Current News

United Way of Chittenden County and Don Sinex of Devonwood Investors, LLC, the new owner and developer of Burlington Town Center, have announced a $50,000 challenge grant for United Way of Chittenden County which will help solidify the success of this year’s Community Campaign. If United Way can raise $50,000 before March 31, Devonwood LLC will make a campaign donation of $50,000. Sinex said he hopes the challenge will encourage other corporate and individual donors to give so United Way can continue supporting funded programs, advocacy, strategic work and volunteerism throughout the community.

Last week the Vermont House unanimously approved H4, a bill to ban the manufacture and sale of harmful plastic microbeads from personal care products and over the counter drugs. These plastic beads are problematic because they wash down drains, slip through wastewater treatment plants and end up in our waterways. Fish feed on this plastic junk food, mistaking the tiny beads for fish eggs. The plastics attract waterborne toxins which can be passed up the food chain to fish, wildlife and ultimately humans. Scientists have found high concentrations of plastics in US waterbodies. In 2012 researchers found microbead densities of 466,00 pieces per square kilometer in a section of Lake Erie. Microbeads have been found on Lake Champlain beaches.

Advantage Spectrum, LP was the high bidder for 124 licenses in the recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) AWS-3 spectrum auction (No 97) that concluded on January 29, 2015. United States Cellular Corporation's wholly owned subsidiary, USCC Wireless Investment, Inc, is a limited partner in Advantage Spectrum, LP, a Delaware limited partnership. The net license cost for the 124 licenses acquired by Advantage Spectrum amounted to $338.3 million. The one Vermont license in Addison went for $885,750.

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by Chuck Ross, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Higher education in Vermont is working together to make the state the best place for farm and food education in the country. “First,” “Most,” and “Highest” most often describe the Vermont food system. On a per capita basis, Vermont has more local and organic farms, Community Supported Enterprises, and farmers markets than any other state in the country. The state is also the per capita national leader in direct sales to consumers, and ranks #1 among the top five states for new farmers to get their start.

With the foundation of Vermont’s leadership in sustainable agriculture, food systems development, and locally-sourced food products, our state’s educators in partnership with entrepreneurs, food producers, and farmers have formed a new collaboration to redefine farm and food system higher education in Vermont.

Vermont Teddy Bear, the nation’s largest producer of handcrafted teddy bears, announces the launch of its limited-edition “Fifty Shades of Grey Bear.” Approved by bestselling author EL James, the adult gift is designed for fans enthralled with the “Fifty Shades of Grey” book and left biting their lips in anticipation for the movie.

“I’ll just say it. We’re obsessed with Grey,” says Bill Shouldice, CEO, Vermont Teddy Bear. “Our entire team is thrilled to announce the Fifty Shades of Grey Bear – not only to the millions of fans excited to see Fifty Shades on the big screen, but for anyone who really wants to impress their Valentine this year. It’s sure to be one of our most popular Valentine’s Day Bears.”

People of color considering a move to Vermont can now access a website to learn about the experiences of others who have moved to the Champlain Valley Region of Vermont. The website, www.iamavermonter.org, is funded by KeyBank and features testimonials from individuals who have moved to Vermont over the past twenty years. Testimonials describe personal experiences before and after a move, and tips for making the transition work for spouses and family.

The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce’s website will feature a link to iamavermonter.org.

Sustainability is the new hot topic for project managers in the public and private sectors. GPM Global announced today the formation of a strategic alliance that will integrate their PRiSM sustainability methods with the PieMatrix Pie online project management platform. Where the project management of yesterday focuses only on inputs and outputs, sustainable project management takes into account benefits realization and the project's overall impact on society, the environment and the economy from an asset lifecycle perspective.

"It's about innovation, and taking ownership of the greater societal need one project at a time," according toJoel Carboni, President of GPM Global, developer of PRiSM (Projects integrating Sustainable Methods), a project management framework now available in over 140 countries.

The Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce has announced that Rutland has a new “Front Door to the Region”, RutlandVermont.com. The Chamber’s website has been completely re-designed by Green Mountain Marketing & Advertising. This leading edge website has integrated new features including a responsive web design that formats to fit most internet ready devices. The new website has integrated social media plug- ins and is fully optimized for maximum search engine performance to give businesses exposure on Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Governor Peter Shumlin on Friday administered the oath of office to a number of Vermont’s State’s Attorneys elected by the people of their respective counties. State’s Attorneys represent the people of the State of Vermont in criminal court cases ranging from DUI to homicide, in child protection matters, and in family court cases.

New Hampshire Thrift Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: NHTB), the holding company for Lake Sunapee Bank, fsb, with branches in New Hampshire and Vermont, today announced results for the fourth quarter and the year ended December 31, 2014. Consolidated net income for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $2.9 million, or $0.34 per diluted common share, compared to $2.7 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2014. Consolidated net income for the year ended December 31, 2014 was $10.0 million, or $1.19 per diluted common share, compared to $8.4 million, or $1.11 per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2013.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin wants to increase Medicaid payments to reduce the ripple effect that causes privately insured people to pay more. Medicaid reimburses providers at 60 percent of what private insurers pay for services. People who pay private insurance premiums pick up the difference in higher rates in what is known as the cost shift. The governor’s proposal seeks to reduce the growth in private premiums by $90 million by implementing a 0.7 percent payroll tax. The $90 million would draw down roughly $99 million in federal Medicaid matching money for a total of $189 million for Shumlin’s health care package.

OpenTempo, a healthcare IT company that reduces the cost of providing healthcare by helping hospitals optimize workforce efficiency, is expanding its offices to accommodate its rapidly increasing staff. Between December and January, six new employees were brought on, all based in Vermont.

“OpenTempo loves being a Vermont company,” says Brian McNabb, Vice President of Professional Services. “We are able to help the local community by providing green, high-paying jobs while also helping our company's performance by adding very talented individuals with Vermont values.”

The new hires include:

Cheryl Medley, Senior Implementation Consultant
Lisa McGee, Senior Implementation Consultant

Joe Simpson, Associate Implementation Consultant

Stacy Bressette, Associate Education and Documentation Specialist
Ben Jenkins, Service Analyst

Devin Nasar, Associate Implementation Developer