Holiday gatherings, travel have some impact on virus numbers
By LISA RATHKEJanuary 8, 2021 GMT
Vermont ranks second in the nation in the pace of receiving and administering COVID-19 vaccines per 100,000 people, Human Services Agency Secretary Mike Smith said Friday.
As of Thursday night, 21,000 Vermonters had been vaccinated, he said during the state’s biweekly briefing on the coronavirus.
“However we need to keep accelerating our pace of vaccinations, even as supplies remain uneven and often disappointing,” Smith said.
The state has now included about 4,500 first responders such as police and firefighters among the first group to receive the vaccine, he said.
Grant Invests in Logger Certification to Support Green Economy
CONCORD, NH The Future Forest Economy Initiative is investing $250,000 to enhance markets for certified wood and to strengthen the supply chain for wood in the Northern Forest region through a grant to the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNEF).
“Only a fraction of the forestland in our region is green certified,” said Joe Short, vice president of the Northern Forest Center, which manages the Future Forest Economy program. “Certifying logging companies through TCNEF’s Master Logger program will increase the volume of certified, sustainably harvested wood available to the region’s mills. Certified lands alone are not enough to meet demand for certified wood in the region.”
Northern Forest Center grew out of a congressional mandate to support the development of markets for wood products. This is the fourth grant in a three-year program that will invest $2.6 million to expand innovation, create market demand and create conditions that will allow businesses and communities to benefit from these innovations.
The Northeast Master Logger program is a performance-based certification for logging companies in seven Northeastern states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. It provides a unique third-party certification of a logging company’s work in the woods rather than certifying the forestland, as other programs do.
Fire calls: 4
Dec. 11 at 8:27 a.m., Shelburne Fire and Rescue responded to a false alarm at Exterus Business Furniture.
Dec. 11 at 9:43 a.m., guests at Countryside Motel got into an argument about personal property. Police oversaw the exchange of a cell phone and other personal items.
Dec. 11 at 6:41 p.m., a man and woman arguing in the parking lot of the Pet Food Warehouse were disgruntled when police arrived. No physical assault had happened, and they didnât want any help.
Dec. 12 at 4:13 a.m., before a 911 call and hang up disconnected, police could hear a woman asking for help. Shelburne Police assisted Vermont State Police in checking on the incident on Route 7 near State Park Road. Vermont State Police talked to the woman. She was OK and did not need help.