Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) announced Tuesday that the US Department of Agriculture will be reopening the enrollment next week for the much-improved Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). The changes implement improvements that Leahy included in the Bipartisan Budget Act in February to give Vermont dairy farmers a far more cost-effective risk protection option. Reopening enrollment is especially important now as dairy farmers are experiencing a difficult year with falling prices for their milk.

Leahy wrote and pressed for enactment of the reforms in his role as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Leahy also is a leading member and former Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

by Representative Heidi E Scheuermann, R-Stowe On Thursday evening (April 5th), the House General, Housing and Military Affairs Committee, the committee on which I serve, will be having a Public Hearing on S. 40, the bill that would increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour. I have written some about this topic in the past, and shared with readers my significant concerns about this legislation, but further investigation and testimony received about it have only served to solidify those concerns.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency released Vermont’s clean water report card today. The report evaluates the state’s efforts to implement the Lake Champlain phosphorus reduction goals. The EPA commended the state’s work in meeting nearly 90 percent of its water quality milestones, and for making significant progress toward the remaining milestones.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency reversed the agency’s previous decision to increase federal fuel efficiency requirements, known as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The efficiency standards would have required cars to reduce polluting emissions for model years 2022-2025. These standards were adopted in 2012, after intensive analysis and with support of automakers. Existing standards have led to transportation innovation and accelerated the progress of electric and hybrid electric vehicles. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the 2012 standards were not appropriate and he especially wants to rein-in California's even stricter emission standards.

The Conservation Law Foundation, Vermont Conservation Voters, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Vermont Natural Resources Council, VPIRG issued their own press release Tuesday in response to the EPA's announcement.

by Bill Schubart While most of the civilized world has abandoned execution for moral as well as practical reasons, President Trump is now proposing an expanded application of the death penalty – traditionally applied only in first degree murder cases – for all “major” drug dealers.

And even then, the death penalty has become so problematic and costly that the thirty-one states where it’s still legal only executed, or tried to execute, twenty-three people last year. The legal and correctional cost of execution vastly exceeds the cost of a life sentence.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont farms have built up a massive phosphorus surplus – one that is growing at an estimated 1,500 tons per year – as farmers continue to import large quantities of animal feed and fertilizer, a new University of Vermont study says.

Vermont Business Magazine In a startling report released today, National Safety Council research shows just 13 states and Washington, DC, have implemented comprehensive, proven actions to eliminate opioid overdoses and help protect their residents. In Prescription Nation, a digest analyzing how states are tackling the worst drug crisis in recorded US history, the Council assigned its highest mark of "Improving" to Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, DC, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger on Monday night delivered the State of the City Address in City Hall’s Contois Auditorium, during which he said that the city is a place of opportunity, is in a strong position, and that it will grow even stronger in the years ahead, "as we work to ensure that all residents benefit from our recent progress and have a voice in our future direction." That reference was to his re-election challenge in which opponents contended he was out of touch with the average Burlingtonian, especially in respect to the $225 million Church Street mall redevelopment and the sale of the city-owned Burlington Telecom to an Indiana firm.

Governor Phil Scott, Attorney General TJ Donovan, the City Council, city department heads, and other city employees and community members were also in attendance.

Vermont Business Magazine Mamava has announced the launch of The Mamava Mini by Steelcase, the result of a design collaboration between Mamava, expert in lactation accommodations; and Steelcase, a global leader in office furniture, interior architecture and space solutions. The Mamava Mini is a compact lactation suite that provides an affordable, easy-install option for office settings.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center has begun a nurse residency program designed to ease the transition of newly graduated nurses from the classroom to clinical practice. Research indicates programs like this promote quality and safety of care, and reduce turnover rates for first-year nurses. The one-year experience is based on the Vizient and American Association of Colleges of Nursing (Vizient/AACN) Nurse Residency Program™, and is open to all graduating nurses hired by UVM Medical Center with licensing from an accredited school.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) and Terry Bicycles are back with the fifth running year of Wellness Revolution, a program designed to promote healthier lifestyles for Vermont women through cycling. Registration for the five-week program begins on March 27 and ends on April 13. Space is limited and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Megan Peek, community relations and health education manager at BCBSVT shares, “We encourage women of all cycling levels to join us! This five-week program not only advances our participants’ cycling abilities but also provides them an opportunity to connect with other women in a fun, supportive environment.”

Peek adds, “BCBSVT and Terry also urge area businesses to let their employees know about this program. We’re also happy to talk with businesses on how to integrate this into a company wellness program.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Behavioral Health Early Childhood program of Community Care Network in Rutland has received grants from The Vermont Country Store and Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Program to support the launch of two specialized children’s mental health treatment programs in Rutland. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and Child Parent Psychotherapy have recently been introduced to help with specific behavioral and mental health difficulties that some families with young children face, according to Lauren Norford, LICSW, Manager of Early Childhood Mental Health Programs.