Current News

A number of new entries in the lexicon of University of Vermont people and places will be made when the naming opportunities in the Alumni House renovation project have all been spoken for.
Among the first is the "Newton Library," an elegant oak-paneled enclave in the expansive Queen Anne mansion at 61 Summit Street slated to become the focal point for UVM alumni activities in the coming decades.
Named in recognition of a $250,000 gift from School of Business Administration alumnus Jeffrey Newton '79 of Concord, MA and his wife Sarah, the Newton Library is expected to be a central gathering and relaxation spot for visiting alums when they arrive on campus.

Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) officials are advising motorists that there will be traffic delays in the southbound lane of Interstate 89 between exits 16 and 14 until at least Friday August 5th. VTrans officials said contractors are installing an access road to allow work on a pipe. This has required the closure of the southbound driving lane starting just north of exit 15. Some traffic stoppages have been reported as of this morning.
Work on the project is set to begin at 9 am to accommodate morning ‘drive time traffic.’ However, state officials will be monitoring the situation to see if further adjustments will have to be made.

Green Mountain Power today asked the Vermont Public Service Board to authorize a 3.2 percent rate increase to go into effect on October 1, 2011, as part of its alternative regulation plan.
"Green Mountain Power customers enjoy some of the lowest rates in New England and Vermont, and keeping rates low drives every decision at Green Mountain Power," said Mary Powell, Green Mountain Power president and chief executive officer. "Our energy strategy is focused on low cost, low carbon, incredibly reliable power resources and our operating strategy for over a decade has been based on being the highest quality, lowest cost service provider in the region. We have been very successful controlling expenses and this increase is driven by very important and necessary investments in infrastructure and modest increases in power supply costs."

There were 582 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, an increase of 49 from the week before. Altogether 7,024 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 228 from a week ago and 2,397 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 1,601 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 22 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 753 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is a decrease of 9 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc
Vermont's unemployment rate increased one-tenth in June to 5.5 percent. See story HERE.

The EB-5 immigrant investor program is being enhanced by transforming the intake and review process. In May, US Citizenship and Immigration Services proposed fundamental enhancements to streamline the EB-5 process which include: extending the availability of premium processing for certain EB-5 applications and petitions, implementing direct lines of communication between the applicants and USCIS, and providing applicants with the opportunity for an interview before a USCIS panel of experts to resolve outstanding issues in an application. After reviewing stakeholder feedback on the proposal, USCIS is developing a phased plan to roll out these enhancements and is poised to begin implementing the first of these enhancements within 30 days.

Essex Junction, VT, USA (August 3, 2011) ‘ Revision, the leading developer of ballistic protective eyewear for militaries worldwide, has secured a contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to supply its Land Forces with Revision’s Prescription Rx Carrier over the next five years. It has an estimated value of up to $14 million during the life of the contract. Once prescription-filled, the Rx Carriers provide vision correction for troops who need improved vision in all environments ‘ including laser-threat situations. Revision’s Prescription Lens Carrier was selected for its interchangeable design and its high-impact ocular protection that has been demonstrated through the numerous testing procedures required by military standards.

The Organic Trade Association, based in Brattleboro, is pleased to announce that it has selected Michael Funk of United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) and Mark Lipson of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to receive its prestigious Organic Leadership Awards for 2011.
"Both Michael Funk and Mark Lipson have had a long commitment to the organic movement. Michael has been instrumental in the growth and advancement of the natural and organic industry for over 30 years, while Mark has demonstrated personal commitment, leadership and vision with regard to advancing organic farming since the early 1980s," said Christine Bushway, OTA's Executive Director and CEO.

Vermont ranks fifth in the nation home price increase from June to May. CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released its June Home Price Index (HPI) which shows that home prices in the U.S. increased by 0.7 percent in June 2011 compared to May 2011, the third consecutive month-over-month increase. According to CoreLogic, national home prices, including distressed sales, declined by 6.8 percent in June 2011 compared to June 2010 after declining by 6.7 percent* in May 2011 compared to May 2010. Excluding distressed sales, year-over-year prices declined by 1.1 percent in June 2011 compared to June 2010 and by 2.1* percent in May 2011 compared to May 2010. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions.

The Vermont Department of Health Tuesday issued a report stating that it had detected strontium-90 in the edible portion of fish in the Connectict River upstream from the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon. Governor Peter Shumlin again called for Vermont Yankee to operate extraction wells to test for radionuclides. Vermont Yankee responded that it has an extensive system of testing wells, none of which has detected strontium-90.
The governor issued the following statement Tuesday following the strontium-90 report:

The US Small Business Administration announced today that Essex, Orange and Washington counties in Vermont have been added to the disaster declaration for Private Non-Profit Organizations (PNPs) that do not provide critical services of a governmental nature. Sept. 6, 2011 is the deadline to submit a disaster loan application for physical damages caused by the severe storms and flooding that occurred on May 26-27.
PNPs that do not provide critical services of a governmental nature in Caledonia County are also eligible for disaster loans from the SBA. Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

The Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) will hold a public hearing to review proposed hospital budgets and take comments from the public on August 4 from 1:30 pm to 5 pm.
BISHCA Commissioner Steve Kimbell and Acting Deputy Commissioner Mike Davis will lead the hearing at the Vermont Department of Labor, 5 Green Mountain Drive in Montpelier. For the convenience of Vermonters around the state, ten additional sites will provide an interactive video link-up to the hearing:
Bennington - Senior Citizen's Service Center, 124 Pleasant Street
Brattleboro - Brattleboro Union High School, 131 Fairground Rd, Room 125
Lyndonville - 1001 College Road, Lyndon State College
Middlebury - 51 Charles Ave, Hannaford Career Center, 2nd Floor
Newport - North Country Union High School, 209 Veterans Ave.
Rutland - 8 Stratton Road, Stafford Technical Center, Room 108

Fiske Guide to Colleges in 2012 and the Princeton Review’s Best 376 Colleges 2012 edition. The Fiske Guide is widely sold as ‘the #1 best-selling guide to colleges.’ And the Princeton Review’s Best 376 Colleges is called ‘the Princeton Review’s flagship college guide.’
‘We’re very pleased to be included in these guides; we know that these are among the most important resources for students and their parents in making college choices, so it’s wonderful for Saint Michael’s to be described in books that get into the hands of so many families across the nation,’ said Saint Michael’s President John J Neuhauser.