Current News

Two nurses from the southwestern Vermont region, John Green, BSN, RN, of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) and Eileen Rice, Ph.D., RN, Assistant Professor in the Division of Nursing at Southern Vermont College (SVC) have been selected to be Vermont Nurse Leadership Fellows by the Vermont Action Coalition, part of Governor Peter Shumlin’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Nursing.

The program “prepares nurse fellows to lead and inform health-care decision-making by leveraging their frontline perspective and providing additional insight into the business and financing of health care,” according to Mary Val Palumbo, DNP, APRN, associate professor of nursing, University of Vermont, and co-lead of the Vermont Action Coalition. More than 50 Vermont nurses were nominated for the program and 25 were selected.

In the past twelve months, 250 young Vermonters received babysitter training as a result of a partnership between the American Red Cross and the J Warren and Lois McClure Foundation. This partnership, now completing its fourth year, has trained a total of 900 babysitters. A fifth year of the grant has been approved, ensuring another 250 kids will receive training over the next year.

“Vermont has been incredibly fortunate to have the support of the McClure Foundation to bring these vital, and potentially lifesaving, skills to youth across Vermont,” said Larry Crist, Regional Executive of the Vermont & the New Hampshire Upper Valley American Red Cross. “The Foundation’s generosity is bringing opportunity to young Vermonters by providing skills and teaching them about responsibility.”

In the neighborhood targeted for renewal, Governor Peter Shumlin today announced a $1.25 million Vermont Community Development Program award to the City of Rutland. In partnership with the Rutland Redevelopment Authority, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont will use the funds to improve blighted properties and create homeownership opportunities. The funding is one element of a broader revitalization effort that also includes infrastructure improvements, a new vacant building ordinance, municipal tax stabilization, public safety measures, community building and gardens.

Casella Construction with Governor Shumlin preparing for Pine Street tear down in Rutland.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power today unveiled a new public electric vehicle charging station with two chargers at the MiddleGround complex in Middlesex that is home to Red Hen Bakery, Zoombikes and Nutty Steph’s. The chargers represent the latest in fast-charging technology. One of the two chargers is a Level 3, which will "fill-up" in about 45 minutes. The cost equivalent to the driver is about $1 per gallon of gasoline.

“The new chargers are a great resource available to the public to help create clean and efficient transportation for Vermonters,” said Mary Powell, President and CEO of Green Mountain Power. “Our goal is to help Vermonters save money and reduce fossil fuel use, while providing clean, cost effective and reliable power.”

The great this," Powell said of the Red Hen location, "is that you can go in and eat scones while you're waiting for your charge."

by John Herrick vtdigger.org Vermont Gas’ pipeline will cost an additional $35 million due to “market forces, design modifications and increased oversight,” an attorney representing the natural gas utility told state regulators Wednesday. The total cost of the 41-mile pipeline extension through Addison County is now estimated at $121 million, the company said. The company began staging for the construction of the project last week after securing all state and federal permits. The project in 2013 was estimated at $83 million, but growth in the demand for pipeline construction led to a cost increase of nearly $20 million, the company said.

The Vermont State Police participated in a national enforcement campaign, Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort (Operation CARE) during this past 4th of July holiday weekend. The goal was to reduce serious injury and fatal motor vehicle crashes. The Fourth of July is one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to drunk-driving crashes. State Police results indicate that DUI and speeding incidents were down this year from the holiday weekend last year.

Vermont Business Magazine New unemployment claims in Vermont last week increased slightly and broke 800 as claims outpaced those from a year ago. For the week of June 28, 2014, there were 815 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont. This is an increase of 20 from the previous week's total, and 163 more than they were a year ago. Claims in 2014 had been running significantly lower than those in 2013.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org Vermont’s official unemployment rate may be approaching pre-recessionary lows, but when part-time and other marginally attached workers are factored in, the rate has been slower to budge. At 3.3 percent, the state’s official jobless rate remained second lowest in the nation in May, the most recent month for which estimates are available. The official rates from the Vermont Department of Labor only include jobseekers who have been looking for work for a four-week period. Averaged annually, the official rate in Vermont was 4.3 percent in 2013.

But discouraged and underemployed workers don’t show up in official rates. A more inclusive measure of “labor underutilization” averaged 9.3 percent last year.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org The owner of a Newport building says a purchase and sales deal that is part of a massive Northeast Kingdom redevelopment project has two weeks to close. The sale of the former JJ Newberry department store building on Main Street was supposed to be finalized on June 15. It is the third time the closing has been put off. The deadline has been extended again, now to July 15, owner Tony Pomerleau said. “If it’s not closed by July 15, the deal’s off,” Pomerleau said. Jay Peak president Bill Stenger said his team has made a down payment of $100,000, and closing documents are being drafted and reviewed by attorneys. The total sale price is not public at this time.

PC Construction of South Burlington has been awarded a $58 million contract to build the next phase of Stowe Mountain Resort. Upon completion, the project will significantly expand family amenities and services at the internationally renowned year-round destination. Spruce Peak Realty has once again tapped PC Construction, which has completed several other significant projects at the resort, to construct the 125,000-square-foot children’s Adventure Center and Alpine Club. The facilities will feature a ski/ride school, year-round daycare facilities and children’s activity center, retail shops, restaurants, food markets, ski valet space and 19 luxury condominium residences. The project, designed by Bull Stockwell Allen, also includes amenities such as an 85,000-square-foot below-grade parking structure, an outdoor ice skating rink, a community pavilion and an outdoor plaza.

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) placed on public notice the draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharge permit for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon. The public notice period will run from July 3 through August 3 of this year. A public hearing will be held mid-August in Vernon. ANR, acting upon Vermont Yankee’s September 30, 2006 application, proposed a renewal permit that will run through December 31, 2015. As Vermont Yankee intends to close its facility in December 2014, the renewal term allows Vermont Yankee to establish a post-closure operation regime and provides ANR time to evaluate and permit the facility’s post-closure discharge.

As part of his Solar Summer Tour in Morrisville on Wednesday, Governor Peter Shumlin announced progress on a new Thermal Energy Finance Pilot Program through the Department of Public Service to help Vermonters improve efficiency in their homes. The program builds on the Efficiency Excellence Network (EEN) of fuel dealers established by Vermont Fuel Dealers and Efficiency Vermont. The governor said that through additional funding, the Vermont Public Service Department can now offer up to $770,000 to support innovative energy efficiency financing.