Current News
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by Mike Barwell, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Three national organizations have confirmed Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s (DHMC) leadership for providing the highest quality of patient care. The distinctions include accreditation with the Gold Seal of Approval by The Joint Commission, a four-star rating for patient satisfaction on Hospital Compare; and recertification as the region’s primary trauma center:
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The Brookfield Floating Bridge Celebration Planning Committee has announced today two-day celebration focused around the opening of the 8th Brookfield Floating Bridge on May 23 and 24. Festivities will take place in the center of Brookfield, Vermont, in the vicinity of Hippo Park, the floating bridge, and the Old Town Hall. The Brookfield Floating Bridge is the only bridge of its kind east of the Mississippi. There have been seven bridges over the past centuries, and the opening of this bridge marks the eighth bridge traversing the lake. The bridge, designed by TY Lin and constructed by the Kenyon Corporation and Miller Construction, is expected to last 100 years.
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US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will present 34 citizenship candidates to the Vermont District Court during a special venue naturalization ceremony at the Neshobe School in Brandon on Wednesday, May 6. USCIS will present the candidates to the Honorable Colleen A. Brown, US Bankruptcy Judge, US District Court Vermont District, who will administer the Oath of Allegiance to America’s newest citizens.
The Honorable Judge Brown and representatives from Vermont’s congressional delegation will welcome the new the citizenship candidates and their guests. Musical selections will be performed by the Neshobe School 5th and 6th grade chorus and the Preamble to the Constitution will be performed by the 5th grade students.
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Governor Peter Shumlin will sign new legislation passed in the 2015 session strengthening Vermont’s captive legislation in a variety of areas including groundbreaking changes to the investment guideline to allow marketable securities along with cash, trusts and letters of credit to meet the minimum capital requirement. Governor Shumlin will hold a ceremonial signing of the bill alongside captive insurance industry professionals on May 7, in Burlington.
“These improvements in Vermont’s law may seem technical,” Governor Shumlin said, “but taken as a whole they continue to advance Vermont’s standing as the ‘Gold Standard’ for domiciles and will provide greater flexibility and clarity going forward for our companies.”
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After a warm, dry weekend and a Red Flag warning yesterday that ended with more than 25 new reports of wild fires, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has issued an order for all of the state's forest fire wardens to cease issuing burning permits as of 3 pm on May 5 through May 19. A Red Flag Warning means there are critical fire weather conditions including low relative humidity, high winds with little to no precipitation had fallen in the past few days. Fires that ignite during these conditions spread rapidly and with high intensity. The ban may be revoked or extended based upon weather conditions.
"We have received notification from many Forest Fire Wardens that they have stopped issuing permits in their towns," said Lars Lund, Vermont Forest Fire Supervisor, “This non-burn order supports their efforts.” This ban is a cooperative effort between FPR and the Green Mountain National Forest.
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Satellite television retailers sent a letter to lawmakers today urging the Legislature to reject a Senate proposal to impose a new tax on satellite television subscribers. This tax would be an addition to the 6% tax already paid by Vermonters making the total tax among the highest in the nation.
Satellite television retailers across Vermont sell and service satellite television for about 100,000 Vermonters. They say the plan will give cable an unfair advantage. This tax hike targets Vermonters who depend on satellite television for news, emergency information and entertainment, costing them millions of dollars. In addition, the cost of doing business for this industry will go up and could lead to job losses.
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Three alumni and their families have made gifts totaling $5 million to endow three head coaching positions at Dartmouth College. With these three gifts — supporting men’s soccer, women’s tennis, and men’s Nordic skiing — Dartmouth is $3.5 million away from its goal to raise $20 million in permanently endowed coaching positions to increase the school’s ability to attract and keep the best coaches and athletes in the Ivy League.
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Vermont Business Magazine Following an executive shakeup involving its chief technology officer, Waterbury-based coffee company Keurig Green Mountain (NASDAQ: GMCR) issued this statement: “Kevin Sullivan, formerly Keurig’s Chief Technology Officer, remains with the company and has no plans to leave. Over the past 15 months, Kevin and Brian Kelley, Keurig’s President and CEO, have been working closely together to shift Kevin’s responsibilities at his request. Kevin will now focus exclusively on critical technology initiatives for the company. In April 2015, following a comprehensive search to find the best candidate to serve as Keurig’s Chief Technology Officer, Mark Choe assumed the position, joining Keurig from Whirlpool Corporation. Since Mark began in his role, he and Kevin have been working closely together to ensure a seamless transition. There has been no shake-up in our R&D division.”
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by Morgan True vtdigger.org The Green Mountain Care Board rejected a request from the University of Vermont Medical Center to spend an additional $1.45 million on planning for a proposed $187.3 million inpatient facility still under review by the regulatory board. The board denied the request for additional planning money because the hospital wanted to proceed with “preconstruction services” that were supposed to begin after the final project was approved.
Al Gobeille, the board chair, declined to comment because the matter is still pending.
The hospital wants to build a 180,000-square-foot facility that would include 128 single-occupancy rooms and is expected to cost $187.3 million to complete. The seven-story structure would be located on the west side of the hospital’s property in Burlington above the existing emergency department parking lot.
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Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin attended KidSafe Collaborative’s Annual Outstanding Service Awards and congratulated the honorees for their efforts to improve child safety and wellbeing, at a luncheon held April 16 at the Sheraton Burlington.
The 2015 Awards were presented to:
Outstanding Professional: Steve McLaughlin, Social Worker, Vermont Department
for Children and Families, Family Services Division – Burlington Office.
Outstanding Promising Professional: Ashley Sargent, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids
Recruiter, Lund – Family Adoptions Unit.
Gregory Packan Esq. Award for Outstanding Children’s Advocacy: Melissa
McConnell, School Social Worker, Howard Center/Orchard Elementary School
Outstanding Volunteers: Youth Councilors and Participants, Diversity Rocks!
International Youth Group.
Outstanding Collaboration: VT Child Health Improvement Program, University
of Vermont Children’s Hospital.
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Each baby born at a Vermont hospital on May 29 this year will receive a $100 deposit into a Vermont 529 college savings account opened in his or her name by the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems is joining VSAC, which administers Vermont’s 529 college savings plan, to help educate Vermont families about saving for college for their children.
“We are excited to partner with VSAC on 529 Day because it’s another way our community hospitals can be there for Vermonters at every stage of life,” said VAHHS CEO and President Bea Grause. “Our members are dedicated to providing high quality, affordable, accessible health care. And the health care reforms we’re working on now connect Vermonters with tools to help them succeed far beyond the walls of their local hospital.”
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by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Just as the state economists suggested might happen in regards to personal income tax revenues, April receipts were the largest on record in the state of Vermont at $160.76 million, in data released today. The economists made this prediction in large part because of growing corporate profits in 2014 that did not show up in typical personal income withholding, but had to be accounted for once taxes were filed. Corporate, Sales and Rooms & Meals tax receipts were also ahead of their targets, finally pushing overall tax revenues ahead of expectations.