Current News

Public Assets Institute Unlike last year, nobody seems to be panicking over education funding as legislators prepare to return to Montpelier. But that doesn’t mean we should forget about the Education Fund. In fact, now, when the Legislature’s hair is not on fire, is a perfect time to reform management of the $1.7 billion fund.

Why do we need reforms?

Because the Education Fund, which funds pre-K to 12 public education and accounts for almost 30 percent of all state spending, has become more susceptible to political manipulation.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy, US Senator Bernie Sanders, and US Representative Peter Welch will recognize 18 young Vermonters who are being nominated to United States Service Academies to be members of the Class of 2023. At an annual reception in the Cedar Creek Room at the Vermont State House on Saturday, nominees from across Vermont will receive nomination certificates signed by each member of the Vermont Congressional Delegation.

Vermont State Police The Vermont State Police reported two separate fatal accidents on Thursday. On the evening of 12/27/18 at 1815 hours Troopers were notified of a 2 vehicle head on crash with injury and entrapment on US Route 5 at the Lyndon/Burke town line. Troopers responded to the scene along with member's of the Lyndon and West Burke Fire Departments as well as Lyndon Rescue.

Operator #1 Stanzione (71) was extricated from her vehicle and was transported to NVRH. Operator #2 Burke (21) was treated for minor injuries. Investigation revealed that vehicle #1 crossed over the double yellow center lines and into the oncoming lane of travel colliding with vehicle #2 in a glancing head on collision. Stanzione was later airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center where she succumb to injuries she sustained in the crash.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine It’s been a long time coming, but the University of Vermont will have modern, indoor athletic facilities finally. UVM announced December 18 that it received a $15 million gift from Rich and Deb Tarrant, Vermont philanthropists with strong ties to the university. The gift, one of the largest ever made to UVM and the largest capital gift in its history, will help bring the highly anticipated, $95 million Multi-Purpose Center project to fruition.

by Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Kingdom has never had it easy. Tucked away in the northern most reaches of the state, the region inevitably takes the brunt of every recession and never fully enjoys the fruits of the eventual economic recovery. And it could be another two years before the big ski resorts – Jay Peak and Burke – are sold. Some 20 years ago a number of individuals and organizations got together to promote the Kingdom’s strengths.

Today, the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative continues with that mission developing strategies and funding sources to improve the economy of the three-county region.

by Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine Newport isn’t looking in the rear-view mirror, at least not any more. Two years ago the city was blindsided when two projects key to the city’s economic development efforts collapsed under the weight of the EB-5 debacle. But that was yesterday. Today, Newport is forging ahead taking the future into its own hands. Key to the revitalization plan is a project that would connect the downtown with the waterfront along the shores of Lake Memphremagog.

Vermont Business Magazine The Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine team at Gifford Health Care has been named Vermont’s 2018 “HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion” for outstanding efforts to protect adolescents from cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). The award, announced last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Cancer Society, and Association of American Cancer Institutes, recognizes clinics and practices that go above and beyond to foster HPV vaccination in their community.

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Does anyone here remember welcome wagons? The organization, which once upon a time sent "hostesses" around to new neighbors' houses with helpful information, gifts, and coupons from local businesses, has evolved - some might say degenerated – into a Florida-based marketing company that, in its website's words, offers businesses a "multiple touchpoint strategy spanning direct mail and digital channels" – junk mail and cyber-promotions, in other words.

Vermont Business Magazine Several programs aiming to help new Americans adapt to life in Vermont are getting a boost thanks to the generosity of a local credit union. The US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) Vermont has expressed its appreciation to the NorthCountry Federal Credit Union for their donation of $30,000 in recognition of the positive impact refugees and immigrants have on the Vermont community.

by Brennan Duffy, CEcD, Executive Director of the Rutland Redevelopment Authority Continued momentum on several fronts continues in Rutland City. On the economic development side plans for several significant investments were announced in the summer of 2018. These included two national restaurant chains pursuing business locations on busy North Main Street/ Rte. 7. Also announced was a plan to redevelop the Berwick Site, a currently vacant and underutilized location in the Center of downtown Rutland, with a 100 room hotel, restaurant, and meeting space. Financing for this project is currently being defined by the prospective developer, DEW Construction Corporation, with a decision expected in early 2019.

by Rob Roper The North Carolina congressional race between Republican Mark Harris and Democrat Dan McCready could be heading for a re-vote because it appears absentee ballot fraud may have influenced the outcome.

Harris is ahead by around 900 votes, but the suspicion of fraud arose from fact that he received an improbably high percentage of absentee ballot votes from one district, while in another district where Republicans statistically shouldn’t fare as well, a suspiciously high number of absentee ballots went unreturned. What this indicates is that in the former case absentee ballots were manufactured and/or manipulated, and in the latter case they were intercepted and destroyed. The courts will have to sort out these allegations.

by Bob Bick People underestimate the power of a thank you. When most of us think about writing a thank you note or making a call, we might decide against it. Perhaps we think it won’t mean much to the recipient or that it will make them feel awkward. Or we worry about our ability to find the right words. But by not offering our gratitude we’re missing out on some real benefits. It turns out that showing gratitude—saying thank you—improves the well-being of both the recipient and the person saying thanks.

Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business did a series of experiments in which participants wrote letters of gratitude to people who had helped them. The letter writers estimated how the recipients would feel about the letters, and the researchers surveyed the recipients to see if the writers’ expectations were accurate.