Current News
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A Strategy for Economic Resurgence in the Northern Forest
Plan Released today by the Sustainable Economy Initiative
(September 8, 2008) The Sustainable Economy Initiative (SEI) today released Economic Resurgence in the Northern Forestthe first-ever, 4-state strategy for sustainable economic development in the Northern Forest. The Northern Forest comprises the northern reaches of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.
A 60-member steering committee, appointed in 2006 by the governors of the four states in collaboration with the Northern Forest Center and the North Country Council (joint project managers), brought wide-ranging expertise to the initiative.
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Grafton Village Cheese Co. wins a world cheese award and named among world's 100 great cheese
Grafton Cheese Wins its Second World Cheese Award and
Two of its Cheeses Named Wine Spectators 100 Great Cheeses in the World
Grafton, Vt. Grafton Village Cheese Company, makers of handcrafted Vermont cheddar, has received international recognition in the past few weeks, including winning a World Cheese Award bronze medal and a nod from Wine Spectator Magazine for having two of its cheddars named among the 100 Great Cheeses in the World.
World Cheese Award
Graftons Maple Smoked Cheddar won a bronze medal at the 2008 World Cheese Awards, the worlds largest international cheese competition. The competition was held in late September at the Royal Dublin Society Simonscourt in Ireland, which was judged by 80 cheese experts from around the world who evaluated more than 2,400 cheeses from the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia and the U.S.
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South Burlington, Vt. (Oct. 8, 2008) The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300 and its Vermont Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee today announced an initiative that will teach union members to install solar photovoltaic systems. The announcement was made at a mid-morning press conference before a crowd of elected officials, business leaders and IBEW members.
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Vermont's State Health Insurance Assistance Program Ranked First in the Nation
Waterbury, VT-Vermont's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which provides one-on-one counseling and information to educate consumers about Medicare and other health insurance programs, has been awarded the top ranking among the nation's 54 SHIP programs in terms of overall performance in 2008.
Vermont's SHIP received a 2008 Performance Plus Award of $32,628 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in recognition of their efforts; $25,235 for a #1 ranking nationwide, and $7,393 for a #1 ranking in their "cluster." There are six clusters nationwide. Other states in Vermont's cluster include: Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands and Guam.
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CO-OP MEMBERS VOTE TO SUPPORT EXPANSION OF LANDFILL GENERATING PLANT
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Citizens Financial Group pays customers
for helping the environment
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Vermont Tech Employee Named Vermont's Outstanding Older Worker
RANDOLPH CENTER, Vt - A Vermont Technical College employee has been honored as Vermont's Outstanding Older Worker for 2008. Awarded to a single older employee in each of the 50 states, the Outstanding Older Worker program recognizes the important contributions of America's working seniors while providing numerous positive examples of productive aging.
This year's Vermont recipient, James J. McNichol of Essex Junction, is a Learning Partner at Vermont Technical College who works with IBM, helping the company capture and transfer knowledge to a global internal audience.
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BURLINGTON Champlain College's 2008-09 Leadership American Style lecture series opens Wednesday, Oct. 15 with a talk by historian, biographer and Champlain College professor Willard Sterne Randall
The talk, entitled Champlain Names His Lake, is based on three years of research and travel by Champlain College professors Randall and Dr. Nancy Nahra to track down Samuel de Champlain's hometown in France and the many ports of call he visited during his explorations.
The free, lecture is open to the public. It begins at 7:30 pm in Champlain College Alumni Auditorium.
The lake is so much a part of what we are here in our region, Nahra said. And through it, Samuel de Champlain's history collides with our own.
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Champlain Housing Trust Representatives Accept
World Habitat Award at United Nations Ceremony in Angola
BURLINGTON, VT - Two representatives from the Champlain Housing Trust accepted a World Habitat Award today at UN-HABITAT's global celebration of World Habitat Day in Luanda, Angola. The award, presented by the Building and Social Housing Foundation in conjunction with the UN agency, recognizes the Housing Trust's permanently affordable housing programs as innovative, sustainable and transferable.
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The Kiwanis Club of St. Johnsbury announced today that it has adopting Operation Holiday Cheer to provide a holiday gift to the children of military families in Vermont.
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Danforth Pewter Named Addison County's Business of the Year
Middlebury, Vermont - October 6, 2008 - The Addison County Chamber of Commerce has announced that Danforth Pewter was the recipient of its Business of the Year award which was presented at the Chamber's Annual Meeting last month. Recipients for the Chamber's Citizen of the Year, Community Achievement and President's Awards were also named at the function held in Middlebury's newly renovated Town Hall Theater.
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Mobius, the Mentoring Movement, expanded its Board of Directors recently, welcoming five new members including Burlington resident Joe Speidel. Joe is Director of Local Government and Community Relations, at the University of Vermont where his goal is to strengthen relationships between the University and the local community, local government representatives and organizations. He brings a deep understanding of the local educational community and expertise in public relations, fundraising, and event planning.
Mentoring involves pairing a volunteer adult with a child. The pairs spend an hour or two together every week and develop trusting relationships by exploring common interests. Programs screen volunteers, match mentors with children on their waiting lists, and provide ongoing training and support for mentors.