Current News

The Vermont House and Senate Agriculture Chairs today sent a letter to the Vermont Milk Commission urging them to take action during their upcoming meeting to aid Vermont s dairy farmers through the latest dairy crisis. The Vermont Milk Commission is scheduled to meet on July 23, 2009. Senator Kittell, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Representative Partridge, Chair of the House Agriculture Committee commended the Commission for meeting in a timely fashion and urged them to address the fluctuation in milk prices and take action to help our struggling dairy farmers. Vermont s farmers are receiving approximately $13.81 per one hundred weight, compared to roughly $20 cwt a year ago. At the same time as the price of milk has fallen, the price of fuel, feed and sawdust have all skyrocketed, placing our dairy farmers in a dire situation.

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas officially became chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) during the closing plenary session of the NGA's Annual Meeting today. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin was named NGA Vice Chair. In his first act as NGA Chair, Gov. Douglas announced his chair's initiative titled Rx for Health Reform: Affordable, Accessible, Accountable. The initiative focuses on the critical need for health reform to reduce health care costs, ensure Americans get the highest quality of care and provide coverage for those who lack health insurance.
"As the nation stands poised to reform its health care system, the time is right for governors to define their roles in creating a more coordinated and efficient system," said Gov. Douglas. "My initiative will build on the successes and innovations of states including our efforts in Vermont to create a blueprint for comprehensive health reform while implementing possible new federal initiatives."

An initiative launched last winter to provide warm socks to needy Vermont children has received a national award for its community service from the America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Foundation.
The Blue Socks for Kids project was recognized by the AHIP Foundation during its 2009 Community Leadership Awards. Blue Socks for Kids was praised as a creative project that drew upon the successful collaboration between several Vermont organizations, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, Northfield sock manufacturer Cabot Hosiery Mills Inc., and the state's community action agencies and homeless shelters.

Vermont Secretary of State Deb Markowitz has returned from the National Civics Summit in Minneapolis where she addressed national leaders in civics education and secretaries of state from around the country. Markowitz released a report titled The Impact of Civics Education on the Attitudes, Behaviors and Disposition of Youth. The report analyzes the effect of mock election programs on young people s attitudes about government, politics and their own ability to be engaged and active citizens.
Markowitz said, The report shows that the newest generation of Vermont adults will be more active and engaged than the ones before it. It also affirms the value of civic education programs and, in particular, mock election programs that teach kids the importance of voting.

Edwin Bovill, M.D., professor and chair of pathology, has announced that John Lunde, M.D., associate professor of pathology and medicine, has been named the recipient of the Buttles Professorship in Pathology for 2009-2014. Established in 1984 to honor the late Ernest Hiram Buttles, M.D.'08, who served as chair of pathology and bacteriology from 1921 to 1946, the professorship recognizes a pathology faculty member for their commitment to and excellence in the teaching of pathology.
Born in 1880 and raised in Brandon, Vt., Dr. Buttles received an undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont in 1901 and graduated second in the College of Medicine's Class of 1908. According to Roy Korson, M.D., professor of pathology emeritus, Buttles was "best remembered as a teacher and model for clear thinking. His opinions were respected in the classroom as well as in his pathology practice."

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announced today that is has officially launched the Farm to Plate Initiative, has named a 15 member Strategic Planning Process Team and has hired Kit Perkins as the Initiative s project manager.
The Farm-to-Plate Initiative aims to bolster Vermont s food system by quantifying market potential and pin-pointing critical bottlenecks, especially in processing and storage infrastructure and distribution systems so that more of Vermont s agricultural products can be enjoyed by Vermonters and throughout the Northeast, said Ellen Kahler, Executive Director of the VSJF. She went on to say that, A ten year strategic food system plan, which will be one of the main deliverables from this initiative, will help determine where future investments should be made, thereby leading to more jobs and overall agricultural economic activity.

Copley Health Systems broke ground on July 13, 2009 for Copley Hospital's new Utility Plant expansion. The 1,500 square foot plant is being built adjacent to the existing utility room on the east side of the hospital. It will be located between the hospital and the Health Center office building, aligned with the existing loading dock. Two new boilers will be housed in the Utility Plant, replacing the hospital's two 50-year-old boilers.
Copley, represented by Optim, Inc., has contracted with construction firm H.P. Cummings and architects Freeman French Freeman for the project. Hospital services and programs will be maintained without interruption during the construction. The new utility plant is expected to be online by the end of the year. Trustees and Foundation Committee members joined Copley Hospital President Mel Patashnick for the ground breaking.

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2009 was 7.1 percent, down 0.3 tenths of a point from the revised May rate and up 2.6 points from a year ago. When seasonally adjusted, June job levels fell by 1,200 or -0.4% from May. Only the Construction sector, (+300 or +2.2%) and Health Care, (+200 or +0.4%) showed any over the month seasonally adjusted growth. Manufacturing, Leisure and Hospitality and Administrative Support & Waste were the largest job losers, shedding 500, 300 and 300 jobs respectively.

FairPoint Communications recently donated $1,000 to Starbase Vermont to help teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to elementary school students across the state. Starbase Vermont provides students in grades 4 through 6 an exciting activity-based curriculum conducted over 5 days (25 hours) with a goal to inspire students in STEM fields. The Starbase program typically occurs over a 5-week period and it is free of charge.
"We are thrilled that FairPoint is supporting Starbase Vermont again," said Doug Gliman, State Director of Starbase Vermont. "With support from our community partners, we are able to serve about 1,500 Vermont students annually."
"Starbase Vermont reaches students from every corner of the state and engages them through exciting, real world applications.," said Eric Barie, Marketing Manager for FairPoint Vermont. "FairPoint is proud to provide assistance to this important program.

Rep. Peter Welch supported and the House passed legislation Thursday night preventing General Motors and Chrysler from arbitrarily closing car dealerships as part of their restructuring efforts. Welch cosponsored the Automobile Dealer Economic Rights Restoration Act (H.R. 2743), which forces car manufacturers to abide by their contracts with local dealer franchises in order to complete the bankruptcy process. GM and Chrysler have sought to close 3,000 dealerships nationwide including roughly three dozen in Vermont. Dealerships account for 7.5 percent of all retail jobs in Vermont.
H.R. 2743 was incorporated into the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act (H.R. 3170), which passed the House on a vote of 219-208 Thursday night. The Senate has yet to act on a corresponding bill.

Christopher Dutton, the former head of Green Mountain Power, has been named to lead the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA). Governor Jim Douglas, Speaker Shap Smith and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin announced the appointment today. The VTA was established by the Legislature in 2007 as part of Governor Douglas proposal to make Vermont the nation s first e-state. Its mission is to build infrastructure enabling affordable broadband and cellular service everywhere in the State. VTA is authorized to issue up to $40 million in revenue bonds to finance the infrastructure required.
I want to thank Chris for taking on this important task, said Governor Douglas. Under Chris leadership, I m confident that we will complete the VTA s vital mission of making broadband and cellular service available everywhere in the State; this is both a social and an economic imperative.

People's United Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: PBCT) announced July 16, 2009, net income of $27.4 million, or $0.08 per share, for the second quarter of 2009, compared to $26.7 million, or $0.08 per share, for the first quarter of 2009, and $43.0 million, or $0.13 per share, for the second quarter of 2008. Second quarter 2009 earnings reflect continued margin pressure associated with the historically low interest rate environment and the company's asset sensitive balance sheet, and security gains that served to offset an FDIC special assessment charge.
For the second quarter of 2009, return on average tangible assets was 0.57 percent and return on average tangible stockholders' equity was 3.0 percent, compared to 0.57 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, for the first quarter of 2009. At June 30, 2009, People's United Financial's tangible equity ratio stood at 18.7 percent.