Current News

Governor Peter Shumlin today marked the anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act by signing two housing protection bills into law and declaring April Fair Housing Month. The first bill, H123, ensures mobile home parks are safely maintained and abandoned mobile homes can be dealt with fairly and expeditiously. Also enacted today was H256, which corrects and confirms protections against retaliation for exercising fair housing rights.

“It is integral that we protect the right of Vermonters to live in safe and healthy communities, and these bills will do just that,” said Shumlin.

At the annual meeting held on April 15, 2015, the Board of Directors named Daniel C Bridge President of Vermont Mutual Insurance Group. Bridge, the 17th president of the 187 year old group of companies, replaces former President and current Chief Executive Officer William A Catto, who will retire on June 30, 2015. Bridge joined Vermont Mutual as a Resident Vice President in January 2009. Prior to joining Vermont Mutual, he held senior leadership positions at several regional and national insurance companies within New England.

“As Executive Vice President, Dan has played a lead role in guiding the strategic direction of our organization,” said CEO, William A Catto. “Dan’s election to President is an important step in the leadership transition plan that began several years ago and I have every confidence in his ability to continue to advance our strategy, one that has consistently produced excellent operating results.”

Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder unveiled a new report to the Legislature today that addresses the fragmentation of Vermont’s forests and makes recommendations for how to protect their integrity. He released the report before a joint meeting of several key House and Senate committees of the Vermont Legislature.

At the same time, many Vermont conservation, forestry, and recreation organizations noted the critical importance of Vermont’s forests and presented the legislature with a letter calling for a stakeholder process to develop recommendations to maintain the integrity of Vermont’s forests into the future.

The Vermont Mayors Coalition (VMC) today called on the Senate to pass meaningful education reform legislation this year to address the inequities and inefficiencies in Vermont’s education system that are creating unequal opportunities for Vermont students, driving up property taxes, and making Vermont’s education system difficult to administer. Among other measures, the mayors support reducing the number of school districts.

Mayors Bill Benton (Vergennes), John Hollar (Montpelier), Thom Lauzon (Barre), and Miro Weinberger (Burlington), who participated in a news conference in the State Capitol’s Cedar Creek Room on behalf of Vermont’s eight mayors, urged passage of legislation that sets forth specific and meaningful cost containment and a more rational governance structure.

by Cyrus Patten Great time and effort was expended to create what was hailed as an historic education reform package. I’m referring to House Bill 361, which was derailed Tuesday as the Governor and Secretary of Education withdrew support. The bill would have forced school districts to consolidate based on a fundamentally flawed assumption that small schools are inefficient and costly.

I recognize both the work that went into this endeavor and the courage it took to admit it was a bad idea.

But I’d also like to point out that the evidence never supported the assertion that small schools were the problem.

First and foremost, small schools, as defined by the Agency of Education, make up just 4.8% of our statewide education spending.

Second, there is no statistically significant relationship between school spending per pupil and school size.

Vermont Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer released on Tuesday his office's report on the state of Vermont Health Connect. VHC has spent $126 million on the health insurance exchange. But from the moment it went live on October 1, 2013, until today it is still far from fully operational, the auditor states. He also is concerned if it ever will be and is urging the Legislature to keep a close eye on two new operational roll outs this year -- in May and in the fall -- that are intended to address the most critical issues facing VHC.

Agriculture, tourism and wood products businesses across the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the North Country of New Hampshire will benefit from a new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant announced Thursday to the Northern Forest Center. USDA Rural Development State Director for Vermont and New Hampshire Ted Brady announced that the Concord, New Hampshire-based organization will receive a $250,000 Rural Community Development Initiative grant to provide technical assistance and strategic planning assistance through the Northern Community Investment Corporation (NCIC).

Ben & Jerry's has created the ultimate solution to satisfy the munchies for ice cream lovers, and just in time. On April 20th the company will roll out a revolutionary new way for fans to eat their ice cream with the BRRR-ito, available in scoop shops nationwide. For first-timers, Ben & Jerry's suggests the Half Baked BRRR-ito, with one scoop each of Cookie Dough and Chocolate Fudge Brownie drizzled with chocolate fudge, topped with a crunchy cookie crumble, and rolled to perfection in a chewy crepe-like wrap. Fans can also personalize their BRRR-ito by choosing two scoops of any favorite flavor combo. From the first bite taste buds will experience a euphoria that will have fans wanting for more. Snacking will never be the same.

The Green Mountain Club, maintainer and protector of Vermont’s Long Trail, has released its annual message advocating responsible use of hiking trails from mid-April until Memorial Day weekend; warmer temperatures and a substantial winter snowpack have made Vermont’s hiking trails wet, muddy, and especially prone to erosion. Hikers walking on saturated soils or on the sides of trails cause irreversible erosion and damage surrounding vegetation of our beloved Green Mountains. However, not all trails on state lands are closed this spring – just the higher elevation trails. Lower elevation state parks and forests have trails that are open. For details on what trails are open, folks should visit the VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation website for a complete listing of what is open and closed. http://fpr.vermont.gov/

Recently, the Attorney General’s Office was contacted by parents concerned about the legality, under state law, of their receipt and/or possession of a specific cannabis oil product used to treat children with seizure disorders and other medical conditions. The cannabis oil product at issue is made from cannabis which is high in cannabidiol (CBD) but low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and referred to generically as “CBD oil.”

As part of its Essential Goods Program, ReSOURCE is offering fellow local nonprofit agencies the opportunity to upgrade their computer network and operating systems. This initiative was set up to distribute computer server systems, installation, and support to local nonprofit agencies, who may have limited computer infrastructure.

ReSOURCE is now accepting 2015 proposals from nonprofit agencies with IT and computer networking development needs that they cannot otherwise fund. ReSOURCE will select one or two projects where the need for expanded networking and information technology capacity match our capabilities and hardware availability, and will provide awards of $5,000‐$10,000 worth of hardware and installation and setup service. A total of $15,000 worth of hardware and installation service will be provided through this program.

The Brownfield Economic Revitalization Alliance (BERA), a partnership of the Agency of Natural Resources, Agency of Commerce & Community Development and Agency of Transportation, is now accepting applications from developers and municipalities to participate in an innovative program intended to bring unused or underutilized brownfields back into economic productivity. Brownfields are defined as property where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or threatened release of a hazardous material. Selected sites will receive priority funding from the state, as well as coordinated and timely permitting.