Current News

Sanders: Stop the Wall Street Bailout
WASHINGTON, November 17 - Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today he will introduce legislation to stop the release of a $350-billion second round of the Wall Street bailout.
Sanders, who voted against the $700-billion package Congress approved in October, said he has serious concerns about how the Bush administration and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson are spending the bailout money that was already released. He also said it was unacceptable that the oversight provisions in the bill were ignored.
"I have very serious concerns as to how the Bush administration is spending the first $350 billion they were provided. The second $350 billion tranche must not be spent in the same way," Sanders said.

Vermont Yankee Study Identifies Major
Environmental and Economic Benefits
Vermont Energy Partnership Urges Policy Makers and
the Public to Review Independent Expert's Findings
Montpelier, VT/November 17, 2008 - An independent assessment of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant finds that the facility provides major economic and environmental benefits to Vermont and that the consequences of closing it would be significant. In addition, the only potential solution to replace all or the vast majority of its power near term is to construct a combined cycle natural gas plant.
The effects of such a plant and the loss of Vermont Yankee include:
* Statewide average retail electric prices are estimated to increase by 19 to 39 percent.
* Without Vermont Yankee's power, carbon dioxide emissions, from all sources statewide, would likely increase by two million tons annually, a 100 fold or 10,000 percent increase.

Newport, VT - The Search Committee, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, is happy to announce Claudio Fort as North Country Health System’s new President and CEO.
Claudio grew up in Nashua, New Hampshire. His parents are both deceased but his in-laws and siblings live in southern New Hampshire. He and his wife, Brenda, have two children. Gabriela “Gabby,” is age 12 and in the sixth grade and their son, Camden, age 10, is in the fourth grade. Prior to having children, Brenda worked full-time as an insurance underwriter. She was a stay-at-home mom until their children began school. She now works part-time at a local insurance agency.
Claudio attended the University of New Hampshire and graduated in 1988 with a double major in Economics and History. He earned an MBA from New Hampshire College in 1997.

MONTPELIER, Vt. In a move designed to boost effectiveness and save money, the Douglas administration is proposing to merge the Departments of Economic Development and Housing and Community Affairs.
The move would create a single Department of Economic and Community Development according to Commerce and Community Development Secretary Kevin Dorn, whose agency includes both departments as well as the Department of Tourism and Marketing, and the Division for Historic Preservation.
This consolidation will result in a more integrated and coordinated effort to retain and expand Vermonts employment opportunities, invest in communities, foster economic vitality and build housing that working Vermonters can afford, Dorn said. In a time of shrinking revenues, state government must use innovation and technology to do more with less.

Greenworks Courier, a greener alternative delivery service, has opened in Burlington. The owner, Mike Dowling, uses a Toyota Prius Hybrid vehicle to make deliveries throughout Vermont with minimum environmental impact. Greenworks Courier office is located at 110 Main St in Burlington.

Three utilities solicit new energy contracts

BURLINGTION, Vermont – Tod Austin has joined TD Insurance, Inc. in Burlington as the Regional President. TD Insurance is among the top 50 agencies in the U.S. with a reputation for quality customer service and a disciplined approach to managing insurance risk.
Austin has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. For five years prior to joining TD Insurance, he served as President of Hackett, Valine & MacDonald. Austin has earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation.
A Shelburne resident, Austin is a past board member of the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Chittenden County. He is a 1979 graduate of the University of Vermont, where he received an economics degree.

Shelburne, VT-November 13, 2008- Kilawatt Technologies is pleased to announce Ashley Wright has joined the energy conservation software company as a Sales Representative. Ms. Wright will support the companys wholesale conservation partners who use Kilawatt's products, based on the company's EnerSuite software, to lower energy consumption, cut costs and reduce greenhouse gases in commercial buildings. Ms. Wright will also be working closely with organizations that are using Kilawatt's LEED products to achieve valuable points in the Energy and Atmosphere section of the LEED certification for existing buildings. Ms. Wright graduated from UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources in 2007 and currently lives in Burlington.

FairPoint Files Provisional Notice of Cutover Readiness; Triggers Formal Process to Expected Cutover at the End of January
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FairPoint
Communications, Inc. (NYSE: FRP) today announced it has filed its
provisional notice of cutover readiness with the Public Utility Commissions
(PUC) in New Hampshire and Maine and the Department of Public Service (PSB)
in Vermont. The notice was filed after Liberty Consulting Group indicated
in its November 12th monthly Status Report that FairPoint had met
substantially all of the criteria required to cut over at the end of
January. The state PUCs/PSB will now hold technical conferences with
FairPoint and, if necessary, or at the request of intervening parties,
public hearings. Subsequent to the hearings, FairPoint expects to file its
irrevocable notice of cutover with Verizon.

Gibbs Appointed Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation
Montpelier, Vt. November 12, 2008 - Secretary of Natural Resources Jonathan Wood has announced that Jason Gibbs will be the next Commissioner of Forest, Parks and Recreation (FPR).
Secretary Wood said Gibbs' policy knowledge, experience in government, communication skills and passion for Vermont's natural resources will serve the state well. "Jason's expertise, creativity and ability to manage many issues will be a valuable asset to the agency and FPR, and we look forward to welcoming him to our team," Wood said.
"FPR is a department with a highly skilled staff and experienced natural resources professionals on its management team. Jason's leadership skills will be a great match with that team," Wood said.

HOFMANN APPOINTED HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY
Montpelier, Vt. (November 12, 2008)- Governor Jim Douglas has announced that Commissioner of Corrections Rob Hofmann will soon be Secretary of Human Services. Cindy LaWare, the current agency head, is stepping down to explore other opportunities to serve Vermont.
Governor Douglas thanked LaWare for her service. "Cindy has been an important and dedicated member of my cabinet and has served Vermonters with diligence and professionalism for the past seven years. I greatly appreciate her work to advance important elements of our agenda, including fighting to make health care more accessible and affordable, improving services for Vermonters with mental illness through the Futures plan, and implementing the Incarcerated Women's Initiative, the Children's Integrated Services initiative, and the statewide Housing Now initiative," Governor Douglas said. "I hope and expect she will continue to serve Vermonters in the future."

Week Ending November 8, 2008
There were 1,236 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 17 from the week before. Altogether 7,867 new and continuing claims were filed, 322 more than a week ago and 2,093 more than a year earlier. In addition, the Department processed 1,116 claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008, a decrease of 21 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