Current News

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has determined that a radio advertisement aired recently by Campaign for Vermont did not trigger the provisions of Vermont’s campaign finance laws. The Vermont Democratic Party alleged that the ad, which focuses on property taxes and education funding, and refers to Governor Shumlin by name, constituted an expenditure in excess of $500 that would require the Campaign for Vermont to register as a political committee due to the ad’s content. The Office conveyed its conclusions to the interested parties by letter today.
The Attorney General’s Office concluded that the ad addressed a policy issue that is currently pending in the Vermont Legislature and did not demonstrate that its purpose was to support or oppose a candidate for Vermont office.
‘In reviewing complaints such as these,’ Assistant Attorney General Megan J Shafritz said, ‘we are mindful that the courts apply a fact-specific analysis that considers a number of factors.’

New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) announced today that it is accepting applications for its 2012 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Scholarships. Three scholarships of $3,000 each will be awarded.

To be eligible for NEFCU STEM Scholarships, applicants must be New England Federal Credit Union members. Anyone who lives, works or attends school in the six counties of northwestern Vermont is eligible for membership.

In addition to NEFCU membership, applicants must be pursuing one of these fields of study:

Biological Sciences
Physical Sciences
Mathematical Sciences
Computer and Information Sciences
Geosciences
Engineering
Technology areas associated with the preceding fields of study.

Coming off one of the strongest years in the history ofKillington Mountain School, both in terms of academic and athletic pursuits, Head of School Tao Smith recently announced the introduction of the ski academy’s new nine-month traditional academic program. The school now will provide two academic tracks for student-athletes, where individuals can choose the best academic option to complement their athletic pursuits. In September, 12 student-athletes grades nine through 12 became members of the inaugural nine-month program.

Vermont Tourism and Marketing Commissioner Megan Smith has been appointed to the Brand USA Marketing Advisory Board. She will attend the first meeting of the board this week in Washington, DC, representing Vermont and New England tourism interests.

‘Both Canada and overseas international markets have enormous opportunities for both Vermont and the New England region,’ Smith explained. ‘Our history and our brand, from skiing and maple syrup to the Trapp Family, have an amazing resonance around the world.’

It is time for Vermonters of goodwill, from Governor Shumlin to the SAGE Alliance, to inure themselves to the reality that Vermont Yankee will not be shutting down on March 21, 2012.

State Treasurer Beth Pearce announced today that Moody’s Investor Service (AAA rating), Fitch Ratings (AAA), and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service (AA+) have reaffirmed their positive ratings for State of Vermont bonds. Vermont has the highest general obligation bond ratings of all the New England states. Vermont is in an elite group of only 14 states with at least two AAA ratings. A mere eight states have three AAA ratings.
As part of a rating review for an upcoming bond sale, all three agencies maintained their previous high rating with a stable outlook. Moody’s and Fitch rated the bonds triple-A, the highest rating available to government issuers. Standard & Poor’s rated Vermont’s bonds AA+, the second highest rating. The higher the bond rating, the more creditworthy the rating agency evaluates a bond issuer to be.

The State of Vermont is awarding $57,000 in grant funding to nine communities dedicated to local historic preservation and restoration efforts. Twelve applications were awarded funding for the current fiscal year.

by Alan Panebaker vtdigger.orgIn a filing with the Vermont District Court in Brattleboro, Entergy Corp appealed to Judge J Garvan Murtha to ensure the state does not shut down the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant on March 21.

Just down the hill from the science center at Middlebury College, known nationally for its environmental mission and academic programs, AllEarth Renewables' 1,000thAllSun Tracker was installed this week as part of the 148kW system.

In a little over 2 years, more solar systems have been installed in Vermont using the AllSun Tracker than any other solar technology.Nearly 4.9 MW of AllSun Trackers have been installed regionally in residential and small commercial systems to-date, mostly in AllEarth’s home state of Vermont.

Now, after establishing a state-wide dealer network in Vermont, the company is establishing local installer partnerships in new solar markets.

Draker Laboratories, the industry's leading independent provider ofturnkey monitoring and asset management solutionsfor commercial and utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, today announced it is entering the Japanese market through a strategic partnership with EKO Instruments Co., Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan. This partnership is an important step in Draker’s ability to serve customers in key solar PV markets around the globe. In 2011, the Japanese solar PV market was the 6th largest in the world, and is expected to grow larger as its solar feed-in-tariff (FIT) program is introduced in July of this year as part of the country’s renewable energy strategy.

Newman's Own Foundation recently announced that Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sportsis one of the nine nonprofit finalists in the third annual Newman's Own Foundation Campus Community Service Challenge. The selected nonprofits, nominated by and paired with a student group from each of the America East's nine member universities, are eligible to receive the Challenge's top grant of $25,000. In total, $80,000 will be awarded to nominated nonprofits.
"The Campus Community Service Challenge represents an opportunity for us to encourage the practice of philanthropy," said Bob Forrester, president and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation. "We are proud to support the work of these exemplary students with their community partners and to recognize their commitment to make the world a better place."

An upslope snowstorm whirled throughBolton Valleythis past weekend, beginning on Friday and not letting up until late Saturday night but not before dropping two feet of new snow on the ski area’s 70 trails. The first big snowstorm of the season provided fresh tracks and powdery tree skiing on Sunday and has laid the groundwork for mid-winter conditions for skiers and riders right into March.

‘This storm was long overdue for sure,’ said Josh Arneson, director of sales and marketing at Bolton. ‘We had a very strong Presidents’ Holiday Week. Having this storm on the back end was icing on the cake and a great way to lead into Vermont’s vacation week. We’re offering powder and packed powder conditions. For those who thought winter was over, think again. Even if it has left the valleys, it’s alive and well in the mountains.’