Current News

by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org Burlington College is behind on its payments to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington and has financial problems that raise “substantial doubt” about the college’s viability, according to a recent audit. The school is struggling to pay off $10 million in loans it owes from buying a 32-acre campus on Lake Champlain from the diocese in 2011. Burlington College is on probation from the regional accreditation agency because of the financial trouble. The diocese says the college defaulted on its loan payment and is charging the school penalty interest. Burlington College disagrees, but acknowledged in the audit that it is suffering financially.

Vermont Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe is receiving national attention for her letter to parents on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Her letter is a response to the 2014 mandate that if a single child in a school scores lower than “proficient” on state tests, the school, under federal law, must be labeled “low performing”. Under this act, as of 2014, every school in Vermont is rated “low performing”, except for a few which were not required to take the NECAP the previous year.

In her letter, Holcombe writes "the Vermont Agency of Education does not agree with this federal policy, nor do we agree that all of our schools are low performing." She outlines a wide range of data that illustrate that Vermont schools are not, in fact, “failing”, and that test scores are not necessarily the best measure of a school's success.

Long-awaited, the Community College of Vermont will open in its new location in the renovated Brooks House on Main Street in Brattleboro on Monday, August 11, 2014. CCV will share 18,000 square feet on the building’s first and second floors with Vermont Technical College. “This move puts CCV right in the heart of downtown Brattleboro and we expect the College to have better visibility and a stronger tie to the community in this new location,” said CCV President Joyce Judy. “Our Landmark Hill facility is a bit off the beaten path and we have outgrown the space as well. Most importantly, I have heard from a number of students and staff members who say they are very excited to be in the new, modern space and in a convenient spot for enjoying the city.”

As part of its ongoing effort to streamline processes in order to better serve its customers, the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles in Montpelier announces the launch of its new Driver’s Education Certification Service - its 8th online service in as many years.

“This new service represents a collaborative effort with the Agency of Education to automate the reporting of the annual driver’s education program in Vermont”

Teaming up with the Agency of Education and the state’s eGovernment partner Vermont Information Consortium (VIC), the Vermont DMV is launching the new web service for the 2014-15 school year and the busy season for driver’s education trainings.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Gas Systems, based in South Burlington, has introduced bio-methane into the mix of sources that supplies its customers in Franklin and Chittenden counties, the company announced Thursday. "Renewable natural gas," or bio-methane, is produced naturally from the decomposition of organic materials found in manure and landfills and can be used to supplement traditional natural gas. The renewable methane now flowing into the Vermont Gas system as part of this pilot project is enough to heat 350 average residential homes. It is sourced from a Quebec landfill. Natural gas is also methane.

Don Gilbert, president and CEO of Vermont Gas, said supporting the expansion of renewable natural gas production in Vermont is one of the company’s priorities.

Vermont employees of Keurig Green Mountain, Inc (Keurig) (NASDAQ: GMCR) jumped into the Winooski River thsi week to help clean the waterway of trash and debris for the 10th consecutive year. With the help of American Rivers, Friends of the Winooski and Friends of the Waterbury Reservoir, the much anticipated weeklong employee volunteer event will culminate with the first Community Clean-up Day in the Winooski River Watershed for all Vermonters on Saturday, August 9, 2014.

Joined by renewable energy businesses and advocates, Governor Peter Shumlin on Wednesday cut the ribbon on the South Ridge Solar facility, the first completed 500 kW solar net metering project in Vermont. The project is providing power to Middlebury College as part of the school’s commitment to become carbon neutral.

“This project is about local energy, local investment, and Vermont jobs,” Shumlin said.

South Ridge Solar Farm. Photo by Encore Redevelopment.

As first reported Wednesday, the statewide emergency 911 system in Vermont experienced a 40 minute outage on August 6. During that period, callers seeking emergency assistance in Vermont were not able to reach the 911 call centers. The system failure was corrected later Wednesday and the system has been fully operational since the outage was resolved around 1 pm.

Governor Peter Shumlin, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, Burlington Electric Department Interim General Manager Neale Lunderville, and other stakeholders Wednesday celebrated the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in both the Marketplace and Lakeview Garages in Burlington. These state-of-the-art EV fueling pumps will improve customer convenience and make electric vehicles a more attractive option for Burlington residents.

“I am thrilled to see these charging stations in downtown Burlington,” Shumlin said. “Our grant program demonstrates Vermont’s commitment to supporting electric vehicles. To grow our statewide EV stock, it is important that Burlingtonians and visitors to our communities have charging locations available in town. Installing charging stations in convenient areas is a major step forward.”

According to the Lake Champlain Committee, blue-green algae blooms have begun developing on Lake Champlain, particularly in the shallow northeastern bays – Missisquoi and St Albans. Blue-green algae thrive in nutrient-rich water and can multiply rapidly to form blooms and scums. It is not unusual for blooms to develop in late summer when the water warms. Periods of calm hot weather exacerbate bloom conditions, and they can appear anywhere. Algae conditions can vary widely over short time frames and short distances. While a bloom might occur in one isolated bay, the next cove over can be algae free. Some blooms persist for days, while others pop up and then disappear within a span of hours. Blooms are pushed by the prevailing winds, leading to denser shoreline accumulations downwind.

Based in Burlington, the LCC is Lake Champlain region’s only bi-state citizens’ organization solely dedicated to protecting the health of the lake and accessibility to its waters.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont leaped six places from 15th in 2013, placing ninth with a score of 58.6, in a renewable energy index compiled by a national advocacy organization. With the smallest population of any state except Wyoming, Vermont gets a lot of bang for the buck in normalized scores, particularly in indicators like venture capital deals, energy efficiency program dollars, and hybrid and electric vehicles. Vermont ranks number 3 in Capital and is the highest-ranking eastern state in Technology, finishing eighth, according to the 2014 US CLEAN TECH LEADERSHIP INDEX, released by Clean Edge Inc.

The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) announces the start of the fall semester plumbing and electrical apprenticeship classes. The Vermont Department of Labor provides a grant to Vermont Technical College to assist with classroom instruction, test preparation and other program activities.

“Apprenticeship programs, with structured on-the-job training and related instruction, allow apprentices to learn while earning a competitive salary, in jobs that are in high demand. This specific program offers Vermonters who are interested in the Electrical and Plumbing trades the instruction and job training to enter those professions. The Vermont Department of Labor is committed to expanding our Apprenticeship program offerings into many other occupations, aligning with Vermont’s current and future employment opportunities as determined by our labor-market analysts”, said Vermont’s Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan.