Current News

by Richard Davis The February 19 edition of the Vermont Business Magazine carried a piece written by Dawn Schneiderman, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, claiming that if Vermonters are allowed to enroll in Medicare supplemental plans after their initial six month eligibility period costs will rise for everyone else. I disagree. To make this issue real, look at the current cost of a Vermont Medigap Blue Plan G policy for someone initially enrolling during the initial six month window. It will cost that person $152.33 a month. If that person wants to enroll in that same plan after the six month window it will cost them $268.91 for the same coverage under Vermont Blue 65 Plan G.

Vermont Business Magazine Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is celebrating its 135th anniversary as a leader in banking, financial services, and wealth management in Northern New England. The Bank was incorporated on March 4, 1887, in Bar Harbor, Maine, where it is still headquartered. Bar Harbor has branches in Central Vermont and the Upper Valley.

Vermont State Police Interstate 89 northbound in Milton re-opened at about 12:45 am Saturday, nearly nine hours after a multi-vehicle crash occurred during heavy snow Friday afternoon. Crews from the Vermont State Police, the Agency of Transportation, numerous first response agencies and wrecker services worked together to clear the interstate between exits 17 and 18 and to ensure the roadway was safe for the resumption of vehicular traffic. Both northbound lanes were closed after the crash was reported shortly before 4 p.m. Friday. The man who was killed in the crash is identified as Stephen Ahearn, 44, of Highgate.

Leonine Public Affairs The House policy committees finalized their FY2023 budget recommendations this week, providing the House Committee on Appropriations with direction on the spending decisions they will need to make over the next few weeks. These recommendations address spending proposals made by the governor in January (in some cases supporting them, in some cases not) and additional priorities added by the policy committees. The House Committee on Appropriations is scheduled to approve the FY2023 budget by March 18. In addition to finalizing budget recommendations, committees worked to refine their priorities in time to meet crossover for policy bills, which is March 11. With the legislature on break next week for Town Meeting Day, the mid-session deadlines are fast approaching.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Fallen Heroes will receive a renewed salute following completion of a project headed by The Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Department of Buildings & General Services’ Vermont Information Centers Division, and Shadows & Light Design. This project was initially established by Floyd Moody some years ago with individual photos of Vermont fallen veterans at numerous visitor centers.

by Danny Monahan, Small Business Administration Vermont District Office Every new year millions of Americans vow this is the year they are going to lose weight, join a gym and workout every day, and yet every year in the middle of February about 80% of Americans who made a New Year’s resolution abandoned it, according to a recent study. However, the owners of a South Burlington based fitness studio think the year 2022 may be the exception because there is still a waitlist for their classes eight weeks into the new year.

The Antidote to Snowboard Competitions Where an Open Mind is All You Need

Vermont Business Magazine Burton has announced the 2022 Spring schedule for its first-ever Mystery Series, a bold new global open-format event that’s unlike anything else in snowboarding, and the antidote to elite competitions. This inaugural series will feature nine events across the globe, bringing together riders of all ages and abilities under a shared love of snowboarding to showcase creativity, self-expression, and good times - all under a cloak of mystery.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) was in Burlington Thursday to highlight funding for Lake Champlain and water and wastewater infrastructure in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA). With $55 billion in funding for water quality, the IIJA is the single largest investment in water in the nation’s history. Included in that funding is $40 million over the next five years for the Lake Champlain Program, $8 million per year. This money will enable the Lake Champlain Basin Program to take on more and larger projects to address excess phosphorous and other threats to the lake. It is in addition to the funding in the federal government’s annual appropriations bills.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 227 cases of COVID-19 for Thursday. This is up 21 from yesterday and just above the 7-day average of 220. Hospitalizations and ICU have fallen dramatically the last two weeks. The CDC is easing masking recommendations because of the reduction in pressure on the health care system.

Waples Will Be First Woman of Color to Serve on State’s Top Court

Vermont State Police Jessica Robishaw, who was wanted on charges arising from the shooting of two people in the town of Holland on Jan. 1, 2022, has surrendered to the Vermont State Police. Robishaw, 34, of Orleans County turned herself in on Thursday, Feb. 24, at the state police barracks in Williston. She is charged with being an accessory after the fact to the shooting of Jason Willey and Valerie Lyon. Jan Michael Valverde, 27, of New Haven, Connecticut, was arrested on unrelated charges Jan. 18, 2022, by police in his home state.