Current News

There were 1,076 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week. While this is a decrease of 103 from the week before, this is still a very high level of claims as a result of the economic impact of tropical storm Irene. Two weeks previous saw a seasonal low of fewer than 500 claims. Altogether 6,800 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 69 from a week ago and 578 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 1,458 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 12 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 735 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is a decrease of 4 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/.

The state of Vermont will get $2,246,844 as the US Department of Labor today announced awards totaling $191.5 million to 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico for unemployment insurance program integrity and technology infrastructure systems. The grants are intended to accelerate actions to reduce UI improper payment rates; provide an opportunity for modernizing UI tax and benefits systems; and enable the design of technology-based tools to prevent, detect and recover improper UI payments.

"I was pleased to join Vice President Biden today in announcing efforts to reduce government waste, fraud and abuse," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "We owe it to the American people, especially those who rely on unemployment insurance as a safety net, to be responsible stewards. This funding will help ensure state UI programs have integrity and run efficiently."

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded Vermont more than $393 thousand in grants to help public and assisted housing residents find employment; connect with needed services; and help the elderly and people with disabilities maintain independent living. The funding also allows the grantees to retain or hire ‘service coordinators’ or case workers to work directly with these HUD-assisted families to connect them to the supportive services that meet their individual needs.
See chart below for Vermont entities receiving funding.

VERMONT PH-FSS, ROSS-SC and MHSC GRANTS

Recipient Name

Funding Amount: PH-FSS

Funding Amount: ROSS-SC

Funding Amount: MHSC

Brattleboro Housing Authority

$69,000

Burlington Housing Authority

$222,000

Rutland Housing Authority

$65,477

Mountaha, LLC (Saint Albans)

$37,009

SUBTOTAL

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) today opened three storm-damaged bridges along Route 12A that will provide area residents better access to both Route 100 and Interstate 89.

A short segment of Route 12A in Roxbury just north of Carrie Howe Road still remains closed as both a culvert and a bridge still need to be replaced, but the three newly opened bridges allow Roxbury residents to travel north to Northfield as well as south to Randolph along Route 12A.

‘In all three locations, we were able to repair and reopen bridges that were damaged by Tropical Storm Irene,’ said VTrans Secretary Brian Searles. ‘These repairs allow residents of not only Roxbury, but also Granville and Braintree to have access to Interstate 89, which will return their travel ability to close to normal.’

Vermont Public Television, Vermont’s statewide public television network, is making plans for a new, locally produced magazine program on air and online with the working title ‘Green Mountain Guide.’ VPT aims for an early 2012 launch of a weekly showcase for interesting people, regional culture, outdoor experiences, local history and important public issues.
Audiences will notice a few other changes to VPT’s production landscape. The call-in program ‘Public Square’ will not return this fall. While VPT plans to continue its examination and discussion of important issues, they will be handled during the magazine show or through more prominent special reports.

In recent weeks, many Vermont hurricane- and tropical storm-damaged businesses have sought emergency financing assistance from the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA). In addition, VEDA wants to make sure Vermont farmers also take full advantage of the special financing assistance.
‘On August 28th, Governor Peter Shumlin announced the immediate availability of up to $10 million in special low-interest VEDA financing for Vermont businesses and farms who suffered damage as a result of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Irene,’ said VEDA Chief Executive Officer Jo Bradley. ‘While we’ve been receiving numerous applications for financing assistance from flood-damaged commercial businesses, we are concerned that Vermont farms damaged by Irene may not be completely aware of resources that are available to them,’ Bradley said.

The US Small Business Administration’s Regional Administrator for New England, Jeanne Hulit is encouraging survivors affected by Tropical Storm Irene in the State of Vermont to register for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and return completed SBA disaster loan applications to get the help they need.
The SBA’s low-interest disaster loan program is the primary source of federal funds for long-term recovery for uninsured damages caused by a declared disaster. ‘We are coordinating recovery efforts with our SBA Resource Partners along with federal, state and local stakeholders in the declared disaster area to ensure affected survivors receive proper assistance from the SBA. Taking time to complete and return the loan application package to the SBA is an important part of the recovery process,’ Hulit said.

Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, continues to climb in the college rankings, advancing to 13th place overall in the latest ranking in the 2012 "America's Best Colleges," released Tuesday by US News & World Report.
Earlier this year, Champlain was included in The Princeton Review's "376 Best Colleges 2012" edition and was named one of the Top 10 places to study game design by GamePro magazine.

The dealer partnership between installer ReVision Energy and solar tracker manufacturer AllEarth Renewables of Williston, Vermont, was announced today. The new partnership will bring the innovative Vermont-manufactured AllSun Tracker solar electric system to homeowners and businesses throughout northern New England.
Designed and manufactured in Williston, AllSun Trackers use innovative GPS and wireless solar technology to follow the sun throughout the day to boost solar energy production by up to 45 percent. The ground-mounted solar systems are designed for homes, businesses, non-profits, and commercial-scale installations.
In northern Vermont, a single 4.2 kW solar tracker will produce an average of 490kWh of energy per month’enough to power the majority of an average New England home.

A $7 billion emergency aid bill for victims of Hurricane Irene, including the flooding in Vermont, and other natural disasters advanced to the next legislative step in the Senate late Tuesday as an initial Republican filibuster on the bill was broken in a vote of 61 to 38. The bill will replenish the depleted coffers of the Emergency Relief Fund of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
In a Senate Floor speech illustrated with stark photos of the devastation wrought upon Vermont's highways and transportation infrastructure, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) urged the Senate to overcome "political games and point-scoring" in considering disaster relief remedies. Leahy is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee which last week drafted and approved the core of the disaster relief bill now before the Senate.

The University of Vermont rose 12 places in the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings to 82, a larger jump than any other school in the National Universities category but one.
UVM was also ranked 36th among 172 public universities, up from 41st last year, and was included on the magazine’s list of "A+ Schools for B Students."
"The quality of the UVM experience isn't defined by the rankings, but they do generate attention when they come out each year," said UVM provost Jane Knodell. "This year's uptick is driven by an increase in our reputation score, and by our improved retention and graduation rates, which can be directly linked to our investments in academics and the student experience in recent years. It reinforces the importance of sustaining our current strategic focus on implementing an innovative undergraduate general education program and continuing to enhance student success and satisfaction through a variety of linked initiatives."

The Vermont Telecommunications Authority recently welcomed new Board members, Pam Mackenzie, Chairwoman, and Representative Sam Young of Glover. Ms. Mackenzie, a former Comcast executive and active Board member with Chittenden County United Way and Vice Chair of the Vermont Public Television Board of Directors was appointed by Governor Shumlin.
Prior to joining Comcast in 2006, Mackenzie held various positions within the cable industry, including serving as Area Vice President of Adelphia Communications of Northern Ohio, Area Vice President for Adelphia in Western Pennsylvania. Mackenzie has also served as Regional Manager and General Manager for several systems in Arizona and California.
Before entering the cable industry, Mackenzie held several posts at the White House during the Carter Administration, including Director of Logistics, Management Analyst and Assistant Director of Presidential Correspondence.