Current News

Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) Director Joe Flynn has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a preliminary damage assessment (PDA) in Vermont counties impacted by severe storms on June 9th. The state is asking for the assessment to determine if the state qualifies for federal public assistance to help cover the costs of cleanup and repairs from the storm.

Director Flynn has asked FEMA Regional Administrator Paul Ford to send assessors to work with local and state personnel to assess damages in Addison, Chittenden, and Franklin counties. The letter from Flynn to Ford is attached.

“(On June 9th) torrential rains resulted in flooding and erosion which washed out roads and destroyed drainage structures … causing more than a million dollars of damage to public infrastructure,” Flynn wrote in his request.

Vermont’s lottery for moose hunting permits closed June 17, but there’s one more opportunity to get a permit for this fall’s moose hunt. Vermont’s auction for five moose hunting permits is open until 4:30 p.m. August 13. Bids will be opened and winners notified on August 14. Auction winners will hunt in one of several wildlife management units (WMUs) open to moose hunting and choose to hunt during the October 1-7 archery season, or in the October 17-22 regular season.

photo credit: VFWD - Wayne Laroche

Vermont’s 2014 Moose Harvest Report on Fish & Wildlife’s website has details on last year’s hunt, including the towns where moose were taken. Look under moose hunting.

Sugarbush Resort’s Gadd Brook Slopeside development project, sixteen ski-in/ski-out condominiums at the base of Lincoln Peak, began construction last week. The resort received the necessary permits required for the project in May (Town of Warren) and mid-June (Act 250). A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, June 19^th to celebrate the project’s inception.

Governor Peter Shumlin, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, and SerVermont today announced $380,000 in AmeriCorps funding dedicated to a new AmeriCorps State program that will create service positions for recent college graduates focused on supporting clean water in Vermont. The funding will give a significant boost to the State’s clean water efforts just one week after the Governor signed into law comprehensive legislation to clean up Lake Champlain and other Vermont waterways. The funding is part of $1.7 million in AmeriCorps grants that will enable 198 AmeriCorps members across the state to tackle this and other critical challenges in Vermont such as improving access to affordable housing, providing services to youth in military and veteran families, and increasing cultural competency in Chittenden County.

When it comes to holding onto your money after retirement, a national study suggests Vermont would be one of the worst places to live. Americans who want to hold onto their wealth should consider moving to New Hampshire and avoid settling down in New York, according to a new GOBankingRates study. With nearly a third of Americans reported to have no retirement savings, GOBankingRates identified the best and worst states to preserve wealth as a retiree, based on several regional factors that impact older Americans' finances most: taxes, living expenses and health care.

"Retirees depend largely on savings for income, so financial considerations should carry the most weight when deciding where to live in retirement," said GOBankingRates Editor-in-Chief Casey Bond. "Long-term happiness is directly related to quality of life; it's difficult to live happily in retirement when you can't afford quality healthcare and high taxes."

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine As the Public Service Board considers whether to re-open the case for Vermont Gas Systems' Addison County pipeline project, Vermont Business Magazine is re-publishing an interview it conducted with Vermont Gas CEO Don Rendall, which ran in the June issue of the magazine. The PSB technical hearings are scheduled to conclude today and a decision is expected later this summer.

Don Rendall was hired by Vermont Gas last November and officially took over leadership from long-serving president Don Gilbert on January 1, 2015. The transition took place during a time of great tumult for the company, which had for the vast majority of its 50-year history quietly served customers in Franklin and Chittenden counties.

What seemed like a relatively logical step in the company’s growth, and for the state’s economy, to extend the gas pipeline farther south almost immediately turned ugly.

Okemo Mountain Resort is preparing for the winter season with more improvements. In addition to a second bubble chair at Jackson Gore, Okemo is installing a new chairlift and creating a new trail at South Face Village, and adding snowmaking to two trails at Jackson Gore. Skiers and snowboarders visiting Okemo Mountain Resort this winter will view the snowy landscape through the bright orange tint of a retractable, transparent dome when they ride in the comfort of another new, high-speed bubble chairlift named Quantum Four. Okemo’s upgrade and renaming of the Jackson Gore Express Quad includes the replacement of chairs with comfortable four-passenger bubble chairs that protect skiers and riders from wind and weather as they ascend Okemo’s Jackson Gore summit. Okemo will become the first resort in North America to feature multiple bubble chairlifts.

Vermont Hard Cider Company has launched its first advertising campaign for Woodchuck Cider. "Why Woodchuck," showcases Woodchuck's unique position as America's original hard cider, crafted at an authentic cidery, unlike many of the recent competitors who have entered the US marketplace. The campaign, developed in partnership with creative agency Smartfish Group, includes digital video with two spots launching simultaneously, "Promise" and "Time Travel".

The campaign also includes digital banners, terrestrial radio and digital audio. It will start testing in markets across the US this summer including Austin,Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Hartford. SwellShark handles the media strategy, planning and buying for Woodchuck.

Magic Hat Brewing Company, based in South Burlington, Vermont, recently released Electric Peel – a new, year-round grapefruit IPA bursting with bold citrus hop flavors. This new IPA is designed to send shocks of citrus hop flavors through a medium malt body amplified by grapefruit peel. The result is a delightfully hoppy ale with a bittersweet finish, boasting a whopping ABV of 6.0 percent and 65 IBUs.

Vermont Business Magazine Home sales, which lagged considerably during the winter and for much of the post-recession years in Vermont, are now well ahead of numbers from April and last May. Pending homes sales are up by double digits. Home prices, however, are increasing at a slower rate. This can be expected to grow, as the number of sales increases against a smaller inventory.

There were 661 homes sales in May in Vermont, up from 489 in April and from 616 in May 2014. The median price in May was $212,000, unchanged from April and slightly ahead of last May's $207,750. The price lag can also be seen in Vermont's "Days on Market" data, which is the highest in New England at 183.

Standing within sight of a failed retaining wall, Governor Peter Shumlin announced a $300,000 grant to replace the wall, reopen a neighborhood street and restore parking spaces behind the historic Brooks House in downtown Brattleboro. The grant was one of eight Vermont Community Development Program awards announced today totaling more than $2.8 million.

“From Lyndon in the north to Bennington in the south, communities across Vermont will use these grants to create affordable housing, expand services to their residents, restore historic buildings and plan for economic development,” Shumlin said.

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The governor was joined by Patricia Moulton, Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. She added “Today, we continue the state’s partnership with municipalities to create housing and jobs while strengthening their downtowns and village centers.”