Current News

Human beings have had such a powerful impact on planetary environmental systems since the Industrial Revolution that scientists say Earth has entered a new geologic epoch: the Anthropocene, the age of humans. The University of Vermont and two Canadian institutions, McGill University and York University, have received a six-year, $2.5 million grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to develop a graduate curriculum designed to produce leaders who can help reverse recent trends and lighten humanity’s footprint on the planet’s fragile ecosystems. The three institutions matched the grant with a total of $2.5 million raised internally at each school and through private philanthropy.

More than 120 concerned residents attended a public forum to discuss the risks of crude oil train traffic through the Adirondack Park and Champlain Valley last Thursday night, with many saying they would urge state officials to fully assess the risks to communities and the environment, and urge federal regulators to ban the older, leak-prone rail tanker cars involved in recent spills, fires and explosions. Currently, more than three million gallons per day of Bakken crude oil is transported through the region on rail lines that had rarely carried crude oil or hazardous materials before.

According to a statement released Thursday by Captain Ray Keefe, Vermont State Police Troop D Commander, former FBI director Louis Freeh likely fell asleep in a car crash August 25 in Barnard. According to the statement, the investigation into the motor vehicle crash involving Freeh, age 64 of Wilmington (DE), is complete. "Freeh was interviewed and does not remember how the crash occurred. A lack of memory is common in crashes of this nature," Keefe's statement says. While troopers may never be able to determine exactly what happened, Freeh’s lack of recollection, the circumstances of the crash, and the lack of an identified mechanical problem points to Freeh falling asleep and drifting off the east side of the roadway, according to the State Police.

Troopers have up to 30 days to complete and submit their report to the Vermont Division of Motor Vehicles, from the date of the crash. A copy of the report may be obtained from the DMV, once it is complete.

Governor Peter Shumlin announced today the resignation of Dave Yacovone, Commissioner for the Department for Children and Families (DCF). Yacovone, who will assume a leadership position with a community based non-profit organization in the near future, will be succeeded by Ken Schatz, General Counsel for the Agency of Human Services. Schatz has an extensive background in handling issues linked to DCF. This is the second shoe to drop at the agency this summer. The governor fired Doug Racine, Yacovone's boss at the embattled Agency of Human Services, in August.

Dave Yacovone listens in as Governor Shumlin takes a question in 2013. vtdigger.org file photo

The Vermont Public Service Board will make its records free and more accessible starting next year. Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer today released the findings of an investigation into the PSB's method of recording its proceedings and making those records available to the public. At issue is the Board’s long-standing practice of requiring interested parties to buy copies of hearing transcripts from a third-party vendor, which effectively holds the property rights to these public records. While the Board allows members of the public to inspect transcripts on site, this can pose a challenge to Vermonters who live far from Montpelier and who want ongoing access to this information.

The Paramount Theatre announced today that Rutland’s Earth Waste & Metal will be joining The Rutland Herald and GE Aviation at the Flagship $25,000 Gold Sponsor level for the 2014/2015 Paramount Season. Kevin Elnicki, President and CEO of Earth Waste & Metal, established the business in 1989. Since its inception, Earth Waste & Metal has served Vermont and upstate New York in the recycling of metals, ferrous and non-ferrous. EWM is a full spectrum metal recycler, providing container service, mobile machinery and expert knowledge to best serve the customer’s needs. Operations in recent years have expanded to include the handling of a full range of recycling materials, from cardboard to plastics. And, EWM currently operates 10 transfer stations in the region. Solid service, fair and honest pricing, and affordable access to responsible recycling are key to Earth Waste & Metal’s business model.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Rates for insurance products sold on Vermont’s health care exchange will increase in 2015, but not by as much as insurers had wanted, state regulators said Tuesday. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont’s requested average 9.8 percent rate increase across health exchange products was revised down to 7.7 percent by the Green Mountain Care Board. Blue Cross covers 92 percent of Vermont Health Connect users who purchased commercial health insurance, or roughly 60,000 people. The remaining 5,000 commercial customers are covered by MVP Health Care. The company’s average rate request was reduced from 15.3 percent to 10.9 percent.

Two percent of the Blue Cross reduction was largely based on assumptions about a federal subsidy program that softens insurers’ entry into the exchange.

At the University of Vermont Wednesday morning, Congressman Peter Welch outlined legislation he is advocating that would allow borrowers to refinance federal and private student loans to take advantage of lower interest rates. Welch was joined by UVM Provost David Rosowsky and Vermont Student Assistance Corporation President Scott Giles, as well as recent college graduates who would benefit from the legislation.

“Too many of today’s college graduates are entering the work force with student loan debts equivalent to that of a home mortgage. Put simply, graduates are buried in debt before they earn their first paycheck,” said Welch. “This mountain of debt is holding back a generation of young Americans from buying a car or home, saving for retirement, or starting a small business. It defies common sense that student loans cannot be refinanced, just like home mortgages, to take advantage of lower interest rates. Our legislation will allow graduates to do just that.”

The Small Business Administration announced today that 24 awards will be made to states to support activities to increase exporting by small businesses. Vermont will get $163,404. The State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Program was appropriated $8 million to award by September 30, 2014.

The STEP program has two objectives: 1) increase the number of small businesses that begin to export and 2) increase the value of exports for small businesses that currently export. Competition was robust among the 49 state applications for this third round of awards. The amount of awards will vary based on the awardee’s approved project plan and budget. Expanding the base of small business exporters and making the process as easy as possible is a key component of the Administration’s National Export Initiative.

In Vermont, 4.6 percent of households, or nearly 1,500, receive public assistance. The US average is 2.9 percent. The Census Bureau has released a brief, based on data collected during the 2012 American Community Survey, on household receipt of public assistance. Statistics are provided for the nation, states and the 25 metropolitan statistical areas with the largest populations. Public assistance includes Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA). Although similar briefs have been published for each of the last several years, this is the first that provides comparisons back to 2000 and for metro areas.

According to a new analysis by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), states across the nation vary widely in their progress towards achieving equality for women in the workplace, with Vermont 7th overall and New Hampshire 9th. The District of Columbia ranked highest in the nation for women's employment and earnings, while West Virginia ranked the lowest. The analysis includes state-by-state rankings and letter grades based on a composite score of economic indicators, including women's labor force participation, median annual earnings for women, the gender earnings ratio between women and men employed full-time and year-round, and the percentage of employed women in managerial or professional occupations. IWPR has been calculating and tracking state rankings in this area since 1996.

Keurig Green Mountain, Inc, (NASDAQ: GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee, coffee makers and other beverages, and The Coca Cola Company (NYSE: KO) have expanded the companies’ partnership to offer select beverages from the portfolio of The Coca Cola Company’s still brands in the Keurig hot brewing system in the United States and Canada. Honest Tea, the nation’s #1 organic bottled iced tea, will be the first brand from The Coca Cola Company available in K-Cup packs. In February 2014, the companies signed a 10-year agreement to collaborate on the development and introduction of The Coca Cola Company's global brand portfolio for use in Keurig’s forthcoming Keurig Cold at-home beverage system, available in Keurig’s fiscal year 2015. As part of that agreement Coca-Cola acquired a 10 percent minority equity position in Keurig and subsequently announced its intention to increase its stake up to 16 percent.