Current News

Seeking to recover costs resulting from Vermont Yankee cooling tower failures in 2007 and 2008, the state's two largest distribution utilities have filed a lawsuit against Entergy-Vermont Yankee (Entergy) in Vermont Superior Court in Windham County.
"This case arises out of Entergy's breach of its contractual obligation to use 'Good Utility Practice' in its management and operation of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Station," Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power said in a joint statement today. "Entergy's failure to implement and exercise sound practices with respect to the maintenance, repair and improvements of the facility's cooling towers caused tower failures in August 2007 and July 2008. The failures resulted in significantly reduced power output, which in turn deprived us of power due to us and our customers at specified, below-market prices."

WageWorks Inc, a leading on-demand provider of tax-advantaged programs for consumer-directed health, commuter and other employee spending account benefits from California, today announced that it has acquired the operating assets of Choice Strategies, a pre-eminent administrator in the tax-advantaged, consumer-driven health care space based in Waterbury Center. A purchase price was not divulged. Choice Strategies reported 2011 revenues of $12.4 million in the January 2012 issue of Vermont Business Magazine's Vermont 100+ (LINK). Choice Strategies services more than 5,000 employers primarily in the New England,New York,New Jerseyand Mid-Atlantic regions.

Vermont Technical CollegePresident Philip A. Conroy has announced that former Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets,Roger N Allbee, has been named consultant and advisor to the President and the College. In this position, Allbee will assist in helping the Institution position itself to address the technical and applied knowledge skills important to students interested in agriculture and related food systems.
‘We’re excited that Roger will be putting his expertise to work at Vermont Tech,’ said Dr. Conroy. ‘One of the college’s areas of growth is diversified agriculture; with Roger’s broad and deep interest in the field, he’s well equipped to help VTC respond to new developments in the industry.’

Governor Peter Shumlin today announced the appointment of attorney Barry D. Peterson of Fletcher as Magistrate Judge of the Family Division of Vermont’s Superior Courts. Peterson has held the post in an acting capacity in Chittenden, Lamoille, and Franklin counties as needed in recent years.
‘Barry’s broad experience, both in law and in his community, make him the perfect fit for Family Division Magistrate,’ Shumlin said. ‘He has already served in this role in an acting capacity, so he’ll hit the ground running.’
Peterson, whose office is in Jericho, joined his wife, Lori J Ruple, to start the law firm Peterson & Ruple in 1988. There he has focused on family law and represented clients in real estate, bankruptcy, small business and personal injury matters.

Local foods and producers will take center stage at the Farm Show on the night of Wednesday, January 25th, thanks to the all-new ‘Buy Local Market.’ Forty-two producers will be on-hand offering consumers the opportunity to taste, learn about, and purchase Vermont agricultural products.
The Buy Local Market will be held as part of the Farm Show’s Consumer Night, a fun-filled evening aimed at engaging the general public in agricultural exploration.
‘Vermonters are passionate about local foods and appreciate the ways in which they enrich our landscape and communities. The Buy Local Market will provide an ideal opportunity to connect with the farmers and producers who drive our agricultural economy,’ said Chuck Ross, Secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets. ‘It’s a chance to eat some delicious food, take home some great products, and meet your local farmers and producers.’

National and regional economists will explore the 2012 economic environment in the coming year with a focus on what shape the national and state economic recovery will take this year and beyond.
The 21st annual Vermont Economic Conference will be held on Friday, January 13, 2012 at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center and is hosted by The Vermont Economy Newsletter and sponsored by TD Bank, KPMG, and Entergy Vermont. The times and topics for the speakers follow:
9:10 a.m. Governor Peter Shumlin. Governor Shumlin will outline his budget and policy priorities for the coming legislative session.

Big Brother Big Sisters of Windham County recently received $3,000 from People’s United Bank to sponsor the 31st Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraising event.
The event will be held on April 7th and teams will bowl and raise money to help provide a high quality mentoring program in Windham County for many wonderful kids who need and want a mentor. The money raised at Bowl For Kids Sake will go to support every aspect of the program: recruiting, screening, training and supporting mentors; learning about Littles so a good match is made with a great Big; supporting the Littles and their parents; providing fun activities for Bigs and Littles to attend, and other administrative expenses.

Vermont saw the single largest appreciation in home values in November of any state and was one of only nine states to see an increase over the last 12 months. CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released its November Home Price Index (HPI®) report, the most timely and comprehensive source of home prices available today, which shows that home prices in the US decreased 1.4 percent on a month-over-month basis, the fourth consecutive monthly decline.

On Labor Day weekend in 1971, a group of area residents formed Historic Windsor, Inc. to save the Windsor House from demolition. In the intervening 40 years, this organization has made a big and far reaching impact by: rehabilitating Windsor House, managing it for over 33 years, and returning it to provide ownership in 2005. They also operated the Vermont State Craft Center at Windsor Housing and the Gerard Room Gallery for 19 years showcasing the work of hundreds of Vermont artists and craftspeople and conducted craft education for thousands of people. At The Preservation Education Institute, they have offered hundreds of innovative preservation education programs from Vermont to Oregon since 1983 and provide technical assistance to property owners and others for the care of historic buildings.

On January 9, 2012 the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (NYSE: CV) Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend at the rate of twenty-three cents ($.23) per share on the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, $6 Par Value, payable February 15, 2012, to stockholders of record at the close of business February 3, 2012.
As part of the agreement between potential buyer Gaz Metro of Montreal and CVPS, dividends would be paid up to the time the sale of CVPS to Gaz Metro expires. That deal is expected to close by the middle of 2012. Gaz Metro currently owns Vermont Gas and Green Mountain Power. CVPS and GMP will merge under the new ownership and the new entity will be called Green Mountain Power.
RUTLAND, VT--(Marketwire - January 09, 2012)
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The 50-Plus & Baby Boomers EXPO seminar and workshop line-up will include ‘When Your Parent Moves In,’ presented by award- winning medical educator, filmmaker, director and author David Horgan. Based on his book ‘When Your Parent Moves In - Every Adult Child’s Guide to Living With an Aging Parent,’ Horgan will share his firsthand experience of what to do, what not to do and what can and will happen when your parents move in.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 3.6 million parents live with their adult children and this trend continues to rise. Join Horgan to learn how to approach this time with practicality and discover how to make it work for you. ‘I provide the necessary tools so that you can make the best decisions for your individual situation,’ Horgan says.

Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott is ‘honored and humbled’ by the hundreds of Vermonters who reached out to him over the weekend after his business, DuBois Construction of Middlesex, burned in a massive fire on Friday night.