Current News

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org A Vermont House panel has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would create sweeping changes to the way Vermont schools are governed. H.883 would reduce the total number of municipal school districts from 282 to 45 by 2020.
If the legislation is successful (it has to pass the House and the Senate), it will be the first time the state’s home rule structure has changed since 1892 when the state went from 2,500 local school boards to a total of 300.

With the Highway Trust Fund projected to become insolvent this year, the National Lieutenant Governors Association unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution, cosponsored by Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott (R-Vermont) and Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA), calling on Congress to “develop a shared, long term vision for surface transportation.”
“Secretary Brian Searles and Congressman Peter Welch were instrumental in bringing this matter to the attention of the Vermont House and Senate Transportation Committees, which prompted the resolution,” Scott said. “In addition, Congressman Welch continues to lead roundtable discussions and meetings with key transportation leaders from both parties to bring attention to the issue and develop strategies for the future.”

Related Company: Vermont Federal Credit UnionThe Federal Reserve Bank of Boston announced today the appointment of four new members to the First District Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council (CDIAC), including Vermont Federal Credit Union CEO Bernie P Isabelle.
The entire list of new members follows:
· David Bruce – President/CEO, Lee Bank, Lee, MA
· Bernie P. Isabelle – President/ CEO, Vermont Federal Credit Union, Burlington, VT
· Mark J. Meiklejohn – President/CEO, Bank Rhode Island, Providence, RI
· Richard Wallis – President/CEO, Piscataqua Savings Bank, Portsmouth, NH
Standing members of the Council include:
· James W. Blake – President/CEO, HarborOne Bank, Brockton, MA
· Donna Boulanger – President/CEO, North Brookfield Savings Bank, North Brookfield, MA
· Edward Danek, Jr. – President/CEO, Hartford Federal Credit Union, Hartford, CT

Related Company: Chittenden County Transportation Authorityby Anne Galloway vtdigger.org
The bus drivers’ union, Teamsters Local 597, and the Chittenden County Transit Authority failed to come to an agreement after seven hours of negotiations on Saturday.
The Burlington area bus strike will continue into a second week.
CCTA officials say union representatives walked out of talks with federal mediators. The company says the remaining issues include wages, part-time drivers, work hours and cameras on buses.
“Union demands continue to be out of line with CCTA’s obligation to operate a safe, affordable and reliable public transportation system,” Bill Watterson, general manager of CCTA said in a statement.
The union identified two major issues, which the company was unwilling to address, according to Tony St. Hilaire, a business agent for the Teamsters.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Budget-writers have finalized a fiscal year 2015 spending plan for state government. The House Appropriations Committee, in a painstaking process of elimination, has scrubbed Gov. Peter Shumlin’s budget and come up with $8.8 million in reductions to the state spending proposal. Another $900,000 is available in other savings. That leaves a $4.4 million gap the House could address by raising a tax on cigarettes or eliminating a tax exemption on soda or supplements. All three proposals are on the table.
The governor’s $1.444 billion budget for next year represents a 5 percent increase over the fiscal year 2014 budget and banks on $30 million in one-time funding.
In addition, Shumlin’s budget includes $14 million in new revenues from a “claims assessment,” a fee assessed on every health insurance claim.

by John Herrick vtdigger.org Vermont has agreed to work with other states to bring large amounts of Canadian hydroelectric power to the region to meet growing energy needs. Environmentalists say that prospect could harm ratepayers and the environment.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org Outnumbering the opposition more than 6 to 1, proponents of raising the state’s minimum wage told story after story of economic hardship Thursday at a public hearing convened by the House Committee on General Services and Military Affairs.
The four opponents of the measure stressed the negative blow-back a minimum wage increase would have for businesses and the state’s economy — including the individuals it’s designed to help.
Only a few legislators, aside from committee members and sponsors of the bill, attended the hearing.
H.552 was granted an extension on the crossover deadline of March 14. Most bills that didn’t make crossover were effectively dead for the rest of the session.

The Comcast Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide charitable support to its local communities and to empower and enrich lives, has awarded 14 Vermont high school seniors scholarships through its annual Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program awards. The program, one of the Comcast Foundation's signature community investment programs, recognizes students' leadership skills, academic achievement and commitment to community service.
Comcast, joined by Governor Peter Shumlin, recognized the students at a special event held at the Vermont State House today. The fourteen recipients each received $1,000 scholarships. One student, Marissa Farbman, a resident of Killington and student at Woodstock High School, was selected to receive an additional$9,000 Comcast Founders Scholarship - instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation. In total, Comcast awarded $23,000 worth of scholarships in Vermont this year.

From a dam removal project on the upper Wells River to milfoil reduction in Charleston, fifteen watershed improvement projects will be going forward this spring thanks to funding from Vermont’s 2014 Watershed Grant Program.According to an announcement from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, the recipients were chosen from 58 applications received, requesting a total of $432,700. The size of the individual grants ranged from $2,500 to $15,000 and will total the available 2014 funding of $100,000.

A watershed grant will help to fund the removal of this partially breached dam on the Wells River, restoring free-flowing conditions and enabling upstream movement of fish. Photo by Rod Wentworth
This year’s projects cover a range of water quality and aquatic habitat projects and include examples in three categories of implementation, education and planning.

Related Company: Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee LLCby Guy Page, Vermont Energy Partnership A Settlement Agreement announced on December 23, 2013 by Governor Peter Shumlin, Attorney General William Sorrell, the State of Vermont, and Entergy recommends that the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) approve the Certificate of Public Good (CPG) for Vermont Yankee to continue to operate until the end of 2014. The plant’s continued operation through the year will help to ensure a smooth transition of Vermont Yankee to a closed, decommissioning power facility. Without approval of the CPG, the Settlement Agreement will likely be nullified. The following are five reasons why the PSB should approve the CPG by its deadline of March 31, 2014.
The proposed CPG…
1. Enjoys broad support and resolves major legal and economic quagmires

Related Company: Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless has announced that it is currently recruiting for 330 open full-time retail, sales and customer service positions throughout New England. The opportunities are based throughout the six-state region and interested candidates may apply online by visiting the Verizon Wireless website at www.vzwcareers.com.
The positions offer competitive salaries and benefits, including health care coverage that begins on the first day of employment, and participation in the company's 401 (k) program with a dollar-for-dollar match of up to six percent of an employee's salary contribution. Verizon Wireless, which employs more than 2,500 in New England, also offers employees tuition reimbursement, adoption assistance and bonuses.

Related Company: Green Mountain Power CorpGreen Mountain Power based in Colchester, Vermont, and California Governor Jerry Brown were among three to receive a national solar energy award, as Vote Solar announced Friday its 2014 Solar Champion Award recipients. The annual awards honor policy and utility leaders for outstanding efforts to make solar power a mainstream American energy resource.
“With Americans plugging into solar power at record rates, it’s an exciting time for energy. Both the opportunities and the challenges for continued solar growth loom large in this rapidly changing electricity landscape. The three champions we honor today are leading the charge to embrace innovation, find solutions and drive progress so we can repower our grid with sunshine. We applaud them for their vision and leadership,” said Adam Browning, executive director of Vote Solar.
Vote Solar’s 2014 Solar Champions are:
Green Mountain Power, Vermont: