Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Cancer Center Community Crusaders, a grassroots community organization that works to fund local cancer research and the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center’s Patient Resource Fund, raised more than $44K in their last fiscal year. The Patient Resource Fund decreases the financial burden of cancer by helping patients with non-clinical expenses. Funds have been used, for example, to pay for gas that allows patients to travel to and from their treatments as well as to support patients who needed costly dental work done before their treatment could begin.

by Mike Faher vtdigger.org Less than seven months after Vermont Yankee ceased producing power, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s resident inspector office at the plant went dark. But even after pulling inspectors from the Vernon nuclear facility, the NRC pledged that “periodic and targeted” monitoring would continue. Proof of that is in the NRC’s newest inspection report, a product of visiting decommissioning specialists poring over details, including operations of Vermont Yankee’s spent fuel pool; plans for a massive water-storage facility; and the proposed design of the plant’s second spent fuel pad.

From an operational standpoint, the NRC’s overall conclusion for Vermont Yankee was simple: “No findings of safety significance were identified.”

Vermont Business Magazine In recognition of the exceptional leaders who have built and sustained the Vermont State Colleges (VSC) since 1961, the Board of Trustees will confer its first Award for Extraordinary Contribution as part of the new Vermont State Colleges Hall of Fame. This awardee will be inducted to the Hall of Fame along with five accomplished alumni from each of the member colleges. The Vermont State Colleges Hall of Fame will highlight the accomplishments of the VSC’s many talented alumni and shine a spotlight on the positive impact the VSC has on the economic, intellectual, and civic wellbeing of Vermont. The winner of the Award for Extraordinary Contribution and the five alumni inductees will be recognized at the Vermont State Colleges Hall of Fame celebration on March 9, 2016 at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier. Proceeds from the event will fund scholarships for Vermont students.

Vermont Business Magazine This is the most spotless dairy barn you've ever seen. Of course, it hasn't opened yet and won't be open until November 9, but even after that it should be as tidy as any place where cows milk might ever be. After nine months of construction, the University of Vermont officially dedicated new dairy science teaching and research facilities at the Paul R Miller Agricultural Research Farm with a ribbon cutting ceremony and speeches on Thursday afternoon. The $4.1 million complex consists of a 13,176 square-foot teaching barn and milking parlor and an 8,764 square-foot dairy research barn. The new structures have been designed and built with an emphasis on energy-efficient ventilation, animal welfare and sophisticated dairy management information systems for use by faculty researchers and students.

Vermont Business Magazine The people of Vermont will now forever have access to one of the state’s most popular and well-loved recreation areas in Central Vermont—the Molly’s Falls Pond property, known by many as the “Marshfield Reservoir”. The Vermont Land Trust today announced the sale of 1,029 acres to the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation. Now called Molly’s Falls Pond State Park, the property boasts a 402-acre reservoir, roughly 35,000 feet of undeveloped shoreline, and over 600 acres of forestland. It is a popular spot for boaters and anglers and has a fishing access area and wheelchair-accessible fishing platforms managed by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Vermont Business Magazine The ground floor at 101 Main Street in the Armory Building in downtown Burlington, VT may still be under construction, but Vermont Comedy Club has announced upcoming their winter season. The venue, which will feature standup and improv comedy shows and classes, will open on November 18 with the annual Vermont’s Funniest Comedian contest, a battle of 60 local standup comedians. December classes are registering, headliners have been announced and tickets are now on sale for shows through January. (The space is also available for meetings and private events.)

by Vijay Desai Businesses typically ask consultants to help them improve what they do and how they do it. When the consultant in turn asks them how they do business today, a wide variety of answers are possible. Most often, businesses can’t describe or show documentation, because it's all in their head, or incomplete, or out of date. The consultant’s value is in helping them to understand, define / refine, document and maintain their processes, enabling them to execute, monitor and control their business to improve overall performance, reduce costs, increase revenue, or improve overall efficiency and effectiveness.

Vermont Business Magazine The Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) is pleased to announce a $5,000 contribution from Citizens Bank to support the organization's homelessness prevention efforts through the COTS’ Housing Resource Center. Citizens Bank has been a longtime supporter of the Housing Resource Center, COTS’ innovative homelessness prevention and housing retention program. Over the years Citizens Bank has donated tens of thousands of dollars to the program designed to help prevent families in crisis from becoming homeless and to move people who are in emergency shelter more quickly into stable, sustainable housing.

by Jasper Craven vtdigger.org Public health experts said last Thursday there is inadequate information on the health effects of marijuana, but said lawmakers interested in legalizing the drug should perhaps look to tobacco regulation for guidance. “When it comes to marijuana, particularly regarding the health consequences of marijuana use and the most effective public health policies to regulate this product, we are largely learning as we go,” said Shayla Livingston, a public health analyst at the Department of Health.

About 40 people attended the event, which was hosted by the Vermont Public Health Association. The crowd included Debby Haskins, executive director of the anti-legalization group SAM-VT, and Harry Chen, the state’s health commissioner.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims in Vermont increased above 600, more than doubling after its historic low of under 300 at the end of September. For the week of October 24, there were 610 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont, an increase of 57 from the previous week's total and 187 fewer than they were a year ago. Generally, claims have been running below last year's totals. Total claims were generally up a little in most regions of the state. By industry, claims fell for Manufacturing and were up for Services. As has been the trend, Services led all categories with 55 percent of all claims, the same as last week.

Vermont Business Magazine The 11^th annual Wheels for Warmth tire sales are on Saturday from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Dubois Construction in Montpelier and, for the first time, at Casella Construction in Mendon. Tire donations will also be accepted at these locations only during that time. Proceeds from both sales will benefit heating assistance programs at community action agencies around the state, such as Capstone Community Action and BROC Community Action.

Collection centers are open for drop-offs today from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. in advance of Saturday’s sale. Those locations are:

· Dubois Construction, 46 Three Mile Bridge Road, Montpelier (sale location)

· Casella Construction, Route 4, Mendon (sale location)

· Casella Waste Management, 28 Avenue C, Williston

· Percy Park, 269 Weeks Hill Road, Stowe (drop-offs from 2 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.)

Vermont Business Magazine The Public Service Department today announced the next meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2015, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Cafetorium at the Vernon Elementary School on Governor Hunt Road, Vernon, Vermont.

At the meeting the Panel will receive decommissioning updates from the State of Vermont and Entergy, including a status report from Entergy on the VY Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund and the Spent Fuel Management Plan.

The Panel is seeking written comments from the public on the advisory opinions that will be discussed and voted on at the November 12 meeting. Written comments may be emailed to the Panel at [email protected].