Current News

Rep. Peter Welch announced today that he has joined the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus, at the request of the Vermont Chamber Hospitality Council, to help promote the importance of the travel and tourism industry as a strong contributor to the overall economy.
Vermont s tourism sector is a critical component of our state s economy and an essential source of jobs, said Rep. Welch, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. With its bipartisan focus on expanding economic opportunities in the industry, the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus will be a valuable ally for Vermont businesses and employees in the tourism sector.

Governor Jim Douglas and Vermont Agriculture Secretary Roger Allbee will visit France in early September as guests of the French government and at the request of the French Embassy. The purpose of the visit is to investigate potential markets, export/import opportunities and resource exchange for Vermont agricultural producers.
Building on a long history of shared agricultural practices and methodology, this study tour will facilitate an exchange of ideas and systems that can mutually benefit both countries.
“France has a system in place based on geographic indicators supporting its agriculture industry and that fosters economic development. Vermont is in a unique position to move forward with a similar model,” said Governor Douglas. “Through this system of “terrior” or taste of place, France has been able to better isolate themselves from commodity pricing in food production – similar to what many Vermont producers are trying to accomplish here.”

FairPoint Communications has filed a letter with the Vermont Public Service Board denying allegations made in an anonymous e-mail sent to the Board. The e-mail purportedly relates to the testing and presentations conducted by FairPoint for the Liberty Consulting Group regarding the status of the cutover systems. The outside attorneys hired by FairPoint have interviewed all of the parties named in the e-mail plus others and have discovered no evidence to support the allegations made in the e-mail.
Despite the inherent difficulty in responding to anonymous allegations, FairPoint takes these allegations very seriously, and engaged outside attorneys to conduct an investigation, said David Hauser, CEO of FairPoint. The outside attorneys have found no evidence to support the allegations of a fraudulent or fabricated testing process or that FairPoint misled Liberty about the testing results.

The Vermont Department of Libraries announced today that they have submitted an application for $601,753 in federal grant funds from the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act Broadband Opportunities Program for Public Computing Centers. The proposal was designed through a partnership with the Vermont State Colleges.
The Department of Libraries say that they would use the grant money to enhance public computing centers in the public libraries of Brattleboro, Lyndon, and Rutland, and provide free computer classes at VSC and public library locations across the state. The money would also fund the deployment of mobile laptop labs in four rural counties to be used by 61 public libraries for computer training courses and public access.

Shelburne Museum has received two major federal grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Museum Director Stephan Jost announced. The museum has been awarded IMLS grants totaling over $210,000, to underwrite new educational programs for school-age children and to conserve a group of 19 American paintings in the museum s permanent collection.
The IMLS grants support us in our mission to better connect with the community through educational programming and conservation projects that enrich the arts experience for our visitors, Jost said.
The educational programs funding is part of an IMLS grant program called Museums for America. Shelburne Museum was among 167 museums in 46 states and Puerto Rico selected from a pool of 433 applicants vying to receive MFA grants. A total of $19,176,000 in MFA grants was awarded in 2009. The grants recognize excellence in museum programming, said Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of IMLS.

The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) has awarded $1.5 million in research grants to two research groups based in the University of Vermont s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) to study topics that are NASA research priorities. Each research group has been awarded $750,000 over three-years beginning September 1, 2009. Prof. William D. Lakin of CEMS, Project Director for Vermont s NASA EPSCoR Program and Director of the Vermont Space Grant Consortium (VTSGC), is the Principal Investigator for both awards. CEMS is the Home Unit for both VT-NASA EPSCoR and the VTSGC.
The University of Vermont is proud to have NASA grant support for these exciting research endeavors, which represent incredible innovation on the part of our faculty in CEMS, says Interim Dean, Bernard Chip Cole. These research collaborations will not only advance our abilities in space, but they will improve life here on Earth as well.

Governor Jim Douglas on September 1 will join Agency of Transportation Secretary David Dill, Federal Aviation Administration Regional Administrator Amy Corbett, Pike Industry President Christian Zimmermann, and Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce Executive Director George Malek to break ground at Knapp Airport in Berlin on a $6 million federal stimulus project that will create dozens of jobs.
It is not a project Vermont would be undertaking at this time if it were not for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Although VTrans has been planning this project for years, the Agency never was able to identify a funding source as the price tag is extremely high. The project will employ workers for more than two years.

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) has announced that $484,300 in grant funds have been awarded to develop homegrown biofuels through its Vermont Biofuels Initiative (VBI). The purpose of the VBI is to foster the development of a viable biomass-to-biofuels industry in Vermont that uses local resources to supply a portion of the state's liquid fuel energy needs in an effort to help the state meet 25% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2025. The VBI is funded by a Congressionally Directed Award from the Office of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy through the U.S. Department of Energy, various private foundation sources, and the Vermont General Fund.
The VSJF awarded $224,300 in strategically-directed funds, as well as an additional $260,000 from five competitive grant rounds designed to accelerate the development of Vermont’s biofuels production. Funds from the VBI are helping to support over $1million worth of on-going biofuels projects throughout the state.

Governor Jim Douglas said Vermont will pay tribute to the service of 2nd Lt. Joseph Fortin by ordering flags to half staff. Governor Douglas ordered that the U.S. flag, the Vermont State flag, the POW flag, and any other flag flown at all state and federal facilities in Vermont be lowered to half staff beginning today – the day of 2nd Lt. Fortin’s funeral service. All flags will be returned to full staff at sunrise on Thursday, September 3rd.
“Joseph took it upon himself to join with others in the cause of liberty, in defense of freedom and to help ensure that others be provided the rights that we enjoy as Americans,” the Governor said. “We thank him for his service and for the example he set for others.”

Dealer.com, the global leader of online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced the launch of comprehensive employee training and development programs. Already renowned for keeping auto dealership clients two to four years ahead of the competition, the new training initiatives further ensure that Dealer.com team members lead the industry in knowledge and skills at all levels of the organization. The customized, unrivaled training programs are also designed to preserve the company's unique culture and provide growth opportunities for all employees. This extensive investment in development benefits Dealer.com auto dealership customers of all sizes and types, by ensuring thought and service leadership throughout the organization.

Vermont tourism officials are expecting a busy foliage season this year and encourage visitors to take advantage of midweek deals being offered through the fall. Dozens of inns, hotels, historic sites and museums are offering a variety of midweek specials during the fall foliage season as part of the statewide Midweek Peek promotion organized by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing. Deals range from discounted lodging to reduced admission prices to free Vermont products. For details, visit www.VermontVacation.com/midweek.
Foliage season is an incredibly popular time to come to Vermont, but visitors can still find a diverse range of options for lodging, dining and activities, especially midweek, says Vermont Tourism and Marketing Commissioner Bruce Hyde. Fall in Vermont is spectacular any day of the week, and we hope people will take advantage of the special Midweek Peek deals around the state.

Following nearly two years of planning, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences opened its Vermont Satellite Campus today, welcoming 70 students in the inaugural class. The campus, located in scenic Colchester, Vermont, is home to the only pharmacy program in the state.
The ACPHS-Vermont campus offers a four year program culminating in a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.). The Pharm.D. is the degree required to practice pharmacy in the United States. Students entering the program have completed a minimum of two years of college coursework, with prerequisites that include biology, chemistry and physics.
The members of the incoming class were selected from more than 1,200 applicants. They represent 20 states (including three students from Vermont) and 16 countries. Their average age is 25 years old.