Current News

Woodchuck Gluten-Free May is National Celiac Awareness Month and nationwide resources and events can be found at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website -- http://www.celiaccentral.org/awarenessmonth/. Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is in foods containing wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats. Celiac disease affects 3 million Americans, yet 95% of sufferers are unaware or undiagnosed. There are limited dietary choices for people with gluten sensitivity and as a result the gluten free market has exploded. According to "Gluten-free Foods and Beverages in the U.S.," Packaged Facts Report, the market for gluten-free foods and beverages has grown at an annual rate of 30% between 2006-2010, reaching sales of $2.6 billion in 2010 and estimated to exceed $5 billion by 2015.

Enjoy music fit for a kingâ ¦on a soft summer evening in Vermont! The Vermont Symphony Orchestra presents its popular TD Bank Summer Festival Tour in eight outdoor locations this summer with a program entitled ‘Symphony Royale,’ Anthony Princiotti conducting. From Friday, July 1 through Sunday, July 10, the Orchestra will perform in glorious mountain and lakeside settings across the state.
Handel’s fireworks begin the program and live fireworks complete it, in this musical homage to royalty. The noble procession includes Scheherazade’s Kalendar Prince, the King and Queen of Troy, and the King of Siam. In honor of Independence Day, the VSO celebrates our freedom from monarchical rule with America’s own version of royalty, Duke Ellington! The performance is crowned, as always, by the majestic 1812 Overture and selections from Sousa, the March King. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Venues open early for picnicking and concerts conclude with celebratory fireworks.

Washington Electric Cooperative, with more than 10,000 member/owners in 41 central Vermont towns, will hold its 72nd Annual Membership Meeting at the Montpelier Elks Lodge on Wednesday, May 25, 2011. The annual meetings ‘ which feature dinner (by reservation), voting for Board members, officers’ reports, and a guest speaker ‘ combine both the social and policy-related advantages of belonging to a cooperatively owned electric utility. The guest speaker for the 2011 annual meeting will be Elizabeth Miller, Vermont’s new commissioner of the Department of Public Service (DPS). Her address will be titled, ‘Energy for Vermonters: Weighing Our Choices and Making A Plan.’

Green Mountain College President Paul Fonteyn announced today at the school's 174th commencement ceremony that the 700-student Vermontliberal arts school has achieved climate neutrality. GMC becomes the second climate neutral campus in the nation and the first to achieve it through a combination of efficiency, large-scale adoption of clean energy, and purchase of local carbon offsets.
"We take special pride that this milestone has been achieved mostly by steep reductions in our carbon footprint here on campus, and through purchasing carbon offsets that directly benefit our Vermonteconomy," said GMC president Paul J. Fonteyn.

The University of Vermont College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has named Rachel K. Johnson, PhD, RD, the inaugural Robert L. Bickford, Jr. Green and Gold Professor ‘ the first endowed professorship in that college. Dr. Johnson has been a member of the college's faculty since 1991 and served as its dean from 2001 to 2008. Her appointment as the Bickford Green and Gold Professor begins July 1, 2011.
The Bickford Green and Gold Professorship is named in honor of Robert L. Bickford, Jr., a 1943 graduate of the university's College of Agriculture and former chair of both the UVM Board of Trustees and the Board of Advisors for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Bickford and his wife, Oletha Bickford, established the Bickford Green and Gold Professorship through their estate plans. Following her husband's death in January 2007, Oletha Bickford arranged to inaugurate the professorship in conjunction with the college's centennial observance on May 14, 2011.

The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) presented VIT with the 21st Century Award for Best Practices in Distance Learning. This award is presented annually to a demonstrated pioneer in the field of distance learning, for developing innovative approaches to the delivery of distance learning programs and for demonstrating a capacity to adjust to the evolving nature of the field.
VIT has been delivering distance learning services to Vermonters since 1988 and continues to expand its infrastructure to stay ahead of technological advancements, and to give Vermonters the best distance learning tools available.
Barbara Grimes, long time Chair of the VIT Coordinating Council noted, ‘VIT pioneered this technology in Vermont and as the award demonstrates, VIT continues to be a leader in distance learning.’ She added, ‘VIT’s technical and operational expertise gives Vermonters access to quality opportunities worldwide.’

Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that Preliminary Damage Assessment teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are in Vermont this week to help determine if the state qualifies for federal disaster assistance for individuals and families affected by the flooding.
The teams will be in the field on Wednesday to visit many homes that have reported damage to Vermont 211. The Governor urged anyone who has suffered damage to their home to call 211 to report those problems.
‘We need a reliable estimate of individual damage,’ Gov. Shumlin said. ‘The state needs to show significant damage to primary residences to qualify for an Individual Assistance declaration to help homeowners who suffered damage by the floods of the past month.’

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $4.9 million in new and continuing grants to support the Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, primarily non-profit organizations run by and for families with children with special health care needs, including Vermont Family Network. Funding for the centers was extended through 2012 by the Affordable Care Act.
Created in 2005, the centers are state-wide, family-led organizations that provide information, education, training, outreach, and peer support to families of children and youth with special health care needs and the professionals who serve them.

Governor Peter Shumlin today announced the formation and first meeting of the Vermont Climate Cabinet, a group of senior officials in his administration charged with leading the state toward reduced greenhouse emissions and from reliance on fossil fuels.
‘At a time when few if any states are focusing on climate change, Vermont is committed to doing everything possible to mitigate the threats and impacts,’ the governor said. The wild weather caused by climate change impacts the state at many levels, including increased snowfalls and flooding, unpredictable storms and more, he said.
The changes are leading to financial challenges as Vermont struggles to keep up with road and property damage increasingly linked to climate change, among other problems. The environmental threat is also critical.

Governor Peter Shumlin on Wednesday will take part in the Agency of Transportation’s ‘Safety Day’ events, which include a golf cart texting course, a vehicle rollover crash display, and more.
Date: May 18, 2011
Time: 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: The National Life campus; Montpelier
The day will be filled with safety demonstrations, exhibits, information and presentations, reminding employees and the public that safety is integral VTrans’ mission, and also the responsibility of every individual to be informed and to stay ‘focused of safety.’
Initiated by Vtrans employees, and working in partnership with partner Agencies from the Governor’s Highway Safety program to Department of Public Safety, the day will feature demonstrations throughout the National Life campus, as well as activities to education and inform, including:

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin will sign into law a bill promoting renewable energy development and clean energy jobs in Vermont on May 25 in South Burlington.
H.56, The Vermont Energy Act of 2011 continues Vermont’s efforts to promote a green economy and energy independence. It expands and improves Vermont’s successful net metering program which allows Vermont ratepayers to generate their own energy with renewable systems and run their meter backwards when producing excess power. Recognizing the peak power savings of net metered solar, the new bill creates a financial incentive to catalyze more net metered solar by requiring utilities to offer a 20¢ credit to solar net metering customers for the energy they produce.

Governor Peter Shumlin today announced that the state surplus vehicle and equipment auction, which is traditionally held every Spring in Berlin and allows Vermonters to personally inspect everything from dump trucks to tools, will continue to be held in future years.
‘I met a number of Vermonters at the auction earlier this month,’ the governor said, referring to the May 7 auction that was held at the Agency of Transportation’s Central Garage on the Barre-Montpelier Road. ‘Many came up to me and said they look forward to the auction and to having a chance to inspect the vehicles up close. They can kick the tires and make up their mind which vehicle they will bid on. Physical auctions are truly a Vermont tradition.’