Current News

Green Mountain Power is pleased to announce that Northlands Job Corps of Vergennes has been selected to host the first wind turbine installation of the Green Mountain Power & Northern Power Systems Community Wind Partnership to promote local wind power.
"This is just the first of what we hope to be many Vermont-made community-scale wind turbines in our state," said Mary Powell, president and chief executive officer of Green Mountain Power. "Distributed generation, where customers and communities produce their own electricity, is going to play an increasingly important role in our energy future. We want to help our customers realize this future in the easiest and most cost effective way possible."

Rick and Wanda Bogin, proprietors of Plymouth Travel in New Hampshire, and Scott Milne, President of Milne Travel American Express, today announced that Plymouth is merging its retail travel business into Milne Travel’s family of agencies. Rick and Wanda Bogin will continue to operate their very successful group, school, and choir tour business, independent of the Milne merger.
‘We have a great deal of respect for Rick & Wanda Bogin and the travel business that they have built in New Hampshire,’ said Scott Milne. ‘Once we complete the integration, our intent is for business and vacation clients of Plymouth Travel and other travelers in Central New Hampshire to become delighted clients of Milne Travel.’
‘We are thrilled that our clients will be well taken care of by the professionals at Milne Travel,’ stated Rick Bogin, ‘and that Wanda and I will be able to focus more of our energy arranging and leading our group tours to destinations worldwide.’

As more roads and bridges are reopened across Vermont, an integrated, online map showing road status, attractions, resorts, and the state’s information center locations has been prepared by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing in collaboration with partner organizations, Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT), Ski Vermont, the Vermont Attractions Association, and the Vermont Information Centers Division.
‘With the foliage season approaching, we felt it will be most helpful to visitors and tour operators to have all the essential information available on one map. It can be readily linked from www.VermontVacation.com and, we expect, from the websites of our partners,’ said Tourism Commissioner Megan Smith.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) has opened a Business Recovery Center in Springfield, Vermont. Businesses affected by Tropical Storm Irene between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2, should come to the Center to apply for disaster assistance.
The Center opened Wednesday, Sept. 21 at the Office of the Springfield Development Corporation, 14 Clinton Street, Springfield, VT 05156. The operating hours are from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday through Friday; Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. closed on Sundays, until further notice.
The space being utilized for the Business Recovery Center was obtained through a coordinated effort by the Vermont District Director and the Executive Director of the Springfield Regional Development Corporation, Bob Flint.

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP has announced that a class action has been commenced in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont on behalf of a proposed class of Central Vermont Public Service Corp CV +0.21% shareholders who held CVPS shares during the period beginning May 30, 2011 through and including the closing of the proposed acquisition of CVPS by Gaz Metro Limited Partnership ("Gaz Metro").

Governor Peter Shumlin today announced that FEMA approved an Individual Assistance Declaration for Franklin, Lamoille and Orleans Counties, enabling homeowners and business owners to apply for federal financial assistance for everything from rebuilding costs to temporary housing expenses.
‘I appreciate the Obama administration moving so quickly to approve this request,’ the Governor said. ‘This assistance will help Vermonters who have suffered damage or the loss of their homes and businesses get back on their feet.’
Gov. Shumlin also thanked Vermont’s congressional delegation ‘ Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Peter Welch ‘ for continuing to press Congress to replenish FEMA’s disaster assistance fund.

Renewable Energy Vermont (REV) hailed this week's release of the draft Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP). With a call for 90 percent renewable energy by 2050, the draft plan sends a clear signal that the Green Mountain state is taking bold steps to open its doors for robust economic development and job creation by deploying 21st century energy infrastructure.

Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today hoped for quick House approval next week of a Senate-passed bill to provide $6.9 billion in additional federal disaster relief funds for Vermont and other states.
The measure includes $5.1 billion in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund. Of that, $500 million would be available immediately. The rest would go to other departments and agencies that have seen their coffers dwindle in a year when there have been more natural disasters than usual. The Department of Agriculture would receive $266 million for emergency programs. Additional resources are allotted to the Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Commerce, and the Army Corps of Engineers.

By Bruce Lisman. I was disappointed to read the editorial ‘Ethan Allen’s Legacy,’ on September 10 in both the Times Argus and Rutland Herald, which continues a harmful trend of divisiveness over politics and our economy. The editorial revived old liberal versus conservative arguments and then for good measure threw Wal-Mart under the bus as an example of a corporation weighing on small businesses while ignoring that some people prefer to shop there. Not only was the editorial badly timed, while we collectively recover from Irene, but these sentiments leave little room for finding unity and common ground.

Forty research universities, including the University of Vermont, today revealed details about how they are working to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization of research results leading to economic growth and job development in their states.

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 a ceremony Thursday night 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.

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy witnessed the signing of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act at an event in Alexandria, Virginia, today. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law, capping a six-year bipartisan effort led by Leahy to enact the first comprehensive reforms to the nation’s patent system in nearly six decades. Vermont has the highest number of patents per capita in the nation.
‘Vermonters have a long legacy of innovation and creativity. With the improvements included in the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, that legacy is sure to continue.