Don Waterman with Wells River Savings Bank/Northeast Home Loan in Bradford is VHFA's top mortgage loan originator in Orange County for 2008.

VHFA's fiscal year ends June 30, so summer is when we announce all our top originators for the previous year. We'll be announcing the rest of our top originators throughout the summer.

Congratulations, Don!

Vermont's Congressional delegation held a joint press conference Monday to speak about rising home heating costs.

"If we don't dramatically increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, senior citizens on fixed incomes, the disabled, and low-income families with children will go cold this winter," said Sen. Bernie Sanders (right). "We cannot let that happen."

Sanders joined Sen. Patrick Leahy (center) and Rep. Peter Welch at the event.

Joanne Hardy with Community National Bank in Montpelier is VHFA's top mortgage loan originator in Washington County for 2008.

VHFA's fiscal year ends June 30, so summer is when we announce all our top originators for the previous year. We'll be announcing the rest of our top originators throughout the summer.

Congratulations, Joanne!

Spurred by our publication of "Family Homelessness in Vermont" (388 KB; PDF), the fourth in a series of VHFA issue papers released last week, there have been a number of stories about homelessness in local media.

The Associated Press picked up the story that appeared in The Burlington Free Press, which led to coverage in the Boston Globe and USA Today, among others. (Here's the Brattleboro Reformer's abbreviated version of the story: "Homeless families rise in Vermont".)