Current News

The House Thursday passed a jobs bill that will strengthen the foundation for job creation in the state. H. 287, is a comprehensive package that aids both employees and employers.
‘As we recover from the economic downturn, employees and employers must have the tools they need to enter the workforce in what is a very competitive job market,’ said Speaker Shap Smith. ‘This bill provides many resources for job creation across all sectors of the economy.’
The bill does a number of things to support business expansion and job creation in Vermont, including:
Enhancing workforce training programs to maximize opportunities for employees and provide employers with a well trained pool of applicants.
Incentivizing Vermont businesses to recruit their suppliers and vendors to relocate to the state. Awards $1,000 for each new Vermont job; $500 to the Vermont business and $500 to the relocating business.

This March, Ben & Jerry’s is celebrating the 20th birthday of its Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. But it took significant innovation to smooth out the manufacturing process that made the ice cream a success in pint containers.
Peter Lind, a longtime Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Guru, was one of the Gurus who worked to develop the flavor.
‘Everybody wanted to roll in the Dough! But we just couldn’t make it fast enough because the process of making it was so labor intensive,’ said Lind.Just over 20 years ago, scoopers at Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops ‘ acting on an anonymous tip from a fan ‘ posed this classic question: what if they put cookie dough into ice cream? It was a revolutionary idea in the world of ice cream at that time, and one that would become one of Ben & Jerry’s best-loved flavors!

Citing the nuclear emergency in Japan, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today pressed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman to re-evaluate whether to issue a new permit for Vermont Yankee.
One day before the massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, the commission approved a 20-year license extension for the Vernon, Vt., reactor that is identical to the crippled Japanese plant. That decision was temporarily put on hold yesterday, but Sanders used a briefing for senators about the Japan disaster to ask NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko for a more serious re-examination of the future of 40-year-old Vermont Yankee reactor.

FedBid, Inc, the online reverse auction marketplace, today announced that it has named former Vermont Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie to FedBid’s Board of Advisors.
Dubie completed four terms as Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor in January 2011. He currently serves as a Captain for American Airlines, a Colonel and Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer in the US Air Force Reserve and a public policy consultant. He was narrowly defeated in the 2010 election for governor of Vermont.
‘Brian has a unique set of skills, experience and personal relationships across both government and the private sector,’ said FedBid President Glenn Richardson. ‘As we expand this high-growth, customer-oriented enterprise into new markets, Brian’s first-hand insights regarding state and local government, the National Guard, emergency management and other areas will represent FedBid well. Our Board of Advisors is excited to welcome him aboard.’

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was appointed today to chair the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging.
‘With more Americans heading into retirement, we need to focus on supporting our seniors and ensuring their quality of life. I look forward to working side by side with Sen. Sanders to protect the benefits that our seniors have worked hard for, from pensions to health care, while also advocating for programs like community health centers and LIHEAP that are vital to families across the country in these tough economic times,’ said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the full Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions.
Sanders’ panel is responsible for several areas that are among his top priorities, including community health centers, home heating assistance, seniors programs, pensions and dental care.

Building on the success of its Certificate in Nonprofit Management, Marlboro College Graduate School introduces a new Master of Science in Management for Mission-Driven Organizations. Applications are currently being accepted for classes starting in May 2011.
The 36-credit program provides MBA-level coursework tailored to nonprofit organizations, such as fundraising, outcomes and evaluations, budgeting and strategic planning. As a master of science in management, the program can also benefit social entrepreneurs with a mission-driven focus.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA issued a Notice of Solicitations of Applications and regulations implementing the 2008 Farm Bill for the broadband loan program.
‘Broadband investments are an essential part of Vermont’s future. These investments will increase economic opportunity and enhance community connections.’ Molly Lambert, State Director USDA Rural Development said.
The interim regulation for the Broadband Program requires that certain definitions affecting eligibility be revised and published annually by the agency in the Federal Register. For the purposes of this interim regulation, the agency has amended two definitions: Broadband Service and Broadband Lending Speed and Incumbent Service Provider. The application guide to assist in preparing of applications is available at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_farmbill.html

There were 1,012 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, an increase of 275 from the week before. Altogether 12,325 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 266 from a week ago and 2,799 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,052 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 8 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 992 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 3 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

Vermont’s small businesses are key to the state’s well-being and account for a significant share of the state’s economic production and hiring, according to the Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Profile for the state, released today. The profile uses the most recent data available to provide details about small business employment, business starts and closings, bank lending, business ownership by minorities, women, and veterans, and firm and employment change by major industry and firm size.
‘Small business is a catalyst for economic growth in Vermont and in our nation,’ said Winslow Sargeant, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. ‘In today’s economic climate, we need to continue to support entrepreneurship and promote policies that help small businesses grow and prosper.’

Farm Stay US today named the top states for farm travel and tourism, finding that Pennsylvania, California and Vermont lead the nation in "haycation" destinations with the largest number of farm vacation listings in its FarmStayUS.com database.
The FarmStayUS.com searchable website has grown within a year to become the largest online source for farm vacations in the US, having expanded rapidly to 721 listings in all 50 states. That number has more than doubled since FarmStayUS.com launched in June 2010, and will continue to grow as farm tourism and interest in sustainable and local agriculture expands.
Farm Stay US found that Pennsylvania, California and Vermont lead the nation in farm tourism: Pennsylvania has 73 farm and ranch stay listings; California 52 and Vermont 45.

The February 2011 RE/MAX Housing Report indicates that New Hampshire was the only New England state to show an increase in month-over-month increase in sales, while Vermont was the only state to show year-over-year increase in sales for the month. RE/MAX stated that tighter credit standards and unfavorable weather conditions resulted in a decrease in home sales for the region in February. Overall sales declined -13.8 percent month-over-month in New England, led by Massachusetts, while prices declined overall by -2.6 percent.
New Hampshire was the only state to see an uptick in sales month-over-month, and Rhode Island was the only state to experience an increase in median price during the same period.
In Vermont, however, there were 243 homes sold in February 2011, a 12.5 percent increase from the 216 homes sold the same time last year. RE/MAX of New England predicts that with expected inventory increases, Vermont should experience a positive spring market.

The State Board of Education elected officers at its March 15, 2011 meeting, the Department of Education announced today. Fayneese Miller of South Burlington was re-elected Board chair, and Kathy Larsen of Wilmington will continue serving as vice-chair.
Miller of South Burlington is the Dean of the College of Education and Social Services at University of Vermont. She came to Vermont after a 20-year career at Brown University where she was associate professor of education and human development and an internationally recognized expert on the social, academic and political development of adolescents. She led Brown’s Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and was the university’s first coordinator and chair of ethnic studies. Her State Board term will expire in 2012.