Current News

by Brian Searles, VTrans Secretary. When Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont two weeks ago, Vermont’s highway crews were on the front lines of the disaster. Throughout the night of the storm, I was in contact with men and women who were battling floods and torrential rain to close unsafe roads and try to assess damage to bridges and highways, often at great risk to themselves. The work of these highway maintenance workers during and after the flood has been nothing short of heroic. They’ve showed how much we Vermonters are capable of when the chips are down.
That’s what gives me hope that we, as a state and as your transportation agency, will get through this.
To illustrate how far we’ve come since Irene tore through Vermont: Immediately after the storm, there were 166 closures on the Vermont State Highway System. By September 8, there only 33 roads and 14 bridges were closed.

The Vermont Foliage Force, a task force of Vermont state, business and non-profit entities working to restore Vermont fall tourism, is asking businesses and individuals to share images of their Vermont today, in real-time. The task force is requesting unedited and authentic portrayals of our towns, roadways and scenery that can be used in their fall foliage marketing campaign.
Vermonters can share their favorite leaf-peeping routes via video or upload scenic photos on www.vermontpartners.com. These images and stories will be used to share the vibrancy of our state events, resiliency and character in a See Vermont Like a Local campaign directed by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation will be holding applicant briefings for communities in counties granted a Public Assistance disaster declaration following floods from Tropical Storm Irene. Attendance at this meeting is encouraged to learn about the FEMA process.

The Vermont Arts Council is pleased to announce that Governor Peter Shumlin has appointed Sydney Lea of Newbury as Vermont’s next Poet Laureate to succeed Ruth Stone, whose four-year term ends in 2011. A public ceremony honoring Mr. Lea will be held on November 4 at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. The ceremony will be attended by Governor Shumlin as part of an evening celebrating the arts in Vermont.

Phish will play a special show at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, Vermont, next Wednesday, September 14th. The concert, the band's first since 2004, will benefit Vermont flood recovery efforts. In the wake of Hurricane Irene, the band's home state of Vermont experienced its worst flooding in a century, which devastated communities throughout the state.
"It's been heartbreaking to see all the loss and destruction that came from the storm," said Phish keyboardist Page McConnell. "Vermont is very much a part of who we are as a band. We're really looking forward to playing this show and we hope the money raised will make a difference in the recovery and rebuilding effort."

Vermont Boys & Girls Clubs will receive $150,000 in assistance from the Cal Ripken, Sr Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help with relief efforts in the wake of devastating flooding in Vermont, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Friday.
Boys & Girls Clubs in Vermont sustained heavy flood damage resulting from Hurricane Irene. The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has pledged $50,000, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America has pledged $100,000, to help rebuild and repair Clubs in Brattleboro, Rutland, and White River Junction.

Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, and Burton Snowboards, the world’s leading snowboard company, today announced the completion of the first ever Summer Commuter Challenge ‘ a competition which called on employees of both Burlington, VT-based companies to use creative commuting methods in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions. As an extension of the Vermont Way to Go Challenge, Dealer.com and Burton turned their common goal of reducing their carbon footprints into a friendly competition to see which company could drive greater employee participation in the challenge during the summer.

The Vermont State Board of Nursing is celebrating its 100th anniversary this Monday, September 12, 2011. The first of several celebratory and educational events to be held around the state, this gathering will be from 2:30 PM ‘ 5:00 PM at the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, Vermont in Conference Rooms 1 & 2.
‘I am proud to say that our nursing workforce is comprised of dedicated, highly skilled professionals committed to meeting the high standards of excellence set by the Board of Nursing,’ said Secretary of State Jim Condos.
‘Professional Regulation has a long and important history in Vermont and has played a largely unseen, yet crucial role in Vermonter’s lives,’ continued Condos. ‘The Nursing Board has insured the quality by setting the professional standards for the increasingly advanced nursing care provided by Vermont nurses over the years.’

US Small Business Administration Administrator Karen G. Mills issued the following statement after the announcement of the Presidential disaster declaration for several counties in New Hampshire that were affected by Tropical Storm Irene beginning on Aug. 26:

"The U.S. Small Business Administration is strongly committed to providing the people of New Hampshirewith the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist homeowners, renters, and businesses with federal disaster loans. Getting businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA."

Adding another dimension to its inspirational response to Irene, the State of Vermont today announced a multi-disciplinary task force charged with restoring tourism, and the vital economic activity it generates, during the state’s celebrated fall foliage season.
Composed of representatives from the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Vermont Ski Areas Association, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Vermont Department of Forest Parks and Recreation, Vermont-based communications firms HMC2 and Hen House Media and state tourism officials, the task force will use a comprehensive communications campaign to highlight the accessibility of Vermont and that most areas of Vermont are ready to provide the inspirational foliage experience the state is known for.

The Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) is seeking public input on issues affecting high-speed internet coverage in Vermont, and how the VTA can best support broadband expansion using state funds appropriated in its FY2012 capital appropriation. In addition to comments related to broadband generally, comments specifically on expansion of fiber optic facilities are also being solicited.
The state has a goal of statewide cellular and broadband availability by the end of 2013, and the state authority that is charged with making investments of state dollars to help achieve this goal is the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA). The Legislature recently passed the 2012-2013 Capital Bill which provided the VTA with $10 million to advance both cellular and broadband infrastructure.

To celebrate the talented writers, crew and actors behind arguably television’s funniest television program, today, Ben & Jerry’s launched its newest limited-batch flavor, Schweddy Balls. The flavor is an ode to the classic ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch [viewable at www.benjerry.com] starring Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon, as hosts of the ‘Delicious Dish,’ a National Public Radio program parody, along with Alec Baldwin as Pete Schweddy, the fictional owner of Season’s Eatings Bakery.