Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Governor’s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities (GCEPD) announced the employer award recipients for the “Spirit of the ADA” awards. Awards are given to employers who reflect the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act in their employment practices and successfully meet the following criteria:

by John McClaughry The 2018 legislature, alarmed by the repeal by Congress of the Obamacare tax on persons who failed to buy government-approved health insurance, decided to impose a state mandate to do the same thing, to take effect for the 2019 insurance year.

But the legislature balked at announcing the penalty needed to enforce its new mandate. It created a working group to recommend “a financial penalty or other enforcement mechanism” by November 1. That group’s inconclusive draft report is now out. It’s encouraging that some of the seven members balked at inventing a new Big Hammer, leaving open the precise method for enforcing the mandate.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) has released its complete slate of pro-environment endorsements for candidates running for the Vermont State Legislature. For the first time in nearly four decades, no Republicans made the list. VCV is a nonpartisan organization, and this year's endorsements include Independent, Democratic, and Progressive candidates.

by Secretary of State Jim Condos Election Day is fast approaching! On Tuesday, November 6^th Vermonters will head to the ballot box to vote for the people who will represent them, from Justice of the Peace all the way up to Governor and members of Congress.

Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy, here in Vermont and across the country. As Vermont’s Chief Election Official, I work hard daily to ensure that every eligible Vermont voter who wishes to cast a ballot can do so, with confidence in the security and integrity of their vote.

We can be proud of Vermont’s elections process. We have made tremendous strides in improving voter access and breaking down unnecessary barriers to register and vote for all eligible voters.

Vermont State Police At approximately 2230 hours on Saturday October 20, 2018, the Clarendon Fire Department was notified and responded to a fire alarm activation at a warehouse owned and operated by the Vermont Country Store. While en-route to this call it was upgraded to a working structure fire. This structure is a warehouse type structure of over 16,000 square feet. This warehouse stored overflow stock items for the VCS. It held approximately 5 percent of the stores stock. It was valued at over $2 million in loss.

Vermont Business Magazine Ledyard Financial Group, Inc (ticker symbol LFGP), the holding company for Ledyard National Bank, with a branch in Norwich, Vermont, today reported record quarterly earnings for the third consecutive quarter. Net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2018, was $1,382,986 or $0.44 per share compared to $1,124,246 or $0.36 per share for the same period in 2017, an increase of $258,740 or 23%. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, was $3,932,184 or $1.27 per share compared to $3,252,706 or $1.07 per share for the same period in 2017, an increase of $679,478 or 21%. Revenue growth and the effects from tax reform continue to contribute positively to the Company’s results.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Democratic candidate for governor, Christine Hallquist, received the endorsement of former governor Madeleine May Kunin Monday. “I believe that Hallquist will move Vermont in the right direction. Her plan to connect every home and business with fiber optic cable will boost economic development, especially in rural Vermont.”

Vermont Business Magazine Twenty Vermont small business owners concluded a seven-month executive education course October 12 at Vermont Technical College in Williston. Emerging Leaders is a free program sponsored by the Small Business Administration. The program includes approximately 100 hours of classroom time, connects small business owners with a network of industry experts and peers, and supports the creation of a three-year strategic growth action plan.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Electric Department has contributed $20,000 to the WARMTH Support Program of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) to help Burlingtonians and Vermonters with heating emergencies this winter. During last year’s 2017-18 heating season, WARMTH served 337 Burlington households with 528 assists, or direct payments to Burlington Electric to keep the heat on, totaling $48,557.

Vermont Business Magazine Dr Julie Lowell has joined Public Assets Institute’s staff as a Policy Analyst. Lowell comes to Public Assets after working at Vermont Works for Women for four years, as both a program evaluator and a direct service provider. She has worked directly with survivors of domestic violence, families experiencing homelessness, and women exiting correctional settings, informing her advocacy at the state level to positively impact policy for individuals living in poverty.

“We’re delighted to welcome Julie to Public Assets. Her academic research and direct social-service work in Vermont make her a great addition to our staff,” Public Assets president and founder Paul Cillo said Monday.

Julie Lowell, PhD, Public Assets Institute

by Jake Brown When we flick on a light, or snap on the TV, chances are pretty slim that we think about the vast and sprawling connections – of power plants, people, machines and wires – that make up the electric grid. But as we celebrate national Co-op Month in October, we at the Vermont Electric Cooperative are taking note that VEC members are all linked to each other, not just by wires, but also by co-op values.

VEC’s core mission is to provide safe, affordable reliable electricity to our members. But importantly, we (you) are also a community-focused, non-profit entity that belongs to the communities we serve. VEC was built, and is led, by our members.

Specifically:

We are run by you, our members. VEC is governed by a 12-member, elected board of directors all of whom are members of the co-op themselves. The board sets the general direction for the co-op and is accountable to the community.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) is pleased to announce its competitively-priced, highest-ranking Medicare Part D prescription drug plan options for 2019. CMS’s five-star rating measures how well plans perform in the areas of quality of care, access to care, and customer service. BCBSVT also noted in a statement that it wants Vermonters to know that the annual Medicare Part D open enrollment period has started -- which runs from October 15 to December 7, 2018, with enrollment effective on January 1, 2019. This is the time when people eligible for Part D may sign up, switch plans or insurance carriers. Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) is available to anyone who receives Medicare Part A and/or is enrolled in Part B. Part D adds drug coverage to original Medicare and helps to lower prescription drug costs and protect from higher costs in the future.