Current News

Related Company: Ben & Jerry's Homemade, IncIt was 35 years ago when future ice cream household namesakes Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield shocked themselves with their accomplishment: the duo had made it through their first year as business owners. And so, they wanted to create a way to thank the community that supported them. Their decision? Free cones for everyone. So they threw open the doors of the former gas station in Burlington, Vermont, and scooped out every last bit of ice cream to the long lines of appreciative fans. Every year since, Ben & Jerry’s has continued this tradition with its annual Free Cone Day, the Ben & Jerriest day of the year.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org
There’s a problem with Vermont’s Current Use program, lawmakers agree. There’s no telling how big or expensive the problem is, but none dispute it’s there. Just how to solve it is another matter.
The problem is some landowners temporarily “park” land in Current Use, a special tax structure designed to make it affordable to conserve Vermont farms and forests in perpetuity. The ability to place land in Current Use for a tax break while deciding how to subdivide and develop it is a costly loophole.

Related Company: Chittenden County Transportation AuthorityA tentative agreement was reached this morning between the Chittenden County Transportation Authority and striking drivers. Drivers will vote today on the new deal. Negotiations over the last couple days between the two sides in the nearly three-week-old strike were in part brokered by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). Commuters, non-drivers and schoolchildren have been hard hit by the work stoppage that began on St Patrick's Day. Terms of the new agreement were not released. A previous settlement was unanimously rejected by the unionized drivers. The primary issues have been over working conditions and security cameras on the buses.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org
The Vermont Land Trust has ended work on S119, a bill that would have allowed conservation groups to seek changes to conservation easements through a review process. In a statement, the trust said it “learned that there is not widespread comfort with the current bill” over the last few weeks since it “paused” work on S119.

by John Herrick vtdigger.org The state updated its Lake Champlain cleanup plan just before the EPA’s Monday night deadline, but a response from federal environmental regulators may be delayed.
The Department of Environmental Conservation sent a draft of the state’s lake restoration plan to the Environmental Protection Agency. Now the state is waiting for information from the agency before Gov. Peter Shumlin sends a final commitment letter.

Related Company: University of VermontThe American College Personnel Association and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine have named the University of Vermont to its list of the 31 most promising places to work in student affairs.
Schools on the most promising list were selected based on a national study conducted in 2013 by the Center for Inclusion, Diversity and Academic Success (iDEAS) at The Ohio State University. The study examined administrative structures, commitment to diversity, and workplace or staffing practices of various divisions and departments of student affairs at participating ACPA member institutions. The survey included six categories of questions, addressing family friendliness, salary/benefits, professional development opportunities, work-life practice, commitment to diversity, and staff autonomy and involvement in long-term planning.
More than 100 institutions of higher education participated in this inaugural study.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) has again been named to the annual list of “100 Great Hospitals in America” as compiled by the health care industry publication Becker's Hospital Review.
Becker’s cited DHMC as one of the “most prominent, forward-thinking and focused health care facilities in the nation.” Hospitals included on the list are home to many medical and scientific breakthroughs, provide best-in-class patient care and are stalwarts of their communities, serving as academic hubs or local mainstays.
DHMC is the only New Hampshire hospital on the list, and was previously named to the “100 great hospitals” list in 2012.

Richard A Valentinetti of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources was honored today by EPA with a national “2014 Clean Air Excellence Award” for “Outstanding Individual Achievement.”
Dick Valentinetti, of Moretown, is the longest-serving state air director in the country. During his lengthy career he has demonstrated a lasting commitment to improving air quality in Vermont and within New England. His award was the only one today for an individual, and was announced along with recognition for nine projects from across the United States for work on clean air and climate initiatives that protect Americans' health and the environment, educate the public, serve their communities and stimulate the economy.

During the past five years there's been a significant shift toward more Americans growing their own food in home and community gardens, increasing from 36 million households in 2008 to 42 million in 2013.
That's a 17 percent increase and represents the highest level of food gardening in more than a decade, according to a special National Gardening Association report, Garden to Table: A 5-Year Look at Food Gardening in America.
The report shows that more young people, particularly millennials (ages 18-34), are the fastest growing population segment of food gardeners. In 2008 there were 8 million millennial food gardeners. That figure rose to 13 million in 2013, an increase of 63%. Millennials also nearly doubled their spending on food gardening, from $632 million in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2013.

Vermont’s traditional trout fishing season opens Saturday, April 12 this year, and anglers are looking forward to spring fishing for brook, brown and rainbow trout in the Green Mountain State’s lakes and streams. Until then, eager anglers can capitalize on year-round catch-and-release trout fishing opportunities on nine river sections.
The following Vermont river sections are open for year-round trout fishing using artificial lures or flies. All trout caught must be immediately released where they are caught.
_Black River - From the Connecticut River boundary upstream to the top of the Lovejoy Dam in Springfield.
_Lamoille River - From the Lake Champlain boundary (top of Peterson Dam in Milton) upstream to the top of the hydroelectric Dam at Fairfax Falls.
_Lewis Creek - From the Lake Champlain boundary upstream to the State Prison Hollow Road (TH #3) bridge in Starksboro.

Related Company: Community College of VermontThe Community College of Vermont is offering several 3-credit, undergraduate courses at select center locations this summer open to businesses at no-cost. Funding for these courses is provided through the US Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program.
Principles of Supervision is geared toward supervisors, managers, and employees who are ready for leadership positions according to their employers. Topics covered in this course include communication, goal setting, delegation, time and stress management, performance appraisal, the hiring process, motivation, and responses to technology.
Principles of Supervision is offered at the following times and locations:
Montpelier

Thursdays, 5 - 7 pm, May 22 - July 31, partially online and onsite
Tuesdays, 5:30 - 9 pm June 3 - August 19, onsite

Middlebury

The late return of spring weather and persistent ice may alter the plans of some anglers this year. While the winter weather extends opportunities for ice fishing on some water bodies, it can also delay anglers’ access to open water for the start of trout season.
Trout fishing season opens on April 12 this year, but on most waters in Vermont trout fishing is restricted to casting and trolling rather than ice fishing. Anglers should take note that on rivers, streams, and lakes with seasonal closures, they may not cut a hole through the ice to go ice-fishing for trout during the open-water trout season.