Current News

The state of Vermont continues to have the lowest foreclosure rate in the nation, according to RealtyTrac(R) (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties. Today it released its May 2009 US Foreclosure Market Report, which shows foreclosure filings -- default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions -- were reported on 321,480 US properties during the month, a decrease of 6 percent from the previous month but an increase of nearly 18 percent from May 2008. The report also shows that one in every 398 US housing units received a foreclosure filing in May.

The Small Business Administration awards celebration will be held this evening, June 10, 2009, from 4-7 pm under the Discover Jazz tent at Burlington Waterfront Park. The awards program is presented by Vermont Business Magazine and the SBA.
The principal award will go to Mark Bonfigli, CEO and Founder of Dealer.com, Burlington, who is the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2009 Vermont Small Business Person of the Year. Bonfigli was selected for outstanding leadership related to his company’s staying power, employee growth, increase in sales, innovation and contributions to the community.

Vermont Days 2009, June 13th and 14th, is the weekend to celebrate the arrival of summer and enjoy a free sample of Vermont s excellent fishing, state parks, forests, and historic and cultural resources.

All weekend, all Vermont State Park day areas, state forests, state-owned historic sites, and the Vermont Historical Society Museum (Montpelier) will be open for FREE admission.

Saturday, June 13th is free fishing day the day everyone is encouraged to go fishing in Vermont (no license required).

Sunday, June 14th, is a second day of free admission to state parks, state-owned historic sites, and a perfect day to explore Vermont's lively forests.

For the Week of 06/06/2009. There were 911 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 21 from the week before. Altogether 14,939 new and continuing claims were filed, 81 fewer than a week ago and 7,675 more than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,825 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 137 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 658 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is a decrease of 3 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) service is now available for a growing number of customers in Richmond, Vermont. Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom customers in parts of the East Main Street, Snipe Ireland Road and O’Neil Road area, are in the process of being converted to 100% fiber-optic service. Fiber-optic service allows even greater speeds and increased reliability. In addition, recent equipment upgrades now allow approximately 60% of its High-Speed DSL users to upgrade their Internet speeds to 12Mbps, or about twice the previously available speed via the new “Elite” service.

Governor Douglas will participate in this first gathering of the Vermont Biosciences Alliance in June. Leaders of bioscience businesses and research in Vermont will explain their Top Ten lists of do s and don ts for major challenges facing bioscience business and research ventures.
What do these products all have in common?

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., (TMS) is rewarding 100 high school seniors with $1 million in college scholarships for their commitment to education and community service. Chris Appleton of Spaulding High School in Barre was the sole Vermont winner.
The 12 national and 88 regional winners, who make up the 13th class of Toyota Community Scholars, were chosen from a pool of more than 8,000 students nationwide nominated by their schools. To be eligible, students must be proven leaders both in the classroom and in their communities.
Based on their achievements, the 2009 class will continue helping others on their journey as college students. "I know that I will only find happiness and fulfillment in my life by dedicating my time to something meaningful - something that makes a difference in the world, in mankind, or in somebody's life," said Scholar Ethan Soodak of Silver Spring, Md.

GH Berlin Co, a northeastern United States provider of commercial and industrial lubricants, products and services, is delivering "green oil" to its customers, effective immediately.
EcoPower, made by Safety-Kleen, is a fully re-refined recycled motor oil that meets or exceeds premium quality and performance standards. It is now available from G.H. Berlin Co. throughout Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshireand western Massachusetts.
"There is growing demand for a top-quality, environmentally friendly motor oil," said Rick Booth, co-owner of G.H. Berlin Co. "With EcoPower, we give our customers a motor oil alternative that helps them demonstrate a commitment to being more eco-conscious."
EcoPower motor oil is priced competitively with comparable premier motor oils, Booth noted.

Governor Douglas today signed the third of four bills pertaining to the FY 2010 budget into law but also sent a letter outlining his objections to provisions he believes are unconstitutional. The principal constitutional concerns involved the firing of state workers, which would give some review authority to the Legislature, and also gives the Legislature a role in state worker retirement plans. Douglas believes this is violates the separation of powers. He also said in his letter that it will make it more difficult to balance the state budget.

A Senate panel today adopted a proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) to make big oil traders divulge reserves held in offshore tankers to skirt reporting requirements, distort supply records and artificially drive up prices. As oil prices rose to $69 a barrel, near the record high for the year, Sanders also announced that he will introduce legislation to require the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to use emergency powers to stem oil price manipulation.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee folded Sanders proposal on offshore hoarding into legislation aimed at promoting oil and gas exploration. The amendment would require the 50 largest traders of oil contracts to report to federal regulators all of their oil reserves that are stored offshore.

Zutano, the Vermont-based designer of children's clothing and toys and Northshire Bookstore, the Manchester, VT-based independent bookstore, are proud to announce that they will be launching a Zutano "store-within-a-store" in the upstairs children's department on June 8th.
The Zutano store captures the whimsical essence of Zutano, known for its one-of-a kind colorful patterns and stylish design. The space is modeled after Zutano's flagship store in Montpelier as well as their store within New York City's famed FAO Schwarz Toy Store. White-washed bead board wainscoting meets walls painted with Zutano's signature sunny yellow. The center of the 250 sq. ft. space features an amazing sculptural display made of 'tumbling' red baby chairs with spaces for Zutano clothes to hang. A fantastic chandelier created from baby milk bottles casts a warm glow over the entire space.

The Rev. Brian J. Cummings, S.S.E., Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, was praised by the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf for orchestrating a campaign at Saint Michael s in support of the Food Shelf. Rob Meehan, director of the Food Shelf, said the gift of $25,000, given on April 28, 2009, affords us the capability of providing nutritional necessities to a large number of families and individuals in our community who really need our support especially during these challenging times.
The CEFS website describes the organization this way: The Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf works to alleviate hunger by feeding people and cultivating opportunities. As the largest direct service emergency food provider in Vermont, CEFS serves over 11,300 people each year.