Current News

On February 9-10, one thousand building design and construction professionals will gather in Burlington, VT, to learn about the latest technical innovations and energy-efficient practices at the region’s premier building conference ‘ Efficiency Vermont’s Better Buildings by Design 2011.
This year’s conference will feature internationally recognized architect Bill Reed, a proponent and leading practitioner in the area of integrative and regenerative design. In his keynote address on February 9 at 8:30a.m., he will address the topic of ‘Integrative and Regenerative Design: Redefining the Practice of Sustainability.’

There were 818 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 61 from the week before, as the data has smoothed since its volatility in January and has been under 1,000 claims the last four weeks. Altogether 12,486 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 192 from a week ago and 2,340 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,143 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 57 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 929 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 21 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

Vermont high school students ranked 12th in the nation in advanced placement (AP) course testing. Vermont seniors posted a strong showing on the 2010 College Board Advanced Placement exams in several metrics, including fastest growth in number of students achieving college-level proficiency, the College Board announced today.
The AP program offers high school students college-level courses in a variety of subject areas. In all, 2,126 Vermont students who graduated in 2010 participated in the AP program and took the exams. More students succeeded on the exam (1,460) than participated in AP 10 years ago (1,176).

Based on testing last fall, educational achievement in Vermont continues to show small but continued growth in reading, but little progress in math for grades 3-8 over time and a drop of one percent since 2009. Meanhwile, grade 11 progress indicates that writing and math have improved, while reading has remained flat over the last three years. Seventy percent of 11th graders achieved proficiency in reading and less than 40 percent of 11th graders achieved proficiency in math; writing scores were at 50 percent proficiency. Female students did much better in reading for all grades, while male and female students were on par in math. Economically disadvantaged students continued to make progress in both reading (up to 58 percent proficient) and math (up to 49 percent proficient) for grades 3-8.

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has voiced his support for a proposal that Governor Peter Shumlin presented to Vermont lawmakers Tuesday to move the state toward a single-payer health care system.
‘I applaud the governor for presenting his health care proposal to the Legislature and I look forward to working with him. With 50 million Americans uninsured and the cost of health care soaring, Vermont can be a model for the nation as we move toward a Medicare-for-all, single-payer health care system,’ Sanders said.
Sanders introduced legislation on January 25 to help the state use a new national health care law to enact a single-payer system. Senator Patrick Leahy is a cosponsor of the Senate bill, and Representative Peter Welch introduced companion legislation in the House.

As an integral part of his economic development program, Gov. Peter Shumlin said today that he plans to present special awards to Vermont businesses that have an effective Workplace Safety program.
A commitment to workplace safety not only protects employees, but allows the business community to reap the benefits of reduced costs. Typically companies that maintain a safe workplace experience lower costs for workers’ compensation and medical issues, increased productivity and employee morale, and the ability to market their business more successfully in the global market.
‘Vermont businesses that provide safe workplaces for their employees should be recognized for their successful safety policies,’ said Gov. Shumlin.

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released its December Home Price Index (HPI) which shows that home prices in the US declined for the fifth month in a row. Vermont was one of just seven states and the District of Columbia to see average home prices increase, albeit by less than one percent. According to the CoreLogic HPI, national home prices, including distressed sales, declined by 5.46 percent in December 2010 compared to December 2009 and declined by 4.39 percent* in November 2010 compared to November 2009. Excluding distressed sales, year-over-year prices declined by 2.31 percent in December 2010 compared to December 2009 and declined by 2.81* percent in November 2010 compared to November 2009. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions.

A barn collapse in Chester on Monday night is the latest in a string of such structure failures that have occurred around Vermont over the past few days. Today’s extra snowpack is adding to the concern over snow loads on roofs around Vermont.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Department of Public Safety divisions of Emergency Management and Fire Safety, and Vermont Health Department are once again urging homeowners to diligently monitor their roofs and clear off snow if it can be done so safely. If there is a concern for personal safety while clearing a roof, a professional contractor should be called in to inspect the roof, or to clear the roof of snow.
‘Farms have lost livestock to the barn collapses,’ Deputy Agriculture Secretary Diane Bothfeld said. ‘There has been no loss of human life, but there are often farm workers in the barn throughout the day and there is a real safety concern for them if a roof collapses while they are working.’

FreshTracks Capital announces the return of Peak Pitch Vermont on March 10th. Now in its seventh year, Peak Pitch gives entrepreneurs and investors an exciting opportunity to network on the slopes of the Sugarbush Resort. Peak Pitch brings entrepreneurs and investors together for a unique version of the classic "elevator pitch." In the traditional elevator pitch, entrepreneurs take advantage of an opportunity to share an elevator ride with a potential investor and present their business idea. At Peak Pitch, a shared chairlift ride gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business plans to a variety of venture capitalists, angel investors, commercial lenders, and other entrepreneurial advisors as they ride up the mountain on a chair lift.
Peak Pitch combines business networking and skiing or boarding in an
informal setting while providing the opportunity for entrepreneurs and

Brattleboro based business, Recycle Away has increased recycling at over
200 corporations, universities and municipalities in the past 18 months.
Recycle Away (www.recycleaway.com) assists corporations such as Google,
Hewlett Packard, Quaker Oats and Kellogg in ordering specialty containers
for corporate-wide recycling programs. Champlain College in Burlington VT
recently purchased several systems designed to serve a newly constructed
LEED Certified student center. In October 2010 the State University of NY
Medical Center dispersed hundreds of Recycle Away containers around campus
and hospital floors.
Municipalities around the country are stepping up recycling efforts on
main streets and city parks. Skagit County, WA, Galveston, TX and
Brattleboro VT are three examples of communities with proudly printed logos

Entergy Corporation reported fourth quarter 2010 earnings of $1.26 per share on an as-reported basis, compared to the same period last year of $1.64. For year-end 2010, earnings were $6.66 versus $6.30 for 2009. Entergy is the parent company of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon.
SEE FULL REPORT HERE

Based on soldier trials, technical compliance and best value pricing, Revision, leading developer of protective eyewear for militaries worldwide, has secured a UK Ministry of Defence contract for Protective Combat Eyewear. Following tender evaluation and user trials, Revision was selected for providing the best value and for being the most technically compliant bidder. The estimated contract value is £3.4 million to provide the UK MoD with Revision’s Sawfly Military Eyewear System and Bullet Ant goggles.

‘Revision is extremely proud to receive the UK MoD contract for Protective Combat Eyewear,’ said Jonathan Blanshay, CEO of Revision. ‘The focus behind all Revision eyewear is to meet and exceed the stringent requirements set forth by our military customers. It’s an honor to be supplying UK troops with what we believe to be the best performance-enhancing eye protection products.’