Directory of Burlington Vermont
area Web Sites and Information
SURFING OPTIONS: | Recommend URL | Recommend record changes | Search | What's Cool |
Administrative Options: Add link| Modify link | Delete link | List All | View link | Validate user recommended links | Re-Build Pages (sw) |
|
|
Directory of Burlington Vermont
|
|
Do you see this message near the top of your browser, when you click on the links?
When you click on a link in my directories, the web site you are requesting will be opened in a separate window or tab. This worked great until version six. Unfortunately, many web sites will open windows with advertisements and junk that you don't want. So Internet Explorer is asking you if you really requested that information or web site -- or is this web site just trying to force feed it to you? This web site does NOT open up pop-ups with ads or porn, here. I open up the web sites you request in a separate window or tab as a convenience. For best results, I recommend clicking on the
If you do this I will be able to open the web pages as you request them.
| If a link is no longer clickable, it is probably a temporary link that has expired or whose content has changed. Red Links have been found to be unavailable. The web site might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. To be a featured web site, you must be a most 10 requested web site of your category -- or, be cross-linked to this web site. Both incoming and outgoing traffic is measured on all web sites. Web sites are listed in the following order, 1. web sites added within the last 7 days in alphabetical order, 2. The top-ten (featured or popular) web sites in alphabetical order, and 3. remaining web site in alphabetical order. |
|
Home :
Miscellaneous Web Sites and Information :
miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
There are 99 Miscellaneous Web Sites and Information links for you to choose from!
A police chase that started in Burlington has moved to South Burlington
-- and the suspect has four leg, not four wheels.
Police began tracking a moose just before 7:00 a.m. in Burlington's Hill section near Champlain College. It ventured down Main Street at one point. Police closed roads and used air horns to divert the moose away from traffic. It ventured through several neighborhoods in Burlington and South Burlington and was quite a sight for residents.
... Later in the night, he took a stroll through downtown Burlington, attracting a crowd wherever he went. Police did their best to herd the moose away from onlookers and traffic, but it's not every day that people get the chance to see a moose up close.
new
Click here to read more.
Friday night about 45 teens were surprised
with a Global Peace Tiles Project when they showed up at their usual hang out spot at Winooski's Underground Teen Center, now located in the newly renovated O'Brien Community Center on Mallets Bay Avenue.
The newly painted walls and bright clean floors were the backdrop for loud music, teens shooting pool and hanging out on couches with a festive area set up with tables filled with arts and crafts materials.
The teens migrated in and out of the craft area trying their hands at the project. Teen center supervisors Tara Cariano and Casey Lee posed two questions for the teens to ponder as they decided what would be applied to their 12-by-12-inch piece of plywood that would be used for a mural at the center. The first question was: What is one thing you'd like to change in Winooski? And the second: What do you bring to Winooski?
new
Click here to read more.
A long distance company from Indiana will no longer be doing
business in Vermont after the state caught Business Options Incorporated scamming Vermonters.
Now the state is taking its police work one step further, using funds from a phone settlement to start a public awareness campaign.
... Its illegal for a phone company to slam but it does happen.
Vermont's Department of Public Service is working to make it stop.
Deena Frankel said, "Slamming, the unauthorized changing of telephone service has certainly increased in the last few years and even the most savvy people have been the victim of this."
Last year 73 people in Vermont were slammed, and even though this year isn't over, that number has already doubled.
When someone does call you about switching your long distance carrier, be careful about what you agree to, and its important to check over your bill and make sure every charge is accurate.
Seth Lasker was actually overcharged for months before he realized what was going on.
popular
Click here to read more.
A power blackout hit parts of the northeastern U.S.
and Canada late Thursday afternoon. It also blacked out parts of New York to Detroit and Toronto.
In Vermont, the only major affect appears to be a power surge felt by almost all power company customers from CVPS, Green Mountain Power, and the smaller utilities. There were isolated power outages in southern Bennington county, and a few up near the border in Swanton and Highgate.
... At the dispatch center of the Burlington Electric Department, they watched as power dropped out briefly at 4pm. Electric utility officials are still trying to pinpoint the exact cause of the problem..they do not think it is terror related. "In Burlington, we lost almost the entire city," said BED Operations Manager Charlie Willette. "It just dragged what we call the voltage right down to nothing."
The cause of the outage is unknown, but as of 6:00 the system in Vermont was back online. The Vermont electric power company told Channel 3 that power is going to all utility substations in Vermont.
popular
Click here to read more.
Advanced Electric Co .
is a telecommunications cabling resource committed to providing accurate information, standards based installations and superior responsive service to our clients.
Our philosophy has always been to do a job right the first time. This means taking the time to find out what our clients expect, offering sound advice, carefully performing the work, and testing everything we do. We take responsibility for making things work. Our goal is to form long-term client relationships by earning the trust and respect of those we serve.
popular
Click here to read more.
Alliance @ IBM - Burlington
is an an employee rights organization which is dedicated to preserving and improving our rights and benefits at IBM, and restoring management's respect for the individual and the value that we bring to our company. Our mission is to make our voice heard with IBM management, shareholders, government and the media, and to secure collective bargaining rights.
popular
Click here to read more.
Amalgamated Culture Works
been screenprinting t-shirts since 1981. We're located in Burlington, Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain. ... ACW started in March of 1981 in the living room of Wayne Turiansky, who is still at the helm, although no longer at the squeegee.
Custom printing is still about one-third of our business and we'd be glad to do whatever work you need. Click on the Custom button at the top of the page to reach our custom prices and offerings. Or email or call us. We'll be glad to give you a quote over the phone. We will be glad to create artwork for you or work with what you already have. We accept almost any file format and can receive files by email (please stuff before sending) or snail mail. We do not collect sales tax on out of state shipments and we ship for free in the continental US.
popular
Click here to read more.
College Tuxedos Formal Wear
have a commitment to the finest quality and the highest level of old-fashioned customer service. We are family owned and operated giving you attention to the finest details to help make your groom and groomsmen look their best for the most important occasion of your life.
We will help you find the best look to suit your personal style, from traditional attire to the modern designs and accessories. We will assist you in matching the usher's vests and ties to the color of the bridesmaid's dresses. With coordinating studs and cufflinks, your tuxedo ensemble will be complete.
popular
Click here to read more.
Contact Communications
offers a variety of communications services, including the most comprehensive paging coverage available in Vermont, Northern New York, New England and Nationwide - all with a single pager! Contact now provides service in Jamaica! Contact also provides Vermont and Northern NY with the areas premier 24 Hour Live Operator Answering Service.
We can design, and provide customized communications systems for large companies or institutions, systems designed to meet your specific needs. We offer a free consultation and review of your current system, and will propose changes based on improving your communications capabilities in the most cost effective manner.
We are a paging carrier, not a reseller!
popular
Click here to read more.
Elevation for Burlington is 113 feet.
(average??`) and the Land area for Burlington is 10.6 square miles.
Elevation of South Burlington is 320 feet and the Land area is 16.6 square miles.
Elevation of Winooski is 175 feet and the Land area is 1.4 square miles. Winooski is also a city (village with city council and mayor) within the town of Colchester. And its full name is actually Winooski Falls.
popular
Click here to read more.
Gentleman's Top Option
offers everything from a massage to a manicure.
... Most men try to give off the impression that their appearance isn't important to them. But, businesses that help men to look their best are proving that theory wrong.
Getting a little off the top is something most men do about once a month. But trips to some salons are not just for trims anymore. More salons, that are just for men, are cropping up.
At Gentleman's Top Option, or GTO, in Burlington, men can get everything from a massage to a manicure.
... Aside from haircuts, the most popular services are facials, face shaves and waxing.
... A salon that's good enough for a woman, but made for a man.
popular
Click here to read more.
Green Mountain Power Corp
rates are among the lowest of the major New England utilities. With long-term contracts with Hydro-Quebec and Vermont Yankee, our rates are likely to remain stable during volatile times. In fact, we have agreed to freeze our rates until January 2003.
Our increased focus on renewables points to an even brighter and cleaner future. We also support and promote the state efficiency utility, Efficiency Vermont, which brings incentives, rebates, and efficiency programs to all Vermonters.
Once we acquire power from our varied sources, we deliver it through a solidly maintained grid of poles, switches, transformers, and substations. Our 4,723 miles of wire deliver electricity with near-perfect regularity. Through a state-of-the-art global positioning system, we can pinpoint problems with stunning accuracy, particularly in rural areas. Last year, we averaged less than one outage per customer.
popular
Click here to read more.
Holographics North
produces the largest holograms in the world. Known for the quality of our display production, image design and support services, we have supplied commercial, museum and fine art clients worldwide for 19 years. Our holograms have been exhibited in 32 countries and 52 museums. 34 artists have commissioned our services. We are the sole manufacturer of very large format work.
... Holographics North now produces in sizes up to 1.1x1.8 meters (42"x72"), with essentially unlimited subjects and depths. Our holograms are lit with ordinary track lights, focusing images that float in air before you, brilliant, colorful, animated and of course, 3-D. There are no projectors and no moving parts - just the hologram film and the light bulb. Animation takes place as you walk past the hologram. You are the only moving part!
Our large format stereogram printer is unique. It supports computer models, live subjects, animation, reduced or enlarged images and on-site recording.
popular
Click here to read more.
IBEW2326 Telephone Workers Strike
Verizon's Responding to employee concerns
Lights flickered and digital clocks needed reset after a 2
second power outage in Vermont Thursday -- an outage that helped the state avoid the massive blackouts that continued into the night in much of the Northeast.
... The blip was the power-grid system cutting off power feeds from New York, and switching to power produced in Vermont and Quebec, Costello said. If the system hadn't worked as designed, power in Vermont may have been out into the night as it was in New York state, he said.
Power outages were re ported throughout the northern part of Vermont Thursday, but energy was restored within an hour. Areas near Berkshire, Bakersfield, Highgate, Sheldon, St. Albans City and Swanton had power loss.
... Power suppliers worked into the night to make sure the power grid remained stable, checking line by line, Costello said. Workers of Hydro-Quebec and Vermont Yankee returned to work to keep power levels balanced.
Costello said with Vermont the only state in the affected area without extended power loss,
popular
Click here to read more.
Northern Cartographic
is a service and production company specializing in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) for data development, data base design and implementation, data base applications programming, computerized mapping, and cartographic publication.
Northern Cartographic has received international recognition for its GIS capabilities and expertise, and for its quality products and service. Contract GIS applications and mapping are the primary markets in which Northern Cartographic competes.
popular
Click here to read more.
Seventh Generation
is the nation's leading brand of non-toxic and environmentally safe household products. With distribution in thousands of natural product and grocery stores nationwide, we've become the authority when it comes to products that protect your health and the planet. We've also won over 15 major awards that recognize our efforts to preserve the environment.
We derive our name from the Iroquois belief that "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the "environment" and making the world a safer place for this and the next seven generations.
popular
Click here to read more.
Twincraft Soap Co.
is expanding its operations to Essex.
The 31-year-old family-owned business leased a 76,000-square-foot warehouse formerly occupied by IBM. The building will be used for storage, packaging and additional production lines, said Peter Asch, who owns the company with his brother Richard Asch.
The company will keep its headquarters in Winooski, where the company moved from Montreal in 1978.
Asch entertained offers from Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Quebec before settling on the Essex expansion. The Vermont Economic Progress Council approved ,573 in payroll, export and capital investment credits for the company based on the expansion.
The council was convinced that Twincraft would add well-paying jobs to the economy in a building that was not being used, said Bill Stritzler, chairman of the nine-member council. In addition the industry is not a polluter, he said.
popular
Unicel is probably the best cell phone service provider in Vermont.
Since 1990, we've been serving you in Western NH, VT, MA and NY as Cellular One. We're excited to announce that on May 1st, our Cellular One name changed to UNICEL.
Uniting under one name - UNICEL - allows our team to focus more resources on providing you with great customer service and significantly enhanced coverage.
We're the same company - with strong roots in the communities we serve. We're the same people, more than 370 professionals throughout our five-state region. We have 42 retail locations, 25 business-to-business specialists, and more than 250 authorized agents to keep you connected. Soon we will roll out an entire new line of advanced technology features that promise to make life even easier for you.
popular
Click here to read more.
Verizon
popular
Click here to read more.
Vermont Furniture Designs
is a small Vermont company creating traditional furniture of strength, simplicity and quality. Since 1970, Vermont Furniture Designs has been committed to producing a variety of classic, high quality, solid hardwood furniture which are visually striking, and which clearly displays the quality of our craftsmanship.
We do NOT sell to the general public, except for seconds and overruns that must be purchased by visiting our factory.
The only vermont dealer is Courtyard Collection at
171 St Paul Street in
Burlington, VT.
popular
Click here to read more.
Vermont Tent Company
helps people plan successful special events. We provide tents, equipment, and consulting services for private, corporate, and nonprofit functions.
popular
Click here to read more.
Westaff Technical of the Champlain Valley
is your source for temporary jobs and permanent employment; placement in office, clerical, light industrial, and all manner of technical positions. We serve a wide area in the North East United States, with offices in Burlington, Vermont; Plattsburgh, Albany, and Schenectady New York; and in Claremont and Lebanon, New Hampshire. The wealth of our experience in these areas are here to best serve our customers and employees.
We are affiliated with Westaff, Inc., a leader in the temporary employment business for over 50 years.
... Since changing from the Search Network to Westaff in 1990, the Burlington office has been one of the corporation's strongest affiliates. Today, the Burlington office, in our company-owned downtown office space, is the central hub for the growing Westaff of the Champlain Valley.
popular
Click here to read more.
Vermont Telecommunications Application Center
advertises its goals to be:
Vermonters For Jobs
asks Vermonters to take seven "action steps," including asking state and local officials what they are doing to create more jobs, and encouraging friends to expand their business in Vermont. The site also asks Vermonters to testify at public hearings to support businesses "building responsibly."
... The Web site lists how the state Legislature can help, such as: Reforming the permitting process, controlling government spending and addressing the high cost of taxes. In addition, for example, the site links to information "on the importance of the Circumferential Highway," which is a 16-mile highway loop designed to ease congestion around Chittenden County.
Click here to read more.
What city and state, please?
Of all the mundane mysteries of modern life, few are more recurrent -- or at times, more annoying -- than the workings of telephone Directory Assistance, with its peculiar blend of computerspeak and humanspeak.
Typically, when you call to obtain a phone number, a computer asks you the where and the what. Then a human operator comes on the line telling you to hold for the number, which a computer voice reads.
Here's the little mystery: If the human operator is in on the call all along, why doesn't he or she just handle it from beginning to end? What's the point of the computer? Where's the saving?
The answers can be found in a visit to the Verizon office on Main Street in Burlington, where 60 Directory Assistance operators sit at computer terminals in a big, open room fielding an average of 1,000 calls a day -- each.
Click here to read more.
A small, underground fire cut power to about 220 customers
in downtown Burlington on Monday morning.
Most customers had power restored within half an hour. About 20 customers waited up to three hours for the power to go back on.
The cause of the failure appears to be a fire that burned the insulation on electrical wires in an underground chamber on College Street just west of South Winooski Avenue, according to
Burlington Assistant Fire Marshal Thomas Middleton. The fire was likely caused by water that had leaked into the chamber, Middleton said. The wires were more than 60 years old.
The Fire Department was called at about 9:10 a.m. because smoke was seeping into the basement of a College Street building. Smoke also was coming out of manholes in the area, Middleton said. The fire burned itself out.
Last week, a power failure affected a number of buildings along the same part of College Street where an underground cable failed. The two failures are not related,
Accounting Jobs in the Burlington Vermont area
Click here to read more.
ACT Teleconferencing Inc. of Colorado has bought a Burlington
video teleconferencing company in a deal worth .8 million.
ACT purchased Proximity Inc. for an initial payment of .8 million consisting of 350,000 ACT shares valued at per share, ,000 in cash, and ,000 in ACT promissory notes due in 24 months. If Proximity does well, Proximity shareholders might receive up to an additional 150,000 ACT shares over the next two years.
The sale closed Wednesday.
Proximity's 24 employees will remain in the Burlington office for at least two years, said Robert Kaphan, Proximity's co-founder and president. ACT's chief executive, Gerald Van Eeckhout said Thursday he had no plans to shift operations away from Burlington after the two-year period.
Admin & Clerical Jobs in Burlington, Vermont
Click here to read more.
As many as 53 households in central Vermont may have received
a delivery Wednesday of fuel oil contaminated with gasoline.
The contaminated home heating oil went to homes in South Burlington, Essex, Jericho and the Montpelier areas, said Moe Forcier of the state's Emergency Management office.
He stressed that only Wednesday deliveries were at issue.
Forcier said several home-heating fuel dealers received the oil from their bulk dealer, Ultramar in Essex Junction, which had received the contaminated mixture in a railroad car from Montreal.
The individual dealers were Northern Coal and Oil in Essex Junction; Agway Energy Products in South Burlington; John Leo & Sons in Essex Junction; Miller Oil Company in Colchester; and ABBA Fuels in Milton.
Banking & Finance Jobs in Burlington, Vermont
Click here to read more.
Battle between management and union is looming at Verizon.
As Socialist Worker went to press, negotiations had stalled between telecommunication giant Verizon and its two unions, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which together represent 78,000 workers in the Northeast.
Management is smarting after losing an arbitration decision to the unions that forced the company rehire 3,400 workers--with back pay--illegally laid off last December. The CWA has called for pre-shift celebrations on July 30 as those workers report back.
The victory has given unions badly needed momentum to mobilize their memberships for what could be a long and decisive strike or lockout. Verizon threatened to walk away from the bargaining table for six months if the unions strike when the contract expires at midnight on August 2.
After the arbitration loss, the company is even more determined to secure layoff language in the new contract--and force through a long list of concessions,
Click here to read more.
Bimini Bill's
- Your Hair Resort, boasts complete care in a wide range of a là carte services including: cuts, colors, perms, waxing, manicures, tanning and those hard to find services such as henna tattoos, hot colors, hair cocktails and assorted island braids. Like the Island of Bimini, our salon is service oriented and caters to your every need. Accepts CatScratch, Knight Card and CC-Cash Card.
88 Church Street TEL: 802.658.0264
E-Mail | WWW
Click here to read more.
Burlington Electric Department is involved in a 10-year,
.65 million project to upgrade the city's power lines to improve capacity and reliability.
Utility trucks this week are lined up along Shelburne Street, shutting down a section of one of the northbound lanes on the main southern road into the city.
"This is part of the conversion that BED is doing to transform the 4,000-watt system to a 13,800-watt system," department spokeswoman Mary Sullivan said. "It provides for us to be sending more electricity down the line at a quicker speed, increasing the wattage, potentially, improving reliability and improving the capacity of the lines."
Sullivan said the work started at South Willard and Main streets in March, and will run along Shelburne Street, down Flynn Avenue to Briggs Street. This phase, which also creates a backup power system for Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, is scheduled to be completed by the end of June, she said.
Burlington's chief executive recently acquired his first official car,
one that emits almost no pollution into the Vermont
atmosphere.
Mayor Peter Clavelle will drive a Honda Civic GX for one year, then turn it over to another Chittenden County city or school
so it can give it a whirl. The lease program is part of a federally funded project aimed at promoting cleaner vehicles.
The Honda Civic runs on natural gas, gets about 30 miles to the gallon and burns 62 times more cleanly than a standard car. The white four-door drives and looks like a
conventional car. Its speedometer purports to reach more than 140 miles an hour, though Clavelle said he hasn't gotten the car up to its maximum speed.
Clavelle will refuel at Vermont Gas in South Burlington until the Burlington Department of Public Works sets up a fueling station.
Burlington-based General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products
said Wednesday it won two military contracts valued at more than million.
General Dynamics has been awarded a .4 million order from the U.S. Army for the production of 56 reactive armor vehicle sets and 170 partial sets for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
General Dynamics also received a .2 million contract from U.S. Special Operations Command for production of the Striker 40 (MK47) 40mm Grenade Machine Gun system.
The order for the reactive armor is a continuation of a program with the Army and a relationship with General Dynamics' strategic partner, Rafael Ordnance Systems of Haifa, Israel, which will share 50 percent of the production workload.
The contract also includes funding for the qualification and testing of an upgrade to the armor, to be completed by Jan. 30, 2004. Qualification of the new design could extend production deliveries several more years.
Cambridge Engineering, Inc.,
provides Technical Audit Services, System Analysis and Design Services to the electronics industry. We have worked on a broad range of systems, and have in-depth experience in the areas of Signal Processing, Data Transmission, Navigation, Communication and Wireless Systems. Starting with customer generated product, system and cost goals, we select appropriate technologies, develop a design approach, select components, and create a prototype system. We work independently or with your engineering staff. Throughout the design process, we provide a complete transfer of both the final design and the underlying concepts to assure your understanding of the product.
We have developed numerous "Mixed Signal" systems, and can assist in determining the right balance between analog and digital solutions, and in selecting between custom and programmable system elements.
Click here to read more.
Center for Rural Studies
is a nonprofit, fee-for-service research organization which addresses social, economic, and resource-based problems of rural people and communities. Based in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Vermont (UVM), the Center provides consulting, research, and program evaluation services in Vermont, the United States, and abroad.
Click here to read more.
Citing financial instability on the part of FairPoint,
the Vermont Public Service Board has nixed a proposed .7 billion deal that would have FairPoint take over Verizon's landlines in New England.
VPS said "FairPoint had not demonstrated it would be financially sound as it seeks to operate the newly acquired territories in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire."
VPS said its main concern was FairPoint's plan to borrow .5 billion to buy Verizon's stake. There would have been "significant financial pressure on FairPoint," which could have resulted in "reduced operating expenses, slow expansion of broadband and other services, and reduced investments all of which would have adversely affected Vermont customers," according to VPS.
Click here to read more.
Confusion over the location of a Burlington Electric
Department cable near the intersection of South Winooski Avenue and Main Street resulted in a close call for the construction crew that dug into an underground cable late Thursday morning. It also left 600 customers along Main Street and as far east as Summit Street temporarily without power.
The accident happened at about 11:30, when a crew from ECI Directional Drilling Inc. dug into what they thought was an abandoned power vault to begin work to connect a new state air monitoring shelter to power and phone lines.
Tod Cote, the ECI project manager, said ECI followed the state's Dig Safe protocol to the letter. Dig Safe requires notification to utility companies of planned digs.
"We met with BED this morning," he said Tuesday afternoon. "They told us it was an abandoned duct bank, but there was a live wire in there.
Customers of Vermont Gas will be paying a little more
to stay warm this winter.
The Public Service Board has given Vermont Gas permission to raise rates 9.6 percent effective October first.
The company had requested a 10.6 percent increase.
Vermont Gas says the jump is due to higher wholesale prices nationwide, but they point out that there have been two rate decreases in the past two years.
The increase figures out to be about 90 dollars a year for the average household.
Vermont Gas serves roughly 36,000 customers in Chittenden and Franklin Counties.
Caroline Allen - Channel 3 News
Click here to read more.
Cynthea's SPA
Provides a Wide Range of Services:
Professional massage with over 15 years of experience, a variety of skin care and rejuvenation treatments such as microdermabrasion and acid peels.
Cynthea's Spa is dedicated to offering the purest, quality skin nutrition for daily home use and the most effective, safe, result oriented professional treatments available. The goal for Cynthea's Spa LLC is a promise to bring each and every client’s skin to its optimum potential for health and beauty and to provide continued support, service, and information.
Click here to read more.
Dish Beauty Lounge & Spa
is A small spa in the city offering fabulous facials, massage, body treatments, manicures, pedicures and waxing. Featuring Dr Hauschka Skincare and Dermalogica. Open Tues-Sat 10:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Gift Certificates, private parties and in-spa events available. Shop for all your favorite health and beauty products available from Soapdish Modern Apothecary, Dish’s retail counterpart, on Dish Beauty Lounge’s expanded website.
113 Church Street, upstairs TEL: 802.657.3233
info.com | WWW
Click here to read more.
Fourteen Vermont utilities including the state's two largest
power companies repeatedly gave customers price breaks without getting needed approval from state regulators, according to the results of a two-year investigation by the Department of Public Service.
The department logged 88 violations of state rules governing special utility contracts by the companies including Green Mountain Power, ... Vermont Gas Systems, the state's only retail natural gas company; and the state's dominant local phone company, Verizon.
Public Service Board Chairman Michael Dworkin said he worried that rate reductions given to some customers are made up for by others. He said the 88 special contracts granted by utilities without proper board approval might have lowered the customers' rates by as much as .7 million.
... It was one of nine violations of the state's rules governing special utility contracts that GMP has admitted committing
GMP was in serious financial trouble in 1999-2000. In late 2000, the utility sought a package of rate increases
Fusion Management Group
is a New England focused, Vermont based national model and talent agency, representing women, men, and children in lifestyle and commercial print, furthermore representing hair, makeup, wardrobe and photography professionals. Fusion also has divisions in TV/Film, promotional staffing and creative and production services.
2 Church Street, Suite 2H TEL: 866.865.2234
info.com | WWW
Click here to read more.
Gentlemen's Top Option
takes pride in our professional stylists, and often say that we have the perfect team. Since 1996, we have fostered the best crew in town and we are very proud of our reputation for quality and customer service.
We look for stylists who are eager to learn, and are enthusiastic about being trained in the “GTO Signature Style.” Our founder Penny Jones personally ensures that our stylists are trained in the excellent cutting methods that have built the GTO business. We welcome stylists of all ages, backgrounds and stages of life who show a true love for what they do.
We also welcome stylists who enjoy being proactive about building their clientele, and giving them the best attention possible. We look for stylists who are outgoing and conversational, both in person and over the telephone. We look for genuine friendliness, kindness, dedication, and rapport-building; and like a team spirit that helps maintain the upbeat and positive environment we have created here in the salon.
Click here to read more.
Gentlemen's Top Option
has a professional and friendly atmosphere that leaves clients satisfied.
Do you have a Y chromosome? If so, you should know that at 86 Lake Street, a block north from Burlington Bay Market & Café, lies a well-hidden establishment. Founded in January of 1996, Gentlemen's Top Option, referred to as "GTO" by its regulars, is an exclusive salon run strictly for males. Men of all ages purchase GTO's services, from the pre-pubescent to the sexagenarian.
GTO's appearance from the inside exudes the appearance of a successful business characterized by efficiency, cleanliness, and know-how. The mirrors are always spotless, the floors are always well-swept, and facilities are quite accommodating.
Click here to read more.
GMP Agreed to Binding Arbitration on Two Key Strike Issues.
Green Mountain Power said today that it will use binding arbitration to resolve two key strike issues if 101 employees would accept all other contract issues and return to work.
Dorothy Schnure, spokesperson for GMP, said, "the company is very anxious to bring this unnecessary strike to an end."
GMP told the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300 today that the Company would arbitrate the two issues of a trouble crew and storm readiness if the final offer of January 16 was ratified and accepted by union members.
Click here to read more.
GMP plan will pay those who conserve.
The state's second largest electric utility, Green Mountain Power Corp., will pay its business, farm and water-heating customers to make power or save energy during periods of high electric use.
The proposals will be reviewed by the Vermont Department of Public Service and the Vermont Public Service Board, the state's two utility regulatory agencies.
"The reductions we achieve benefit all our customers by controlling our power supply costs when heavy demand drives the market prices to extraordinarily high levels," said GMP's James Brown, manager of energy resource planning.
There are five programs. Under one of them, GMP would pay farmers to use a generator to supplement power during high electric use periods. Under another, large customers that can cut back on their energy use during these same times might get a check for their savings.
GMP Seeks Successful Mediation of Strike
Green Mountain Power Corporation (NYSE: GMP) announced Friday that it will continue mediation with Local 300 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which began a strike Thursday night.
...
The Company's 101 unionized employees officially went on strike Thursday night. Both sides have agreed that a major point of contention is the Company's proposal to make a modest change in its union contract creating two "trouble call" crews. Under the Company proposal, the crews would select an eight-hour shift between 12:30 p.m. and midnight, with premium pay for all eight hours. This would add maximum flexibility for personal needs. Currently, lineworkers work a 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. shift.
Click here to read more.
GMP was faulted for late study disclosure.
Green Mountain Power Corp. has come in for a scolding by the Public Service Board for not earlier disclosing information key to the proposed sale of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.
The study, by Green Mountain Power consultant La Capra Associates of Boston, shows that prices for wholesale electricity will be significantly lower during the coming decade than previous estimates indicated.
That's important because a major piece of the sale agreement under which Entergy Nuclear Corp. plans to buy Vermont Yankee is a promise that Green Mountain Power and Central Vermont Public Service Corp. will buy the plant's power from Entergy.
The prices for the electricity under that "purchase-power agreement" -- and comparisons between those prices and projections of what power might cost on the open market -- have dominated much of the discussion in board hearings on the sale during the past two weeks.
GMP-Union Talks Stop; Strike Continues
Green Mountain Power said Thursday that 13 hours of labor negotiations with a federal mediator failed to end the week-old strike at the Vermont electric utility. GMP and negotiators for Local 300 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers met with the federal mediator for nine hours on Wednesday and four hours on Thursday in an effort to reach agreement.
Click here to read more.
Green Mountain Power is Offering Satisfaction or a Discount Guarantees.
President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher L. Dutton announced today that Green Mountain Power (NYSE: GMP) soon will begin to pay its customers any time the Company misses identified service performance standards. Green Mountain Power, he said, will be the first Vermont electric utility to back up its service commitments with real dollars. The payments, in the form of credits to a customer's bill, will be made by shareholders and will not be recovered in rates, he said.
Click here to read more.
Green Mountain Power's credit ratings were raised Thursday
by one of the major Wall Street rating agencies.
A Green Mountain Power Corp. executive said the improvement would lower the company's cost of borrowing and should help hold down rates.
The announcement by Moody's Investors Service also represented a turnaround for Green Mountain, which only a few years ago had fallen on hard times and was having a difficult time maintaining its all-important lines of credit.
Utilities rely heavily on credit to maintain adequate cash flow and to maintain their distribution and transmission networks.
Moody's said it increased Green Mountain Power's senior debt to Baa1 from Baa2. The new rating is the eighth highest of 21 ratings that Moody's grants.
Green Mountain's preferred stock rating rose to Ba1 from Ba2, the 11th highest of 21 ratings.
Lake Champlain Publishing Company
was begun in 1986 by Alan and Susan McKibben to produce and distribute the Cruising Guide to Lake Champlain. Since its initial 1986 edition, this well-respected guide has grown in its coverage and content. In its 2001 sixth edition, it provides detailed coverage of the entire 568-mile historic, inland waterway from New York City to Montreal and Quebec City.
... Their familiarity with the waterway covered in their guide has grown over the years as they have lived beside and traveled on these bodies of water. Their goal, when they began publication of the Cruising Guide to Lake Champlain, was the creation of a comprehensive boating guide that was similar in scope and appearance to guides for popular saltwater destinations that they had become familiar with to one of North America's most attractive and unique in-land bodies of water. As experience cruisers, they have sought to incorporate in the guide all of the information that they feel is necessary for a safe and enjoyable journey.
Click here to read more.
Manufacturing Jobs in the Burlington Vermont area
Click here to read more.
Martin's Coins & Jewelry
Wantes to Buy All Gold, Silver and Copper Coins, Paper Money, Fractionals,
Tokens and Commemorative Coins.
Click here to read more.
Men's Room
is A salon catering to men. Scissor and electric haircutting; beard styling, hair texturing, gray management; body hair removal; and hand detailing.
Nail Studio Lounge
Full service nail and beauty center. Come in for friendly service in our sunny studio! 22 Church Street, upstairs TEL: 802.863.5270
nailstudiolounge.com | WWW
North Country Books
is The area's largest used bookstore with over 50,000 books in 5,000 square feet. A wide selection of paperback and hardcover books, used and collectable. Also used LPs, antique maps, prints, and an expanded collection of vintage and modern posters. Open everyday. (Elevator available.) 2 Church Street, lower level TEL: 802.862.6413
North.books.net | WWW
PSB has Approved GMP's 3.4% Rate Hike.
Green Mountain Power Corporation (NYSE: GMP) announced today the Vermont Public Service Board has approved an agreement between GMP and the Department of Public Service to increase electric rates by 3.42 percent and to make permanent two earlier temporary rate increases. The Board's order also allows GMP full recovery of costs associated with GMP's long-term power and energy contract with Hydro-Quebec.
Residents in Burlington's Old North End are trying out
a new idea to help rid the area of drug dealers, speeding cars and suspicious characters -- a resident log.
The log allows residents to record potentially dangerous or disruptive behavior, anything from suspected drug houses to rowdy groups of loiterers to poor snow removal to chronic speeding. They can send the log to the city's Code Enforcement Office, either anonymously or signed. The office then funnels the complaints to the right city department, whether it be police, public works or the code enforcement office itself.
The association includes about 800 households centered roughly around the intersection of Archibald Street and Intervale Avenue. The group plans to hand out the log to each household this summer. The logs have been available at community meetings and events to anyone interested, including those living in other parts of the city.
The log could have a dual effect on the neighborhood, Overby said. Residents can let the city know about problems,
Sam Norris Furniture Maker
works primarily with native hardwoods, choosing to search for local wood with great character and interesting grain instead of rain forest woods. The tropical wood I buy is plantation grown or certified sustainably harvested.
Click here to read more.
Statements Hair Design
is a Hair salon for cuts, color, styling, waxing, and skincare. Also offers retail beauty products. Visit stylist Jess McLellan for a fun, modern update of your ’do!
30 Church Street, 2nd Floor TEL: 802.862.9969
Mobile: 802.862.9960
Stephen & Burns Salon & Spa
is a Locally owned and operated Aveda Concept salon. A newly-expanded spa offering massage and other body treatment gives you more ways than ever to let your stress melt away…. Gift certificates and a menu of services available online and in the salon.
Stephen & Burns is committed to quality in the service we provide, the education we promote and the relationships we create. We are a company that engages with its customers, staff and community in ways that uphold environmental, social and personal responsibility.
We welcome you to visit our salonspa and experience our amazing staff and services. Our goal is that you leave knowing you look wonderful, feel at ease and know that you've just been on a personal vacation.
Click here to read more.
Suburban Chittenden County is sprouting new, taller utility poles
as part of a .5 million upgrade being implemented by Green Mountain Power Corp.
By year's end, about 600 new poles -- ranging mostly from 45 to 65 feet tall -- will be in place along major arteries such as U.S. 7, Spear Street, Vermont 2A and Vermont 116. Not everyone is happy to see the brown wooden uprights figuring more prominently in the streetscape.
... Most of the taller poles are replacing 30- to 40-foot ones. The taller poles are needed to accommodate more intensive use, said Dorothy Schnure, spokesperson for GMP.
Modern poles often carry a half dozen or more lines for electric power, telephone service, cable TV and traffic signals. The 30- and 35-foot poles that were installed in the 1960s were not designed for so many users, Schnure said. Further, Adelphia Cable is upgrading its system to better serve more rural areas and this demands space on the poles, she said.
The average Green Mountain Power Corp. (GMP) customer had no lights
less than once last year, for an average of two hours. ... Burlington Electric Department had one of the best records in the state, with the average customer losing power 1.5 times, each outage lasting just 30 minutes last year. Citizens had one of the worst of the four biggest utilities: 5.1 outages on average per customer, with the average outage three-quarters of an hour long.
BED, however, is a compact system of 19,000 customers where outages are rarely much more than a mile or two from service stations. Citizens, with 21,000 customers, is located in the rural northern part of the state where it might take an hour just to arrive at the line.
The Burlington Electric Department sold its share
in the state's only nuclear plant Wednesday for .3 million in a move the utility said would save .1 million this year.
BED provides electricity to 19,000 homes and businesses in Burlington, and has owned 3.6 percent of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon since 1972.
About 40 percent of Burlington's power comes from the power plant. The remaining comes from a mix of wood, oil and gas.
BED General Manager Barbara Grimes said the company has already bought replacement power for the time when the Yankee contract ends in March through November, and is working on contracts for 2003 and 2004. That replacement power costs per megawatts per hour compared to Yankee costs of on average.
The Champlain Water District, a wholesaler that supplies nine communities
in Chittenden County, has proposed raising rates by 12 cents, the first increase in a decade.
Declining water sales and bills' coming due on recent improvement projects are among the factors fueling the proposed rate increase. ... Customers could see their water bills rise about 72 cents a month, but some communities, such as Winooski, don't plan to pass the increase on to users.
Champlain Water supplies 11 municipal systems and one commercial venture in nine communities: Colchester, Essex, Essex Junction, Jericho, Milton, South Burlington, Shelburne, Williston and Winooski. Water is pumped from Champlain Water's treatment plant in South Burlington on a line that loops the county.
The company that runs Vermont's high-voltage electric
transmission grid could apply by spring to build a new power line through western Vermont from West Rutland to South Burlington.
Officials hope the million project would address a transmission bottleneck in Chittenden County, which has seen rapid growth in demand for electricity in recent years.
The Vermont Electric Power Co. worries that the demand growth, coupled with an aging power grid, leaves the region vulnerable to blackouts that could spread into the rest of the state. ... Such blackouts could be triggered by bad weather or such anomalies as an interruption in power supplies from Canada, Dunn said. More than Chittenden County likely would be affected, he said.
... VELCO is studying a new 60-mile line from West Rutland to South Burlington to help strengthen its system. The first segment would be a 345,000-volt line to New Haven. The second segment would run from West Haven to a South Burlington substation.
The head of Verizon Vermont, Louise McCarren, is leaving
the telephone giant at the end of the year.
McCarren said Wed- nesday that Verizon eliminated her president's position in Vermont. An executive based in Boston will take over management of the company's Vermont operations.
New York-based Verizon Communications provides long distance service in most states nationwide, as well as local phone and Internet service in most of the Northeast. It is also one of the six major national cellular carriers. It earned .2 billion in profits last year, and billion in revenue. Its Vermont headquarters is located in South Burlington. The company has more than 150 offices, including garages and switching stations, in Vermont.
Verizon has announced no other job cuts in Vermont, McCarren said. There are 800 Verizon employees in Vermont -- down from 950 two years ago. Nationally, the company has reduced its work force by more than 26,000 through layoffs, buyouts and attrition during the past two years.
The largest telephone company in the state has won its battle
to offer interstate long-distance to its customers.
Verizon Communications received Federal Communications Commission approval Wednesday, clearing the way for the
company to begin selling the services this month, the company said in a statement.
Vermont joins three other New England states -- Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island -- where Verizon has federal
approval to offer long-distance.
The company said the FCC would rule on long-distance applications for Maine and New Jersey by the end of June.
The proposed sale of Verizon to FairPoint Communications is back on
in Vermont. The state's Public Service Department has reached a new agreement with the two companies, which it hopes will satisfy Vermont's Public Service Board.
The board put the deal on hold two weeks ago, citing a lack of financial strength by FairPoint.
The new plan submitted Tuesday includes a minimum capital investment level of about million a year. It also requires FairPoint to set aside as much as .5 million dollars a year for remediation of any service quality issues that arise in the state.
The deal must be approved by regulators in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Maine has already approved the deal.
The Vermont Public Service Board has not yet set a date to take up the matter.
Click here to read more.
There's nothing quite like a room with a view,
according to 8-year-old Keith Read of Burlington. That's why he built a tiny viewing tower this weekend in a one-hour construction contest sponsored by the National Association of Women in Construction. ... As the winning project, Read's tower becomes the Vermont chapter's entry in the regional heat of the national contest next month. It will be the first time Vermont has submitted an entry, said Charlotte Benoit, president of the Vermont chapter of NAWIC.
The contest, called Block Kids, is designed to encourage children to get involved in some aspect of the construction industry when they're older.
Contestants are given Lego-style building blocks and the option to use three out of four materials such as rocks, string, aluminum foil and poster board. They are challenged to design and construct a building in one hour with these materials. Saturday, most chose to embellish their projects with foil. Jasmine Jackson, 11, used it in a practical way for her shelter.
Upstairs Antiques
is an independent shop specializing in the unusual, curious and interesting artifacts of the 19th and 20th centuries. You can expect to find the following items in my shop: Furniture, prints, paintings, jewelry, books, sterling, lamps, postcards, toys, glassware, china, numerous collectibles and lots more. Children and pets are welcome.
Upstreet Hair
is a Locally owned and operated personal hair salon.
22 Church Street, upstairs TEL: 802.660.8148
E-Mail | WWW
Verizon has Settled dispute with IBEW and CWA in New York and New England.
Verizon, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in New York and New England announced today a tentative agreement on new contracts. Meanwhile, negotiations continued with the CWA in the Mid-Atlantic States, and the company said it hopes to reach an agreement shortly.
The proposed three-year contracts cover more than 50,000 union-represented employees in New York and New England. These employees will return to work starting tomorrow (8/21), ending a 15-day strike. More than 35,000 employees represented by the CWA in the Mid Atlantic States remain on strike.
The agreement would provide a 12 percent increase in wages over the life of the contracts, improvements in pensions and other benefits and continuation of strong job security protections.
Click here to read more.
Verizon is giving its New York and New England customers new on-line tools
tools to slice and dice their phone bills while reviewing them online.
Customers who go online to view their phone bills now will be able sort calls by type (regional toll or long distance), by date and time, by number or location called, by length of call or by cost. A new lookup tool lets customers click on a phone number on the bill and see whom they called. The new Bill View pages also will make a full year's bills available for review - the current monthly bill and the previous 11 bills.
Click here to read more.
Verizon May Offer Interstate Long Distance.
Most Vermonters soon could be getting their local and interstate phone service from one company -- for the first time since the breakup of AT&T and its affiliates in 1984. The Public Service Board said Wednesday it would recommend to the Federal Communications Commission that Verizon Communications had been sufficiently welcoming to local competitors to allow it to begin selling long-distance service in the state. -- end --
Verizon Vermont said Monday that it needs to shed about 50 jobs
in the state before the end of the year.
Layoffs at the telecommunications giant, however, are not a given, said Beth Fastiggi, spokeswoman for Verizon. The company has asked employees to consider buy-outs or early retirement, and now the company and the workers' unions are negotiating other methods of preventing job cuts.
... New York-based Verizon Communications provides long distance service in most states nationwide, as well as local phone and Internet service in most of the Northeast. It is also a major national cellular carrier. The company earned .2 billion last year, and had billion in revenue. Its Vermont headquarters is in South Burlington. The company has more than 150 offices, including garages and switching stations, in Vermont.
In August, the corporation asked its New England offices to cut more positions. Last week, Louise McCarren, president of Verizon Vermont, announced that her job has been eliminated and that she would leave before January.
Verizon Wireless
is the second most reliable coverage you can get traveling throughout Vermont. In some of the urban areas they have a stronger signal than any other cell phone company. Sometimes you can get a signal in buildings designed to not allow a cell signal in them. The coverage is not as good as Unicel once you leave the cities, however.
Click here to read more.
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility & Research
is committed to the idea that profitability and corporate responsibility can co-exist. Our ongoing success is proof that the concept works.
... Those of us who run a business know what a complex and demanding effort it can be. Managing a business, no matter the size, also carries with it the challenge of responsibility to our workers, communities and natural environment.
Just ten years ago, a group of Vermont business leaders got together and decided to form an association to help its member businesses foster an ethic that protects the natural, human and economic environment of our employees and communities. VBSR was born.
Click here to read more.
Vermont consumers and businesses are served by one of the most advanced
telecommunications networks in the country, thanks to an aggressive network investment program by Verizon during 2000. This year, the company spent more than million to modernize, expand and upgrade the sophisticated telecommunications network that serves the Green Mountain state.
Click here to read more.
Vermont Employee Ownership Center
is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering employee ownership. Our goals are to broaden capital ownership, deepen employee participation, retain local ownership of businesses and the jobs they support, increase living standards for working families, and stabilize communities. We present seminars and conferences. We work directly with owners interested in selling their business to their employees, employee groups interested in purchasing a business, and entrepreneurs who wish to start a company with broadly-shared ownership. Please feel free to contact us with your questions and ideas — we're excited about employee ownership and will do what we can to help you.
Click here to read more.
Vermont Gas officials say a critical shortage of natural
gas nationally will probably have little impact in the Green Mountains. Federal oficials say the nation's natural gas supply is critically short and has hit a 26-year-low. However, Vermont Gas officials say the reported shortage will have little immediate effect in the green mountains, but could eventually affect rates.
"The information we have does not suggest there's an availability problem. It really has to do with what may happen with the price down the road. And again, for Vermont Gas customers: because we purchase our gas on the wholesale market, well ahead of time, we know what our prices are going to look like for the next 12 to 15 months," says Scott Scholten of Vermont Gas Systems.
The shortage is due to an unusually cold winter and a cold and wet spring, plus a steady and increasing demand for natural gas. Vermont Gas is currently awaiting approval from state officials for a 10-percent rate hike that was requested last fall.
Click here to read more.
Vermont Gas Systems, Inc.
was established in 1965 to supply natural gas to 6,400 customers in Chittenden and Franklin Counties. Over the years, residents and businesses in these communities have recognized natural gas to be a clean, efficient and abundant form of energy. Over 34,000 customers now recognize Vermont Gas’ commitment to providing safe, economical service.
The Vermont Gas story begins in the abundant natural gas fields of Alberta, Canada. Our natural gas is transported across Canada via the TransCanada PipeLine and enters Vermont Gas Systems’ main pipeline at Highgate, on the Vermont/Canada border. Our customers are served through a network of more than 300 miles of underground transmission and distribution lines.
Click here to read more.
Vermont has Approved FairPoint-Verizon Deal.
The Vermont Public Service Board announced Friday it has approved a deal for FairPoint Communications to take over Verizon's landline services.
The deal includes protections for customers in rural areas and requires Verizon to pay more money to improve service quality.
The public service board originally denied the deal back in December because of concerns that FairPoint was not financially strong enough to keep up phone and broadband internet service in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. But Maine recently negotiated a deal that reduces FairPoint's debt by million-- a move that eased the service board's worries.
Click here to read more.
Vermont mountaintops and ridgelines will be sprouting sleek turbines
that pluck the energy from the wind and send it to the power grid (if enXco has its way,) ... many preparing to build turbines on Vermont's mountaintops. ... "Vermont is rich in wind resources," said Jonathan Winer, the director at enXco's new South Burlington office, who is looking at several possible sites around the state -- all of them high up. "You get up in the mountain areas of Vermont, and the wind is strong."
Although wind power has been around for many years, until recently it couldn't be produced efficiently enough to compete with fossil fuels and other power sources in states like Vermont.
Now it is much less expensive and more reliable, said Winer and others who are banking on its nearly pollution-free appeal and its price stability to plan large investments in wind power over the next decade or so.
Vermont Solar Engineering
provides design, installation, maintenance, and repair services for both renewable power (solar electric, wind, hydro) and solar thermal (hot water & pool heating) systems.
... Their Mission Statement is To provide the finest in professional renewable power design, advanced systems, and expert support.
Click here to read more.
Vermont Teddy Bear's big push
-- In the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, life on the production floor can get a bit hectic. Last year, Vermont Teddy Bear sent out more than 200,000 packages to be delivered on the holiday. This year they're hoping to top that.
With 30 to 40 percent of the company's business generated around Valentine's Day, Vermont Teddy Bear is in a crunch to hire 1,000 seasonal employees -- 100 more than last year -- to help make bears and process orders. While Haley works year-round, other employees like Sandy Keck of Vergennes work just for the holidays, when the company operates at a fever pitch. Although the December holidays and Mother's Day are big bear-giving times, Valentine's Day eclipses them all. Most men have been conditioned to buy their lady friends one of three things at Valentine's Day -- chocolate, flowers or lingerie. The folks at Vermont Teddy Bear say that bears are a "creative alternative" to the usual boilerplate presents.
Click here to read more.
Vermont WeatherWorks
Inspired by nature, folklore, and whimsy, Vermont WeatherWorks designs give new life to a folk-art tradition.
Each weathervane is individually hand-crafted from constructed white pine, painted with successive coats of exterior oil paint, and finished with marine varnish. Gold details, trumpets and horns, are achieved by gilding with 23-karat gold leaf.
While they are stunning and most functional mounted on the roof, the color and detail of the weathervanes can be enjoyed displayed in the garden, or on a table stand or wall bracket inside the home. Our matte black steel hardware is made exclusively for our weathervanes.
Vermont's unemployment rate climbed 0.2 percentage point,
to 3.9 percent in December, in December, the fourth consecutive month the jobless rate has gone up.
The state unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in November, and 2.7 percent in December 2000. The national unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in December.
"The manufacturing sector continued to cut employment in Vermont, but at a slower rate than has occurred nationally," Employment and Training Commissioner Steven Gold said in a written statement. "The increase in unemployment brought the rate to its highest point since the middle of 1997."
Vermont reported an unemployment rate of 3.9 percent in June, July, August and September of 1997. The high for that year was 4.2 percent, in January and February.
Around the state, unemployment ranged from a low 1.8 percent in Hartford to 8 percent in Newport. Burlington reported a jobless rate of 2.5 percent.
Vermonters paid 30 percent less for their heat this winter
than the year before, according to a state fuel pricing report. The low
prices sent oil dealers in Vermont scrambling to make up the revenue shortfall.
The Vermont Fuel Price Report, published this month by the Vermont Department of Public Service, showed that Vermonters
paid an average of for heating oil between October 2001 and March 2002, compared to in the same period the year
before, down 33 percent. Kerosene and propane gas prices were also down, 31 percent and 28 percent respectively.
The average price of a gallon of fuel oil came in at .20 this season, compared to .45 the year before.
The savings is directly related to a winter that was 18 percent warmer than last, said Tom Franks, energy efficiency specialist for
the Public Service Department. The 2000-2001 winter was in turn 12 percent colder than the one before and customers faced
rising oil costs as demand rose.
Vermonters who use natural gas to heat their homes will see
the price they pay for that gas head down 5.7 percent, or about a year for the average home.
Gas bills will start reflecting the rate Oct. 3.
Vermont Gas lowered its rates in part because of a new company strategy to buy gas ahead, and in part because the company cut its costs, said Scott Scholten, vice president of Vermont Gas.
In the spring of 2001, Vermont Gas began buying its gas on the wholesale market months before its customers would need it. Buying energy at off-peak rates is generally less expensive than buying energy on demand, which was how Vermont Gas bought before.
This is partly the reason behind the last decrease in November of 3.4 percent -- which had changed from a request to raise prices 14.8 percent. Gas prices had continued to fall last spring, when the company was buying this winter's natural gas, Scholten said.
Winooski is A Revitalized Mill Town.
Just over the hill from Burlington, there is a small, pedestrian-friendly city full of churches and historic mill buildings. It's called Winooski-- the Indian word for the wild onions found on the riverbanks that to this day provide a dramatic border for this city rich in labor history and French-Canadian traditions. ... Winooski measures about one square mile. It's small size and small population, 6,600, give the city an intimate feel. Neighbor often knows neighbor, and different generations of close-knit families sometimes live around the block from one another. Winooski is also prized for an array of affordable homes that feature fine craftsmanship and historic detail. ... Along with its convenient location, Winooski offers relatively good deals on housing market where prices are heading up.
Click here to read more.
Winooski One Hydro Station
is a Hydro-Electric Generating Station located in Chittenden County, Vermont, on the Winooski River as it flows between the cities of Burlington and Winooski, Vermont. The facility is a run-of-river hydroelectric facility, and consists of a refurbished spillway with crest gates abutting a historic timber crib dam. A fish trapping and lift station and riverside park are constructed as part of the facility. The flow of the Winooski River is directed into a powerhouse with three identical bevel gear type turbine generators of a double regulated Kaplan design allowing for a run-of-river operation.
An average annual net output of 24.5 million kWh is delivered for sale to Vermont’s utilities through the Vermont Electric Power Producers, Inc. Hydroelectric power provides clean, safe electricity to Vermont epitomizing the use of renewable fuels. Natures own hydrologic cycle provides for over 300 trillion gallons of water to flow through this site annually.
Women's Small Business Program (WSBP)
(provides Pam Greene) with an ideal outlet for her passion: social and economic justice for women, especially the disadvantaged.
... The mission of WSBP is to enhance women's self-sufficiency through entrepreneurial success. "And the way we do that," Greene explains, "is through entrepreneurial training programs." The non-profit organizations's signature offering is Start Up, a ,250, 110-hour, 15-week comprehensive business training course that ends in a "bank-ready" business plan. "It's very intense and very practical," Greene says, "and women are nothing if not practical."
Broken down into four areas marketing, finance, computer technology, and personal and professional development Start Up is taught twice a year by a team of contracted instructors who are business owners.
Click here to read more.
YMCA infant program is an option for working parents.
Secor found the next best thing to staying home with her baby: the YMCA Infant Care Program on St. Paul Street, Burlington.
... The initial program in 1998 had 12 openings for infants up to 2 years old, with one adult for every three children. The program increased the number of infant care slots in Burlington child-care centers by almost one-third. However, that wasn't enough. A waiting list of 75 families developed during the next three years, so the YMCA opened a second site in Burlington, with 12 to 14 places.
"Nothing changed. Now we have about 100 people on the waiting list just for those infant slots. People sign up as soon as they get pregnant," said Sherry Carlson, director of early childhood programs at the YMCA. "It feels like we're trying to fill a need, and the need keeps getting greater."
|
Environment dump:
| (For best results, avoid common words, like "Burlington","Vermont","and","the",etc.) | -- OR -- |
|