Current News
by tim
Vermont Could Receive Over $25 Million in Home Heating Funds
Waterbury, Vt.-Governor Jim Douglas praised the U.S. House of Representatives for their historic vote on September 25, 2008, to fully fund the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at $5.1 billion, the maximum funding level authorized for fiscal year 2009.
Governor Douglas said the LIHEAP provision was included in the House-passed version of a Continuing Resolution which would fund the vast majority of government programs at fiscal year 2008 levels through March 2009.
by tim
Welch votes to expand tax incentives for renewable energy
Washington, DC - Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) supported and the U.S. House passed legislation expanding tax incentives to foster the development of new renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The Senate is expected to take up the bill in the coming days.
The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act, H.R. 7060, extends and expands tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency, helping retain and create thousands of green jobs and foster innovation and business investment.
The incentives are paid for by closing loopholes that allow corporations and executives to avoid U.S. taxes by shipping jobs and investment overseas and curtailing unnecessary tax subsidies for big, multinational oil and gas companies.
by tim
Bennington Designates Growth Center
Designation Will Help Concentrate Growth, Provide Incentives
MONTPELIER - The Town of Bennington has become the second community in Vermont to have a Growth Center designated, a move that will provide incentives to concentrate development in and around its downtown area.
On Monday the Vermont Downtown Development Board voted to approve Bennington's Growth Center Designation for an area stretching from Northside Drive east to the Shields Industrial Park, south to the edge of proposed Bennington Bypass, and westward to the to the Southwestern Regional Medical Center.
"Bennington did a great job with this application," said Kevin Dorn, Chairman of the Downtown Board and Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. "The Town is adding jobs and housing, and the growth center will be able to host a majority of that growth within the area that is already settled."
by tim
Vermont specialty wood products manufacturer Classic Designs by Matthew Burak continues to grow at a double digit pace, despite overall weakness in the housing market.
The company manufactures high-quality turned columns for kitchen and bath cabinetmakers. Company sales have grown at an annual rate of 12% over the last 20 months. Internet sales from the companys website, www.tablelegs.com have grown 61% over the same period last year.
by tim
Secretary of State Deb Markowitz to Present the 2008 Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Awards
Vermont's Oldest Nonprofits to be Honored at a Statehouse Ceremony
Vermont Secretary of State Deb Markowitz will be presenting the 2008 Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Awards on Thursday, September 25, 2008, at 4:30 p.m. at a ceremony in the historic Vermont Statehouse. Twenty-six of Vermont's oldest nonprofits will be honored for over 100 years of continuous operation in Vermont. Secretary Markowitz will be joined by Governor Jim Douglas in expressing appreciation for the contributions of these organizations to the state's heritage.
For more information about the awards and a list of the 2008 recipients, please visit the Secretary of State's website at http://www.sec.state.vt.us/centennial_nonprofit.html
###
by tim
Vermont Law School Awarded $300,000 Federal Grant
To Expand VLS-China Environmental Law Partnership
SOUTH ROYALTON - Vermont Law School has been awarded a $300,000 federal grant that will allow the law school to expand its legal training program for China's environmental leaders and government officials, VLS President and Dean Jeff Shields announced September 24, 2008.
The grant builds on a three-year, $1.8 million grant that U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy secured for VLS in 2006, funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As a result of that grant, VLS has trained hundreds of lawyers, judges, government officials, legal scholars and students through a partnership with Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province in southern China.
by tim
Vermont Receives National Grant to Host Governor's Summit on Poverty and Economic Opportunity
Waterbury, VT-The National Governor's Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices has announced that Vermont and nine other states have been awarded $12,000 each to host a Governor's Summit on Poverty and Economic Opportunity.
According to the NGA, the purpose of the grants is to "galvaniz[e] state and local leadership to advance a comprehensive policy agenda to reduce poverty among children and families." The grant money can be used to fund planning directly related to Vermont's summit, and for customized technical assistance before, during and after the event.
by tim
MONTPELIER -- The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announced it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation's Sustainable Communities grant program, the Eagleridge Fund, and the Sustainable Future Fund to support the development of Vermont Sustainable Wood Guide Specifications (SWGS), or the Green Guide Specs project.
"This project will directly tie a Vermont resource - sustainably managed or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood - to Vermont craftspeople, wood mills, and manufacturers of certified wood products," said architect and guide specification author Jonathan Miller. The SWGS will be available as a hard copy and online at no cost to the end user, and can serve as a means for Vermont wood manufacturers to promote their products to design professionals and green builders regionally and nationally.
by tim
Vermont Receives $9 Million Grant to Support State's Youth in Transition Efforts
Waterbury, Vt.- Governor Jim Douglas today announced that Vermont will receive over $9 million to support youth in transition through a Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI) grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA).
Governor Douglas said the six-year grant is meant to promote the development of integrated home and community-based services and supports for transition age youth (aged 16-22) with serious emotional disturbances, and their families.
by tim
Vermont's High-Tech Exports Total $2.8 Billion in 2007
by tim
LIVE GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE KICKS OFF VPR'S 2008 DEBATE SERIES
Vermont Public Radio will broadcast a live debate among the major party candidates for Vermont Governor Wednesday, September 24, at 7 p.m. The debate will include Republican Jim Douglas, Democrat Gaye Symington, Independent Anthony Pollina, and Liberty Union candidate Peter Diamondstone.
VPR's Bob Kinzel and Jane Lindholm will moderate the debate before a live audience at the Main Street Landing Film House at Burlington's waterfront. Listeners may suggest questions for the candidates at VPR.net or by calling 1-800-258-1619. Seats in the audience are free and open to the public, but reservations are required; an RSVP form is at VPR.net.
The gubernatorial debate is the first of the 2008 VPR Debates. The series continues Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. throughout October with debates from VPR Studios:
October 1: Chairs of Political Parties
October 8: Attorney General Candidates
by tim
38 States Hit All-Time GSP Highs 2008Q2
Economic research firm e-forecasting.com on September 22, 2008, announced
the release of their second quarter estimates of quarterly
gross state product, with Texas leading the nation in GSP
growth.
Following an increase of US GDP by 3.3 percent to $11,740
billion in the second quarter of 2008, 23 states matched or
surpassed this growth, with Texas GSP swelling 7.6 for the
quarter. The change is recorded as an annual percent
change from the previous quarter in GSP at 2000 chained
dollars.