Current News

Sugarbush Resort raised the curtain Friday on a revitalized Lincoln Peak base area, showcasing two buildings that will serve as integral parts of a $10 million project designed to strengthen the resort’s commitment to lifelong learning of snowsports.
Sugarbush president Win Smith hosted an official opening of the two recently completed structures ‘ ‘The Schoolhouse’ and ‘The Farmhouse.’ A wide range of local business leaders, politicians and
contractors that worked on the project joined Smith at the ceremony.
Devoted to ski school and family-friendly guest facilities, the two new buildings are part of Phase 2 of
the Lincoln Peak revitalization; the other component being an upgrade of 2.5 miles of snowmaking
pipe servicing both Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen.

A judge in Virginia has ruled a key provision of the sweeping health care bill championed by President Obama and passed by Congress earlier this year is unconstitutional. The provision would require that all individuals have health insurance starting in 2014. However, this ruling will not hold up the implementation of the health reform plan in all its other provisions in 2011. It is likely that the US Supreme Court ultimately will rule on the insurance requirement provision before 2014.
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy was critical of the process by which the court acted on this matter.

Governor-elect Shumlin announced today several appointments that will make up his health care reform team. Steve Kimbell will assume the role of Commissioner of BISHCA, Harry Chen will become the newly appointed Commissioner of the Department of Health, Susan Besio will remain in her role as Commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access and Anya Rader Wallack will lead the health care reform efforts as Special Assistant to the Governor.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., (NASDAQ: GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee and coffeemakers, on Thursday announced its fiscal 2010 fourth quarter and year-end results for the thirteen weeks and fiscal year ended September 25, 2010. Annual sales were nearly $1.4 billion and net income was almost $80 million.
Performance Highlights
Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2010
* Net Sales up 73% over 2009
* GAAP EPS of $0.20; Non-GAAP EPS of $0.221
* GAAP Net Income up 92% over 2009
Fiscal 2010
* Net Sales up 73% over 2009
* GAAP EPS of $0.58; Non-GAAP EPS of $0.701
* GAAP Net Income up 46% over 2009
Restated Financial Results

Rick Fleming of Fleming Oil in Brattleboro, Vermont, was named the new President of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association. The VFDA Executive Board unanimously elected Fleming to the volunteer leadership post at their annual winter meeting. Rick succeeds Peter Bourne of Bourne’s Energy in Morrisville. Bourne will remain on the VFDA Executive Board.
"Rick is a respected leader in the fuel industry. VFDA members and staff are fortunate to have Rick accept this important role," said Matt Cota, VFDA’s Executive Director.
Fleming also serves on the Board of the New England Fuel Institute (NEFI) and the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA). As President of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association, Rick will help guide an organization that represents nearly 300 companies that are in the business of keeping Vermonters warm.

Philip Conroy, Jr., Ed.D. has been appointed president of Vermont Technical College by the Vermont State College's Board of Trustees following a six-month nationwide presidential search. Dr. Conroy comes to Vermont Tech from Mount Ida College in Newton, Massachusetts, where he serves as vice president of enrollment management and marketing, responsible for admissions, financial aid, marketing, publications, the web site, public relations, and retention related activities.
Conroy, who has served in a variety of roles at Mount Ida since 1997, is an internationally recognized expert on higher education management, particularly in the areas of strategic enrollment management and institutional advancement.

Governor-elect Shumlin named Keith Flynn as the Commissioner of Public Safety today.
‘Keith’s experience on the front lines of law enforcement as well as in the judicial system give him the knowledge, insight and perspective that’s necessary to be a great Commissioner of Public Safety,’ said Shumlin. ‘I am deeply grateful to Keith for his willingness to tackle the challenge of making Vermont a safer place to live, work and raise a family.’

Governor-Elect Peter Shumlin announced today that Susan Allen and Bianca Slota will take positions on his Executive Office staff. Allen, who has worked as a reporter, editorial writer, and columnist, and is currently the Executive Director of Renewable Energy Vermont, will be Special Assistant to the Governor with responsibilities that include policy work and communications strategies. Slota, previously a reporter for WCAX television, will serve as press secretary.

Today the Vermont Department of Public Service released an audit of Burlington Telecom that examines the organization’s business operations - and its expected effect on ratepayers. The 51 page audit details the knowing violation by city leaders and managers of the department’s license conditions; its lack of financial stability and weak inventory and accounting practices. The period under review was from the issue date of the CPG, September 2005, through the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2010.
The following conclusions were included in the audit:
â ¢ That Burlington Telecom has not been in compliance with Condition No. 60 since September 2005; that Burlington Telecom failed to meet the requirement to repay borrowed funds within 60 days; that even after instituting a policy to repay loans within 60 days, it has continued to carry a negative balance, failing to repay over $16 million in loans from the City's Pooled Cash fund.

Vermont’s Congressional Delegation ‘ Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Congressman Peter Welch (D) ‘ Friday reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is releasing $3.3 million more in home heating assistance to Vermont. The Vermont lawmakers have been pushing for this funding and more, which they say Vermonters will need before the winter’s through.
The grant is part of a nationwide release of $2.68 billion in Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to help eligible families pay for the cost of heating their homes. The funds are the second installment of regular LIHEAP block grants to be released this fiscal year. Because Congress has not yet approved budget bills for the coming year, initial allocations from the agency were about 40 percent less than last year’s levels.

The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) provided today information on the status of the Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation 2008 (EUC 08) program.
While discussions in Congress continue, Congress has still not acted on authorizing new entitlement under the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) program. EUC08 has two tiers for which Vermont currently qualifies. Tier 1 provides up to 20 weeks and Tier 2 provides up to 14 weeks of additional benefits. While individuals are still receiving EUC payments under their current Tier, absent Congress taking action, Vermont is not authorized to establish new EUC Tier entitlement. Qualifying new unemployment claimants will still be able to collect regular unemployment benefits of up to 26 weeks.
At this time, the lack of an extension is currently impacting approximately 140 claimants per week who either have or soon will exhaust their regular benefits (26 weeks).

BURLINGTON, VT -- The Champlain College United Way Campaign has raised $31,000 and increased its employee participation rate from 40 to 50 percent this year during its United Way of Chittenden County annual Community Campaign.

The campus-wide fund-raising effort employed a variety of social media, blog posts and special events to get the word out to faculty and staff about the need to support United Way and its 60 programs and 30 member agencies. This year's theme, "We Can't Just Leave It to Beaver," played on the notion that the campaign's keyperson was the college's mascot ‘ Chauncey T. Beaver. See the Champlain College United Way blog at http://champlainunitedway.blogspot.com/