Current News

Governor James H Douglas and Secretary of State Deb Markowitz will host the opening of the renovated and expanded Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) building in Middlesex on Thursday, June 10th at 1:30 p.m. The event will include a ribbon cutting ceremony and remarks by Governor Douglas, Secretary Markowitz, and others who worked together to create not only the new facility but also a modern archival and records management program for the state.

A new exhibit at Shelburne Museum features the legendary American wilderness photography of Ansel Adams contrasted with Edward Burtynsky’s contemporary images of global industrialization. Ansel Adams and Edward Burtynsky: Constructed Landscapes includes over 60 extraordinary photographs and is the museum’s first exhibit of photography. The exhibit opens on Saturday, June 19.
“Constructed Landscapes offers visitors two powerful artistic perspectives of the landscape. Ansel Adams’ iconic 20th-century work presents seemingly undisturbed nature in black and white. Edward Burtynsky’s photographs capture the industrialized world in striking color. Both are beautiful and provocative -- in dramatically different ways. Both offer a timely reminder of the consequence of human impact on the planet,” Jost said.

Inc. magazine and Winning Workplaces today announce the winners of the 2010 Top Small Company Workplaces competition the best small and mid-sized places to work in the country in Inc.'s June issue. The magazine features the 20 winners, which range from the New York Jets professional football team to A Yard and a Half landscaping company to Patagonia, the outdoor clothing designer and retailer. A list of the 20 finalists also is included.
This is the eighth consecutive year that Winning Workplaces, the Evanston, IL-based nonprofit organization, has recognized those firms that attribute much of their business success to their commitment to exemplary people practices and outstanding workplace cultures.

Utilizing federal stimulus bonding capacity provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), VEDA preliminarily approved $92.3 million in Recovery Zone Bond Financing to several large business projects throughout Vermont. Additional VEDA program financing of $5.4 million was also approved to farm, technology and small business projects.
Vermont was allocated $135 million in federal tax-exempt bonding capacity to be committed by December 31, 2010, said VEDA CEO Jo Bradley. To date, VEDA has preliminarily committed its entire allocation, although it remains to be seen whether or not all of these projects can get all of their other pieces in place to close by year-end. We are continuing to take applications on a first-come-first-served basis in case any of the current projects are unable to proceed. We are trying hard to utilize all of our capacity in the allotted time frame.

In his first major reorganization in more than 11 years, Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer J. Wayne Leonard has named Entergy leaders to new roles effective as early as June 14.

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR; http://www.marriott.com) opened the 67-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in White River Junction, VT on Friday, June 4, 2010. Located at 102 Ballardvale Drive, the Fairfield Inn & Suites White River will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Butson Hotel Investments of Williston, VT.
Located with easy access to I-89, I-91, Route 4 and Route 5, the hotel offers guests convenient access to Dartmouth College, Upper Valley Aquatic Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the VA Medical Center. Rates begin at $139 per night.

Governor Jim Douglas today signed the last three bills into law, marking the culmination of the 2009-2010 legislative biennium. As this is Governor Douglas’ last session as governor, today’s final bill signing of H. 781, An Act Relating to Renewable Energy, represents the last bill that will become law under his signature.
“It is a tremendous responsibility knowing that, as Governor, my signature has the power to turn an idea into the law of the State of Vermont,” said Governor Douglas. “In the past eight years, I’ve signed over 750 Acts and Charter Changes – and vetoed a few others. That the renewable energy bill is the final bill is fitting. It not only reaffirms Vermont’s deeply held environmental ethic, it builds on the close friendship we share with our neighbors in Quebec – a friendship that Quebec Premier Jean Charest and I have worked hard to cultivate over the past eight years.”

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation has announced that 19 trail projects across the state will be receiving $531,119 from Vermont’s Recreation Trails Program (RTP).
Vermont’s RTP is a matching grant program of the Federal Highway Administration for the acquisition, development, rehabilitation and maintenance of trails, trailhead facilities, trailside amenities, and trail-related educational projects for non-motorized, motorized, and multiple compatible recreational use.
“RTP funds provide enjoyable opportunities with trails close to home, close to schools, in our parks, in our forests, and on our mountains,” says Sherry Winnie, Vermont’s RTP Administrator, “Vermont’s trails and trail systems connect people to places, promote healthy active living, and conserve the natural landscape of Vermont we love.”

Governor Jim Douglas announced Thursday that he would allow H. 66, An Act Relating to voluntary school district merger, virtual merger, supervisory union duties, and including secondary students with disabilities in senior year activities and ceremonies, to become law without his signature.
“While I support finding efficiencies through consolidation of school governance structures, I do not believe H. 66 is a meaningful step to achieve that end,” said Governor Douglas. “Not only does H. 66 fail to recognize the immediacy of our need to control property taxes in Vermont, it will, frankly, do little to encourage consolidation of districts. I cannot endorse this timid approach with my signature and hope future Legislatures will finally act on meaningful education reforms to rein in property taxes.”
A bill sent to the governor becomes law if it is not signed or vetoed within five days of reaching his desk.
A copy of the Governor’s message is below.

Vermont Attorney General William H Sorrell announced today that Christopher Gaudette, age 37, and Frank Perretta, age 51, both of Grand Isle, Vermont, have been charged with animal cruelty in connection with an investigation into the operation of Bushway Packing, Inc. Gaudette has been charged with two counts of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor, and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony. Perretta has been charged with one count of cruelty to animals. Neither Gaudette nor Perretta could be located by law enforcement officers, and therefore arrest warrants have been issued for both individuals.

Mach 7 Technologies (M7T), a global provider of flexible, PACS-neutral healthcare image management solutions, has relocated its global headquarters from suburban Chicago to greater Burlington, Vermont. The new office location serves as the company's base for Americas' sales and professional service operations, and finance and administration. The new office also houses global product management and strategic R&D functions.

On Thursday, June 3, the Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees approved a resolution that authorizes the Community College of Vermont (CCV) to enter a lease agreement with DEW Construction Corporation of Williston, Vermont to design and build a new academic facility for CCV in Rutland. The facility will be located on the corner of Wales and West Streets, and will be a 30,000 square foot building. CCV will lease the facility from DEW, with occupancy scheduled for August 1, 2011. The new building will replace CCV’s current location at 24 Evelyn Street, where CCV has leased 12,000 square feet of classroom and office space since 1999.
CCV President Joyce Judy stated that “Rutland is CCV’s second largest location, and it is the fastest growing location in the college.” CCV had 900 students enrolled in the Rutland area in the spring 2010 semester, which is a 58% increase in student enrollment in the past five years.