News

Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in US history (five World Championships, nine US National titles, two Olympic medals), who is also an author and US diplomatic envoy, will add doctor to her already impressive resume, when she receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Southern Vermont College’s 83rd Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 8.

A $2.5 million federal Stimulus Grant from the federal Agency of Commerce, announced today, completes the funding to launch the $3.8 million e-Vermont Community Broadband Project. This major campaign to stimulate broadband use in 24 Vermont towns will be produced by a partnership of organizations dedicated to expanding broadband access and its practical use.

Entergy Corporation today announced it has identified and stopped the source of tritium leakage at its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and has begun initial work to support the remediation of soil and groundwater at the plant site.

Vermont s leading businesses appear increasingly optimistic toward all three of the survey s metrics: sales prospects, capital expenditures and employment levels for the spring and summer months, when compared against third quarter 2009 forecasts.

The US House on Tuesday passed a provision advocated by Rep. Peter Welch that would close the Reverse Morris Trust (RMT) tax loophole and save taxpayers $260 million. The loophole was used by Verizon to avoid federal taxes when it sold its northern New England landline operations to FairPoint Communications in 2008.

Governor Jim Douglas was honored last night with a 2010 Health Quality Award from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Governor Douglas was recognized for his work to improve Vermont’s health care system through a focus on chronic disease prevention and management resources.

Reading scores for Vermont students were among the highest in the country on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released today by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center on Educational Statistics (NCES). Overall, only Massachusetts outperformed Vermont on the fourth-grade test, while no other state outperformed Vermont at the eighth-grade level.

Governor Jim Douglas has announced that $110,000 will be granted to the Precision Valley Development Corporation to continue clean-up activities at the former Fellows Gear Shaper property in Springfield.

The work to isolate the remaining internal leak from the A AOG recombiner steam trap drainline into the AOG tunnel is complete, according to a statement released Tuesday afternoon from Vermont Yankee. Monday night, the A drainline was successfully isolated.

In a case of national importance, Vermont Superior Court Judge Dennis Pearson found that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company s advertising claims of a reduced risk cigarette were deceptive and misleading, in violation of Vermont s Consumer Fraud Act and a 1998 settlement agreement and court order.

According to the National Association of Realtors, Northeast home sales were up 13 percent in February over the same time last year, the biggest gain in any of the four U.S. regions. Nationwide, homes sales were up eight percent, without seasonal adjustment.

Mount Snow Ltd., the owner and operator of Mount Snow Resort in West Dover, Vermont, has agreed to pay ninety-five thousand dollars ($95,000) in civil penalties to the State of Vermont to settle claims brought by the Vermont Attorney General's Office that it violated a number of Vermont s Hazardous Waste Management Rules at its facilities.