Current News

Wolf Multimedia Studio of Jericho, Vermont has recently completed a video DVD entitled Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, Snowflakes in Motion. With Musical contributions by Vermont musicians The Samples and Stowe musician Bill Bischak, and narrations by Jericho residents Wayne Howe and Dick Squires, this DVD takes the viewer into the life of Wilson Bentley.

LSI will provide new custom built computers, with a large number of cases to choose from for your own colors and style you need. They will be dealing with New and Used or Refurbished systems as well. Parts and upgrades for there customers and anyone wanting to upgrade or trade in for a larger one.

The ALS Association of Northern New England
Hires Larry Lewack as Executive Director
Larry Lewack has been hired as Executive Director by the local chapter of the ALS Association. A long-time Burlington resident, Mr. Lewack brings fourteen years of non-profit management experience to this leadership role. His prior nonprofit roles include three years as Director of Barrier Free Justice Vermont, which serves victims of crime with disabilities. Before that, he was Coordinator of the Community Network for Children, Youth & Families, which works to improve supports to victims of child abuse and their families.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently named M. Hunter Ulf, AIA, as a Richard Upjohn Fellow. He accepted the honor from the Institutes President at a gathering of AIA leadership in Washington, DC. The Richard Upjohn Fellowship is reserved for members of the AIA who serve on the Institutes National Board of Directors. Ulf just finished a three-year term as the Director representing the New England Region for the 73,000-member organization. During his term, Ulf chaired the Gold Medal and Firm of the Year Advisory Jury, which selects recipients for the highest Institute honor. He served as a member of the Joint Committee of the AIA and Associated General Contractors, and chaired the Institutes Convention Site Selection Committee, which identifies the locations for their 23,000-attendee annual conventions.

The Women Business Owners Network (WBON) announces that Brooke Hauge Trottier, Attorney at Law, is the new chapter coordinator for the Upper Valley chapter.
Brooke is a graduate of Vermont Law School has a law practice in South Royalton, Vermont. Her specialties include real estate transactions and estate planning, purchase and sales contracts, title searches, title insurance, deeds and other documents of transfer, last will and testaments, durable powers of attorney for health care, living will and terminal care documents, general or durable powers of attorney, and trusts. She can be reached at (802) 889-9401 or by email at [email protected].

CCTA Board of Commissioners Establish New Bus Fares
Commissioners Vote Unanimously to Increase Passenger Fares
Burlington, Vermont: Members of the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) Board of Commissioners adopted a new fare structure on Wednesday night, a move that is designed to generate an additional $171,280 per year in fare box revenues for CCTA.
The following new fares will take effect on February 21, 2005:
Adult cash fare: $1.25

Adult 31-day pass: $42.00

Adult 10-ride ticket: $10.00
Discounted cash fare: 60 cents

Discounted 31-day pass: $21.00

Discounted 10-ride ticket: $5.00
CCTA's commuter services will follow the below fare structure:
PARC 31-day pass: $18.00
Montpelier LINK Express:

One-way cash fare: $4.00

31-day pass: $125.00

10-ride ticket: $40.00

Brattleboro Chamber Holds Annual Dinner
Braving the elements of a huge weekend blizzard that buried the region under nearly two feet of snow, the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Dinner right on schedule Saturday, January 22. Over 120 area business people turned out for the gala, enjoying the hospitality of the Putney Inn and the music of The Phyllis Isaacson and Bill Shontz Quartet. The highlight of the evening came with the presentation of the Person of the Year and Corporate Citizen of the Year awards, a long-standing tradition of the Chamber.

Jericho home needs removal

A home built by Larry Westall has been ordered to be removed as its positioning is a hindrance to the health and habitat of muskrats and migratory birds in the homes nearby wetlands. The $240,000 home is on Browns Trace Road and has remained vacant since it was built in 2000.

The house is one of two that Westall built in close proximity on that property. A second home was also outside the buffer zone, though they built a shrub hedge to serve as a barrier between their home and the wetlands to solve the problem.

Local option tax proposed

State lawmakers are considering providing some towns with a permanent alternative to property tax which will pay for municipal services. Already, one third of Vermont communities have this option, though only Manchester, Williston and Stratton utilize it.
Burlington is asking that voters approve a 1 percent sales tax that would be under a separate program, unconnected to those that will expire in 2008. The decision as to which communities will have the opportunity to collect money from this additional sales tax will be made by lawmakers.

Powerline project is approved with stipulations

The state's Public Service Board has approved Vermont Electric Power Co.s proposed $130 million Northwest Reliability Project. The project will include the construction of over 64 miles of new and larger powerlines, spanning from West Rutland to New Haven, and along the western edge of the state to South Burlington.

The board has required that VELCO make some changes to this route, asking that they bury the powerlines for 1.4 miles through Shelbourne, despite the additional $3.4 million it will likely cost the company. Many people are worried about scenery blockage and the impact these new structures will have on their businesses.

The Environmental Board goes extinct

After decades of service to the state of Vermonts best interests, the state Environmental Board will go out of existence. This nine-member crew and its similar body, the five-member Water Resources Board, will be replaced by an Environmental Court and a judge.

In the past, this nine-member crew has made decisions and set standards based on first-hand experience. It has kept 100-unit motels out, and enabled Walmarts to come in. The Environmental Boards decisions have almost always sparked debate, though their devotion to wildlife is usually apparent. Gov. Howard Dean supported the workers of the Environmental Board, but after the Senate refused to confirm his reappointment of its head members, they eventually had to be replaced.

Union Bank Opens St. Albans Loan Center
Ken Gibbons, President & CEO of Union Bank, is pleased to announce the
January 28th opening of Union Bank's new Loan Center, located in the Saint
Albans Professional Building, 120 North Main Street, downtown St. Albans.
The Union Bank Loan Center is staffed by Mike Curtis, Vice President,
Commercial Services, and Carol Allen, Commercial Lending Assistant - both
long-time veterans of the St. Albans banking scene. Mike and Carol will be
responsible for cultivating and maintaining business relationships by
providing innovative and personalized financing solutions to clients in
the St. Albans area.
Union Bank's Loan Center will offer a variety of borrowing options,
including commercial loans and lines of credit, small business loans,
commercial real estate loans, equipment financing, residential mortgages