Current News

Champlain College will celebrate receiving one of the nation’s top green building awards on Thursday, March 29. President David F Finney and the Champlain community are inviting the public to attend the official LEED Platinum Award Ceremony for an exclusive look at the construction of one of Vermont’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings.
‘Champlain students, faculty and staff are delighted with the new Welcome and Admissions Center. Perry Hall is a beautiful example of our commitment to campus sustainability in our built environment,’ stated Christina Erickson, sustainability director at Champlain.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.orgIn the annual sausage-making race at the Statehouse, some years are more than productive than others. Sometimes fistfights over the budget or tax bills grind everything else to a halt. Or a single important issue, like gay marriage or health care reform, can gum up the works by blocking the amount of attention lawmakers can give smaller bills and push back passage of the Big Bill, the budget, one of the last pieces of legislation to go through the General Assembly each year.
The 2012 legislative session hasn’t had one of those show-stoppers yet, and has been remarkable for its machine-like productivity. By the Town Meeting Day week break, the House had passed 36 bills (including unusually uncontroversial redistricting legislation); the Senate (which is on a different timeframe) has approved 22. The governor has signed six pieces of legislation, and as of March 2, four bills were awaiting his endorsement.

The US Senate today passed a two-year, $109-billion transportation funding bill that would provide $408 million for Vermont over the next two years. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-T), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, helped write the bill that was approved by a vote of 74 to 22.
‘Anyone who drives around Vermont sees the need for transportation improvements,’ Sanders said. ‘Given the infrastructure crisis facing our country, it is imperative that we get to work as soon as possible and this bill is a good start,’ he said of the measure that now goes to the House.

The University of Vermont and the Vermont Lake Monsters announced today that they have reached an agreement on a 20-year lease for the use of Centennial Field for minor league baseball in Burlington.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org The Legislature will likely need to raise the statewide property tax rate by 2 cents, the head of the chief tax writing committee said on Tuesday.

On Thursday, March 15 at 11 am, the Energy Co-op of Vermont will launch itsCo-op Solar program from its headquarters in Colchester. The program is apartnership with Sunward Systems, Vermont's leading brand of solar hot water system.
Special financing has been arranged through VSECU, a credit union servingVermonters across the Green Mountain state.
WHAT: Innovative solar program announcement from a progressive fuel oilcompany
WHERE: 73 Prim Road, Colchester, Vermont (This will be an outdoor event.)
WHO: John Quinney, General Manager -- Energy Co-op of Vermont
Thomas Hughes, CEO -- Sunward Systems
Alicia Gant, Solar Loan Program ‘ VSECU
Thomas Longstreth, Executive Director -- ReSOURCE
Matt Cota (invited) -- Vermont Fuel Dealers Association
WHEN: 11 am, Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Vermont Telecommunications Authority has announced a Notice of Grant Funds in the sum of $3.6 million for broadband expansion in Vermont. The purpose of the grants is to extend broadband service availability where it is currently not offered and where no provider has already committed to bring broadband by the end of 2013.
Funding for the grants was appropriated by the Legislature in the FY2012-2013 Capital Budget. Awarded projects will be required to provide service with a combined upload and download speed of at least 5 megabits per second.

Middlebury’s Maple Landmark Woodcraft has partnered with Hildene, The Robert T. Lincoln Family Home, in Manchester to manufacturer wooden toy replicas of the 1903 restored wooden Pullman luxury railcar, Sunbeam.
The toy car measures about 4’ long and is cut from New England pine. It is printed using a rich green with gold lettering mirroring not only the opulence of the time but the Sunbeam itself with the Pullman green and gold.
‘This was a fun project to work on,’ said Lisa Yorke, graphics room coordinator, ‘it’s not often that we get to work on local projects that have such meaning.’ This special custom souvenir is available in The Museum Store at Hildene.
2012 marks the first full year that the Sunbeam will be open to the public. The Pullman Car arrived at

Secretary of State Jim Condos will recognize Vermont’s oldest non‐profits in a ceremony to be held today, Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 4 pm at the Vermont Statehouse. The Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Awards program recognizes nonprofit organizations that have operated in Vermont for at least 100 years.
The nonprofits being honored today range from educational institutions, libraries, churches, hospitals, fraternal and other service organizations and many more local groups.
This year, 29 of Vermont’s oldest noprofits will be presented with plaques by Secretary of State Jim Condos. Governor Peter Shumlin, many state legislators, representatives of our congressional delegation, and other dignitaries are expected to attend.

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).