Current News

The Edison Awards™ recently honored BioTek's Cytation™ 3 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader with a Silver Edison Award in the Lab Diagnostics, Science/Medical category at the 2014 Edison Awards Annual Gala, held in San Francisco, CA. The awards, named after U.S. inventor Thomas Alva Edison, symbolize outstanding product innovations with lasting impact and value for users.

"Cytation 3 is at the leading edge of today's complex research applications," noted Peter Weith, BioTek Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service. "We've already seen the positive difference it's made for our customers around the world, and we're honored that these achievements are also independently recognized by the distinguished judging panel at the Edison Awards."

Thousands of Vermonters took to the roads on Saturday, May 3, to participate in the 44th annual Green Up Day. From cans to papers to box springs to cigarette butts, tons of litter is now off of the roadsides and in bright green garbage bags thanks to the statewide show of support.

“For more than 40 years, Vermonters have supported Green Up Day by pitching in and lending a hand because we take pride in our state and know that it doesn’t remain beautiful by accident,” said Lt. Governor Phil Scott, who picked up two truckloads of trash around Central Vermont on Saturday. “The dedicated volunteer town coordinators, some of whom have been doing this for decades, make sure there are boots on the ground in communities from the Northeast Kingdom to our southernmost counties. Vermont depends on our tourism industry to bring much-needed dollars into the state; I can say with pride that tourists will now see a greener, cleaner, more beautiful Vermont when they visit.”

Vermont Gas President and CEO Don Gilbert and Engineers Construction, Inc. (ECI) President Ken Pidgeon announced Monday the signing of a multi-million dollar agreement for construction on Phase 1 of the Addison-Rutland Natural Gas Project.

The agreement with the Vermont-based contractor focuses on horizontal directional drilling – an environmentally preferable technique for installing natural gas systems. It is also the first construction contract for the project. Construction is expected to begin in June.

When complete, the Addison-Rutland Natural Gas Project is expected to help about 16,000 additional homes and businesses cut heating costs by about half, while reducing emissions by about 25 percent when converting from oil.

Natural gas is currently 49% less expensive than oil and 63% less than propane.

The Department of Buildings and General Services will be auctioning a large assortment of State vehicles and equipment to the general public beginning at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 10, 2014. The May 10 physical auction of State vehicles is expected to be very well attended based on inquiries received by the Vermont Surplus Property Division.

“This is an ABSOLUTE auction with no reserves. All vehicles will be sold to the highest bidder rain or shine,” said Terry Lamos the State’s Surplus Property Coordinator. “This auction is on many calendars across New England and Quebec. It has become a destination event for many who come year after year in hopes of obtaining a good deal on a vehicle or piece of equipment,” said Lamos. State officials are hopeful that a portion of the equipment and vehicles being offered finds their way back into service in Vermont communities.

Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce select the three finalists for the Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award: Dealer.com, High Mowing Organic Seeds and PC Construction.

One of these impressive finalists will be named the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Vermont Business of the Year on Wednesday, May 21 in an awards presentation ceremony that kicks off the 30th annual Vermont Chamber Business & Industry EXPO. Governor Peter Shumlin will announce the award winner at 10 am in the foyer of the Sheraton Burlington Conference Center.

Vermont Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson, widely regarded for her work on LGBT civil rights, will deliver the 39th Commencement address at Vermont Law School on Saturday, May 17, President and Dean Marc Mihaly announced today. In addition to honoring Robinson, VLS will confer honorary degrees upon U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, NextGen Climate founder Tom Steyer, former VLS Dean Geoffrey Shields, and artist and writer Genie Shields.

Over fifty Vermont schools serving high numbers of low-income students are eligible to use the new federal [or USDA’s] Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) to provide school meals to all students free of charge—and without collecting applications—starting next school year. Statewide, 1 in 5 children live in families struggling to put enough nutritious food on their tables. In these schools eligible to use CEP, the number of food insecure children is closer to 3 in 5.

“The federal school meal programs are some of the best tools we have for reducing childhood hunger,” states Hunger Free Vermont’s Executive Director Marissa Parisi. “To provide access to school meals for every child who needs them and improve the health of all Vermont’s children, we must make school meals universal statewide, and community eligibility is a great start.”

Jane Lindholm will deliver the address at Lyndon State College’s 102nd commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 18, 2014. Lindholm, host of the award-winning Vermont Public Radio program Vermont Edition, has been recognized with regional and national awards for interviewing and use of sound. She was named one of Vermont’s “Rising Stars” by Vermont Business Magazine in 2013 and won a 2014 regional Edward R Murrow Award for “State of Mind,” an audio documentary piece on Vermont’s mental health care system.

The Community College of Vermont will hold its 47th commencement ceremonies at Norwich University’s Shapiro Field House at 2:00 p.m. on June 7, 2014. For the second year in a row, CCV will be graduating a record-high number of students. Six hundred and seventy-eight graduates will receive Associate of Arts, Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science degrees.

Five hundred and eighty-seven Vermonters representing all 14 Vermont counties will be graduating along with students from nine other states and 15 countries worldwide. The youngest graduate is 17, the oldest, 67.

Governor Peter Shumlin, who will congratulate the 2014 graduates, will Join CCV President Joyce Judy in leading the processional of students. Also attending the ceremony will be Vermont State College's Chancellor Tim Donovan and members of the VSC Board of Trustees.

by John Herrick vtdigger.org The Vermont Air National Guard on Friday released what they say is a “roadmap” to mitigate the environmental impacts of the F-35 fighter jet when it arrives in Burlington in 2020. “The plan is an initial roadmap,” said Vermont Air National Guard Colonel TJ Jackman at a news conference Friday. “The plan is a living document and will likely be updated several times before the F-35s arrive here in 2020.”

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Several hundred Vermonters descended on the Statehouse steps on Thursday for the Vermont Workers Center’s annual May Day event.

The center, and a coalition of unions and advocacy groups for poor and disabled Vermonters, had a lot to celebrate.

Migrant Justice, a group that advocates for migrant dairy workers from Mexico and central America, marked the passage of a new law that requires all law enforcement agencies in Vermont to adopt bias-free policing policies.

Demonstrators rallied at the Statehouse on Thursday for May Day. Photo by John Herrick/VTDigger

by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org The House Friday concurred with a Senate bill that bans the sale and possession of powdered alcohol.

The ban on powdered alcohol, sold under the brand name Palcohol, is a last-minute addition to a broader alcohol bill, S.299, passed by the Senate earlier this week.

Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, explained the powdered alcohol amendment as well as a new amendment about lottery ticket sales. The ban would be in effect until January 2015. By then the state should produce a report on risks associated with powdered alcohol, the bill says.

Powdered alcohol can be snorted, Stevens told House legislators.

“Just the concept of snorting powdered alcohol itself is really nothing that we want to move forward on,” Stevens said.