Current News

by tim

Senator Bill Doyle today released the results of his 42nd annual town meeting survey. There were 15,000 returns from 142 Vermont towns and cities, one of the largest returns ever. Responders overwhelmingly support a law that would ban cell phone calling while driving, tougher DUI laws and expanding the bottle bill, while slightly more responders to the survey favored keeping the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant open for another 20 years.
Some of the results were as follows: Closest tally VT yankee 45% yes, 41% no, 14% unsure
Strongest support were:
Ban Cell phones 75%
Tougher DUI law 75%
Expand bottle deposit 79%
Pay more for locally grown foods 63%
Require use of motorcycle helmets 90%
Below are the full results.
Senator Bill Doyle
Town Meeting Day Survey - March 2011
15,000 returns from 142 Vermont Towns and Cities in Percentage

Question
Yes
No
Not Sure

by tim

The Vermont Department of Education has selected Education Networks of America, from Nashville, TN, to provide managed Internet access and wide area network (WAN) services, including options to take advantage of new cost-effective IP voice and video teleconferencing services, on an opt-in basis to all public and private K-12 schools in the state.
On behalf of the state’s K-12 schools, the department issued a request for proposal (RFP) for managed connectivity and communication services in an effort to increase affordable bandwidth availability across the state through group purchase pricing, as well as to maximize E-Rate program funding for these services. The E-Rate program provides subsidized discounts to school and libraries for the purchase of telecommunication and networking services.

by tim

More than 100 local employers expected to offer career and internship opportunities at the Champlain College Job Fair which will be held today. It is free and open to the public. It is a great opportunity to talk to employers about the local job market, job-seekers and soon-to-be college graduates.
CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE SPRING JOB FAIR ‘ Monday, March 28, 1:30 ‘ 5:30 p.m., Champlain College Argosy Gymnasium, 262 Soth Willard St, Burlington. The Champlain College Job Fair is free and open to the public. More than 100 area businesses and organizations will be represented, offering career, internship and summer employment opportunities. A series of job-skills workshops will also be offered. For more information and a listing of participating businesses, visit www.champlain.edu/career-services.html or call (802) 860-2720.

by tim

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org March 26, 2011 The Vermont House passed the budget, or the Big Bill as it’s called, on third reading Friday after a another long day of back and forth between the Democratic majority and GOP lawmakers. Republicans engaged in a futile attempt to assail a budget that was, with a few exceptions (including reinstatement of Catamount Health Care and a partial restoration of funds to programs for the elderly, developmentally disabled and mentally ill), a slightly edited carbon copy of the governor’s recommendations.

by tim

Members of the Vermont State Board of Education have testified before the House and Senate Education Committees regarding the Board’s major objection to the proposal of having the Commissioner of Education named a Secretary, appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the Governor (House Bill 440). We believe such an appointment would not be in the best interest of young people in Vermont for several reasons.

by tim

FairPoint Communications and the Vermont Department of Public Service have reached key agreements that will allow the company to invest approximately $7 million to expand its broadband network and bring high-speed Internet to ‘last-mile’ Vermonters.
Department of Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller said the agreement, which requires FairPoint to invest past penalty assessments for broadband buildout, helps achieve the state’s goal to bring high-speed Internet service to all Vermonters.
‘I appreciate the cooperation and diligent work FairPoint expended in reaching an agreement that benefits FairPoint’s customers and advances the state’s goal of universal broadband and cellular coverage by the end of 2013,’ Miller said.

by tim

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc has leased a 53,500-square-foot Class A commercial office building designed to LEED Gold standards at Technology Park’s 177-acre corporate campus in South Burlington.

by tim

Surveys repeatedly show Vermonters want a strong working landscape for all its scenic, cultural, economic, environmental and recreational benefits. However if alarming trends that threaten its economic viability are not reversed, it will vanish within a generation.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development is launching a new nonpartisan and broad-based partnership to keep Vermont's farm and forest economy a vital foundation for the future of Vermont. The Partnership is proposing a bold plan. It has announced the 17 member Vermont Working Landscape Council (VWLC) that will develop the details to make this plan a practical reality. The VWL Council represents deep expertise in issues pertaining to farm and forest enterprises and rural development in Vermont. It is chaired by retired Secretary of Agriculture Roger Allbee and includes:
Bob Ackland, VCRD Board, Recreation Development Consultant, Warren
Cliff Allard, Allard Lumber Company, Brattleboro

by tim

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for February 2011 was 5.6 percent. This reflects the second straight month of a decrease of one-tenth of a percentage point to the statewide rate (i.e. the January unemployment rate was 5.7 percent) and a decrease of one and one-tenth of a percentage point from a year ago, February 2010. This is the lowest rate since November 2008. The US rate was down to 8.9 percent. Vermont had the fifth lowest rate in the nation (see table below).
Looking back over recent years’ data, the last increase in the seasonally adjusted Vermont unemployment rate was in April 2009. At that time the rate was 7.3 percent. Since then the statewide unemployment rate has trended down to its current level of 5.6 percent.

by tim

This summer, Stowe Mountain Resort will replace the FourRunner chairlift on Mount Mansfield with a new high-speed quad. Originally installed in the ‘80s, the FourRunner has been Stowe’s most popular lift, uploading more skiers and riders than any other lift in the resort’s history. The new lift will debut for the 2011-2012 ski and ride season.
‘Our goal is to provide the very best experience possible for all of our guests,’ states Robert McEleney CEO and President of Stowe Mountain Resort. ‘The terrain on Mount Mansfield is the heart and soul of the resort. This brand new detachable quad lift will provide superlative lift service to the very best alpine terrain in the East.’
Now, amidst a winter experience that’s second to none in the Northeast, access to the greatest variety of terrain east of the Rockies will become even more seamless with a new state-of-the-art quad on Vermont’s highest peak.

by tim

The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) has teamed up with Purdue University’s Technical Assistance Program to offer Green Generalist Online training, an interactive and educational online course that provides awareness of the key environmental issues facing companies and ways to redesign their business practices using environmentally friendly techniques. The Green Generalist Online workshop is appropriate for the entire workforce and all business sectors.
Green Generalist Online has seven sections, seven tests, and three interactive simulations. It takes up to four hours to complete. The cost is $175 per person using a special ‘Discount Code’ available through the VMEC website. A Green Generalist Certificate is also available from Purdue TAP upon course completion. Registration is possible through the VMEC website at www.vmec.org or www.vmec.org/online-courses.

by tim

Select Design is the winner of the Burlington Business Award and Jeffrey L Davis of JL Davis Realty is the winner of the Tim Halvorson Award, which are presented by the Burlington Business Association. The 33rd Annual Burlington Business Association Dinner & Awards Ceremony will be held April 7th at the Hilton Burlington Hotel
The Burlington Business Award, originally the Small Business Award, was established in 2002 to honor exemplary business practices, contributions to the community, promotion of a positive image for Burlington, and overall business success. This year, Select Design will join the Burlington Business Award Hall-of-Fame, with past recipients including Seven Days, SkiRack, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Run Vermont, TruexCullins, Gardner’s Supply Vermont Lake Monsters, Shanty on the Shore, and Lois Bodoky ‘Hot Dog Lady’.