Current News

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.

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.