at 2000 chained
dollars.

Champlain Finalizes Agreement for Woodbury Institute
Students See Little Change as Woodbury Programs Move to New Home
BURLINGTON, VT (Sept. 22, 2008) -- Plans to transfer the academic programs of Woodbury College to Champlain College have been completed following more than two months of negotiations by officers of both institutions. The acquisition was finalized Friday afternoon by a vote of the Board of Trustees at both Champlain College and Woodbury College.

Under the agreement, nearly a dozen Woodbury staff members will move to Champlain in January to support The Woodbury Institute. The agreement also keeps Woodbury's $350,000 endowment intact to support the transferred programs.

Eating With Grace" creator, Anya Raven Hunter, LICSW, offers womens therapy groups and other services (individual counseling and coaching, phone and email consults, consultation and referral) to individuals over 18 who struggle with food, weight and body image issues. Anya also gives talks to community organizations and other health care providers about compulsive overeating.
The Eating with Grace website also offers information about eating disorders and contact information for other Vermont and national resources.
Anya Raven Hunter is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Body-Mind Psychotherapist in Montpelier, Vermont. She has been in private practice since 1986.

Governor Announces Vermont Castings and New England Precision Expansions

New International Program Expands Semester Abroad Choices for Juniors
BURLINGTON, VT - Champlain College is expanding its international study abroad program with the fall opening of Champlain College Dublin, a new program that will offer juniors the chance to spend a semester studying in the heart of Irelands economic, administrative and cultural center.

The official grand opening of Champlain College Dublin is Sept. 22 and will be marked by a reception attended by Champlain College President David F. Finney, members of the Colleges Board of Trustees, students, local officials and Dublin dignitaries.

"This is another way to offer Champlain students an international perspective and prepare them to be global professionals," said Dr. Lynda Reid, director of recruiting for Champlain Abroad. The program also offers a similar program in Montreal, which opened in September 2007.