Current News

TheVermontSenate utilized a seldom used parliamentary procedure, known asCommittee of the Whole, in order to take testimony fromthe Irene Property Law Task Forceon their final report. The Task Force, created in October 2011 by Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell, compiled information and recommendations on five key areas regarding the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene: finance, insurance, property laws, public records, housing and recovery planning.
‘In the wake of Tropical Storm Irene’s devastation, citizens along with state and local governments found themselves faced with a multitude of questions regarding personal and public loss’ said Senator John Campbell, ‘The post Irene Property Law Task Force has taken the lead in providing some answers.’

As it does every year, Vermont Public Television's "Vermont This Week" program held its year-end review program to list the top stories of 2011. Both panelists and viewers voted. It comes as no surprise that Tropical Storm Irene headed the list.
There were a total of 20 stories on the ballot, with choices weighed as they were chosen down the list from #1 to #20. Irene was the unanimous #1 choice with journalists, and the top 10 stories ended up on both lists - although in a slightly different ranking.
Vermont This Week airs Fridays at 7:30 pm and is re-broadcast on Sundays at 11:30 am. For broadcast and cable channels in your area, visithttp://www.vpt.org. The link to VTW directly ishttp://video.vpt.org/program/vermont-week/. The link to the year-end show can be found athttp://video.vpt.org/video/2181587731.

Attorney General William H Sorrell has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the US Supreme Court supporting the constitutionality of federal health care reform and urging the high court to uphold the landmark law.
‘Vermont has a very real interest in seeing the Affordable Care Act upheld by the Supreme Court. Although some perceive the Act as an example of the federal government imposing its will on the States, it actually gives the States much flexibility in the provision of quality health care for all. The Act is a prime example of federalism at work,’ said Attorney General Sorrell.

Vermont had the highest risk of embezzlement of any state in the nation in 2011, according to a report released today; Vermont was third worst in 2010. In the report, women tend to go for the big payoff, while men tend to stick their hand in the same till more often.

"In the overwhelming number of cases, excessive greed or the desire to live a relatively more
lavish lifestyle appears to be the key motivating factor for major embezzlers ‘ not to alleviate
personal financial problems, as some might expect."

Marquet International Ltd has released The 2011 Marquet Report On Embezzlement ‘ its annual study of major embezzlement cases in the United States. The study examined 473 major embezzlement cases active in the US in 2011 ‘ those with more than $100,000 in reported losses. The 2011 Marquet Report On Embezzlement examined several broad categories related to the white collar fraud phenomenon of employee theft, including:

An innovative solar program recently established by Vermont is up for a national award.
The Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards, hosted by Renewable Energy World, has selected Vermont’s registration program for small solar systems as a finalist for its Readers Choice Award.
Online voting is open through January 20 and is open to the public.
The winner will be announced in Long Beach, California in mid-February.
‘Given the national interest in Vermont’s innovative program, we think there’s a real shot we could capture the Readers Choice. We hope Vermonters and folks throughout the industry will weigh in and vote,’ said Andrew Savage of AllEarth Renewables in Williston. ‘Many Vermonters familiar with the solar industry are eager to see our state be a national model for cutting installation costs, making solar more affordable and accessible to homeowners.’

Although the General Fund (GF) budget gap of $51 million addressed in the FY 2013 Governor’s Recommended Budget was less than the gap previously estimated (October 2011) - FY 2013 is the fifth consecutive fiscal year requiring the resolution of a GF budget gap.Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin presented his fiscal year 2013 budget to the Legislature January 12, 2012.
The federal stimulus program (American Recovery & Reinvestment Act or ARRA), which was used to cover the base GF operating budget gaps for fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011, has essentially ended - requiring the State to close the projected FY 2013 GF budget gap.
The Governor’s FY 2013 Budget Recommendations present the General Assembly with a balanced budget that maintains services, continues advancement in important programs for the future and deals with the added challenge of recovering from the devastating damages caused by Tropical Storm Irene.

The following piece authored by former Vermont Finance Commissioner Tom Pelham asks six vital questions about this year’s budget process. In a kind of Socratic manner, the answers emerge from the questions themselves.
Pelham talks about the increase, not decrease, in the state budget even through the Great Recession; about the budget gap; about income tax rates paid by top 1.73 percent of Vermont wage earners; about local TIFs reducing revenues going to the statewide Education Fund; and what role the somewhat mysterious ‘Rainy Day’ fund played in the actual rainy day of August 28, 2011.
Budget Preparations
by Tom Pelham
Vermont’s blogs and news media are filled with stories about the state budget. It’s sure to be an engaging, if not entertaining, few months that follow the Governor’s budget address. Fiscal 2013 is likely a pivotal year, equivalent to the late ‘80’s, when a few wrong turns traumatized the state budget well into the 1990’s.

This spring a solar energy system will join Middlebury College’s biomass plant and wind turbine on campus.
College officials have signed an agreement with Williston-based AllEarth Renewables to create a small 143kW solar farm consisting of 34 solar trackers that will produce an average of 200,000 kilowatt-hours annually. The installation’s total kWh will produce enough electricity for a year for one of the college’s residence halls the size of Battell Hall, which houses about 238 students. The solar farm will be located on about 1.5 acres of college land on Route 125, west of McCardell Bicentennial Hall, Middlebury’s science facility.

NRG Systems,in Hinesburg V, manufacturer of measurement systems for the renewable energy industry, has signed a collaborative agreement with TechnoCentre éolien that allows NRG Systems to install and validate its patented condition-based turbine health monitoring system known as TurbinePhD. The system was installed on aRepower MM92 wind turbine at the TechoCenter’s northern wind energy research center location in Rivière-au-Renard, Quebec last month.
The TurbinePhD health monitoring system allows operations and maintenance professionals to dramatically lower their costs by accurately predicting when components in the turbine’s drive train are likely to fail months in advance. Maintenance and crane calls can then be scheduled at the most optimal time, such as during the low-wind season.

Housing Vermont, through its Vermont Rural Ventures affiliate, is providing nearly $3.3 million in low cost permanent financing to Laraway Youth and Family Services (LYFS) for its new, 39-acre campus in Johnson. The project allows the nonprofit youth services organization to increase enrollment by 30% and to add 10 to 12 new employees.
This is the third New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) investment made by Housing Vermont. Previous investments include financing a $40 million expansion of the WEIDMANN Technology facilities in St. Johnsbury and providing an $8.3 million loan to DEW for the construction of a new facility for the Community College of Vermont in downtown Rutland.

Garden Arts has just signed a lease to bring a fresh locally produced foods market to Manchester's Historic Depot section this spring.
Garden Arts owner Steve Burzon today announced plans to renovate the Mobil station on Depot Street (Vt. Route11/30) in Manchester into a market featuring locally raised and produced foods and crafts.
The store will continue to pump gas at Manchester's only full-service pumps, but Burzon also plans to sell a full range of Vermont fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat, including ready-to-eat foods.
Renovations have begun and are expected to be completed by early spring, with a soft launch of products beginning as he finalizes arrangements with the partner farms and artisans whose products the store will feature.

Two Vermont-owned media companies have formed a partnership to share award-winning local content. Last fall, WCAX-TV, based in South Burlington, began working with the state’s largest newsweekly, Burlington-basedSeven Days.
Each Wednesday and Friday,Seven Days’ reporters and critics appear on WCAX’s 5:30 news show, ‘The :30,’ to talk with hosts Kristin Carlson and Mike McCune about local news, arts and entertainment. Recent topics have included the Burlington mayor’s race, Vermont’s growing electronic music scene andSeven Daysfood critic Alice Levitt’s 2011 pick for best new restaurant of the year.
Every Thursday on ‘The :30,’ WCAX airs an abbreviated version of the latest episode of ‘Stuck in Vermont,’ a web video series hosted bySeven Daysmultimedia producer Eva Sollberger.
Twice a month, staffers fromKids VT,Seven Days’ free monthly parenting publication, appear on the morning newsto discuss events and issues of interest to Vermont families.