Current News

The US Small Business Administration announced today that a recovery center will open at the Brattleboro Development Credit Center inBrattleboro on Tuesday, October 11 at 8 a.m. to assist individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Irene.
"Due to the amount of physical and economic losses caused by Hurricane Irene in Vermont, we want to make it more convenient for victims to get assistance by opening a SBA recovery center. Survivors can meet individually with SBA representatives and find out how a low-interest disaster loan can help them recover," said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA's Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.
The Center is located in the following community and open as indicated:
Windham County

Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation
76 Cotton Mill Hill, 2nd Floor
Brattleboro, VT 05301
Opens: Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Hours: 8 a.m. ‘ 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
until further notice.

Vermont Business Magazine issued the following correction related to a story on FairPoint Communications in its October 2011 issue:
‘A photo caption from 2009 was mistakenly attached to a photo on page 43 in the October 2011 issue that indicated that regulators are questioning FairPoint's continued operation. That is not the case. The accompanying article discusses FairPoint’s response to Tropical Storm Irene and its future plans and should not have contained outdated and incorrect information. We regret the error."
Timothy McQuiston, Editor. 10.7.2011

There were 572 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week. This is a decrease of 36 from the week before, as new claims fell for the thrid consecutive week following a two-week spike in claims resulting from Tropical Storm Irene. The week prior to the storm saw a seasonal low of fewer than 500 claims. Altogether 5,787 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 194 from a week ago and 1,475 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 1,412 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 31 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 722 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is 5 fewer than the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded two grants in Vermont totaling $449,987 to Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity and Vermont Legal Aid, Inc to assist people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination.
Nationally, HUD awarded $28 million. The grants announced today are funded through HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) and will be used to investigate allegations of housing discrimination, and work to promote equal housing opportunities. (See below for breakdown of VT funding)
‘The Obama Administration is committed to ending housing discrimination, and these grants enable local fair housing and community organizations all over the nation to help HUD enforce the Fair Housing Act, and make people more aware of their fair housing rights,’ stated HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has opened the 4-mile stretch of Route 100 that runs from Readsboro to Heartwellville. This segment of Route 100, which connects Route 100 to Route 8, received heavy damage from Tropical Storm Irene, and has been closed since the storm struck on August 28.
Reopening this portion of Route 100 marks a significant milestone for the Rutland Incident Command Center, which was established following Tropical Storm Irene, as it is the command center’s final section of roadway that remained closed. Although several roads within the Rutland command center’s sphere of operation remain under construction, all of its roads are now open to pubic travel.
Immediately following Irene, VTrans divided the state into three incident command areas: southwest, southeast and north. The Rutland Incident Command Center covers 52 towns in Vermont’s southwest region.

State Auditor Tom Salmon, CPA, and the New England Municipal Resource Center (NEMRC) have joined together to provide informational seminars for municipal officials regarding the accounting procedures required by FEMA and how to prepare for a FEMA audit. Also participating are Larry Arnold, FEMA’s DHS OIG manager, and CPA Fred Duplessis of Sullivan Powers Co. in Montpelier.
According to NEMRC President Ernie Saunders these training sessions will help indentify best practices, proper documentation and procurement, and optimal reimbursements.
‘These seminars are designed to help define the expectations and pitfalls that may occur during the coming months and how we can plan and work together to make the best of a bad situation,’ Saunders said.

The Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors issued the following statement Thursday in support of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement:
"We, the Ben & Jerry's Board of Directors, compelled by our personal convictions and our Company’s mission and values, wish to express our deepest admiration to all of you who have initiated the non-violent Occupy Wall Street Movement and to those around the country who have joined in solidarity. The issues raised are of fundamental importance to all of us. These include:

Vermont is open and the beauty of its fall foliage is more spectacular than ever thanks to the unprecedented recovery achieved in just five weeks, according to the Vermont Country Store.’Vermonters have worked tirelessly to get our great state open again after the damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene,’ said Bill Shouldice, president and CEO of The Vermont Country Store. ‘With the all-important Fall Foliage season upon us, we are incredibly proud of the efforts of so many that helped re-build our roads, so folks could enjoy the experience of our brilliant colors, and our genuine hospitality. We have long held that the strength of Vermont is in its people, and that has never been more evident.
"The Vermont Country Store is just one of thousands of businesses with the ‘OPEN’ sign out, ready to welcome millions during October,’ former Vermont Commerce Secretary Shouldice said.

Vermont Business Magazine announced today the winners of its Rising Stars recognition award. The list is comprised of winners 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.
‘We are thrilled by the response to this initiative to recognize these up-and-coming leaders,’ said VBM Publisher John Boutin. ‘We received many outstanding nominations and the judges had a difficult time getting it down to only 40. The latest census report shows that Vermont is the second oldest state in the US, but these young professionals show that Vermont is not losing its young talent. For these young professionals it’s not just about business. It’s about them making a difference in their communities.’

The Vermont Superior Court, Washington Unit, issued a decision on Tuesday in favor of the State in its campaign finance law enforcement action brought against the Republican Governors Association (’RGA’). The Court found that the RGA ran two political advertisements from August to October 2010, one promoting candidate Brian Dubie and the other attacking candidate Peter Shumlin, but did not register with the Secretary of State’s Office or file required disclosure reports. The Court also found that the RGA accepted contributions in excess of $2,000, in violation of Vermont’s limit on contributions to political committees. The RGA advertisements were in addition to others that it broadcast in the name of its Vermont PAC, Green Mountain Prosperity PAC (’GMP’). The RGA’s total spending on the Vermont gubernatorial race in 2010, both directly and through GMP, was over $900,000.

Highlighted by an extended period of sunshine forecast through the Columbus Weekend, comfortable temperatures and brightening foliage are anticipated as Vermont’s color progression moves southward and into the lower elevations.
The first widespread frost of the season on Thursday morning is expected to accelerate the color change into the mountain valleys where a predominant green has lingered longer than usual this year.
‘All the gap roads are near peak or at least at mid-stage. Beautiful! The views of the Green Mountains from these roads are world class in any season, but especially incredible with the hardwoods pastels contrasted against the softwoods rugged green,’ says Addison County Forester Chris Olson.

The Vermont-manufactured AllSun Tracker has been selected as a top green product for 2012.
The award announcement was made today at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Toronto, Canada.
The tenth annual BuildingGreen Top-10 product award recognizes the most innovative and exciting green building products of the year. Manufactured by the Williston, Vt.-based AllEarth Renewables, the AllSun Tracker was the only solar PV product to receive an award.
The AllSun Tracker is a pole-mounted solar energy system that uses GPS and wireless technology to follow the sun throughout the day allowing it to produce up to 45 percent more energy than typical fixed systems.