Current News

Governor Peter Shumlin and other state and local officials joined the staff of eCorp English and a host of supporters in celebrating the opening of their new global headquarters in Middlebury, Vermont today. The 6700 square foot facility will house the corporate office, IT development and serve as the primary remote instruction center for the international operation that provides online English-language training to the personnel of global corporations including Google, Alcatel Lucent, UPS, HSBC, BNP Paribas, etc.
‘I am very pleased to welcome eCorp English to Vermont and appreciate the caliber of jobs this company brings to our state and the Middlebury region,’ Gov. Peter Shumlin said. ‘English language training is a relatively new and expanding market, and we work hard to ensure eCorp English is able to prosper and grow here in Vermont.’

Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding announced today Vermont’s February tax revenues were above the February 2010 results, but are behind economist projections. February is the eight month of fiscal year (FY) 2011.
General Fund
General Fund revenues totaled $51.30 million for February 2011, -$2.71 million or -5.02% below the $54.01 million consensus revenue forecast for the month. Year to date, revenues through February are $738.46 million or -0.58% below target. Compared to the same period for the prior fiscal year, FY 2011 GF results are 9.7% ahead of FY 2010, but remain below the FY 2008 results by -3.6%.

Governor Peter Shumlin said today he’s pleased that the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is designating the Northeast Corridor (NEC) as a ‘high speed rail corridor,’ a definition that allows NEC states to compete for federal rail funds.
As Chair of the Transportation Committee for the Coalition of New England Governors (CONEG), Shumlin has been working with his counterparts across the region to advance the vision for a regional high speed rail network.
‘This is an important step for advancing the New England rail network. It will finally enable the Northeast Corridor to compete for federal rail dollars,’ Gov. Shumlin said. ‘Enhancing passenger rail investments throughout our region will benefit Vermont’s vision of a robust and vibrant passenger rail network connecting Vermont with New York, Boston, and Montreal.’

Over 175 women (and a few men) in blue t-shirts turned out at the state capitol today as early educators from across the state gathered to support legislation giving them a voice in making decisions to improve the quality of early childhood education.
‘This is about children and the quality of care that we are able to provide. This is also about professionalism and respect for the 10,000 early educators who care for kids every single day,’ said Cathi Ste. Marie, who owns and operates a certified home care for 14 children in North Troy ‘I, and all the early educators here today are not babysitters ‘ we are professionals who care deeply about the children we are entrusted with. And our children will be better served if we are here as full partners in this process.’
H.97 has received hearings in the House and has been endorsed by Governor Shumlin, former Governor Howard Dean, 53 Representatives and 11 Senators from all 3 major parties.

Saint Michael's College biologist Dr Mark Lubkowitz and his students join a team of researchers from the University of Missouri, University of Florida, Purdue University and the University Nebraska-Lincoln, on a five-year project to study the genes that control the movement of carbohydrates in corn.
Saint Michael’s and the other four institutions, major research universities, have been awarded a $6.6 million grant from the Plant Genome Research Program at the National Science Foundation for a joint five-year research project that will involve undergraduates at each institution.
Working with 45 Saint Michael’s students over the next five years, Dr. Lubkowitz and his co-investigators across the country will do research that could lead to increased corn yield, more drought resistant plants, larger plants and easier production of biofuels.

FairPoint employees have donated $1,304.68 to Fletcher Allen’s Big Change Roundup for Kids benefit. This year’s total is a record-breaker for FairPoint, beating out last year’s total by more than $50. The annual event raises funds for Vermont Children's Hospital programs and services at Fletcher Allen Health Care.

About FairPoint
FairPoint Communications, Inc. is a provider of communications services to communities across the country. Today, FairPoint owns and operates local exchange companies in 18 states offering advanced communications with a personal touch, including local and long distance voice, data, Internet, television and broadband services. FairPoint is traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol FRP. Learn more at www.fairpoint.com.
Photo: FairPoint employees and ‘Change Marshals’ Melissa Blondin, left, and Michelle Pendris, right, join Dr Lewis First, pediatrician.

Mascoma Savings Bank recently received its Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Performance Evaluation from the Office of the Thrift Supervision (OTS). The Bank received an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’, which is the highest rating possible. This rating is awarded to less than 8% of banks nationwide.
The federal Community Reinvestment Act requires banks to meet the credit needs of the communities they serve, including low-to-moderate income households.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) held a hearing Tuesday on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the nation’s premier open government law. The nation is celebrating Sunshine Week, an observance of the importance of an open and transparent government.
The Vermont Legislature is going through the process of rewriting its open meeting and open records laws (ACLU explantaion).
‘The right to know is a cornerstone of our democracy,’ said Leahy. ‘Without it, citizens are kept in the dark about key policy decisions that directly affect their lives. Without public access to government information, officials can make decisions in the shadows, sometimes in collusion with special interests, escaping accountability for their actions. In the digital age, FOIA remains an indispensable tool in protecting the people’s right to know.

U.S.News & World Report has ranked Vermont Law School’s environmental law program as the best in the nation for an unprecedented third consecutive year. The 2012 Best Grad Schools guidebook appears on www.usnews.com/grad on Tuesday, March 15, and on newsstands on April 5.
‘I’m proud of this continued recognition of the depth and breadth of our environmental curriculum, clinic and institutes,’ said Professor Marc Mihaly, director of the school’s Environmental Law Center (ELC). ‘Our success reflects the dedication of our wonderful faculty and students. Our graduates bring strong skills and environmental direction to their legal and policy positions in government, nonprofits, law firms and corporations.’

Entergy Corporation released the following statement regarding the earthquake and its aftermath in Japan. Entergy, based in New Orleans, owns the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. A nuclear power plant in northern Japan has suffered serious damage to three of its reactors. The Vermont Yankee plant has one 605 megawatt reactor. It supplies about one-third of the state's electricity. Its license expires in 2012. Entergy is in the process of relicensing the plant for 20 more years.
Statement:

Gifford’s Best Kept Secrets’ was the theme of the Randolph hospital’s 105th Annual Meeting of the Corporators held Saturday evening at Gifford. It is also the theme of the medical center’s 2010 year-in-review Annual Report.
The report and meeting described the hospital’s efforts around cancer, surgical and emergency care. Talked about were little known programs like the Gifford Adult Day Program in Bethel and inpatient rehabilitation in Randolph, and the availability of high-tech diagnostic imaging.
‘‘I didn’t know Gifford did that.’‘ It’s a statement hospital staff and leaders hear regularly, hospital Administrator Joseph Woodin told corporators filling Gifford’s Conference Center. ‘So we put it in the Annual Report. I hope you read it and get the word out.’
Also described were the hospital’s 11 consecutive years making its budget and operating margin.
‘Our goal has always been an operating margin of 2.5 to 3 percent,’ said Woodin.

Lambeau Field may be home to the reigning NFL champion Green Bay Packers and their Cheesehead fans, but for three days last week it was home to the champions of cheese. At the United States Championship Cheese Contest, more than 1,600 of the top cheeses and butters from across the United States -- 30,000 pounds of dairy products in all -- were brought to the stadium's Atrium to be judged by a panel of 26 experts. In the end, Cabot Creamery Cooperative's Seriously Sharp Aged Cheddar and 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar were crowned "Best In America" during the largest dairy competition in U.S. history.