Current News

Vermont currently spends $3.3 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 32 percent of the $10.4 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other key findings for Vermont include:

Vermont this year will collect $108 million in revenue from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 3.1 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs. This meansVermont is spending just 3 cents of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use.
Since 2009, Vermont has cut funding for tobacco prevention by 37 percent, from $5.2 million to$3.3 million.
The tobacco companies spend $19 million a year to market their products in Vermont. This is 5 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.

The US Senate has approved legislation by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to give the National Guard its first seat on the nation’s highest military council, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The bill, which has 71 Senate cosponsors, was added by voice vote Monday night as an amendment to the annual Defense Authorization Bill.
Leahy and Graham are the co-chairs of the Senate’s 84-member National Guard Caucus. Their National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act (S.1025) ‘ also known as ‘Guard Empowerment II’ -- is the latest in a series of successful efforts led by the Guard Caucus over the last six years to give the Guard a more meaningful voice in Pentagon circles where key policy and budget decisions are made that affect the Guard.

The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) and the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) today announced key appointments associated with implementation of Vermont’s health reform efforts. Richard Slusky, Director of Payment Reform for DVHA and former CEO of Mount Ascutney Hospital, will move to the GMCB and assume the role of overall Director of Payment Reform for the state. Lindsey Tucker will be the Deputy Commissioner for the Health Benefits Exchange within DVHA. Tucker is currently a policy manager with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and formerly was Health Reform Policy Manager for Health Care for All, a Massachusetts consumer advocacy organization.

States across the country have more flexibility and resources to implement the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today. Vermont today joins 12 other states receiving grants to help establish Affordable Insurance Exchanges ‘ one-stop marketplaces where consumers can choose a private health insurance plan that fits their health needs and have the same kinds of insurance choices as members of Congress.

Seventh Generation, the country's leading innovator of non-toxic and renewable household solutions and the number one "green" brand in America, has been named a 2011 Leader for Change by the United Nations and the Foundation for Social Change. The award was accepted by Seventh Generation CEO John Replogle at a special presentation at the United Nations Global Conference for Social Change in New York City.

The Champlain Housing Trust announced today that the organization has been selected as a winner of the TD Charitable Foundation’s 2011 Housing for Everyone competition, one of 25 selected nationally out of a pool of about 500 submissions.
The Housing for Everyone award comes with a $100,000 grant to advance CHT’s efforts to provide and sustain affordable housing in northwestern Vermont. The grant specifically will be dedicated to an expansion of the Champlain Housing Loan Fund, CHT’s affordable lending arm, including attaining Community Development Financial Institution certification from the United States Treasury.

Ai Squared, the worldwide leader in screen magnification software for the visually impaired based ini Manchester, has announced the release of ZoomText 10, the latest version of its popular screen magnifier/screen reader. ZoomText makes computers accessible and friendly for Windows users by magnifying and speaking what appears on the screen.
In addition to the already versatile capabilities of ZoomText, the new ZoomText 10 release is full of new features designed to enhance users’ productivity by allowing them to multitask, navigate around the web faster and easier than ever before, take their work with them on the go when they’re away from the computer, and access print material. Plus, Ai Squared is growing their list of accessories to include a webcam magnifier.

FairPoint Communications, a leading telecommunications provider in northern New England, is working with the town of Dover to bring high-speed Internet access to more than 200 homes and businesses in East Dover for the first time.
FairPoint will be in East Dover at the Town Hall on Wednesday, December 7, from 6 to 8:30 pm, to answer questions and start signing up people for high-speed access.
Dover town officials turned to FairPoint to expand its VantagePoint services in East Dover where residents do not have high-speed Internet access.
VantagePoint services are provided over FairPoint’s IP-based network, the largest network of its kind in northern New England.

Vermont's poverty rate ranked 12th in the nation at 12.4 percent, or among a large group of second tier states, according to a US Census Bureau report issued today. New Hampshrie was best in the nation and led the usual group of mid-Atlantic and New England states with the lowest poverty rates. The Southeast and Southwest US again had the highest rates.
Between 2007 and 2010, the poverty rate for school-age children showed a statistically significant increase in about 20 percent of counties across the United States, according to US Census Bureau estimates for income and poverty in 2010 for every county and school district.
In Vermont, Grand Isle County had the loest rate (see graph); Essex and Orleans counties had the highest rates.

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce was joined by four of its manufacturing members in an economic summit with China’s Consulate General on November 23.

Meeting at the Vermont Chamber office in Berlin, Consulate General delegates and Vermont Chamber members talked about their current operations in China and expanding business opportunities there.

‘These are Vermont companies with Vermont values that are growing their businesses by building a stronger partnership with China,’ said Chamber President Betsy Bishop. ‘The Vermont Chamber set up this meeting with the Consulate General so these companies can be connected to the economic and government leadership of China.’

During the 2nd quarter of 2011, People’s United Bank announced that they would donate $100, to the Weatherization Assistance Programs (WAPs) offered through the State of Vermont Community Action Agencies (CAAs), for every personal checking account opened from June 7th through August 2nd. People’s United Bank announced today that $33,900 would be spread among the CAAs for use in weatherizing homes throughout Vermont.

Vermont is one of the largest beneficiaries of disaster relief funding released today by the federal government. The US Department of Transportation will provide more than $215 million to states across the nation, with Vermont getting $15.4 million, to cover the costs of repairing roads and bridges damaged by a variety of natural disasters, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today.
‘Communities suffering from disasters have been hard at work restoring vital transportation links so that people can resume daily activities as soon as possible,’ said Secretary LaHood. "They did their part, and now it’s our turn to give the states the money they were promised to help pay for that work.’