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Vermont gained the second most construction-related jobs in November, but still ranks only 45th in the nation over the last year. Construction employment expanded in 20 states between October and November, while the list of states with year-over-year construction job gains grew to 13 states plus the District of Columbia, the Associated General Contractors of America reported in an analysis of state employment data released today by the Labor Department. The new figures continue a year-long pattern of mixed results in construction employment as overall demand remains weak, association officials noted.
‘It is encouraging that the number of states adding jobs year-over-year was higher in November than at any time since February 2008,’ said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. ‘However, the data also make clear that these gains are as spotty as they are tenuous.’

James Dwinell interviewed Governor James Douglas on December 1st in his Pavilion office overlooking the State House.
VBM: As a native of Springfield, Massachusetts, what brought you to Vermont?
Jim Douglas promised to be accessible to the people when he was first running for governor. He has famously lived up to that promise, and seems to have remembered everyone's name along the way. Here he speaks before the official grand opening of Sugarbush's $10 million addition on December 10. To his left is Sugarbush CEO Win Smith. Behind him is a specially commissioned painting by Woody Jackson.
Douglas: I had some teachers in high school who were alumni and they knew that I was interested in foreign languages and encouraged me to apply. Middlebury College is a school that is and was renowned for its foreign language departments. I do not regret the choice.

VBM: Did you meet your wife (Dorothy) while you were a student?

Colchester, VT--(Marketwire - December 17, 2010) - Highlighted Links

Green Mountain Power

Green Mountain Power will help to keep the heat on this winter for Vermont households in crisis through its $82,000 contribution to the WARMTH Support Program.

"Many elderly and disabled Vermonters and households with young children are making hard choices as they try to meet their basic needs this winter. We want to be sure that we are doing all we can to help reduce the burden on the most vulnerable members of our community," said Mary Powell, Green Mountain Power president and chief executive officer. "We encourage anyone in a position to do so to join us in protecting our friends and neighbors who may be struggling to stay warm."

In a rare weekend session, the Senate Saturday unanimously approved legislation to increase the number of frequencies available for Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations, providing an outlet for hyper-local, independent noncommercial broadcasting. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has been a proponent of the legislation in each of the last three Congresses.
‘By using low power stations, community groups can access underutilized spectrum and provide content tailored to smaller communities,’ said Leahy. ‘This legislation is important because LPFM stations provide opportunities for local organizations to serve local communities. Vermont has LPFM stations serving local communities in Vermont from Hyde Park to Brattleboro to Warren. There is room for more.’

Montpelier, VT-The Department of Labor announced the state-allowed deductions for employer-provided meals and lodging allowance will be increasing on January 1, 2011. An employer shall be entitled to deduct from the wages earned, an allowance for meals and lodging actually furnished and accepted. The original allowances and the increased rates are as follows:

Breakfast $2.75 daily
Lunch $3.08 daily
Dinner $3.43 daily
Full Board $9.26 daily or $64.83 per week

Nightly Lodging $3.77 daily
Full Room $22.68 weekly
Full room and Board $78.33 per week

POULTNEY, VT, Dec. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nineteen Green Mountain College students in assistant environmental studies professor Lucas Brown's design & build course unveiled a semester-long project Monday: a "tiny house" of their own design. The 8-foot by 12-foot house was built almost entirely from reclaimed materials and cost only $1,927 to build. The final cost was just a few dollars over the class budget, funded by a $100 per student course fee.

"The $20 per square foot cost is pretty low compared to the $80-$200 per square foot cost of new construction," said senior Todd Sirak of Poultney.
The class expects to recoup its investment by selling the house in the spring. By then, the moveable structure will be equipped with a solar-powered electrical system. Another design & build course next semester, which will be taught by GMC alumnus Khanti Munro of Solar Energy International, will focus on photovoltaics.

Vermont had the lowest foreclosure activity in the nation in November, with 10 foreclosures at a rate of only 1 for every 31,262 units. North Dakota was a very distant second with 49 foreclosures for a rate of 1 in 6,395. New Hampshire had 561 foreclosures for a rate of 1 in 1,064.
RealtyTrac (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, has released its US Foreclosure Market Report for November 2010, which shows foreclosure filings ‘ default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions ‘ were reported on 262,339 US properties in November, a 21 percent decrease from the previous month and a 14 percent decrease from November 2009. One in every 492 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing during the month.

Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss has taken issue with several aspects of the audit of Burlington Telecom. The audit offered a scathing rebuke of the city's administration and the financials of the ailing municipal cable, voice, Internet company. The mayor said Friday the city was continuing to review the Larkin Report, anticipating a further response this week.
The report was initiated by the Vermont Public Service Department in the Fall of 2009 and released December 10, 2010 (STORY). So far, Kiss said the city has identified several gaps and omissions in the report, including but not limited to:
· Larkin staff never contacted or interviewed City officials or the City’s consultant Dorman & Fawcett;
· Larkin never interviewed the City’s independent auditors, Sullivan, Powers & Co. (’SPC’);
· Larkin’s analysis fails to include recent developments with CitiCapital; and

-Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee and coffeemakers, has announced that it has successfully completed its acquisition of LJVH Holdings Inc. (’Van Houtte’) for an aggregate cash purchase price of CAD$915 million, or USD$905 million, subject to adjustment for final exchange rate and future adjustment based on Van Houtte’s working capital, net indebtedness and pre-closing taxes as of immediately prior to the acquisition’s closing.
‘We are confident that Van Houtte, with its well known portfolio of brands and strong management team, will help drive GMCR’s future success in Canada and throughout North America.’

Kelly Brush Foundation year-end grants for spinal cord injury prevention and enriching the lives of those with spinal cord injuries totaled $80,000, Kelly Brush Foundation Executive Director Joyce Wallace announced.
The foundation granted $35,000 in Ski Racing Safety Grants to ski clubs and race teams across the country for race course safety equipment and $45,000 was awarded in Kelly Brush Inspiration Grants for adaptive athletic equipment.
"Ski clubs and race teams in Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont will benefit from grants awarded by the Kelly Brush Foundation," Wallace said. "The grants enable the purchase of safety netting, lift tower padding and other safety equipment designed to enhance on-hill race course safety for ski racers of all ages and abilities."

Secretary of Administration Neale F Lunderville released the November 2010 General Fund Revenues today. November is the fifth month of fiscal year (FY) 2011. General Fund revenues totaled $73.59 million for November 2010, and were +$2.76 million or +3.90% above the $70.83 million consensus revenue forecast for the month. Year-to-date General Fund performance of $447.52 million was +$16.47 million, or +3.82% ahead of year to date target of $431.05 million.
The monthly targets reflect the revised Fiscal Year 2011 Consensus Revenue Forecast approved by the Emergency Board at their July 14, 2010 meeting. Statutorily, the State is required to revise the Consensus Revenue Forecast two times per year, in January and July; the Emergency Board may schedule interim revisions if deemed necessary. The next Emergency Board meeting will be scheduled for January 2011.

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November 2010 was 5.7 percent for the second consecutive month. Compared to a year ago, the November unemployment rate is lower by a full percentage point. Since the start of the calendar year, the Vermont seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has followed a downward trend. In January it was 6.7 percent, followed by February and March at 6.6 percent. Then the next three months each saw declines of two tenths of percent to put the state rate at 6.0 percent in June, where it stayed for three consecutive months until the September announcement of 5.8 percent. October continued the downward trend with a one tenth of a percent decline in the statewide unemployment rate which is where we remain according to this recent data.