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A celebration took place on Thursday evening, April 17, at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, where individuals and organizations were recognized for their leadership and contributions to Vermontâ s environment.
Twelve finalists from around the state were present at the annual Green Mountain Environmental Leadership Awards hosted by ECHO, AllEarth Renewables and FreePressMedia.
The guests were treated to an inspirational keynote address by Dr. Mary Watzin, Dean and Professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, at the University of Vermont. Her address touched upon the immense importance of citizen science in helping to understand, interpret and learn from our world and environment.
The awards were presented immediately following Dr. Watzinâ s remarks, in the following categories and to individuals/organizations:

Union Bankshares, Inc (NASDAQ - UNB) today announced Net Income for the first quarter 2012 of $1.2 million, or $0.28 per share, compared to $1.0 million, or $0.23 per share, for 2011. Results for 2012 reflect a year to year increase in net interest income of $748 thousand or 16.5% and noninterest income of $502 thousand or 35.8%.

Governor Peter Shumlin said today that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will reimburse the state for $4 million in Irene-related expenses for work performed by National Guard units. The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) successfully appealed a decision of the FHWA that would have made those expenses ineligible for reimbursement under the Emergency Relief program. FHWA is now allowing eligible emergency repair work performed by the National Guard to be reimbursed under the relief program when such work is not otherwise funded by another federal government agency.

by Alan Panebaker April 17, 2012 vtdigger.org Richard Saudek, a former state utility regulator, said thereâ s no easy answer to the question of whether the Legislature should pass a law requiring Vermontâ s two largest utilities to give $21 million in â windfall’money to ratepayers.

State grants totaling $222,424 to help restore and repair historic barns have been awarded to more than a dozen Vermont farms today at the Statehouse.
The state Division for Historic Preservation and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation today announced matching grant awards to 16 recipients at a Vermont State House ceremony. Projects awarded funding are located in ten counties throughout Vermont.

The Northfield Savings Bank (NSB) Foundation today announced its new multi-year grant recipient is ReSOURCE (formerly known as ReCycle North), a Vermont-based nonprofit organization with locations in Burlington and Barre. The NSB Foundation awarded ReSOURCE a grant totaling $450,000 to be paid over the next three years. The Foundation celebrated the launch of this new partnership with an event hosted at ReSOURCEâ s Burlington location.
Before selecting ReSOURCE as its grant recipient, the NSB Foundation conducted a community needs assessment and thoroughly examined areas in need of support. The Foundation carefully considered possible recipients in order to ensure significant results could be achieved given the amount of time and money to be invested.

JetBlue Airways,New York's Hometown Airline, and Emirates, theDubai-based international carrier, today announced a codeshare agreement to connect the carriers' networks viaNew York'sJohn F. Kennedy(JFK) International Airport.
The two airlines have been interline partners since 2010, enabling customers to enjoy the convenience of a single combined ticket for Emirates and JetBlue-operated flights, plus other benefits including one-stop check-in and baggage transfer.
Tickets featuring an Emirates flight number will soon be available for sale for JetBlue-operated connections betweenNew York/JFK and the following US destinations:

Boston(BOS)

Burlington, Vermont(BTV)

Buffalo, New York(BUF)

Charlotte, North Carolina(CLT)

Chicago/O'Hare (ORD)

Fort Lauderdale, Florida(FLL)

Jacksonville, Florida(JAX)

Orlando, Florida(MCO)

Portland, Maine(PWM)

Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina(RDU)

WCAX has received three Edward R. Murrow regional journalism awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association. Murrow Awards are given to recipients who demonstrate the spirit of excellence that Edward R. Murrow made standard for the broadcast news profession.
WCAX was awarded first place in three categories. The news team was awarded a first place for continuing coverage of Tropical Storm Irene. â This was a life-changing natural disaster. We found amazing stories of destruction, sadness, strength and hope,’said News Director Anson Tebbetts. â WCAX will continue to follow the impact from Irene for a very long time,’said Tebbetts.
Reporter Jennifer Reading and photographer Joe Carroll were awarded a first place award in the hard news category for their reports on how communities were isolated after Tropical Storm Irene.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.orgIf the bottleneck in the Senate doesnâ t break soon, observers say, many House members could be twiddling their thumbs next weekâ ¦ and maybe even the week after that.
Suffice it to say, an April 27 adjournment, House Speaker Shap Smithâ s ostensible goal, is looking overly optimistic even though the House will largely be finished with its work this week.
Statehouse mavens ‘lobbyists, advocates, lawmakers and the like ‘say the 250-page Senate calendar that came out on Tuesday is a sign that the Green Room has so many must-pass bills left to approve itâ ll be awhile before lawmakers bid adieu to Montpelier.

Spirit Airlines today announced enhancements to its Myrtle Beach summer schedule.Spirit will resume its seasonal service between Myrtle Beach and Washington, DC Reagan National Airport. Starting June 16, 2012, and running through September 1, 2012, Spirit will offer nonstop Saturday-only service for the peak summer travel season.

In addition, Spirit is increasing flights from two to three frequencies per week between Myrtle Beach and Plattsburgh, New York (serving the Montreal, Quebec area) from June 14 ‘September 1, 2012, and increasing from two to three frequencies per week between Myrtle Beach and Niagara Falls, New York (serving the Buffalo, New York and Toronto, Ontario areas) for the June 21 ‘September 4, 2012, summer season.

Spirit is also increasing flights between Fort Lauderdale and Myrtle Beach with two additional flights per week through September 4, 2012.

In 1997, Ben and Jerry did something that ice cream lovers across the globe would celebrate for years to come: they took chocolate ice cream, swirled in gooey marshmallow and sweet caramel, and finished it off with some chocolate Phish ‘er, fish. Thatâ s right, 15 years ago, working in conjunction with the Vermont band, Phish, the ice cream makers created the flavor smash sensationPhish Food. At the same time, Phish launched their WaterWheel Foundation, a non-profit organization funded by proceeds from the sale of Phish Food ice cream. After 15 years, and millions of dollars raised for the benevolent works of the WaterWheel Foundation, things have kept moving alongâ ¦ swimmingly.