Current News
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Vermont State Police: Interstate 89 in Georgia has re-opened. Thursday morning (8:57 am) VSP closed Interstate 89, southbound near mile 107 as it is blocked due to a tractor-trailer crash. The southbound lane will be closed from exit 19 (St Albans) to exit 18 (Georgia) while the crash is investigated and cleared.
Further details on the crash will be released when available. Any motorists should expect delays or will need to take alternate routes.
On Wednesday afternoon, Vermont State Police annonced that I89 SB in the area of MM 105 has now been open again and traffic is moving. Due to the snow and ice on the roadways please use extreme caution when driving.
I-89 southbound was closed in the area of mile marker 105 due to an accident and road conditions. Traffic is being diverted off of the interstate at Exit 18 southbound (Georgia). Will update when the roadway is back open again.
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by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org
The mad dash is on. It’s crossover week and lawmakers are in no mood to dilly-dally. After weeks of testimony, discussion and drafting, bills are suddenly getting the go-ahead or the kibosh with unusual resoluteness. That’s because by Friday any bill that hasn’t been vetted by committee will be dead for the rest of this biennium and won’t be taken up until 2015 and 2016. Lawmakers have one more week to get any money bills through either the Senate or House committees.
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by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org
Two Republican lawmakers have started a petition to repeal Act 60 and Act 68, the education finance laws that established Vermont’s public school funding structure.
Representatives Heidi Scheuermann, R-Stowe, and Patti Komline, R-Dorset, have proposed the repeal Acts 60 and 68. They want to retire the funding structure by July 1, 2016. A new funding mechanism would be hashed out in the next year or so, potentially for implementation in the 2016-17 school year, they say.
Rep. Patti Komline, R-Dorset. Photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDigger
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Governor Shumlin and Vermont legislative leaders are calling for Vermont to heed President Obama's call to raise the minimum wage in Vermont. It is $8.73 right now, third highest; the federal minimum wage currently is $7.25. Washington state has the highest at $9.32, followed by Oregon at $9.10.
Joined by several business owners, Governor Shumlin on Monday called on lawmakers to approve a phased-in increase in Vermont’s minimum wage to $10.10 by 2017. The governor, President Obama and several regional governors had issued a similar appeal for an increase at the national level, and are supporting an increase in the wage in their respective states.
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by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org
Almost all workers laid off from IBM’s Vermont plant since June 2013 are now eligible for extended unemployment benefits and support for job retraining, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, announced Tuesday.
The federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program is available for people displaced from their work as a result of foreign trade.
The Vermont Department of Labor petitioned for the federal benefits immediately after 419 workers were laid off from the high-tech manufacturing plant last summer. But the U.S. Department of Labor only certified the petition for about 115 of the workers who worked in the plant’s Williston facility.
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by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org
A legislative panel resoundingly rejected legislation on Tuesday that would have increased the minimum age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21.
The House Human Services Committee voted 10-1 and 11-0 to kill two related proposals, the first would have raised the minimum age, the other would have exempted military personnel from the age limit.
The committee took testimony from the Vermont Grocers Association, the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont State Colleges.
Rep. Ann Pugh, D-S. Burlington, said raising the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes is not one of the strategies recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Secondhand smoke is a much more serious issue, she said. A bill that was overwhelmingly passed in the House before the Town Meeting Day break prohibits adults from smoking in cars when children are present.
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Today Keurig Green Mountain, Inc (NASDAQ: GMCR) launched its ninth annual Sustainability Report. In addition to communicating progress on 2013 initiatives, the 2013 Sustainability Report announces Keurig Green Mountain's ambitious new 2020 targets, which strive to take the Company's performance to the next level as a leader in sustainability and global corporate citizenship. The report focuses on three main practice areas of the Company's sustainability strategy: Resilient Supply Chain, Sustainable Products, and Thriving People and Communities.
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by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org
The Senate Tuesday passed a bill expanding the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the state from four to six.
The bill, S.247, passed on a voice vote. It now heads to the House.
Medical marijuana was legalized in Vermont in 2004. The fourth dispensary opened several weeks ago in Brattleboro.
So far, 1,156 patients statewide have registered to receive medical marijuana, according to the Vermont Department of Public Safety. The number of registrations is up from 1,017 last month, according to a figure DPS provided the Senate Finance Committee in February.
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RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. today announced a new round of Bank Better enhancements for Citizens Bank and Charter One customers: technology upgrades enhancing the customer experience across multiple banking channels including branches, ATMs and mobile devices.
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The Northeast Kingdom Chamber moved back to its old office in the Green Mountain Mall this week, and the organization’s staff members and trustees could not be happier.
Following the massive Feb. 3-4 water-main break that flooded its office, the NEK Chamber was forced to relocate to temporary quarters at the north end of the mall while repairs and renovations were made. The chamber had been located in the former PJ Hallmark store for the past month.
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April in Vermont is sweetened with festivities that celebrate a variety of Vermont’s spring-time traditions. Some events are playful, like pond skimming at ski resorts; others are enriching, like the Full Circle Festival and the Made in Vermont Marketplace. There are also several seasonal art exhibits opening. Here's a sampler of the hundreds of VermontVacation.com events you’ll want to experience:
Poem City
Montpelier & select Vermont Visitor Centers, month-long
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The largest and only state chartered credit union for all Vermonters announced that the VSECU Board of Directors has named Robert Miller, Managing Director at Conning, Hartford, CT, and former Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic Development, to succeed Steve Post as the Chief Executive Officer. Miller will join VSECU on March 31 and immediately assume the role of CEO.
In its search for a new CEO, the Board sought a candidate with leadership and strategic experience who could demonstrate a strong commitment to Vermonters and community.
“The Board had a handful of very qualified individuals. What stood out about Rob Miller is his extraordinary success in community development and relationship building in his previous leadership positions,” said Jerry Diamond, Chair of the VSECU Board. “We are confident that Rob is the right fit for our membership and the future of VSECU.”