Current News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 21^st 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.

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.

by Paul Cillo I’m writing about the Ways and Means Committee’s work this session on education funding. I understand the challenges the committee faces in making changes to the system, and it appears that there is a lot about the plan that has not yet been worked out. Nevertheless, I want to share some thoughts about the plan so far based on Public Assets Institute’s analysis of the information the committee has posted on the Legislature’s website.

Vermont Business Magazine David Silverman, President and CEO of Union Bank, and Vermont State Representative Dylan Giambatista will join the Vermont State College System Board of Trustees. Silverman is a 1985 alumnus of Johnson State College and has retained long and strong connections with the college. He has supported internship and career opportunities for students, served on the President’s Roundtable, and participated in panels supporting Johnson as it works with Lyndon State College to become Northern Vermont University. He has been instrumental in making Union Bank one of the most profitable banks in New England. He was founding Chairman of the Community Health Services of Lamoille Valley, President of the Lamoille Economic Development Corporation, and Chairman of the Vermont Bankers Association. He and his wife live in Morrisville.

by Vermont Secretary of Administration Susanne Young Governor Phil Scott recently released the details of a Vermont personal income tax reform plan, the Working Family Taxpayer Protection Act, which protects Vermonters from unintended impacts of recent federal changes. The Administration is taking action because, if we do nothing, Vermonters – mostly working families with children – will pay more in state tax on their 2018 income.

It seems counterintuitive, but while many Vermonters will see their federal taxes go down, about half will see their state taxes increase. Why? Because the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) changed the way federal taxes are calculated, which means the way Vermont taxes are calculated will change – increasing taxable income at the state level.

Leonine Public Affairs The crossover deadline is only two weeks away. Around this time bills start to move more frequently and that was the case in the seventh week of the 2018 session. That movement resulted in several significant debates in the House and Senate this week.