Current News

Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence. The annual awards honor the actions taken by Vermonters to conserve and protect natural resources, prevent pollution and promote sustainability.

Applications are encouraged from:

Loja Real Estate from Walnut Creek, CA, announced on Tuesday the acquisition of a three tenant shopping center tenanted by Trader Joe's, Pier 1 Imports and Healthy Living Market located off Dorset Street in South Burlington. Loja Real Estate purchased the property from a private investor for approximately $24 million. The transaction closed on October 15, 2014.

Vermont Business Magazine FairPoint Communications stated Tuesday that a spike in vandalism on its network during the ongoing strike is "no coincidence," an implication which the unions say is a "desperate" move on the telecommunication company's part. The worker stoppage on the Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine operations of the region's largest telecom has been bitter from the start. Negotiations began on a new contract last April. The contract expired and FairPoint implemented new employee rules and benefit packages in late August.

Vermont Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy have both urged the parties to get back to the bargaining table.

With a federal license now in hand, Green Mountain Power plans substantial improvements to Otter Creek hydroelectric units that will increase rated capacity of the century-old plants by almost 65 percent. In the new license order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a GMP proposal to upgrade stations in Proctor, New Haven and Weybridge, allowing the expansion of the combined plants from 14 to 23 megawatts. The three stations were purchased in 2010 from the Vermont Marble Power Division of Omya.

“These improvements will significantly expand those hydro units by more than 50 percent, providing more low-cost energy for our customers and replacing market purchases,” GMP President and CEO Mary Powell said. “This is part of our mission to deliver more renewable, reliable and cost-effective energy to Vermonters. We are so pleased that clean energy projects like this and Kingdom Community Wind are helping lower rates for customers.”

Each year American Craft Week, the premier public celebration of handmade craft in America in all 50 states, awards Star Winners in various categories. This year’s “Top Event of 2014’ winner was awarded to “Vermont Celebrates American Craft Week.” This was a group award and it included special designation to the State of Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing; Vermont Crafts Council, Brandon Chamber of Commerce, Brandon, VT and the Chaffee Art Center, Rutland, Vermont.

This year’s 5th Annual American Craft Week celebration was held Oct 3-12 in cities and towns across the nation. Every state participated with hundreds of diverse events at galleries artist studios, museums, schools, as well as fairs and festivals.

October is National Farm to School month, and Vermont has much to celebrate. Vermont is a national leader in the Farm to School movement. More than 89 percent of Vermont schools report that they participate in Farm to School programming, according to the USDA’s Farm to School census. Programs vary depending on the district, but each incorporates the 3 C’s of Farm to School engagement: classroom, community, and cafeteria.

In 2006, the Vermont state legislature created a grant program that would provide schools with seed funding to plan and implement Farm to School Programs. Since then, the state has appropriated nearly $775,000 to support Farm to School programming. In the past eight years, 70 schools or supervisory unions throughout the state have received Farm to School grants.

AccuWeather reports a shocking blast of cold air and the potential for snow will highlight the weather for millions in the Northeastern states this Halloween into the first weekend of November. Parts of the Northeast and Midwest will experience four seasons of weather in about four days leading up to the Halloween weekend. Late-summerlike warmth will be followed by springlike showers and thunderstorms, then cool autumn air and finally wintry winds and even snow in some locations.

Meanwhile, another storm will hit the Northwest with drenching rain as generally dry weather prevails elsewhere on Halloween.

Snowflakes that appear around Detroit on Friday will be a sign of what lies ahead for parts of the Appalachians on Friday night and areas closer to the Atlantic coast beginning on Saturday.

The Vermont Council on World Affairs (VCWA) is pleased to announce that it will be leading an all-inclusive trip to China from March 22-30, 2015 in partnership with the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. "Experience China" made its first journey in 2010, when around one hundred travelers left a cold and dreary Vermont March for the allures of China. The trip, an "affordable, stress-free way of seeing China and all it has to offer," was such a success that VCWA has decided to organize the trip again.

The innovative, award-winning yogurt producer Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy of Brattleboro is launching a new product line: authentic organic strained Greek yogurt. The new product is GMO-free and probiotic, with 5 live and active cultures and an exceptionally smooth & creamy texture. Commonwealth will initially distribute quarts of its organic plain yogurt with Costco in the San Francisco region, and then expand to include organic vanilla quarts and wider distribution. In early 2015 Commonwealth will roll out a line of single-serve organic fruit on the side flavors that are much lower in sugar than traditional FOB/Blended Greek yogurt.

Ledyard Financial Group, Inc (LFGP), the holding company for Ledyard National Bank, today reported its financial results for the third quarter of 2014. Net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, was $1,069,538 or $1.05 per share compared to $770,834 or $0.76 per share for the same period in 2013, an increase of $298,704 or 38.8 percent. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 was $2,995,493, or $2.95 per share compared to $2,324,331 or $2.30 per share for the same period in 2013, an increase of $671,162 or 28.9 percent. The increase in net income for the quarter and first nine months when compared to the prior year is due to an increase in lending activity and an increase in revenue from Ledyard Financial Advisors.

The Vermont Department of Health has announced the award of a $400,000 Vermont Health Care Innovation Project grant to the Community Committee on Healthy Lifestyles and its new RISE VT program. The RISE VT grant award, which will be spread over two years, supports the development of a community-wide, multi-stakeholder campaign to improve the health of Franklin and Grand Isle counties. The program would engage people of all ages in better health by offering membership for individuals, groups, and businesses, through a point system that recognizes and encourages participation in healthy habits. As participants increase their commitment to healthy lifestyles, they are rewarded with higher levels of membership.

In addition to the membership program, RISE VT will also be the catalyst for several new community-based healthy lifestyle building blocks, including:

The Vermont Gas Board of Directors announced today that Donald Gilbert will be retiring at the end of the year and Donald J Rendall will become the new President and CEO of Vermont Gas, effective January 1, 2015. Rendall, who comes from Green Mountain Power Corp, succeeds Don Gilbert of Hinesburg, who has led Vermont Gas for over 13 years.

“I am proud of my tenure leading Vermont Gas,” said Gilbert. “Vermont Gas is in a strong position to continue to offer Vermonters clean, low cost fuel and help transition the state to a renewable energy future. I am looking forward to working with Don Rendall over the coming weeks to achieve a successful leadership transition.”

“The Board appreciates Don Gilbert’s many years of service to Vermont Gas, his community and Vermont. He has led Vermont Gas, the state’s gas distribution utility, to strong, steady customer growth and excellent customer service over his tenure,” said Pierre Despars, Chair of the Board.