Current News

The groundwater monitoring process at Vermont Yankee continues with a total of 32 monitoring wells being sampled for tritium. Although the monitoring wells with tritium have shown a gradual overall reduction in concentration as the groundwater in that area has been pumped to the surface, this week Vermont Yankee received positive indications for tritium in a previously unaffected monitoring well located about 150 feet to the north of the area affected by the leak that was identified in January 2010.
The new positive level is at 9,200 pico curies per liter, a low level that is, in fact, well below regulatory reporting requirements.
However, Governor Peter Shumlin was not comforted by that fact and issued this statement: "Vermont Yankee notified my administration today of the new results, and the Department of Health is posting information on its website to help the public understand the situation. I am very concerned about this change at the Vermont Yankee site.

Amy Goodman, the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, will be the commencement speaker at Vermont Law School’s 36th graduation ceremony on May 21.
Goodman is the first journalist to receive the Right Livelihood Award, known as the ‘alternative Nobel Prize,’ for ‘developing an innovative model of truly independent grassroots political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media.’ She is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, most recently Breaking the Sound Barrier.

US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that 6,244 Medicare beneficiaries in Vermont, and three million people nationwide, have received prescription drug cost relief through the Affordable Care Act. To date, three million eligible beneficiaries who fell into the drug coverage gap known as the ‘donut hole’ during 2010 have been mailed a one-time, tax-free $250 rebate check.
‘For too long, many seniors and people with disabilities have been forced to make impossible choices between paying for needed prescription medication and necessities like food and rent,’ said Secretary Sebelius. ‘The Affordable Care Act offers long overdue relief by lowering prescription drug costs each year until the donut hole is closed.’

The Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company (VFC) announced today that they have signed a partnership agreement with Sheila Marie Imports (SMI) of Boston, MA. This agreement encompasses an exclusive distribution arrangement through 2012. SMI will expedite the expansion of VFC's marketing reach throughout the New England and Mid-Atlantic states that SMI services. SMI is a subsidiary of Atlanta Foods International (AFI), a leading national distributor of specialty foods, based in Georgia.
This agreement will accelerate product placement and allow VFC to develop a greater portfolio of Vermont farmstead cheeses. With seamless communication through SMI directly to retailers and consumers, VFC will be better able to respond to consumer's needs and changing market conditions. Cheese making begins Monday, January 17 with product launch in May of 2011.

(WILLISTON, VT) ‘ January 12, 2011 - For more than 35 years, the American Cancer Society has been sharing hope for a world free from cancer with Daffodil Days®, a beloved program to welcome spring and help raise funds and awareness to fight cancer and to create a world with more birthdays. Volunteers are needed now to assist with 2011 event planning.

Daffodil Days involves offering daffodils to donors every spring in appreciation for their contributions. It is about more than just giving beautiful flowers; it is an opportunity to share hope for a world where cancer never steals another year from anyone’s life.

People's United Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: PBCT), the holding company for People's United Bank, and Danvers Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNBK), of Danvers, Massachusetts, the holding company for Danversbank, announced yesterday a definitive agreement pursuant to which People's United Financial will acquire Danvers Bancorp, in a 55% stock and 45% cash transaction valued at approximately $493 million. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approval and the approval of Danvers Bancorp's shareholders.

People's United Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: PBCT) has announced net income of $32.0 million, or $0.09 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to $24.1 million, or $0.07 per share, for the third quarter of 2010, and $24.9 million, or $0.07 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2009. Included in each of these quarter's results are pre-tax merger-related expenses and core system conversion costs totaling $7.0 million, $5.3 million and $4.5 million, respectively. Excluding the effect of these items, net income would have been $36.7 million, or $0.10 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2010, $27.7 million, or $0.08 per share for the third quarter of 2010 and $28.0 million, or$0.08 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2009.

Rock of Ages Corporation (NASDAQ:ROAC) has announced the completion of its previously announced pending merger with a wholly owned subsidiary of Swenson Granite Company LLC, of Concord, NH, whereby Swenson acquired all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company that it did not previously own for $5.25 per share in cash. The transaction is valued at $25.2 million. The company is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Swenson. The Swenson family has controlled Rock of Ages for many years and Kurt Swenson has been Rock of Ages' CEO and chairman.
As a result of the merger, the Company's Class A common stock ceased trading on the NASDAQ Global Market at the close of business on January 19, 2011, and the company expects to deregister and suspend its reporting obligations under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D) has named John Tracy as his State Director, overseeing his activities and staff in Vermont. Tracy replaces Chuck Ross, Vermont’s new Secretary of Agriculture in the administration of Governor Peter Shumlin.
Tracy, a graduate of UVM, is in his fifth year as Field Representative for Leahy, traveling the state and helping Vermonters and their communities in their dealings with federal programs and agencies.
Leahy said Tracy brings timely experience and leadership skills to his new post. ‘With health reform topping agendas in both Vermont and the nation, John is perfectly suited to help advance our work in improving health care in Vermont.’

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce are accepting nominations until March 3rd for the Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award that honors an outstanding Vermont business. The deadline for nominating a business is March 3, 2017.

US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded more than $3.6 million in funding to keep 24 of local homeless assistance programs in Vermont operating in the coming year. The grants announced today form a critical foundation for the Obama Administration’s Opening Doors strategy, the nation’s first comprehensive plan to prevent and end homelessness. For a summary of the Vermont grants announced today, visit HUD’s website.
Today’s announcement also comes just a week before thousands of volunteers in nearly every city and county conduct a national one-night count of homeless persons and families. HUD’s Let’s Make Everybody Count! campaign is intended to document trends in homelessness that are crucial to local planners’ efforts to prevent and end homelessness in their areas.

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra announced today (Wednesday, January 19, 2011) that it has successfully reached its ambitious endowment goal to raise $3.5 million.
At a State House press conference, Honorary Campaign Chair Ed Colodny stated, ‘In a time when cultural organizations around the country face hard times, the VSO’s audiences have been loyal and dedicated, and our programming has been innovative and rich. Now this fabulous endowment ensures stable funding for the future. We are especially grateful for the hundreds of donors who have stepped forward to allow us to reach this incredible milestone.’