Current News

by Paul Costello I’ve been wrestling with a sentence that typifies the mission of our times, and have come to this: “We need to end the fundamental threat that climate change presents to our ability to provide for our children.”

We can accomplish this by engaging two of the most wonderful features of common humanity: Our creativity and our neighborliness―our care for one another.  These Vermont attributes seem like a strong foundation for our collective commitment for mutuality in decision-making and action, and hence to our democracy.  Creativity, plus neighborliness, plus democracy, equals power. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Revenue collection in the General Fund was essentially on target for the month of May and remains significantly above target for the year at about $50 million. The Transportation Fund performed above its monthly target for May but remains slightly below its annual target. The Education Fund was slightly below its monthly and annual targets. Secretary of Administration Susanne Young today released Vermont’s Revenue Results for May 2019. May marks the eleventh month of Fiscal Year 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine Sarah Leblanc seems never to have encountered a closed door she couldn’t open. Take, for example, the challenges she encountered when starting up Georgia’s Next Generation, her new early care & learning center. Located in Georgia, Franklin County, where need for quality early care & learning programs is among the highest in the state, Sarah’s plan for Georgia’s Next Generation would open doors for local families and children from the get-go.

Vermont State Police On June 19, 2019 at approximately 0800 hours Vermont State Police Troopers responded to Charlotte to investigate the larceny of tools from a Middlebury Fence Company, Renovate construction site located at 3488 US Route 7 in Charlotte. Unknown individual(s) accessed the construction site and stole approximately $10,410 worth of tools from a locked trailer.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (Blue Cross) and the University of Vermont (UVM) Medical Center have announced the launch of a new program for people living with chronic pain: The Partners Aligned in Transformative Healing (PATH) program at UVM Medical Center’s Comprehensive Pain Program (CPP). By treating chronic pain holistically, PATH participants gain a variety of skills and techniques to manage symptoms, increase comfort, and improve function.

Vermont Business Magazine Innovative dairy and brewery owners are breathing new life into many Vermont communities, catering to growing consumer demand for fine craftsmanship, quality, and responsibly-made products. To help support environmental sustainability and profitability in these industries, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is launching a Green Dairy Cohort and Green Brewery Cohort. 

Vermont Business Magazine NorthCountry Federal Credit Union held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, June 14 at 854 Center Street for a new 3,400 square feet building. Work is expected to be completed in January 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) has released a round of funding for the Agricultural Clean Water Initiative Program (Ag CWIP) to support agricultural water quality programs that address Vermont water quality. Local and regional partners play a vital role in the education, outreach, and technical assistance for farmers as well as verification of conservation practices that will achieve reductions in nutrient runoff from agricultural operations. Additionally, partners provide a critical link between state agency programs, federal agency programs and landowners.

Vermont Business Magazine The long-term health of Lake Champlain’s ecosystem—currently under threat from a number of man-made factors—is crucial to economic vitality and quality-of-life in the entire region.  For this reason, F. Peter Rose (Class of 1954) has made a new $1 million gift to support the use of research vessels by the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory.  The gift will create a permanently endowed fund that will yield vital annual support for the operation, maintenance, and repair of the Rubenstein Lab’s fleet of watercraft and their instrumentation. 

Vermont Business Magazine The International Association of Insurance celebrated IAIP week in May.  In honor of this week The Vermont Association of Insurance Professionals chose to give back to the community.

Vermont Business Magazine A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive July 8, 2019 to examine all aspects of the University Of Vermont Department Of Police Services’ policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services. Verification by the team that UVM Police Services meets the commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to retain accreditation---a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, according to Chief Lianne M Tuomey.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.  The session will be conducted in room 403, located in the Dudley Davis Center, UVM campus, Burlington, VT.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont improved six places in the 2019 senior health rankings over last year, placing at number 8, and a recent study found that most earthworms in Vermont soil are invasive species introduced in the 18th and 19th centuries. The state was ranked at 47 out of 50 by Forbes in its rankings of states for business, and other research news from CRVT.