Current News

Average retail gasoline prices in Vermont have fallen 2.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.89/g today. This compares with the national average that has stayed flat, moving just 1.2 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.85/g, according to gasoline price website VermontGasPrices.com.
Including the change in gas prices in Vermont during the past week, prices today are 87.0 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 3.1 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 5.1 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 82.2 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.
About VermontGasPrices.com
GasBuddy.com operates over 200 live gasoline price-tracking websites, including VermontGasPrices.com. GasBuddy.com was named one of Time magazine's 50 best websites and to PC World's 100 most useful websites of 2008.
Source: VermontGasPrices.com April 26, 2010

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Vermonters who rent live in the fifteenth least affordable state in the nation, according to a new report jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, DC-based housing advocacy group, and the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition.
For Vermont’s renters, the news isn’t good. Rural Vermont ranks in the top 10 most expensive rural areas in the nation. Vermont’s "Housing Wage" has risen to $17.70 per hour, or $36,812 per year. This represents an increase of 54% since 2000. The national Housing Wage is $18.44 in 2010.
The report, Out of Reach 2010, provides the Housing Wage and other housing affordability data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country, comparing 52 jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. A Vermont fact sheet is attached. The full report is available online at www.nlihc.org/oor2010/.

People's United Financial Inc., (Nasdaq: PBCT), a diversified financial services company and parent company of Chittenden Bank, today announced that John P. (Jack) Barnes, the Company's Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, has been named interim President and Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Philip R. Sherringham, who has resigned by mutual agreement with the Board of Directors from the Company and the Board.
The Board is conducting a search for a permanent CEO and will evaluate both internal and external candidates. To assist in the search, the Board has retained Russell Reynolds, a leading executive search firm with extensive experience in the financial services sector. People's United reported two weeks ago that its first quarter earnings were 4 cents per share.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant began its 28th refueling outage as operators disconnected the plant from the New England electrical grid on Saturday night. In the now-completed operating cycle, the plant produced electricity around the clock for 532 days since returning to service from its last refueling outage in 2008, safely and reliably providing electricity to New England consumers.
The 532 total days of operation is the plant s second longest run in its history; the plant achieved 547 days of continuous operation in 2007. The total generation during this operating cycle included an annual productivity record of 5,360,608 megawatt hours, in 2009.

Governor Jim Douglas today announced that Vermont artist Kate Gridley has been commissioned to paint his official portrait, which will eventually hang in the State House. Working with Vermont State Curator David Schütz, the Governor asked a number of Vermont artists to submit proposals and samples of their work. Governor Douglas eventually selected Ms. Gridley.
I am so pleased to be working with Kate on this portrait and feel confident she will be able to capture not only my physical likeness, but also my commitment to public service and my deep and abiding love for our state and its people, said Governor Douglas.
I am very thrilled and honored to receive this commission from the Governor, Gridley said. I will work very hard to create a portrait that will be seen as part of his legacy.

United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki will deliver the address to graduates at the University of Vermont s 2010 commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 23. Secretary Shinseki will also receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at the ceremony.
Secretary Shinseki was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as the seventh secretary of Veterans Affairs on January 21, 2009. A retired U.S. Army four-star general, Secretary Shinseki served as chief of staff of the United States Army from 1999 to 2003, when he retired from active duty. During his tenure, he initiated the Army Transformation Campaign to address both the emerging strategic challenges of the early 21st century and the need for cultural and technological change in the United States Army.

Governor Douglas criticized senators who today voted to follow the lead of the House and pass a harmful tax increase on manufacturers, farmers, contractors and others by not extending the pass through domestic production deduction as expected. The domestic production deduction is meant to protect and grow domestic manufacturing and other productive activities. An amendment to prevent the tax increase failed by a vote of 17 to 12 on the Senate floor this afternoon.
Governor Douglas issued the following statement opposing the tax increase:

The Renewable Energy Atlas of Vermont, built on ESRI's ArcGIS technology, was launched on Earth Day, April 22, 2010. Web site visitors can identify, visualize, and analyze data about existing and promising renewable energy projects for Vermont's towns and counties.
Visitors to the Renewable Energy Atlas of Vermont Web site can select from biomass, efficiency, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, and wind renewable energy data layers and use geographic information system (GIS) tools to view existing and proposed projects by area. All renewable energy data layers were created and analyzed using ESRI's ArcGIS Desktop software and published with ArcGIS Server.

BURLINGTON, Vt., April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Dealer.com (http://www.Dealer.com), the global leader of online marketing solutions for auto dealers, chose Earth Week to reveal plans for the growth of its digital marketing operation in Vermont. The announcement was made by Mark Bonfigli, Founder and CEO of Dealer.com, at a press conference April 23, 2010 at the company's headquarters, a LEED-certified building that houses an un-matched corporate culture dedicated to the health and wellness of its employees.
The press conference included statements from United States Senator for Vermont, Patrick Leahy; Vermont State Governor, Jim Douglas; Vermont State Lieutenant Governor, Brian Dubie; and Burlington, Vermont Mayor, Bob Kiss.

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) is excited to celebrate Earth Day with the launch of the Renewable Energy Atlas of Vermont, a state-of-the-art GIS-based web application that identifies, analyzes, and visualizes existing and promising locations for renewable energy projects.
The Atlas is the first tool of its kind in the United States to enable users to choose their town or county and then select from a suite of renewable energy options including biomass, efficiency, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, and wind.

Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is receiving accreditation by the largest accrediting body for public and private schools in New England and the oldest regional accrediting association in the nation, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). At a record pace for an independent college, VCFA was recommended for accreditation at a meeting of NEASC s Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE). Achieving NEASC accreditation demonstrates VCFA s commitment to rigorous academics, a dynamic learning community, and a sustainable business model, said Thomas Christopher Greene, President of Vermont College of Fine Arts. This is a major accomplishment for our community.
What is normally as much as a five-year process was accomplished by VCFA in less than two. Con Hogan, Chair of VCFA s Board of Trustees stated, The accreditation gives VCFA an important acknowledgement of excellence at a key time in our renaissance.

Poultney, Vt. Governor Jim Douglas and Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jason Gibbs will join officials from Green Mountain College on Earth Day to inaugurate the schools new combined heat and power biomass plant.
This plant is an important step toward a cleaner environment, while supporting the growth of Vermont s forest products economy and jobs in the local economy, Governor Douglas said.
The new woodchip-fired plant provides 80 percent of the school s heat and 20 percent (400,000 kWh) of its electricity. Additionally, construction of the plant adds several fulltime jobs at the college, involved 100 temporary jobs at the Poultney site and the 4397 tons of locally harvested wood chips required for the facility significantly expands the energy market for Vermont s forest products.