Current News
by tim
Governor-elect Peter Shumlin today announced the appointments of Vermont’s next Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources and Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Deb Markowitz will be Secretary of ANR; David Mears will serve as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Markowitz is one of three political rivals Shumlin has appointed to key posts in his administration. The two others who also sought the Democratic nomination for governor are Doug Racine, who will head Human Services, and Susan Bartlett, who is a special assistant brought in to help write the new budget.
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The owners of Bolton Valley Resort, big mountain skiing and riding less than 30 minutes from Burlington, have engaged Mike Krongel of Mirus Resort Capital, a New England investment banking firm, to identify and evaluate growth opportunities for the resort. Bolton Valley is owned by partners Doug Nedde and Larry Williams of Redstone, a Vermont commercial real estate development company in Burlington.
‘Future development plans at Bolton Valley include improvements to the existing base area, lift upgrades and expansion of snowmaking capacity,’ said Williams. ‘There are plans to create a sustainable primary and second home community, a canopy tour, zip rider, mountain biking, and the installation of a second wind powered turbine capable of producing more than five million kWh of energy per year. We are looking to Mirus Resort Capital to advise us on how to best move Bolton Valley forward.’
by tim
Health Leaders Media released its annual HealthLeaders 20 list of individuals who make health care better and Governor Jim Douglas was among those recognized for his positive efforts to improve the American health care system.
Health Leaders Media credited Douglas’ ability to bridge the partisan divide in health care, whether in Washington or in Montpelier, citing his work as chairman of the National Governors Association, the Vermont Blueprint for Health and Vermont’s 2006 Health Reform bill as examples of his leadership. The article notes that ‘In striking contrast to Congress, Vermont provides a great example of what Republicans and Democrats can achieve in healthcare when they agree upon a common goal. And perhaps no one better embodies that bipartisan spirit in the Green Mountain State than long-serving Republican Gov. Jim Douglas.’
by tim
Burlington-based Da Capo Publishing, dba Seven Days, has purchased Kids VT, Vermont’s monthly parenting publication. The February issue will be the first one published by the new owners.
Kim Kropf started Kids VT in 1994, when her own kids were young, and Susan Holson, too, raised children while growing the business which consists of a newspaper, website, a family resource guide and an annual camp and school fair. Sixteen years later, with their kids heading off to college, Holson and Kropf were looking for a change. They approached Seven Days.
‘We have great confidence that we are leaving our ‘baby’ in the best possible hands, and that the Seven Days team will nurture it and steward it through its next great growth phase,’ says Holson, Kids VT’s editor and co-publisher. Kropf served as the publication’s co-publisher and ad director.
by tim
A new partnership between several Vermont financial institutions and Champlain College hopes to increase financial literacy in classrooms across Vermont, ensure college students graduate with the skills to make sound decisions about spending, credit and investments, and help adults navigate difficult financial situations like buying a home and saving for retirement.
John Pelletier of Stowe, Director of the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College, announced the details of the new center which is designed to promote and develop financial literacy skills in K-12 students, college students, teachers (K-12 and college) and adults. The Center will also advocate for more financial education opportunities at the local, state and national level.
by tim
People's United Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: PBCT) has announced the merger consideration to be received by Smithtown shareholders in People's United Financial's acquisition of Smithtown Bancorp, Inc of Hauppauge, NY, which was completed on November 30, 2010.
Based on final election results and applying the proration provisions set forth in the merger agreement, Smithtown shareholders will receive the following merger consideration:
Smithtown shareholders will receive 0.304 of a share of People's United Financial common stock for each Smithtown share for which they made a valid stock election;
Smithtown shareholders will receive $3.77 per share for each Smithtown share for which they made a valid cash election; and
by tim
After five days of round the clock work, crews restored power to the last VEC member at approximately 10:30 pm Sunday night. Strong winds that pounded Vermont on Wednesday resulted in extensive damage to VEC’s system, which executives there called the worst in the company's history, which will cost it about $2 million.
At the height of the storm VEC had approximately 12,500 members without power, this equates to one-third of its member’owners.
‘By far this is the worst storm that we’ve ever seen,’ said Dave Hallquist, Chief Executive Officer. ‘At the height of storm there were verified reports of wind gusts of up to 94 mph in some parts of VEC’s service territory which resulted in power outages to more than one-third of our member-owners.’
by tim
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Conference December 4 that Vermont leads the nation in electric energy efficiency and in making great strides toward sustainable energy. He also announced that he secured $90,000 to support Vermont town energy committees.
‘Investing in these local efforts will help our state make real and significant progress toward meeting our energy vision,’ he told the conference’s annual meeting in Fairlee, Vt. Sanders spoke to the some 200 participants by telephone from Washington, where the U.S. Senate was in session on Saturday.
Energy committees have until Jan. 31 to apply for grants of $1,000 to $3,000 for projects including community energy challenges, cooperatives to promote bulk purchase of energy services, do-it-yourself weatherization workshops, residential energy reduction campaigns, school programs and other initiatives.
by tim
Parking in downtown Burlington during the holidays just got a lot easier on weeknights and weekends during the 2010-11 holidays as the city has partnered with the Church Street Marketplace and others to offer free parking on some on-street meters and off-street parking lots.
Thanks to participating downtown employers, hundreds of additional parking spaces at downtown parking lots are available free to downtown holiday shoppers starting Saturday, November 27, 2010 through Sunday January 2, 2011. Hours of availability are Monday through Friday, 6 PM to 10 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 9 AM to 10 PM, unless otherwise designated at each location.
by tim
The Vermont congressional delegation today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will further postpone a pending reduction in food stamp benefits for 16,000 Vermonters. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) also welcomed the USDA’s assurance that, once the extended waiver expires on April 1, no family will see a benefit reduction of more than $20 per month.
Sanders and Leahy authored a letter signed by 13 other senators asking White House budget director Jacob Lew to reconsider the administration’s plan to cut to nutrition assistance benefits under Vermont’s ‘3SquaresVT’ program. Welch authored a similar letter from members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
by tim
ccess Real Time Permits with New Online IFTA/IRP Service at Vermont.gov
MONTPELIER, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles today announces the availability of real-time permits with the release of a new online permitting service for International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) and International Registration Plans (IRP). Available at https://secure.vermont.gov/DMV/irp/ the new online service is an upgrade to the previous paper- and fax-based service.
‘This new process will save time and resources for fleet trucking companies, the DMV, and the taxpayers of Vermont.’
by tim
A comprehensive economic analysis is underway in the Northeast Kingdom to
identify potential areas of employment growth and what skills people will
need to fill those jobs.
The study, being conducted by the Northeastern Vermont Development
Association (NVDA) is funded by a federal grant in conjunction with the
Vermont Department of Labor.
‘This study will provide us with solid economic research that will help
us establish priorities for our work in the region,’ said Steve
Patterson, executive director of NVDA.
Dave Snedeker, Planning Manager for NVDA, is heading up the project and
said the study will look at four different areas and:
determine ways that bio-medical companies in the Northeast Kingdom can cooperate for mutual economic benefit and determine whether a formal organization should be established.