News

Senator Patrick Leahy and the Vermont Congressional Delegation – Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) -- announced Thursday that the Secretary of the Air Force has selected the Vermont National Guard to be the first Air Guard unit to base the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.  The Air Force announced that Burlington is one of two preferred choices for F-35 operations, along with Hill Air Force Base in northern Utah, and that Luke Air Force Base in Arizona is the top pick for training.  Final basing decisions will be made later in the ongoing selectio

Vermont Attorney General William H Sorrell and the attorneys general of 11 other states today urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to adopt a uniform nutritional label for the front of food packages, to ensure that consumers have access to easily understandable and fully transparent information on how healthy the products actually are. “Consumers should have clear information to make healthy food choices,” said Attorney General Sorrell.

Subaru Rally Team USA unveiled its new 2011 Impreza WRX STI rally cars to journalists in dramatic fashion at the Pala Raceway in Pala, California. The team, including Vermont SportsCar of Colchester, Vermont, provided full speed ride-alongs to journalists during practice for the ESPN Summer X Games 16.  Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and new teammate, European Rallycross Champion Sverre Isachsen, demonstrated that they were ready for the SuperRally X Game competitions, being held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday, July 31st.   

Attributing a 64 percent net sales growth by the success of the Keurig Single-Cup Brewing System, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc of Waterbury has reported strong sales and earnings growth. Net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2010 increased to $311.5 million as compared to $190.5 million reported in the third quarter of fiscal 2009. According to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2010 totaled $18.6 million, or $0.13 per fully diluted share; non-GAAP EPS of $0.19.

A new report released this month by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) reveals that Vermont’s farmers’ markets continue to thrive, providing substantial support to the state’s vibrant agricultural economy. There are currently more than 80 farmers’ markets in Vermont, 30 of which accept EBT (food assistance benefits) and debit cards. This report comes just in time for the 10th annual National Farmers’ Market Week, July 31 through August 7, 2010.

  Delhaize America has announced a new promotion where its customers have the chance to win up to $250,000 by shopping Delhaize America stores, including Hannaford supermarkets in Vermont.

For the week of July 24, 2010, there were 703 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance, an increase of 73 from the week before. Altogether 9,579 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 310 from a week ago and 3,497 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,329 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 207 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 1,056 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is a decrease of 182 from the week before.

Led by a $5 million challenge gift, from an anonymous boarding student parent, St. Johnsbury Academy has announced the largest campaign in the school’s history. Academy Headmaster Tom Lovett and Board of Trustees President and Campaign Chair Lee Hackett ’57 officially announced the Embrace the Dream campaign during the school’s annual alumni banquet on June 5. During the quiet phase of the campaign, leadership gifts from trustees, faculty, alumni, parents, friends, and foundations have raised more than $12 million in cash and pledges toward the $15 million goal.

KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) today announced second quarter net income from continuing operations attributable to Key common shareholders of $56 million, or $.06 per common share. These results compare to a net loss from continuing operations attributable to Key common shareholders of $394 million, or $.68 per common share, for the second quarter of 2009, which was negatively impacted by an $823 million loan loss provision.

The economic stimulus program that Congress passed last year to help pull the economy out of the deepest recession since the 1930s so far has provided tax relief for almost all Vermonters and created or saved some 7,000 jobs in the state, according to a report compiled for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Vermont ranks third nationally in overall child health and well-being in the 2010 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a state-by-state study on the well-being of America’s children. Vermont ranks in the top ten on eight of the ten individual indicators affecting child well-being that are reported in the Data Book. Vermont improved on five of the ten measures since 2000. New Hampshire ranked first and Minnesota was second. Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi ranked the lowest.

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has hired Patricia Moulton Powden. Powden, who recently joined the organization as Vice President of Public Affairs, will be responsible for initiatives in both the legislative and regulatory arenas.

At the annual meeting held in July, John Ewing, founder of Smart Growth Vermont, stepped down as Chair of the board. He will remain as an active board member, with the title of Founder. Robin Scheu, Executive Director of the Addison County Economic Development Corporation in Middlebury, is the new board Chair.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation on July 28 and 29 will be using a technique to repair a culvert on Dorset Street in South Burlington that will cause a strong odor. The odor, which will smell like a very pungent epoxy or paint, does not pose a health risk. The culvert repair involves placing a liner in a culvert below Dorset Street just south of Kennedy Drive, and then using steam to adhere and harden the liner to create a new culvert pipe within the old culvert pipe.

Merchants Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: MBVT), the parent company of Merchants Bank, has announced net income of $4.59 million and $8.42 million, or diluted earnings per share of $0.74 and $1.37 for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively. This compares with net income of $2.06 million and $4.97 million or diluted earnings per share of $0.34 and $0.82 for the same periods in 2009.