Current News

Brigitte Ritchie, community relations officer for Citizens Bank, presented a $10,000 check to the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS). The contribution is in support of the Housing Resource Center (HRC). The HRC opened its doors in October 2008 with the mission to help avert evictions and foreclosures through one-time homelessness prevention grants.
During the first year of operation over 600 applications were filed by households that had fallen behind in their rent or mortgage payments. Frequently these arrearages were a result of an unexpected contingency such as a medical emergency or major car repair.
Of the more than 600 households that applied for support, 351 households were assisted and were able to stay in their homes. In order to qualify for a grant, the applicant must be able to fulfill financial obligations such as rent and utilities once their situation has been stabilized.

Ten state Attorneys General are backing legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to repeal the health insurance and medical malpractice insurance industries’ exemption from federal antitrust laws.
In a letter dated November 13, Attorneys General from Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Oregon, Arizona, Iowa, Montana, Florida and Wyoming urge Congress to end the decades-old exemption from federal antitrust laws, which are designed to encourage competition and protect consumers. Dating back to the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act, health insurers and medical malpractice insurers have been exempt from these laws. Leahy chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held a hearing on the exemption in October.

According to a national survey, Vermont has the third lowest mortgage loan delinquency rate of 2.6 percent, behind only the Dakotas. TransUnion.com released today the results of its analysis of trends in the mortgage industry for the third quarter of 2009 and the associated impact on the US consumer.

TD Bank, through the TD Charitable Foundation, recently donated $20,000 to Champlain College as part of the bank's commitment to giving back to the community. The funds will help the college expand its New American Scholars program, a need-based scholarship for Vermont’s refugee and asylum students, and its Support for Success initiative.
"Champlain College and its Office of Diversity and Inclusion are grateful for the continued support from TD Bank through the TD Charitable Foundation. We greatly appreciate their recognition for our program as we work to provide education opportunities to our refugee and asylum students," said Dr. Angela Batista, Director of Champlain College’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. "And with the support from TD Bank, we will be able to offer a better experience for our students."

State Senator Peter Shumlin today announced his intention to run for governor of Vermont in 2010. Shumlin made the announcement Wednesday during a press conference at Earth Turbines, Inc in Williston. Shumlin, 53, is a resident of Putney, Vermont. Along with his brother Jeff he runs Putney Student Travel, a Putney based business that offers summer educational programs to high school students. Shumlin represents Windham County in the Vermont Senate where he serves as Senate President, a position he has held for nearly 10 years.
“I believe my experiences growing up in Vermont, building a successful family business and serving for nearly 10 years as senate president, will serve me well in understanding and addressing the challenges facing our beloved state,” Shumlin said.

Governor Jim Douglas announced today that the Vermont Department of Health was awarded a two-year $860,000 grant by the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) that will enable the state to strengthen its healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) prevention activities.
“In 2007, Vermont was the first state in the nation to publicly report hospital-specific healthcare-acquired infection rates using the CDC’s reporting system, and this grant will help keep Vermont at the forefront of patient safety and quality improvement,” said Governor Douglas. “Continuing to improve our overall healthcare system is a key element of Vermont’s health care reform efforts.”
The grant award will be used to hire a State HAI Prevention Coordinator, develop a Vermont HAI Prevention Plan, enhance hospital collection and validation of HAI data, and provide comprehensive infection prevention training for health care workers.

The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce named BioTek Instruments, Inc., as Business of the Year at their 99th annual awards ceremony on Tuesday, November 11, 2009. The One Community, One Commitment, One Vision event drew more than 650 people from Lake Champlain area businesses.
According to a Chamber of Commerce spokesperson, BioTek was chosen to receive the Business of the Year distinction because they showed tremendous growth in a sector that is strong and looks to remain strong in the future. Additionally, as active members of the community, they give back when possible, and offer good wages to employees, reflected in their high employee retention rate.

Maponics of Norwich announced today that the latest release of its suite of ZIP Code map data shows evidence of a record number of ZIP Code changes over the 3 months since the previous data release. This news validates that the US Postal Service has already implemented significant on-the-ground changes related to the massive work force and mail delivery infrastructure re-evaluation it announced earlier this year, a reorganization initiated to address a projected 20 billion drop in mail pieces from fiscal year 2008 to 2009.

Senator Patrick Leahy, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee announced today major federal funding for MicroStrain and Triosyn, both of Williston, for a total of $3.2 million. MicroStrain produces sensors used to provide crucial data on the safety of US Navy aircraft. MicroStrain has doubled its employment since 2007, from 25 to now 50 employees. The new $2.4 million Department of Defense contract for the company to will allow it to continue to develop independently powered wireless sensors to help the Navy monitor wear and tear on its helicopters.
Since 2006, Leahy has secured $8.1 million worth of contracts for the firm to develop a system of state-of-the-art sensors, power systems and processing equipment that will help the Navy reduce repair costs, reduce the number of equipment-related failures and ensure the safety of those flying the aircraft. MicroStrain recently moved to a new building in Williston

In an effort to help the region's struggling dairy farmers, students at the University of Vermont have agreed to forgo a price reduction on retail milk they would have received due to plummeting milk prices, passing the 10-cent difference on to the 1,025 dairy farms in the state and 1,791 across New England.
Inspired by the fair trade concept, the innovative initiative, which starts on Nov. 17, is part of the Keep Local Farms program, designed to provide a way for consumers to contribute money directly to dairy farmers so they receive a sustainable price for their milk. Despite spending about $1.80 to produce a gallon of milk, farmers are receiving only $1.10 in return, resulting in an annual loss of $100,000 or about $120 per cow for the average size Vermont dairy farm of 130 cows.

An independent review of Vermont Housing Finance Agency's single-family home loan portfolio shows property values increased by 24 percent compared to values at time of purchase. The median increase in individual home values in VHFA's portfolio was 14 percent.
"During this recession we've heard a lot about homes dropping in value, but properties in VHFA's portfolio are doing well. This is evidence of the fiscal strength of the Agency," said Executive Director Sarah Carpenter. "This is the first time the Agency has commissioned a report such as this, and the results were stronger than expected."
VHFA commissioned First American CoreLogic Inc. (FACL), a national leader in automated valuation models, to perform the review, which was completed in July, near the end of VHFA's fiscal year. FACL is a division of First American Co., a Fortune 500 company based in Santa Ana, Calif.

The Addison County Chamber of Commerce has learned that the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry will continue operation. There will be no interruption of service as had been reported by several media outlets. The owners of the ferry and the states of New York and Vermont reached an agreement over the weekend so that the ferry will continue to provide service to passengers commuting between Ticonderoga, NY and Shoreham, VT, through December weather permitting, and will continue to be free to passengers.
All other transportation services (ferries and bus routes) for New York and Vermont commuters remain unchanged with the following exceptions: