Current News

A wood pellet plant in Island Pond and a social service organization in Barre were among nine Vermont projects that will share almost $3 million in state grant funds.
Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie announced the award of $2.9 million in Vermont Community Development Program grants at a ceremony at the P & S Furniture Store in Barre, which is slated to become the new home of the Central Vermont Community Action Council with the help of an $800,000 grant to the City of Barre.
These grants are going to help Vermonters all over the state, creating much-needed jobs and affordable housing for our communities, Dubie said.
CVCAC, a nonprofit providing anti-poverty and economic development programs for low to moderate income residents in central Vermont, has outgrown its main offices on Route 302 in Berlin, forcing the group to rent multiple office spaces in the area.

On Friday, June 4, Comcast and One Economy were joined by elected officials and community leaders at the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington in Vermont to celebrate the launch of the Comcast Digital Connectors Program. Burlington is the fifth city in the nation to roll out the digital literacy program, which teaches young adults about broadband technologies and how to put that knowledge to work and serve the local community. Comcast s David Cohen was on hand to help celebrate the launch and various elected officials, including US Senator Patrick Leahy and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas also attended and showed their support.

By James Dwinell, Vermont Business Magazine Rich Tarrant, one of Vermont s wealthiest, is no longer a Vermont resident; he now resides in Florida. Tarrant is best known for the amazing success of IDX, a health care information systems company which he sold in 2006 and now called GE Healthcare and still located in South Burlington.
In 2006 Tarrant ran for the open US Senate seat vacated by Jim Jeffords. Though Tarrant won the Republican primary, he lost to Bernie Sanders in the general election. There were rumors of a possible interest in one day running for governor of Vermont, those days are now gone.

The 80 seventh- and eighth-grade students on the Navigator team at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington solve problems on one of four touchscreen SMART Boards in math class, measure and record temperature fluctuations with high tech probeware in science, participate in international Skype sessions in social studies via a large computer screen, and use their laptops to do Web-based writing assignment in language arts.
What's just as impressive as the team's wall-to-wall technology, though, is the way teachers have incorporated it seamlessly into their lesson plans to powerfully engage students in their learning.

Fletcher Allen reported an operating income of $6.9 million for the first two quarters of the 2010 fiscal year. This includes an operating income of approximately $6.8 million for the second quarter. The second quarter covers the period beginning January 1 and ending March 31.
Second Quarter Results
Operating income for the second quarter was $1.9 million above budget and $4.3 million below the corresponding quarter in FY 2009. Net operating revenues for the quarter were $218.1 million, $620,000 below budgeted revenues. The organization's operating expenses for the quarter were $211.2 million, $2.5 million under budget, resulting in an operating income of approximately $5.0 million and an operating margin of 3.2% for the second quarter. By comparison, the organization produced an income from operations of $9.3 million in the second quarter of FY 2009.
Year-to-date Results

Fueled by lead single "Tiny Light," their incendiary live shows and rave reviews from critics nationwide, the self-titled album from GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS (Hollywood Records/Ragged Company) enter Billboard's Top 200 at #20, Billboard's Rock Album Chart at #3 and Billboard's Digital Album Chart at #9.
The group, praised by Rolling Stone as one of the "Best New Bands of 2010," delivered an electrifying performance of "Tiny Light" on
yesterday's Good Morning America and return to television July 15th for an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This Thursday, June 17th, fans can also catch an encore performance of the band's appearance on ELLEN.

For the week of June 12, 2010, there were 694 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance, an increase of 32 from the week before. Altogether 9,722 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 643 from a week ago and 4,505 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 3,150 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 321 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 2,093 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is a decrease of 113 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

A new report by American Legislative Exchange Council shows that Vermont is ranked 22nd for economic performance and 49th for economic outlook. Though Vermont is ranked 48 for both tax burden and state minimum wage, it is ranked 8 for state liability system survey and 9 for sales tax burden. As states face their toughest budgetary climates in a generation, the authors of the report point out what states should and should not do to alleviate the fiscal pain.
The third edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index shows how many states responded to the economic crisis with higher taxes, new spending, and more debt. Instead of continuing down this road to a financial meltdown, the authors outline the steps states can take to bring about economic recovery.

The Vermont Clean Energy Development Board has awarded over $1.7 million worth of grants supporting 14 clean energy projects at public serving institutions across the state.
The Clean Energy Development Board is excited to support these public serving institutions with clean energy grants. These funds will help these institutions save energy and money which will, in turn, benefit Vermonters throughout the State. said CED Board co-Chair Robert Dostis.
The grants allocate funds received by Vermont from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In 2009 the state legislature allocated $2 million of the ARRA funds to be used to support clean energy projects at public serving institutions which was defined as hospitals, colleges, universities and government buildings.

By Art Edelstein, Vermont Business Magazine -- Vermont s computer and related electrical machinery manufacturing sector, dominated as it is by IBM in Essex Jct, is rebounding from the recession and sees some positive signs for the near future. The notable loss is the closing of Suss MicroTec, a stalwart of the state's high-tech seen. Upwards of 100 jobs will be lost at the Waterbury manufacturer.
IBM itself hired more than 200 workers for its manufacturing plant last year and is in the process of filling an additional 100 jobs since April.
These are full-time, long-term supplemental positions for both day and night shifts with benefits, said Big Blue spokesman Jeff Couture. Thirty to 40 positions remain to be filled.

In spite of the softening real estate market, Vermonters earning the median income still could not afford the median priced home, according to a new report released today.
The report, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Housing and Wages in Vermont,” is the latest in an annual series that tracks housing costs in relation to Vermonters’ incomes. For the last several years, Vermont’s tight housing markets have driven up prices while wages, particularly those employing the most Vermonters, have not kept pace. During the recession, even as home prices drop, opportunities for low-income and first time buyers were limited due to high fees and higher interest rates for buyers with moderate credit scores.

The state Public Service Board gave a final order and certificate of public good to The Georgia Mountain Wind project to build a five-turbine wind facility on the Georgia-Milton town line. The Georgia Mountain Community Wind project would account for a percentage of transmission costs for about 3,500 homes in north-west Vermont.
According to the Burlington Free Press, more than 400 residents between the two towns signed a petition against the project. People are concerned about the environment, the noise, and the real estate value of the land nearby.
At the board's public hearing, they ruled that 32 conditions must be met by the developer, including: negotiate setback agreements with owners of adjacent properties, submit detailed blasting plans, establish protocols for shutting down turbines during icy conditions, monitor bat and bird fatalities for several years after operation begins, and restore desturbed land.
Source: Public Service Board Orders 6.11.10