Oct 14-20, 2009
The Winter Preview Issue: Green Cards for Sale in the Green Mountains?; Junk Boarders get a Jump on the Season; Vermont International Film Festival Guide
Obama’s AG Smokes Bush-era Ban on Medical Marijuana
Advanced cancer sufferers, multiple sclerosis patients, those with AIDS and other chronically debilitating diseases who use state-sanctioned medical marijuana have one less thing to worry about: DEA agents raiding their stash. For years, patients such as Shayne Higgins of Burlington, who’ve sought relief from their medical ailments by puffing the herb have lived in fear of…
Venture Vermont 2009 — Mission Accomplished
This summer, I blogged a couple times about the Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge, a self-guided scavenger hunt organized by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. I even wrote a “Getting By” column about it, because the prize for completing the challenge was a free day-use pass to all Vermont State Parks in 2009…
State Tells City: Stop Loaning Cash to Burlington Telecom
The Department of Public Service told the city of Burlington late Friday it wants a firm commitment from the Queen City that it will not loan Burlington Telecom another dime and will repay the $17 million already owed to city’s checkbook. The request came Friday in a filing by the department in the ongoing case…
City to Host Special Meetings on Burlington Telecom
City officials have called two special meetings in the next two weeks to discuss the ongoing financial issues at Burlington Telecom. They are also taking issue with comments made this week by Department of Public Service Commissioner David O’Brien about BT’s viability and use of city pooled cash to fund its operations. As first noted…
General Dynamics to Leave Burlington
Updated at 4:45 p.m. with quote from city officials in Burlington General Dynamics, which employs 450 people in Burlington, is moving its Technology Center from Lakeside Avenue to buildings formerly owned by IBM in Williston. The move is expected to be complete by the end of 2010, company officials said in a release. “Our business…
Meet the Farmers Who Grow Your Fair Trade Coffee
Arcadio Daniel Galindo (pictured) has never set foot on the Church Street Marketplace but he’s quite familiar with the fair trade coffee blends for sale there: He grows them on his coffee plantation in the hills of Guatemala. Galindo and farmers from his organic coffee cooperative, the Asociacion Chajulense Val Vaq Quyol, will be guests…
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
www.greenmountaincoffee.com 888-TRY-GMCR Waterbury, Vermont As a leader in the specialty coffee industry, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is recognized for its award-winning coffees, innovative brewing technology and socially responsible business practices. GMCR’s operations are managed through two business units. The Specialty Coffee business unit produces coffee, tea and hot cocoa from its family of brands,…
Vermont Department of Labor
www.labor.vermont.gov 802-863-7676 Montpelier, Vermont The Vermont Department of Labor has a resource center with a self-help resource room, job matching, registered apprenticeship, database of education and training resources, statewide and national job listings, labor market and career information, and skills training for new and incumbent workers. VDOL’s primary focus is to provide services that assist…
Young Writer’s Project
www.youngwritersproject.org 802-324-9537 Winooski, Vermont Young Writers Project, a leading-edge, Web-based educational nonprofit, helps students improve their writing skills and brings 21st century technology into Vermont classrooms. YWP’s programs include: “Digital Writing Classrooms,” powerful, innovative, multi-media sites used by 5,400 students in 45 schools in Vermont; the student-run interactive website where 5,000 registered Vermont student users…
Vermont Business Magazine
www.vermontbiz.com 802-863-8038 Burlington, Vermont Since 1972, Vermont Business Magazine has published the latest and most accurate information and economic data available. Vermont’s only statewide business publication, it provides monthly focuses on subjects such as Vermont’s largest companies ranked by sales, Vermont’s largest employers, annual media guide, construction and development, high-tech industries, education, transportation, energy and…
TelJet Long Haul, LLC
www.teljet.com 802-264-3000 South Burlington, Vermont TelJet has designed and built the largest open-access fiber-to-the-premises telecommunications network in Vermont. More than 90 percent of the company’s fiber is underground, and TelJet does not share rights of way with other Vermont telecommunications carriers. This combination provides a high degree of infrastructure diversity, security and reliability. Founded by…
Got Jobs? Feds Giveth & the State Taketh
Another of those “good news / bad news” days on the Vermont jobs front. First the good news. Chief Recovery Officer “Czar” Tom Evslin reported that the $55,966,939 sent to Vermont as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) created or retained 1990.86 “direct” jobs in the state. Hooray! The news came on…
Vermont Women’s Business Center
www.vwbc.org 802-479-7379 Barre, Vermont The mission of the Vermont Women’s Business Center is to provide women with the training, assistance and support necessary to start and expand successful businesses, thereby promoting economic independence and healthy communities. The center assists women statewide who are starting or growing their businesses by providing resources, training, and networking opportunities…
Center for Technology, Essex
www.ccsuvt.org 802-879-5562 Essex, Vermont Center for Technology, Essex provides comprehensive technical programs, including career exploration, preparation and technical literacy in a respectful learning environment. The “students” are high-schoolers aged 16 and older, as well as adults from Chittenden County and surrounding areas. We have an open admissions policy for day and evening programs. CTE is…
Vermont Venture Network
www.vermontventurenetwork.org 802-658-7830 Burlington, Vermont A forum created to enhance the interaction and exchange of ideas among Vermont’s entrepreneurs, the Vermont Venture Network has been at the heart of the entrepreneurial community for the past 20 years. The organization has worked successfully with other economic development advocates to bring the right people together to grow Vermont’s…
Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development
www.dca.state.vt.us 802-828-3211 Montpelier, Vermont Vermont’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development encompasses three major state departments and many programs that serve the Vermont public by enhancing the Vermont business climate, marketing Vermont to tourists and others, and strengthening Vermont communities in a wide variety of ways. The Agency is comprised of the Departments of Economic…
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
www.sba.gov/vt 802-828-4422, ext. 211 Montpelier, Vermont The U.S. Small Business Administration provides financial, technical and management assistance to help small businesses start, grow and succeed. Along with its network of partners, SBA can help develop a business plan, extend loans to a small business, identify contracting opportunities to increase sales, make contacts and access resources…
SCORE
http://score284.org/ 802-951-6762 Essex, Vermont SCORE is a national association formed in 1964 as a non-profit to offer free confidential counseling to forming and growing small businesses. Working and retired volunteers donate their expertise advice as a public service. Face-to-face, e-mail, phone counseling and seminars are offered. SCORE is a partner with the Small Business Administration.
Linking Learning to Life
www.linkinglearningtolife.org 802-951-8850 Burlington, Vermont Linking Learning to Life is a nonprofit organization that develops and manages a wide range of programs and services to help K-12 students prepare for life after high school, especially related to careers and continuing education. The organization plays a critical role of connecting schools with businesses, colleges, and other community…
Big Picture South Burlington
www.bigpicture.org/2009/03/bp-south-burlington 802-652-7060 South Burlington, Vermont South Burlington High School is part of “Big Picture Learning,” the mission of which is to lead vital changes in education, both in the United States and internationally, by generating and sustaining innovative, personalized schools that work in tandem with the real world of the greater community. The goal is…
The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA)
www.veda.org 802-828-5627 Montpelier, Vermont The Vermont Economic Development Authority, created by the General Assembly in 1974, is Vermont’s economic development finance lender. In the past 35 years, VEDA has provided over $1.5 billion in financing assistance to thousands of eligible Vermont entrepreneurs, manufacturers, small businesses and agricultural enterprises, helping them to realize their business growth…
North Country Federal Credit Union
www.northcountry.org 800-660-3258 Statewide, Vermont North Country Federal prides itself on being being large enough to serve its customers well and small enough to know their names. It offers better-than-average rates on deposits and loans, and is locally run, financially sound and driven by service — not profit. North Country supports the communities it serves, with…
Seldon Technologies
www.seldontechnologies.com 802-674-2444 Windsor, Vermont Seldon Technologies, Inc. is a 6-year-old nanotechnology company that has developed patented breakthrough materials and products based on carbon nanotubes for water, air and fuel filtration, as well as energy storage and composites. Seldon’s Research and Development team continues to lead carbon nanotube development under many funded research grants and projects.…
QuantaSpec Inc.
www.quantaspec.com 802-861-2728 Burlington, Vermont QuantaSpec performs contract research and development for urgent national needs. Current research includes developing systems for standoff detection of explosives, chemicals, biological and radiological materials. Past research has included development of computer algorithms that automatically identify bacterial species from their infrared signatures, modeling and measurement of atmospheric transmission of laser light,…
Northern Benefits
www.vtbenefits.com 802-865-2733 Burlington, Vermont Northern Benefits was founded in 1999 by three employees of a health-insurance company that was leaving Vermont. Since its inception, the company has grown to employ 13 people in three states. As health benefit costs increase and availability of funding becomes tighter, new solutions are required. The group’s leaders bring practical…
inlu
www.inlu.com Burlington, Vermont Busy people default to excess and waste, especially around holidays and celebrations. We’ve all found ourselves in the grab-a-gift-and-go cycle. Inlu.com exists to “curb the crap” and send funds to causes and group gifts vs. piled-high parties and receptions. Inlu.com makes it easy and socially acceptable to downsize excessive consumerism. Its online…
BioTek Instruments, Inc.
www.biotek.com 888-451-5171 Colchester, Vermont BioTek® Instruments, Inc. is recognized worldwide for its customer-focused, quality-driven and value-honored commitment to providing exceptional microplate instrumentation and software. BioTek Instrumentation is used to aid in the advancement of life science research, facilitate the drug discovery process and to enable cost-effective quantification of disease relevant molecules in the clinic. Focusing…
Vermont’s Future (Governor)?
Potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Dunne has launched a website asking the simple question: “What is the future of Vermont?” Though he stresses this is not an announcement that he’s running for governor, Dunne did tell Seven Days he has opened a bank account so he can be ready to go if he decides to…
InventVermont
www.inventvermont.com 802-879-7411 InventVermont is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of innovation, invention and creativity through educational programs and by providing a mechanism for sharing information among its members and associates. InventVermont is a forum for the development and nurturing of the capabilities of its members to conceive, develop, patent, market and benefit from…
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 300
www.ibewlocal300.org 802-862-6379 South Burlington, Vermont Chartered in 1939, IBEW Local 300 is a labor union that serves 1200-plus working Vermonters at some of the state’s most successful businesses, including American Electric, Ben and Jerry’s, Brown Electric, Burlington Electric Department, Central Vermont Public Service, Century Electric, Entergy-Vermont Yankee, E.S. Boulos, Green Mountain Power, Peck Electric, Sherwin…
Husky IMS
www.husky.ca 802-859-8000 Milton, Vermont Founded in 1953 by Robert Schad, Husky started as a small machine shop in a Toronto garage. The company found its niche in specialized moldmaking and quickly developed into a leader in producing innovative, high-speed injection molding systems for thinwall containers. Today Husky Injection Molding Systems is one of the world’s…
Letters to the Editor
Life after Douglas What’s wrong with Vermont Life [“Vermont Life’s ‘Advisors’ Worry Its Troubles Could be Terminal,” October 7]? One question, one answer: Jim Douglas! Everything he and his little sycophant Neale Lunderville touch ends up a disaster: Vermont Life, Fairpoint, the DOC with its disturbing rise in questionable deaths, the whole gamut. His penchant…
Commerce Generation
www.commercegeneration.com 877-410-1110 Burlington, Vermont Commerce Generation, located on Burlington’s Church Street, is the state’s leading provider of robust, scalable, enterprise-wide e-commerce solutions. The company partners with local and national companies that see their e-commerce infrastructure as being a critical strategic enabler of revenue growth, cost control and profitability. For 14 years, Commerce Generation’s dedicated development…
Physician’s Computer Company
www.pcc.com 800-722-7708 Winooski, Vermont When the American Academy of Pediatrics needs help sorting out 50-plus immunization registries around the country, they call Physician’s Computer Company in Winooski. Since 1983, PCC has developed, delivered and supported practice-management software to pediatricians in an effort to “remove all the obstacles to keep them from practicing medicine,” according to…
Crafting Crustaceans
Burlington metal sculptor Kat Clear has another oversized work to add to her growing list of credits (the last was a 40-foot quilt for Fletcher Allen Health Care). This one’s a lobster, dubbed Libby the Langosta — the Spanish word for the critter — that’s mounted on the side of the aptly named Langosta Lounge…
News Quirks
Curses, Foiled Again While responding to a domestic disturbance call in Carter County, Tenn., sheriff’s Deputy Richard Barnett drove to the wrong address. Daniel Hubert Taylor Jr., 33, met Barnett at the door, invited him inside, placed his hands behind his back and said he was ready to go to jail. The Johnson City Press…
Free Will Astrology
Here’s the weekly astrological forecast for October 14 – 21, 2009. What’s your sign, baby? They’re all here… ARIES (March 21-April 19): You say you not only want to be loved, but that you also want to love? Then learn the fantasies and symbols and beliefs that hold people’s lives together. Be interested in feeling…
Green Card, White Slope
“Alien” investors are financing Vermont ski area developments. Got a problem with that?
Backcountry 911
Area rescue teams prove that Vermont’s mountains cannot be taken for granted
Candid Camera
Art Review: “The Relentless Eye: Global Cellphone Photography 2009,” Helen Day Art Center, Stowe. Through November 28.
![Giant Pumpkin Regatta [SIV147]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/episode147.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
Giant Pumpkin Regatta [SIV147]
10/11/09: The 2nd Annual Giant Pumpkin Regatta transformed the Burlington Waterfront Sunday with crowds of cheering fans and a bevy of floating pumpkin vessels. The money raised will go toward the Linking Learning to Life program called PILOT. The pumpkins were provided by the Vermont Giant Vegetable Growers Association and Eva met them at their…
Best Bites: Koto Restaurant
792 Shelburne Road, South Burlington 660-8976 Look, I know this is going to ruin my Japanese culinary cred, but I can’t help it. Just as even the most hardened, braised sea-cucumber-and-Phoenix-talon-muncher sometimes craves some General Tso, there are days that I crave a little Koto. Just because it’s Americanized Japanese food doesn’t mean it’s not well…
