Current News

Vermont Business Magazine New unemployment claims in Vermont fell to a new low this year. Claims are typically low this time of year. They tend to rise in the transition from summer to back-to-school in early September. Levels this year have been running consistently lower than those of last year. For the week of August 2, 2014, there were 353 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont. This is a decrease of 77 from the previous week's total, and 171 fewer than they were a year ago.

Eighteen of the 31 animals that have tested positive for rabies so far this year have been in the state’s most populated region, Chittenden County. The 18th Annual Rabies Bait Drop will take place (weather permitting) Aug. 11-18 targeting eight Vermont counties, including all of Chittenden County, to help stop the spread of the potentially fatal viral disease. Baits will be dropped into rural parts of Vermont, primarily across the northern region along the Canadian border, from low-flying planes for two days. Hand placed baits will be distributed in urban areas as part of a nationally coordinated effort led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services (USDA).

One reason so many cases are being detected in Chittenden County, said State Public Health Veterinarian Robert Johnson, DVM, is that police in Burlington and South Burlington are doing a good job of capturing animals that are acting strangely and making sure they are tested.

The Libertarian candidate for Governor, Dan Feliciano, held a press conference on Thursday, August 7 announcing that he intends to actively seek the Republican nomination as a write-in candidate.

Feliciano’s decision is controversial within the Libertarian Party, which has many points of difference with the Republican Party.

"I am not opposed to candidates seeking outside nominations if there is a match on a certain issue," said Travis Spencer, chair of the Milton Town Committee and State Committee Assistant Treasurer.

"This election cycle shows where a major issue can be overturned by joining forces to overcome it,” he said, referring to the looming “single-payer,” government-managed health care for Vermont. “There are times when Liberty is greater than Party and this is one of those times."

Logic Supply, a South Burlington-based industrial computer company, has officially broken ground on a 3 million dollar expansion of their headquarters.

Neagley & Chase Construction Company (www.neagleychase.com/) began laying the groundwork last week for a 21,000 square foot addition to the company’s facility that will carry on the energy-efficient, modern design influences of Logic Supply’s existing building which Neagley & Chase built in 2007. The addition will incorporate a new main entrance and house office and storage space as well as a new cafeteria and meeting areas.

Images: Logic Supply

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.