Current News

by tim

There were 879 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, an increase of 42 from the week before, as the data has smoothed since its volatility in January. Altogether 12,678 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 155 from a week ago and 2,283 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,195 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 19 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 908 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 22 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

by tim

Vermont Attorney General William H Sorrell announced Monday that Susanne R Young has been appointed as an Assistant Attorney General. She will serve as the supervising attorney for the staff that provides legal services to the Department of Mental Health.
Young served most recently as Legal Counsel to Governor Douglas and as Deputy State Treasurer while Douglas was state treasurer. She returns to the attorney general’s office where she served for 17 years in a variety of positions, including as Chief of the Criminal Division and Deputy Attorney General.
‘We are extremely fortunate to have an attorney with Susanne’s experience re-join our ranks at the AGO,’ said Sorrell. ‘Her knowledge of state government, her past experience in this office, and her familiarity with the legislative process will serve us well.’
January 31, 2010

by tim

Judge William K Sessions has approved Attorney General William Sorrell’s proposed settlement with Health Net, Inc., and Health Net of the Northeast, Inc., regarding the health insurance company’s loss of an unencrypted portable hard drive containing protected health information. The State’s complaint alleged violations of HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), Vermont’s Security Breach Notice Act, and Consumer Fraud Act. The settlement approved by the court on Friday requires the defendants to pay $55,000 to the State, submit to a data-security audit, and file reports with the State regarding the company’s information security programs for the next two years.

by tim

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, citing the on-going discovery of tritium leaks at the plant, instructed the Vermont Department of Public Service to appoint a Vermont Yankee Reliability Oversight Committee.
‘I've asked the Department of Public Service to organize a Reliability Oversight Committee to provide, in these coming critical months, additional expertise on oversight of Vermont Yankee issues within the state's jurisdiction,’ Gov. Shumlin said. ‘I am deeply concerned with Vermont Yankee’s lack of transparency about serious problems that continue to be discovered around the plant.’

by tim

Women-owned small businesses can begin taking steps to participate in a new federal contracting program on Friday, Feb. 4, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced today. The new Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program will be fully implemented over the next several months, with the first contracts expected to be awarded by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011.

by tim

As one of the first utility mobile phone apps in the country, Green Mountain Power has made it possible for anyone with an iPhone to check in on the most recent environmental information or read about green business news.
"We're excited to use the latest technology to bring useful information to our customers," said Mary Powell, president and chief executive officer at Green Mountain Power. "We are driven to use technology to improve service, and this offers customers -- and others -- an easy way to follow the latest in green news."
The GMP iPhone app includes a Green Biz section and a Green Life section, which offers suggestions for getting more out of your computer, environmentally friendly cleaning solutions and other practical information for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

by tim

Online advertised vacancies rose 438,000 in January to 4,273,000 according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine Data Series released today. With the January increase, labor demand has risen 1.44 million since the series low point in April 2009. This increase now offsets approximately 80 percent of the 1.76 million drop in ad volume during the 2-year downturn period from April 2007 through April 2009.
"The very strong seasonal gain to start 2011 is welcome news following seven months of essentially flat U.S. labor demand," said June Shelp, Vice President at The Conference Board. "Last year, after a promising start (up about 350,000 in January 2010), labor demand fizzled, and the last half of 2010 was actually flat with no appreciable gains in job demand. Hopefully the January 2011 increase suggests that employers are seeing a pickup in their businesses and labor demand will continue to improve throughout this year."
REGIONAL AND STATE HIGHLIGHTS

by tim

In a ceremony held at Camp Johnson, Gov. Peter Shumlin today presented a check for $70,500 to the Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation, money raised as part of the Governor’s inaugural celebration that will be used to assist the families of Vermont Guard troops.
‘I am proud to make this donation to help the Vermont Guard men and women who are serving our state and their country, and support their families,’ the Governor said. The funds are used to help Guard families meet the financial challenges they face, particularly during a deployment.
‘This recession has been hard on all Vermont families, but particularly difficult for those who lost one income while the husband or wife was serving overseas,’ Gov. Shumlin said. ‘I hope that in making this donation, these families and our Guard troops understand how important their service and their families are to our state.’
Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power Corp. and Inaugural Chairwoman, agreed.

by tim

by Tom Pelham. True or False? State budgets have been cut during the current recession, including deep cuts in human services. Your answer? Now, here’s the record.

Total State Budget Fiscal 2008 Fiscal 2011 Budget Growth Growth Rate
All Funds $4.544 billion $5.203 billion $658.9 million 4.62%
General Funds + ARRA Funds $1.200 billion $1.428 billion $227.9 million 5.96%

Agency of Human Services
All Funds $1.608 billion $1.945 billion $336.3 million 6.53%
General Funds + ARRA Funds $497.7 million $609.9 million $112.2 million 7.01%

by tim

Homeowners, businesses, and renewable energy manufacturers, installers and developers met today to call for the expansion of Vermont’s net-metering program.
At a State House press conference, members of Renewable Energy Vermont (REV), the state’s leading trade association for the renewable energy industry joined Vermont home and business owners and leadership from the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee to discuss the role of Vermont’s net-metering law in creating jobs and deploying home-grown renewable energy to Vermonters.
Afterward, the group testified before the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee.
‘Net metering has been a cornerstone program for Vermonters growing locally produced, renewable power,’ says REV Board Chair and VERA V.P. Martha Staskus. ‘Expanding the program will spur the development of new renewable energy systems, produce additional economic growth, and create more jobs at no cost to the state.’

by tim

Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced that it has acquired selected assets of EpikOne, Inc., a Burlington-based digital consultancy specializing in metrics strategies, media measurement and user experience optimization. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

by tim

Sam Cutting, IV, President of Dakin Farm, was honored with the coveted ‘2010 Maple Person of the Year Award,’ on January 25, 2010. The Vermont Maple Industry Council-- a group of industry leaders who protect and promote the branding of pure Vermont Maple products -- presents this annual award each year to an individual who has made significant contributions to Vermont’s Maple industry.
Cutting has been a high-profile member of Vermont’s Maple industry for over ten years. A former treasurer and marketing consultant to the Vermont Maple Foundation, he currently serves as vice chairman of the Vermont Maple Industry Council and has recently been elected to the Vermont Agricultural Development Board. Additionally, for the past four years, Cutting has been chairman of Operation Vermont Maple Sweetness; a campaign to send as much as 8,000 pints of syrup to American troops stationed overseas, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.