Current News

Governor Phil Scott appointed Kim Gleason of Essex and Jenna O’Farrell of St. Johnsbury to the State Board of Education on Monday. Gleason and O’Farrell will fill the vacancies of outgoing Board members Mark Perrin and Stacy Weinberger, whose terms expired in March.

“It’s never easy to step up for public service, so I appreciate Kim and Jenna taking on this important work,” said Governor Scott. “As our demographics continue to shift, the State Board of Education, my Administration, local administrators, educators, local boards and the Legislature must all work together to ensure we provide high-quality and equitable education to kids across our diverse schools and school districts. Kim’s and Jenna’s experience and perspective will be a great addition to the Board.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) Board of Commissioners announced yesterday that its annual allocation of federal and state housing tax credits will support the development of 214 permanently affordable apartments in nine communities across the state. Low and moderate income Vermont renters will benefit from a 12.5 percent increase in Vermont’s annual allocation enacted by Congress last year.

Vermont Business Magazine The local Perinatal Marijuana Use Task Force is expanding its efforts to educate patients and the public about risks associated with marijuana use while pregnant or breastfeeding through a recently launched campaign, “Marijuana Use and Our Baby.”

Vermont Business Magazine Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS), southeastern Vermont’s non-profit community mental-health agency, announced today that it received the Governor’s 2018 Excellence in Worksite Wellness Award for the fifth year in a row. The agency focuses significant resources each year on the health and wellness of its more than 550 employees.

Vermont Business Magazine Last month, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) OB/GYNs Malcolm Paine, MD, and Kimberley Sampson, MD, joined 700 OB/GYNs from across the country to advocate for the passage of three acts that would help prevent maternal deaths. The meeting was an effort of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Paine chairs SVMC’s Department of Obstetrics and ACOG’s Vermont Chapter. Sampson serves as vice chair of ACOG’s Vermont Chapter.

Vermont Business Magazine Bromley Mountain Ski Resort’s President Bill Cairns (left) presented $5,000 to President and CEO of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Thomas A. Dee (right) on Thursday, April 4, 2019, at Bromley. The donation—which was given in support of women’s cancer care at Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center in Bennington, part of SVHC—was raised through Bromley’s “Mom’s Day Off” events on Friday, February 8 and Friday, March 8. Two hundred mothers received a $25 lift ticket when they showed a photo of their child or children at the resort’s ticket window. The entire value of the ticket was donated.

About SVHC:

Vermont Business Magazine On April 16, in celebration of National Healthcare Decision Day (NHDD), the Ethics Committee at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) and the Vermont Ethics Network, encourages the public to take the time to plan for their future. From 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. on April 16 in the NVRH front lobby, trained volunteers will be available to assist people with completing an advanced directive and to discuss the importance of proactive decision-making.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont General Fund revenues bounced back in March, notably for the vital personal income tax, but uncertainty continues as to how refunds ultimately will play out in April through June, which will mark the end of the fiscal year. Complaints from taxpayers on problematic under-withholding on the federal tax tables, and changes in recent years on the state side, has led to uncertainty as to how much the state will ultimately take in. As of now, the state is showing slightly positive results for FY2019. The personal income tax alone gained nearly 23 percent in March, to just over $30 million.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) has entered into a Stipulation and Consent Order with the CMFG Life Insurance Company (CMFG) of Madison, Wisconsin, for improperly calculating interest amounts resulting in underpayments to approximately 200 life insurance policy beneficiaries. Under the terms of the settlement, CMFG will pay a $231,000 administrative penalty and implement a corrective action plan. CMFG has also paid the correct interest amounts to the affected beneficiaries.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) has identified eight cases of fraudulent activity in the Unemployment Insurance Claimant Portal system. Based on our initial review, this activity appears to involve individual claimant accounts, in which personal information was used to gain unauthorized access to the Unemployment Insurance system.

Vermont Business Magazine RiseVT, a primary prevention strategy of OneCare Vermont, has partnered with Springfield Medical Care Systems to bring health and wellness opportunities to the Springfield area as part of a massive statewide expansion to improve the health of Vermonters where they live, work, learn, and play. OneCare Vermont is the Accountable Care Organization for the state, working with providers to improve patient health and lower healthcare costs. Embracing healthy lifestyles is key to reducing chronic illness and RiseVT works to create the environments where people spend their days conducive to making the healthy choice easy, or even the default.

Vermont Business Magazine Dr Ana Gaillat has been named the Dean of Academic Affairs of Vermont Technical College, effective in May. Her candidacy was recommended by the college's search committee and approved by the president in March. Vermont Tech President Patricia Moulton made the announcement Monday.