Current News

by John McClaughry In the wake of a Florida school shooting and a thwarted attack targeted on Fair Haven High School, the legislature and governor have enacted into law a bill touted by its advocates as “gun violence prevention”. Its main features are required background checks for firearms transfers among all but immediate family members, a ban on high capacity magazines, and barring the sale of a firearm to a person under age 21, unless that person has completed hunter safety training.

The bill is founded on the view that guns are the problem, and if the government can keep guns out of the hands of “the people (that the government determines) shouldn’t have them”, there will be less “gun violence”.

Vermont Business Magazine Patricia “Patti” Fisher, MD, has joined The University of Vermont Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) as Chief Medical Officer, succeeding Philip Brown, DO, who retired in March. Dr Fisher comes to CVMC from The University of Vermont Medical Center, where she served as medical director for Case Management and Medical Staff Affairs as well as Family Medicine Inpatient Service/Ambulatory Care Unit.

Vermont Business Magazine Michael Feitelberg, President of The Sports & Fitness EDGE Inc (The EDGE, The EDGE Kids & Fitness and The EDGE Physical Therapy), a Vermont health and fitness company established in 1966, has announced that The EDGE is launching a multi-site preventative care practice, The EDGE Preventative Care. The Edge has locations in Essex, South Burlington and Williston.

As Vermont’s exclusive provider of Genavix and HealthyCARE Services, this uniquely structured practice has already impacted hundreds of lives in Chittenden County with a focus on fitness, nutrition, stress management and behavior modification; our participants have seen sustained weight loss, lowered cholesterol and blood pressure.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced today that he will sign three bills related to gun safety (S.55, S.221 and H.422) at 2 pm on Wednesday at the State House. The most controversial of them has been S.55. The bill would ban “bump-stocks,” limit the capacity of ammunition magazines, require background checks for private gun sales and increase the age at which one can purchase a firearm from 18 to 21.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the arrival of an AT&T Cell Site on Wheels (COW) at Grace Cottage Hospital, which will reinforce and enhance wireless network coverage for the hospital and the surrounding area. Grace Cottage, the state's smallest hospital is located in Townshend in Windham County. The hospital and surrounding area were facing a loss of coverage due to a potential shutdown of wireless provider CoverageCo. A press release issued Monday afternoon stated that the governor worked with AT&T to ensure there would be no coverage gaps in the hospital’s critical operations. However, this does not replace lost service in the rest of the CoverageCo areas.

Vermont Business Magazine BTV Ignite will participate in this year's US Ignite series of "Reverse Pitch" competitions. Digital solution developers and educators are invited to compete for cash grants to demonstrate innovative ways high-bandwidth ideas can help deliver education – in Burlington, across our state, and by linking our students with national communities and resources. $30,000 in total grant funding will be made available through this program, in awards for best solution ideas and, subsequently, for best proof-of-concept developed “application solutions”.

An “application solution” can be any combination of software, equipment, digital systems, and related “services” that demonstrate new ways of delivering education.

by US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) This Saturday, April 14, I will be holding three Senior Town Meetings: A breakfast meeting in Montpelier, a lunch meeting in Newport, and an early dinner meeting in St Albans. I hope you can join me to get an update from Washington, and to discuss issues of importance to older Vermonters. As I travel around the state, I often meet older Vermonters who are struggling just to get by. To my mind, no senior in the richest country on Earth should ever have to decide between buying groceries, medications, or keeping their house warm. But that is the sad reality today for far too many older Americans.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont State Colleges System received a grant of $25,000 from the TD Bank Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of TD Bank, to fund financial literacy education at each of its colleges and universities. The grant continues TD Bank Charitable Foundation's previous support for financial literacy activities within peer mentoring programs at Northern Vermont University, Castleton University, the Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College.

Phil Daniels, TD Bank Market President for Vermont and Update New York, presented the check to Vermont State Colleges' Chancellor Jeb Spaulding at the Community College of Vermont in Winooski on Monday. In 2016, the TD Bank Charitable Foundation provided a $25,000 grant to get the program off the ground.

Vermont Business Magazine The state’s largest union is pushing for the creation of a statewide health care commission to design and administer health benefits for all of Vermont’s public school employees. After a unanimous vote by delegates to Vermont-NEA’s annual meeting over the weekend, the union announced Monday it is advocating for a return of equity, predictability, affordability, and transparency in the health insurance covering nearly 40,000 Vermonters.

“Vermont-NEA’s members and their families must no longer be denied an equal voice in the determination of benefits so vital to their welfare and economic security as health insurance, including, critically, the matter of plan design and cost-sharing,” said Martha Allen, a K-12 librarian from Canaan who serves as president of the 14,000-member union. “Nor can we accept any longer the widespread and harmful disparities in health insurance coverage and costs among public school employees.”

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power and Freedom Nissan South Burlington announced on Monday the second year of a partnership to offer customers and eligible employees discounts when they purchase new electric vehicles (EVs). Vermonters who bring their GMP energy statements and a special code into the Burlington-based dealership will receive $3,000 off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of a 2018 Nissan Leaf. Customers could also get up to a $7,500 federal tax credit.

“At GMP, we are committed to helping customers find ways to reduce carbon and to save money,” said Mary Powell, GMP’s President and CEO. “The Leaf is a cutting edge, fully electric car that frees its owners from paying for gasoline and oil changes ever again.”

Leonine Public Affairs It was an extremely quiet week politically. There was a public hearing on minimum wage but aside from that, not much happened on the House or Senate floor. This is in part due to the fact that committees have been focused on the bills that they received after crossover and in part due to the heavy workload they have faced recently with gun safety legislation as well as the House passing the revenue and appropriations bills. Obviously this will not be the norm between now and adjournment but a one week hiatus was well received by most.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Environmental Consortium and Vermont Technical College (VTC) are excited to announce registration is open for their annual environmental Conference, The State of Vermont’s Water. The conference will be held June 6, 2018 at VT Technical College in Randolph, VT. The conference will include topics like groundwater and storm water rule updates, nitrates and chloride in water, agricultural best practices, permits, and more. The event runs from 8:00AM – 4:00PM. Pre-registration includes all sessions and lunch. The Conference welcome and opening remarks will be given by VEC President Miles Waite, Waite-Heindel Env. Mgmt; Allan Rodgers, Academic Dean, Vermont Tech; and by Julie Moore, Vermont ANR Secretary.