Current News

Secretary of State Jim Condos chaired the statewide canvassing committee for the Presidential Democratic and Republican Parties at 128 State Street, Montpelier, on Tuesday and released the official presidential primary results. Secretary Condos provided copies of the Official Report of the Canvassing Committee for the Presidential Primary Election for the Republican and Democratic candidates. The results are provided on a town by county basis for the Presidential Primary.
The statewide canvassing committee membership is set by state law as the chair of each major party, or his or her designee, and the Secretary of State. In attendance this morning were Jim Condos, Secretary of State; Jake Perkinson, Democratic Party Chair; Morgan Daybell, designee for Martha Abbot, Progressive Party Chair; and Marty Searight, designee for Jack Lindley, Republican Party Chair.

Today, Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding released the February 2012 General Fund (GF) revenue results. February is the eighth month of fiscal year (FY) 2012 and second month following the January Consensus Revenue Forecast revision. General Fund revenues totaled $52.34 million for February 2012, and were -$9.49 million or -15.35% below the $61.83 million consensus revenue forecast for the month. Year to date, General Fund revenues were $750.63 million, and -$14.15 million or -1.85% short of the target of $764.78 million for FY 2012. The FY 2012 results through February remain ahead of the same period for the prior fiscal year (FY 2011) by 1.33%.

US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator Barbara Fields today announced $126,720 to Vermont State Housing Authority to support new local homeless programs in Vermont. This fundingprovides critically needed emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent support for individuals and families and is asignificant part of the Obama Administration’s strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.
HUD recently awarded $1.47 billion to renew funding to more than 7,100 existing local homeless programs operating across the U.S. That funding ensured housing and service programs remained operating in 2012. The grants announced today will support new local programs never before funded by HUD (see below).

Five small business owners, four small business champions and a lender have been selected by the US Small Business Administration for outstanding success in their chosen fields.
Charles ‘Chach’ Curtis Jr, CEO of Draker Laboratories, Inc, Burlington, Vermont, has been named the SBA 2012 Vermont Small Business Person of the Year. Nominated by Cairn Cross, Managing Director, Fresh Tracks Capital, Curtis was selected for outstanding leadership related to his company’s staying power, employee growth, increase in sales, innovative ingenuity and contributions to the community.

At the VFW in Rutland today, Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.) heard from Vermont service members and their families about the importance of expanding a successful veterans outreach program pioneered by the Vermont National Guard. Later today, the Congressmen will convene a similar roundtable in Saratoga Springs with New York service members.
‘The message we heard in Rutland today was clear:Veterans need help making a successful transition to civilian life,’ Welch said. ‘The Vermont Guard Outreach program is meeting the needs of returning Guard members and is a good model for the nation.We ought to expand it so that veterans around the country receive similar services.’

USNews & World Report has ranked Vermont Law School’s environmental law program as the best in the nation for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year. The 2013 Best Grad Schools rankings were released today.

A record breaking one-year total of $220,000 was raised in the ‘Big Change Roundup for Kids’ in 2012, pushing the grand total for the 7-year old project to more than $1 million. The Big Change Roundup is the largest fundraiser each year for Vermont Children’s Hospital, and the proceeds directly support health care services and programs provided to young patients and their families.
The annual coin collecting campaign is a joint effort of Fletcher Allen Health Care and 98.9 WOKO-FM with support from hundreds of local businesses and community groups and thousands of school children from throughout the region.
‘We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from schools, businesses and people of all ages throughout Vermont and northern New York who made it possible for us to reach our

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for January 2012 was 5.0 percent, a decrease of two-tenths of a percent from the revised December 2011 rate. At 5.0 percent, Vermont’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is the lowest in New England and ranks as the fourth lowest in the United States. The comparable national rate for January 2012 is 8.3 percent; also a decline of two-tenths of a percent from the previous month. The Vermont rate is the lowest it's been since August 2008 (4.9 percent).
‘Recent economic data has been positive and reflects signs of the economic recovery. Vermont’s unemployment rate of 5.0 percent places the state as the 4th lowest unemployment rate in the nation. The Vermont Department of Labor continues to address current and future labor force challenges through both job placement services and training

Vermont Labor Force Statistics (Seasonally Adjusted)

EPA has completed the second five-year review of the remedial actions previously implemented at the Pine Street Canal Superfund Site located in Burlington, Chittenden County, Vermont.This second five-year review concluded that while the remedy at Pine Street Canal is protective for most pathways of exposure to contaminants, a protectiveness determination of the remedy at the Site cannot be made until further information is obtained to evaluate potential vapor intrusion impacts at the existing Burlington Electric Department building.

Of the 55 gold medals won by the US for the World Cheese Championship, Vermont brought home three, tied with California for third in the US. Wisconsin dominated the competition with 30 gold medals. New York took nine. Idaho and South Dakota each earned two gold medals. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Utah each took one gold medal.

Switzerland came in second among the countries, with seven gold medals. Canada had six gold medals, Denmark five, the Netherlands four, while Germany and Spain each took two. Australia and Austria each captured one apiece.

Yet no matter how dominant the US was, the international panel of expert judges named a Dutch Gouda-style cheese named Vermeer as the 2012 World Championship Cheese.

Nineteen Saint Michael’s College students were awarded $3,700 each, from the college to enable them to carry out individual research projects with their professors over the summer. The grants totaling some $70,300, with living allowance on top of that, are titled Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Research Fellowships. Recipients were determined through a competitive process and were awarded by the Saint Michael's College Undergraduate Research Committee.
16 of the 19 grants were funded by the VPAA fund, and three by the Alumni Fund for Undergraduate Research, a fund established in 2009 by Shelia and Mark Nelson (Saint Michael’s 1991 graduate) to promote faculty-mentored student research.

The Burlington Country Club, USA Hockey’s Women’s National Team and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont have partnered raising money to grant a Vermont child’s one-true-wish. A fundraising dinner will be held at the Burlington Country Club on Monday, April 9 at 6 pm. The dinner will include a visit and updates from representatives of the Women’s National Team, who will be in Burlington competing for their fourth straight gold medal at the 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championship, and a presentation from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont.
Tickets for the dinner are $50 per person with all proceeds going directly to sponsoring a Vermont child’s one-true-wish.