Current News

Secretary of State Jim Condos has accepted an appointment to a national task force on Business Identity Theft. The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) has announced the formation of a NASS Business Identity Theft Task Force to help states combat the growing threat of business identity theft. The task force is a major association initiative that will target business identity theft prevention strategies and develop practical, cost-effective tools and guidance for states.

Representative Peter Welch on Wednesday was joined by boaters and sportsmen at a Malletts Bay marina to highlight his efforts to rein in federal subsidies to the ethanol industry that cost taxpayers nearly $6 billion a year, drive up food prices and cause damage to small engines used in boats, motorcycles and lawnmowers. Welch was first alerted to the harmful effects of ethanol on small engines at a county fair in Highgate.
The ethanol industry benefits from three taxpayer subsidies: a $.045 per gallon tax credit, a protective import tariff of $0.54 per gallon and a renewable energy fuel mandate, which requires the blending of ethanol and other biodiesel in U.S. transportation fuel. These subsidies remain in place despite a General Accountability Office (GAO) report that questioned the need to subsidize this mature industry.

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ ‘ UNB) today announced Net Income for the first quarter 2011 of $1.03 million or $0.23 per share compared to $1.22 million or $0.27 per share for 2010. Results for 2011 reflect a year to year increase in net interest income of $36 thousand or 0.8% and in noninterest income of $195 thousand or 16.0%.

This Green Up Day, ask: what is the carbon footprint of your yard? This may seem like an odd question, considering owers, trees, and shrubs absorb excess carbon from our atmosphere and give oxygen. But it’s something that owners Charlie Proutt and Eileen Schilling have been asking since they took over Horsford Gardens and Nursery in 1986. What they have learned might surprise you. As it turns out, nursery practices can have far-reaching e ects on the community beyond simply supplying customers with plants.
Horsford’s emphasis on eld-grown plants has been the lynchpin of their carbon-reducing strategies.
Horsford trees and shrubs are grown at the nursery instead of trucked in from large-scale growers
out-of-state. By growing nearly every plant they sell, the Charlotte nursery is better able to manage their fossil-fuel consumption, thereby reducing their carbon footprint.

State grants totaling $186,193 to help restore and repair historic properties have been awarded to more than a dozen Vermont communities and non-profit organizations.
The state Division for Historic Preservation and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation today announced matching grant awards to 16 recipients at a Vermont State House ceremony. Projects awarded funding include the Bennington Free Library, Alexander Twilight House in Brownington, Community Center in Jericho, United Baptist Church in East Poultney, and the Vermont Studio Center’s Lowe Lecture Hall in Johnson.
‘Town halls, cultural centers and local churches are the heart of every Vermont community,’ said Governor Peter Shumlin. ‘The local effort to preserve these historic buildings demonstrates a strong sense of community and a commitment to a vibrant Vermont economy.’

WCAX-TV has won three journalism awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the world's largest professional organization exclusively serving the electronic news profession. The awards were announced last week in Boston at an event hosted by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA).
Journalists from all New England markets, including Boston, Hartford, and Providence, competed for recognition. WCAX received a first place award for ‘Mission Afghanistan’ with Darren Perron and Lance Mackenzie, an award for continuing coverage on the Kidnapping and Murder of Pat O’Hagan from Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, and a first place award for their Sports Spotlight series.

Efficiency Vermont was named the 2011 Energy Star Partner of the Year award winner in the ‘Energy Efficiency Program Delivery for New Homes’ category.
Sponsored annually by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the nationalawards recognize organizations, manufacturers and retailers that successfully promote and deliver Energy Star qualified products and services, saving consumers money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Award winners were selected from more than 9,000 organizations that participate in the Energy Star program.

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that some unemployed Vermonters may be eligible for additional unemployment benefits. ‘We have been informed by federal administrators that Vermont will be eligible for the ‘3rd tier’ of federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits. This means unemployed Vermonters who have exhausted their Tier 2 benefits may be eligible for an additional 13 weeks of Tier 3 benefits,’ said Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan. ‘Despite the continued decline in the state’s unemployment rate ‘ now at 5.4 percent - due to a seasonal fluctuation between December through March, we hit one ‘trigger’ that activated the additional benefits for some Vermonters.’

Seventh Generation isn't commemorating Earth Day this year. Instead, the country's leading non-toxic household and personal care products company is honoring the planet and its many gifts with something better: an entire month of savings and celebrations. Capping this "Earth Month" extravaganza will be a brand new sweepstakes that will see one lucky person win a spectacular green home makeover and enough cleaning supplies to help their whole community get a safe and healthy jump on spring cleaning.
The Seventh Generation Green Your Town Sweepstakes literally has something for everyone in town. Not only will the Grand Prize winner receive a $10,000 Green Home Makeover, they'll also win 1,000 Healthy Home Starter Kits valued at $55 each for their hometown. Here's a chance to transform your home into the greenest one on the block and then pay it forward to your neighbors to help paint your whole town "green."

Join the Vermont Chamber of Commerce in celebrating the 27th Vermont Business and Industry EXPO. The May 25 & 26 trade show, held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington, features a wide variety of seminars, special events, and award ceremonies. Check the schedule of events below. Register and learn more by going to www.vtexpo.com or call Antonia at 802-223-0603.
Wednesday, May 25
8 ‘ 9:45 am ‘ Senator Leahy Business Breakfast: The annual U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy's Business Breakfast hosts U.S. Department of Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Don Graves. Learn about the Treasury Department's efforts to expand capital to small businesses and have an interactive discussion with one of President Obama's leading economic policy advisors. Diamond Ballroom, $35 SPONSORED BY VELCO

FairPoint Communications has expanded broadband to hundreds of homes and businesses in Enosburg Falls.
FairPoint will be bringing total broadband coverage to half of its exchanges this year, including Enosburg Falls, as part of the company’s new high-capacity network called VantagePoint.
‘VantagePoint is enabling us to expand broadband service into areas with no high-speed Internet access and provide enhanced services across the state,’ said Michael K. Smith, FairPoint state president for Vermont. ‘Broadband availability opens the doors to the world for the residents and businesses in Vermont and is fundamental to the state’s future economic growth.’

Again this year runners will take on a rugged 10-mile loop with a 2,400 vertical in Vermont's Green Mountains during the annual McNaughton Ultra Trail Run, an ultra-marathon, with five runners signed on to repeat the loop 50 times in a 500-mile stretch. Others will compete in 100, 150 and 200 mile events.
Racers tackling 500 miles begin Saturday, April 30, and can race for up to 198 hours or just over eight days. The course closes at 6 p.m. May 8.
The 200-miler starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 5; the 150-miler at 6 a.m. Friday, May 6; and the 100 at 6 a.m. Saturday, May 7.
Andy Weinberg, race director for Peak Races www.peakaraces.com that is staging the event, said this 11th annual McNaughton Ultra Trail Run is the only one of its kind in North America .