Current News

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., (NASDAQ: GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee and coffeemakers, today announced it has completed the sale of all outstanding shares of Van Houtte USA Holdings, Inc., also known as the Van Houtte U.S. Coffee Service business or "Filterfresh" business to ARAMARK Refreshment Services, LLC (ARAMARK) for an aggregate cash purchase price of approximately $145 million, subject to adjustment.
Initially announced on August 29, 2011, the transaction was completed after all of the closing conditions were satisfied, including the receipt of the required regulatory approval in the United States. The Purchase Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants and, subject to certain limitations, each party has agreed to indemnify the other for breaches of said representations, warranties and covenants and other specified matters.

Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott accepted a $25,000 donation from Aubuchon Hardware Monday to support mobile home owners affected by Tropical Storm Irene.
Deputy Housing Commissioner Jennifer Hollar and Lt. Gov. Phil Scott accept the donation
from Aubuchon President and CEO Marcus Moran, Jr.
Marcus Moran, Jr., Aubuchon President and CEO, presented the donation. The funds will support a unique public-private partnership, organized by Lt. Governor Scott and Lawrence Miller, Secretary of Commerce and Community Development, which will drastically lower costs of mobile home removal and disposal for many Vermont homeowners.
Mobile homes are more easily damaged by water and can be more difficult to repair, so for many owners of mobile homes impacted by the flood, the best option is literally to dispose of their home and start over. But that can be a very expensive undertaking for low-income families.

As recovery efforts continue to move forward, the VT Irene Flood Relief Fund has reviewed nearly 200 grant applications from many small businesses showing more than $18 million in damages from Tropical Storm Irene. To date, the advisory committee has made first round grant awards to businesses from Wilmington to Waterbury; 54 applicants have received more than $107,000 out of the nearly $250,000 that has been generously pledged by individuals and organizations . Additional pledges continue to come in, but much more effort is required in order to meet the needs of the applicants seeking assistance.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) today opened to public travel the 11-mile stretch of Route 100 that runs through Pittsfield. This segment of Route 100, which runs from the junction of Route 107 in Stockbridge to the intersection of Route 4 in Killington, received heavy damage from Tropical Storm Irene, and has been closed since the storm struck on August 28.
Reopening Route 100 through Pittsfield represents a major milestone because it allows the free flow of traffic without detours or major impediments for the entire 135-mile stretch of Route 100 between Ludlow and Newport just in time for the height of foliage season.
‘The Pittsfield area got hit very hard by the storm and received considerable damage,’ said VTrans Secretary Brian Searles. ‘While Route 100 in this area is now open and traffic is flowing well, we ask that everyone be careful as they drive through town and respect the local recovery effort that is still underway.’

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie, the Vermont National Guard commander, today marked the completion of one of the largest solar installations in Vermont and one of the largest solar projects on any National Guard base in the country.
The chairman of the Senate Green Jobs Subcommittee, Sanders helped secure $8.5 million to make the base here one of the greenest in the United States and a model for other guard installations around the country. ‘I am very appreciative and proud of what General Dubie and the Vermont National Guard have accomplished in constructing this solar project. The U.S. military is the largest consumer of energy in the world, and the Vermont National Guard is now playing a significant role in becoming a model for the Department of Defense as it moves toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy,’ Sanders said.

A Vermont ski resort has agreed to pay $80,000 for wetlands violations to settle claims by the US Environmental Protection Agency that it violated the federal Clean Water Act when it filled in just over two acres of wetlands and streams and failed to obtain proper permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
According to EPA, a construction company working for Jay Peak Resort, Inc. placed dirt, sand and rocks into numerous wetlands and streams, affecting just over two acres of wetlands and streams during construction of its golf course between 2004 and 2006 without a required permit.
This case was brought to the attention of EPA by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the spring of 2008. Since then, the Corps and EPA have worked together in pursuing this case.

With foliage beginning to reach its peak in some Vermont areas, and roadway traffic expected to increase over the next few weeks, Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary Brian Searles today reminded motorists to respect road-closed signs in storm-damaged regions of the state.
Road crews have reported that motorists in some areas are increasingly driving past signs that clearly indicate the roadway is either closed or open only to local traffic. As a result, increased traffic through construction zones is slowing work and endangering the safety of both motorists and highway workers.
‘Vermont is a spectacular place during fall-foliage season,’ Searles said. ‘The vast majority of Vermont is open to public travel and welcomes your visit,’ Searles said. ‘But when you see a road-closed sign, please respect its message and seek an alternate route.’

Governor Peter Shumlin and Agency of Transportation Secretary Brian Searles on Thursday at a barbeque in Rockingham thanked Vermont National Guard members for more than a month of exemplary service helping the state recover from flood damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene. Five Vermont guard units deployed personnel to numerous Vermont locations where they helped state and municipal highway crews rebuild both local and state roadways.
‘Guard members worked incredibly long hours to help us rebuild Vermont’s roads and bridges better than we found them before Irene,’ Gov. Shumlin said. ‘Their service and sacrifice will be remembered for generations to come.’
Vermont National Guard road rebuilding crews will begin demobilizing this weekend. Guard units and personnel deployed to aid roadway recovery included members of the following divisions:
· 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
· 86th Special Troops Battalion

Vermont's congressional delegation - Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch - today announced a $659,784 grant to the Vermont New Farmer Network (VNFN). The grant will allow VNFN to provide training and assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers to help them run successful and sustainable farms.
The Vermont New Farmers Network is a working group of agricultural organizations committed to serving the needs of new and aspiring farmers in Vermont. The grant is made possible through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). Under BFRDP, USDA makes grants to organizations that implement education, training, technical assistance and outreach programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers, specifically those who have been farming or ranching for ten years or fewer.

There were 608 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week. This is a decrease of 109 from the week before, as new claims again fell 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 5,981 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 394 from a week ago and 1,285 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 1,443 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 1 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 727 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is unchanged from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/.

In a luncheon ceremony held on Friday, September 30, 2011, at the Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield, NH, the Brattleboro Retreat bestowed the 2011 Anna Marsh Award to Senator Robert T. Gannett.
The Anna Marsh Award was established by the Brattleboro Retreat in 2009 to recognize individuals for their advocacy on behalf of people with mental illness. Gannett served on the Brattleboro Retreat Board of Trustees from 1967 to 1981.
President Simpson and Senator Gannett
‘Throughout Bob Gannett’s incredible career he has been steadfast in his commitment to helping people in need live better lives,’ said Robert E. Simpson, president and chief executive officer of the Brattleboro Retreat. ‘This award is our way of recognizing his many contributions to the community, to the Brattleboro Retreat, and to the patients we continue to serve thanks to his vision and compassion.’

People’s United Community Foundation has announced a $50,000 donation to the American Red Cross to support the disaster relief efforts that continue throughout New England in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.