Current News

The Office of Vermont State Auditor Tom Salmon, CPA, has upheld last year s estimate of $57 million in State spending to help about 1,000 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), at the request of the House Committee on Human Services. The number of students with ASD increased 16.5 percent last year.

Governor Jim Douglas to announce $360,010 Community Development Block Grant to the Town of Williston and $49,795 grant to the Town of Colchester to assist in the development of affordable housing. Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4 pm. Williston Town Hall meeting room.

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Central Vermont Public Service reported consolidated annual earnings of $16.4 million, or $1.52 per diluted share of common stock for 2008, compared to $15.8 million, or $1.49 per diluted share of common stock for 2007. CV reported fourth-quarter 2008 consolidated losses of less than $0.1 million, or 1 cent per diluted share of common stock, compared to earnings of $5.3 million, or 50 cents per diluted share of common stock, for the same period last year.

Community College of Vermont President Tim Donovan will be the next Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges, VSC Board Chairman Gary Moore announced today.
"We are excited about Tim's selection and believe that he brings exceptional abilities to lead our state college system in delivering affordable, high quality, student-centered and accessible education, fully integrating professional, liberal, and career study, Moore said.
Our five state colleges are key drivers of Vermont s economy and also serve as cultural centers for the regions in which they are located. In addition, the VSC serves Vermont and Vermonters through the Small Business Development Center, the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center and Vermont Interactive Television. Moore added, Donovan brings outstanding strategic thinking, fiscal management and an energetic, collaborative leadership style that will help us fulfill our mission.

The Citizens Bank Foundation announced today a $15,000 grant to Vermont s Community Action Agencies as part of its Energy$ense program.
The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity Inc., (CVOEO) will serve as the conduit to distribute the funds among the four other Community Action Agencies, which include BROC-Community Action in southwestern Vermont, Central Vermont Community Action Council, Inc, North East Kingdom Community Action, Inc and Southeastern Vermont Community Action, Inc. CVOEO is a nonprofit agency whose mission is to address fundamental issues of economic, social and racial justice and to work with low-income people to achieve economic independence.

MSA (NYSE: MSA) announced today that it has been awarded a two-year $45 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract from the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP) to supply U.S. military forces with Advanced Combat Helmets. Delivery of the helmets will begin in the third quarter of 2009, pending first article testing and certification.
MSA began producing ballistic helmets for the U.S. military in 2002 and, in partnership with the U.S. Army, developed the concept for the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH). The ACH incorporates a lightweight design that offers soldiers advanced ballistic protection with greater comfort, stability and situational awareness. Since adoption by the Army as the standard basis of issue, the ACH has been credited with saving numerous lives in military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Vermont quarter is getting a facelift or at least to its backside. Governor Jim Douglas has nominated Vermont s 150 miles of the Appalachian Trail to replace the scene of Camel s Hump and sap buckets as part of the U.S. Mint s new America s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Program. Each governor gets to suggest a national park or site in his or her respective state.
From Glastenbury Mountain to Woodstock and West Hartford, thousands of Vermonters and visitors each year discover and enjoy our slice of the country s best-known footpath, the Governor said. For more than a hundred miles, the Appalachian Trail follows the Long Trail, the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the nation, as it runs along the spine of our Green Mountains from Massachusetts to Quebec.

ipCapital Group, Inc. (http://www.ipcg.com/), of Williston, one of the nation's leading intellectual property (IP) strategy consulting and licensing firms, is proud to announce that they have entered into a strategic alliance with Semiconductor Insights, Inc. (http://www.semiconductor.com/), a professional services firm serving the technical intelligence and intellectual property needs of the electronics marketplace.
Semiconductor Insights is a global leader in the provision of sophisticated technical and intellectual property rights and consulting services to the world's largest semiconductor and consumer electronics corporations. Particular domain expertise includes memory, wireless, communications, analog, mixed signal, logic, MCU, DSP, and embedded software.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the Immigrant Investor Pilot Program has been extended through September 30, 2009 due to yesterday’s signing of the “Fiscal 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill,” H.R. 1105.
As a result of the extension of the Pilot Program, USCIS will continue to receive, process, and adjudicate all Regional Center Proposals and Forms I-526, Immigrant Petitions by Alien Entrepreneur, and Forms I-485, Applications to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, affiliated with Regional Centers relying on “indirect” job creation analysis.
Currently, there are 45 regional centers throughout the United States.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit www.uscis.gov.

RealtyTrac(R) (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released its February 2009 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report(TM), which shows foreclosure filings - default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions - were reported on 290,631 U.S. properties during the month, an increase of nearly 6 percent from the previous month and an increase of nearly 30 percent from February 2008. The report also shows one in every 440 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing in February.
Vermont had the second lowest rate in the nation (ranked 49th) and Nebraska was ranked 50th. New Hampshire was 19th, Massachusetts 26th, Connecticut 14th, Rhode Island 30th, Maine 39th, and New York was 35th.

A dental office that will provide access to dental care for low to moderate income individuals in Addison County, as well as the general population, will be getting a $200,000 boost from the state, Governor Jim Douglas announced Wednesday.
In a ceremony at the future home of the Addison County Dental Center, Douglas presented a $200,000 Community Development Block Grant to the Town of Middlebury that will be used to help equip and furnish the offices on Merchants Row.
This is an area which has been in need of additional dental care providers for some time, Douglas said. The Addison County Dental Center will focus on providing access to dental care for low to moderate income individuals, but will also be a resource for all of the people of Addison County.

Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced that consumers switching to Comcast s Digital Voice service have made Comcast the third-largest residential phone service provider in the country. Consumers are continuing to select Comcast s low cost and rich features for phone service throughout its 39-state service area.
The news marks a major milestone for the company and reinforces its commitment to reinvent home phone service and offer consumers a way to cut household expenses during a difficult economic climate.
Comcast Digital Voice® now serves 6.47 million customers, which exceeds Qwest s reported residential subscriber base. The popularity of Comcast s innovative offerings with consumers has enabled Comcast to add residential subscribers in each of the last twelve quarters.