Current News

First Year of New Economic Incentive Program Successful

Week Ending November 29, 2008
There were 1,823 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, an increase of 261 from the week before. Altogether 10,628 new and continuing claims were filed, 1,136 more than a week ago and 2,266 more than a year earlier. In addition, the Department processed 1,144 claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008, an increase of 18 from last week.
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

ABC FORECASTS DOWNTURN

Food Stamp Participation Reaches All-Time High in Vermont During Holiday Season
Burlington, VT, December 2, 2008 - While many in Vermont were savoring Thanksgiving treats last week, others were signing up for food assistance; 60,062 Vermonters, almost 1 in 10, now participate in the Food Stamp Program according to data released by the Department for Children and Families. This number is up by over 1,500 in just one month, up 7,000 since this time last year, and represents a record high for Vermont.

PSB approves small rate increase
RUTLAND, VT The Vermont Public Service Board has approved a small rate increase for Central Vermont Public Service (NYSE-CV), an increase of one-third of a percent.
The increase will take effect with bills rendered starting Jan. 1, 2009. In its order approving the rate increase, the PSB also opened an investigation to review CVPS's rates and could reduce rates after doing so.
The bill for a residential customer who uses 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month will rise from $73.11 to $73.35, a difference of 24 cents.
By comparison, the same customer would pay up to $83.16 elsewhere in Vermont, and as much as $117.45 elsewhere in New England, according to the Edison Electric Institute.
"We have worked hard to control costs," CVPS spokesman Steve Costello said. "Our long-term contracts with Vermont Yankee and Hydro-Quebec continue to provide us with a strong competitive advantage in the Northeast."

The Fastest ISPs in Americaand Where You Live
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Time is Money: PCMag.com Names the Fastest ISPs in America

The Vermont/New Hampshire Marketing Group announced a special event to assist marketers throughout the region. The topic is Marketing in a Down Economy and it is an all-day workshop in Concord, NH that will discuss the best practices for generating business through online marketing, email, and Web 2.0 strategies.

The session will be lead by marketing experts sharing their knowledge from various vantage points. They are Daryl Eames of the Herrington Catalog, Sundeep Kapur of NCR eCommerce and Regan Taylor, also of NCR eCommerce. They will be joined by other eMarketing veterans with experience in financial services, sports and entertainment to discuss strategies that can benefit many different types of businesses in challenging times.

CSWD reinstitutes recycling fee for haulers
The economic crisis has come to roost in, of all places, your recycling bin. Chittenden Solid Waste District's Materials Recovery Facility - where most blue-bin recyclables are sorted - is funded in large part by the money it makes by selling recyclables on international commodities markets. Those markets have been shaken badly by the current economic crisis and the recent plunge in prices CSWD receives for those same commodities means that the District will have to resume charging haulers for the recyclables they bring to its Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). At this time, recycling will remain free at CSWD Drop-Off Centers, where quantities up to a cubic yard are accepted.

IBEW will host an open house style event on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6-8 pm. It is open to all electrical contractors and vendors who want to learn about the union;s new solar photovoltaic energy systems training, the only year-round course of its kind in the state.

IBEW Local 300 staffers Jean Watkins and Matt Lash will present about the solar training and the union as a whole. Renewable Energy Vermont Executive Director Andrew Perchlik is also scheduled to speak about the green economy and the importance of the IBEW Local 300 solar initiative. Contractors and electricians that already completed the program will be there as well.

The program recently began solar training as an enhancement to its existing five-year electrical regimen. Utilizing framework developed by the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, trainees learn about the fundamentals, design and installation of solar photovoltaic technology through both classroom and hands-on components.

Tim Williams, president of Mesa Contract Inc., announced the acquisition of Intellaspace from office furniture manufacturer, Weber Knapp. Mesa will continue the Intellaspace brand, providing office furniture dealers with soltuions to meet or exceed ergonomic standards for the workplace. The company will also expand on its portfolio of ergonomic office solutions.

Mesa Contract is a manufacturer/distributor of premium ergonomic office accessories, wood desk solutions and steel components.

For more information visit www.intellaspace.com and www.mesacontract.com.

Tim Williams, president of Mesa Contract Inc. announced Chris Echo has achieved ownership status and is now a vested partner in the company. Echo will continue to focus on existing client relations for Exterus Business Furniture, a Mesa Contract Inc. subsidary.

Echo has over 14 years of direct commercial experience in the office and furnishings industry. He holds a BA in Business Management from Champlain College.

Mesa Contract is a manufacturer of premium ergonomic office accessories and wood desk solutions. Exterus is a supplier of over 100 quality office furniture manufacturers.