Current News

The Agency of Transportation has announced the temporary closure of Bridge #2 on Vermont Route 74 over the Lemon Fair River between Shoreham and Cornwall. A hole in the bridge deck was discovered by district maintenance forces early Monday morning, at which time the bridge was closed to one lane for the safety of the traveling public. Subsequent inspections revealed additional concerns with the concrete decks, and all traffic across the bridge will be detoured as of 5 PM this evening.

The bridge will remain closed for further inspection and analysis. During that time, Vermont Route 74 will be closed to through traffic from its intersection with Quiet Valley Road in Shoreham to its intersection with North and South Bingham Street in Cornwall. Local traffic only will be permitted.

The Vermont congressional delegation today opposed a White House budget proposal that would nearly cut in half a heating assistance program for seniors and low-income families with children.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said ‘heat in the winter is not a consumer choice. It’s not a luxury.’ Instead of cutting heating assistance, Leahy said Congress should end tax breaks for oil companies that ‘are just using them to make obscene profits.’
Sen. Bernie Sanders was the chief sponsor of a 2008 bill that increased federal heating assistance. He said he was disappointed in the president’s budget proposal. ‘This senator will do everything he can to make sure that the budget is not balanced on the backs of the weak, the vulnerable, the sick or the old who can’t afford to heat their homes in the winter,’ he said.

The Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center will be a sea of red on Wednesday, Feb. 16, as nearly 500 women ‘ and some men ‘ will gather for the fifth annual Go Red for Women Luncheon.
‘This is going to be a powerful and life-affirming day,’ said Melinda Moulton, CEO of Main Street Landing and volunteer co-chair of the luncheon.

The Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit, found former Milton junkyard owner Gilbert Rhoades liable for environmental violations and clean-up of lead contamination at the Shirley Avenue site. The Court also found Gilbert Rhoades’ wife, Blanche Rhoades, liable for clean-up at the site. The Court's rulings follow a two-day trial held in November as a result of an environmental enforcement action brought by the Attorney General’s Office based on inspections by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

Ronald Shems, an attorney specializing in environmental and energy law, has been tapped to chair the Natural Resources Board. Shems is currently a partner in the Burlington firm Shems Dunkiel Raubvogel & Saunders.
‘When I was looking for a new chair of the Natural Resources Board I was looking for a person who has the skills, the background and the experience to transform the board into an agency that works closely with the Agency of Natural Resources to ensure that we can grow jobs in Vermont while maintaining our commitment to our environmental values,’ Governor Peter Shumlin said, in announcing the appointment.
‘Ron Shems is the perfect person to do this job,’ the Governor added. ‘He can get tough things done.’

The College of St. Joseph in Rutland, VT, is pleased to announce its Commencement speaker for Commencement Exercises 2011 will be former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas. CSJ Commencement will take place on Sunday, May 8, 2011, at 1 p.m. in the CSJ Athletic Center.
Governor James H. Douglas has been serving the people of Vermont for more than 35 years. He was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives after graduating from Middlebury College in 1972. He became Assistant Majority Leader in his second term and Majority Leader in his third term at the age of 25. Governor Douglas retired from the Legislature in 1979 to become a top aide to Governor Richard Snelling.

The US Small Business Administration today published a package of final rules that will revise regulations to strengthen its 8(a) Business Development program to better ensure that the benefits flow to the intended recipients and help prevent waste, fraud and abuse.
The rules were published today in The Federal Register and will become effective in 30 days on March 14, 2011.
The revisions are the first comprehensive overhaul of the 8(a) program in more than 10 years. The regulations incorporate technical changes and substantive changes that mirror existing or new legislation enacted since the last revision in June 1998.

Wild cheers erupted in Cairo's Tahrir Square as word spread that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had resigned after three decades of iron-clad rule. The crowd chanted, "Egypt is free!" FULL STORY

Legislation authored by Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) to support states’ Unemployment Insurance (UI) trust funds gained traction this week as the Obama administration signaled its support for the plan.
HR 650, which Welch first introduced in the House last January, would extend for two years an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provision allowing states to delay paying interest on federal loans to cover shortfalls in their UI trust funds. If signed into law, the legislation would save Vermont $8.4 million in interest payments, according to state officials.
Obama is expected to include the provision in the budget he submits to Congress on Monday.

McGraw-Hill Construction has reported that December contracts for future construction in the state of Vermont showed an increase of 46 percent for a total of $68.7 million. For 2010, the total was $880 million, down 15 percent for the year.
An authority on the construction market, the firm produces Dodge Reports and Sweets Catalog Files. According to the Research and Analytics unit of McGraw-Hill Construction, the latest month's construction activity followed this pattern:

The New Hampshire report showed contracts down 17 percent for December, but up 4 percent for the year.

Vermont Nut Free Chocolates, makers of nut free, gourmet specialty products, is now offering MetaBall, a new product line of energy snacks that are safe for those with peanut and tree nut allergies, to select retailers in New York. Made from the finest, all-natural ingredients, MetaBall is manufactured in a completely nut free environment by Vermont Nut Free Chocolates under license from Beyond The Mirror, LLC.

Governor Peter Shumlin today highlighted the Governor’s Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), which ensures that Vermont workers meet industry-created national training standards to fill cutting edge jobs. He also urged prospective and even current workers and employers to participate in the certificate program to reduce workforce turnover and strengthen the skills and quality of employees.
‘In this global economy, Vermont employers require a skilled workforce to compete,’ the Governor said at an appearance at the Cabot Creamery distribution center in Montpelier. ‘Vermont workers who possess those fundamental skills and a solid work ethic are more likely to obtain employment, and once hired, they are more likely to remain employed and advance to higher positions.’