Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The City Council last night unanimously and enthusiastically approved Montpelier’s first Public Art Master Plan, the result of a nearly two-year process aimed at creating a structure to guide strategic investing in public art to celebrate the city’s history, culture and people. The process began in April of 2015, when the City of Montpelier, in collaboration with Montpelier Alive and the Community Engagement Lab, received a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to create a master plan for public art.

Vermont Business Magazine This morning at Gardener’s Supply in Burlington, Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) unveiled his legislation to remove two major impediments to older disabled Americans remaining in the workforce past the age of 65. Under current law, qualified disabled adults receive an average monthly payment of $845.17 under the Social Security Disability Insurance program (SSDI). Beneficiaries are permitted to work but lose their disability benefit at the age of 65 if they choose to remain in the workforce. Welch’s legislation eliminates this barrier subject to state approval.

Vermont Business Magazine For Saint Michael’s College, where leaders hope students become properly trained to “do well and do good,” new majors in Health Science and Public Health approved by Trustees in October present a practical recruiting strategy rooted in market demands and the college’s existing strengths, as well as a new way to advance the Vermont institution’s society-serving Catholic liberal arts mission.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a lead sponsor of legislation in the House to mandate Medicare price negotiation, issued the following statement in reaction to President Trump’s announcement this afternoon on prescription drug pricing. Welch and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-Md) met with President Trump in the Oval Office on March 8, 2017, to discuss their price negotiation bill. Welch is a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Power Systems Corp, a next generation renewable energy and energy storage technology company based in Barre, announced Wednesday that on October 22, 2018, in accordance with previously disclosed information on a Form 8-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on September 21, 2018, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) delisted the Company’s securities from the TSX, effective October 22, 2018, for failure to comply with the TSX continued listing requirements.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2017, Burlington School District (BSD) embarked on a community-led strategic plan planning process. Part of that work revealed the need to conduct a District-wide Climate Survey to better understand how the district and individual schools engage with students, families, and staff. BSD spent the spring of 2018 conducting climate surveys, with more than 2,000 staff, students, and parents participating. The results of the survey, available on the District’s website, point to areas of strength and areas where growth is needed. http://www.bsdvt.org/climate-survey/

Vermont State Police The Vermont State Police is investigating a report of a missing 67-year-old man on Lake Champlain in Charlotte. A body believed to be the missing man was recovered late Thursday afternoon. State police in Williston received a report at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, that the individual was winterizing a boat near Thompson’s Point over the weekend, on the lake just off shore, but had not been heard from since. As search efforts continued Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, the Vermont State Police is identifying the missing man as George Ruhe, 67, of Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Brattleboro, Vermont. He has been identified as the victim and the cause of death has been ruled an accidental drowning.

Vermont Business Magazine Mount Snow, which was recently named Best Snow in The East by Ski Magazine, will open for skiing and riding on Saturday, October 27 with what it describes as "the most skiable terrain in The East." This is the earliest opening in Mount Snow's 64-year history and was made possible with favorable weather this past week, "which allowed us to fire up the most powerful snowmaking system in The East and make some great progress on our Main Face and over on The North Face."

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets (VAAFM) State Veterinarian and Director of Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Dr Kristin Haas, assumed the role of United States Animal Health Association (USAHA) President upon the conclusion of the group’s annual meeting yesterday, October 24 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Hired by VAAFM in 2007, Dr. Haas has guided the Food Safety and Consumer Protection Division protecting Vermont consumers, livestock and poultry industries for 11 years. Dr. Haas works closely with Vermont veterinarians, farmers and state officials to monitor potential public safety and consumer protection issues.

VAAFM photo of Dr Kristin Haas.

Vermont Business Magazine Hunger Mountain Co-op, Montpelier’s community-owned natural food cooperative, has announced it will invest $100,000 in the Vermont Community Loan Fund in support of the Loan Fund’s Food, Farms & Forests Fund. The Co-op’s Chief Financial Officer Tim Wingate made the announcement on October 16th, after the investment was approved by the Co-op Council.

Vermont Business Magazine In a White House ceremony Wednesday, President Trump signed into law a bipartisan package of opioid legislation, including four bills co-authored by Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont). While supporting the package, Welch decried the lack of a more comprehensive approach to combatting the opioid public health epidemic ravaging communities in Vermont and across the country.

“If the first principle of legislation is to do no harm, we have succeeded,” said Welch. “But if the goal of legislation is to solve a problem, we have failed. What we need, in addition to these good bills, is a full-scale opioids Marshall Plan that provides significant resources to those working on the front lines of this public health epidemic.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Parks is excited to announce a newly extended operating season for Burton Island and Kamp Kill Kare State Parks. Starting in 2019, both parks will remain open through the last weekend of September. Burton Island State Park is a 253–acre island located in Lake Champlain’s Inland Sea. The Park offers a 100–slip marina with dockside electricity, bathhouses, water, and a pump-out facility. In addition, Burton Island offers tent-sites, waterfront lean-tos, and rustic cabins available for rent. Kill Kare is a day use park located on the southern tip of Saint Albans Point. Kill Kare offers a beach, boat launch, and picnic areas.