Current News

Burton Snowboards, based in Burlington, announced Wednesday that after five years in progressive leadership roles within Burton, most recently as COO, Mike Rees will officially step up to the role of CEO. With Rees now running day-to-day operations, Jake Burton Carpenter will once again become the company’s chairman, focusing on evolving the brand’s world-class product lines.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Citing as examples of what Vermont has done for renewable energy and the local food movement, Governor Peter Shumlin pushed for universal health care in a speech made at the closing of the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility annual meeting. The 24^th annual VBSR meeting was held Wednesday at UVM’s Davis Center in Burlington.

The governor, while urging VBSR members "to call your legislator" to get him to craft the necessary laws next year, also hinted at how he proposes to pay for it, which has been a major point of contention in and outside the halls of the State House all year.

“When we all pay based on our ability to pay, I guarantee you, that combined with an affordable, quality system that delivers better outcomes for less money, then we all win.”

by John Herrick vtdigger.org An environmental court judge has denied a request that Burlington obtain a land-use permit to host a fleet of F-35 fighter jets, a decision F-35 opponents are likely to appeal.

The proposed changes at the Vermont Air National Guard base that would be made to accommodate the jets do not warrant an Act 250 permit, Judge Thomas Walsh said in his decision.

F-35 opponents say they will likely appeal the lower court’s ruling to the Vermont Supreme Court because the Air Force estimated noise levels around the airport will increase with the new jets. Opponents are also concerned about public safety. They worry that the pilots will not have sufficient flight experience with the new jets to ensure there will not be an accident.

Joined by US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, Green Mountain Power today announced a new initiative called "eHome," a first in the nation holistic home energy services program. The first home in the program is in Rutland and is called the Energy Home of the Future. This is the first of a 100-home pilot project. It will serve as the model for energy efficiency, weatherization, and the use of innovative new alternative energy technology tools such as high tech thermostats and smart electrical plugs. As part of the program, Green Mountain Power will work with customers to update existing homes to help them use less energy, save money, improve comfort, and reduce fossil fuel use.

Secretary Moniz was in Rutland on Friday and toured the Energy Home of the Future as part of his visit. He called the home the "pathway to the future" and lauded GMP and its partners for the important work they are doing to demonstrate the full value of energy efficiency and innovation.

by Paul Cillo, Public Assets Institute April 2008 was the high-water mark for payroll jobs in Vermont before the recession forced layoffs. This year, the number of jobs has rebounded. Employers reported 308,900 non-farm payroll jobs last month, just 200 fewer than in April 2008. Also in April, the number of unemployed dropped by 600, and the employed rose by 650—either because people returned to work or new workers entered the labor force.

Women workers hanging in

The University of Vermont will celebrate its 213th commencement on Sunday, May 18. With pleasant weather forecasted for Sunday, the main ceremony will take place outdoors on the University Green. Graduates and guests are urged to dress appropriately for the weather and wear appropriate footwear as the green will be wet. Tickets are not required. Note street closings, starting Friday, below.

University Green by Sally McCay.

Faculty and graduates dressed in academic regalia are requested to assemble on the Chittenden-Buckham-Wills Green at 7:45 a.m. for the academic procession, which will begin at 8:20 a.m.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org The fiscal year 2015 state budget reflects a sluggish economic recovery and several pressing budgetary concerns, lawmakers say. The $5.5 billion price tag is about 4.1 percent more than the current year, which ends June 30. Governor Peter Shumlin’s recommended budget included $14 million from a tax that would have been levied on every health insurance claim; lawmakers rejected that proposal and trimmed new taxes on a handful of products and services to $5.79 million.

Energtek Inc. (OTC: EGTK), a leader in hi-tech natural gas solutions and Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) technology, has announced that its subsidiary in the USA, Energtek North Country Inc (NCI), has purchased land in Swanton, Vermont, for construction of its regional distribution facilities. Energtek is the second company on the same stretch of I-89 to build a natural gas "filling station" to serve customers who are off the pipeline. NG Advantage operates a compressed natural gas facility in Milton. It began operations in March 2013. The gas is then trucked to customers or a second access point.

"We are happy to announce that Energtek NCI has purchased land from the town of Swanton, Vermont," said CEO Energtek NCI Dr Timothy Nulty.

Comcast Business has announced that its full portfolio of Ethernet services are now available across 17 communities in Rutland County. This builds on the company’s 2013 expansion of these services across Chittenden County and marks the next step in its focus on the state by bringing access to a fiber network that provides speeds up to 10 Gigabits-per second (Gbps). These Ethernet services are designed specifically for businesses, schools, hospitals and other companies requiring more bandwidth, looking to network multiple locations together, or planning to connect their offices to a third-party data center.

Beginning May 15, Sprint customers in Vermont will be able to use their mobile phones to send a text message to 9-1-1 for emergency help.

“The addition of Sprint as a text-to-911 provider is beneficial for all of our residents and especially important for those with speech or hearing impairments. Sprint is a preferred provider for many who are not able to make a voice call to 9-1-1, and we are excited to be able to offer this service to that community,” said David Tucker, Executive Director of the Enhanced 9-1-1 Board.

The Vermont 9-1-1 Board has been engaged in the process of establishing text to 9-1-1 service since early in 2012. An earlier trial with Sprint was successful, but the trial ended last year while Sprint worked on enabling the service across its nationwide network. The addition of Sprint is the latest step towards a goal of achieving text-to-911 services across the state.

Verizon Wireless recently expanded fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) network coverage in Bristol, Vermont. 4G LTE empowers Verizon Wireless customers with compatible devices to surf the Web, post status updates and photos, and download files wirelessly at speeds up to 10 times faster than customers on 3G networks.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org The nearly-all-in-one “economic development bill” passed after the House and Senate overcame differences about workers’ compensation. The Senate pushed for more generous reforms to injured workers, while the House wanted a more gradual approach to changes, such as lengthening the period of notice before benefits are discontinued.

The rift nearly spiked the bill, but lawmakers, administration officials, and stakeholders from the business and labor communities got together one last time Saturday morning to find common ground. They agreed to a little more leeway before discontinuance.