Current News

Governor Peter Shumlin today announced that Vermont has received nearly $1.2 million in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). These grants will support 110 AmeriCorps members across the state to serve with over 75 organizations.

AmeriCorps members will tackle critical challenges in Vermont, including supporting veterans and military families, preserving the environment, assisting low-income Vermonters in securing and maintaining safe, affordable housing, increasing cultural competence and inclusion, and providing early childhood education.

“National service is an essential part of the solution to many of the challenges facing our state,” said Gov. Shumlin. “These AmeriCorps members will meet important local needs and strengthen communities as they develop civic and leadership skills to last a lifetime. I congratulate these outstanding organizations and thank all those who serve their communities through AmeriCorps.”

The captive insurance community is mourning the loss of Edward “Ed” Meehan, who passed away Sunday at his home in North Fort Myers, FL, after a prolonged illness. He was 73. Meehan was hired by Commissioner of Banking and Insurance George Chaffee during the Richard Snelling administration and served with distinction in Vermont’s captive division during the formative years of the growth of the captive insurance industry here in Vermont.

Governor Peter Shumlin said Meehan’s tireless dedication to the state of Vermont has not been forgotten.

“Ed was one of the first people who worked to make Vermont the gold standard of domiciles,” Shumlin said. “His legacy of dedication and professionalism continues to provide valued contributions to Vermont’s economic prosperity and will be felt for generations to come.”

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), co-chairs of the Senate National Guard Caucus, are leading a bipartisan group of 19 senators in introducing the National Commission on the Future of the Army Act, to establish an independent panel that will be responsible for analyzing the major changes to the US Army proposed in the president’s budget.

It wasn’t long after the first fire call came in that Christopher and Angela LaFlamme were notified that their Bennington furniture store, LaFlamme’s Furniture at the intersection of Northside Drive and Vermont Route 7A, was engulfed in flames. This was back in January, which seems like a lifetime ago according to Angela LaFlamme, “So much has happened between now and then. We’ve received so much love and support from the community over the past five months that it made it easy to decide to stay in Bennington.”

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org A real estate deal at the heart of the planned marina and conference center on Lake Memphremagog in downtown Newport, on the Canadian border, could collapse if the developer does not come up with a substantial downpayment for the property soon. The high end development at the site was part of a sweeping Northeast Kingdom Economic Development Initiative set of projects unveiled by Jay Peak investors Bill Stenger and Ariel Quiros in September 2012. The initiative is largely funded through the federal EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org After gathering testimony from dozens of witnesses and spending hours crafting a bill in several committees starting in January, the Legislature’s primary piece of health care legislation this session is likely going nowhere. The bill, S252, went before a committee of conference between the two chambers on Tuesday. Senator Tim Ashe, D/P-Chittenden, told the other members of the committee that the timeframe for adjournment, which is expected to be Saturday, would not allow for the Senate and House versions to be reconciled.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Late night sessions can be dangerous fuel, especially when it comes to controversial legislation, and such was the case Monday when the Vermont House became more of a tinderbox than usual. The issue that inflamed lawmakers was a highly combustible labor bill — legislation that prohibits businesses from discriminating against employees who use paid sick time.

The trouble is, the Legislature is targeting one business — Sodexho, a company that provides meals at local colleges and other institutions, and which has been accused of unfairly pressuring workers to continue working even when they are sick.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org Child care unionization got a final green light from the House Tuesday afternoon. The bill now goes to Governor Peter Shumlin, who is expected to sign it. By a vote of 78-59, the House agreed to give small, independent providers the option to collectively bargain for state subsidies they receive on behalf of children from low-income families. Because the payments flow from state coffers, the child care providers cannot unionize without the state’s permission.

Brandthropology announced the creation of a tech & arts hive called “The Benefactory.” The space will host various groups that benefit the community within the firm’s offices in the Soda Plant on Pine Street. Initial tenants include Laboratory B and the Vermont Technology Alliance.

“We’ve been inspired by the creative community that surrounds us on Pine Street, within Burlington and the greater Vermont community,” said Matthew Dodds, Chief Brandthropologist and the company’s founder. “We’ve been excited to see the maker space movement grow locally, and are launching a new hybrid, one that takes a tech/arts/marketing angle, all wrapped up in a ‘maker difference’ theme. Imagine MacGyver meets Matisse meets Madmen meets Mother Theresa.”

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org The state of Vermont is poised to adopt a universal pre-kindergarten program for 3- and 4-year-olds. The new law will require school districts to offer at least 10 hours of instruction for 35 weeks to any preschool-aged child. The state will reimburse districts of qualified pre-kindergarten programs offered by private or public providers. More than half of Vermont children are not ready for school when they enter kindergarten, according to a recent study from the Agency of Education.

Children from low-income families are more likely to struggle in school and perform poorly on standardized tests, according to data from the Vermont Agency of Education.

by Anne Galoway vtdigger.org Representative Tom Koch, R-Barre Town, announced on the floor of the Vermont House on Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the biennium after 22 years of service. Koch, who grew up in New Jersey, graduated from Middlebury College in 1964 and holds a juris doctorate from the University of Chicago. He managed a private law practice in Barre for nearly 39 years, and he has been the Barre Town moderator since 1984, according to his official biography filed with the Vermont Secretary of State.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin guided a cement hose into position Tuesday to begin the next phase of recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. The governor was joined by state and local officials, representatives from construction manager PC Construction of South Burlington, architect Freeman French Freeman of Burlington, FEMA officials and others at a groundbreaking ceremony in downtown Waterbury to mark the State of Vermont’s largest capital project ever – the historic rebuilding of the Waterbury State Office Complex. The pricetag is $125 million.

Working closely with the State of Vermont’s Department of Buildings and General Services construction team, PC Construction began placing concrete for structures that include a new 86,000-square-foot office building, 20,000-square-foot central plant and maintenance facility, and new site infrastructure.