Current News

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., (NASDAQ: GMCR) today announced its fiscal 2009 third quarter results for the thirteen weeks ended June 27, 2009, reporting outstanding top and bottom line growth. Net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 totaled $190.5 million as compared to $118.1 million reported in the third quarter of fiscal 2008, representing an increase of 61% over the same quarter last year. Net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 increased 123% to $14.1 million or $0.36 per diluted share, from $6.3 million or $0.16 per diluted share in the third quarter of fiscal 2008.
During fiscal 2009 s third quarter, 398 million K-Cup® portion packs were shipped system-wide by all Keurig licensed roasters, up 64% over the year-ago quarter. Supporting continued growth in K-Cup demand, there were 439,000 Keurig brewers shipped during the third quarter of fiscal 2009, up 187% over the same quarter in the prior year.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection of 145 recipients, including Randolph Area Community Development Corporation (RACDC), for more than $15.3 million in grants to start or expand businesses in rural communities. Through Recovery Act funding, businesses will be able to access to critical capital that will help with start-up and working capital loans, building and plant renovations, transportation improvements, project planning and other business needs.
These Recovery Act grants represent the Obama administration s ongoing efforts to ensure strategic investments and increase economic opportunities in rural America, said Vilsack. Small businesses play an important role in building strong communities while providing vital products and services to local residents. This funding will help spur important economic development and strengthen communities in dozens of states around the country.

Stephen Slack, of Corinth, was named the best professional truck driver in Vermont after winning the twins competition and receiving the highest overall score in the nine competing categories at the 2009 Vermont Truck Driving Championships. The annual event is sponsored by the Vermont Truck and Bus Association. Slack, who drives for Con-way Freight, now qualifies to compete in the American Trucking Associations' National Truck Driving Championships August 18-22, 2009, in Pittsburgh, PA -- also known as the "Super Bowl of Safety." The winners from each of the nine other categories are also eligible to compete in the national championship.

The Vermont Economic Development Authority has approved $3 million in financing to support business and agricultural development projects totaling $7 million. Included is a $825,000 loan to MSI in Morristown, a $182,000 mortgage insurance commitment to Bradford Vaneer, and a $131,000 loan to Green Mountain Urology in Middlebury.
We are pleased to help businesses strengthen and grow in the manufacturing, agricultural, and small business sectors of our state s economy, said the Authority s Chief Executive Officer Jo Bradley.
Approved for financing assistance by VEDA are:

New initial claims for unemployment fell again, meaning July could mark the lowest number for a month since late last summer when final numbers are released. For the Week of 07/25/2009, there were 830 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 77 from the week before. Altogether 13,076 new and continuing claims were filed, 478 fewer than a week ago and 5,881 more than a year earlier. The Department also processed 3,799 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 123 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 741 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 17 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/.

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is bringing US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to Capitol Hill on Wednesday (today) to discuss an effort Leahy is leading to boost USDA s floor price for purchasing dairy products. More than a dozen senators including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) -- from several regions of the country are expected to attend the meeting with Vilsack on Wednesday afternoon in the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing room.

Representative Peter Welch will announce the creation of the Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus at a Capitol Hill press conference later this morning. The Caucus will be a bipartisan organization consisting of more than 40 lawmakers from across the nation. The group will seek to confront the growing crisis in the dairy industry, which has been suffering from low milk prices and escalating production costs. Welch is one of the four founding co-chairs of the caucus, will be joined by more than a dozen colleagues, in addition to representatives from the National Milk Producers Federation.

Representative Peter Welch voted yesterday in favor of several bills designed to support disabled veterans. All of the bills were later passed by the House.
The legislation will provide for family members who care for disabled veterans, increase compensation to certain veterans, and facilitates research programs at Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals.
The Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act has laid the foundation for a caregiver program to assist family and non-family members who care for disabled, ill, or injured veterans. The program offers education session for improve care-giving, counseling and respite care to the family caregiver – or another individual designated by the veteran – and grants caregivers of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with a financial stipend and medical care.

Senator Bernie Sanders has called upon Dean Foods - the top producer of fluid milk in the U.S. and a company that controls fully 70 percent of the New England milk market - to rise the low prices it currently pays to dairy farmers.
Sanders made his statements in a recent letter to the head of the Dallas-based company, CEO Gregg L. Engles, In his letter, Sanders noted that Dean's profits more than doubled during the first quarter of 2009, while prices for farmers have been at their lowest level in almost four decades. “How can it be that while milk prices for farmers are so low, the profits of Dean Foods are skyrocketing?” wrote Sanders.

Speaker Smith and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin today sent a letter to Entergy Corporation to inform them that it will be very difficult for the Vermont General Assembly to act on the question of continued operation of the Vermont Yankee plant unless a power purchase agreement is reached between Entergy and Vermont utilities before November 1, 2009.
The letter is pasted below.

July 28, 2009
Mr. Jay Thayer
C/O MacLean, Meehan and Rice
45 Court St
Montpelier, Vt 05602

Dear Mr. Thayer:

We are writing to inform you that it will be exceedingly difficult for the Vermont General Assembly to act in 2010 on the question of continued operation of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station unless a power purchase agreement between Vermont utilities and Entergy is filed with the Vermont Public Service Board before November 1, 2009.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday morning that Vermont will receive $5,045,045 in economic recovery grants to fund the hiring and rehiring of law enforcement officers. The grants to 25 law enforcement agencies across Vermont are administered by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) through the federal agency s COPS Hiring Recovery Program.
The grants provide 100 percent of the approved salary and benefits for newly hired entry level officer positions over a three year period. Police departments receiving the grants will then be required to retain the grant-funded positions for a fourth year. Leahy said the funding comes amid extreme budget pressures as communities cope with falling revenues under the economic downturn and will help Vermont s law enforcement agencies add and retain the staffing levels needed to fight crime more effectively through community policing.

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science recently welcomed Food Network star Rachael Ray to the VINS Nature Center in Quechee. On Wednesday July 22nd, Rachael and her husband, John Cusimano, lead singer of the band The Cringe, visited VINS to film a segment for Rachael s popular television show, Rachael s Vacations.
During their visit, Rachael and John were given a personal tour of VINS natural science exhibits, live birds of prey enclosures, and avian rehabilitation facilities by VINS naturalists. "Our staff was really impressed by Rachael s interest in VINS environmental education programs and rehabilitation work. It was an honor to have her and John choose the VINS Nature Center from among all the exciting visitor destinations in this region, and we appreciate the national media exposure she is giving us," commented VINS president John Dolan.