Current News

Stratton Mountain Resort and Resorts Tapped LLC are pleased to announce the release of Stratton Tapped. Stratton Tapped is a GPS iPhone application developed exclusively for Stratton Mountain Resort. It uses the iPhone's built-in GPS to locate the user and their friends on the official Stratton trail map and log the user's runs and vertical feet traveled. This specialized app allows users to pinpoint their location on the actual Stratton trail map, not a hard-to-read topographical or satellite map.

Governor Douglas today signed into law S93, An Act Relating to Commercial Vehicle Operation on the Interstate System. The bill received broad bipartisan support and was passed unanimously through all stages of passage yesterday. The bill allows for the enactment of a federal pilot program that will encourage large, commercial trucks to travel on Vermont's interstates and not on secondary and rural roads.
Before the passage of a federal pilot program, federal law restricted trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds from regularly using the nation s interstate highway system, while state law allows trucks exceeding 80,000 pounds to operate on Vermont's secondary roads. The pilot project harmonizes federal and state weight limits, allowing commercial trucks access to our interstates rather than forcing them onto our smaller, aging roadways.

Governor James H Douglas and the Vermont Arts Council are pleased to announce Eric Bass and Ines Zeller Bass as the 2010 recipients of the Governor s Award for Excellence in the Arts. The founders of Sandglass Theater in Putney, VT will be honored in a public ceremony at the State House on Thursday, February 11, 2010 beginning at 7:00 PM. The free event will include a performance by Sandglass Theater and friends.
The Governor s Award is Vermont s highest honor in the arts. Since 1968, it is has been presented annually to artists who have achieved national or international stature for making a significant contribution to the advancement of their chosen art form.

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and the US Coast Guard announced Tuesday that the Coast Guard will soon deploy an air boat to Station Burlington to assist in ice rescues on Lake Champlain. The new air boat will enable Coast Guard personnel to respond more quickly to incidents on the ice. The importance of the new rescue equipment was highlighted last weekend when a tragic snowmobile accident on Lake Dunmore claimed three lives.
In addition to unusually thin ice this year, ferry operations, due to the demolition of the Crown Point Bridge between Crown Point, N.Y., and Chimney Point, Vt., may create a hazard by loosening ice in areas that have traditionally been frozen solid.

Rep. Peter Welch on Tuesday introduced legislation to crack down on excessive Wall Street bonuses and help small businesses obtain the credit they need to survive and to create jobs. Welch unveiled the Wall Street Bonus Tax Act at a press conference Tuesday morning at Burlington International Airport as he prepared to return to Washington for the 2010 legislative year.
Welch’s bill would tax bonuses at firms that have received assistance through the Troubled Asset Relief Program at a rate of 50 percent for all compensation in excess of $50,000. Revenues generated through the tax would fund a new direct lending program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Just two weeks into the New Year, Burlington, Vermont has already surpassed the record for the snowiest January ever. The above-average snowfall, along with New England’s most powerful snowmaking system, has Vermont resorts in prime shape for skiing and snowboarding for the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.
“The nationally-reported record snowfall in Vermont has had our phones ringing off the hook,” said Ski Vermont President Parker Riehle. “Vermont’s easy highway access for all skiers and riders who live within a day’s drive of our mountains means more people can play more, travel less and get here quickly with all their luggage intact. And, with snow in the forecast nearly every day this week, all of Vermont’s ski trails will be in top form for the long holiday weekend.”

A recent federal report ranks Vermont the top state in per capita use of Federal Historic Tax Credits to rehabilitate historic buildings and 10th in the nation overall – rising from 12th overall last year. A total of 34 rehabilitation projects with a total construction value of more than $23 million received $4.6 million in federal tax credits last fiscal year.
State officials credit the decision several years ago to require those seeking state historic Downtown Tax Credits to first get Federal Historic Tax Credits with putting Vermont to consistently within or just outside the top ten states nationally for use of the credits, despite its small size.
“This linkage allows building owners to layer the state and federal credits on a single project,” said Commerce and Community Development Secretary Kevin Dorn, “There is always risk in the rehabilitation of an older building because you never know what you will find when peeling back the layers.”

Rep. Peter Welch and fellow House members from northern New England and New York today called on President Obama to fully fund the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) in his upcoming fiscal year 2011 budget.
“The NBRC is perfectly primed to provide the economic boost northern Vermont and neighboring states need. By funding local economic development projects throughout the region, we can not only jumpstart local economies but lay the groundwork for long-term investment in the region,” Welch said.
On November 11, 2009, the White House nominated Sandford Blitz as the first federal co-chairman of the NBRC, which was recently appropriated $1.5 million to begin operations. The NBRC was created by legislation co-authored by Welch and passed into law in the summer of 2008.

Waitsfield Cable has purchased the local affiliate of Resort Sports Network (RSN), Mad TV12, from Valley residents Dori Ingalls and Ian Sweet. Airing on Waitsfield Cable channel 12, Mad TV12 offers a mix of RSN national shows geared toward outdoor enthusiasts and visitors to the Mad River Valley and Bolton Valley.
According to Gregg Haskin, President and CEO for Waitsfield Cable, “Mad TV12 has great content that fits well with the outdoor recreation focus of the Mad River Valley and the three ski areas where we provide cable television service. We wanted to ensure that this channel remained available to our cable customers.”

Kellwood Company, a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of premier fashion brands, today announced that it has acquired ISIS, an award-winning outdoor company focused on the large and growing market for women’s performance and casual apparel based in Burlington. Terms of the deal, which was completed through Kellwood’s American Recreation Products business, were not disclosed. According to Vermont Business Magazine, ISIS employs 17. ISIS co-founder Carolyn Cooke said the stylish women's clothier will remain at its current location and be run essentially as an independent company. She said the relationship with Kellwood will give ISIS an opportunity to grow and expand its marketing reach.

On January 11, 2010 the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (NYSE: CV) Board of Directors approved the following resolution: "That out of reserved and unrestricted earnings of the Company a quarterly dividend at the rate of twenty-three cents ($.23) per share is hereby declared on the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, $6 Par Value, payable February 15, 2010 to stockholders of record at the close of business February 5, 2010."
Source: CVPS. RUTLAND, VT -- 01/11/10 --

During a visit to Milton s Ascension Technology Monday, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy got a firsthand look at the work Ascension Technology, Milton s Omni Medical Systems, and Georgia (Vt.)-based Liquid Measurement Systems (LMS) are delivering for the Department of Defense using $8.4 million in Leahy-secured funding for research and development. Leahy met with the firms leadership and economic development professionals from the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation and the Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation to commend the firms continued success in the difficult economy and the impressive track record of the firms 93-person workforce.