Current News

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will hold three public meetings, from November 14th to 17th, regarding the Vermont Public Transit Policy Plan.
Last completed in 2007, the Public Transit Policy Plan outlines the State’s transit policies and goals and develops strategies to meet current and emerging public transit challenges. VTrans is updating this plan, and seeks public input in this second round of meetings to review the draft of the final report and receive input and comments.
The public meeting times and locations are:
November 14, 2011
7:00 p.m. Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, 110 West Canal Street, Suite 202, Winooski, VT 05404; Telephone: (802) 846-4490
November 16, 2011
4:00 p.m. Vermont Interactive Television ‘ 13 sites (Randolph Ctr. and Waterbury not available) across the state, see www.vitlink.org for info. and directions to the sites.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)) and Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) today welcomed a ‘special review’ by the State Department inspector general of the department’s handling of a controversial Tar Sands oil pipeline.
Sanders and Welch led members of Congress who last Oct. 26 asked Deputy Inspector General Harold W. Geisel to investigate whether conflicts of interest tainted the process for reviewing a proposed crude oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Vermont home prices fell six-tenths of one percent over the last year as distressed sales pushed down what otherwise was an increase of 3.1 percent in the price of an average home whentroubled properties were removed from the equation. Both numbers, however, remain considerably better than most other states and the nation as a whole. CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released its September Home Price Index, which shows that home prices in the US decreased 1.1 percent on a month-over-month basis, the second consecutive monthly decline.

More than 300 people jammed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ town meeting at Montpelier High School Sunday on how to save the US Postal Service.
Sanders (I-Vt.) said he will introduce legislation this week to address the Postal Service’s financial woes without resorting to drastic cutbacks in service and massive layoffs. He blamed the Postal Service’s money troubles largely on accounting issues, including a law requiring it to set aside retiree health and retirement benefits far in advance.
Sanders criticized Postal Service management for not focusing on smarter ways to solve their financial problems. ‘Our goal must be to make the post office smarter and more competitive. We should not be engaged in a series of actions which could eventually lead to the destruction of the Postal Service,’ he said.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) today opened Route 131 through Cavendish, which had been closed since Tropical Storm Irene struck more than two months ago.
Irene severely damaged several miles of Route 131 between Weathersfield and Cavendish, and completely obliterated about 250 feet of the roadway just east of Cavendish Village. Dubbed the ‘Cavendish Canyon’ because floodwaters created a creator 54 feet high and almost a football field long, the roadway had to be completely rebuilt from the edge of the river up.
‘Rebuilding Route 131 through Cavendish clearly was one of our most significant challenges,’ said VTrans Secretary Brian Searles. ‘Raging floodwater did not just damage the road, it basically eliminated it. But with significant help from the National Guard, a couple of our neighboring state transportation departments and others, we rebuilt the road in just two short months, which is quite remarkable.’

The Department of Labor announced today that the state minimum wage will be increasing to $8.46 per hour from $8.15 per hour on January 1, 2012. Vermont’s minimum wage increases at the same rate as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as calculated in August, for the preceding year, or at 5%, which ever is less. In addition, the same increase applies to the basic wage rate for tipped employees and the maximum tip credit allowed, as well as the State allowed rates for employer provided rooms and meals, that may be deducted from an employees pay. All these changes stem from the CPI increase of one and one tenth percent, from 2.7% to 3.8%.

The New York office of Governor Mario Cuomo informed Vermont Governor Shumlin late Thursday afternoon that the ribbon cutting for the new Lake Champlain Bridge will be held on Monday, November 7, at 2:30 pm. New York State is the manager of the bridge construction, though both states share in the cost of its construction.
The central arch of the new bridge is slowly raised into place on August 26, 2011.
New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin will preside over the ribbon cutting of the new bridge. This project was completed in less than two years.
Sue Minter, deputy secretary of the Vernmont Agency of Transportation, said the ceremony will take place on the New York side of the bridge. Jim Boni, the New York Department of Transportation project manager, said the bridge will be open for traffic following the ribbon cutting, "or shortly thereafter."

Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that he has tapped Jean O'Sullivan, a long-time Burlington Democrat, to fill the Vermont House of Representatives seat formerly held by Representative Mark Larson, who stepped down in July to serve as head of Department of Vermont Health Access.

"I am very pleased to make this announcement today," Shumlin said. "I was sent three very strong candidates for the post. I believe that Jean brings public service experience that will enable her to hit the ground running at the State House, and she shares my commitment to the issues, particularly on renewable energy and the war on recidivism. She will serve her constituents well."

Attorney General William H Sorrell reports that the major tobacco companies have dropped their charge that Vermont failed to meet its obligations in regulating the smaller tobacco companies that are not a part of the 1998 tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). Had the industry prevailed against Vermont, the State would have lost from $4.7 million to $25 million dollars of the MSA payment owed to the State based on the major companies’ 2003 cigarette sales.
‘This is a very sweet victory for us,’ said Attorney General Sorrell. ‘Vermont held up its end of the bargain and did all the enforcement work required of our State under the MSA.’

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) today helped mark the opening of a solar energy project at the Camels Hump Middle School in Richmond, one of the greenest public schools in Vermont.

Governor Peter Shumlin and the Department of Public Safety today announced a revised policy to strengthen bias-free policing to include direction regarding immigration status.
The new policy (see attachment) states that Vermont State Police troopers should not try to identify people whose only suspected violation is that they are present in the United States without proper documentation, but also makes it clear that officers should continue to investigate suspected criminal activity. The policy includes special provisions relating to law enforcement near the Canadian border, authorizing troopers to take actions concerning unlawful border crossings in progress, as well as to call for support from federal authorities when required to protect officer or public safety.
‘We have the finest state police force in the country,’ Shumlin said. ‘We owe it to our troopers to provide them clear guidance about state law enforcement priorities and parameters.’

Vermont Business Magazine, 41 winners and nearly 200 guests celebrated the Rising Stars recognition award Thursday night at the Comfort Suites in South Burlington. The list is comprised of young professionals under the age of 40. Award recipients were selected by a panel of judges for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities.
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