Current News

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.’

There were 1,179 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, an increase of 707 from the week before in the wake of tropical storm Irene. The previous week saw a seasonal low of fewer than 500 claims. Altogether 6,869 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 408 from a week ago and 1,233 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 1,470 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 5 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 739 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/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration Commissioner Steve Kimbell has issued two bulletins to insurance companies related to the after-effects of Tropical Storm Irene:
· Bulletin 165 authorizes insurers to use catastrophe adjusters and appraisers. The authorization allows insurers to bring in additional staff to process Vermont claims.
· Bulletin 166 reviews the Commissioner’s expectations of insurers as they assist Vermonters with storm-related claims. Insurers are asked to provide temporary suspension of premium payments for Vermonters affected by the flooding and not to cancel or refuse coverage due solely to an individual’s status as a victim or evacuee of this disaster.

Today the Agency of Natural Resources issued guidance to homeowners about the need to take action if they have reason to believe their septic system has failed.
‘Vermont homeowners and businesses served by onsite wastewater disposal systems who see wastewater on the ground must take action,’ said Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz. ‘Improperly treated wastewater is a risk to human health, both through direct exposure and by entering and contaminating water supplies.’
‘Many wastewater systems will properly function once the water recedes, while other systems will require repair or replacement," said Ernie Christianson, program manager for the Wastewater Management Division of the Department of Environmental Conservation. ‘Call our regional offices for help.’

The Senate appropriations panel with jurisdiction over the budget for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) voted Tuesday to begin replenishing the depleted coffers of the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, which had fallen to insufficient levels even before Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene pummeled the East Coast and New England.

Secretary of State Jim Condos announces that since the Governor has declared a state of emergency, temporary emergency licenses for out-of-state health care providers and veterinarians are available.
Use of Vermont providers should be our highest priority before reaching out to other states.
Secretary Condos said this provision was enacted so Vermont would be better prepared to respond in the event of a disaster. It expedites the licensing process for the emergency assistance needed in the wake of a disaster like that caused by tropical storm Irene. Under normal conditions, the licensing process takes longer.

The Vermont Specialty Food Association is sponsoring two workshops on meeting the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 in Colchester (Hampton Inn) on October 4, 2011 and Rutland (Franklin Conference Center) on November 3, 2011.
Known as FSMA 2011, the law will result in some of the most sweeping changes in decades to our food safety and regulatory system. Brian Norder of Vermont Food Consulting Services and Bob Weybright of Weybright and Associates, Inc. will guide participants through key provisions of the law, and, through hands-on exercises, how to write a food safety plan to comply with the law and private food safety audits. Special emphasis will be placed on differences in requirements for small and large producers.
This project is funded in part by a USDA Rural Development Grant (USDA-RBEG.). More information of the sessions can be found at www.vtspecialtyfoods.org.