Current News

The Verizon Foundation, Verizon's philanthropic arm, will give the American Red Cross a $100,000 grant to assist in relief efforts in communities affected by Hurricane Irene. Additionally, the foundation's disaster relief incentive program will match dollar-for-dollar all donations by U.S.-based Verizon employees, up to $1,000 per employee, to the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army for Hurricane Irene relief.
"Verizon has a long tradition of running to a crisis to quickly assist communities in need," said Verizon Foundation President Rose Kirk. "It is our friends and neighbors who are affected by the devastation of Hurricane Irene, and providing this assistance is the least we can do."
Verizon Wireless customers can support relief efforts by making a $10 donation to one of nine organizations by sending a text message. Donating is easy; customers simply text a specific word to the organization's designated short code:

After a meeting this morning of House Members whose districts were devastated by Hurricane Irene, Chief Deputy Whip Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced the formation of the bipartisan Hurricane Irene Coalition.
The Coalition will serve two purposes. First, it will work to ensure FEMA has the resources it needs to support the recovery effort. Second, working with FEMA and other federal agencies, it will serve as a resource for Members to support recovery efforts their districts.
Coalition Co-chairs are Reps. Welch (D-Vt.), Gibson (R-N.Y) DeLauro (D-Conn.), Hayworth (R-N.Y.), Butterfield (D-N.C.), Marino (R-Penn.) Pascrell (D-N.J.), and Jones (R-N.C.).

Local transfer stations are working in coordination with EPA to collect household hazardous waste (HHW). See table below to find the location nearest to you. Residents that have been impacted by flooding caused by hurricane Irene need to separate their household hazardous waste (HHW). Improper disposal of HHW can pose a threat to human health and/or the environment. Leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients are considered to be HHW.
Some HHW that cannot be disposed of in normal waste containers:

An informational meeting for all Mendon residents will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 10 am at the Mendon Mountainview Lodge on Route 4 in Mendon. Up to date information on relief services, transportation, and the progress of road construction will be available.
Those residents who live on the west side of the break in Route 4 may attend. Shuttle service from the Panda Pavilion parking lot to the start of the Helvi Hill to Journey’s End walking trail will leave at 7:55 a.m. and 9:25 a.m. From Journey’s End some volunteers will be available, but residents are encouraged to arrange their own transportation pick up to get to and from the Mendon Mountainview Lodge.
For more information, please call the Mendon town office at 775-1662.

Vermont Law School faculty experts will attend opening arguments at the Vermont Yankee federal trial on Monday, September 12.
They also will continue to analyze key developments in the case on the school’s Vermont Yankee lawsuit faculty commentary blog at http://vtyankeelawsuit.vermontlaw.edu/
Professors Pat Parenteau and Cheryl Hanna will attend Monday’s opening arguments in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro.
Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC et. al. v. Shumlin et. al. is being watched nationwide because of its potential to affect nuclear power across the United States. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed Entergy’s current operating license, which expires in March 2012. But the Vermont Legislature won’t allow the state Public Service Board to issue a certificate of public good, which is required under Vermont law.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture and Department of Health want consumers to know that many of Vermont’s fruit and vegetable farms were untouched by flood waters from Tropical Storm Irene, and Vermonters should still support their local farms and farmers’ markets.
Farms that were inundated with flood waters from rivers and streams have been informed of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance that crops in which the edible portion has come in contact with flood waters are considered to be adulterated. These crops are not to be offered for sale or consumed. Vermont farmers are aware that if these adulterated products reach the marketplace they could be subject to regulatory action from the FDA or the State of Vermont.

Central Vermont Community Action Council, Inc ($67,000) is among 100 nonprofit organizations from 44 states and the District of Columbia to receive grants under the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act (PRIME), the US Small Business Administration announced today.
Grants will be used to provide business-based training and technical assistance to low-income and very low-income entrepreneurs to help them start, operate, or grow a small business. Grants will also be used to better equip community-based nonprofit organizations to provide training.

The Vermont Country Store, among the state’s top visitor destinations, is open for business. Both of its stores in Vermont, at Weston and Rockingham, were spared the destruction from Irene and are easily accessible from all major routes. However, other busineses in the same communities were not as fortunate and many lost their homes to rushing water.

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is offering technical assistance to communities and individuals to expedite flood recovery in Vermont. Staff from the agency's Water Quality Division are available to answer questions and provide technical assistance in connection with work impacting wetlands, lakes and ponds, and involving stormwater management.

Tropical Storm Irene has created great need, but has also inspired a spirit of giving and has stimulated a discussion as to how communities can build their capacity to respond during times of disaster. Through a generous gift of $250,000, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers, is providing the American Red Cross with resources to help meet immediate need as well as develop a model of community sheltering that will serve our region for years to come.

The Vermont Department of Labor can help employers and contractors who are seeking to hire workers with the clean-up, repair or demolition work.
The DOL Career Resource Centers ‘ located in 12 regions across the state ‘ have professional staff members who can help employers by using our Vermont Job-Link System to identify ‘ready and available’ workers to match to the job openings. As an example, last week a company from Johnson, Vermont working on the clean-up at the Waterbury office complex, asked DOL to refer 100 workers to them, and by the end of that same day 150 people were contacted and referred to the employer. Since last Friday, the Department has taken in over 15 job orders for more than 500 workers, and our regional offices are helping employers find laborers for these jobs.

Touched by the devastation to many Vermont communities in the wake of Hurricane Irene, including its hometown of Northfield, Vermont, and inspired by the generosity of its neighbors, Darn Tough Vermont has pledged to make an initial donation of 2,000 pairs of socks to those in need across the state. The Vermont Foodbank will strategically distribute the men’s, women’s and children’s socks throughout the state to communities hit hardest by Irene’s flooding.
‘Everyone is giving what they can during this challenging time for our state,’ said Ric Cabot, owner of Darn Tough Vermont. ‘While food and water take precedent, a new pair of socks can go a long way for a family who has lost many necessities, or for someone who is standing all day in damp, humid conditions trying to rebuild their community. I know it’s just socks, but it’s what we do.’