Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A national study found that states which rated highly for mental health care access also saw significant decreases in depression from 2014 to 2018. Massachusetts had the second-best access to mental healthcare and saw a 16% decrease in depression rates over a five year period. Vermont had the best access to mental healthcare and saw a 2.75% decrease in depression rates, but still finished 8th highest highest.

On the opposite end, states with low ratings to mental health care access mostly saw increases in depression rates from 2014 to 2018.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (VPPSA) is announcing several new rebate offerings to help customers of its municipal electric utility members adopt clean technology. Beginning January 1, 2020, customers can get more money back for heating, traveling, and even taking care of yard work using efficient electric appliances. To combat greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, which account for 47% of Vermont’s overall greenhouse gas emissions, VPPSA has increased electric vehicle rebate incentives and expanded offerings to include pre-owned vehicles and charging equipment. VPPSA member utility customers who purchase or lease an electric vehicle in 2020 can receive $1,000 back, increased from $800 in 2019. Customers who purchase or lease a plug-in hybrid can receive $500 back, increased from $400 in 2019.

by Brandon Arcari, Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board has approved Fiscal Year 2020 budgets for Vermont’s 14 regulated hospitals. The FY 2020 changes include a targeted 3.5 percent growth in net patient revenue over the previous year, and a weighted average increase in hospital charges by 3.1 percent. The GMCB ultimately approved a cut to the increase in system-wide net patient revenue from 4.6 to 4.3 percent, or $7.3 million less than the hospitals cumulatively requested but above the 3.5 percent goal.

​Vermont Business Magazine As expected, The University of Vermont Medical Center today named Stephen Leffler, MD, as its next president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. Dr Leffler had been serving as the interim president since his predecessor Eileen Whalen, RN, stepped down earlier this year. The hospital had said it would look internally for the next president. Whalen was brought in after an external search in 2015.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Conservation announced today that Webber Discount Fuel, Inc, of Sunderland was fined $1,500 for failing to report a release of heating oil to the environment and failing to take appropriate responsive actions to protect the public and environment from the release.

In January 2019, Keith Webber of Webber Discount Fuel released fuel oil on Melendy Hill Road in South Londonderry when his delivery truck experienced a mechanical failure. Webber then left the site without taking appropriate action to contain the release and without reporting the spill to DEC. The South Londonderry Fire Department responded to the site after the release was reported by a nearby resident. Contaminated snow and soil were removed from the site after Webber, at the direction of the Agency, returned with a contractor to clean up the release.

Vermont Business Magazine The 6th Annual Jingle Bell on December 7 at the Mount Snow Grand Summit Resort Hotel in Dover, VT, hosted a crowd of 189 people and raised more than $70,000 for Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) and the SVMC Deerfield Valley Campus. 

“We truly enjoyed bringing our friends and neighbors from the Deerfield Valley together for this special night in support of high quality care in our communities,” said Leslie Keefe, SVHC’s vice president for corporate development. “We are grateful for the event’s success and for the generosity of our sponsors, the hard work and enthusiasm of the Jingle Bell Committee, and eager support from attendees.”

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy, US Senator Bernie Sanders, and US Representative Peter Welch recognized 22 young Vermonters who are nominated to United States Service Academies to be members of the Class of 2024. At an annual reception in the Cedar Creek Room at the Vermont State House, nominees from across Vermont on Saturday received nomination certificates signed by each member of the Vermont Congressional Delegation.

The names of this year’s nominees, selected by Leahy, Sanders, and Welch through a competitive vetting process, and forwarded to the Academies for final decisions, are:

Mr. Oliver Austin of Essex Junction, Vermont (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy)

Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch

Mr. Daniel Bandler of Norwich, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)

Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch

Vermont State Police On December 28, 2019, the Vermont State Police were notified of a skiing accident at the Killington Ski Resort. The lone victim, Jason Vitale, was transported to the Rutland Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Vitale was traveling at a high rate of speed on an intermediate trail, when he lost control and collided with a tree. Vitale was not wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. Vitale was quickly moved off the mountain by members of the Killington Ski Patrol, however went into cardiac arrest while being transported to the hospital where he later died as a result from his injuries.

CASE#: 19B405829

TROOPER: Det. Sgt. Jams Wright                                                               

STATION:  Shaftsbury                 

CONTACT#: 802-442-5421

DATE/TIME: December 28, 2019 at approximately 1500 hours

LOCATION: Killington Ski Resort

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is tracking multiple forecasts as teams plan to respond as quickly and safely as possible to outages from a large winter storm forecasted for the Northeast region Sunday night through Monday into Tuesday. Meteorologists say freezing rain, wind and wet snow are all possible throughout Vermont, with the southern part of the state - Rutland, Bennington, Windsor and Windham counties - expected to see the most ice accumulation and possible damage from this storm. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) welcomes applications from Vermont businesses seeking to vend at the Vermont Building at the Eastern States Exposition (Big E) located in West Springfield, Massachusetts from September 18 – October 4, 2020.  Help grow your Vermont business and the state economy with this special opportunity at the Vermont building to reach a larger market.

Vermont Business Magazine A Vermont based Web Development and Digital Marketing firm is celebrating its 20th year of business on January 1, 2020. Eternity has launched over 800 websites throughout the years and will be recognizing its 20 years of success by releasing an all-new website of their own. In addition, they have decided to donate a website to a non-profit of their choosing and acknowledge the many non-profits they have had the pleasure of working with.

Public Assets Institute State of Working Vermont 2019, published in a readable chart-book format with brief explanatory text, takes a close look at a number of indicators to see how Vermonters and their families were faring economically at the end of 2018—the latest year for which most data are available—and how conditions have changed, for better or worse, in recent years. It also points out that Vermont’s level of public investment has been flat for a quarter of a century and that our failure to make timely public investments is creating serious consequences for Vermonters.