Current News

Is your nonprofit a century old? If yes, then the Secretary of State is looking for you! Secretary Deb Markowitz is seeking applicants for the 2010 Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Awards program. This program honors nonprofits that have operated in Vermont for at least 100 years. Any nonprofit that has been in operation in Vermont for 100 years or more can participate in this awards program by filling out an application form.
Secretary Markowitz said, “The Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Award acknowledges Vermont's oldest nonprofits for enriching our heritage. This program deepens our understanding of how Vermont's nonprofits have enhanced our community life during the last hundred years.”
“It is important to recognize Vermont's nonprofits for their longevity," added Markowitz. “It takes a tremendous amount of dedication to keep a nonprofit active for 100 years.”

Construction is well under way at the new Tupelo Music Hall in White River Junction, and all systems are go for the grand opening performance on Friday, October 1. Scott Hayward, the owner of the venue, has also booked an ambitious and eclectic schedule of almost forty shows, already stretching into May of 2011.
The grand opening weekend will kick off with Vermont favorites Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams followed on Saturday night by veteran folk-singer-songwriter Tom Paxton. On Sunday, Tupelo will host the awards presentation for the ‘First Upper Valley Owl Awards for Excellence,’ sponsored by The Complete Hoot, who has named Tupelo as co-sponsor.

The Vermont Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) has received a 2010 Consortium Development Competition Award of $185,000 from the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) to fund a research project entitled, ‘The Vermont Frozen Landscape Monitoring Project".
‘This is an exciting project at the intersection of NASA research interests and a critical Vermont concern,’ says Dr. William Lakin originator of the grant request. ‘It is also a clear indication that NASA recognizes the quality of the research teams being developed by the VTSGC with our Space Grant faculty research funding.’

Governor Jim Douglas announced today that Chief Technology Officer Tom Evslin will retire from state government on September 15. Evslin, 67, was recruited from retirement by Governor Douglas in March of 2009 to be Chief Recovery Officer to oversee Vermont’s use of stimulus funds and applications for competitive stimulus grants. When the temporary Office of Economic Stimulus and Recovery finished its job, Evslin was named Chief Technology Officer for the State and has been the Administration’s lead on Challenges for Change.

While the recount of the primary vote gets under way, Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie said he is eager to debate the eventual Democratic nominee, challenging his opponent to a series of debates throughout the state.
‘Whether my opponent ends up being Peter Shumlin or Doug Racine, our plans to address the economic challenges that face Vermont could not be more different,’ Dubie said. ‘I look forward to letting Vermonters decide who they think best represents the interests of Vermont families, workers and job creators.’
Dubie's campaign said that 12 debates over seven weeks, as well as several joint appearances, will make increasingly apparent to Vermonters the many differences between Lieutenant Governor Dubie and either State Senator Peter Shumlin or State Senator Doug Racine.

The Secretary of State's office has posted the official results for the primary conducted August 24, 2010, for all the statewide races. Further below are results for all Vermont primary races.

OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE CANVASSING COMMITTEE
UNITED STATES AND VERMONT STATEWIDE OFFICES

Primary Election, August 24, 2010

In accordance with the provisions of the 17 V.S.A. 2368‑2371, we have met and canvassed the returns of votes for the United States Senator, United States Representative to Congress and State Officers cast at the August 24, 2010 Primary Election in Vermont as filed in the Office of the Secretary of State. http://vermont-elections.org/soshome.htm

(Winners = Bold*)
VOTING STATISTICS

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has chosen the winners of the five highly anticipated 2010 Vermont Hospitality Awards. These awards honor individuals in the hospitality industry who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the industry and who exemplify standards of professionalism. The awards will be given at the Vermont Chamber Hospitality Gala on September 21 at Sugarbush Resort in Warren.

The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has announced that additional tax-exempt bond issuance capacity may be available under the Recovery Zone Facility Bond (RZFB) Program, created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the Stimulus Act), enacted by Congress in 2009.
“Thus far, VEDA has preliminarily committed all of Vermont’s $135 million in special tax-exempt bonding capacity under the Stimulus Act,” said VEDA Chief Executive Officer Jo Bradley. “However, there is no guarantee that every project approved earlier this year will succeed in finalizing all project details before the December 31, 2010 bond commitment deadline. Therefore, since it is vitally important that Vermont make the best and highest use of every dollar in tax-exempt bond issuance capacity allotted by the federal government, VEDA is inviting additional proposals, in case excess bonding capacity suddenly becomes available.”

Maple Center Motors, a family-owned business that sells used vehicles in St. Johnsbury, is one of numerous Vermont businesses improving its bottom line and the quality of light in its workspace by switching out inefficient T-12 fluorescent lighting technology and installing energy-efficient lighting through ‘newLIGHT,’ a limited-time program offering increased lighting rebates through Efficiency Vermont. The program was created to help Vermont businesses prepare for a new mandate from the US Department of Energy that will phase out T-12 fluorescent lamps by mid-2012.
Working with a lighting contractor or distributor, Vermont businesses can take advantage of newLIGHT rebates that will cover 50-90 percent of equipment costs. In turn, businesses can save up to 25-50 percent on their lighting energy bills through the program, and avoid having to upgrade when replacement T12 lamps become difficult to purchase after the phase out.

Hoping to ensure no one goes cold this winter due to lack of crisis fuel assistance, The Vermont Country Store today committed $17,000 to this year’s CVPS Shareheat campaign.
The Vermont Country Store will add $15,000 to Central Vermont Public Service’s $100,000 commitment for the upcoming winter to increase the pool of funds available to match contributions from the public. The Vermont Country Store will also donate $2,000 to Ski For Heat, an annual cross-country ski fundraiser for Shareheat held each winter at Wild Wings Ski Touring Center in Peru.

Operators at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant terminated an unusual event at 8:28 pm Sunday evening, according to Laurence Smith, manager of communications at Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee.
The Unusual Event was declared at 7:05 pm, due to a loss of some control room alarm circuits. The problem was traced to an internal power supply which has since been restored. All control room alarm circuits are functioning properly, according to Smith's statement. The plant continues to operate at 100 percent power.
An unusual event is the lowest of four emergency classifications as defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Doug Racine, candidate for governor, announced Friday that he will request a recount of the gubernatorial primary election results. In the meantime, the top three Democratic vote getters - Racine, Peter Shumlin and Deb Markowitz - sent out a "unity letter" Sunday.
The Vermont Secretary of State has released the unofficial certified results, which showed Racine behind Shumlin by fewer than 200 votes. The official vote totals will be posted at the secretary of state's Web site Tuesday.
On Monday, the three Democrats sent "A Message of Unity" email, saying that Peter Shumlin will campaign as the presumptive nominee, but all three will work together to elect a Democrat because of their shared values and desire to defeat Republican Brian Dubie in November. See letter below.
Racine held a press conference at the Richmond Town Center Friday afternoon to announce his decision.