Current News
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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Gas today summed up its key arguments for its Middlebury natural gas pipeline project in a submittal to the Vermont Public Service Board. The PSB is considering whether to reopen Vermont Gas' Certificate of Public Good because of two cost increases in 2014. It is expected to decide whether to do so by the end of the summer. If it does reopen the CPG, it could ultimately cancel the project, put new requirements on the project or let the existing CPG stand as is. Vermont Gas recently hired a new contractor for 44-mile project, which will connect the gas line now serving Chittenden and Franklin counties with Addison County.
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Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Vermont are holding a series of public meetings in August to discuss new pollution reduction targets - often referred to as a TMDL - to prevent pollution from flowing into Lake Champlain and its tributaries. The meetings will be moderated by the Lake Champlain Basin Program. All interested persons are encouraged to participate. The meetings will be held in St Albans on August 26 and in Rutland and South Burlington on August 27.
Lake Champlain Basin Phosphorus Clean Water Act TMDL Public Meetings
St. Albans
August 26, 2015, 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Bliss Room, St. Albans Historical Society, 9 Church Street, St Albans
South Burlington
August 27, 2015, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Burlington Doubletree, 1117 Williston Road, South Burlington
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by Mike Smith A recent poll by a New Hampshire media outlet must be worrisome to the Hillary Clinton campaign. WMUR’s Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire shows Vermont’s junior U.S. senator, Bernie Sanders, closing in on Clinton, 42 to 36 percent. Sanders is surging in Iowa, too, but Clinton still has a commanding lead, according to a July NBC/Marist poll showing Clinton with support from 49 percent of Democrats to Sanders’ 25 percent.
The trend is what should be disconcerting to the Clinton camp. They are well aware that victories in early primary states are essential in order to create momentum going into later primaries. In fact, Clinton’s opponent in 2008, then Sen. Barack Obama, had his breakout moment by winning the Iowa caucuses, coming in a strong second in New Hampshire, and then winning South Carolina.
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Vermont Business Magazine Senator Leahy announced Friday that a $3 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was awarded to the Vermont Department of Health to increase access to Medication Assisted Treatment in Vermont for high risk individuals with an opioid dependency. Howard Center, the Northwestern Medical Center, and the West Ridge Center at Rutland Regional Medical Center will receive funding from the grant to coordinate services for 375 individuals statewide.
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Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin has ordered that the Vermont State flag fly at half-staff from Monday through Wednesday following the tragic death of Department of Children and Families (DCF) employee Lara Sobel. The full order is included below. Shumlin, Secretary of Human Services Hal Cohen, and DCF Commissioner Ken Schatz attended a vigil for Sobel in Barre Sunday. Monday, the governor will spend time meeting with DCF and other state employees affected by this tragedy.
Where the flags will be lowered:
The Vermont State House, all Federal and State Facilities around the state and public buildings and grounds around the state.
Which flags will be lowered:
The Vermont State flag
Date the flags are to be lowered: (at sunrise):
Monday, August 10, 2015
Date flags are to return to full staff: (at sunset):
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Vermont Business Magazine SolarCity (NASDAQ: SCTY) announced Monday that it will bring its rooftop solar energy systems to Vermont and with it about 100 jobs. From its warehouse and office in South Burlington, SolarCity will market initially to residential customers in Chittenden County and nearby areas. The California-based company, whose chairman is Tesla's Elon Musk, will feature a no-money-down, lease program. The advantage to customers is, depending on location, they could effectively save 10-20 percent on their electric bill.
"It's a great market for solar," Regional Vice President Lee Keshishian said of Northwestern Vermont.
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Vermont Business Magazine Murder suspect Jody Herring pleaded not guilty Monday at the Vermont Superior Court, Washington Criminal Division, in the killing of Vermont state social worker Lara Sobel in Barre. According to Vermont State Police reports, Sobel was killed shortly before 5 pm behind City Place. Herring is also connected to three more deaths in Berlin, for which she has yet to be charged.
On Saturday at approximately 8:02 am, the Berlin Police Department responded to a 911 call at 3168 Airport Road in the town of Berlin. The female caller reportedly discovered three deceased adult females inside the residence. Upon arrival, a Berlin Police Officer entered the residence and confirmed the presence of three deceased adult females. Initial observations by police indicated shell casings at the scene and apparent gunshot wounds on at least two of the victims.
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Erin Mansfield vtdigger.org One of the state’s most prominent renewable energy developers is proposing to build more wind power in a region of Vermont that has been divided over such projects for years. David Blittersdorf wants to erect two wind turbines on a Northeast Kingdom ridgeline in the 1,100-person town of Irasburg and produce enough electricity to power more than 2,000 homes. Blittersdorf is co-owner of Georgia Mountain Community Wind, which is on the border of Milton and Georgia, Vermont, that went online in 2012.
Blittersdorf is president and chief executive officer of AllEarth Renewables, which installs commercial solar power projects across Vermont and has been named one of the state’s fastest-growing companies. Georgia Mountain has four turbines and a 10 megawatt capacity to power roughly 3,300 average Vermont households.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was notified Friday of a release of untreated sewage into East Creek in the City of Rutland. The seal on an abandoned sewer pipe that runs under East Creek at the West Street bridge apparently failed resulting in the sewage release. DEC staff and City officials are investigating the incident and repair activities have been initiated. Up to an estimated 150,000 gallons of sewage was discharged to the East Creek, which empties into Otter Creek approximately one half mile downstream.
The Vermont Department of Health has been notified of the release, and in consultation with DEC, has determined that the potential for a health hazard exists.
People should stay out of the water and not swim in it, or use it for recreational purposes from Rutland to Proctor for 48 hours after the release has been stopped.
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Vermont Business Magazine Citizens Bank, with branches in Vermont, has announced it has been ranked second in the nation among home loan servicers for client satisfaction in a study conducted by JD Power. According to the JD Power 2015 U.S. Primary Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study, Citizens scored 50 points above the industry average.
“Delivering top-notch customer service is a key component of our commitment to provide customers with the best possible banking experience, and it is gratifying that we have been recognized by J.D. Power,” said Brad Conner, Vice Chairman and Head of Consumer Banking. “These findings reflect the investments we’ve made not only in our mortgage business, but across the entire bank, to help our customers bank better.”
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Vermont Business Magazine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Keith W Flynn announced today the change of command of the Vermont State Police. Effective at 3 pm Friday, Colonel Matthew T Birmingham, of Brownsville, became the thirteenth director of the Vermont State Police. This occurs as Colonel Thomas J L'Esperance retires from the state police after 28 years of service.
Colonel Birmingham has been with the Vermont State Police since 1998. He started his career as a trooper assigned to the Rutland Barracks. In 2002, he transferred to the Vermont Drug Task Force as a criminal investigator and moved up through the ranks of the state police as commander of the Vermont Drug Task Force, commander of Special Investigations, and most recently served as the Deputy Director for the past year.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston recognized Passumpsic Savings Bank for its commitment to affordable housing, and awarded a $2,500 grant to the nonprofit of Passumpsic Savings Bank’s choice, RuralEdge, a rural regional housing organization based in Lyndonville, Vermont. FHLB Boston’s Affordable Housing Program is funded each year with 10 percent of its net profit, with the proceeds awarded in the form of grants, subsidies, and subsidized advances to members and their community-based partners in an annual competitive round. Since its inception in 1990, FHLB Boston has awarded $248 million in subsidies and $211 million in low-interest advances to fund more than 980 housing initiatives and nearly 27,000 housing units.