Current News

Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary David Dill on Thursday, November 12 joined transportation administrators from the six New England states in to advance the goal of regional cooperation and coordination to achieve the mutual goal of enhancing “mobility options” for the people of the Northeast. All six New England states have submitted Stimulus grant applications under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for high-speed or intercity commuter rail funding. On Thursday, the administrators expressed cautious optimism about their chances of success with these applications, while recognizing the extremely competitive nature of the program.
The meeting, which was held in Connecticut, was a follow-up to a meeting of the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO) in Boston where a “vision” for the region covering high-speed and intercity passenger rail, as well as freight rail, was developed and ultimately unveiled in August.

Governor Jim Douglas today announced $500,000 in funding will be available for the 2010 Recreation Trails Program. Vermont’s Recreational Trails Program is a matching grant program of the federal Highway Administration for the acquisition, development, rehabilitation and maintenance of trails, and trail-related facilities, for non-motorized, motorized, multiple-use or compatible recreational trail use.
"These grants provide opportunities for Vermonters to spend more time outdoors on our trails and they encourage outdoor activity and healthy living,” said Governor Douglas. “By improving access to public lands and waters, these grants also support both local tourism and recreation businesses.”
The deadline for grant applications to the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation is January 15, 2010. All applications are reviewed and ranked by a five-member citizens’ committee based on established criteria.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc (NASDAQ: GMCR) announced today that the Company has acquired Timothy’s Coffees of the World, Inc from an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. for a cash purchase price of approximately $157 million, in US dollars, subject to adjustment.
The acquisition includes the Timothy’s World Coffee brand and wholesale business (but does not include retail operations), and will be maintained as a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, with operations integrated into GMCR’s Specialty Coffee Business Unit. GMCR anticipates the acquisition will be accretive to its earnings per share in fiscal year 2010.

In preparation for the program’s 10th anniversary next year, Hampton Hotels’ Save-A-Landmark program is asking Vermont residents to visit www.hamptonlandmarks.com to help select which “All-American Landmark” in their state will be refurbished in 2010. The candidates are the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington; the St Johnsbury Athenaeum; and the American Precision Museum in Windsor. Since the program began in 2000, Hampton Hotels and Save-A-Landmark have been dedicated to preserving America’s historical, fun and cultural landmarks that reside along our country’s treasured highways.
Save-A-Landmark was created after Hampton Hotels discovered that more than 90 percent of Americans believed it was important to preserve

MyWebGrocer and ShopRite supermarkets have teamed up to launch a pioneering new Apple iPhone and iTouch Application called ShopRite Weekly Specials. The new App, which is free and available now through Apple’s iTunes App Store, is the first App that is dedicated to weekly grocery specials on an iPhone. ShopRite’s user-friendly App is intuitive and makes shopping more accessible – whenever, wherever.

There were 1,299 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, an increase of 161 from the week before, as filings followed a trend begun in September. Altogether 10,234 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 123 from a week ago and 2,367 more than a year earlier. The Department also processed 4,698 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 96 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 1,257 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 37 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

The two state economists told the Vermont Emergency Board today that state tax revenues were coming in pretty much as expected. While that is relatively good news, Jeff Carr, representing the governor’s office, and Tom Kavet, representing the Legislature, indicated that the budget’s previsouly lowered expectations were more responsible for the results than any expansion in the economy.
"The big change is that there's not a big change (in revenue expectations)," Kavet said. Carr likened the economy to a patient in a hospital who is in stable condition after a traumatic health condition, to which Kavet added that the federal stimulus money the government poured into the US economy earlier this year is like a life-support system.

Away.com (www.away.com), a leading website for travel planning, has released its annual Ski & Snowboard Guide, which highlights 250 domestic and international ski and snowboard resorts for the 2009-2010 ski season. The new guide also allows travelers to choose a resort based on lifestyle and interest.
"Each ski season we take great care in compiling the most comprehensive list of the top resorts for those planning ski vacations," said Nathan Borchelt, senior editor of Away.com. "This year's guide includes a great mix of bona fide ski institutions and little known but up-and-coming ski and snowboard resorts."
Away.com's Top 10 North American Ski & Snowboard Resorts

Consultants to the New York State Department of Transportation have concluded that the Champlain Bridge would cost too much money and could be a less safe option and would take longer than razing the vital link between Vermont and New York and building a new one. The cost would likely be in excess of $67 million and take about two years to build.
When construction would begin is unclear. There has also been discussion on whether the new bridge should be located farther south toward Ticonderoga, NY. But for now, the consultants, HNTB New York Engineering and Architecture PC are emphasizing that the existing bridge is in such "fragile" condition that it must be dismantled as soon as possible and carefully. HNTB is warning that high winds and ice from the coming winter could further compromise the structure.

Rhonda Shippee, Acting State Director for USDA Rural Development in Vermont is pleased to announce the investment of over $130.9 million in rural Vermont during Fiscal Year 2009. “With over 46 programs supporting infrastructure, broadband, homeownership, home preservation, business development, energy conservation and renewable energy, Rural Development’s traditional funding along with Recovery Act dollars, we are pleased to share how these investments will be used in Vermont.” said Shippee.

In an afternoon press conference today in the Thaddeus Fairbanks Science Wing at Lyndon State College, Senator Bernie Sanders announced a US Dept. of Energy grant to the college in the amount of $32,500. The grant will be used to support the building and installation of a 5 kilowatt solar array on the Lyndon campus. The cost of the project is projected to be about $50,000 and will be undertaken by students in the college’s Sustainability Studies program under the direction of Professor Ben Luce.
In his presentation to students and the press, Sen. Sanders discussed the need to address global warming and greenhouse gasses and the benefits of becoming energy independent. He sees an enormous potential for solar power, from small homeowner installations to larger arrays.
Sen. Sanders believes that projects like the one at Lyndon will serve as models for others in the surrounding area, prompting more experimentation with green energy. “This is the future,” he said.

Related Company: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, IncGreen Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc, (NASDAQ: GMCR) today announced its results for the quarter and year ended September 26, 2009, reporting outstanding top and bottom line growth for both periods. Net sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 were up 65% to $222.2 million as compared to $134.8 million reported in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008. Net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 increased 103% to $14.4 million or $0.34 per diluted share, from $7.1 million or $0.18 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008.