Current News

Saint Michael’s College is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review.

The education services company features Saint Michael’s again in the new 2019 edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 384 Colleges, released August 7. The latest guide places the Colchester liberal arts college in “top 20” rankings for “Students Most Engaged in Community Service” (No. 11), “Best College Radio Station (No. 16), and “Town-Gown Relations are Great (No. 18).

Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (“VPPSA”) and Encore Renewable Energy (“Encore”) today formally announced a partnership to pursue development of approximately 10 megawatts of solar capacity on behalf of VPPSA’s Member municipal utilities. Under the partnership Encore will lead design, development, financing and construction of solar projects at locations in at least three of VPPSA’s Member utility territories. VPPSA will assist identified host communities in managing the resulting generation to maximize its value. The agreement also allows for Encore and VPPSA to partner in seeking additional development sites in other Member service territories and represents a significant milestone in the VPPSA Members’ transition towards economic, locally sourced, renewable energy resources.

A new smokefree housing rule from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) went into effect July 30, protecting the 8,200 families current living in Vermont’s public housing communities from secondhand smoke. The American Lung Association applauds the new rule, which recognizes the serious health threat posed by secondhand smoke, and its ability to linger in rooms and even travel between homes in multi-unit housing. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging (V4A) and the Vermont Association of Senior Centers and Meal Providers (VASCAMP) will co-host the second annual Aging in Vermont 2018 Conference in Killington, Vermont on October 26^th.

Goal is to ensure patients know what they are eligible for, and get the help they need

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center is taking steps to ensure patients are aware of various options for receiving financial assistance to pay for medical care. Patient bills are being simplified for ease of understanding, and financial assistance handouts have been updated to provide more information.

Laboratory results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that the recent death of a Franklin County, Vermont resident was a result of Lyme carditis, a rare complication of Lyme disease. This is the first reported death due to Lyme carditis in Vermont.

“It’s my sad duty to report this loss,” said Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD. “While Lyme disease is increasingly common in Vermont, Lyme carditis itself is very rare,” Approximately 1 percent of all Lyme disease cases reported nationally to CDC experience Lyme carditis. According to CDC, between 1985 and 2014, there were nine deaths related to Lyme carditis reported worldwide.

The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has approved $7.1 million in loans to help Vermont manufacturing, agricultural, small business and energy development projects move forward.

"Several manufacturing projects throughout the state were approved for VEDA financing, creating jobs for Vermonters," said Jo Bradley, VEDA's Chief Executive Officer. "In addition, over $4 million dollars in agricultural loans were approved, assisting farms in their diversification plans, and providing cash flow relief for dairy farmers, in particular, through the Farm Operating Loan Program (FOLP)."

Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc., today announced the Company has reached tentative agreements with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 2320, 2326 and 2327 and the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 1400 Unions, representing approximately 1,200 workers in Northern New England.

The three-year agreements, which would expire Aug. 7, 2021, are subject to ratification by the members of the CWA and IBEW. The current labor agreements expire on August 4, 2018.

Vermont Business Magazine Following a highly successful six-year tenure as The University of Vermont’s 26th president, Tom Sullivan today announced that, after one more year, he will step out of the presidency in the summer of 2019. “When the Board of Trustees extended an offer to serve as UVM’s president in February 2012, I was asked the length of time I could envision for this presidency. I knew the University was planning a major comprehensive fundraising campaign and the Board wanted its next president to lead a successful campaign,” said Sullivan. “Now with the University’s comprehensive campaign crossing over its campaign goal of $500 million, one year ahead of schedule, UVM is poised for its next era of reaching even greater academic expectations and aspirations. The time is right!”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) is encouraging members to conserve energy tomorrow, Monday, August 6, and Tuesday, August 7 between the hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. each day. This is when demand for electricity is expected to spike as a result of high temperatures throughout New England.

Here is what people can do to help “beat the peak” during those hours:

• Turn off all unnecessary lights.

• Delay the use of major appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers until after the alert time has passed.

• Reduce use of air conditioning as much as safely possible.

During a peak period, VEC asks members to be generally conservative in their electricity use.

Vermont Business Magazine By Governor Phil Scott Every village, town and city in Vermont can have a thriving economy. We can have an economy consistently growing faster than the costs of living, so our state is more affordable, and each year families can be more secure. We can have the best education system in the nation, where every school offers a full range of 21^st Century educational opportunities and every child graduates prepared to compete and succeed. And with a thriving economy, we can invest in a cleaner environment, safer neighborhoods with fewer suffering from addiction, and meet our obligation to the most vulnerable.

Encourages Community to Reduce Energy Usage from 4:00-6:00pm

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Electric Department issued a peak day alert for today as part of its Defeat the Peak program launched last summer (view news release here), encouraging members of the Burlington community to reduce their energy usage today from 4:00-6:00pm. Burlingtonians can lend a hand by taking the following steps on what is projected to be an unusually hot summer day: