Current News

Mary L. Collins, president and executive producer of the Collins Communications Group, based in Morrisville, Vermont, will be the feature story in the February issue of Radio & Production Magazine. Collins has been interviewed twice previously. RAP revisited the veteran broadcast producer for their February issue.

Sen. Matt Dunne (D-Windsor) and Sen. Hinda Miller (D-Chittenden) announced today the results of a nine-month economic development effort to identify a new way of creating job growth in Vermont. The CREDability initiative, with input from a wide range of business leaders with facilitation by the Snelling Center of Government, includes a broad range of strategic investments specifically targeted to support Vermont innovators to compete and flourish in the new economy.
"This economic development package represents a fundamental change in economic development strategy," said Sen. Miller, former co-founder and CEO of Jogbra. "It is an integrated effort to retain, develop, and attract entrepreneurs, rather than spending precious resources to try to compete with Alabama, Mexico, and even China to land a multi-national corporation."

Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C., a business and litigation law firm with offices in Burlington, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York, announced today that Edwin I. Colodny, Esq. has joined the firm as “of counsel” and that Spencer R. Knapp, Esq., who served under Mr. Colodny as Fletcher Allen Health Care’s Acting General Counsel, will remain with the firm as its President, following his engagement by Fletcher Allen as General Counsel in December.
Prior to joining the firm, Edwin I. Colodny served as interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Fletcher Allen Health Care from October, 2002 to October 2003. Prior to his service at Fletcher Allen, Mr. Colodny served as interim President of the University of Vermont.

Tim and Diane Mueller, Owners of Triple Peaks, LLC have announced today that they have entered into a Definitive Purchase and Sale Agreement to buy Crested Butte Ski Resort from the Callaway and Walton families, owners of Crested Butte Mountain Ski Resort, LLC and it subsidiaries.
The Mueller's signed a Letter of Intent for the purchase of Crested Butte Ski Resort on October 28, 2003 and expect the completion of the sale to take place in early February of 2004.
"The qualitative aspect is, and has always been, the top priority with our family of resorts," commented Tim Mueller, owner of Triple Peaks, LLC. "We recognize the potential that exists with Crested Butte and are committed to placing guest service and the overall quality of the recreational experience as our top priority. Our vision for the future is to build upon the attributes of the mountain and community to reinforce its reputation for excellence."

Steven P. Crowther of South Burlington and R. Prescott Jaunich of Charlotte have been named directors of the law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC. As directors, they share in the management and ownership of the firm. The two attorneys work in the firm’s Burlington office. The change was effective on Jan. 1.
Crowther provides employment law advice to clients in both union and non-union settings, and helps employers to establish and maintain good employment policies and workplace practices. He is also an experienced litigator in commercial, insurance defense, and employment discrimination matters. A graduate of Skidmore College, he earned his law degree at Tulane University Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1995. Before joining DRM in 1998, he practiced law in New Orleans, where he represented corporate clients in employment discrimination, toxic tort, and other commercial litigation matters.

The Vermont Council for Quality is pleased to announce that the VA Medical
& Regional Office Center (VAM & ROC) in White River Junction is the
recipient of the 2003 Governor's Award for Performance Excellence.
Governor James Douglas will honor the VA at the Vermont Council for
Quality Annual Recognition and Award Ceremony hosted by Norwich
University, February 18, 2004.
The Governor's Award for Performance
Excellence recognizes organizations in Vermont that successfully achieve
performance excellence within their management and operation. Award
recipients undergo a series of in-depth assessments and evaluations by
Vermont Examiners that analyze productivity and organizational
performance.
"The Governor's Award for Performance Excellence is the highest honor an
organization can receive for its organizational performance," said

Carol Moran-Brown, Director of International Student Services and Counseling at Champlain College, has received a Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA), New England Region. The award acknowledges the three years she served as chair of the New England region of NAFSA. It also acknowledges the work she did in uncovering an embezzlement situation in the region. A year-long investigation resulted in restitution of $58,000 to NAFSA members.

River Road Holdings, LLC announced today the addition of a new title to its family of regional niche periodicals. Vermont Sports Today (circulation 10,400) is a monthly publication for individuals with a hunger for outdoor sports, recreation, and physical fitness. The magazine’s editorial focus includes alpine, cross-country and telemark skiing, canoeing and kayaking, road and mountain biking, hiking and backpacking, in-line skating, running, snowboarding, snowshoeing, triathlon, and duathlon in the Green Mountain State and Northern New England. Reviews of gear and products for outdoor enthusiasts, a lengthy calendar of sports events throughout the state, monthly athlete profiles, and race results are standard features of the publication.

Governor Jim Douglas has appointed Kenneth Bishop of
Springfield and Norman Wright of Putney to serve on Vermont's Connecticut
River Watershed Advisory Commission.
Bishop, a lifelong dairy farmer, is president of the 550-member Windsor
County Farm Bureau, and chairman of the Windsor County Agricultural Fair,
which is held annually in Springfield. Bishop reports that his parents and
grandparents acquired 200 acres of prime agricultural land in Springfield
after construction of the Bellows Falls Dam, and the family has farmed
there ever since. Bishop sold his herd in 1990.
"I've worked all my life next to the Connecticut River as a farmer,"
Bishop observes. "I have already learned a lot more about the river since
being appointed."
Norman Wright, a former state representative and commissioner of the Fish
and Wildlife department, served until last year as chief executive

Green Mountain Power said it was pleased with the opportunity to stabilize electric rates for its 90,000 customers as a result of a Vermont regulatory order issued Monday.
"This is very positive news for our customers as it allows a very stable rate path between now and 2007," said Green Mountain President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher L. Dutton. Green Mountain last increased its electric rates in January 2001, so the new rate order provides customers with a six-year period of rates that have been essentially flat.
The Vermont Public Service Board issued an order Monday that:
· Allows Green Mountain Power to raise rates 1.9 percent, effective January 1, 2005; and 0.9 percent effective January 1, 2006, if the increases are supported by cost of service schedules submitted 60 days prior to the effective dates.

Green Mountain Power (NYSE: GMP) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 300 announced today that the Company’s 104 union employees voted to ratify a new four-year contract.
The contract provides for wage increases of four percent, four percent, 3.5 percent and 3.5 percent over four years; includes some one-time wage increases for certain jobs to bring them more in line with the market; improves some benefits to employees, such as increasing the Company’s contribution to the 401k program by one-half a percent up to a 4.5 percent; and establishes safe guidelines for one-person work to significantly improve operations and to respond better to customer needs.
The new contract was developed under a new “mutual gain” process, where management and union members worked together to identify issues, research data and develop solutions.

The competition is stiff; the judges, discerning! Vermont’s Top Ten Winter Events begin next week. Chosen from dozens of entries for their ingenuity, creativity, and special Vermont flavor, visitors and locals alike will enjoy Vermont’s blue-ribbon “Top Ten” events.
Even Scrooge could not resist the holiday spirit with Christmas at the Farm in Woodstock, The Vermont Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops Tour, and New Year’s Eve “First Night” in the capital city of Montpelier.
As winter settles into full swing, the Stowe Winter Carnival, True Companion Sled Dog Race in Craftsbury, Brookfield Ice Harvest, and 82nd Annual Harris Hill Ski Jumping Competition in Brattleboro stimulate winter’s body and soul.