Current News

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.

A bipartisan group of Senate leaders introduced legislation today to provide economic relief for Vermonters impacted by Tropical Storm Irene.
S250, the Irene Economic Stimulus Bill, directs tax relief and incentives both to Vermont consumers as a whole, and to populations disproportionately impacted by the storm. It would establish a sales tax holiday on August 28, 2012, the 1-year anniversary of Irene, to encourage Vermonters to shop locally and support the state’s economy. The proposal also sets up a weeklong sales tax holiday, from August 26 to September 1, for the purchase of home weatherization items.

Finally, it declares a sales tax holiday on mobile homes purchased between August 28, 2011 and June 30, 2012, to replace mobile homes damaged or destroyed as a result of Irene. The proposal would waive or refund sales tax or property transfer tax, either of which can be applicable to mobile home purchases.

Vermont Law School has surpassed its goal of $15 million for the Campaign for Vermont Law School, with total gifts and commitments currently totaling $15.3 million.
The funds will support student financial aid, a new Center for Legal Services, programs that improve national environmental and energy policies, and educational initiatives that produce highly skilled lawyers at home and abroad.
VLS hopes to raise another $1 million to $2 million before closing the campaign when Dean and President Jeff Shields retires at the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

It has been VLS’s most successful capital fund drive in its nearly 40-year history, surpassing the $11.3 million raised in 2005 for the renovation of historic Debevoise Hall, the main administration building, and the $6 million raised in 1998 for the construction of Oakes Hall, the main classroom building.

Relying heavily on broad-based taxes, the Tax Foundation ranked Vermont 47th in the nation in its 2012 version of theState Business Tax Climate Index. The Foundation states that it compiles this informationto enable business leaders, government policymakers, and taxpayers to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare.

The 10 best states in this year’sIndexare:

1. Wyoming
2. South Dakota
3. Nevada
4. Alaska
5. Florida
6. New Hampshire
7. Washington
8. Montana
9. Texas
10. Utah

Merchants Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBVT), the parent company of Merchants Bank, today announced net income of $14.62 million, or diluted earnings per share of $2.35 for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to earnings of $15.46 million, or diluted earnings per share of $2.51 for the year ended December 31, 2010. Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2011 were $3.71 million, or diluted earnings per share of $0.59. This compares with net income of $2.54 million, or diluted earnings per share of $0.41 for the fourth quarter of 2010. The return on average assets was 0.95% and 0.97% for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2011, respectively, compared to 0.68% and 1.07% for the same periods in 2010. The return on average equity was 13.77% and 14.11% for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2011, respectively, compared to 1 0.31% and 16.18% for the same periods in 2010.

by Paul Cillo publicassets.org It was an easy vote in the Vermont House on Friday. Fifteen years ago, it would not have been so.
Without a single nay, the House voted to use future budget surpluses to restore General Fund support for education. For the last three years, the Legislature has cut the annual transfer from the General Fund to the Education Fund, which covers all pre-K to 12 education costs in Vermont. The effect has been to push up property taxes even though local school boards have held the line on spending. Now the House wants to reverse that trend and dedicate half of any future budget surpluses to restore the transfer to pre-recession levels (with an adjustment for inflation).
Why the change of heart all of a sudden? And why was the vote so easy? Two reasons.

Broadway headliners Alexander Gemignani (Les Miz, Sweeney Todd) and Sherie Rene Scott (Aida, The Little Mermaid) and award-winning composersStephen 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.