News
tourism officials are expecting an excellent summer travel season and will launch an aggressive marketing campaign in major metropolitan markets to draw more visitors to the state. Commissioner Bruce Hyde pointed to the continued steady performance of the Rooms and Meals tax as one of the positive indicators of the strength of Vermont’s tourism industry, despite the current economic climate.
The Legislature has included in the state budget language intended to keep open the prison in St Johnsbury. Among the Douglas Administration's budget reduction proposals was closing the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility and laying off most of the employees. The inmates likely would be sent to prisons out of state.
The Department of Labor announced today that it will begin paying Federal-State extended unemployment compensation program benefits (EB) next week. EB provides an additional 13 weeks of unemployment compensation to eligible unemployed workers. Vermont is joining 26 other states that have triggered on the EB program.
The US Army Contracting Command in Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products an order of approximately $37 million to produce reactive armor tile sets for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Deliveries are expected to begin in December 2009. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics.
The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) has announced it has been awarded a $10,000 challenge grant from the Castanea Foundation.
Castanea s grant will help support the launch of the VSJF s flexible capital which will provide flexible risk capital to growth companies in Vermont s natural resource and renewable energy sectors.
Yesterday, on a voice vote, the Vermont Senate passed legislation that studies alternatives to chloramine in drinking water. The bill, a revised version of H. 80, outlines an engineering study of disinfection methods that the Champlain Water District (CWD) and other water districts in the state could use instead of processes that rely on chloramine as a secondary disinfectant.
Southern Vermont College has announced the award of a prestigious grant from the Davis Educational Foundation in the amount of $200,000. The grant will provide funding for curriculum innovation.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) today announced that 30 schools will receive a total of $170,000 in Planning and Program Development grants through the Agency s Safe Routes to School program. Competition for funding was solid, as VTrans received 13 applications representing 35 schools for a total request of $225,000.
On the morning of Wednesday, May 13, an estimated 20,000 T riders in Boston will be rewarded for their environmentally-friendly decision to use public transportation with the help of two Vermont companies.
On May 5, 2009, the board of directors of Central Vermont Public Service (NYSE: CV) declared a quarterly dividend of 23 cents per share on the issued and outstanding shares of common stock, $6 par value, payable Aug. 14, 2009 to stockholders of record at the close of business Aug. 4, 2009.
Northern Power Systems, Inc. (www.northernpower.com), a next-generation wind energy company and leading manufacturer of community wind turbines in Barre, today unveiled a Wind for Schools package that will help more schools produce their own wind power and engage their students and communities in realizing the benefits of renewable energy.
NBT Bank, NA, of Norwich, NY, is planning to open a commercial lending office on Bank Street in Burlington. The office will be located in the former Vermont National Bank building, which more recently was used by Chittenden Bank. The bank's parent company, NBT Bancorp, announced it was moving into Vermont yesterday during its annual shareholders' meeting.