Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) celebrated National Homeownership Month at Putney resident Dennis Miller’s new home at Locust Hill Mobile Home Park Tuesday. Miller is the first homeowner to purchase an energy efficient modular home through USDA Rural Development’s Energy Efficient Manufactured Home Pilot Program.

“Manufactured homes have long offered an affordable housing option for many Vermonters, however older manufactured homes often have high maintenance and operational costs,” said Ted Brady, USDA Rural Development Vermont and New Hampshire State Director. “The energy cost savings of new manufactured and modular homes, combined with USDA’s long-term, low-rate, no-down-payment mortgages, offer existing and potential manufactured housing park residents new financing opportunities.”

Vermont Business Magazine Bruce Lisman’s gubernatorial campaign today announced it has released a provocative television ad about Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott’s close working relationship with Governor Peter Shumlin. The 30-second ad released by the Lisman campaign, “Breaking News,” features comments from Bruce Lisman about Phil Scott’s standing with the Governor at a press conference to support the failed state health exchange and Phil Scott’s general support of the Governor’s budgets. The ad notes that Scott has called Shumlin “fiscally prudent”.

In the ad, Bruce Lisman also stresses that he will not follow politics as usual in Vermont and will lead the state in a new direction.

The ad is being broadcast on WCAX and WPTZ, and on cable. To view the ad click here http://www.lismanforvermont.com/BreakingNewsAd

Vermont Business Magazine Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter today laid out a Vermont Energy and Climate Plan. Her plan, laid out in a statement from her campaign, is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector, supporting strong continued job growth in clean energy, and cutting energy costs for Vermonters. Minter also called on all candidates to stand up for Vermont clean energy solutions and jobs, and to oppose moratoriums and bans on clean energy technologies.

"I am the candidate who is concerned about climate change, and who wants to make more progress on energy efficiency and local renewable energy," Minter said. "It is unbelievable to me that we have candidates running for Governor in the year 2016 who want to ban renewable energy when we now have over 17,000 Vermonters proudly working in the clean energy sector." 

Vermont Business Magazine Matt Dunne, Democratic candidate for governor, today unveiled a comprehensive senior citizen policy platform including a proposal to exempt middle class Vermonters’ Social Security income from all state tax and benefit calculations. Dunne made the announcement following a visit to the Bugbee Senior Center in White River Junction. Currently, Social Security income that is taxable at the federal level is also counted as part of Vermont taxable income. In addition, all Social Security income is included in the definition of Vermont household income, which is used to calculate benefits such as property tax adjustments and renter rebates. Moreover, it is often considered a double tax because earned income tax is calculated before Social Security contributions are withheld.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University in Northfield continues its 2016 Todd Lecture Series with “Building Peace in a Fragile World,” a presentation by President of the United States Institute of Peace Nancy Lindborg, on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. in Plumley Armory. This lecture is free and open to the public and will be streamed live at tls.norwich.edu.

Vermont Business Magazine Rates of bad mortgages in the US have finally fallen below Great Recession levels, but are still historically high, as the volatility in real estate in the run-up to the recession turned out to be a reliable indicator of forthcoming trouble. Vermont has remained in the middle of the pack for non-current mortgages (foreclosures plus delinquent) for the last few years and like other states has seen dramatic reductions in the number of bad mortgages. And like other judicial states, Vermont's progress in cleaning up such mortgages has been somewhat slower than non-judicial states. Vermont's overall non-current rate was 5.4 percent (foreclosures 1.8 percent, delinquent 3.7 percent). This is down 8.9 percent from last year. It is the same rate as the US average. 

Vermont Business Magazine 'Do I have enough money saved for retirement?' —  it's a question on the minds of many soon-to-be retirees and Americans across the country — and for good reason. Surprisingly, one-third of Americans have zero retirement savings. To help Americans who look forward to retiring and preserving a quality lifestyle, GOBankingRates surveyed all 50 states plus the District of Columbia to determine not only what's affordable, but where you can actually maximize your retirement savings and live comfortably. Turns out Vermont is second worst based on measures like taxes, health insurance costs, cost of living and Social Security payments.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Gas Systems CEO Don Rendall issued a statement today saying the cost of the Addison Natural Gas Project will increase more than $11 million and is now estimated to be $165.6 million. Rendall said "virtually all" of the cost increase for the pipeline construction will be borne by the company, not ratepayers. He said the increase essentially will be offset from profits. Rendall said that a ratepayer cap agreed to last year of $134 million is still in place and that Vermont Gas is committed to finishing the entire project by the end of this year. He said some costs related to several construction disruptions from protesters and issues with the last few rights of way could add about $525,000 to the ratepayer costs.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Colleges (VSC) Chancellor Jeb Spaulding confirmed today that Vermont Technical College President Dan Smith has accepted the job of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Vermont Community Foundation and will be leaving the college in August.  The Executive Committee of the VSC Board of Trustees will meet in the coming weeks to determine a leadership transition for Vermont Tech.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington City Arts announced today the third recipient of the Herb Lockwood Prize - the largest arts prize in Vermont - is filmmaker Nora Jacobson from Norwich. Jacobson received the $10,000 prize during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at The BCA Center. The Herb Lockwood Prize aims to reward the pinnacle of arts leadership in Vermont by honoring the state’s most influential artists. The Prize recognizes artists who produce significant work in the areas of visual arts, music, writing, drama, dance, film, and fine woodworking—while also having a beneficent influence on the Vermont community. The recipient of the 2015 Prize was fine artist and typographer Claire Van Vliet from Newark, Vermont. The 2014 recipient was actor/theater director Steve Small from Middlebury, Vermont.

Vermont Businesss Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center released its 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) today, highlighting the issues that need special focus in order to improve people’s lives in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. Socio-economic factors are the most important indicators for general health with the most elusive solutions. For instance, while high blood pressure and obesity are only somewhat higher among people living at less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level (versus those above), smoking (more than triple the rate), asthma (nearly triple), diabetes (nearly triple) and lack of dental care (more than triple) are significantly higher among that demographic.

Vermont Business Magazine Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) of Central Vermont has celebrated its first graduating class of moms and babies at the State House Cafeteria in Montpelier. Nurse-Family Partnership is a national, evidence-based program that supports first-time mothers with education and care to promote healthy pregnancies and empower women to achieve better lives for themselves and their families. Nurse-Family Partnership of Central Vermont is managed out of Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) by Lorna Corbett, RN, BSN, CVHHH’s Maternal-Child Health Manager. There are four other NFP sites in the state, each run by a VNA.