Current News

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine It's been a colorful life for spirits entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta, yet his greatest challenges lie ahead. In rough order, Bhakta has been: A candidate on Donald Trump's old reality show, “The Apprentice” (he lasted nine episodes before getting “fired”); a hotel owner in Vail; a failed Republican Congressional candidate from Philadelphia; the creator/founder of WhistlePig rye whiskey; forced out of WhistlePig; the man who bought and is trying to revive the campus of Green Mountain College; and the man now trying to fund the resurrection of the college campus by making — and selling, as an investment strategy — one of the world's rarest brandies. Throw in a lot of parties, a few DUIs, and now a wife, four small children and a new job as babysitter, and you just about have it. And he's only 46 years old.

Vermont Business Magazine In a ceremony held February 7, 2022, Burlington resident Melissa Davidson, MD, a faculty physician leader at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, was invested as the inaugural holder of the Howard Schapiro, MD ’80 and Janet Carroll, MSN, MPH, Green & Gold Professorship in Anesthesiology. This endowed professorship was made possible through the generosity of its namesakes—South Hero residents and married couple Howard Schapiro, MD, and Janet Carroll, MSN, MPH—as well as the faculty of the Department of Anesthesiology in honor of their colleague and former leader, Schapiro.

​by Monica White Governor Scott has a plan to return over $50 million to Vermonters by expanding existing tax credits, and offering new ones, to make Vermont more affordable for those that already live here, and to help us to be more competitive in attracting new residents. Many of these changes are reflected in his affordability package (H.527), and one of the most important proposals increases the income thresholds for the Vermont Social Security income tax exemption. This change directly impacts Vermonters served by the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL).

​by Heather Lemon In the past, boomers and generation Xers often held on to jobs for 10 or more years. Some professionals stayed with the same company for most of their working lives. The pandemic has changed this for many, including here in Vermont. During the pandemic, many employees spent time reassessing the types of jobs they want to spend their time in. As a result of this reflection, Vermont has one of the largest labor shortages in the nation and many have become more comfortable moving from job to job. Millennials are especially adept at this. They change jobs three times more often than other generations.

HEATING UP

Leonine Public Affairs On Tuesday, the Vermont House passed Prop 5, the Reproductive Liberty Amendment. This completes the final legislative step in a four-year long process to enshrine an individual’s right to reproductive liberty in the Vermont Constitution. Prop 5 includes protections of an individual’s right to continue or end a pregnancy and access contraception. The constitutional amendment will now appear on the 2022 General Election Ballot, giving Vermont voters the final say on whether or not to amend the state’s constitution.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain Valley Equipment has acquired Essex Equipment’s Kubota Dealership. The Kubota dealership will transfer to Champlain Valley Equipment (CVE) on February 15th, 2022. At that time the dealership will be moving down the road to 157 Pearl Street in Essex Junction with plans to open doors for business on February 21. Financial terms were not released.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), will require renal dialysis and medical infusion patients arriving for services to use an alternative entrance starting Monday, February 14. Formerly used exclusively for staff, the S1 parking lot and entrance features a flagpole, and is the first right hand turn on Hospital Drive when accessed from Dewey Street. Additionally, several outpatient services will discharge patients at the same alternative location, including Medical-Surgical Units, the Intensive Care Unit, and Women’s and Children’s Services. Medical Records and Billing will also use this location for pick-ups, and patients are asked to use the phone located in the vestibule to coordinate delivery.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Jump$tart Coalition is partnering with the State Treasurer’s office and Front Porch Forum to announce an original video contest for youth, with the goal to help them better understand the importance of managing money responsibly. As of 2018, 49% of Vermonters lack a rainy day fund to cover expenses for three months, in case of emergencies such as sickness, job loss, or economic downturn. Like all good habits, learning the importance of saving as a youth is a lesson that will have a positive effect for an entire lifetime.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Scott is proposing to spend $51 million of federal money to expand cell service into Vermont’s rural areas. The effort would require siting about 100 new towers. The Legislature would have to allocate the money. The governor said at his press briefing Tuesday that so far lawmakers have not shown much interest in the proposal.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 391 cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday, which was seven fewer than Wednesday. The VDH today also reported one additional death from yesterday for 566 statewide, which was in the 70-79 age group. For the first time since September, the death rate among the "not fully vaccinated" is lower than for the "fully vaccinated."

Starting February 5, the case dashboard will not be updated on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. A breakdown of the previous days' cases will be reported on Mondays (or the day following a holiday).

by Jack Hoffman, Public Assets Institute Twenty-five years ago the Vermont Supreme Court declared the state’s education funding system to be unconstitutional. More than a third of the state's residents are too young to remember what was happening back then. And more than half of Vermonters now over 25 moved here from somewhere else. It’s safe to say, for many Vermonters, the old Foundation Plan and the ruling that ended it are distant or non-existent memories. It was the failure to provide all children with equal educational opportunity that led Vermont’s high court to strike down the funding system on February 5, 1997.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 300 students attended the thirteenth annual Vermont Entrepreneurship Week event February 9. The Small Business Administration’s recently appointed New England Administrator, Mike Vlacich, provided the opening remarks. Keeping with this year’s theme, Vermont Entrepreneurs … Building Networks, Vlacich stressed the importance of meeting people from different careers and backgrounds and the exchanging of ideas can benefit the students when they enter the professional workforce.