Current News

by Representative Heidi Scheuermann (R-Stowe) This is the final scheduled week of the 2019 Legislative Session, and, as is the case every year, the end-of-session final pushes and battles are front and center. With regard to the bill that would provide the opportunity for school districts forced to merge a year extension to do so (which passed the House by 134-10), I continue to be exceptionally disappointed in, and frustrated with, the House conferees on the H. 39 Conference Committee. Although there was overwhelming support for the bill in the House, the bill is now stalled in a House-Senate Conference Committee, largely due to bad faith negotiations on the part of the House.
 

Vermont Business Magazine A local family-owned business is being recognized by the federal government for its 40 years of growth. DJ's Tree Service, owned and operated by Jim and Lisa Myers, has been named the 2019 Vermont Family-Owned Business of the Year by the Small Business Administration. The company is one of the largest professional tree care, removal and restoration services in northern Vermont and the Burlington area.

Jim Myers and his then business partner Dean Bumstead started the business in the 1970s with only a truck, a chain saw and a few basic hand held tools. The two were groundskeepers at the University of Vermont who often performed tree service as side work, but then decided to strike out on their own.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Precision Tools (VPT), the Swanton manufacturer of high quality precision tools used in the automotive, medical and aeronautic industries, and Vermont HITEC, Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to high-quality workforce development, are accepting applications for the latest advanced manufacturing program that will lead to guaranteed full time jobs with Vermont Precision Tools upon successful completion. Up to 12 selected participants will attend a 4-week program starting July 29th, 2019 with employment beginning August 26th.

Vermont Business Magazine Renovations are currently underway at Twin River Health Center in downtown White River Junction to accommodate expanded patient services. Effective June 3, Twin River, part of the Gifford Health Care network, will offer physical therapy and podiatry in addition to the urology services currently offered at the location. Most significant among the planned changes is the move of Advance Physical Therapy, a Gifford clinic in Wilder, to Twin River Health Center.

Vermont Business Magazine At a Burlington airport press conference today, Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) unveiled legislation moving through Congress that will crack down on unwanted and often predatory robocalls. Welch was joined at the press conference by Attorney General TJ Donovan and Kathryn Ottinger of Shelburne, a Vermont senior being bombarded with daily robocalls.

“Vermonters are fed up with intrusive robocalls that are annoying at best and predatory at worst,” said Welch. “The calls often originate from scam artists intent on ripping off unsuspecting consumers, particularly seniors. Our bill gives the FCC the tools it needs to be the cop on the beat to go after these bad actors.”

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University celebrated commencement during its 200^th year of educating citizen soldiers in service to the nation with a ceremony on Saturday, May 11, in Shapiro Field House, in which 444 students graduated from 32 undergraduate programs and one master’s program. At a 2 p.m. ceremony, New York Times best-selling author and historian Alex Kershaw, who penned “Citizens & Soldiers: The First 200 Years of Norwich University,” gave the commencement address to the Class of 2019 in Norwich’s bicentennial year.

Vermont Business Magazine The American Lung Association and its LUNG FORCE initiative is turning the country turquoise during National Women’s Lung Health Week (May 12-18) to raise awareness of the #1 cancer killer of women in the US. Communities across the State of Vermont, including staff at the Vermont Lung Center, will be dressing in Turquoise for Turquoise Takeovers, as landmarks throughout the country will be illuminated in  the signature color of LUNG FORCE. This year, LUNG FORCE is celebrating five years of lifesaving impact and uniting the nation to raise critical funds to support lung cancer research.

​Vermont Business Magazine National Life donated a building and two acres surrounding it to Orchard Valley Waldorf School where the Child’s Garden preschool program is housed. The Child’s Garden, located at 155 Northfield Street in Montpelier, is one of three Orchard Valley Waldorf campuses.

Vermont Business Magazine Americans have the moral imperative to challenge prejudice courageously, welcome immigrants and understand that voting is a privilege and power to be used for good, 2019 Commencement speaker Karen Korematsu told Saint Michael’s College’s graduates on Sunday morning, May 12, in the Ross Sports Center.

Vermont Business Magazine A group of concerned business owners and operators in Bennington have been working with the local Bennington Regional Chamber of Commerce to pull together a multi-effort project to provide financial support for staff and faculty of Southern Vermont College. In early March of this year the Southern Vermont College trustees determined there was “no way forward” for the college because of enrollment decline and debt. Therefore the college announced its closure by the end of this spring semester.

Vermont Business Magazine Families and staff congratulated recipients of the 18^th annual Rose Black Nursing Excellence and seventh annual LNA Excellence in Clinical Practice awards during Nurses Week celebrations at The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) in Berlin on May 9. The awards were presented by Matthew Choate, Chief Nursing Officer, as well as leaders and colleagues who work alongside the recipients.

Vermont Business Magazine At Monday night’s Burlington City Council meeting, following a public forum and a presentation from Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo regarding the Department’s use of force policy, training, and reviews, Mayor Miro Weinberger delivered the following statement:

Thank you Chief del Pozo for that detailed presentation, and I want to thank everyone here for coming out tonight to have this important conversation together.

I want to start by acknowledging that the past few weeks have been challenging for the community and our police department. I empathize with the anguish and anger felt by those whose family members have been hurt in recent police incidents, and I understand why the public has been unsettled by the videos and images that have been released about them.