Current News
by tim
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, Vermont was hit with what the Governor called the worst flooding in a century. Many roads and bridges are still out. For the latest information, scroll down this list to see more available map layers, and see the websites linked here:
VT Governor Peter Shumlin on Twitter
Vermont Agency of Transportation
Vermont Outage Map
CVPS Outage Information
VT Response
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Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of fair trade products in the United States has named Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers, the largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certifiedâ ¢ coffee in the world for 2010. In calendar year 2010, GMCR purchased over 26 million pounds of Fair Trade Certifiedâ ¢ coffee.
GMCR has actively supported fair trade since 2000, when it first partnered with Fair Trade USA and committed to bring fair trade coffee to mainstream coffee drinkers. Through its family of specialty coffee brands, GMCR makes fair trade coffee available through specialty and mass retailers, grocery, club and convenience stores, offices, quick-serve restaurants, and online. The Green Mountain Coffee® brand offers the largest selection of Fair Trade Certified coffees in the United States.
by tim
When communities and organizations need the most help, The Coca-Cola Foundation is there, steadfast in its commitment to create a positive difference. During the third quarter, the Foundation awarded more than $1.6 million in grants to nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and Canada.
In the last three months, the country has experienced unprecedented natural disasters including heatwaves, hurricanes and flooding. The damage from these has been devastating, especially for some parts of the Northeast U.S. The Coca-Cola Foundation is pleased to be able to assist affected communities in disaster relief efforts. In addition to providing beverages immediately following the devastation of Hurricane Irene, the Foundation also earmarked $50,000 to support disaster relief efforts. A $25,000 grant will benefit the American Red Cross to support relief efforts in upstate New York, while another $25,000 grant will support the United Way's Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.
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Todd Warren, the Owner and President of Otter Creek Awnings, Sunrooms & Custom Closets, Inc. announced the purchase of Closet Crafters Inc. ‘We are excited and very proud to announce the addition of Closet Crafters to our growing closet division. This acquisition will provide our customers with an expanded product line and continued expertise in personalized closet design and professional installation,’ said Warren.
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In August 2011, New England posted an 8.9 percent increase in sales compared to August 2010, indicating that the housing market continues to recover. Vermont helped fuel the surge, with year-over-year home sales up 18.8 percent. However, it was also the only state in the region to post month-to-month declines in both units sold, -6.7 percent, and median price, -3.3 percent.
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Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) is playing a significant role in updating Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan. A draft of the plan is open for public comment until October 10.
The IEE was commissioned by the Vermont Department of Public Service (DPS) to craft a background to the plan, which addresses Vermont's energy future for electricity, thermal energy, transportation and land use. The plan, which was last updated in 1998, is being developed by the DPS in collaboration with other state agencies, the public and stakeholders such as VLS.
‘Our goal was to support the plan and create a map of the regulatory and legal landscape of Vermont’s energy policy,’ said Professor Michael Dworkin, director of the IEE. ‘The plan is to be used by decision makers and a lay audience who are looking for the forest, not the trees.’
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US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced this afternoon that the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved his amendment to add $1.9 billion in emergency assistance for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to help rebuild roads and bridges washed out by Hurricane Irene and other federal disasters. The committee’s bill also includes key waivers that would allow Vermont to access all of the funding it needs without overly burdensome cost-sharing requirements.
The provisions were included in the annual transportation funding bill that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved on Wednesday ‘ a key step for this legislation. Leahy is the second-most-senior member of the committee and also a senior member of its transportation funding subcommittee. The bill now moves to the full Senate for its consideration.
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The Vermont Department of Labor is pleased to announce that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved an Individual Assistance Declaration for three additional counties: Franklin, Lamoille and Orleans Counties.
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) are jointly holding a series of six meetings to discuss progress on the Lake Champlain Phosphorus cleanup plan, technically referred to as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The first round of meetings will be from October 4-6, 2011.
These meetings are the next step in gathering stakeholder input on practices, policies, and funding commitments necessary to achieve phosphorus pollution load reductions required by the TMDL. The meetings will also explore additional actions that should be taken if certain nonpoint source actions are not implemented according to the established timeline. Participants will also hear from a technical team tasked with updating and analyzing watershed and lake modeling data. These meetings will build on progress described in the Revised Implementation Plan for the Lake Champlain Phosphorus TMDL, dated January 15, 2010.
by tim
Mobile home park residents will talk about the devastating impact of Irene on mobile home parks and speak out about what they describe as the lack of assistance for the specific needs of mobile home park residents after the storm.
What: Press conference with mobile home park residents from across Vermont to set the record straight about the recovery efforts that are leaving them out and announce a petition for additional assistance for some of Vermont’s most vulnerable residents.
When: Saturday September 24th, 2011 at 11 am
Where: Weston’s Mobile Home Park off Rt 12 in Berlin
Who: Weston’s Mobile Home Park residents have invited peers from across the state to join them along with their state representatives, Governer Peter Shumlin, and Vermont’s Federal Congressional Delegation.
by tim
At the 5x5x5 Growth awards on September 15, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin took the occasion to not only acknowledge the Vermont companies being recognized for their five-year growth, but in the midst of Tropical Storm Irene recovery, he talked about the spirit of Vermonters that has led to such a fast recovery from the devestation left by the August 28th storm.
Irene photos contained in the video were taken by Steve Costello of CVPS, and VBM reporters Ed Barna, Robert Smith and Joyce Marcel. The video was shot by Nick Rivers.
Vermont Business Magazine and KeyBank celebrated the achievements of the five fastest growing businesses in five categories over the last five years in Vermont at the DoubleTree in South Burlington.
The 25 extraordinary companies are listed below. AllEarth Renewables had the distinction of being the fastest overall company with 5,250 percent growth over five years.
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Governor Shumlin was joined by business leaders and individual Vermonters today to thank them for their generous donations to the Irene recovery efforts.
‘These donors have stepped forward to provide well over one million dollars towards Vermont’s recovery,’ said Governor Shumlin. ‘This assistance will provide both short and long term recovery opportunities to Vermonters who need help getting back on their feet.’
The state of Vermont recognizes the importance of all donations, large and small. Governor Shumlin was joined today by Edmunds Elementary School Principal Dr. Shelly Mathias and students Emma Goodwin and Aviva Strong, who raised 51 dollars for Rochester Elementary School by singing on their block for two days and holding a bake sale.