Current News

Champlain College, Saint Michael’s College and Burlington College have entered into a consortium agreement which will allow students at each institution to register for courses at any of the three colleges for no additional charge.
Over recent months, Vermont colleges have been exploring opportunities for developing consortiums through the Association of Vermont Independent Colleges (AVIC). Champlain College President David F. Finney, Saint Michael’s College President Jack J. Neuhauser, and Burlington College President Jane O’Meara Sanders, had been collaborating on this broader question and decided to start with this new program as a first step.
Champlain College President Finney said he believes the expanded program will benefit all three institutions and could serve as a model for other Vermont colleges and universities to work more closely together through AVIC.

Vermont’s long-time State Archeologist has been named State Historic Preservation Officer and Director of the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. Giovanna Peebles will assume the post immediately, according to Kevin Dorn, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
“Giovanna Peebles has served the people of Vermont as State Archeologist since 1976. Her long experience in this field and in historic preservation overall, as well as her passion for our state’s extraordinary heritage, makes her well-qualified to take over as State Historic Preservation Officer for Vermont.”
As State Historic Preservation Officer, or SHPO, Peebles, is responsible for administering the state’s historic preservation program under the federal National Historic Preservation Act and under the Vermont Historic Preservation Act.

WCAX-TV has won a prestigious DuPont Journalism Award from the Journalism School at Columbia University in New York City. The award was for the station’s series “Foreigners on the Farm” reported by Senior Reporter Kristin Carlson. The in-depth three part series focused on Vermont’s reliance on immigrant farm workers.
Carlson and the Channel 3 news team detailed how many dairy farmers rely on immigrant farm workers to keep their businesses afloat. Farmers admitted some of those workers may be here illegally. In announcing the award, Dupont wrote “The exemplary reports neither advocate nor condemn the hiring practice but instead inform the audience about what’s going on in the barn next door.”
Carlson will receive the award Thursday night at a special awards ceremony hosted by Columbia University in New York. Joe Carroll was the photographer on the series and Kristin Kelly was the producer. Marselis Parsons was the News Director.

A 30-year veteran of public policy, communications and advocacy with a long history of civic involvement, Teresa Rhodes Rosenberger has been named New Hampshire State President for FairPoint Communications. In her new role, Rosenberger will be responsible for regulatory matters, governmental relations, and economic development for FairPoint Communications in the Granite State.

Average retail gasoline prices in Vermont moved just in the past week, averaging $2.82/gallon today. This compares with the national average that has stayed relatively flat, moving just 1.8 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.72/g, according to gasoline price website VermontGasPrices.com. Including the rise in gas prices in Vermont during the past week, prices today are $1.01/g higher than the same day one year ago and are 15.1 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 14.7 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 90.7 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.
New Hampshire is at $2.71 today, Massachusetts is $2.736 and New York state is $2.93.
About VermontGasPrices.com
GasBuddy.com operates over 200 live gasoline price-tracking websites, including VermontGasPrices.com. GasBuddy.com was named one of Time magazine's 50 best websites and to PC World's 100 most useful websites of 2008.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enhancements to U.S. Small Business Administration loan programs have led to a significant rebound in Vermont of SBA-backed loans for small businesses and greater access to much-needed capital. SBA lending in Vermont dramatically increased in the first quarter of the federal government’s 2010 fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2009. Compared to the first quarter of FY2009, the total number of SBA loans increased 94 percent from 49 to 95 and the dollar volume of lending increased 85 percent from $10,854 million to $20,049 million.
Signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided broad-reaching assistance to small businesses, including an increase in the guarantee on all loans up to 90 percent from 75-85 percent and the elimination of guaranty fees, resulting in substantial savings for small business borrowers.

In his annual and now last Budget Address before the Legislature, Vermont Governor Douglas laid out a broad curriculum on how the state must respond to an impending state budget crisis. Citing estimates that the state's budget might run a $150 million deficit in the coming fiscal year and upwards of $250 million over the next two years, the governor warned that raising taxes would further damage the state's economy and lead to even worse budget results and that the only fiscally sound way to address the situation is for state government to cut spending.

The man brought back to help Vermont Yankee win a license extension has said he was at fault for letting regulators believe that underground pipes at the Vernon nuclear power plant did not carry radioactive material. Vice president for operations Jay Thayer said he told the Public Service Board last May that he believed the underground pipes did not carry radioactive material, but that he would check and get back to the PSB. He admits now that he neglected to follow up and that his statement was not correct.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today announced a $100,000 grant to recruit, train and retain firefighters and emergency medical services personnel throughout Vermont.
“Vermont is deeply indebted to our volunteer first-responder community, and we’ve got to do everything we can to maintain their ranks,” Sanders said in announcing the funding for the Vermont Fire Academy to support vocational training and to increase recruitment and retention efforts.
The senator was flanked at a press conference in his Senate office here by Kristy Oxholm President of the Vermont State Firefighters Association; Jim Finger, president of the American Ambulance Association; Gary Dillon of the Waterbury Volunteer Fire Department; Chief Charles Cole of the Essex Volunteer Fire Department; Dean Gilmore of the New Haven Volunteer Fire Department; Chief Tom Hooker of the Pittsford Volunteer Fire Department; and Chief Jim Litevich of the Vermont Fire Academy.

City Market, Onion River Co-op plans to designate Saturday, January 23 as Haiti Earthquake Relief Day. The Co-op will donate 1% of store sales to the Cooperative Development Fund’s Haiti Relief Efforts.
The Cooperative Development Fund has created the Cooperative Emergency Fund specifically to provide financial aid to people during a devastating event like the recent earthquake. The Cooperative Emergency Fund will be donating all monies received from here until July 2010 to help the rebuilding efforts in Haiti. CDF will be collaborating with international cooperative relief efforts in this endeavor to rebuild those coops afflicted by this disaster.

Norwich University officials announced the end to the Norwich Forever! fundraising campaign, which closed at the end of December with alumni and friends making a record investment in the future of Norwich students. Norwich received more than $81.9 million in campaign gifts and pledges, nearly $27 million beyond the original goal for the campaign, successfully ending the campaign one year early.
“That we achieved such success in only four years, with the final sixteen months in a global recession, is a testament to how much our alumni cherish Norwich and want to provide our students with a first-rate experience,” said President Richard W. Schneider. “Many friends in Vermont, including several businesses, also participated in the campaign, and we are honored to have their support.”

The White House announced Friday that President Obama has accepted the recommendation of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and will nominate veteran economic development specialist Molly Lambert to be the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s State Director for Rural Development for Vermont and New Hampshire.
Leahy said, “For more than two decades, Molly Lambert has invested her time and skills in advancing economic development in Vermont. She has already cemented long-lasting partnerships around the state and across the region. The Obama administration has recognized her leadership and community service in nominating her to this post.”