Current News

The Green Mountain College Farm & Food Project has been awarded $100,000 from Jane’s Trust to research the market potential for flash-frozen products, using a mobile flash-freeze unit provided to the College and several regional collaborators by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
Last June, the Farm & Food Project was granted use of the flash-freeze unit for three growing seasons. Flash-freeze units are expected to increase the ability of farmers to market seasonal products throughout the year. The College is currently using the unit for research and education, in conjunction with the Farm & Food Project’s new ‘Community Food Lab,’ a commercial kitchen facility on campus dedicated to teaching and research.

For the first time ever, University of Vermont President Daniel Mark Fogel, PhD, will confer medical degrees upon graduates in the UVM College of Medicine’s Class of 2011 during the school’s Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 22, at 2:30 pm in UVM's Ira Allen Chapel. Marcia Angell, MD, senior lecturer in social medicine at Harvard Medical School and the first woman to serve as editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, will deliver the keynote address.

The Vermont State Treasurer’s Office has received more than $9 million in new unclaimed property since the fiscal year began July 1. The annual deadline for holders of unclaimed property to turn over funds to the State was May 1 and thousands of dollars continue to be received by the Unclaimed Property Division.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved legislation to boost accountability for corporations and individuals responsible for environmental crimes. The Environmental Crimes Enforcement Act (ECEA) is aimed at deterring environmental crime while protecting and compensating victims of environmental crimes.
‘Too often corporations treat fines and monetary penalties as a mere cost of doing business to be factored against profits,’ said Leahy. ‘These measures are tough but fair. They are important steps toward deterring criminal conduct that can cause environmental and economic disaster and toward helping those who have suffered so much from the wrongdoing of big oil and other large corporations.’

GE Aviation's Rutland facility shared its energy reduction strategies with leading Vermont industrial businesses along with state and Congressional leaders at a special meeting on May 18 at the GE Aviation Rutland facility. GE has saved 15 million kilowatt hours of electricity and nearly 8,000 tons of CO2 in emissions reduced.
Since 2006, the GE Aviation Rutland facility and Efficiency Vermont have worked together to identify and implement energy savings programs at the 400,000-square-foot Windcrest Road and 100,000-square-foot Columbian Avenue locations. The team has completed 16 projects that have reduced the annual electrical usage by more than 15 million kwh and reduced CO2 emission by close to 8,000 tons. GE Aviation estimates its annual electrical cost savings is more than $1 million for both Rutland locations.
Examples of energy savings projects include:

Spring is in full bloom as New England experienced month-over-month growth of +10.9% with each state making a positive contribution. Vermont’s month-over-month increase of 18.7 percent was second only to Maine; however, at 184 days on the market, Vermont homes sold slower than any other New England State. The granite state of New Hampshire is the only state that has shown consistent month-over-month growth since January. While sales have not bounced back to 2010 levels, increased inventory, higher prices are all signs of a recovering market and strong spring.
‘Prices are still very affordable,’ said Jay Hummer, Executive Vice President of RE/MAX of New England’Whether you’re a first time home buyer or investor, the spring housing market is filled with opportunity.’

The Vermont Farm Viability Program announced today the award of $95,000 in grants and $62,700 in technical assistance awards to Vermont farmers to assist them in implementing their farm business plans completed through the program. In this latest round of funding, 21 farmers around the state received grants ranging from $650 to $7,000. An additional 21 farmers received technical assistance awards ranging from $700 to $4,000 to cover the cost of consulting with specialists. Among the implementation grants presented:

Average mortgage fell week-over-week according to the LendingTree Weekly Mortgage Rate Pulse, which tracks the lowest and average mortgage rates offered by lenders on the LendingTree network.
On May 17, average home loan rates offered by LendingTree network lenders were 4.79% (5.03% APR) for 30-year fixed mortgages, 4.00% (4.39% APR) for 15-year fixed mortgages and 3.42% (3.62% APR) for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages (ARM). Rates for 30-year fixed loans and 5/1 ARMs fell week over week, while 15-year fixed rates were flat.
On the same day, the lowest mortgage rates offered by lenders on the LendingTree network were 4.375 percent (4.51% APR) for a 30-year fixed mortgage, 3.5 percent (3.74% APR) for a 15-year fixed mortgage and 2.875 percent (3.17% APR) for a 5/1 ARM. Rates for all loan types declined one eighth of a percent.

Governor Peter Shumlin has signed into law legislation that ensures Vermont’s roads are safe for all users, requiring transportation policy to take into account the needs of motorists, bicyclists, public transportation users and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
‘This law will guarantee that we’re designing roads that work for the future ‘ for older Vermonters, for those who choose to take public transportation, for people who opt to walk to their jobs and errands, and for motorists,’ the governor said.
Among those on-hand for the bill signing were representatives for AARP Vermont and the Vermont Natural Resources Council. Those organizations and other advocates supported the legislation and worked for its passage at the State House earlier this year.

The University of Vermont will celebrate its 207th commencement on Sunday, May 22. The ceremony, which has been moved indoors due to persistent rain and the saturated condition of the University Green, begins at 9 am in the Multipurpose Facility in the Athletic Complex. Overflow seating will be available in the adjoining Patrick Gymnasium, where the ceremony can be seen on large screen, closed-circuit TV. Tickets are not required.
Line up will begin at 8 am with students gathering in the Gardner-Collins Indoor Track and faculty gathering in the Varsity Strength and Conditioning Center. The processional will begin at 8:20 am.

Vermont’s congressional delegation on Tuesday announced a $1,024,000 Department of Labor grant to help young Vermonters earn their high school degrees and develop valuable skills.
The grant is part of nearly $76 million in funding for YouthBuild programs that provide training to young people throughout the nation. The over $1 million in funding to Vermont will go to ReSOURCE, a non-profit located in Burlington, to implement a two year YouthBuild program that will enroll 64 students in Burlington and Barre. The students will be trained in construction skills and energy efficiency techniques while building affordable housing and completing their high school degrees.

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) delivered the keynote address Tuesday at a conference on a cutting-edge Vermont initiative to improve energy efficiency, save consumers money and create good-paying jobs.
Vermont was awarded $69 million in federal funds in 2009 to match an equal investment by the state’s utilities to develop a more efficient and more reliable electric system. The so-called smart-grid project will make Vermont the first state in the nation to provide high-tech meters in virtually all businesses and homes. By 2013, real-time information on energy consumption will let consumers make smarter choices.
Sanders spoke at the conference hosted by the University of Vermont and Sandia National Laboratory, a world leader in energy research working with the state on implementation of the smart grid.