Current News

Comcast and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin will host a press conference to kick off the Internet Essentials Program in Vermont, a new initiative that helps connect low-Income families with children who are eligible for a free lunch under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to the Internet. The goal of Internet Essentials is to help get more American families online and help close the digital divide.
WHO: Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin - CONFIRMED
Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell (invited)
Vermont Speaker of the House Shap Smith (invited)
City of Winooski Mayor Michael O’Brien - CONFIRMED
City of Winooski Superintendent of Schools Mary Martineau - CONFIRMED
Mary Alice McKenzie, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington - CONFIRMED

As road workers open up access to the most remote and damaged areas and home repairs are made in the wake of Hurricane Irene, Central Vermont Public Service is asking customers who can now take service to contact the company.
‘As we said, we have restored power to all customers that we could access and that could safely take electrical service, but as state inspectors and licensed electricians sign off on re-energizing additional homes and businesses, or as they become accessible, we are asking customers to call CVPS at 1-800-649-2877 so we can reconnect service,’ spokeswoman Christine Rivers said.
Any electrical apparatus, such as electrical panels and breakers, must be replaced if they were submerged in flooding. An electrician cannot approve such equipment for reconnect by simply inspecting it, it must be replaced.

Revision Military, based in Essex Junction, the recognized global leader in ballistic and laser eye protection, launches into the head protection arena with the introduction of its new Batlskin Head Protection System. The first fully integrated and fully modular solution of its kind, the Batlskin Head Protection System combines groundbreaking technology and design, with new materials and innovative processes to deliver an all-new ballistic helmet shell, trauma liner, front mount, retention system, mandible guard and visor. The result is a single, fully integrated system that provides excellent protection from blunt force, blast and ballistic threats, with a lightweight wearability for peak performance.

Waterbury VT The recovery effort from tropical storm Irene is entering its third week while a massive undertaking to rebound continues in Vermont. Today, members of the all-volunteer VT Irene Flood Relief Fund gathered at one of the many small businesses affected by Irene to update the public about the funds raised and the process for how financial assistance will be distributed to eligible small business.
VT Irene Flood Relief Fund was founded on September 1, 2011 by Todd Bailey, an Associate at KSE Partners in Montpelier. On Monday, Bailey gathered with other members of the fund s grant selection committee at Waterbury Service Center to provide an update on the Fund s efforts to date. Currently, more than 20 fundraising events have been held or are in the planning stages for the purposes of raising money.

By Don Vickers. The school year has begun, and Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) is once again available to provide statewide services to families, new or continuing college students, and adult learners.
Saving for College
September is College Savings Month ‘ an ideal time for parents, grandparents, or others to open an account in the Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan (VHEIP). VSAC administers this ‘529’ college savings plan on behalf of the state of Vermont.
VHEIP offers six investment options, affordable minimum contributions, and state and federal tax benefits. Vermont taxpayers contributing to VHEIP by the end of December can apply for a state income tax credit when filing their 2011 returns.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont announced today that it will contribute $150,000 to support relief activities for Vermonters who suffered losses as a result of flooding due to Hurricane Irene.
‘Our state has suffered a disaster of historic proportions, but Vermonters have responded with extraordinary compassion and support for those who have suffered the most because of the terrible flooding that occurred,’ said BCBSVT President and CEO Don George.
‘As the state’s only Vermont-based health plan, it is important to BCBSVT and to its more than 340 employees to do as much as we can to support our neighbors in the difficult weeks and months ahead.’

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) opened Route 9 Friday to full public travel, restoring a critical east-west travel corridor that is vital to safety, mobility and state commerce.
The agency today also reopened a bridge along Route 30 at the Dummerston and Newfane town line. The opening reestablishes public access along Route 30 as far northwest as Jamaica, where the road remains closed due to storm damage that is still under repair.
Tropical Storm Irene caused considerable damage along Route 9, knocking out a bridge in Woodford and washing away several roadway segments between Marlboro and West Brattleboro. Route 9 through the heart of Wilmington also received considerable damage. As a result, the entire 35-mile stretch of Route 9 between Woodford and West Brattleboro was closed.

by Brian Searles, VTrans Secretary. When Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont two weeks ago, Vermont’s highway crews were on the front lines of the disaster. Throughout the night of the storm, I was in contact with men and women who were battling floods and torrential rain to close unsafe roads and try to assess damage to bridges and highways, often at great risk to themselves. The work of these highway maintenance workers during and after the flood has been nothing short of heroic. They’ve showed how much we Vermonters are capable of when the chips are down.
That’s what gives me hope that we, as a state and as your transportation agency, will get through this.
To illustrate how far we’ve come since Irene tore through Vermont: Immediately after the storm, there were 166 closures on the Vermont State Highway System. By September 8, there only 33 roads and 14 bridges were closed.

The Vermont Foliage Force, a task force of Vermont state, business and non-profit entities working to restore Vermont fall tourism, is asking businesses and individuals to share images of their Vermont today, in real-time. The task force is requesting unedited and authentic portrayals of our towns, roadways and scenery that can be used in their fall foliage marketing campaign.
Vermonters can share their favorite leaf-peeping routes via video or upload scenic photos on www.vermontpartners.com. These images and stories will be used to share the vibrancy of our state events, resiliency and character in a See Vermont Like a Local campaign directed by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation will be holding applicant briefings for communities in counties granted a Public Assistance disaster declaration following floods from Tropical Storm Irene. Attendance at this meeting is encouraged to learn about the FEMA process.

The Vermont Arts Council is pleased to announce that Governor Peter Shumlin has appointed Sydney Lea of Newbury as Vermont’s next Poet Laureate to succeed Ruth Stone, whose four-year term ends in 2011. A public ceremony honoring Mr. Lea will be held on November 4 at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. The ceremony will be attended by Governor Shumlin as part of an evening celebrating the arts in Vermont.

Phish will play a special show at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, Vermont, next Wednesday, September 14th. The concert, the band's first since 2004, will benefit Vermont flood recovery efforts. In the wake of Hurricane Irene, the band's home state of Vermont experienced its worst flooding in a century, which devastated communities throughout the state.
"It's been heartbreaking to see all the loss and destruction that came from the storm," said Phish keyboardist Page McConnell. "Vermont is very much a part of who we are as a band. We're really looking forward to playing this show and we hope the money raised will make a difference in the recovery and rebuilding effort."