Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Very Reverend David Cray, SSE, a Boston native and 1968 Saint Michael’s College graduate who has ministered in Canada, Europe and the American South until coming to Vermont in 2003 to be pastor at Catholic parishes in Hinesburg and Charlotte, VT, was elected July 12 to be the new Superior General of The Society of Saint Edmund, founding religious order of Saint Michael’s.

He succeeds the Rev. Stephen Hornat, S.S.E., as superior general. Fr. Hornat, who served a four-year term, likely will continue to serve as pastor of St. Stephen Church in Winooski as he has done during his term as superior general. The “Edmundites” held their General Chapter meeting, which happens every four years, from Monday through Thursday, July 9-12 on the Saint Michael’s campus, voting on new leadership and tending to other business.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington City Council on Monday approved the recipients of the City’s awards to support the expansion of high-quality childcare in Burlington for children from birth to three years old. These awards are the City’s first step in supporting the growth of high-quality childcare, which has been demonstrated to help prepare children for school, narrow the opportunity gap, improve future health and education outcomes, and reduce future public spending. Mayor Miro Weinberger presented the awards at the City Council’s July 16, 2018 meeting.

Vermont Business Magazine Brattleboro-based Green Mountain Creamery announces the launch of ‘Berry’ Creamy Yogurt, a month-long campaign promoting New England community farmers and advocating for real, simple and healthy ingredients. From July 16 to August 13, residents of each New England state are invited to share photographs of Green Mountain Creamery’s yogurt topped with berries, by posting images to the Green Mountain Creamery Facebook page or by tagging Green Mountain Creamery on Facebook or Instagram. Entrants are asked to share what state they are enjoying their taste of Vermont from in the photo caption, celebrating Green Mountain Creamery’s mission to bring the flavors and quality of Vermont products across the nation.

Vermont Business Magazine Have you made something? Invented something? Modified something to be better? If so, you are a Maker and eligible to sign up as an individual or group to “show and tell” at the 7^th annual Champlain Mini Maker Faire. It’s Vermont’s Flagship Maker Faire and you don’t want to miss it! The new one-day format is Saturday, September 22, 2018. A kid- and family-friendly day program (11:00 – 4:00) will be followed by a new Makers in the Dark program (6:00 – 9:30) designed for adults at the Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms.

Vermont Business Magazine Rights & Democracy is announcing the endorsement of 17 candidates—from U.S. Senator to the Vermont House of Representatives—for the 2018 elections. These 17 candidates were endorsed by a vote of the Rights & Democracy (RAD) Board of Directors to show support for candidates who have championed key legislative issues such as raising the minimum wage, workers’ rights, universal health care, and racial equity, among other top concerns facing Vermont communities and families. Several of these candidates were backed by RAD in 2016 and not only won their election, but pushed hard for legislation that improves the lives of Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine In April 2018, the Burlington Board of School Commissioners accepted the Burlington High School (BHS) ReEnvisioning Committee’s recommendation to partially demolish, expand and renovate the current BHS facilities. Now, the Burlington School District (BSD) is inviting members of the community to tour these facilities and to experience first-hand why the ReEnvisioning Committee and the BSD are asking City Council for their support to place a bond for this work on the November 2018 ballot.

Stakeholders can visit www.bsdvt.org to sign up for the tours. Tours will be led by a student and a member of the District’s property services team, will take place on three separate dates, and are expected to last about 90 minutes:

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Public Utility Commission (“PUC”) made appointments to four of the five public seats on the Vermont System Planning Committee. The VSPC was established in 2007 to improve coordination among Vermont’s utilities in the transmission planning process, and to consider both transmission and nontransmission alternatives to meet the state’s needs. In addition to the appointments made today, membership includes all 17 electric utilities, the state’s electric energy efficiency utilities, and VELCO.

The eight new members include one primary member and an alternate representing each of the following four interests:

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Insurance Company ("National Life") on Monday announced that holders of 10.50% Surplus Notes due 2039 (the "Existing Surplus Notes") may tender Existing Surplus Notes in principal amounts equal to minimum denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof in National Life's previously announced offer to exchange (the "Exchange Offer") any and all of the Existing Surplus Notes held by Eligible Holders for National Life's 5.250% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Surplus Notes due 2068 (the "New 2068 Surplus Notes").

Vermont Business Magazine Valley Vista, the 99-bed inpatient alcohol and chemical dependency treatment program with locations in Bradford and Vergennes, is realigning its program to better meet the demand created by the ongoing opioid epidemic. In an effort to better serve the increasing needs of patients aged 16-22 years, Valley Vista is launching a Young Adult Program.

The Young Adult Program will replace the recently sunset Adolescent Treatment Program (ATP) that served a population aged 13-17 years old. The goal with this change is to help reduce wait list pressure for those seeking inpatient treatment. It will also serve a growing population in need of inpatient substance use disorder treatment, particularly opioid use disorder.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College Online, a leader in career-focused adult higher education, today announced the appointment of Dr. Johnna Herrick-Phelps to its academic leadership team. As assistant provost, Herrick-Phelps will lead the College’s over 60 online academic programs, including associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees; undergraduate and graduate certificates; and non-degree programs and courses.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont has one of the highest opioid use disorder rates in the nation, but also has seen one of the steepest declines in opioid-based prescriptions. A new study from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association found that the number of prescriptions for opioid-based medications among its commercially insured members in Massachusetts plummeted 51 percent between 2013 and 2017 -- the biggest drop in the nation. The results come in the wake of a groundbreaking prescription safety program launched by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts in 2012, before the opioid epidemic was widely recognized as a crisis.

by John McClaughry In his Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom (1785), Thomas Jefferson famously declared that “to compel a man to furnish contribution of money for the propagation of opinion which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” In that spirit, the US Supreme Court last month struck down “agency fees” taken by public sector unions from non-members’ paychecks. “The First Amendment,” Justice Alito wrote in the Janus v. AFSCME case, “does not permit the government to compel a person to pay for another party’s speech just because the government thinks that the speech furthers the interests of the person who does not want to pay.”