Current News

Steve Hewins, founder of Hewins Travel, based in Maine, and Scott Milne, President of Milne Travel American Express, based in Vermont, today announced that Hewins Travel’s business travel division will merge into Milne Travel American Express. Hewins Travel is a subsidiary of AAA Northern New England. Milne Travel is an American Express Travel Agency. Steve Hewins, continuing in his role as Vice President of Travel Services for AAA Northern New England, will remain with AAA, as will Hewins Travel’s retail locations.
‘We have a great deal of respect for Hewins’ leadership, travel counselors, clients, and the overall business they operate,’ said Scott Milne. ‘Our intent is for business clients and employees of Hewins Travel to be delighted with Milne as a travel management company, and as an employer’. It is anticipated all Hewins business travel staff will move over to Milne as part of the transaction.

In progressive Vermont, it’s an article of faith that spending a little extra for a bag of premium coffee beans with a Fair Trade label is a price worth paying.
A new Janus Forum debate, titled "Fair Trade Coffee: How Fair is Fair?" will hold that axiomatic belief up for scrutiny, with informed experts arguing for and against the proposition.
The debate, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 4 to 5:30 pm on October 20 in Ira Allen Chapel.
Loraine Ronchi, senior economist for African Agriculture and Rural Development at the World Bank, will argue in favor of Fair Trade. Colleen Haight, an assistant professor of economics at San Jose State University and economics program officer at the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University, will argue against it.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) on Thursday, October 13 will close a small section of Route 30 in Hubbardton so that work crews can replace a culvert that was badly damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.
The repair work ‘ which will take two days to complete ‘ is considered temporary and designed to allow Route 30 to operate safely through the winter. Crews will return sometime after winter to make more permanent repairs.
The culvert is located under Route 30 in the area along Beebe Pond. Work will begin at sunup on Thursday, October 13, and is scheduled to finish by sundown on Friday, October 14. During construction, Route 30 in this area will be closed to all traffic.

In a continuing effort to bring comfort to flood-stricken victims in Vermont, Long Trail Brewing Company has crafted a special edition ale, aptly named GOODNIGHT IRENE. This beer brings a focus to benefit those still struggling to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Irene’s devastating floods.
Immediately following Irene’s wrath, the staff at Long Trail Brewing Company moved swiftly into action, converting the Visitor Center into a make-shift shelter serving 100 ‘ 200 meals daily for a week’s period of time to those in need. According to the company’s CEO Brian Walsh, ‘We were told that there was an urgent need for materials for communities that were completely cut-off by washed out roads and bridges. We chartered a helicopter and delivered necessities like diapers, baby formula and drinking water to Rochester, VT. Some of our employees took ATVs up the mountain to remote communities to deliver essentials to those folks who were stranded.’

Thousands of Vermonters tuned in to Vermont Public Television on air and online Oct. 9 to see the Goodnight Irene Flood Relief Benefit concert by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals live from the Flynn Center in Burlington. The concert brought the band back to Potter’s home state to support the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund and the Mad River Valley Community Fund that are helping people recover from the effects of the late August floods after Tropical Storm Irene. Potter delighted fans with familiar numbers and the premiere of her song ‘The Mad, Mad River.’
Interest in the webcast of the event was so high that VPT's server crashed briefly but was restored by the time the band came on stage.

Vibrant foliage has brightened considerably this week with mid-stage to full color along the valleys and hillsides from north to south. Leaves are beginning to fall at the highest elevations, but the color display is plentiful throughout the mountain valleys where a late blossom of red maples is striking against the predominant yellow and orange.
Also, foresters expect to see more fall foliage unfold near Lake Champlain and along the Connecticut River over the next several days. While it varies by location, the color change is running four to six days later than the historical average, effectively extending the viewing season by at least a week.
While the lower elevations range from mid-stage to near peak in southern Vermont and the Champlain Valley, the mountain valleys of central and northern Vermont are expected to remain colorful through the weekend to come.

Recognized as the second largest bakery-café company worldwide, French-based Groupe Le Duff has announced the creation of Le Duff America to manage its North American café brands, which includes la Madeleine Country French Café, Vermont-based Bruegger’s Bagels, Timothy’s World Coffee and Brioche Dorée. The new organization will allow its North American brands to combine their expertise, maximize synergies and better position them for future growth. Le Duff America will serve as the umbrella organization and provide overall expertise and support in areas, such as human resources, purchasing, finance, franchise development and real estate, allowing the bakery-cafés to focus on delivering an extraordinary experience for their guests.
In addition, Le Duff America also named its new leadership team, which will be led by co-CEOs, Claude Bergeron and Jim Greco. Members of the new executive team include:

Governor Peter Shumlin today declared October 22 the first-ever ‘Vermont Clean Up Day’ inspired by the generosity of Vermonters helping the state recover from Tropical Storm Irene. Modeled on its springtime sister event ‘ Green Up Day ‘ the newly created Clean Up Day will ensure all Vermont families and communities impacted by the storm are prepared for the upcoming winter season.

‘I want to start by saying thank you for everyone’s outpouring of support, incredible generosity and patience at this difficult time,’ Gov. Shumlin said, speaking at a Richmond kick-off event with organizers and volunteers involved in Irene cleanup work. ‘None of us imagined the magnitude of damage Vermont would sustain but all of us knew that once the rains eased, we would all join together to begin the response, recovery and eventually rebuilding of our state.’

Darn Tough Vermont, domestic manufacturer of premium all-weather performance socks, has been awarded a contract to supply the United States Marine Corps (USMC) with 450,000 pairs of its Extreme Cold Weather Merino Wool Boot Socks, a style in the company’s Tactical sock line. The contract is worth about $3 million. According to Ric Cabot, president of Darn Tough Vermont, this latest award represents the company’s largest Tactical order to date and demonstrates its commitment to creating uncompromising products for U.S. warfighters.
US Senator Patrick Leahy, who secured a $1.6 million military contract for Darn Tough in 2008, said he was very pleased to see how Darn Tough leveraged that opportunity to create a major clothing line with a growing fan base among deployed troops fighting in harsh environments.

Derby Green in Derby, Vermont, is a small, 23 bed nursing home with a big, positive reputation that grows with every passing year. And that reputation recently grew again on May 17th when the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living (D.A.I.L) awarded the home with it eighth Quality Award since the department first awarded the honor in 1999. No other nursing home in the state has earned this prestigious award so many times.

The Blood in This Town,’ the documentary about Rutland, Vermont’s grassroots efforts to revitalize itself, travels to Capitol Hill this week for a screening and revitalization forum, bringing the plight and promise of America’s ailing small towns to the attention of national leaders and advocates. The event is hosted by the Northeast-Midwest Institute in cooperation with US Rep Peter Welch’s office, the Rockefeller Foundation, Great Jones Productions and the German-Marshall Fund. It will take place on Thursday, October 13 from 6:00 - 9:00pm at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.

Control room operators began removing the Vermont Yankee nuclear power station from service Saturday night (October 8) to begin its 29th refueling and maintenance outage. The shutdown of the Vernon plant will mark the completion of the plant’s 29th operating cycle. The plant began commercial operation in 1972. According to published reports, the fuel will cost $65 million and the work will cost another $35 million for a total cost of about $100 million.