News

Last night, a Senate-House conference committee approved language enabling both Maine and Vermont to conduct one-year pilot projects allowing heavier, six-axle trucks full access to the interstate highways within their borders. In September, the Senate passed Sen.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) has announced that Douglas N. Daft has been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors and Compensation Committee. The addition of Mr. Daft expands the Board of Directors to nine members. Mr. Daft is the former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Coca-Cola Company, Inc.

The large winter storm system that has wreaked havoc from the Upper Midwest to New England knocked out power to about 14,000 CVPS customers today. As of 4 pm Wednesday, 9,200 customers were without power. Bennington, Rutland and Addison counties were hardest hit, as high winds brought down trees and power lines along the western slopes of the Green Mountains.

The American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) announces Copeland Furniture of Bradford, Vermont, is the recipient of the 2009 Sage Award for environmental excellence. The award program was launched to recognize environmental accomplishments within the home furnishings industry.

There were 1,566 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 236 from the week before. Altogether 13,459 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 1,614 from a week ago and 1,499 more than a year earlier.

Vermont state government spent $228,874 on bottled water in 2008, according to a new report Getting States Off the Bottle released today by Corporate Accountability International.

Vermont ranks 8th in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.

The Community Health Center of Burlington was awarded $10.9 million in federal stimulus funds for construction of a new building that will double the center’s size and allow it to serve more patients throughout Chittenden County, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced.

What do the Northfield Savings Bank, Johnson Woolen Mills, and the National Life Group all have in common? All three were recipients of the Vermont Centennial Business Award. This program is a joint project of the Secretary of State’s office, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and the Vermont Business Magazine and honors businesses that have operated in Vermont for at least 100 years.

Verizon Wireless is investing in Chittenden County, Vermont to stay ahead of rising demand for wireless voice, 3G multimedia and Internet access. Regionally the company has invested more than $2.5 billion into its New England network over the past nine years, including more than $105 million during the first six months of 2009.
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Fitch Ratings has assigned a rating of 'AAA' to the $102,000,000 Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) mortgage revenue bonds (Mortgage Backed Securities Program), series 2009A (escrow bonds). The Rating Outlook for the bonds is Stable.

Targeting five Vermont dairy farms for audits of their employee documentation is creating extreme hardship for the farms involved and producing significant anxiety for farms throughout the Northeast, says John Mitchell, president of the Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance.