Current News
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by John Herrick vtdigger.org
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would make downtown development easier and urban sprawl more difficult. The bill, H.823, is designed to encourage growth in downtown centers by exempting certain development from Act 250 review, the state’s land use and development permitting process.
Rep. Tony Klein, D-East Montpelier, who chairs the Natural Resources and Energy Committee, says some developers are driven outside city limits where it is faster and cheaper to move projects forward.
The Shumlin administration supports a statutory mechanism that would foster the vitality of tight-knit downtowns and discourage strip development. To that end, state officials proposed a provision that would ease the Act 250 permitting process for developers seeking to build in the state’s designated downtowns and growth centers.
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by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org
A draft environmental assessment for proposed development at the Newport State Airport was released in February. The Agency of Transportation will hold a public hearing on March 20 about the development and environmental impact mitigation plans.
Newport State Airport. File photo by Hilary Niles/VTDigger
In addition to the light plane manufacturing facility and possible flight school slated for the airport, key developments include:
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FairPoint Communications, Inc (Nasdaq: FRP), the largest telecommunications provider in Vermont, announced Tuesday its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2013. Revenue was down from the third quarter and for the year-to-date. The annual loss decreased in 2013 and fourth quarter 2013 showed a positive $6.1 million, compared to losses in both the third quarter and in the fourth quarter of 2012. Trading was modestly heavy during the day before the report was released with a small gain. Shares opened at $13.74 and were up $0.30 or 2.19 percent for the day. The 52-week range is $6.77 - $14.16. Trading was light after-hours.
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by Ayla Yersel The Vermont Center for Integrative Therapy (VTCIT), a South Burlington-based integrated mental health care center, is launching a few new programs in conjunction with National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, including a new family support group, training programs for practitioners to better treat eating disorders, and a new subscription model that provides special benefits to members.
Founder and Director of VTCIT Bree Greenberg-Benjamin said that the practice is launching two programs to train Vermont practitioners how to treat eating disorders-- one for local healthcare professionals, and one for their own staff.
Vermont Center for Integrative Therapy. Photo courtesy of VTCIT.
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by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org A fast-acting drug that can revive someone who has overdosed on opiates will be in the vest of every state trooper in the coming weeks, Governor Peter Shumlin announced Monday at a news conference in Waterbury.In addition, officials plan to distribute that drug, naloxone, at opiate addiction treatment centers and make it available on ambulances. Eventually the state wants to allow doctors to prescribe Narcan to patients who would be able to pick it up at the pharmacy. PHOTO: R. Gil Kerlikowske, center, President Obama’s “drug czar,” visited Vermont to see how Vermont is battling drug addiction and spoke at a news conference at which the state announced its plan to equip police and others with the opiate overdose antidote naloxone. Photo by Laura Krantz/VTDigger
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New unemployment claims rose last week after decreasing for seven consecutive weeks, or every week since the end of 2013. For the week of February 22, 2014, there were 824 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont. This is an increase of 276 from the previous week's total, and 154 fewer than they were a year ago.
Source: Vermont Dept of Labor
Altogether 8,560 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 170 from a week ago and 911 fewer than a year ago. The Department also processed 99 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 28 fewer than the previous week.
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Related Company: Vermont Gas Systems Incby John Herrick vtdigger.org
The Vermont Public Service Board denied a motion to dismiss Vermont Gas Systems’ petition to construct Phase 2 of their natural gas pipeline extension Thursday. The motion claimed the board did not have jurisdiction over the application.
Bristol attorney James Dumont, representing the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, argued that the pipeline falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — not the board— because the pipeline would cross state lines.
Dumont said Thursday the group would not appeal the decision.
“The ruling is what it is,” he said.
Vermont Gas’ application to construct the second phase of their Addison County pipeline extension would connect Middlebury to the International Paper mill in Ticonderoga, NY. The case is currently pending before the board.
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agriculture Statistic Service (NASS) released preliminary findings from the 2012 census Thursday. Conducted every five years, the ag census provides the most comprehensive data available about agriculture in Vermont and across the nation.
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The Vermont housing market continues to out-perform most of the rest of New England. The RE/MAX of New England January Monthly Housing Report shows Vermont experienced a boost in total transactions, up 10.2 percent, while median price increased just slightly at 0.08 percent year-over-year. Pending sales were up 24.3 percent year-over-year.
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The award winning environmental education program from Project Learning Tree (PLT) is expanding in Vermont. Vermont PLT is looking for individuals who wish to become Certified Project Learning Tree Facilitators. These individuals will represent organizations that have an interest in or ongoing need to train staff, students, volunteers, teachers or community partners to use conservation and environmental education activities and programs in their work.
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Related Company: Vermont Law SchoolIn an effort to encourage collaborative discussion and energize powerful thought regarding environmental issues occurring in and impacting our everyday lives, the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (VJEL) is adding to its scholarly repertoire. As of this year, VJEL transitioned to online publication and, in doing so, expanded our readership far beyond the traditional legal and policy printing. Now, we are proud to make a second revelation—EcoPerspectives!
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All women who undergo cesarean delivery are at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), a disease that can lead to long-term complications and even death, a leading perinatal expert stated during a recent webinar hosted by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI).
"Essentially every patient is in moderate risk," said Peter Cherouny, MD, Emeritus Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Vermont and Chair and Lead Faculty of the IHI Perinatal Improvement Community "The only exceptions to that would be patients under age 40 who have no other risk factors and whose surgeries are less than 30 minutes."
Dr. Cherouny added that while some cesarean surgeries are performed in less than 30 minutes, the clock for the procedure starts ticking the moment when anesthesia is administered. "If you take that into account, there is really no case of a patient in the low-risk category undergoing a cesarean section," he said.