Current News

There were 876 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont last week. Claims continued to subside after a spike over the holidays and are back under 1,000 for the first time this year. By comparison, new claims last summer were running under 500. In this latest report, new claims decreased 341 from the week before and are 39 above last year's total.

On Thursday, February 2, 2012, the Community College of Vermont (CCV) will welcome Governor Peter Shumlin, the CCV Board of Trustees, and friends and community members to a ribbon cutting ceremony starting at 3 pm at the College's newest academic center at 60 West Street in Rutland, Vermont.
Speakers at a brief outdoor ceremony will include Governor Peter Shumlin, CCV President Joyce Judy, CCV Board of Trustees Chairman Gary Moore, Rutland Mayor Chris Louras, DEW Construction Corp. President Don Wells, and Vermont State College Chancellor Tim Donovan. Following the ribbon cutting, all will be welcomed in for refreshments and tours of the new building.

Broadway headliners Alexander Gemignani (Les Miz, Sweeney Todd) and Sherie Rene Scott (Aida, The Little Mermaid) and award-winning composers Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Seussical) and Polly Pen (Bed and Sofa, Goblin Market) are among the artists to appear in ‘Celebrating the American Musical,’ a 90-minute concert benefitting Vermont’s esteemed Weston Playhouse Theatre Company at New World Stages on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:30pm.

Vermont Ski Areas Association, the Agency of Agriculture and the Vermont Maple Foundation have once again teamed up to promote Vermont specialty foods at resorts this winter by offering skiers and riders samples of a variety of treats at scheduled Ski Vermont Specialty Food Days. Many of the dates are in conjunction with large events happening at the ski areas.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27: SKI LIFTEveryone who enjoys skiing owes a debt of gratitude to a man they probably haven't even heard of ‘Robert Royceof Woodstock, Vermont. This week in 1934, Royce set out to solve the problem of how to get back up the hill for another run down the snow covered slope. Using 900 feet of rope, a tractor wheel fitted to an old Ford car, and some ingenuity, he made the first rope ski tow in the U.S. at Gilbert's Hill. The news of the convenience spread rapidly ‘ and so did the popularity of skiing. Now, nearly 13 million Americans enjoy alpine skiing and snowboarding each winter season.Profile Americais produced by the US Census Bureau: Measuring America’People, Places, and Our Economy.
Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 7483
440 International Calendar, Those Were the Days
Statistical Abstract ofthe United States2012, t. 1249

Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce will announce the winners of the Best Places to Work in Vermont awards on Thursday, April 5, at 4 pm at Main Street Landing in Burlington. They already have announced the top twenty two Best Places to Work in Vermont 2012 and at Thursday's ceremonies will reveal the rankings in the large and medium-sized business categories.
The awards program was created in 2006 and is presented in partnership with the Society for Human Resource Management, Vermont State Council, (SHRM), the Vermont Department of Labor and the Vermont Department of Economic Development and Best Companies Group. The final rankings for each category will be announced at a special event on Thursday, April 5, 2012, at the Main Street Landing Film House on Burlington's waterfront. The event starts at 4 pm.

Vermont utilities are advising customers in the eastern and central parts of Vermont of the potential for ice damage that could cause downed trees and limbs, and lead to power outages late this evening and into Friday. Customers across the state could see power outages late tonight and into Friday.
Utility forecasts include the threat of up to a half inch of ice in eastern and central Vermont, combined with sleet and snow, which could cause power outages.
Utility crews are on standby to ensure a strong response if the ice accumulations bring significant problems. Government officials are also coordinating efforts to assure the necessary resources are available.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Congressman Peter Welch (D) Thursday said the selection of Middlebury College and Norwich University to compete in Solar Decathalon 2013, accounting for ten percent of the entire field of 20 schools selected by the U.S. Department of Energy, burnishes Vermont’s already prominent place on the renewable energy map.

Dr Bruce Shields of Eden is the new President and CEO of Ethan Allen Institute. Bruce has a long record of leadership and service to a wide range of Vermont organizations. He has served 10 years as Eden town moderator, 15 years as lister, and three years on the Lamoille North Supervisory District School Board.
Bruce, a family tree farmer, has been active in farmand forestry work for many years. He has served asstate treasurer of the Vermont Farm Bureau since 1994and as vice president and president of the LamoilleCounty Farm Bureau for 13 years.
He has been activefor many years in leadership positions in the VermontTimber Truckers and Producers Association, the VermontSugar Makers Association, the Vermont ForestryFoundation, and the Vermont Forest Products Association.

A new array of solar panels will soon be changing sunshine into electricity on the grounds of Ferrisburgh Central School, thanks to student efforts to promote energy efficient lighting in the community. The $14,500 photo voltaic solar installation is being awarded as the grand prize of the annual CFL School Fundraiser Challenge, cosponsored by Green Mountain Power and Efficiency Vermont.

Calling all travel industry related professionals in the state of Vermont! The 29th Annual Vermont Travel Industry Conference will be held on April 12 & 13, 2012 at the Killington Grand Hotel in Killington, Vermont. The event will feature a compelling keynote presentation on industry trends, pertinent workshops for mid- to high-level industry professionals, one on one meetings with experts to provide dedicated time to get your questions answered, a presentation by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing highlighting their 2012 marketing initiatives, and a trade show featuring businesses and organizations that sell products or provide services to the tourism industry.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets announced today that the Mobile Poultry Processing Unit has been sold to Lila Bennett and David Robb of Tangletown Farm in Middlesex. The unit was sold via an online auction site, and after a competitive bidding process, the final sale price was $61,000.
"Animal welfare is at the heart of Tangletown Farm. This unit will allow us to expand our business, to maintain our high standards of quality, and to play a larger role in Vermont agriculture,’ said Lila Bennett. ‘With this unit we will be able to humanely slaughter, part, and package chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits, and eventually lambs under the watchful eye of a Vermont state inspector.’
As the new owners, Bennett and Robb are in the process creating a plan for how the unit will be used going forward.