Current News

The Vermont housing market continues to out-perform most of the rest of New England. The RE/MAX of New England January Monthly Housing Report shows Vermont experienced a boost in total transactions, up 10.2 percent, while median price increased just slightly at 0.08 percent year-over-year. Pending sales were up 24.3 percent year-over-year.

The award winning environmental education program from Project Learning Tree (PLT) is expanding in Vermont. Vermont PLT is looking for individuals who wish to become Certified Project Learning Tree Facilitators. These individuals will represent organizations that have an interest in or ongoing need to train staff, students, volunteers, teachers or community partners to use conservation and environmental education activities and programs in their work.

Related Company: Vermont Law SchoolIn an effort to encourage collaborative discussion and energize powerful thought regarding environmental issues occurring in and impacting our everyday lives, the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (VJEL) is adding to its scholarly repertoire. As of this year, VJEL transitioned to online publication and, in doing so, expanded our readership far beyond the traditional legal and policy printing. Now, we are proud to make a second revelation—EcoPerspectives!

All women who undergo cesarean delivery are at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), a disease that can lead to long-term complications and even death, a leading perinatal expert stated during a recent webinar hosted by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI).
"Essentially every patient is in moderate risk," said Peter Cherouny, MD, Emeritus Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Vermont and Chair and Lead Faculty of the IHI Perinatal Improvement Community "The only exceptions to that would be patients under age 40 who have no other risk factors and whose surgeries are less than 30 minutes."
Dr. Cherouny added that while some cesarean surgeries are performed in less than 30 minutes, the clock for the procedure starts ticking the moment when anesthesia is administered. "If you take that into account, there is really no case of a patient in the low-risk category undergoing a cesarean section," he said.

Hill Farmstead of Greensboro has been ranked second best brewer in the world by RateBeer.com. Several Vermont beers also ranked among the world's 100 best. (see rankings below).
This list is the top 100 brewers in the world according the reviews taken last year and weighted by performance within and outside of style. The winners here are presented alphabetically and reflect the top performing brewers of over 16 thousand worldwide listed at RateBeer. The top 5 brewers are indicted by asterisk.

brewer
city
state
country

3 Fonteinen
Beersel
-
Belgium

8 Wired Brewing
Blenheim
-
New Zealand

AleSmith Brewing Company - * Rated #1
San Diego
California
USA

Allagash Brewing Company
Portland
Maine
USA

Alpine Beer Company
Alpine
California
USA

Governor Peter Shumlin and Health Commissioner Harry Chen, MD, announced Friday the implementation of a nearly $10 million federal grant to Vermont to expand early intervention and treatment for adults who are at risk for addiction. The grant will fund a five-year project to launch screening, brief intervention, referral and treatment as part of regular health care practice for patients age 18 and older.
‘We want to make screening for substance abuse a routine part of health care, just like screening for high blood pressure or cholesterol,’ Gov. Shumlin said. ‘Helping people prevent addiction saves health care costs and creates better outcomes for individuals. But it also prevents the social problems that too often come with addiction, ensuring we have safer communities, a more productive workforce, and a healthier economy.’

by Morgan True vtdigger.org The move to a publicly financed universal health care system could cost the state from $1.76 billion to $2.17 billion, state officials said Thursday. Lawmakers received a revised estimate of the cost of Green Mountain Care from a combined team representing the Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office and the Shumlin administration.The group cautioned that the range could vary ‘dramatically’ based on unresolved policy questions.
‘A range is hard to legislate around, and you guys are going to eventually need hard numbers,’ Steve Klein, chief financial analyst with the Joint Fiscal Office told lawmakers. ‘We view this as a step in that process.’
The new range is based on a state-commissioned study of the program’s cost by the University of Massachusetts and the actuarial firm Wakely Consulting Group.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org Lawmakers are finalizing exceptions and clarifications to a proposed mandatory sick leave law. Representative Helen Head, D-South Burlington, said her House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs hopes to move an amended H208 to the House Appropriations Committee on Friday or Tuesday.
Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, questions Ed Larson (foreground) of the Barre Granite Association about his testimony opposing mandatory paid sick leave. Photo by Hilary Niles/VTDigger
The changes likely will carve out exceptions for some medical professions, substitute teachers and potentially agricultural workers. The new version also would assure employers that, if they already provide at least 56 hours per year of sick leave to full-time workers, they would not have any additional requirements.

New unemployment claims fell again last week to their lowest levels since early fall. For the week of February 1, 2014, there were 680 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont. This is a decrease of 55 from the previous week's total, and 5 more than they were a year ago.
Source: Vermont Dept of Labor
Altogether 8,810 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 71 from a week ago and 799 fewer than a year ago. The Department also processed 200 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 10 fewer than the previous week.
In addition, there were 6 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is equal to the week before. There were zero Tier III claims. The Tier I, II and III programs expired on December 28, 2013. Congress would need to act to renew these extended benefit programs.

Meach Cove Farms and groSolar have completed the Limerick Road Solar, LLC, project, a 2.96 MWdc solar photovoltaic (PV) system in Shelburne, Vermont. Project design and solar engineering was performed under the direction of LW Seddon, LLC, and the installation and construction was managed by groSolar. The project is located on 15 acres of the 1,000-acre Meach Cove Farms, a certified organic farm focusing on efficiently using local natural resources.
"The Limerick Road Solar project enhances the mission of Meach Cove Farms and will provide many benefits to our surrounding community. As an organization we conduct research on projects which provide renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels. This solar project represents an important step forward in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and creating clean, renewable energy for the community," said Christopher W. Davis, manager of Meach Cove Farms.

by John Herrick vtdigger.org The Vermont Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill Thursday to regulate lakeshore development. The bill sets standards for new construction within 100 feet of the state’s shorelines and includes fees to cover the cost of administration of the law.
State Sen. Diane Snelling, R-Chittenden. Photo by John Herrick/VTDigger
There are no statewide standards for shoreland development in Vermont. According to a 2013 report on Vermont’s lakes, the state’s natural shoreline vegetation is less than the national average.
Replacing a lake’s natural shoreline vegetation with manicured lawns and cottage expansions, for example, can cause shoreline erosion, habitat degradation and add to pollution, according to the report.
Sen. Diane Snelling, R-Chittenden, vice chair of the Natural Resources and Energy Committee, said the state is behind schedule in setting protection standards for Vermont’s shorelands.

Vermont Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe announced today that Vermont has nominated three schools to the US Department of Education (US ED) Green Ribbon Schools program. The three nominees are Camels Hump Middle School, Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU), and Lake Region Union High School.
‘We have built effective partnerships to collaboratively engage students in the environment, health, and education,’ said Camels Hump Middle School Assistant Principal Suzanne Gruendling. Camels Hump actively promotes and practices a rich education that includes a focus on the environment, renewable energy, nutrition, and wellness. Throughout the school year, students can be found on Lake Champlain research vessels, local farms, rivershore preserves, wildlife refuges, and granite quarries.