Current News

There were 1,566 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 236 from the week before. Altogether 13,459 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 1,614 from a week ago and 1,499 more than a year earlier. The Department also processed 4,447 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 156 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 1,772 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 246 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

Vermont state government spent $228,874 on bottled water in 2008, according to a new report Getting States Off the Bottle released today by Corporate Accountability International. The new report also documents state spending in three other Northeastern states, where the expenditures ranged between $205,833 (Connecticut) and $527,107 (Massachusetts) a year for bottled water, or the equivalent of the funding needed to purchase 270 to 693 water fountains equipped with glass fillers.
“Public dollars spent to support the private water interests robs the public water system of available dollars, nearly $12 billion in the U.S. in 2007. Many of these dollars could instead be spent to be sure tap water is safe,” said state Rep. Jim McCullough (D-Williston).

Vermont ranks 8th in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
Vermont currently spends $5.9 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 57.1 percent of the $10.4 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last year, Vermont ranked 7th, spending $6.1 million on tobacco prevention.
Other key findings for Vermont include:

Vermont this year will collect $86 million from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 6.9 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs.
The tobacco companies spend $27.4 million a year to market their products in Vermont. This is 5 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.

The Community Health Center of Burlington was awarded $10.9 million in federal stimulus funds for construction of a new building that will double the center’s size and allow it to serve more patients throughout Chittenden County, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced.
Facility Improvement Program funding is specifically targeted for new building projects and job creation. It does not include funding for the ongoing operating expenses of CHCB’s programs and services. The FIP Award will also require CHCB to raise $400,000 in matching funds.

What do the Northfield Savings Bank, Johnson Woolen Mills, and the National Life Group all have in common? All three were recipients of the Vermont Centennial Business Award. This program is a joint project of the Secretary of State’s office, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and the Vermont Business Magazine and honors businesses that have operated in Vermont for at least 100 years.
Secretary Markowitz said, “We are currently seeking nominations for the 2010 ceremony. Any business that has been in operation in Vermont for 100 years or more can participate by filling out an application and providing verification of its business start date." Vermont's centennial businesses will be presented with a plaque at an awards ceremony in March.

Verizon Wireless is investing in Chittenden County, Vermont to stay ahead of rising demand for wireless voice, 3G multimedia and Internet access. Regionally the company has invested more than $2.5 billion into its New England network over the past nine years, including more than $105 million during the first six months of 2009.
Consumer Advantages

Upgrade to existing cell site provides increased wireless voice and 3G data coverage to portions of Underhill and Jericho along Vermont State Route 15, as well as the surrounding areas.
Increased 3G data coverage in Underhill and Jericho allows customers using notebook computers or smartphones the ability to:

Browse the web faster with quicker page loading times
Quickly download and play music
Watch streaming video
Send emails with attachments
Download and play 3D games
Video conference with contacts
Rapidly share files

Fitch Ratings has assigned a rating of 'AAA' to the $102,000,000 Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) mortgage revenue bonds (Mortgage Backed Securities Program), series 2009A (escrow bonds). The Rating Outlook for the bonds is Stable.

Targeting five Vermont dairy farms for audits of their employee documentation is creating extreme hardship for the farms involved and producing significant anxiety for farms throughout the Northeast, says John Mitchell, president of the Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance.
The farms are among 1,000 employers across the nation slated for documentation audits by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
When the initiative was announced on Nov. 19, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton said in a department news release that the targeted employers were selected for inspection “as a result of investigative leads and intelligence and because of the business’ connection to public safety and national security.”

Insurance.com, the largest independent online auto insurance agency in the United States, today released its RateWatch report, which found that car insurance rates across the nation declined 3.5 percent in 2009 to $1,803 per year. After dramatic rate increases of 8 percent in 2008, the rate cuts this year allowed savvy auto insurance shoppers to save money on premiums by purchasing new policies.

At 8:45 this morning, after weeks of finger crossing, weather watching and speculation, the lifts at Stratton Mountain Resort spun for the very first time this season. The first skiers took their seats and were seen winding their way down Upper Mountain trails minutes later.
“It’s awesome,” said Nick Einstein, a snowboarder from Harrisonburg, Va. “I’m really excited the mountain is open and pumped to be riding here.”
Stratton opens with top to bottom skiing and riding on intermediate and advanced terrain on Southern Vermont’s highest peak. With 5-8 inches of natural snow in the forecast, trail projections could be as high as 30 for the upcoming weekend.
“The skiing is excellent. Edge to edge. Top to bottom, there’s a ton of snow out there,” noted Stratton Snow Reporter Chris Estes. “You ski down and hear the roar of the snow guns in the distance. It makes it feel like mid winter.”

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday announced $10.45 million in new first-responder grants to Vermont. The grants will be used to address the planning, equipment, training and exercise needs of first responders across the state. The new funding includes $6.6 million through the State Homeland Security Grant Program that Leahy authored in 2001. Leahy’s all-state minimum funding formula, modified in recent years, ensures that smaller states like Vermont are able to participate in the program, and it has brought nearly $100 million in grants to Vermont’s first responders since 2002.
Leahy said, “Our first responders are a community’s lifeline in an emergency. We count on them being ready at a moment’s notice, and they should be able to count on support like this for the resources they need to answer the call. This is an investment in Vermont’s readiness.”

The McCarthy Arts Center, home of Saint Michael's College theater productions, student and professional concerts, the Saint Michael’s Playhouse, hundreds of lectures, meetings, concerts, rehearsals, courses, and more, has been turned into an energy efficient building worthy of scrutiny by the Vermont’s heating and cooling engineering professionals.
The facility, closed this fall to allow for a thorough-going upgrade of the heating and cooling systems, was re-opened this month. The work provided such an improvement that it became the showpiece for the Dec. 2 meeting of the Vermont chapter of the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASJRAE) who toured back stage, downstairs, upstairs, and the entire building to see the changes that have enabled major improvements to the energy efficiency of the facility.