Current News

by John McClaughryBack in 1999 Robert Reich, President Clinton’s very liberal ex-Secretary of Labor, penned an op ed piece that said, “The era of big government may be over, but the era of regulation through litigation has just begun.”

Reich argued that Congress, since 1994 under the control of pro-business Republicans, will not enact liberal proposals for regulating and taxing the tobacco and firearms industries, and it won’t change the antitrust laws to benefit the competitors of Microsoft. Therefore, wrote Reich, forget Congress - we’ll sue. He conceded that this regulation through litigation isn’t efficient, and may not serve the public interest, but “perhaps regulating through lawsuits is better than not regulating at all.”

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) and Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning (GMALL) will partner to present a “Medicine Today” lecture about antibiotic resistance.The talk,The Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance,will be co-presented by Dr. Michael Calderwood, a specialist in infectious disease at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and Dr. Marie George, a specialist in infectious disease with SVMC Infectious Disease, which is now a part of the SVMC Multispecialty Practice.

The talk will be held5:30 – 7 p.m. Monday, November 13, 2017, at Equinox Village, at49 Maple Streetin Manchester Center, VT. The event is free, but advanced registration is required. Visit the science section of the programs tab atwww.greenmtnacademy.orgto register.

Vermont Business MagazineNorthern Vermont University-Johnson’s biannual Integrative Medicine Day will be8:30 am-4 pmNov4at McClelland Hall on campus.The event, which will include group sessions on varied wellness, healing and stress-reduction approaches, is free for prospective students and their families interested in NVU-Johnson’s Wellness & Alternative Medicine (WAM) Bachelor of Science program. High school students may attend a WAM homeopathy class, talk with current WAM students, and go to sessions on music therapy, yoga, healing with horses and plants, and other treatments and techniques.

Integrative medicine, which employs conventional and alternative treatments, is used in some major U.S. hospitals. Alternative medicine uses natural, non-invasive approaches including nutrition, herbalism and homeopathy.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovanjoined a coalition of Attorneys General in opposing the US Department of Labor’s efforts to roll back overtime pay protections for25,000 Vermonters and millions of Americans. The attorneys general submitted comments in response to the US Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Request for Information concerning the executive, administrative, and professional (EAP) exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).By this action, the USDOL threatens to roll back the Obama administration’s rule that expanded overtime compensation for workers by raising the salary level test that would limit the number of employees who qualify for the FLSA exemptions.

Vermont Business Magazine The Snelling Center for Government has announced the Vermont Leadership Institute Class of 2018. The Class of 2018 is comprised of 23 associates from across the state who represent a wide variety of organizations from the public, private and non-profit sectors. The Snelling Center for Government is a non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to fostering responsible and ethical civic leadership, encouraging public service by private citizens, and promoting informed citizen participation in shaping public policy in Vermont.

Vermont Leadership Institute Class of 2018

Vermont Business MagazineCondé Nast Travelerreaders have rated the top hotels in New England for 2017 and six prestigious Vermont lodging properties were among the 40 that were recognized. Five Vermont properties, including Hotel Vermont of Burlington at No. 4, were named among the Top 20 hotels inCondé Nast Traveler’sTop Hotels in New England: Readers’ Choice Awards. This is the third year in a row that Hotel Vermont has been honored in the Top 5 of these rankings.

Hotel Vermont in Burlington. Courtesy of Hotel Vermont.

Rounding out Vermont’s presence in the rankings were The Pitcher Inn of Warren at No. 12, Twin Farms of Barnard at No. 15, Windham Hill Inn of West Townshend at No. 17, Kimpton Taconic Hotel of Manchester at No. 18, and Field Guide of Stowe at No. 23.

Vermont Business Magazine The Addison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) Board of Directors has appointedFred Kenney as its new Executive Director. Kenney replaces Robin Scheu, who is retiring after nine years leading economic development in Addison County. In 2001,Kenneywas appointed as Executive Director of the Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC), providing statewide economic development strategic planning and administering the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive Program, the Tax Increment Financing Program, and the Windham County Economic Development program.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), based in Brattleboro, has been awarded $65,638 from the USDepartment of Agriculture, Rural Utility Services Solid Waste Management Grant Program, to implement food waste, organics, and manure management in rural Maryland communities. The goal of the project is to assist rural communities to improve solid waste planning and management, leading to reductions in solid waste generation and water pollution. Stakeholders in the Maryland counties of Allegany and Cecil will be engaged to implement best management practices for food waste reduction, organics, and manure management. Through webinars and outreach, the project will benefit other regions of Maryland, as well as the Northeast and the country.

Vermont Business MagazineBerkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc(NYSE: BHLB), the parent company of Berkshire Bank with branches in southern Vermont, has reported third quarter 2017 net income of $22.9 million, or $0.57 per share and core earnings of $23.6 million, or $0.59 per share. Net income was up 40% year-over-year, while core earnings grew 35% due to the benefit of business expansion. Net income per share increased by 8%, while core EPS increased by 4%. Net income was impacted by net non-core charges related primarily to acquisitions. Core earnings related measures are non-GAAP measures that exclude these charges and other non-ordinary items

byMike SmithIt’s a helpless feeling, some say. Like spiraling down a deep, dark hole. You try to stop your fall, but you can’t. And the farther you fall down that hole, the darker it becomes until ultimately darkness surrounds you.

It’s difficult to describe what a person suffering from mental illness is going through. Each experience is probably unique. However, the end result is likely the same: You become a different person, a person you and others don’t recognize. And without help, chances are you’ll remain that different person, trapped in a world you can’t escape or explain.

Vermont officials and health care professionals agree we have an escalating mental health crisis in our state. But a consensus on what to do about it has proven elusive. The result: When we do act, we move forward in small incremental steps that may temporarily relieve some pressure points but don’t permanently address larger problems.

Public Assets InstituteWith an additional 600 newjobsin September, Vermont’s private employers have added 2,700 jobs so far this year. While the growth has been uneven, 2017 has seen the strongest first three quarters since 2011. Also in September, Vermont’s unemployment rate ticked down to 2.9 percent, the lowest level since December 2000.

Vermont Business Magazine On October 18, 2017, the Board ofCommunity Health Accountable Care, LLC (CHAC) decided to terminate its Medicare Accountable Care Organization Shared Savings Program agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, effective1/1/2018and to conclude ACO operations.

Vermont’s health centers will continue to work together with the state and their community partners to improve the health of the patients that they serve. This will include continued focus on the clinical goals of Vermont’s All-Payer Model.