Current News

Following an extensive national search, the Board of Directors of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) is pleased to announce that Richard Smith of East Montpelier, Vermont has been selected as the new President of the Association. He takes over from Molly Lambert., who has led the VCIA since 2002.
Mr. Smith is currently the Deputy Commissioner of the State of Vermont's Public Service Department. His extensive experience in state government, including his previous roles as Deputy Commissioner of Economic Development and policy analyst in the Office of the Governor, was crucial to the search committee's decision. After being notified of his selection, Mr. Smith stated, "I am honored and excited about this opportunity to work with an outstanding organization that represents such an important sector of the financial services industry. VCIA remains an essential institution for captive insurance as well as an integral pillar of Vermont's economy."

Governor Jim Douglas has announced that $500,000 in Clear & Clear grants is available for ecosystem restoration projects. The Center for Clean and Clear is accepting one-page project pre-proposals until September 30. Through a competitive process, Vermont municipalities, local or regional governmental agencies, nonprofits and citizen groups can apply for the grants.
The Center is particularly interested in projects that: improve stream stability; incorporate the science of fluvial geomorphology in river corridor management decisions; protect against flood hazards and improve in-stream and riparian habitat; mitigate the effects of hydrologic modification associated with either agricultural operations or urban development; protect and restore riparian wetlands; re-establish lake shoreline native vegetation and related shoreline erosion corrections; and enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of agricultural lands.

Executives from FairPoint Communications Inc. will meet with the utility regulatory boards from Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire tomorrow all at the same time. In a highly irregular development, all three states will hold a joint conference with the troubled telecommunications company as part of an ongoing effort to learn how the company plans to stabilize itself.
FairPoint bought the landline telephone and internet business in the three northern New England states for $2.3 billion in 2008. Following the purchase, the company was almost immediately struck by failures in billing, customer service, order fulfillment and other problems and has been struggling to right itself ever since. FairPoint has also suffered from a number of serious financial setbacks, which resulted this summer in the need for the company to restructure its debt.

Vermont's hospitals have finishing filing their budget requests with state officials and are asking for $1.8 billion, an increase of approximately 6.6 percent from this year. 13 hospitals in total submitted their requests, which come to a combined amount of $1,804105,066, about $122 million more than the current hospital budgets.
The budget requests were made earlier this month to the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities, and Health Care Administration. BISHCA is scheduled to approve the budgets and the rate increase requests by September 15, although there will likely be some downgrades for certain hospitals.

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has approved three new applications for maple sugaring licenses on state lands. The sugaring sites are located in the Town of Groton on Groton State Forest, in the Town of Stowe on Mt. Mansfield State Forest, and in the Town of Mt. Holly on Okemo State Forest.
In May of this year, the department announced that eight new sugaring sites were being made available on state forest and state park land to interested sugar makers. The department received a total of six applications for three of the eight sites by the July 10th deadline.

Vermont Auditor of Accounts Tom Salmon, who was rebuffed by the Democratic leadership last spring, announced today that he was switching parties and will join the Republican Party. Salmon won the position of state auditor as a Democrat in 2006 when he beat one-term incumbent Republican Randy Brock. That race saw Brock apparently win re-election in a very tight race, before a re-count gave the race to Salmon by 102 votes. Salmon cited the lack of fiscal responsibility among legislative leaders during the debate over the state budget. Salmon had offered to mediate discussions between Republican Governor James Douglas and the Democratically controlled Legislature, but was turned down by Speaker of the House Shap Smith. He said the Republicans are better able to manage the fiscal matters of the state, as represented by Governor Douglas.

Burlington's WBKM (www.wbkm.org) has signed on as the first affiliate station of the "Floydian Slip" radio show. "Floydian Slip," an hour of Pink Floyd hosted by Craig Bailey, will resume production Sept. 19 with Show #702. WBKM, which stands for "Burlington's Kinda Music," will carry the show 10 p.m. Saturdays.
"Floydian Slip" went off the air June 7 after a more than 13-year run on Champ 101.3 in Burlington. Bailey had produced the show for other stations prior to Champ, going back to his senior year of college in 1989.
Since Champ cancelled the show citing the station's changing format and the show's lack of sponsorship, Bailey has been working to bring it back to the air on multiple stations as a syndicated offering under the moniker of the Random Precision Radio Network.

A 14-member delegation of small and medium business owners and government officials from Shanghai will visit Vermont over the Labor Day weekend (September 6 to September 8). Hosted by the Vermont Chamber through its Shanghai Trade Office, the group will tour Vermont attractions and develop business partnerships with Vermont companies.
"We are developing a strong brand for Vermont in China's major east coast cities," said Chris Barbieri, Director of the Vermont Chamber Shanghai office. Our ongoing relationship with China will help many of our small businesses expand the sale of their products into the Asian market and will give Vermont the international recognition that it deserves.

Governor Jim Douglas today announced that another 14 energy efficiency projects have been selected to receive almost $150,000 in funding from the Vermont Community Climate Change Grant Program. All told, these projects will reduce about 100 tons of greenhouse emissions – the equivalent of taking 16 cars off the road or not burning more than 10,000 galloons of gas, the Governor said.
“It’s inspiring to see such strong grass-roots interest in energy efficiency and for doing Vermont’s part to combat climate change,” the Governor said. “From Shrewsbury to Strafford, Vermonters are making improvements that will not only keep CO2 out of the air, but will also save individuals and taxpayers money.”
In one project, Harwood Union High School is teaming up with Freeaire Refrigeration Systems of Warren to significantly reduce the cost and energy needed for the cafeteria’s refrigerators.

PETA is presenting Price Chopper CEO Neil Golub with a Compassionate Action Award for pulling the supermarket chain's funding for the Nerger Lion and Tiger Show's appearance at the Champlain Valley Fair. Golub pulled the company's sponsorship after receiving complaints from Burlington residents who pointed out that the show is exploitive and inhumane. Golub claims that fair officials misled him about what Price Chopper would be sponsoring and that Price Chopper would never voluntarily support any form of animal abuse.

For nearly five decades, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce has annually awarded an individual who has gone above and beyond his or her daily requirements to better the state of Vermont through self-sacrifice, service and volunteerism. In the crowded field of awards given to Vermont community members, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award is one of the most prestigious. This year, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce proudly presents the Citizen of the Year Award to Mr. Edwin Colodny of Burlington.
Mr. Colodny is a native Vermonter who spent his early years in Burlington where his family owned a grocery store. Much of Colodny s career was embedded in the airline industry. In 1975, after working his way up in the ranks, he was named President and CEO of US Airways. Under his leadership, the company was reshaped into a major national carrier.

Four Vermont projects will receive grants or loans from the USDA to help reduce energy consumption. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the department is making available $13.04 million in loans and grants for 233 renewable energy projects in 38 states under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
Under President Obama s leadership, USDA is working to increase the availability of renewable energy, which not only will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but also strengthen our economy nationwide, Vilsack said. The funding announced today will help expand America s renewable energy industry, which is a key part of the nation s long-term strategy for continued economic prosperity and energy independence.