Current News

John Fischer, Director of Integrated Support for Learning, High School and Adult Division at the Vermont Department of Education, has been named Interim Deputy Commissioner, the department announced today.
Fischer, a resident of Moretown, will assume the position of Deputy Commissioner of Transformation and Innovation on an interim basis, which was vacated by Rae Ann Knopf earlier this month. A major focus of his work will be ushering the department’s flexibility waiver request from the US Department of Education under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind. The waiver will be submitted for review on February 21, 2012.

More than 100 nonprofit leaders from across the state will convene at the Vermont State House on Thursday, February 9thforthe third annual Vermont Nonprofit Legislative Day.
Nonprofit leaders will be in Montpelier to testify at legislative committees on the work and positive impact of Vermont's nonprofits and to demonstrate their role as a positive economic force in the state of Vermont. There will also be a brief annual report on the work ofCommon Good Vermontand a 2:30 p.m. meeting with Governor Peter Shumlin on challenges facing Vermont's nonprofits sector.
Confirmed speakers for the day includeSpeaker Shap Smith(Vermont Legislature),Mark Larson(Department of Health Access),Jessica Oski(Sirotkin & Necrason),Floyd Nease(Vermont Association for Mental Health),Jacqueline Majoros, (Vermont Legal Aid),Sheila Reed( Voices for Vermont's Children),Peter Gilbert(Vermont Humanities Council) andLiz Schlegel(Central Vermont Community Action Council).

Thousands of working Vermonters are potentially missing out on a federal and state income tax credit that, if claimed, could result in a lower tax bill and a sizeable refund check. Last tax season, more than 45,000 Vermonters claimed the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit or EITC for a combined average refund of more than $2,000. Today, State Treasurer Beth Pearce, the Internal Revenue Service and other officials gathered to promote awareness of the credit. January 27 is EITC Awareness Day nationwide.
‘The Internal Revenue Service estimates that 20 percent of all eligible taxpayers nationwide do not file for the credit,’ said State Treasurer Beth Pearce. ‘Vermont families who earn less than $49,078 a year may qualify for this credit. In this difficult economy, working Vermonters can receive a much needed financial boost by taking the time to check for their eligibility as they complete their 2011 tax forms.’

Bad mortgages, those described as foreclosed or delinquent, rose slightly in Vermont last month to 9 percent. This continues to rank Vermont 14th best in the nation and second best in the East.
The December Mortgage Monitor report released by Lender Processing Services (NYSE: LPS) shows mortgage originations continued their decline from 2011's September peak, down 10.1 percent from the month before. At the same time, those loans originated over the last two years have proven to be some of the best quality originations on record. Likely a result of tighter lending requirements, 2010-11 vintage originations showed 90-day default rates below those of all other years, going back to 2005. December origination data also shows that recent prepayment activity - a key indicator of mortgage refinances - has remained strong, with 2008-09 originations, high credit score borrowers and government-backed loans having benefited the most from recent, historically low interest rates.

Cyma Zarghami, president of the Nickelodeon television network and an alumna of the university, will deliver the address to graduates at the University of Vermont’s 2012 Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 20.

The Vermont Balance of State Continuum of Care (CoC) and The Chittenden County Continuum of Care are again joining efforts for the sixth statewide Point in Time Count on January 26, 2012. The Continuums of Care are comprised of homeless & human service organizations as well as housing agencies and other partners that strive to eliminate homelessness throughout Vermont. These efforts will be supported by the Agency of Human Services, the City of Burlington the Vermont State Housing Authority, and United Ways of Vermont.
The sixth coordinated Point-in-Time Count will collect data to be used by the Balance of State, Chittenden County, and local continuums in their funding applications to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as to provide a statewide baseline for measuring the success of housing and supportive services used to reduce the number of people who are homeless in Vermont.

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.