Current News

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for April 2011 was 5.3 percent. This reflects a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point to the statewide rate from the previously reported March level of 5.4 percent. Compared to a year ago (April 2010), the statewide unemployment rate has trended down by 1.2 percent.

by Anne Galloway, www.vtdigger.org May 18, 2011 Not long ago the notion of going to Waterbury was shorthand for a journey into the stigmatizing world of mental illness. For decades, the small burg near the posh ski town of Stowe was identified with the sprawling campus of the Vermont State Hospital. At one point, the facility housed about 1,400 psychiatric patients.
In the 1970s, as the deinstitutionalization movement took hold and community mental health services became the mainstay of psychiatric treatment in Vermont, the hospital discharged hundreds of patients. By the early 1980s, about 200 patients resided at the facility.
Eventually, the Victorian era brick buildings with slate roofed-turrets and stately facades were transformed from psychiatric units into office spaces for departments and agencies of state government.

Governor Peter Shumlin today signed into law a bill requiring manufacturers of mercury-containing lamps to establish and finance a recycling program for spent bulbs from residents and small businesses. With today's signing at Nelson Ace Hardware in Barre, Vermont becomes the third state in the country to establish such an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program.
The Governor said the new law is an important environmental measure, key in helping protect Vermont's waterways and natural environment from the problems associated with mercury pollution. Under the new law, recycling costs will be paid by the manufacturer, consistent with other product stewardship legislation enacted in Vermont and around the country.

This past winter, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) received a two-year, $45,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to be directed to the management of invasive plants throughout the Ottauquechee Watershed. These management efforts will be led by VINS in conjunction with the recently formed Ottauquechee Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (OCISMA). The OCISMA comprises a group of concerned citizens, municipalities and businesses led by a steering committee that includes representatives from the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the VT Agency of Natural Resources, the Vermont Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and the Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District as well as Randolph-based invasive species pioneer Mike Bald.

The second annual Saint Michael's College Community Service Day has drawn some 119 employees volunteering to do a variety of service activities for the day, Wednesday, May 25, both on and off the Colchester-based campus. Participants were encouraged to join in the ‘opportunity to come together with your colleagues and to give back to your community.’
Staff Awards
Service activities from 9 a.m. to 12 noon will be followed by lunch and Annual Staff Awards Ceremony in Alliot Hall that will honor six employees for their commitment, service and dedication. The six to be honored were nominated by their colleagues, and will be identified for the first time at the ceremony.
‘This project celebrates the Saint Michael’s community by doing good work together,’ said Angela Irvine, director of foundation relations and service-day team member.

Team registration is now open for the Citizens Bank Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival. This year’s festival is Sunday, August 7th at Burlington's Waterfront Park. Each team is comprised of 21 paddlers who race head to head in 41 foot long dragon boats over a 300 meter course. Festival organizers encourage everyone to join together with your co-workers, friends, and family and form a team. No paddling experience is necessary, it’s all for fun, friendly competition, and raising money to fund programs to help friends and neighbors living with a cancer diagnosis. Online registration is easy. Just visit www.ridethedragon.org for complete festival information and registration details. Every team gets a free one hour practice session in July. Space is limited so organize your team right away.

State and local law enforcement in Vermont will receive more than $8.5 million in federal grant assistance to help with prevention and preparedness, US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday. The grants will be released Thursday by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
‘Police officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians and a long list of other first responders keep criminals off the street, protect our communities, and help secure our borders,’ said Leahy. ‘Safety, security and preparedness must continue to be high priorities as further waves of budget cuts are negotiated in Washington. The officers who work every day to keep our communities safe deserve our support and our commitment. These funds are important to Vermont’s readiness.’
Vermont will receive grant awards under three different DHS programs:

The Green Mountain College Farm & Food Project has been awarded $100,000 from Jane’s Trust to research the market potential for flash-frozen products, using a mobile flash-freeze unit provided to the College and several regional collaborators by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
Last June, the Farm & Food Project was granted use of the flash-freeze unit for three growing seasons. Flash-freeze units are expected to increase the ability of farmers to market seasonal products throughout the year. The College is currently using the unit for research and education, in conjunction with the Farm & Food Project’s new ‘Community Food Lab,’ a commercial kitchen facility on campus dedicated to teaching and research.

For the first time ever, University of Vermont President Daniel Mark Fogel, PhD, will confer medical degrees upon graduates in the UVM College of Medicine’s Class of 2011 during the school’s Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 22, at 2:30 pm in UVM's Ira Allen Chapel. Marcia Angell, MD, senior lecturer in social medicine at Harvard Medical School and the first woman to serve as editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, will deliver the keynote address.

The Vermont State Treasurer’s Office has received more than $9 million in new unclaimed property since the fiscal year began July 1. The annual deadline for holders of unclaimed property to turn over funds to the State was May 1 and thousands of dollars continue to be received by the Unclaimed Property Division.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved legislation to boost accountability for corporations and individuals responsible for environmental crimes. The Environmental Crimes Enforcement Act (ECEA) is aimed at deterring environmental crime while protecting and compensating victims of environmental crimes.
‘Too often corporations treat fines and monetary penalties as a mere cost of doing business to be factored against profits,’ said Leahy. ‘These measures are tough but fair. They are important steps toward deterring criminal conduct that can cause environmental and economic disaster and toward helping those who have suffered so much from the wrongdoing of big oil and other large corporations.’

GE Aviation's Rutland facility shared its energy reduction strategies with leading Vermont industrial businesses along with state and Congressional leaders at a special meeting on May 18 at the GE Aviation Rutland facility. GE has saved 15 million kilowatt hours of electricity and nearly 8,000 tons of CO2 in emissions reduced.
Since 2006, the GE Aviation Rutland facility and Efficiency Vermont have worked together to identify and implement energy savings programs at the 400,000-square-foot Windcrest Road and 100,000-square-foot Columbian Avenue locations. The team has completed 16 projects that have reduced the annual electrical usage by more than 15 million kwh and reduced CO2 emission by close to 8,000 tons. GE Aviation estimates its annual electrical cost savings is more than $1 million for both Rutland locations.
Examples of energy savings projects include: