Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) has partnered with Sugarbush Resort and Henri Borel of Chez Henri Bistrot in Warren to host the 30^th Annual Chez Henri Cup. New this year, CVHHH will be the sole beneficiary of event proceeds. Borel, who turned 91 in February, is a fixture of the Mad River Valley community. The race and raffle, which stretches over two days, starts with a cheese fondue party at the bistro on Friday evening and ends with a late-season race, raffle, and awards reception on Saturday afternoon.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's smaller towns are more likely to have held on to a traditional town meeting and their residents tend to participate in the democratic process more often. For 30 years University of Vermont political scientist Frank Bryan and his students attended more than 1,500 Vermont town meetings, cataloging more than 230,000 individual acts of participation – commenting, voting, raising hands, by more than 60,000 citizens – documenting Vermont’s town meeting as an authentic and meaningful form of direct democracy.

When Frank Bryan retired in 2013, data collected ended, until 2018.

This year, a group of researchers and students at the University of Vermont, Castleton University and Northern Vermont University collected data from 38 town meetings across the state on March 3, 5 and 6. (Statistics in this press release are drawn from 31 of the towns.)

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Representative Bill Botzow (D-Pownal) and former Vermont Senator Kevin Mullin (R-Rutland) were recognized by the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) on February 21^st for their commitment to enacting policies aimed at growing Vermont’s economy. Vermont Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Michael Schirling presented Botzow and Mullin with the agency’s first Vermont Economic Advancement Awards during the ThinkVermont Week Legislative Luncheon in Montpelier. During the luncheon, community and economic development practitioners from Bennington County presented to a crowd of 120 lawmakers and others about how Bennington has used ACCD tools, programs and funding to spark redevelopment.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) joined Senate Democratic leaders Wednesday to announce a $1 trillion proposal to rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and create 15 million middle-class jobs. The announcement of the Democratic proposal follows the unveiling of President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan, which would encourage states to sell our nation’s highways, bridges and other vital infrastructure to Wall Street, wealthy campaign contributors and foreign governments.

Vermont Business Magazine At a Senate Budget Committee hearing Wednesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), the ranking member of the committee, questioned the massive compensation packages of top defense contractor CEOs and demanded that the Pentagon end its waste and abuse of taxpayer funds following years of reports of fraud and mismanagement.

"It is essential that the Pentagon demonstrates that it is trustworthy and accountable with taxpayer dollars, and that has not been the case," Sanders said. "I don't think there's any debate among anybody here that we want to be able to defend our country, that we want to make sure that the men and women in the armed forces have all of the equipment they need to protect their lives. But I would hope that nobody here believes that just because this is the Department of Defense, we will defend an enormous amount of bureaucratic waste."

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Student Assistance Corp, joined by school guidance counselors, business leaders, parents and students, are calling on lawmakers to preserve the use of the Vermont State Grant at institutions of higher education outside Vermont. Legislation introduced in Montpelier would change a 50-year-old, time-honored policy that allows portability of the grants. If it is adopted, thousands of middle- and lower-income students and families will be denied access to educational opportunities they may no longer be able to afford. Others will pay more than they should for college if they choose to go out of state.

by CB Hall Vermont Business Magazine Reacting to an abundance of angst among interested parties in Vermont, Amtrak is backing away from a threat to suspend all service to the state. “Right now we have no plans to cease any service on any route,” Amtrak's Bill Hollister told VBM on February 28. Vermont's congressional delegation has indicated its displeasure with the threat, voiced by Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson at a US House subcommittee hearing February 15.

Vermont Business Magazine March came in like a friendly lion at Vermont ski resorts with some ski areas receiving over a foot of snow on Friday March 2nd. The snowy forecast looks like it could be a trend this month with another 6-12 inches of snow expected to reach Vermont’s Green Mountains later this week and more snow in the long-range forecast. Historically, March tends to be not only the snowiest month in Vermont, but also the busiest, with many events to entertain guests on ski area and resort calendars. Longer days and great deals add to the fun and festivities.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) issued the following statement on legislation up for a vote in the Senate this week that would deregulate large financial institutions.

Vermont Business Magazine Frederic Martin is the winner of the 2018 Vermont Writers’ Prize. His short story “Maybe Lake Carmi,” is an inspiring story about how Vermonters react when someone needs help. The Vermont Writers’ Prize is awarded annually by Green Mountain Power and Vermont Magazine. “Maybe Lake Carmi” creates a scene that many Vermonters have experienced – a car sliding off the road and no cell service to call for help. It becomes clear during the story that the ideas and expectations of the out-of-staters are somewhat different than how the native Vermonter views the situation:

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power crews are returning to Vermont Tuesday evening after helping to restore power to thousands of homes and businesses in the Hudson Valley, NY, after devastating winds and heavy wet snow caused massive damage. The team returning this evening will join other GMP crews who stayed in Vermont, so they can be rested and prepared for the upcoming snow storm expected Wednesday afternoon through Thursday.

“Our crews had a warm welcome from the local population in the Hudson Valley, with many stories of how they appreciated seeing the crews from the Green Mountains,” said Kristin Carlson, Vice President of External Affairs. “We are so pleased we were able to help, and now it is time for them to return so that we can be ready to restore power here if the upcoming storm causes outages.”

Vermont Business Magazine Consolidated Communications, Inc (NASDAQ: CNSL) has announced plans to increase broadband speeds to more than 500,000 residents and small businesses across its Vermont and Northern New England service area by the end of 2018. Consolidated Communications recently launched its brand following the Illinois-based company’s acquisition of FairPoint Communications last year.