Current News
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by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Electric Cooperative Board of Directors announced today the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Christine Hallquist and the appointment of VEC General Counsel Vickie Brown as interim CEO. The change will take effect March 2, 2018. Hallquist announced in January that she intended to run for governor as a Democrat in the next election. Hallquist, 61, would become the nation’s first openly transgender, major-party candidate for governor if she were to win the Democratic primary. She has led the Johnson-based company since 2005. Hallquist, who went by David until 2015, lives in Hyde Park. Governor Phil Scott is expected to run for re-election. No Vermont governor has lost re-election since 1962.
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by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine It appears that Vermont has lost out again on a massive powerline proposal that would have sent upwards of 1,200 megawatts of electricity from Quebec to Massachusetts and brought hundreds of millions of dollars into the state. Vermont appeared to be back in the running for the renewable power project after Eversource Energy's Northern Pass, which would have run through New Hampshire, failed to get a key permit after winning the initial bid. Eversource had been selected as the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources' winner on January 25. But on February 1, a permit was unanimously rejected by regulators in New Hampshire. But renewed hope appeared dashed this past Friday when the MassDOER said it will enter into negotiations with runner up Avangrid and its Maine-sited transmission line.
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Vermont Business Magazine On the heels of the Trump administration's proposed 2019 budget, which would slash support for reproductive health programs, the Population Institute has released its sixth annual report card on reproductive health and rights in the US. The results were alarming, showing declining overall reproductive health and rights and growing disparities between states after a year of Trump policies. For 2017, the overall US grade fell from a "D" to a "D-." 18 states got a failing grade. Vermont received an "A."
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Vermont Business Magazine Business owners are taking an increasingly sour view of the Vermont economy, according to a new survey. Over 130 Vermont businesses completed the latest semi-annual economic survey in January regarding the outlook of Vermont’s small- to medium-sized businesses; 71% of those business owners who responded have fewer than 25 employees. The survey, presented by Davis and Hodgdon Associates CPAs and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, revealed that while business owners share an increased level of optimism about the US economy, they do not have the same enthusiasm for Vermont’s economy.
Finding qualified workers continues to be an ongoing problem, even more so than health insurance costs. And there remains a strong desire to see changes made to Vermont’s tax laws and overall business climate. Meanwhile, changes to the minimum wage was lower down on the list of issues.
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Vermont Business Magazine Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) held its annual meeting recently at the Windsor Mansion Inn. Nearly 40 attendees, including trustees and members, gathered to nominate and vote for candidates to join the Board of Trustees and to become new members, who serve as community ambassadors for the hospital. Senior leaders from MAHHC were also in attendance.
The keynote speaker was George T. Blike, MD, MHCDS, Chief Quality and Value Officer, Professor of Anesthesiology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
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Vermont Business Magazine Fast Company today announced its annual Most Innovative Companies (MIC) for 2018, honoring leading enterprises and rising newcomers that exemplify the best in business and innovation. As part of their rankings, they release the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in 36 separate categories from artificial intelligence to wellness. Green Mountain Power (GMP) was ranked #1 among the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies for Energy for 2018. The Colchester-based energy company was ranked #8 on the 2017 list.
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Vermont Business Magazine BTV Ignite will help established “tech” startups find the investment, staff, and support they need to rapidly grow their business in Burlington and surrounding communities. This Growth Acceleration Program will provide expert level advising on business and financing strategy, advanced training on topics including sales and governance, and link companies with local resources to help them find the staffing, space, and resources they need to succeed. The program will be provided at no cost to companies accepted into the program nor will any equity share be required. In turn, companies will be asked to commit to building their business in Vermont.
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Vermont Business Magazine Burlington High School (BHS) has become the second high school in the country to fly the Black Lives Matter flag. More than 700 students and staff participated in a brief and optional ceremony held during noninstructional time on Monday afternoon. Flown below the American Flag and Vermont’s State Flag on the school’s only flagpole, the Black Lives Matter flag is flown in honor of black history month and will remain up throughout the year.
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by Jack Hoffman Public Assets Institute In his annual letter to the Legislature the tax commissioner announced that a projected 3.9 percent increase in per-pupil spending next year was going to result in a 6.2 percent increase in the average homestead property tax rate. This is the kind of disconnect that really irks local voters and school officials alike.
There are reasons for next year’s big tax rate jump—more on that later. But here’s the thing: The education funding proposal being developed in the Vermont House would not end the frustration from modest spending increases that result in disproportionately larger property tax increases. In fact, these would become a permanent feature.
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by Bill Schubart Recently, the leader of a major eastern university observed that 25 percent of his incoming class this year is on some form of prescribed psychotropic medication for ADHD, depression, or anxiety. Seventy percent of all Americans are taking some form of prescription medication, and 10 percent of them are on anti-depressants. Among women between 40 and 50, the number is 25 percent. In fact, antidepressant use in the US has quadrupled in just the last 30 years.
This may be partly because Pharma spent $240 million last year lobbying Congress to deter regulation and competition, $3 billion marketing to consumers and $24 billion marketing drugs to health care professionals. And we just gobble them up, spending $330 billion in 2013 or about $1,000 for every American.
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Vermont Business Magazine Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of non-medical, in-home care for seniors, is partnering with the UVM Memory Program to once again offer the Mind Fit Series to UVM Memory Program patients and their caregivers. The series begins Wednesday, February 21st and runs for six consecutive weekly sessions from 4-5 pm at Home Care Assistance’s office location at 4 Pearl Street, Suite 104, Essex Junction, VT This series is free, open to patients of the UVM Memory Program, and will offer an opportunity to learn proactive ways to enhance cognitive functioning and include fun group activities.
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Vermont State Police On late Saturday afternoon, a father and son were killed in a one-vehicle accident on Interstate 89 in Middlesex. Peter Belanger was traveling south on I-89, operating a tractor/trailer unit. The trailer was a tank, with several thousand gallons of fuel.