Current News

Vermont Law School has been awarded $3 million by the US Agency for International Development to expand its work on the US-China Partnership for Environmental Law over the next three years, VLS President and Dean Geoffrey Shields announced today. This award, which is an extension of a $1.8 million USAID funding agreement that US Senator Patrick Leahy was instrumental in helping to secure for Vermont Law School in 2006, will enable VLS to continue to build on its successes in helping China develop its next generation of environmental advocates to strengthen the development and enforcement of China's environmental and energy law.

Governor Jim Douglas today announced the appointment of Tayt Brooks as Commissioner of the Department of Housing, Economic and Community Development. Brooks joined the Douglas Administration late last year as Deputy Commissioner of Housing and Community Affairs. When the Department of Housing and Community Affairs merged with the Department of Economic Development, Brooks served as Deputy Commissioner for the new Department of Housing, Economic and Community Development.
“I’m excited to appoint Tayt to lead this Department,” said Governor Douglas. “His experience in the private sector and in state government, along with his experience working with members of the General Assembly, makes Tayt a natural fit to advance policies that will help create jobs and grow our economy.”

The Bolton Valley wind turbine will be erected next week, beginning Monday, when the structure is taken up the mountain in sections. This is the first wind turbine to be erected at a Vermont ski area and only the second at a ski area anywhere in the entire country. Equipment will be staged at Bolton Valley over the weekend, with the first sections of the turbine headed up the mountain Monday morning about 7am.
The tower parts will arrive at Bolton Valley on two trucks and taken up the mountain, in stages, on an all terrain trailer pulled by a D8 bull dozer for the final approach to the peak. Once at the peak a massive crane will remove the first section of the tower from the trailer for placement on its foundation.
Tuesday the second and third sections of the tower will be installed. The blades will be pitched on a pitching stand on the ground prior to being put in place Wednesday.

The US Small Business Administration announced today that 58 non-profit organizations from 32 states and the District of Columbia, including Central Vermont Community Action Council for $100,000, will receive grant funding under the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act (PRIME) to assist low-income and very low-income entrepreneurs with training and technical assistance to start, operate, and grow their businesses.
Competition for PRIME grants was open to applicants in all 50 states and the U.S. territories. SBA received more than 400 applications. Last year, SBA funded 35 grants in 12 states on a non-competitive basis.

The Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (CVEDC) was presented with two grants from the USDA Rural Development office on September 29th at a press conference held at the Shops at Millstone Hills in Websterville.
“CVEDC is pleased to have written and been awarded these two grants on behalf of Central Vermont businesses. Our mission is to maintain and grow the economic vitality of our region and we believe that these two initiatives will contribute to that vitality”, said Executive Vice President, Sam Matthews.
The two grants awarded to CVEDC, a non-profit regional development corporation will directly assist one Northfield business and one e-commerce business initiative with over 50 local artisans participating. Job retention, creation and expansion are at the forefront of the grant awards.

Changes under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to U.S. Small Business Administration loan programs led to a rebound in SBA-backed loans for small businesses and greater access to much-needed capital.
Since the Recovery Act was signed on Feb. 17, SBA has supported more than $11.3 billion in lending to small businesses through its two largest loan programs and seen its average weekly dollar volume increase by more than 60 percent in comparison to the weeks before the Recovery Act. Additionally, the average number of loans approved per week has increased by more than 50 percent. The dollar volume for September 2009 ($1.9 billion) was the highest single-month total since August 2007.

$35,000 in funding is available through the fall award competition launched bythe Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council. VTDDC welcomes applicationsto improve the lives of Vermonters with developmental disabilities and theirfamilies by creating opportunities in their communities. Project grant awards willrange from $2,000 to $10,000 in three categories: Advocacy in Action Projects;disABILITY Awareness Media Projects; and Community Support Model Projects.
Community based groups are encouraged to apply. The deadline is November12, 2009. For more information, Requests for Proposals and Applicationmaterials check the VTDDC web-site at www.ddc.vermont.gov; [email protected] or call toll free in VT 888-317-2006.

People suffering from flu-like symptoms and children younger than 18 have been asked to stay away from North Country Hospital to ward off the spread of the H1N1 virus. Citing the rising number of residents suffering from the flu virus, North Country is instituting temporary visitor restrictions effective Monday, October 5, as a precautionary measure to keep their patients, staff and the visiting public safe.
“These precautions are in the best interests of our patients as the flu season begins,” said Dr. Paul Newton, medical director of the Emergency Department. “Patient safety and infection control are top priorities for us. We recognize that this flu season will not be like others in recent memory and we have made plans that anticipate different levels of a flu outbreak. The visiting policy changes are part of that plan.” Pregnant women, children of all ages, and people compromised by other acute and chronic illnesses are especially susceptible to the virus.

Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE:ENZ) announced today a co-marketing partnership between its Enzo Life Sciences subsidiary of Farmingdale, New York, a world leader in non-radioactive probe technology, and BioTek Instruments of Winooski, Vermont, a privately held global leader in the development, manufacture and sale of microplate instrumentation for drug discovery and life science applications, involving powerful, integrated solutions for high throughput live cell analysis.
Aimed at research institutions, as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, this reagents-instrumentation collaboration creates a highly reproducible and reliable platform for live cell analysis, offering a cost effective alternative to dedicated microplate imaging-based systems, which often are too costly for investigators to implement.

At a meeting with US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack Thursday afternoon, Representative Peter Welch called for quick dispersal of emergency assistance to dairy farmers. Vilsack s first meeting with the Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus came on the heels of an agreement reached by House and Senate negotiators to provide $350 million in assistance to dairy farmers. The aid, which still must be approved by both houses of Congress, includes $290 million in direct support to dairy farmers. This emergency assistance will be distributed using guidelines to be determined by the Department of Agriculture.
Welch, co-chair of the 88-member caucus, called on Vilsack to ensure the emergency assistance reaches Vermont s dairy farmers immediately upon becoming law.

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has formally informed US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials of his concerns about the size and scope of the new port of entry planned for Morses Line, Vermont. In a letter to CBP s acting commissioner, Leahy asked the agency to improve consultation with local landowners, to review the size and scope of the project, and to protect the historic resources near the border. The text of Leahy s letter, which was submitted during the official comment period on the proposed project, is below.
Leahy also announced that an official from the Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency handling portions of the planning process for CBP, will meet with the Rainvilles later this week to review the latest land acquisition and design plans.

Intrawest today announced that, beginning with the 2009-2010 winter season, the Company will increase awareness of the importance of helmet use at all of its wholly-owned ski resorts in North America. Intrawest will recommend that all skiers and snowboarders visiting its resorts wear helmets and there will be mandatory helmet requirements for all children and youth(1) participants in Ski and Snowboard School Programs as well as all students participating in freestyle terrain park programs, regardless of their age. The new helmet use guidelines underscore Intrawest's commitment to guest safety and have the support of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA).