State and local law enforcement in Vermont will receive more than $8.5 million in federal grant assistance to help with prevention and preparedness, US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday.  The grants will be released Thursday by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

The Green Mountain College Farm & Food Project has been awarded $100,000 from Jane’s Trust to research the market potential for flash-frozen products, using a mobile flash-freeze unit provided to the College and several regional collaborators by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.

For the first time ever, University of Vermont President Daniel Mark Fogel, PhD, will confer medical degrees upon graduates in the UVM College of Medicine’s Class of 2011 during the school’s Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 22, at 2:30 pm in UVM's Ira Allen Chapel. Marcia Angell, MD, senior lecturer in social medicine at Harvard Medical School and the first woman to serve as editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, will deliver the keynote address.

The Vermont State Treasurer’s Office has received more than $9 million in new unclaimed property since the fiscal year began July 1. The annual deadline for holders of unclaimed property to turn over funds to the State was May 1 and thousands of dollars continue to be received by the Unclaimed Property Division.  http://www.vermonttreasurer.gov/unclaimed-property 

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved legislation to boost accountability for corporations and individuals responsible for environmental crimes. The Environmental Crimes Enforcement Act (ECEA) is aimed at deterring environmental crime while protecting and compensating victims of environmental crimes.

GE Aviation's Rutland facility shared its energy reduction strategies with leading Vermont industrial businesses along with state and Congressional leaders at a special meeting on May 18 at the GE Aviation Rutland facility. GE has saved 15 million kilowatt hours of electricity and nearly 8,000 tons of CO2 in emissions reduced.

Spring is in full bloom as New England experienced month-over-month growth of +10.9% with each state making a positive contribution. Vermont’s month-over-month increase of 18.7 percent was second only to Maine; however, at 184 days on the market, Vermont homes sold slower than any other New England State. The granite state of New Hampshire is the only state that has shown consistent month-over-month growth since January. While sales have not bounced back to 2010 levels, increased inventory, higher prices are all signs of a recovering market and strong spring.

The Vermont Farm Viability Program announced today the award of $95,000 in grants and $62,700 in technical assistance awards to Vermont farmers to assist them in implementing their farm business plans completed through the program. In this latest round of funding, 21 farmers around the state received grants ranging from $650 to $7,000. An additional 21 farmers received technical assistance awards ranging from $700 to $4,000 to cover the cost of consulting with specialists. Among the implementation grants presented:

Average mortgage fell week-over-week according to the LendingTree Weekly Mortgage Rate Pulse, which tracks the lowest and average mortgage rates offered by lenders on the LendingTree network. 

Governor Peter Shumlin has signed into law legislation that ensures Vermont’s roads are safe for all users, requiring transportation policy to take into account the needs of motorists, bicyclists, public transportation users and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.  “This law will guarantee that we’re designing roads that work for the future – for older Vermonters, for those who choose to take public transportation, for people who opt to walk to their jobs and errands, and for motorists,” the governor said.