Current News

Vermont Business MagazineVermont Attorney General TJDonovan today announced that Westminster Meats, LLC and its owner Daniel Mandich, agreed to pay the State $86,250 in civil penalties for environmental violations at their meat packing and processing facility located in Westminster, Vermont. In 2014-2015, the facility had several failures of its wastewater treatment system. The most serious violation occurred in August 2014, when a state inspector observed a garden hose being used to empty an overflowing tank of animal wastewater (including blood) into a small stream next to the facility’s driveway.

The State filed an enforcement action in Windham Superior Court. On November 6, 2017, the Court approved a stipulated judgment order.

The judgment order allows Defendants the opportunity to reduce a portion of the penalty based on financial disclosures showing inability to pay.

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Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump nominated Alex Azar to be the secretary of Health and Human Services. Azar is the former head of pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly’s US division.

Vermont Business Magazine On October 1, 2017, Castleton University received a Ronald EMcNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program grant, which will exceed $1 million over five years. The program’s goal is to increase the number of Castleton students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds or underrepresented groups, who attain doctoral degrees.

Castleton’s McNair Scholars program will serve at least 25 students, sophomore through seniors, each academic year. At least 2/3 of the cohort will be low-income, first-generation college students. The remaining students will be from groups underrepresented in higher education, including African Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Castleton faculty will help McNair program staff identify strong candidates for the program and graduate study.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters who were deceived into sending payments to scammers using Western Union's wire transfer service may now apply for compensation from a 586 million dollar fund administered by the Department of Justice's Victim Asset Recovery Program. This fund is related to a multi-statesettlementwith Vermont Attorney General TJDonovan and 49 other states, the District of Columbia, and Western Union that was first announced in January. Vermonters may be eligible to receive compensation if they were a victim of a fraud-induced transfer using Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017.

Vermont Business Magazine Okemo Mountain Resort opened for the 2017/2018 winter season on Saturday, November 11. Okemo opened with top-to-bottom skiing and snowboarding on five trails with two lifts operating, including the Resort’s Sunburst Six high-speed bubble chair with retractable orange domes and heated seats for six passengers at a time.

“This was our earliest opening in five years,” said Okemo Vice President and General Manager Bruce Schmidt. “We opened on November 8 in 2012. In November 2002, opening day was November 2, and in 1997, opening day was November 1.As luck would have it that year, we ended up closing until mid-November!”

Vermont Business Magazine Boards and commissions serve an important role in state government, giving Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities. The Governor’s office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations. All those interested in serving on a board or commission should visit the governor’s website.

Vermont Business Magazine Marissa Parisi is stepping down as executive director of Hunger Free Vermont after nearly nine years at the helm. Her last day will be December 15. Parisi will become the executive director of RiseVT, a joint initiative of Rise Vermont, LLC formed in 2017 andOneCare Vermont ACO, in January. Part of her mission will be to grow RiseVT – a project of Northwestern Medical Center and the Vermont Department of Health – into a statewide model.

Vermont Business Magazine Leading environmental, health, scientific and business organizations today applauded the announcement by seven states, including Vermont, andWashington, DC,of plans to develop a regional policy to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector. The move was endorsed today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Acadia Center,Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and five other groups.

The announcement byConnecticut,Delaware, theDistrict of Columbia, Maryland,Massachusetts,New York,Rhode IslandandVermontwas made during the Bonn Climate Change Summit.

byMike SmithParents, teachers, mentors and others who touch the lives of our teens and young adults try to instill certain qualities meant to help them succeed as they transition into adulthood. These attributes include such things as honesty, respect, humility, persistence and hard work. These are the keys to success, we often tell our children. But then they are confronted with another path to success, and that path is much different from what we have preached to them.

by Joyce Marcel Vermont Business Magazine It takes a village to revitalize a village. It also takes positive leadership and the willingness to take risks. St Albans’ mayor, Elizabeth “Liz” Gamache, has won high praise for the way she uses her political skills to lead the revitalization of her city. Gamache, 53, is one of the very few female mayors in Vermont’s long history — and shame on you, Vermont! Since 2012, she has been elected mayor of St Albans three times; one indication of the respect she’s earned is that she’s always run unopposed. Her current two-year term is up next year and she plans to run again.

Vermont Business MagazineMayor MiroWeinberger and the co-op Keep Burlington Telecom Local have released the following statements regarding the failure of Ting from Toronto and KBTL to reach an agreement on a potential collaboration last Friday. The Burlington City Council was deadlocked on deciding between the two bidders November 6 and asked the two finalists to find a way to collaborate. The Council is expected to re-vote on November 27 as an end-of-the-year deadline approaches. Two other firms who were initially finalists before they were pared to two,ZRF Partners from New Jersey and Schurz Communications from Indiana, could potentially also be back in therunning. The Council will reconsider the issue Monday night.

​Vermont Business MagazineThe University of Vermont will host its fifth annual Legislative Summit onMonday, November 13in the Davis Center. The topic is water quality. UVM faculty in a range of disciplines will present the results of their cutting-edge research to inform legislators on subjects they will likely confront during the coming session.