Current News

This list of contractors and sub-contractors is intended for people and businesses looking for a contractor, subcontractor or supplier as the state re-builds following the damage done by Tropical Storm Irene. As a reminder, the deadline for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance is now November 15, 2011. To register for Individual Assistance disaster assistance, call 800-621-FEMA (3362). Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use a TTY can call 800-462-7585 directly, or 800-621-3362, if using 711 or Video Relay Service. Registration can also be done online anytime at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or through web-enabled mobile phone devices or smartphones at m.fema.gov.
Any contractor wishing to be added to the list or needing their listing updated may call Theresa at Vermont Business Magazine at 802/863-8038. There is no charge.

Vermont continues to show resiliency in the home price market, as prices were down over the last year four-tenths of one percent (see table below). When distressed sales were taken out of the equation, the average home value in Vermont actually increased 2.5 percent. CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released its August Home Price Index (HPI) which shows that home prices in the US decreased 0.4 percent on a month-over-month basis, the first monthly decline in four months. According to the CoreLogic HPI, national home prices, including distressed sales, also declined on a year-over-year basis by 4.4 percent in August 2011 compared to August 2010. This follows a decline of 4.8 percent* in July 2011 compared to July 2010. Excluding distressed sales, year-over-year prices declined by 0.7 percent in August 2011 compared to August 2010 and by 1.7* percent inJuly 2011 compared to July 2010.

Representative Alison Clarkson, chair of the Legislative Council Committee, today announced the hiring of Luke Martland as the next Director and Chief Counsel of the Vermont Legislative Council. Martland has a decade of experience in New York state government, including leadership roles within the offices of the Attorney General and the Governor.
‘We are thrilled to have Luke join Legislative Council,’ said Rep. Clarkson. ‘He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will be invaluable to legislators and his colleagues. We look forward to working with Luke in his new role.’
As the head of the Vermont Legislative Council, Martland will oversee 52 full-time and session-only non-partisan legal, editorial, IT, and support staff. The position also requires Martland to make drafting assignments, provide legal advice to members, coordinate with other legislative offices, and act as the office’s spokesperson.

Congress learned today just how well their home states are doing in terms of caring for our sickest Americans. According to a "Report Card" published by the Center to Advance Palliative Care, the nation overall gets a "B" grade, up from a "C," when the report was first released in 2008.
"The good news is that over the last ten years hospital palliative care teams have more than doubled," said Dr. Diane E. Meier, director of the Center and co-author of the study America's Care of Serious Illness: A State-by-State Report Card on Access to Palliative Care in Our Nation's Hospitals. "The bad news is that despite its enormous benefits to patients and care givers, millions of seriously ill Americans still do not have access. Given the will of Congress to assure patients receive high quality care while reducing costs, it seems that palliative care should be a natural part of that prescription."

Vermont native Grace Potter will return to her home state on Sunday, Oct. 9, for her ‘Goodnight Irene: Flood Relief Benefit’ concert in Burlington. Potter and her band, The Nocturnals, organized the benefit to raise money to go directly to Vermont businesses, farms and families devastated by the flooding after August’s Hurricane Irene. Vermont Public Television (VPT) will broadcast two hours of the concert live from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and webcast it at the same time on vpt.org.
VPT is a statewide network covering Vermont and neighboring areas of New Hampshire, New York and Canada.
The Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund and the Mad River Valley Community Fund will benefit from the event. VPT has arranged for TV viewers to contribute to the cause by phone or online as they enjoy the concert.
The concert will be at the historic Flynn Center. It sold out within hours after tickets became available.

On August 28, 2011 Tropical Storm Irene dumped torrential rain onto the Green Mountains, and Vermonters became victims of historic flooding. Among those who suffered the most devastating losses were the state’s farmers. As part of the nation-wide effort to help, Sam Lincoln and Buster Olney, brothers who grew up on a Randolph Center dairy farm, are raising funds to aid farmers in need through what is being called Going to Bat for Vermont Farmers.
The fundraising effort includes an online auction at www.BattingForVermont.com, a November 12th Baseball Roundtable being held at Vermont Technical College, and direct donations. All proceeds raised through Going to Bat for Vermont Farmers will be donated to the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund. The fund was established by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and The Vermont Community Foundation in the aftermath of Irene and makes grants directly to farmers affected by the storm.

To show off its new finished office space, The Times Argus is welcoming local dignitaries and the public to attend an open house on Tuesday, October 11, from 1 to 6 pm at its plant at 540 North Main Street in Barre.
The daily newspaper has published every day since floodwaters May 26-27 knocked out the newsroom, business office and press. Over the last four and half months, the newspaper's staff has been working in temporary offices, as well as from the Vermont Press Bureau in Montpelier, while renovations were completed.
Last month, operations were moved back, and the building was re-opened to the public.

At the close of the fiscal year, September 20, 2011, SBA loans in New England totaled 4,543 loans worth $1.1 Billion, with SBA Vermont loan volume closing at 307 loans for more than $60 million. Spurred in part by unprecedented loan volume in the year’s first quarter, small business loans backed by the US Small Business Administration nationwide in FY2011 reached the highest mark in the agency’s history, supporting over $30 billion, continuing the rebound begun in 2009 and returning to healthy pre-recession levels in the final three quarters of the year.

The FEMA registration deadline for disaster assistance for individuals and families, called Individual Assistance, is October 31, 2011. This may include housing repair grants or temporary rental assistance as well as reimbursement for personal property losses. The designated counties eligible for Individual Assistance are: Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Orange, Rutland, Washington, Windham, Lamoille, Franklin, Orleans and Windsor.
Register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov, or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The only way to be eligible for FEMA assistance is to register with FEMA.

Vtrim Healthy Weight Management is now positioned to take it's science-based weight management program to the broader commercial market. Since raising $650,000 in capital, Vtrim CEO and Managing Director Krista M.C. Conley and her team have positioned Vtrim to be the leading online weight-loss treatment choice for individuals, families, and businesses seeking improved health and easier access to proven expert support.
Based on over 30 years of research within the field of obesity treatment, Vtrim began as a University of Vermont study measuring the effectiveness of online weight loss programs. In January 2011, University of Vermont leadership and Conley signed an exclusive license agreement, opening the door for their academic, college-accredited program to reach the broader public. The new firm has created six management positions in Middlebury and will hire additional personnel in 2012.

The Vermont Community Foundation has announced that its Special and Urgent Needs-Irene Recovery Fund has awarded $35,000 in its first month of grantmaking to seven Vermont nonprofit organizations impacted by Tropical Storm Irene. The grants come two weeks after application guidelines were posted and four weeks after the fund was established to address the short-term needs of nonprofits directly impacted by Irene.
Total contributions received or pledged to the fund exceed $228,000 and include a generous $100,000 donation from TransCanada, the fund’s lead contributor.
The grants, which fund up to $5,000, are available to nonprofits, public agencies, and municipalities that sustained damage from Irene or face significant resource challenges in providing services for those affected by Irene. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and grant decisions are made within 14 days of application submissions.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) at 10 am on Thursday, October 6, 2011, will close a small section of Route 14 in East Montpelier that was damaged by spring flooding and exacerbated by Tropical Storm Irene. The road is expected to remain closed into November.
Route 14 between its intersection with Route 2 and Northstar Fireworks was restricted to one lane on September 26 due to the roadway beginning to slide into the Winooski River. Engineers originally believed the road could be repaired while maintaining one lane of traffic, but the roadway continues to undermine.
Electronic message boards beginning Wednesday will warn motorists of the coming closure.