Current News

Central Vermont Public Service (NYSE: CV) reported consolidated earnings of $9.2 million, or 67 cents per diluted share of common stock, for the first six months of 2011 compared to $5.6 million, or 46 cents per diluted share of common stock, for the same period in 2010. Second-quarter earnings were $0.7 million or 5 cents per common share, 6 cents lower than in 2010. The improved earnings overall were driven in part by increases in operating revenue and decreases in operating expenses and storm restoration costs compared to the first six months of 2010, reduced in the second quarter by costs associated with the company's pending sale to a subsidiary of Gaz Metro Limited Partnership, Northern New England Energy Corporation, which also owns Green Mountain Power Corporation, the second largest utility in Vermont.

Year-to-date earnings of $9.2 million, or 67 cents per diluted share, 21 cents higher than 2010

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 117,000 in July, and the unemployment
rate was little changed at 9.1 percent, down from 9.2 percent in June, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. Job gains occurred in health care, retail trade, manufacturing,
and mining. Government employment continued to trend down. The drop in the unemployment rate is attributed mostly to a reduction in the labor force, as fewer people were looking for work, but there was some modest gains in jobs.
Household Survey Data
The number of unemployed persons (13.9 million) and the unemployment rate (9.1
percent) changed little in July. Since April, the unemployment rate has shown
little definitive movement. The labor force, at 153.2 million, was little
changed in July, with a gain of 117,000.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men(9.0 percent),

Vermont-born global economist David Hale will appear on the EAI platform for the seventh time on Monday, August 29, at 7 pm in the University Amphitheatre at the Sheraton Burlington Conference Center.
David and his wife Lyric are the editors of a just released book, What's Next? Unconventional Wisdom on the Future of the World Economy (Yale University Press).

Joe Tymecki, chair of the Mount Mansfield Collocation Association technical committee, announced that antenna and tower maintenance work is planned for Sunday, August 7, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., weather permitting.
The work will require power to be reduced or turned off at times and will affect TV reception for some Vermont viewers, as well as reception of the two radio stations that transmit from the site.
Television stations affected will be Vermont Public Television, WCAX, WPTZ, WVNY and WFFF, as well as WEZF-FM and Vermont Public Radio’s 107.9.

Vermont's Fuse, LLC, a marketing agency that helps brands target teens and young adults, today was named to Outside magazine’s fourth annual ‘Best Places to Work’ list. Fuse was ranked number 26 out of 50 selected companies. The full list and related story will be published in the September issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands August 16, 2011.

Terry Bicycles’ CEO, Liz Robert (formerly CEO of The Vermont Teddy Bear Company) is trading in her business suit for bike shorts and turning into a new kind of traveling sales rep. Robert is loading her backpack with samples and sales catalogs and riding from bike shop to bike shop in metro locations around the country to meet shop owners and managers and learn about their business, and to introduce them to the Terry line of cycling gear. All the while, she is testing Google’s beta Bike Maps and the developing bike infrastructure of our cities and towns.
Robert (pronounced ro-BEAR) recently pedaled through San Diego and neighboring coastal towns, and along the Rail Trail of Westchester County, NY. Her next bike tour is set for the Greater Boston area on Thursday, August 11 and Friday, August 12. She plans to ride from Natick to Cambridge and then along the Northshore from Marblehead to Manchester visiting independent bicycle dealers.

On August 3, 2011, the Vermont District Court approved the Dean Foods Settlement involving the price of Grade A milk produced and sold in the Northeast. The class action antitrust lawsuit brought by a class of northeast dairy farmers against Dean, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and Dairy Marketing Services (DMS) was filed in August of 2009. The farmers reached a settlement agreement with Dean Foods Company in December 2010, including $30 million in monetary damages. The final settlement had to be approved by the federal court, which has taken over 7 months.

Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the global leader in automotive internet marketing solutions, has been named one of ‘America’s Best Places to Work’ by Outside magazine. Out of a total of 50 companies who made the 2011 list, Dealer.com ranked No. 14. The full list and related story will be published in the September issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands August 16, 2011.
‘We are incredibly honored to be listed on Outside’s Best Places to Work in America,’ said Mark Bonfigli, CEO of Dealer.com. ‘At Dealer.com, our commitment to the wellness and happiness of our employees has always been a top priority. But there is also great value in providing our team with these unique benefits. Our employees are enthusiastic about their work and consistently provide excellent customer service, develop innovative products and build forward-thinking digital marketing solutions for our clients.’

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be closing its temporary assistance office in Chittenden County and reducing hours at those in Washington and Caledonia counties as it begins to wind down some of its flood recovery efforts.
The disaster recovery center in Colchester will close Friday, August 12 at 6 p.m., while the centers in Barre and St. Johnsbury will remain open but with reduced hours. Individuals can visit these centers or call FEMA's Helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362).
The remaining disaster recovery centers remain open, but Barre will no longer be open on Sundays, instead opening Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The St. Johnsbury center will be open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Previously, it had opened at 8 a.m. Sundays.
Current DRC locations in Vermont and hours:
Mallett's Bay Fire Station
844 Church Road
Colchester, VT 05446

Over 30 local restaurants and caterers are joining the fight to end senior hunger by supporting the Top Chef of the Champlain Valley. The Top Chef benefits CVAA’s Meals on Wheels and Case Management programs. Over 235,000 Meals on Wheels are delivered each year to homebound seniors in the Champlain Valley. The Top Chef of the Champlain Valley, an Iron Chef Experience will be held at UVM's Davis Center on August 8 at 6pm.

A number of new entries in the lexicon of University of Vermont people and places will be made when the naming opportunities in the Alumni House renovation project have all been spoken for.
Among the first is the "Newton Library," an elegant oak-paneled enclave in the expansive Queen Anne mansion at 61 Summit Street slated to become the focal point for UVM alumni activities in the coming decades.
Named in recognition of a $250,000 gift from School of Business Administration alumnus Jeffrey Newton '79 of Concord, MA and his wife Sarah, the Newton Library is expected to be a central gathering and relaxation spot for visiting alums when they arrive on campus.

Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) officials are advising motorists that there will be traffic delays in the southbound lane of Interstate 89 between exits 16 and 14 until at least Friday August 5th. VTrans officials said contractors are installing an access road to allow work on a pipe. This has required the closure of the southbound driving lane starting just north of exit 15. Some traffic stoppages have been reported as of this morning.
Work on the project is set to begin at 9 am to accommodate morning ‘drive time traffic.’ However, state officials will be monitoring the situation to see if further adjustments will have to be made.