Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) has announced the addition of a wide-bore Espree 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. The unit will be available on-site at the Hospital campus in Windsor, Vermont every other Monday starting January 14, 2019. The wide-bore MRI will join the closed-bore MRI, which is at MAHHC every Thursday.

MRI units generate three-dimensional images of the body’s interior without radiation and are useful in detecting and diagnosing an array of medical conditions. The new wide-bore unit is designed to accommodate larger patients and those who may experience anxiety or claustrophobia with traditional, narrower MRI units. The system features a 27.5 inch diameter entry point. This leaves fifteen inches to seventeen inches from the tip of one’s nose to the top of the scanner as compared to traditional models, which provide eight inches to ten inches of clearance.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Regional Medical Center has two long-standing holiday traditions that benefit local community members: the Silver Stocking Program and Adopt-A-Family. Through the Silver Stocking Program, individual employees or departments, as well as local businesses and community organizations can “adopt” a person who is low income, has special needs, is at risk of becoming homeless or resides in a long-term care facility, with minimal or no family support.

Vermont Business Magazine Erin Fernandez, executive director of Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, recently named Norm Staunton as the new director of technical operations and advancement, and Felicia Fowler as a program coordinator, based out of Sugarbush Resort. “The quality of our programming has made Vermont Adaptive a nationally recognized organization that empowers people of all abilities,” Fernandez said. “Bringing Felicia and Norm to join our team full-time furthers our ability to bring the best programming to our athletes.”

Vermont Business Magazine Following a comprehensive review, Howard Center has received a Centers of Excellence (COE) accreditation through Vermont Care Partners (VCP). The COE accreditation is based on numerous quality and performance measures, including world class customer service, comprehensive care, easy access, excellent value, and excellent outcomes. The achievement identifies Howard Center as a provider of high quality care, and enhances the organization’s ability to provide much needed services for vulnerable Vermonters.

Modeled after the National Council for Behavioral Health’s Centers of Excellence, the VCP’s COE accreditation process promotes quality improvement and high quality services through agency review by expert peers from VCP member agencies and the University of Vermont Medical Center Jeffords Institute for Quality.

Winooski Mayor Seth Leonard Following the January 28th, 2019 City Council meeting, I will resign as the Mayor of Winooski. In making both civic and professional decisions, I always ask “where can I do the most good and have the most meaningful impact?” In answering that question, I have accepted the position of Managing Director of Community Development at the Vermont Housing Finance Agency.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The personal income tax rebounded from a sluggish October and increased nearly 10 percent. The PI is the most important General Fund revenue source and is well ahead of projections for the month and for the year-to-date.

Vermont Business Magazine Seven Days newspaper won 18 awards Thursday at the Vermont Press Association’s annual meeting in Montpelier. Those included six first-place prizes and the prestigious Mavis Doyle Award, which went to staff writer Alicia Freese

​by Andrew Abbott & David Flemming On October 23, Moody’s Investors Service announced that it was downgrading Vermont’s general obligation bond rating from Aaa to Aa1, citing demographic concerns along with the state’s unfunded pension obligations. According to Moody’s: “The downgrade of the ratings incorporates an economic base that faces low growth prospects from an aging population. At the same time, the state’s leverage, measured by debt and unfunded post-employment obligations relative to GDP, is high among states and especially among the highest rated states.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets would like to remind all state farm operations that the 24^thannual winter manure spreading ban is underway. As required by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets’ (VAAFM) Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs), between December 15 and April 1, no manure or other agricultural wastes (including: compost and spoiled feed) may be spread on agricultural fields throughout Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine NorthCountry Federal Credit Union on Wednesday presented the Vermont Foodbank with a donation of $50,000 to help feed people in the state struggling with hunger. This gift will support the Foodbank’s work of providing nutritious food and promoting health through their statewide network of community partners, working to end hunger for the 153,000 Vermonters who struggle to afford food.

University of Vermont The Vermont Research News from the Center for Research on Vermont is a bi-monthly curated collection of Vermont research -- focused on research in the Vermont "laboratory" -- research that provides original knowledge to the world and research that adds to understanding of the state's social, economic, cultural and physical environment.

Vermont Business Magazine Major Glenn Hall, who joined the Vermont State Police nearly three decades ago and rose through the ranks from road trooper to Criminal Division commander, will retire next week following a career dedicated to serving his fellow Vermonters.

Hall, who has led the Criminal Division since 2013, is one of the longest serving majors in the history of the Vermont State Police. One of the agency’s three divisions, the Criminal Division encompasses all VSP detectives and units including the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Major Crime Unit and Special Investigations.