Current News

Vermont Housing Finance Agency announced today the selection of Paul Stewart, President of Stewart Property Management, Bedford, NH, as the new owner of Rockingham Canal House in Bellows Falls. The historic building, a former hotel built in the 1870s, will also be an example of how important housing preservation is to the larger strategy of providing affordable housing.
"Paul Stewart has almost 40 years of experience in affordable housing, and he's been managing the Canal Street building since last fall, so we're confident he has the background and skills necessary to make this property a showpiece," said VHFA Executive Director Sarah Carpenter.

Less then a week after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) raised concerns with the inadequacy of Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning fund, Speaker Smith and President Pro Tem Shumlin vowed to place another decommissioning bill on Governor Douglas’ desk at the beginning of the 2010 legislative session, which begins next January.
The leaders called on Governor Douglas to join them in their support for this important piece of legislation.
“We are pleased that the NRC has joined the Vermont legislature in voicing its concern with the decommissioning fund shortfall for Vermont Yankee,” said Speaker Smith. “It is a shame that Governor Douglas chose to veto the legislature’s decommissioning bills but we intend to move forward by crafting legislation to protect Vermonters from what is clearly a potentially significant financial risk.”

Vermont Public Radio Commentary. Monday June 22, 2009
McQuiston: Tax policy perspective LISTEN
By Timothy McQuiston
(HOST) Commentator Timothy McQuiston suggests that when you hear politicians talking about taxes, it isn't so much about fairness, it's about jobs.
(McQUISTON) Tax policy is all in your perspective, it seems to me. While the Legislature has focused on the property tax and the direct impact it has on local constituencies, governors have generally looked at the bigger picture and the income tax.
In the latest, harrowing row over the state budget, which resulted in the first-ever budget veto, the Legislature cut the income tax, albeit slightly, for anyone making under 200,000 dollars and raised it for everyone else.
Governor Douglas proposed lowering the highest marginal rate for income over 375,000 from 9.5 percent to 9 percent - and you might well be wondering, "Why?"

Governor Douglas will be in Washington again tomorrow for a meeting with President Barack Obama and a bipartisan coalition that includes five others governors to discuss health care reform.
Vermont is a leader among states when it comes to important reforms to our health care system. Many of our programs serve as a national model and are being implemented in other states and municipalities across America, said Governor Douglas. Through my work as Governor and at the National Governors Association, we are making health care reform a top priority, highlighting the critical steps we have taken here at home and the steps we need to take nationally.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) today announced finalization of a bi-state agreement between New York and Vermont for the progression of a project to rehabilitate or replace the Lake Champlain Bridge, spanning Lake Champlain between Crown Point, New York and Chimney Point, Vermont. HTNB Corporation of New York City has been selected as design consultant. This project is being jointly progressed by NYSDOT and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

The Mount Family Group Ltd. (MFG) headquartered in Burlington and operator of 9 Westaff offices in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York is pleased to announce the acquisition of three offices in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, bringing their total to 12 offices. The seller is the Koosharem Corporation, owner of Westaff and of Select and Remedy Staffing Services.
The three offices are located in Leominster and Billerica, Mass. and Providence, RI. The Providence office has been branded as a Westaff office and the Massachusetts offices will continue to operate under the brand Select Remedy.
Karen Mount, VP of Administration of MFG, said that it was the people in those offices that impressed the Mounts the most. “After all, as a service business, the people are the principal reason for any acquisition. We met with the managers and their staffs and were so impressed that we worked to make the deal happen.”

At an event at the National Press Club, Surescripts announced today that Vermont was the most improved state in the nation and Massachusetts ranks first overall when it comes to routing prescriptions electronically. According to the results of an annual nationwide audit of electronic prescriptions routed in 2008, it was determined that prescribers in the Bay State sent more than 6.7 million prescriptions electronically, representing 20.5 percent of all eligible prescriptions in the state as compared to 2.3 percent in 2005. For this accomplishment, Massachusetts was recognized, along with 14 other states, at the fourth annual Safe-Rx Awards.
Surescripts created the Safe-Rx Awards to raise awareness of e-prescribing as a means of enhancing patient safety by providing a more secure, accurate and informed prescribing process.

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce is please to announce the 2009 - 2010 Top Ten Winter Events Award recipients. The winners, in chronological order are:
CRAFT VERMONT - Fine Craft, Art, and Design - presented by Vermont Hand Crafters

The Vermont Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration has announced a major agreement with Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corporation (TBW) regarding its mortgage lending practices for so-called nontraditional loans made in 2006. This agreement will result in a detailed review of TBW s nontraditional loan exceptions, the adoption of the federal loan modification program to assist struggling homeowners, and the payment of $9 million to assist the states in their oversight of mortgage origination practices.
The agreement between TBW and 14 State mortgage regulators follows a coordinated multi-state examination of TBW to specifically determine compliance with laws and regulations pertaining to the origination of nontraditional mortgage loans in 2006. Concern over these practices led TBW to stop offering nontraditional mortgages in early 2007 and to make other changes to its internal control processes.

Bill Orleans, who has been promoting Vermont s tourist and travel industry for 28 years one brochure at a time has been elected Chairperson of the Vermont Travel Industry Conference.
Orleans, owner of PP&D Brochure Distribution, has attended the Conference annually since 1986, been an exhibiting sponsor since 1996, and sat on the planning committee for the last five years.
I strongly believe in this conference, and the value it provides to participants, exhibitors, and the State of Vermont. I look forward to another great year, and hope to make next year s conference highly relevant to the hundreds of business that serve Vermont s travelers , says Orleans. In these challenging economic times, coming together to share ideas and discuss crucial issues is vital to our continued success.
The new vice-chair will be Vicky Parra Tebbetts, Senior Vice President of Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of Vermont Hospitality Council.

An historic hydro-electric facility that has produced renewable energy for 81 years is getting a substantial overall starting today. Central Vermont Public Service is beginning extensive improvements to the company s Arnold Falls hydroelectric project, located on Mill Street along the Passumpsic River in Saint Johnsbury. The existing structures, similar to those originally constructed during the 19th Century for nearby mills, consist of two rock-filled, timber-crib dams with concrete abutments. Though the deteriorating timber dams will remain in place, new concrete dams will be built adjacent to them to ensure the facility s long-term future.

Today, Governor Jim Douglas will be traveling to Washington, DC, for events and meetings related to health care reform. At a press conference at the National Press Club, Governor Douglas and Governor Phil Bredesen (D-TN), co-chairs of the National Governors Association (NGA) State Alliance for eHealth, will present the 4th Annual SafeRx Awards. Surescripts created the Safe-Rx Awards to raise awareness of e-prescribing as a means of enhancing patient safety by providing a more secure, accurate and informed prescribing process.