Current News

Stratton Mountain Resort is proud to announce the first Vermont Solutions Festival, August 27 and 28, held in collaboration with the state of Vermont to celebrate sustainability, sport and wellness.
"The Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing is excited to be a partner in the new development of the Vermont Solutions Festival,” said Steve Cook, Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism. “This event will showcase the Southern Vermont region, Stratton Mountain Resort and its long-time commitment to sustainability and it will also exhibit Vermont’s efforts in developing global solutions with global impacts.”

Fitch Ratings assigns an 'AAA' rating to the following 2010 Vermont Municipal Bond Bank bonds, issued under the 1988 General Resolution:
-- $22,970,000 series 1 bonds;
-- $9,680,000 series 2 bonds (federally taxable recovery zone economic development bonds);
-- $1,365,000 series 3 bonds (federally taxable qualified school construction bonds);
-- $40,570,000 series 4 refunding bonds.
The bonds are expected to sell via negotiation during the week of June 28, 2010.
In addition, Fitch affirms $504,130,000 in outstanding General Resolution bonds at 'AAA'.
The Rating Outlook is Stable.
RATING RATIONALE:
-- The program, which consists of 295 borrowers, is diverse with low single-borrower concentration.

Legal developments concerning a Pulitzer Prize-winning weekly newspaper published on the California coast but formed in the state of Vermont is offering hope for beleaguered newspapers throughout the country. The newspaper, the Point Reyes Light, incorporated in May as an L3C, a Low profit Limited Liability company authorized under Vermont law. The first-in-the-nation L3C statute was approved by the Vermont legislature and signed into law by Governor Jim Douglas in 2008.

Connor Homes of Middlebury, Vermont, has announced that it has recently been granted the exclusive license to produce a line of homes to be endorsed by Winterthur, the museum, garden, and library that is the former home of Henry Francis du Pont. The design inspiration for this new line of historically authentic, architecturally detailed homes comes from the museum’s extensive archives as well as interpretations and adaptations of existing architecture presently found on the Winterthur estate.

Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, and declined only in the District of Columbia, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). More than two-thirds of states (38) have adult obesity rates above 25 percent. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. Vermont had one of lowest rates at 22.8 percent to rank 46th.

Winners were announced yesterday for the 38th sofi Awards for the outstanding foods and beverages of the year. Presented by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade(NASFT) the awards honor the outstanding specialty foods and beverages of the year in 33 categories. "sofi" stands for specialty outstanding food innovation.
The awards were presented at the Summer Fancy Food Show by noted Executive Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns at a red-carpet event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.
The 2010 sofi Gold Winners are:
Appetizer, Antipasto, Salsa or Dip: Simply Delish - Simply Delish Chunky Dip - Sweet Chili
Baked Good, Baking Ingredient or Cereal: The Sticky Toffee Pudding Company - Sticky Toffee Pudding
Cheese or Dairy Product: Ritrovo Italian Regional Foods - Ritrovo Selections - Mt. Townsend Limited Edition Truffle & Salt Seastack
Chocolate: Poco Dolce - Sesame Toffee Tiles

The Vermont Agency of Transportation will begin to replace the Williamsville Covered Bridge on Dover Road on Monday, July 5. The bridge will be out of service through August 29, 2010. The detour around the bridge on Parish Hill and Baker Brook Road is about two miles long and will have signs. Motorists should factor time for the detour into their travel plans.
The Williamsville Covered Bridge reconstruction project involves reconstructing the existing historic bridge, built around 1850, with a new replacement covered bridge. VTRANS expects to open the new bridge to traffic on August 30.

Source: VTrans Director Planning, Outreach & Community Affairs 6.29.2010

College of St Joseph in Rutland, VT, has received a grant of $122,749 from the Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund for upgrades to the college’s residence halls, specifically to install Sto Exterior insulation in the college’s two dorm buildings. The funds from this grant come from monies received by Vermont from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and are distributed by CEDF.
The college will combine the CEDF grant with funding formerly received from the Department of Energy through the work of Congressman Peter Welch to rehabilitate the exteriors of both Roncalli and Medaille residence halls. Both halls will have four inches of foam insulation and a stucco surface applied to their exteriors that will address several major issues, including energy efficiency and the need for ongoing exterior maintenance. By the end of the summer, the construction in both halls should be complete.

The Vermont Department of Labor is reminding businesses that legislative changes taking affect July 1st could mean immediate closure of businesses found to be without required workers' compensation insurance.

Timeshare Relief, Inc, a Torrance, California, company, will offer over $91,000 in consumer refunds and pay $50,000 to the State of Vermont to settle claims that it violated Vermont law in three different ways in arranging for the repurchase of timeshares. Commenting on the settlement, the second of its kind in the past eight months, Vermont Attorney General William H Sorrell again warned out-of-state companies offering a financial benefit to Vermonters not to violate the State’s consumer laws, or “they will find that doing so is an expensive proposition.”

The Vermont Public Service Board rejected yesterday the Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring plan put forth by FairPoint Communications. The board simply did not believe what it considered overly optimistic revenue projections. It also rejected the idea that previously agreed to broadband expansion should be put off another six months, that penalties incurred over service problems should be forgiven and that service quality had returned to a level close enough to what it was when Verizon owned the system.
The PSB’s order stated: ‘After careful consideration of FairPoint's requests, the Board concludes that FairPoint has not demonstrated that the approvals would promote the general good of the state. Specifically, based upon the record before us, we cannot find that FairPoint has demonstrated the financial capability to meet its obligations under Vermont law and its CPG (Certificate of Public Good) as a telecommunications carrier.’

Each year National Geographic Traveler, the number one magazine for global travel, culture, and nature, features 50 trips that deserve the award of ‘Tour of a Lifetime.’ These carefully designed trips offer much more than classical or emerging destinations. They are carefully crafted and operated with superb dedication to service and attention to detail. All of them offer unique experiences, which no discerning traveler should miss.
Cultural Crossroads, a Vermont-based company, is winning this prestigious label for the second year in a row, in addition to being featured four times in Conde Nast Traveler Magazine with its ‘50 Trips of a Lifetime’ and ‘40 Trips of a Lifetime.’