Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims in Vermont increased above 600, more than doubling after its historic low of under 300 at the end of September. For the week of October 24, there were 610 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont, an increase of 57 from the previous week's total and 187 fewer than they were a year ago. Generally, claims have been running below last year's totals. Total claims were generally up a little in most regions of the state. By industry, claims fell for Manufacturing and were up for Services. As has been the trend, Services led all categories with 55 percent of all claims, the same as last week.

Vermont Business Magazine The 11^th annual Wheels for Warmth tire sales are on Saturday from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Dubois Construction in Montpelier and, for the first time, at Casella Construction in Mendon. Tire donations will also be accepted at these locations only during that time. Proceeds from both sales will benefit heating assistance programs at community action agencies around the state, such as Capstone Community Action and BROC Community Action.

Collection centers are open for drop-offs today from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. in advance of Saturday’s sale. Those locations are:

· Dubois Construction, 46 Three Mile Bridge Road, Montpelier (sale location)

· Casella Construction, Route 4, Mendon (sale location)

· Casella Waste Management, 28 Avenue C, Williston

· Percy Park, 269 Weeks Hill Road, Stowe (drop-offs from 2 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.)

Vermont Business Magazine The Public Service Department today announced the next meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2015, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Cafetorium at the Vernon Elementary School on Governor Hunt Road, Vernon, Vermont.

At the meeting the Panel will receive decommissioning updates from the State of Vermont and Entergy, including a status report from Entergy on the VY Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund and the Spent Fuel Management Plan.

The Panel is seeking written comments from the public on the advisory opinions that will be discussed and voted on at the November 12 meeting. Written comments may be emailed to the Panel at [email protected].

by Secretary Rebecca Holcombe Testing is once again in the news. NAEP test results were released across the nation; President Obama and the U.S. Department of Education have supported reductions in testing; and states have been releasing local assessment results. Yet the storyline remains the same: too much testing, not enough student achievement. In Vermont, we think the story should be more about what we are doing with these test results, and a little less about the tests themselves.

Over the last decade or so, federal policy has used student achievement data to judge and sanction schools, teachers and principals. Furthermore, many states have defined teacher and educator quality narrowly in terms of test scores.

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Vermont Business Magazine Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s) has published a new Ratings Report which reaffirms Burlington’s credit rating outlook as “positive” and maintains the City’s credit rating as “Baa2.” Moody’s indicated that one of the events that could lead to a ratings increase for the City includes the audited confirmation of fiscal 2015 surplus (audit is expected to be completed by the end of 2015).

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Department of Energy (DOE), in cooperation with other federal agencies, has issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the New England Clean Power Link transmission line project. The 154-mile transmission line would travel from Quebec to Ludlow, Vermont, with nearly 100 miles of it running under Lake Champlain. The total cost estimate is $1.2 billion. It's scheduled to be completed by 2019. The issuance of the FEIS concludes the review of the project’s potential environmental impacts mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act and enables the DOE to render a decision on the application for a Presidential Permit for the project.

Vermont Business Magazine With open enrollment set to begin next week, Governor Peter Shumlin today in Burlington said that Vermont Health Connect (VHC) is ready and that many Vermonters getting their insurance through the online marketplace will see their monthly health care premiums decrease next year. This November marks the beginning of the three-month open enrollment period, the once-a-year opportunity for Vermonters using VHC to reevaluate their health care needs and change plans if they wish. It is also a time for Vermonters without health insurance to sign up.

“Vermont Health Connect is ready,” Shumlin said. “Starting next week Vermonters should log on and determine whether they’re in the best plan for their medical needs and budget.”

by Mike Faher/The Commons A developer is proposing Vermont’s largest, most-powerful wind turbine site — 28 turbines churning out nearly 97 megawatts — on a ridge in the towns of Windham and Grafton, according to new plans released Monday. With that size would come sizable economic benefits, as developer Iberdrola Renewables is estimating $285,000 in annual tax revenues for Grafton and $715,000 for Windham — more than than that town’s entire budget. The project could also pump another $700,000 into the state education fund each year. Those numbers could change, as could the proposed project’s final layout.

Vermont Business Magazine Wednesday’s strong wind storm blew down trees and branches, cutting power to thousands of Green Mountain Power customers. By Thursday morning, GMP had restored power to all 12,000 customers impacted by the storm. Meanwhile, Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) field and control room staff were able to respond promptly to restore power to over 2,500 members who lost power due to strong winds that downed trees and power lines.

“Some of the towns hardest hit included Montgomery, Huntington, Starksboro, Hinesburg, Bakersfield, Underhill, and Cambridge,” said Jeff Wright, VEC Chief Operating Officer. “Our crews were prepared for a significant outage and tackled the challenges of this weather event quickly and safely. As we roll into Thursday we will be able to access and respond to the few remaining outages. We appreciate our member’s patience as we finish the restoration work.”

Vermont Business Magazine With youth deer weekend just around the corner, young hunters are encouraged to take to the field to hone their skills and to also help Fish & Wildlife biologists by reporting their deer at one of 23 biological reporting stations around the state. Youth deer hunting weekend helps ensure that young hunters get the quality training they need for lifelong participation, and it also provides biological information needed to manage the herd into the future.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Livestock Care Standards Advisory Council is pleased to announce the availability of important bilingual educational materials, for use by Vermont’s cattle industry members, intended to help ensure the humane handling and transport of calves and cattle within Vermont. The release of these materials is the culmination of a year-long initiative undertaken by the Council that was supported by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, the Farm to Plate Network, and many other individuals and agricultural organizations within Vermont and New England.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) is pleased to announce the transfer of its mobile flash freeze unit to the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center (PHCC) in Middlebury, Vermont under a long-term lease agreement. PHCC will utilize this innovative food processing tool to flash freeze locally grown fruits and vegetables for long-term storage, and will partner with Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE), also of Middlebury, to distribute frozen produce through the Addison County Food Shelf.

“This acquisition by the Hannaford Career Center supports a broad effort among Addison County partners to strengthen their local food system,” said Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross. “We’re excited that this important asset will not only be used to preserve farm fresh produce at the peak of harvest but will also increase underserved communities’ access to locally grown food.”