Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has added nearly 50 acres of lakeshore property to the Pond Woods Wildlife Management Area in Benson, Vermont. The property was conserved in part using funds from the Habitat Stamp program, a voluntary donation to habitat conservation in Vermont that was launched in 2015. The land was sold to the Fish & Wildlife Department by the Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts. As a result, this forested shoreline property is now permanently conserved, and is open to the public for wildlife-based recreation such as bird-watching, hiking, fishing, and hunting.

Sunset Lake is known for its remarkably clear, clean water, holding the record for the greatest water clarity measured in any water body in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR) and Jeffrey Carr, President, Economic & Policy Resources (EPR), announced the Q4 2017 outlook results of their joint initiative, the VBR/EPR Business Conditions Survey and Index.The latest survey, which was conducted during the first two weeks of October 2017, achieved a response rate of 68 percent overall and included a 50 percent or greater response rate from 10 of 15 represented sectors within the membership.

Overall Finding

Survey results show that:

• Roughly two-thirds of respondents (63%) shared negative outlooks specifically with ease of hiring for available positions, improved from the previous survey (71%);

by Justin Wheating, President of NRG Systems I recently had the pleasure of attending the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s Catalysts of the Climate Economy National Innovation Summit – CC:Econ – in Burlington. The Summit brought together climate innovators from across the country to tell their success stories. It also highlighted the opportunities that exist here in Vermont to capture a slice of the economic activity presented by a changing climate. Listening to the speakers, from national environmentalist Paul Hawken to local budding climate entrepreneurs like Paul Hines of Packetized Energy, I was struck by the opportunity Vermont has to be an incubator state for innovative climate solutions, which in turn provides opportunities for the state to address economic challenges.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Treasurer’s Office paid Vermonters a record number of unclaimed financial property last year and Treasurer Beth Pearce wants you to check today to see if any of the remaining $80 million waiting to be claimed belongs to you. Vermonters can easily search the State unclaimed property database by visitingMissingMoney.Vermont.govor by calling1-800-642-3191.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Vermont Fish &Wildlife Department says a preliminary count reveals hunters harvested 40 moose in this year's regulated hunting seasons."A preliminary count on October 31 showed that hunters reported 8 moose being taken by 18 hunters in the October 1-7 archery season and 32 moose taken by 70 hunters in the October 21-26 regular season," said Cedric Alexander, Vermont's moose project leader.

by Louis Josephson, PhD Since the 1960s, US hospitals and healthcare facilities that provide more than 16 beds for the care of people with psychiatric and addiction issues have been known in legislative terms as Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD). Today, this designation has come to represent a significant barrier for Medicaid enrollees who suffer from psychiatric and drug-related issues. This is due to the little known and largely outdated “IMD exclusion,” which is a federal law that blocks Medicaid from making payments (in most cases) to facilities that qualify as IMDs.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Snelling Center for Government is pleased to announce the graduates of the Early Childhood Leadership Institute Class of 2017.The Early Childhood Leadership Institute is a unique leadership and personal transformative institute, initiated in 2014 to stimulate enthusiasm for and effective participation in efforts to improve early childhood work in Vermont. The Class of 2017 became the 3rd graduating class with graduates joining a professional network of more than 900 Vermont Leadership Network Alumni.

Vermont State Parks This holiday season, Vermont State Parks invites you to purchase holiday gift packages, park passes, and gift certificates for friends and family. Not only will they benefit the recipient, but they’ll benefit the parks, too. This year’s popular gift packages are all new with colorful, useful gear designed to make your outdoor adventures both stylish and fun. These packages come fully wrapped and ready to give. They can be ordered online, and shipping is free.

This year’s offerings are:

Day Tripper $59

Includes one punch card good for 10 park day visits, a notebook and pen set, and a Vermont State Parks travel mug.

Vermont Business MagazineDowns Rachlin Martin PLLC Managing Partner Paul HOde, Jrissued the following statement Wednesday regarding the USSenate confirmation of Director Peter BRobb of Brattleboro as general counsel to the National Labor Relations Board.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Mayor Miro Weinberger, Governor Phil Scott, members of the Vermont Climate Pledge Coalition, and the Energy Action Network (EAN) hosted the Vermont Energy and Climate Summit at Champlain College’s Center for Communications and Creative Media. More than 175 individuals from organizations, institutions, and businesses all over the state plus student volunteers attended the Summit, which was promised as part of the launch of the Vermont Climate Pledge Coalition earlier this year.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 100 students from four Vermont high schools traveled to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on Wednesday as part of the first “Vermont Day” to learn about democracy, civic discourse and the legislative process. The trip, organized by US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), enabled Vermont students to travel to the Kennedy Institute, which is located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Students from Poultney High School, Twinfield Union School, West Rutland School and Woodstock High School participated.

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board is now reviewing the 2018 budget of ACO OneCare Vermont, a network of health care providers that includes hospitals, federally qualified health centers and independent practitioners. This group is responsible for the quality, cost and overall care of the patients attributed to it. The Vermont Legislature in 2016 charged the Green Mountain Care Board with the oversight of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Health care providers participating in an ACO can collaborate with each other, rather than compete, in an effort to lower overall health care costs, coordinate patient care, and improve patient outcomes. To avoid antitrust challenges, the state must provide sufficient oversight to ensure that the ACO is acting in the public’s interest.