Current News

Leonine Public Affairs The 2020 legislative session started with a bang. The second year of the biennium usually ramps up faster than the first year - committees are already appointed and many bills are already introduced and on the schedule for consideration - but week one of 2020 was all about the November election. On Tuesday reports came out that Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman intends to run for governor. That news alone creates a huge dynamic shift in the legislature. That shift was magnified by the prospect of an open seat in the lieutenant governor’s office, which prompted an announcement by Senate President Tim Ashe that he intends to run to succeed Zuckerman. The ripple effect (and the speculation about who is running for what) was immediate.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) has negotiated an extension to the construction schedule for the North Hero – Grand Isle Drawbridge to address the unanticipated soil contamination that has been encountered while also ensuring a high-quality final product.

Vermont Business Magazine The Hoehl Family Foundation has awarded $75,000 to End of Life Services in support of their mission to provide compassionate care for those at the end of life. End of Life Services believes that every person should be able to die in comfort and with dignity. In partnership with the community, End of Life Services supports patients, families, friends, and caregivers before, during and after the dying process. End of Life Services advocates for compassionate end of life care by providing volunteers, bereavement support, music and other therapeutic practices, education for the community, training for the providers, and options for those who are unable to complete their lives in their own home.

Vermont Business Magazine Social Security phone scammers go to great lengths to trick people out of their personal information and money. They might use robocalls or live callers and in a new twist, they are now sending fake documents by email to convince people to comply with their demands.

Vermont Business Magazine MENTOR Vermont, in partnership with Comcast, is excited to announce the mentor and youth mentee honorees of the 2020 Vermont Ambassadors of Mentoring Awards. Each of this year’s 10 Ambassador mentor matches will be honored together at MENTOR Vermont’s annual Youth Mentoring Celebration at the Vermont Statehouse on Wednesday, January 22, 2020. Members of the public can read the full nominations for each of the 10 mentor and mentee matches who were chosen as Ambassadors this year, and enter a free raffle for prizes by visiting www.mentorvt.org/Ambassadors-Of-Mentoring.

Vermont Busienss Magazine Hunger Free Vermont is excited to receive a $28,586.12 grant from Shaw’s Foundation from their Hunger Is initiative to eradicate childhood hunger. The funds power Hunger Free Vermont’s work to help schools and communities throughout Vermont feed more kids a nutritious breakfast. They accomplish this by helping schools and communities understand and make the best use of the federal nutrition programs that provide opportunities for low income kids and food insecure families to gain access to healthy breakfasts in schools and summer meals programs. The funding will also help Hunger Free Vermont to develop and grow breakfast programs that incorporate proven best practices, high quality nutrition, and as much fresh, locally produced food as possible.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Works for Women (VWW) is actively recruiting participants for its Trailblazers: Women in the Construction Trades program, designed to prepare women for jobs and apprenticeships in high-demand, high-paying sectors, including construction, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and others. Along with technical skills, the program exposes participants to the range of employers and jobs available with these skills, as well as provides mentoring and networking opportunities with women working in these sectors.

Upcoming training date and location:

After 40 years, NVRH Corner Medical transitions care over to new medical director

Vermont Business Magazine As of January 1, 2020, the position of medical director at the Pines Rehab and Health has transitioned from Corner Medical-based providers Joyce Dobbertin, MD, DC; Tom Broderick, MD; Mitchel Sullivan, MD and John Scott, MD to Delores Burroughs-Biron, MSN, MD and Kate Guilmain GNP- BC. Burroughs-Biron and Guilmain will be on-site every week, offering residents and their families more availability and scheduling flexibility.

Vermont Business Magazine Greensea Systems, an industry-leading marine robotics company headquartered in Richmond, today announced plans to open an office on the waterfront in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The new location, at Cordage Park Circle, will be the company's first office outside of Vermont and will become home to a growing team of software developers and robotics engineers.

Vermont Business Magazine Berlin City Auto Group has announced its January grant donation of $83,845 awarded on behalf of its “Drive for Education” (DFE) program. The program, in its tenth year, uses proceeds from area car sales to fund grants awarded to neighboring schools. This year 46 schools in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will be receiving grants.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Katherine Schad as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Burlington. Katherine is currently serving as the Vice President of Project Support Services at Tetra Tech in Burlington, and will bring over 20 years of experience in operations, regulatory compliance, and financial and project management with global mission-driven organizations to the position. Mayor Weinberger will ask the City Council to confirm Katherine’s appointment at its meeting on January 21.

Vermont Business Magazine The State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is encouraging Vermonters to start the new decade with a commitment to trim “waste-lines.” Currently, the average Vermonter disposes over 1,300 pounds of trash per year. Over the next 5-years, the State and municipalities will help Vermonters bring the amount down to about 1,000 pounds each year. Small steps can make a difference in reaching this goal - like composting food scraps.