Current News

The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) in Winooski has gone four for four on the federal grants it uses to help pay for career, college, and financial aid counseling services for low-income and other Vermonters.

Following a highly competitive application process that stretched for months, VSAC learned that all four of its federal outreach grants were renewed. Combined, the grants total $38 million:
· Talent Search, part of the federal TRiO programs, was renewed for five years at $2.2 million. Talent Search serves middle school and high school students, their families, and their schools. VSAC has administered this program since its creation in 1969.
· Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), also a TRiO program, was renewed for five years at $2.3 million. EOC, which VSAC has offered since its creation in 1991, serves adults seeking to further their education, change careers, and transition from public assistance.

The US Small Business Administration announces today that federal economic injury disaster loans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes located in Bennington and Windham counties in Vermont as a result of excessive rain and high winds associated with Tropical Storm Irene that occurred on Aug 28 ‘ 31, 2011.
"These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties inMassachusetts . The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included," said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA's Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Jarden Consumer Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH), and Keurig, Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc (NASDAQ: GMCR), today announced an agreement to expand the line of Mr. Coffee single-cup coffeemakers. This expanded offering will feature Keurig's branded, patented single-cup brewing technology for use with the more than 200 varieties of gourmet coffees, teas and hot cocoa packaged in Keurig'ssingle-serve K-Cup portion packs. The Mr. Coffee single-cup coffeemakers will now include brewers that feature reservoirs to quickly brew multiple cups of coffee. This is an addition to the existing single-cup offering of Mr. Coffee coffeemakers featuring Keurig's patented single-cup brewing technology.

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced Wednesday that 27 towns and counties across Vermont have been awarded grants from the US Department of Justice to help purchase bulletproof vests for law enforcement officers. The grants are provided through the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, which Leahy authored in 1998.
The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program has helped to provide nearly one million bulletproof vests to law enforcement officers across the country, including more than 3,000 vests for Vermont officers. The new grants announced by will help offices in Vermont buy more than 320 new vests.
‘Bulletproof vests are saving lives of law enforcement officers across the country,’ said Leahy. ‘They protect those who are on the streets every day helping to keep our communities safe, and the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program has proven its life-saving value.’

The Vermont Retail Association (VRA) is pleased to announce the third annual Vermont Retailer of the Year Awards. Membership in VRA is not required for eligibility. All Vermont businesses engaged in retail operations may be nominated and considered. Nominations may be submitted using the Retailer of the Year nomination form on the association’s website, www.vtretailers.com. Nominations will be accepted through December 31, 2011.
The awards will be presented in 2012 at a gala celebration and ceremony.
Three separate awards are presented each year:
Retailer of the Year: Honoring a Vermont retailer for overall excellence
Greentailer of the Year: Honoring a Vermont retailer for environmental excellence
Community Gem: Honoring a Vermont retailer who has made unique and valuable contributions to its community.

Mount Snow officials announced today that a record number of attendees came through the gate at this past weekend’s Oktobrewfest, many of which purchased raffle tickets for their chance to win the Golden Chair from the Grand Summit Express lift in support of local Irene recovery efforts with total sales eclipsing the $5,000 mark. The influx of visitors over the holiday weekend regarded as a major boon for Mount Snow Valley businesses eager to welcome patrons now that most have re-opened their doors following Tropical Storm Irene.
‘Regarding the success of this past weekend, the amount of visitors was tremendous!’ Said Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Philip Gilpin, ‘When people want to relax, explore and live life to the fullest, they know to come to Southern Vermont.’

Steve Hewins, founder of Hewins Travel, based in Maine, and Scott Milne, President of Milne Travel American Express, based in Vermont, today announced that Hewins Travel’s business travel division will merge into Milne Travel American Express. Hewins Travel is a subsidiary of AAA Northern New England. Milne Travel is an American Express Travel Agency. Steve Hewins, continuing in his role as Vice President of Travel Services for AAA Northern New England, will remain with AAA, as will Hewins Travel’s retail locations.
‘We have a great deal of respect for Hewins’ leadership, travel counselors, clients, and the overall business they operate,’ said Scott Milne. ‘Our intent is for business clients and employees of Hewins Travel to be delighted with Milne as a travel management company, and as an employer’. It is anticipated all Hewins business travel staff will move over to Milne as part of the transaction.

In progressive Vermont, it’s an article of faith that spending a little extra for a bag of premium coffee beans with a Fair Trade label is a price worth paying.
A new Janus Forum debate, titled "Fair Trade Coffee: How Fair is Fair?" will hold that axiomatic belief up for scrutiny, with informed experts arguing for and against the proposition.
The debate, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 4 to 5:30 pm on October 20 in Ira Allen Chapel.
Loraine Ronchi, senior economist for African Agriculture and Rural Development at the World Bank, will argue in favor of Fair Trade. Colleen Haight, an assistant professor of economics at San Jose State University and economics program officer at the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University, will argue against it.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) on Thursday, October 13 will close a small section of Route 30 in Hubbardton so that work crews can replace a culvert that was badly damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.
The repair work ‘ which will take two days to complete ‘ is considered temporary and designed to allow Route 30 to operate safely through the winter. Crews will return sometime after winter to make more permanent repairs.
The culvert is located under Route 30 in the area along Beebe Pond. Work will begin at sunup on Thursday, October 13, and is scheduled to finish by sundown on Friday, October 14. During construction, Route 30 in this area will be closed to all traffic.

In a continuing effort to bring comfort to flood-stricken victims in Vermont, Long Trail Brewing Company has crafted a special edition ale, aptly named GOODNIGHT IRENE. This beer brings a focus to benefit those still struggling to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Irene’s devastating floods.
Immediately following Irene’s wrath, the staff at Long Trail Brewing Company moved swiftly into action, converting the Visitor Center into a make-shift shelter serving 100 ‘ 200 meals daily for a week’s period of time to those in need. According to the company’s CEO Brian Walsh, ‘We were told that there was an urgent need for materials for communities that were completely cut-off by washed out roads and bridges. We chartered a helicopter and delivered necessities like diapers, baby formula and drinking water to Rochester, VT. Some of our employees took ATVs up the mountain to remote communities to deliver essentials to those folks who were stranded.’

Thousands of Vermonters tuned in to Vermont Public Television on air and online Oct. 9 to see the Goodnight Irene Flood Relief Benefit concert by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals live from the Flynn Center in Burlington. The concert brought the band back to Potter’s home state to support the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund and the Mad River Valley Community Fund that are helping people recover from the effects of the late August floods after Tropical Storm Irene. Potter delighted fans with familiar numbers and the premiere of her song ‘The Mad, Mad River.’
Interest in the webcast of the event was so high that VPT's server crashed briefly but was restored by the time the band came on stage.

Vibrant foliage has brightened considerably this week with mid-stage to full color along the valleys and hillsides from north to south. Leaves are beginning to fall at the highest elevations, but the color display is plentiful throughout the mountain valleys where a late blossom of red maples is striking against the predominant yellow and orange.
Also, foresters expect to see more fall foliage unfold near Lake Champlain and along the Connecticut River over the next several days. While it varies by location, the color change is running four to six days later than the historical average, effectively extending the viewing season by at least a week.
While the lower elevations range from mid-stage to near peak in southern Vermont and the Champlain Valley, the mountain valleys of central and northern Vermont are expected to remain colorful through the weekend to come.